Sleeping with Whales

Sleeping with Whales- Island Head Creek

WE arrived after sailing for 14 and half hours, 110 nautical miles on our 38^th Wedding Anniversary. This was necessary action plan for safety, in anticipation of the forecast of 30 knot winds and large sea swells.  It was a dead calm out to sea, no swell, glass seas and no wind……………..the calm before a storm.  

Whilst it was a long day it was not arduous and the sightings of dolphins and whales kept me occupied whilst Capt Teza read a book. As we entered island head creek in calm conditions we took advantage of anchoring on the first beach upon entering the headland. 

 

 We found a 12 meter hole right next to the beach which was not on our charts or chart plotter and we can only assume that this is a crater from an Artillery shell as the area is a military training ground. It made for some tricky anchoring for the night with the yacht in five meters at low tide and our anchor stuck half way down a crater in 12 meters of water.

To call this large body of water a creek is not a good description.  Beautiful blue water, sandy beaches and sheltered inlets make this body of water one of the best safe anchorages along the Queensland coast.  It is under the control of the defense forces and is uninhabited by humans.

  

Upon anchoring we were greeted by 3 turtles paddling around and checking us out. We were ever so tired, a quick sundowner cocktail and early dinner.  

At about 7 pm I could hear the familiar sound of  a long “Pish” of a whales breathing hole.  In the  darkness just 50 meters from the boat was the silhouette of three whales backs gentle rising up and down.  They weren’t moving so our guess was they were having a rest before embarking further on migration path southwards.

We went to sleep with the whales.  The gentle sound as they blew out of the breathing holes was constant until about 3 pm when the tide changed and they made there way out to sea.  I Was a little nervous about being so close to these giants who are known to sleep against boats or rub against anchor chains but so exhausted after our days passage it was quiet soothing as I lay my head down I put my hands on the hull and felt the vibration of these magnificent animals of the sea.  WOW

Not sure what the vibrations were, could have been whale calls or movement  of these creatures of the sea that can weigh up to 40 tons.

In a state of gratefulness.

Even on the hard days at sea I am next to the man I have loved for 41 years and tonight I am also "sleeping with whales".

The next day we went exploring the beach combing for shells and as we do collecting any rubbish.  Other than one lonely basketball,  Yes, “Wilson”, that we disposed of, there was little rubbish on this well known collection  sand spit.  

A few shells and 4 kilometers of walking the isolated beautiful beach we had an enjoyable lunch and  made a move as the winds had now reached 25 knots and building. Being on the leeward side on an exposed beach was not going to give us a comfortable night.

We headed to a tributary which is tricky because of the shoals.  Tidal Changes in this area can be more than expected.

Latter at night, despite our best calculations in tidal depths we hit bottom at 1 pm on a dropping tide. I awoke to being squashed against the starboard hull by the Capt sleeping on top of me.  This is not the first time we have been keeled over on our hull with viewing portholes just under the deck looking into water whilst at anchor . Certainly, we have blue water viewing through these port holes when sailing.  But on this occasion all rationale thinking that we would pop back up again did nothing to calm my nerves.  The howling wind, light showers and the water chop banging against the hull resulted in me having what I can only describe as an anxiety attack. In fact so nervous was I as I leaned on the cabin lounge at a 45% angle waiting for the tide to pop us back up again that I became ill with a raging headache and nausea. It did indeed,  as the Capt said from his slumber ” it will pop back up again” at 4.30 am.

The next day I was so sick with a headache that I slept for 15 hours and started questioning if I had the mental stamina to do the whole sailing experience.  We work well as a team on board Sens de la Vie, she is built strong and has weathered some difficult situations.  We have experience some exhaustive,  adrenaline fueled days but they our outweighed by the extraordinary experiences we have cruising the coast. 

Diligence in checking conditions of sea and weather,  the engine and all the running equipment to ensure we don’t get into trouble  and we are safe,   is exhaustive and if we overthink the “what ifs”, we would never leave the dock.

The “anxiety attack”, which I am pretty sure that was what I experienced which is more than just nervousness left me feeling very flat and reflective.

