Lady Elliot Island

Returning from Gladstone I noticed that a small repair was in order around one of the reefline points on the leech.
It's a bit of a palaver to get the mainsail off, removing each batten, not to mention the weight of the sail when lugging it about the boat aswell a the roadmiles to and from the sailmaker.
However I believe the old proverb 'a stitch in time' is the order of the day, so off it came.

Down to Brisbane with the sail, and it was repaired whilst we waited- having first organised for this to be the case, due to the distance involved and the relatively minor nature of the repair required.
Pressganged Chris into helping me with the task of getting it re rigged. Watching the forecast for a few days, a window of wind-less-ness appeared and we whizzed up to the marina. Fought the mainsail back onto the mast track cars having first inserted the battens, but just as  we had finished bending the main back on, the wind picked up and I decided to leave attaching the reefing lines until another day.

Lady Elliot Island

 The southernmost recognized coral cay on the Great Barrier Reef is Lady Elliot Island.

Once destroyed almost beyond repair by guano miners it is now an eco resort. It’s only accessible by air or of course by private boat,so its off the beaten track for most people.

Divers love it as it is a hotspot for the elusive manta rays. One of the known facts about them is they tend to congregate around  Lady Elliot during the winter months.There is a renowned ‘cleaning station’ , where they can apparently often be sighted enjoying a bit of TLC from the tiny workers providing this essential service. The Manta Project , a research project based at  Queensland University, visit the island several times a year in their quest for more data on these magnificent creatures.

 We set off with a weather window that looked perfect to drop into Lady Elliot for a day or two. The anchorage is relatively exposed so it’s not an oft visited spot by yachts, when there is a very beautiful and protected coral  lagoon just 25nm further to the north.

 Enroute we spent the night on the NW side of Rooney Point on Fraser Island (K’Gari- I know its a bit confusing, but anyone who has followed the blog from the beginning will understand ). This is not a usual anchorage for us  but was perfect for the prevailing weather- absolutely nothing wrong with it all. Perhaps it would be a tad uncomfortable in a mono, but it was a restful night on a catamaran. We alao found the opportunity to re attach the reef lines to the mainsail.

 https://youtu.be/MiM_X8vurqs

It’s a 49nm run from our overnight anchorage and with the prevailing light airs we managed the MPS all the way. Jo still doesn’t like it when I say perfect MPS weather , but it works, we get from A-B without the mainsail flogging away pointlessly when there is any swell. So she concedes on a needs must basis , but then prefers me to be on watch- so it will be my issue if it gets destroyed!

 

We arrived late in the afternoon, not ideal when trying to anchor around coral. There are two supplied Marine Park moorings at Lady Elliot- both were occupied, so that left the anchor. There was still enough light left, albeit at the wrong angle really as it was very low but we managed to find what appeared to be a sandy spot upon which to anchor, doing so in 15m of water. Time would tell if the chain would find any bommies during the night. As it turned out the southerly running current was so strong we swung  very little during the night.

 My nearest neighbour in the marina was anchored when we arrived, it wasn’t planned just coincidental.

 The European history of the island is that it was mined for a decade from 1863,during which time it was so destructively mined that thousands of years of growth were destroyed with  estimated removal of  3 feet of topsoil. The Queensland government had a policy of putting goats on barrier reef islands  as sustenance for shipwrecked sailors which in turn precluded regrowth. Eight  pisonia trees -the favourite nesting spot for sooty terns-were the only bits of vegetation left. These eight trees remain today along with the massive revegetation that has occurred since  1969 when the rehabilitation efforts of one man started.

 Intelligently, along with the goats a lighthouse was erected , however that has not precluded various vessels over the years being attracted like moths to a flame, to abrupt and undoubtedly costly ends.

https://youtu.be/GJ6zuG7h6L8

 The next day ,the weather was perfect, glassy calm ,crystal clear water. The water  was alive beneath us turtles ,fish and rather disconcertingly a couple of whales passed by just meters away. I was down below when I heard what I thought was a turtle snorting (with a much deeper sound than a normal turtle) when I looked there they were a mum and a baby just gliding past. I didn’t get my camera in hand until they were some distance away, just beside our marina neighbours. To date it’s the closest I have been to these majestic mammals.

We drift snorkelled down the western side of the island and then contemplated a real dive. I dropped Jo ashore- it is a draw back for yachties, that leaving a dinghy ashore here is an issue as its just a steeped coral shard  “beach” that you land on. The reconnoitre revealed yes it was possible to dive with the onsite provider but as it had been some time ( well yes the last actual dive had been 8 years ago for me) a refresher session- available and inclusive in the dive price would need to be done first. Jo decided to do it and I would do it the next day, thus circumventing the dinghy ashore issue.

I occupied myself with as usual inspecting below the water line, something I do at every opportunity when the water is clear. The anodes  looked in good condition except the starboard prop triangle was looking slightly more consumed.

 In the end Jo did her dive but I decided not to and the following day we snorkelled instead, looking for those elusive mantas-unsuccessfully .Not unsurprisingly really as it wasn’t the time of year when they are known to congregate.

So we now know the lay of the land not to mention the speed and direction of the prevailing current in October, at Lady Elliot and when the weather allows we will return .Made a mental note to investigate the acquisition of an inflatable SUP. Inflatable as it will be easier to store on board . Also perfect for island access and being easily able to leave ashore if needed at a place like this.

 

Our return run was trouble free and we in fact had  a record run for us of 72nm from our anchorage at Rooneys through the Sandy Straits to the entrance to the creek where the marina is located in just 13 hours. The wind and tide were just perfect.

In fact most of our run was completed with the mainsail stowed and only 1

/3rds of the jib deployed in a 20-25kts wind on our quarter

https://youtu.be/oAiEopOGtRs