TOKETIE - Sails Away!

Back in Victoria!

2011-09-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

Toketie is safely tucked away in the Townsville Slipways lot and the crew have landed back in sunny Victoria, British Columbia, a long way from Ross Creek!!

Toketie on the hard!

2011-09-06T14:55:00.001-07:00

All went well, first night spent on the water in the cradle and next morning at low tide the crane showed up to remove the power boat and put Toketie into position. Quite a production really!!

enough 'whingeing' already....

2011-09-02T17:04:00.001-07:00

Australia's national passtime....'whingeing'....better known as 'whining' where we come from.....sorry about that little scratch on the elbow stuff.....truth is the cure was almost worse than the disease...would not wish a week in hospital on anyone....so I checked myself out....declined the followup with the doctors and we have been busy getting Toketie in shape to store her for the next cyclone season! Townsville Slipways, where we will haul her up on the rail and have a crane lift her into position, is an institution in Australia. The world has evolved around the site but the old slipways remain much as they have been for many years. Townsville goes back to 1770 and Captain James Cook but the slipways have been there since 1903. Coordinating an exact time for when we will be lifted out of the water is turning into an interesting process. The logistics of juggling the boats on the rails, the tides, the crane etc.....well lets hope it happens this week!

tropical infections!

2011-08-28T18:28:00.001-07:00

The skipper has had a bit of a run in with the Aussie medical system.....a scratch on the elbow from working on the engine developed into an infection that saw it swell up till it looked like Popeye's arm.....heavy duty i/v antibiotics as well as oral antibiotics were not stopping it so they cut it open and drained it....that did the trick! Well, till my body exploded in a reaction, likely to the antibiotics....oy vey.....anyway I'm off everything but anti-inflammatories and steroids for the rash and seem to be improving....very interesting country....if it doesn't kill you, it definitely makes you stronger....

.......moral of the infection story is...no matter how small the scratch in the tropics....disinfect it 'immediately'...sterilize it constantly and treat it like your life might depend on it....last time I had one of these we were at sea half way to the marquesas and I cut it open, drained it and went on antibiotics while linda handled the boat as I could not put weight on my foot....scary stuff.....but all in a days work for us cruisers :)

expect to lift Toketie this week and fly back soon to the 'other'..... 'real' world !!!!

Townsville Cultural Fest!

2011-08-18T15:21:00.001-07:00

The first night of the Cultural Festival was interesting. Local aborigines and groups from Pacific Islands performed traditional dances and songs. The Nuie group was particularly energetic. It is said that Captain Cook attempted to land on Nuie four times but was repelled each time by the natives....he left, naming it the Savage Island! They lived up to their reputation on stage. The Papua New Guinea 'Home Decorators' entertained us with songs from the mountains and songs from the seacoast. Tokelau also had a huge group on stage and put on a good show.

We did not make it back last night for the 'Bollywood' show as neighbors in the yacht club came by for sundowners. The Lake MacQuarie boat 'Ingeberg of Capri' brought us a mudcrab they caught in the creek. It was delicious!

a walk along the strand....

2011-08-11T00:04:00.001-07:00

Townsville is very friendly....we are living in the heart of it at the old Motor Boat Club, now called the Townsville Yacht Club. A short walk crossing a bridge over Ross Creek and we find a promenade along the seafront called 'The Strand'! Nice to see local people out running, walking, bar b qing or playing with their kids. It is warming up now with daytime temps reaching 28, fortunately still cooling off enough at night to be comfortable. Just our luck, a jazz festival this weekend and next week five days of multi-cultural festival. Looks like we have a space to store Toketie at the old Slipway in the center of town.

Townsville!

2011-08-09T15:33:00.001-07:00

Had some great sailing and lots of motor-sailing.....but made 75nm to crawl up the Ross Creek in Townsville, dodging the dredger working on the big ships channel! Seems like a funky little town!

Sunrise!