Maybe, I do not have the mental stamina  and fortitude for an adventurous sea journey. That probably a more sensible alternative to travelling the coast line at our ages with my physical shortcomings is to do the whole Camper travelling thing. 

4wd camper trailer is planned when we sell our yacht and although we decided to do the sailing adventure whilst we could, certainly, after this episode of me having such anguish when we were not in any real danger, just very uncomfortable  left me questioning my capabilities and gave cause to be reflective.

My love of the sea does sometimes override all sense and sensibility. I have swam, snorkeled and dived with sharks, turtles, rays, large fish in a mass spiraling shoal,  moray eels  and had venomous curious sea snakes tapping on my googles all the while in a mental state of excitement and awe of sea life. 

I do take precautions and I am not reckless. 

Whilst, I recognize and appreciate that this is not for everyone to undertake a vessel to sea, in my experience the  good days which are many that I have had on various sailing vessels cruising the pacific islands and the coast of Queensland, certainly , outweigh the bad days which are few. 

Both Capt Teza and I in our lives have not been risk adverse and will have a go at most things, making opportunities to challenge ourselves.  

Sometimes we have not achieved the expectations we hoped for in our endeavors but all experiences both rewarding and challenging, the good and the bad,  have  enriched our lives and shaped us both individually.

Tomorrow as they say is another day and in my opinion,  or to justify my anxiety attack episode, if you don’t experience the not so great days how do you recognize, be grateful and appreciate the truly great days in your life.

Life upon the sea is not always easy

But when you have experiences of spectacular sunrises and sunsets, beautiful scenery, diving into crystal clear waters of coral reefs, catching fish (well a few on this passage and a couple of sharks), walking remote and isolated beaches, walking through forests on uninhabited Islands, eating oysters that you foraged from the rocks and the once in a life time experience of “sleeping with whales”, it is truly magical.

I remain forever grateful for all that I have experienced.

Capt Teza- Conundrum

Capt Teza- Conundrum

Not to disappoint the readers of the my blog who look forward to stories of Capt Teza’s shenanigans, episodes of mayhem, chaos and moments of silliness I share this story with great fondness and admiration for this man I have loved for 41 years.

Prologue - Observation Capt Teza has no personal Spatial Awareness

Living with the Capt in a small space for the last 2 months on board Sens de La Vie has been joyous, funny, challenging and a whole lot of adventure.

Certainly, the beginning of our sea journey was very stressful with unexpected failures of equipment on the yacht which tested our resolve to continue our sailing adventure. There was a moment of mutiny by me in Mooloolaba when I requested the Capt to leave the ship.

It took about a month for the Captain to clear his mind of ongoing construction projects he left behind for his team to continue and complete without his management and guidance.

Reading 14 books in 14 days to the exclusion of everything else is just one way in which Capt Teza relaxes and clears his head. Rum, long lunches with a bottle of wine, beautiful scenery and afternoon naps assisted him also to unwind.

This can be an irritating process for me whilst the Capt has his head in a book and just wants to sit and read but I fully understand the process is different for everyone to completely shut down and reboot.

It’s the Captains way of practicing mindfulness.

In a minus 16 degrees blizzard "whats the worst that can happen"

Look no wheels toughing the ground "whats the worst that could happen"

On our third week into our passage we welcomed guests on board at the Whitsundays, an engineer Mike and his wife Kim, for a week. An enjoyable fun and social time with Mike and Kim but with 2 engineers on board who over the span of 30 years have worked together on many projects, work related conversations were inevitable but in a good way this was also part of the process of Capt Teza thinking about his years of work and looking forward to the time when he retires.

At the end of our first month sailing we were then joined by Jacqui our daughter which was a delight to have some special time with her. 

Teaching Jacqui Chart readings

Capt Teza went into “protective, guiding with wisdom, father” mode, listening to her plans for the future and encouraging her to explore all life has to offer.

The Whitsundays is well known to us having done many sailing passages in this area. 

Our real adventure began when we continued to make passage along NQ coast and the islands, navigating unknown waters and exploring. I was ever so excited to get out the charts beyond the Whitsundays and delighted by the emerging adventurous spirit, that I love and adore, of Capt Teza.

