CLIENT: General Public Voyage
VOYAGE NUMBER: 20220519
FROM: Hervey Bay to Rosslyn Bay
DATE: 21 May 2022
POSITION: Cape Capricorn, Curtis Is
REPORT BY: Blue Watch
After a rollie night anchored in Bustard Bay, we woke to very similar conditions. We enjoyed hot breakfast before getting under heading for Cape Capricorn, Curtis Island.
A blustering 30 knot south easterly greeted us on deck to hoist the foresail and staysail. No need for the main today. Our course required us to run with the wind directly behind us and in order to avoid any unwanted gybes, we sailed slightly off the rum line. The sea swell increased throughout the day and we surfed down some big rollers giving us speeds over 14 knots.
The waves made helming challenging as the big swells picked up the stern. The helmsman never had a moments rest and the load on the wheel was quite significant requiring helmsman changes every 15 minutes. All crewed donned their full wet weather gear and safety harnesses to face the relentless rain. Visibility was limited due the cloud and rain. We kept our eye on a tanker on our radar which only became visible when it was off our beam.
We dropped anchor just after rounding Cape Capricorn, Curtis Island in a well-protected small bay. Finally, the boat was level! A few adventurers went ashore and visited the lighthouse and explored the rugged cliffs.
Louise served up yet another delicious, hot meal welcomed by all the crew who been in and out of wet gear throughout the day. After dinner entertainment was provided by Phill on the uke and all joined in with song requests and singing along.