2011-08-09T15:31:00.001-07:00

First light leaving Cape Upstart....long leg to Townsville!

Cape Upstart!

2011-08-08T01:07:00.001-07:00

Toketie underway from Airlie Beach and headed for Townsville! First night, tucked behind Gloucester Island, was flat calm and so quiet you could hear a welcome silence after the party boat next to us in Airlie the night before!

A mere 45nm today, motor-sailing with very little wind. But Linda counted 9 humpback whales through the day putting on a display of breaching and sounding and spouting! Dolphins appeared and played as well!

We have tucked behind Cape Upstart and the wind has died down to a breeze. The swell seems to have followed us in, however, and Toketie hobby-horses over them as a bright red sun sinks into the sea.

and they are off...

2011-08-04T01:32:00.001-07:00

....like a herd of turtles....

sitting out 25-30 knots of wind in Airlie Beach....heavy rain now....should start to clear tomorrow.....decisions decisions....not sure whether we are coming or going....have decided to park Toketie for cyclone season and return to Canada....so now the question is where to park her! Not many options on the '100 Magic Miles' coast here.....prospect of smashing our way back to Bundaberg against strong tradewinds is becoming less appealing as the sands run out on our visas and the weather does not give us a break.....looking ahead to Townsville and think we might sail up that way, about 130 nm N, and hope one of two tentative options there work out.....

Toketie back in Airlie Beach

2011-07-26T19:10:00.001-07:00

We had our Canberra friends, John & Masumi, on board for a week of cruising around the Whitsunday Islands! Fortunately the weather gods were kind and we managed beach time at the famous Whitehaven, found some decent coral to snorkel, saw whales, dugongs, turtles, stingrays, lots of birds, big goannas (monitor lizards), made several good hikes...the last of which was back to the top of Whitsunday peak giving us all a good workout. We even got some good sailing in!

Back in Airlie now to refill water, fuel, provisions and service the new engine after its initial breaking in period.

sunken boat in Airlie Beach!

2011-07-18T14:51:00.001-07:00

Woke up the other morning and looked out the cockpit to see two sticks showing above the waterline! Does not seem to have been anyone on board the vessel, no idea who it belongs to. Seems to be sitting comfortably in about 10 ft of water.....the water police went around and put the float on it!

hiking Whitsunday Peak!

2011-07-14T16:48:00.001-07:00

...an hour and a half up....good cardio workout....lunch at the top with a view...and an hour down to stretch the leg muscles....who says we sit around drinking beer!

oysters!

2011-07-14T16:46:00.001-07:00

...had a good feed of fresh oysters off the rocks in Nara Inlet....marinated in lemon juice with a dash of tabasco....yummmmm

Whitehaven Beach viewed from Tongue Bay lookout!

2011-07-09T00:36:00.001-07:00

White

a good view of Whitehaven Beach in the background....taken a short hike from Tongue Bay!

Chance Bay!

2011-07-09T00:35:00.001-07:00

We got into the water for the first time in Aus! Whitehaven Beach is one of the famous stops in the Whitsundays....not as crowded as expected either. This is Chance Bay, a 2 hour hike over the hill from Whitehaven and we had it to ourselves!

Cockatoo perch and Canada Day eh!

2011-07-01T02:06:00.001-07:00

Well, the cockatoos were beginning to perch in our rigging....not that we mind them but they don't seem to be housetrained and although we love their raucous language, we have no idea what they are saying....undoubtedly they just saw the Canadian flag and were visiting to remind us of the special day!

But when the birds start thinking you are part of the landscape, it is a subtle hint that it is time to move on....so move on we did...after coffee of course and yoghurt!

Exiting the inlet was interesting, if only to remind us how sheltered we were while hiding in it....the seas were running on the beam...that's the side of the boat for you laypersons....and big enough that every now and then one would break all over us! Fortunately we were sheltering in our canvas covered cockpit and just had to hang on! Anyone without sealegs would likely have been 'tossing their cookies'!!