Capt Teza – “spatially Un aware”

I will probably never understand how a man who can measure his stride length, use his hand span as a measuring tape with complete accuracy, measure 12 inches with his foot who has an arm span of 2 meters and who can understand and work in complex 3D engineering maths can be so unaware of his total physical space.

It took two and a half years searching for a suitable yacht.  Inspections of yachts for sale left us sometimes thinking we would never find a yacht suitable for our needs and in our budget.

One important criterion on our list was that we had to consider Capt Teza’s height requirements and being 6ft 2 and a bit, it was indeed challenging to find a yacht with full head room of 7ft in the saloon and main cabin.  Further, his requirements for the main cabin bed were 7ft by 7ft to accommodate his “starfish” position of sleeping was becoming an impossible criteria expectation.

We found our yacht but it was very unloved, had just arrived from America and been for sale for 4 days when I made a leap of faith and signed a sale contract.  Capt Teza was interstate and had not seen the yacht when I rang him and said” Honey, I bought a Boat”

An old yacht with good breeding, being a Beneteau with the added bonus of the very rare “owners layout” which is a Beneteau commissioned construction by original owner giving the boat high standard specifications and very roomy 2 cabin layout and U shaped galley. Built to high specifications of a Farr designed Beneteau for Blue water Ocean Cruiser/Racer complete with 2 and half tonne winged keel.

After 5 years owning this yacht it is a Conundrum that I continue to hear the mutterings and swearing of the Capt as he tries to go through the bulk head doors full frontal with a shoulder width of 570cm. 

The Captains cursing is legendary when he hits his knees, stubs his toes on the companion way steps and continually hits his head in the smaller spaces (bulkheads)on this yacht.

How can a man whose working life has been all about maths, measurements and working in 3 dimension mathematics, who started his working career as a surveyor and can visually measure distances with great accuracy, who with years in construction industry can estimate the cubic volumes of earth and internal spaces by sight alone, could be so unaware of his own personal space?

It remains a mystery, even after 41 years of endearing words from me like, “oh how strong you are” and “you’re a “Big Man” and give me a “big Hug” (that completely envelopes me).

Known to be described by his friends as “the big Bloke” and feared by some to never get into a pub brawl with him. Indeed, when our daughters were dating I could see the fear in the eyes of these poor young men who were introduced to their father, Capt Teza, for the first time.

Capt Teza Who pushes the boundaries on all life experiences, challenges and relationships with those around him, sometimes to the point of annoyance.

When I had a heart attack a very close mate exclaimed “so you finally broke her”. Which is a fair comment as it sometimes very hard to live life with this man.

The not so endearing or loving words from me like” you’re a big oaf”, “Sasquatch” and “your such a Clux”, never seems to be taken personally or questioned in validity.

How wonderful it must be to be so oblivious to one’s personal space and physical appearance and to leap without fear into spaces and physical situations with a mind saying to one’s body just “do it” without question or fear of capability. Undeterred by any negative thoughts or worrying about what might happen and never questioning skills or ability. The reality is that is he is usually successful and competent in most things he undertakes.  If it captures his imagination and passion Capt Teza gives all.

Capt Teza often says “what’s the worst that can happen?” which after 41 years this is responded by me with a “raised eyebrow questioning look” and a smile whilst having a vision of Capt Teza leaping off a roof with a cape on.

So many wild adventures, crazy fun and mishaps, sometimes reckless abandonment and with  NO aversion to taking risks has resulted in an enduring love, admiration and gratitude by me for this big man.

It would be reasonable to say that my life experiences would not have been as exciting without my Capt Teza and I love him more everyday for challenging me to live life full.

After 2 months at sea in a confined space it must be said that our relationship, that is built on trust and love, with a willingness to accept who we are as individuals and as a couple, is as strong as ever.  It is a pleasure to release ourselves from the daily worries of life and just be a couple full of fun, mischievousness, playfulness and sharing our wonderful sailing experiences together, even the tough challenging days at sea.

A Big Man with an enormous Heart who loves deeply and is very passionate.

Love you Capt Teza 

Exploring NQ- Final Destination and Turnaround Homeward

Mission Beach looking across to Dunk Island

Exploring NQ – Dunk Island, Mission Beach and Orpheus

We decided whilst conditions for the next couple of days were favourable to make passage a little further from Hinchinbrook Island to Dunk Island and Mission Beach.

