Project Lady K

Well, it’s been busy down at the Whitsunday Sailing Club (WSC) as we give Lady K a makeover. With the help of some enthusiastic friends she’s getting some much needed TLC and a few minor repairs, ready for her inaugural Twilight Race on Wednesday 15 March.

Here’s the project list we’ve written up, hoping to come in under budget and be ready on time.

• Removal of bird nests and oysters – she’s been home to a few animals for awhile
• Removal of old anti foul – she’s going to be living on the hardstand at our local sailing club
• Full repaint to include underwater, topsides, deck – will keep her white and blue
• Structural and cosmetic fiberglass and gel coat repairs – so she’s nice and slick
• New trampoline – we kept falling through the old one
• Addition of a prodder to fly asymmetrical spinnaker – to go fast
• New foam coverings – with vinyl to last longer
• Replace rotten section of hard deck – time and weather got to it
• Electrical work – tidy up and design waterproof through-hull fittings and inclusion of solar charging
• Repair the headsail – the clew was stabbed on the mast during our night time delivery
• Rig tune – tighten her up and reduce mast swivel
• Replace or repair running rigging – for ease of use
• Fit a bow roller – no more scratching the anchor over the forward beam

Project list with budgeted costs and time allocations

Adam, the pressure wash king

Gary, Project Manager

Lady K topside, with a view

Fortunately and thankfully the WSC has a trailer, that with a couple of modifications we can use to easily move our Crowther International 23 in and out of the water.

Two weeks to go! Exciting!

Whitsunday sailing adventure - Day 3

Just before midnight we came away from the south east beach on Seaforth Island, turned into the breeze and hoisted the main sail. We motor sailed past the silent Lindeman Island resort and the Picaninny Point light into Whitsunday Passage. Unfurling the headsail on a starboard tack we had to head towards Genesta Bay near Cape Conway until we could tack away with the change of the tide to take us north. 

We ended up making a few tacks to keep us away from Long Shoal, plus we were looking at which option to take to get to our destination of Airlie Beach. Option 1: wait for the tide change and go through The Narrows between Long Island and the mainland. Option 2: cross the passage and head for Hamilton Island. Option 2 had a better angle to sea so on the tide change we finally enjoyed a fantastic flat water sail on a long port tack with a 12-15 knot north westerly wind. Bringing us up into the lee of Hamilton Island we reached a maximum of 8 knots under a partly cloudy, full moon sky. Can’t get any better than that.

We were amongst familiar landmarks now, however, as we went to enter the Dent Passage, with me steering, I didn’t judge the tidal pull and so took the turn too late. We blew the tack and unfortunately the head sail ripped on the mast. The tide was so strong it was taking us away from our intended route at a rate of 7 knots, so the motor was fired up to get us back on course. A lesson learnt on my part – situational awareness. The bright lights of Hamilton Island gave us a sense of coming home but it was rather eerie as we were the only ones moving about in the early hours of the morning. In the calm waters of Dent Passage we had enough time to consume a much needed (tepid) coffee, banana, small tin of tomato tuna and a couple of peanut butter rice cakes before we tackled the wind and waves again.

Still going with the tide it was a long starboard tack towards Shute Harbour followed by a sloppy motor sail up Molle Channel with a wind against tide swell. Another spectacular sunrise was evolving as we passed Daydream Island, and as we rounded Pioneer Point into Pioneer Bay the sun rose with intensity. We were on the home stretch now, donning sunscreen, hat and sunglasses and feeling grateful that the sailing conditions were much more ideal at night, and that we made the journey safely.

Pioneer Bay

We arrived at the entrance of Whitsunday Sailing Club just on low tide, so had to wait for about 20 minutes (thank goodness we are such a shallow draught) to pull alongside the jetty. The groundsman greeted us with a cheery hello, and realising we were pretty tired assisted us with lines and allowed us to leave the boat there until the tide was high enough to pull us out of the water later in the day. Friends arrived with the car, helped us pack up and dropped us home for some well needed and much deserved rest. What an adventure: approximately 70 nautical miles over a 48 hour period with about 17 hours on water. 

Whitsunday sailing adventure - Day 2

Getting the main sail organised to hoist as we departed Keyser Island, I whacked my forehead with a tube of PVC pipe on the elastic sail tie. I immediately covered the egg sized lump with a frozen water bottle and rested my woozy head while Gary got the sail up. The wind direction was still not ideal as we turned between Platypus Rock and Burning Point, but the stunning pink and purple dawn blanket of cloud was a lovely distraction. Envious of a yacht (the one and only we saw) heading south with the wind and tide, we made the decision to find an anchorage as we needed to repair the just failed gooseneck. Plantation Bay was a known easy access and sheltered haven, but coming past the lee of Seaforth Island we chose to drop anchor there, just as a cruise ship was passing on its way north.

Ding to the head

Approaching Lindeman Island resort

It was already over 30 degrees as the sun popped up over Shaw Island, so we laid the tarp bimini across the boom for some much needed shade. We didn’t remove it until 6.00pm that night! After completing some repairs, on the rising tide we moved the boat onto Esme beach to explore the island. It felt good to step on land.

Lady K on Esme Beach, Seaforth Island

Seaforth Island is part of the Lindeman Islands National Park with a short walk through open vine forest to the north east facing Orchid Beach, where there are two toilets (complete with toilet paper), a flat camping area, picnic tables and a great view across the channel to Lindeman Island Resort (formerly Club Med but now closed). 

500 metre walking track from Esme Beach to Orchid Beach

 

Queensland Parks and Wildlife courtesy toilet

Hoop pines

With views to the north we could see we wouldn’t be going anywhere for a while as the wind had picked up from the direction we wanted to go. The north westerly to northerly winds were far stronger than predicted, leaving us no choice but to wait it out on the beach. Sailing/motoring into 25 knots of wind against tide makes you realise just how small a 23 foot sailing catamaran really is!