But we smashed our way back to Airlie Beach, civilization of sorts, and enjoyed a long walk down tourist strip, filled our jerry cans with water and picked up 2 liters of drinkable wine!

Conclusion: Toketie needs an autopilot (to steer the boat when there is no wind or too much from the wrong direction) and we have to make reefing a simpler and safer exercise.....

Happy Canada Day eh!

chatter boats!

2011-06-28T19:26:00.001-07:00

Toketie has been 'relaxing', code for pinned down by strong winds and heavy rains!! The sun is out today, the 8th day here and that is always a relief. We do have NZ friends anchored nearby and we have made our way over for a visit and had them onboard for scrabble. The nights are tiring though as the wind gets up and though we are in a safe and sheltered inlet, the gusts come barreling down between the hills and Toketie's bow slews off to leeward till the slack on the anchor chain pays out and then she slews off in the other direction, followed by a calm period where the tide turns her beam on to the bit of swell that has found its way to the head of the bay.

For entertainment, we have taken to listening to the morning and afternoon 'scheds' the charter boats hold. There are three bareboat charter companies operating out of the area and as this is prime cruising season, they are all busy. The charter boats are required to report back to the company by VHF radio with their location and their plans for the day. Most boats are families with young kids on board. In fact yesterday, Linda looked out the porthole during a lull in the rain and wind gusts to report a young fellow in a dinghy having trouble starting the outboard. He could not have been more than five years old and had been having a great time entertaining himself racing around the inlet...but at the moment he was standing and tugging at the cord on the outboard. He managed to put a small anchor down on the reef so he was not drifting away and he was wearing a lifejacket! After watching for a while, we decided to put our dinghy in and go to the rescue. We had lifted ours on a harness and it was hanging off the side of the boat so not much drama dropping it in the water. The young fellow had been calling to his dad on the deck of their anchored charter boat behind us so I decided to head over there first to ask the dad if he wanted to ride over to his son. He accepted gratefully and after correcting him on our Maple Leaf being a Canadian, not American flag, I took him over where he proceeded to start the outboard with one pull....seems the young fellow wasn't quite strong enough. He thanked me, saying "that's twice he's done that now"....I'm sure when they get back to Melbourne they will have stories to tell. Meanwhile we have been here so long now, some of the boats are starting to look familiar. I guess for the thousands of dollars they are paying to charter, they feel they need to make an effort to get out during the day and see more of the islands in the area...I'm sure when they get around the corner from the inlet, they realize just how sheltered it was where they came from. But many of them bravely make it out and undoubtedly find another little bay, probably with more swell, to snorkel or explore the trails off of sandy beaches. And by late afternoon, most of them are crawling back into Nara Inlet or Cid Harbour to shelter for the night. The VHF radio scheds are quite comical, often young kids coming on to reply when their boat name is called. They report their location, sometimes with a long pause while they check with the parents, and haltingly as children do describe their plan of action for the day. It might go something like, "after breakfast, we might try to get to Butterfly Bay and see what it's like there".... One small catamaran, "Lulu", did not seem to be having such a good time....when their name came up on the rollcall, the husband came on to announce they were heading back to the marina and "getting off this boat"....they had two very young kids on board, I hope it didn't turn them off of sailing as it is an entirely different experience when the weather is calm....

Linda made sushi last night and there is lots left over for lunch today...and carrot cake the day before so we are not suffering....we have lots of books, some beer, no wine and some rum for when we really get restless....but the wind generator is humming and the batteries are happy...wish we had more movies that we haven't seen several times over....but the cockatoos still put on their show every evening and a pair of very large sea eagles have been circling in the updrafts.

Canada Day coming up! Might have to break out the bigger flag!