Terry wanted to catch up with an ex co worker of many years ago who is now Chief Engineer, water and sewage with Cassowary Council.

WE experienced very calm conditions to explore Dunk Island which was a very popular holiday destination for nature lovers until Cyclone Yassi damaged the resort. It has yet to be rebuilt but camping grounds are still fully operational.  Terry was most interested in seeing what damage can be done to buildings by a cyclone, in his opinion the bones of the buildings are sound and it would not take much to redeem the buildings and infrastructure. A caretaker is onsite and main reception and dinning buildings seemed to have been restored, pool is operational and the airstrip is maintained. Lets hope that the owners eventually reopen the resort.

Dunk is covered in tropical rainforest and is only a couple miles off the coast giving easy access from mission beach to explore its many coves and walk the forest tracks.

It is popular with day visitors who traverse across mission beach in Kayaks, small tinnies, jet skies, and all manner of sea vessels.

As the waters between the Mainland and Dunk were like glass we took the tender over, a short 10 mins away and the following day we decided to move the boat off shore at mission beach to meet up with Terry’s ex co-worker Geoff Smart and his wife Denise.  

We were given a guided tour of the area and had lunch at a quirky little cafe.  Mission beach is a very relaxed uncomplicated holiday village with good restaurants, cafe's and artisans galleries.  It has all the usual modern amenities but still retains a very casual seaside village atmosphere, set on a pristine coconut lined beach.  A favorite of the Grey Nomads as most camping and caravan sites along the whole coast were full.

Landing on Mission Beach

From a small hilltop headland to the boating ramp the view was spectacular overlooking Dunk Island and the Group of Islands Called “Family Islands”. Looking down into the crystal clear waters watching a 5 meter Tiger shark cruising very close to the shore line was a reminder to be diligent when snorkeling and swimming in these waters.

View to Dunk Island from Mission Beach Lookout

Our tour did not include a sighting of a Cassowary bird, signs are everywhere but Geoff and his wife told stories of encounters with these big birds who can be very aggressive.

Delightful area that we hope to return via vehicle in the future.

We left Dunk Island and zigzag through the Family group of Islands passing the very exclusive Bedarra Island.  The waters in this group of islands are crystal clear with most islands having sandy beaches fringed by tropical rain-forest and coconut trees. Very lush compared to the islands of the Whitsundays and south.

We made passage back pass the seaward side of Hinchinbrook to make anchorage at Orpheus Island.  Passing Lucinda Sugar Jetty, the largest service jetty in the Southern Hemisphere extending almost 6 miles out to sea.

Orpheus Island, unfortunately, we arrive just as after the turn of the tide and late in the afternoon which negated me snorkelling or doing a walk amongst the giant Clams. I did take the Tender to view just under the water and they are amazing.

The giant clams some measuring up to 2 meters and weigh 200kg on low tide create a natural fountain spurting out grit and sand.  I have taken the liberty of using a Photo Courtesy of the web page of James Cook University research campus which is situated on the Island. 

This island I would love to explore more and hopefully I will get the opportunity to do so in the future.

Orpheus Island from the Air

Giant Clams Orpheus island Photo from James Cook University

The Army Landing Vessels Anchored at Orpheus Island

Fishing and viewing clams from the Tender

Our passage from Dunk Island we were followed by three huge Army landing ships, who also anchored for the night at Orpheus.  This conjured up our imagination and Terry and I went into competition in story telling on a grand scale of conspiracy theories of what the Army was up to in these waters.

We traversed the Palm Island group making passage to Magnetic Island, but on arrival and getting up to date weather forecast we made passage to Townsville which for the short 12 nautical miles was an horrendous passage.  We stayed a few days in protection on the marina from the winds and large swell. Enjoyed local restaurants and the historical building walking trail through the main street, many of the magnificent buildings lay dormant of activity waiting to be restored and reopened.

Leaving Townsville

Marg, Lizzy and I enjoying Cocktails and a catch up

By chance the P & O cruise arrived in port with our dear friend Marg Haebich with her sisters and Mum.