Orchid Beach, Seaforth Island

At various intervals throughout the day we left the shady deck of Lady K to climb the short hill for phone reception, to check the weather and advise our designated persons ashore of our plans. It was looking like a midnight departure when the tide turned and wind dropped.

We let the boat run aground at around 3.15pm, leaving us high and dry on the beach and assured of some comfortable rest. We spent the afternoon reading, napping, watching the scenery (saw one green turtle, a few butterflies and a handful of birds) and doing a few little jobs. Nothing too strenuous as it was close to 40 degrees; but at least there was a breeze! 

Low tide

Amazing clouds over Shaw Island

It was a case of being stranded on a deserted island. No other person or vessel in sight. So we played the waiting game, got some good sleep, and awoke when the boat refloated and the wind had dropped. Time to go.

Whitsunday sailing adventure – Day 1

We had to wait for a weather window to get the boat from Bucasia Creek to Airlie Beach: not easy in the middle of the wet season in the Whitsundays. Plus we had to fit it in in between work commitments. After constant viewing of the multiple online weather sites (BOM, Willy Weather, Pocket Grib), Sunday 12 February was looking possible. It was essential we left on the ebb tide to make our journey north as the tidal range was over 5 metres, and being such a small vessel it would have been near impossible otherwise. So in the late morning sun with the help of friends and the now former owner, we loaded up the boat ready for a 65 nautical mile open sea passage. There wasn’t a lot of time for fluffing about as we needed to be at the entrance of the creek to catch the turn of the tide. A last minute check of our list to ensure we had the essentials: life jackets (on), flares, EPIRB, working VHF marine radio, auto pilot, experienced yachtsman; and enough food and water to last at least three days, and we were off.

Loading at Bucasia Creek

The passage begins - Bucasia Creek to Airlie Beach

With light north westerly winds and the tide with us we steered a course towards Brampton Island. But, what became the constant of the entire voyage was whichever way we tacked the wind was on the nose. 

Katherine ready to dump the main. Auto-pilot is doing its thing.

Skipper Gary

We sailed past the Sir James Smith Group in the east and Repulse Islands to the west, commenting on James Cook’s encounter in these waters. Repulse Bay is a wide expanse of shallow water between Cape Conway (NE) and Midge Island (SW).  The Bay was named by Cook in 1770, because he was ‘repulsed’ by it; that is he was unable to find passage north where he thought there was one.  The Bay is enormous with an expanse of low-lying land at the head of it where the O’Connell and Proserpine Rivers emerge into the sea. These rivers have a combined catchment of some 12000 km2 and each year they discharge millions and millions of cubic metres of sediment-laden water into the sea, which has contributed to the shallowness of the Bay. It’s a choppy, unpleasant piece of water in fresh winds with tide opposing, so it wasn’t a place we wanted to go.

Averaging 5 knots for the day with intermittent help from the 4hp outboard engine, we chose Megan Bay at Keyser Island to drop the anchor as the sun was beginning to go down.

Anchorage at Keyser Island

A pasta cook up on the butane stove was enjoyed as we watched the full moon rise, then we crashed out on the trampoline in the cool breeze wrapped up in sleeping bags. A calm, quiet anchorage in a light northerly breeze soon turned into a roly shitdump, as the wind picked up and a residual northerly swell wrapped around the point, rocking the boat incessantly and keeping us awake. At about 4.15am the wind dropped, conditions became calm again, and we had a couple of hours of ebb tide; a cue to continue our journey. Head torches on, we weighed anchor and headed west straight into the breeze again. 

Search for a catamaran

If you live in the Whitsundays you must get out on the water and enjoy the natural beauty of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and Whitsunday islands. 

Anchorage in the Whitsunday Islands

We have been looking for a sailing catamaran for little while, something like a Hobie 18; something small and cheap that we could take out for a bit of fun and sail to an island beach, have a snorkel and camp out for a night or two.

Searching on Gumtree we found the following ad:

"International 23. Good condition needs paint. Sails good condition. Near new 4HP 4 Stroke Yamaha with charging. Raymarine autopilot. VHF. GPS/sounder. E-pirb and safety gear. Built 1984."

As it was moored only down the road at Bucasia, North Mackay, we thought we'd take a look at it. 

Arriving as the tide was coming in around 4pm, we could see the hulls were in fine shape as she sat up on the sand bar.

Crowther International 23

Tide's coming in

We needed at least 4 metres of water to navigate out of Bucasia Creek and take her for a test sail in open water. Clayton, the vendor, grew up in the area and happily pointed out the local landmarks: Brampton Island to the North East, Green Island off Shoal Point, Dolphin Heads, and the infamous Eimeo Pacific Hotel perched on the cliff top with "a million dollar view". 

Motoring out of Bucasia Creek

A lovely 12 knot south easterly was blowing as we hoisted the main, then the headsail, taking turns at the tiller. Our host kindly brought along some cold beers to enjoy with the late afternoon sail. 

Impressed with the performance of the vessel, albeit she needs a little cosmetic touch up, and the possibility of many adventures, we made an offer that wasn't refused. Lying back on the trampoline, soon to be our bed under the stars, I wondered if the boat had a name. "Yes, it's Lady K", says Clayton. "You're kidding?", we said in unison. Clayton chuckled and admitted he could never have made that up in a hurry. Gary and I smirked at each other. It was providence. "Guess we have ourselves a boat then, Katherine", says my husband.

And so begins the Adventures of Lady K.

You can just make out the original name, Lady K, on each hull

Lady K