Nara Inlet, Hook Island

2011-06-22T01:02:00.000-07:00

It was nice to get out of Airlie Beach! Though we were enjoying the town, we decided to explore some of the famous Whitsunday Islands area. After a night in Nara Inlet, the weather forecast is calling for 30 knot winds by the weekend so, as this is a reasonably sheltered inlet with good holding, we decided to sit tight here and ride it out....from two boats this morning, the inlet has filled with over a dozen by nightfall....a hike on a short steep trail takes you to a cave with aboriginal paintings on the walls....and at sunset hundreds of cockatoos squawk as they find their perch for the night.

Airlie Beach!

2011-06-15T02:11:00.001-07:00

We were on our way North but a headwind came up and that was all it took to divert us into Airlie Beach. It is a very touristy place, jumping off point for charter and dive boats to the Great Barrier Reef. But it is a large sheltered bay and tomorrow we are going to shore to have a look around.

Whitsunday Passage!

2011-06-15T02:09:00.001-07:00

The new engine performed quite well up the passage....of course there was a bit of tide running!!

Whitsundays!

2011-06-14T03:30:00.001-07:00

Finally....6 years and the whole Pacific Ocean and we are in the bl*^&%dy Whitsundays....well...at least we are out of Mackay! New engine running great, new shaft bearing hit 70C first day but ran a bit cooler second day, of course we sailed some of it....breaking in the engine...running high revs etc etc....now in postcard picture anchorage of Cid Harbour (almost as good as Desolation Sound).....beautiful rosy sky, barB goin....no swell (thank Odin)...and quiet...you can almost hear the bats chewing the mossies....plan is to plod our way N to Cairns and see how much season we have left!!

The Persimmon Tree

2011-06-11T00:54:00.001-07:00

The problem with reading Bryce Courtenay is that it makes you want to give up even attempting to write anything meaningful.....I started with 'Power of One' (thanx Y) followed by the sequel, Tandia and have now just finished The Persimmon Tree....it's criminal how this guy strings words together...well, ideas actually, and teaches you so much in the process while entertaining the heck out of you.....but then...recommending anything to anyone is always a dangerous passtime....so this is just about what we are up to...at the moment....and if anyone is interested, the shaft bearing was fitted today and we ran the engine under load at the dock....still warm but the walrus has spoken and it's time to 'blow this popcorn joint'....so as soon as the 30 kt winds and heavy rains ease...we are moving North again....who knows how far....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persimmon

And they're off....almost...

2011-06-07T14:41:00.001-07:00

We did cash our shower keys in and head out the breakwater....only to turn back an hour or so later with an overheating shaft support bearing.....so we have been back at the marina for four days now and think we have identified the problem and expect a newer, heavy duty, shaft support bearing to arrive today!!! Hopefully not too big a job to put it in and it should solve the problem!! Stay tuned!

New Engine - Day 10 and Done!

2011-06-03T01:18:00.001-07:00

Morning dragged by with still no shaft....it had been sited in Mackay just down the road but the delivery company would not guarantee when it would be at the marina so by 11AM, one of the mechanics drove to town and picked it up! A couple of hours of final fitting and it was all over but the crying....that would be paying the bill part...which was way more than they said it would be but gave us no choice but to pay it or find ourselves in the yard till we did!! The good news is that no corners were cut in doing the job. The best of materials were used and everything was done to a high standard. I am very happy with the result!

Mark, the master mechanic came along for a sea trial. We motored out of the harbour and after tightening a hose clamp on the muffler to stop a small trickle of raw water, he asked my to give it full throttle! That took us up over 7 knots which we had never been able to do before under power. Settling back down to 2000 RPM, we moved comfortably over the water at more than 6 knots so the engine is putting out more power and maybe the new pitch on the prop is more efficient as well. On the return, Mark noted a slight wobble to the shaft so will drop by in the morning to adjust the coupling.

It was a sad day for the old Nissan that served us well for so many years!

Its off to the yacht club for dinner and hope to head to an island about 20 miles from here tomorrow, relax for the weekend and return to have Mark check everything after running it in.