We caught up at a bar looking over the Townsville main beach, caught with local mountain news from home over a few cocktails.  It made me a little homesick to see my family and friends. 

We departed Townsville and committed to a long passage to Cape Bowling Green.  It was horrendous conditions with waves 3 meters standing up in a short swell.  Blue water on the bow as it hammered through the sea resulted in a small weld fracture on the bow pushpit and the forward cabin hatch leaking.  The cascade of water through the hatch soaked all bedding.  We got to Cape Bowling Green and anchored long enough to do running repairs on the hatch and get some food prepared as we decided that holding was not good and we were too exposed to the elements.

It was a very hard day at sea when we finally got to calmer waters at Cape Upstart it had been a 12 hr journey of relentless hammering into the waves.  After fixing up temporary sleeping bedding for the night we went to bed exhausted.

Next day we did it all again to Gloucester Island but it was a shorter trip and bearable.

The following day we arrived at Airlie Able Point Marina where we will stay for a few days in safe harbour.  WE needed this time to fix hatch and wash all linen and dry out bedding and forward cabin.  I got my hair done which was a little me time as I looked like the “whore of the Hesperus”.

WE accidentally caught up with the ex GM of Newman's group of companies which Terry worked for a decade or more ago. We had a delightful dinner of mud crab at the Rum Bar enjoying the good company of Ian Carson's and his wife Jo.

Provisions done we waited for the Arrival of Terry's current boss Greg Alder on his 110ft luxury super yacht Sovereign Lady.  

Dinner on board and a full tour of this boat.  Greg and I went to the engine room for about 30 mins which was impressive. by the time I came back to Capt Teza and Crew Nick  had explored the extensive selections of rum at the Ships Bar.

It was very evident that I needed to get the captain home to Sens de la Vie and navigating the wobbly happy sailor over a kilometer of docking was a challenge.

Hungover Capt Teza

WE departed the next day to Macona Inlet to get out of the wind and poor sea conditions and enjoyed a few days relaxing, collecting oysters and fishing.

Macona Inlet

On the helm

Macona Beach Oyster Collection

Cervice Coconut chilli and lime Fish with Fried Wontons

Collecting Oysters

Oysters Three Ways Shooters, Tempura and Natural

Fishing successfully on this journey has eluded me.  Small fish thrown back in or species I don’t particular like to eat.

Rays and sharks are very active in this inlet and yet tourists on charter boats are jumping into waters known for shark activity at sunset from the back of their charter boats.

I learnt since that the very next day at Cid Harbour was an incident of a woman being bitten from swimming at 5pm from the back of a charter boat and I can’t help wondering if this was the same family at Macona.

Cid harbour is a very popular anchorage as it offers great protection from wind in all directions but because it has a lot of boats who through food scraps overboard, sharks are present.

The charter boat companies need an overhaul in practices.  We got chatting to one staff member of a well know company who stated that they hire to anyone and there prerequired experience is not as strict as other countries.  The debrief and assessment of a hirer is now basically a lecture how to rather than, assessing if they can do.

Certainly, what I witness over the weeks in the Whitsundays is a disregard to boating rules, protocols and the natural environment by hirers of charter boats, in particular catamaran yachts. Running to close to whales, running over turtles, dropping anchor on the reefs, swimming off back of boats at shark feeding time, anchoring too close to other yachts, using public moorings past allocated time restrictions and general poor seamanship.  At the Marina I witness the so called debrief given and it lacked hands on involvement by the hirers who stood around watching not doing or being assessed by the charter operator.

Saying Goodbye to Whitsundays a whale waving us goodbye

Making passage homeward we hope to be an enjoyable experience rather than a chore, with little hops down the coast to our favorite islands.  Our passages are dictated by wind and sea conditions, time and safe anchorage to the conditions.

Farewell Whitsundays till next we sail your waters

On a beautiful day that happen to be our 38^th Wedding anniversary we sailed away from Whitsundays passing Thomas Island, the much-loved Percy Islands putting away a 100 nautical miles behind us to anchor in Island Head creek where we will hunkered away in safety until the foretasted warnings of 30knot winds and 3 meter swells dissipate.