New Engine - Day 9

2011-06-02T01:42:00.001-07:00

Getting down to the short strokes here....well except for the new shaft which seemed to have gone missing while being shipped from Brisbane! A lot of details depend on having that shaft in place...like levelling the engine and hooking up the exhaust....but by late afternoon we managed to locate it at least and it is apparently physically in Mackay. Unfortunately they would not deliver it to the marina so we expect to have it first thing in the mid-morning...this being Australia after all! But Mark is doing a phenomenal job getting the details sorted and with a bit of the luck of the Irish, we could be in the water by mid-day tomorrow! We did start her up today and what a treat that was....not for long as no cooling water...but enought to hear her purr.....very exciting!

New Engine - Day 8

2011-06-01T01:40:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm sure all you faithfull blog followers (who put up with the technical detail and secretly want more adventure and lots of pictures)...ah the vicarious life is a hard one! If you guessed we are in a good mood, you are right! The new engine was crane lifted in today and lowered onto the mounting beds in the newly painted bilge. After a minimum amount of wood butchery (no challenges there), we are sitting on the settee with a new Yanmar beneath!! I can't tell you how great that feels! We are not quite out of the woods but definitely over the hump (as opposed to over the hill)...as this kind of experience will either make you younger or return you from whence you came....

The shaft and prop have apparently arrived in the town of Mackay and will make their way to the marina tomorrow morning....shaft is critical now to align the engine, then lots of details to complete the install.

New Engine - Day 7

2011-05-31T00:53:00.001-07:00

Big day today again! Welder on board...made up new engine beds...then grinding away the paint so he could weld them to the hull....very strong supports for the new engine which with any luck will be lowered in tomorrow morning. Also today worked out the PSS dripless seal for the shaft. This was a bit more complicated than expected as it did not quite fit behind the shaft support block. But another plate going in to move the support block forward and all should be well....expecting the shaft and prop tomorrow as well....

New Engine - Day 6

2011-05-30T01:30:00.001-07:00

Oh happy day! Feels like Christmas around here....new engine arrived about 10AM....old worn cutless bearing has been removed (where the shaft exits the hull).....new metal plates will be fabricated and welded inside the bilge (hopefully tomorrow) for the motor mounts to rest on. The shaft, prop and PSS dripless seal are due to arrive tomorrow as well.

It seems the timing of the engine replacement was impeccable....closer examination of the old engine showed broken metal bits where the gearbox was attached to the drivetrain....it would have failed suddenly, usually in the worst possible location, so it is good we are tackling this now!

Scraping , sanding and varnishing continue on the hatches and the sun is still shining!

New Engine - Day 5

2011-05-29T14:25:00.001-07:00

Sunday here! Lots of locals launching their fishing boats for the day and live music in the pub at night. Sanding the big hatch took most of the day. More varnishing.

New Engine - Day 4

2011-05-28T01:27:00.001-07:00

Not much to report today! As it is the weekend here, no one else is working...but that did not slow us down. The bilge in the engine area received its second coat of two part epoxy base and the bilge sections, going back to where the new PSS dripless stuffing box will go, also got scrubbed out, scraped out, de-greased, washed and epoxied! Although we don't have the new engine, they gave us a panel and wiring harness so I made a mounting plate for it and ran the harness down through the closet, under the drawers and across to the engine compartment...that's always fun! Linda is making good progress sanding and varnishing hatches and handrails. The cockpit table finally got sanded and coated as did the new engine instrument panel. The weather is wonderful, about 23C during the day and down to 12C at night...very comfortable for working and sleeping. It is hard to look out to sea however, as it is also ideal for cruising with steady tradewinds and blue skies....

New Engine - Day 3

2011-05-27T00:39:00.000-07:00

Friday here....the day when all the workers disappear by 4 o'clock....probably looking for that cold brew...not a bad idea! I spent the day cleaning out the bilge area. After de-greasing and scrubbing it, I applied a coat of two part base expoxy to all exposed metal parts. These are areas that were below the old engine and couldn't be reached in Fiji when we re-painted the bilge. The new engine did not arrive, disappointing, but we are told it is in Mackay just a few miles away....not sure why it would be there and not here but ours is not to reason why, just to do and have a rum punch! I also cut a board to mount the new engine control panel and will run the wiring harness through to the bilge tomorrow. Linda went to town and picked up more sandpaper and beer, our staples lately! So tonight we will stumble down to the yacht club and see what the special is. The old engine and transmission sit forelorn on the concrete...maybe painting it Volvo green before we left was an omen! They call them 'green anchors'...though I'm sure the Swedes would disapprove!

New Engine - Day 2

2011-05-26T01:32:00.001-07:00

Another busy day! Mark, the Yanmar dealer and chief mechanic came by to inspect my prep work. Ready to go and the crane is ordered! A half hour from when it arrived till the old engine was sitting on the tarmac! A bit of juggling as it came out of the bilge when the support brackets for the feet had to be removed to clear the hatch. The transmission was quick to follow along with the shaft and heavy stainless muffler which will be replaced with a plastic Vetus. The hole in the floor is filthy from leaking oil, coolant and raw water from the stuffing box. Weather is cooperatiing with clear sunny skies and light winds, cool in the morning which is very comfortable. A parallel project sees the exterior woodwork getting a much needed facelift by the first mate!

New Engine - Day 1

2011-05-25T03:28:00.001-07:00

Up at 0600, coffee on....expecting to be lifted at 0700....1130 they finally are ready for us....Toketie once again visits the yard...and the old Chrysler Nissan makes its final voyage. With 20 knot gusts and the tide running out, it was exciting just getting off the dock! With 18' tides, the lift was higher than usual. But we managed and now are set in the yard. I spent the afternoon disconnecting all hoses, wires, engine mounts and separated the transmission from the engine in preparation for the crane tomorrow which hopefully will lift it through the skylight!

Re-powering in Mackay!

2011-05-24T01:56:00.001-07:00

Well, the day has come....not unexpected...in fact have wondered how long our old diesel engine would last! But working our way North, the cold mornings found us cranking her over more than usual and wondering if she would fire at all....not a pleasant thought when tucked in safely up a winding river around sandbars....turns out the compression is very low so the old girl has served her time and now we face replacing her with a new Yanmar!! Wish us luck...tomorrow we haul out and I will take all the hoses and wires off so a crane can hopefully lift the old engine out throught the butterfly hatch over the settee...but we are committed (or should be) and see no other way of going forward than to take a giant step back (financially) and move on.....it's a funny old world...pics to follow.....:)

Mackay blues!

2011-05-15T00:50:00.001-07:00

With plenty of sunshine and great winds, Toketie has managed to get as far as Mackay....with the infamous Whitsunday Islands just in sight....however the main GPS has been failing intermittently which is not critical as we have backup but it sure makes you realize how spoiled we are looking at the chart plotter and seeing where you are...and more importantly where all the lumps around your are! As we are now in behind the Great Barrier Reef, there are many small islands and shoals and rocks and you need to be watching all the time not to run into any of them....also the old 'iron genny' has been cranky in the morning and not starting easily...probably just because it has been colder but since most anchorages are either up a creek or river or inside a fringing reef, we depend on the engine to get us in and out....so we are stuck in a fancy expensive marina in Mackay, trying to solve a couple of technical problems....also getting more beer, doing laundry, sewing lee cloths, etc.....and now the winds are howling 30 knots....so we read books, do chores, watch movies....and try to cope with the stresses of cruising...still beats going to the office.....:)

Coastal Cruising!

2011-05-08T02:20:00.001-07:00

Safely tucked into the sheltering arms of Port Clinton, an abandoned attempt at loading ships and now part of the military training grounds, we can relax temporarily after three long days and rolly nights on the way North from Bundaberg! The bay is tucked around a headland so free from the constant swell coming off the Tasman Sea. Dolphins feed and play around us as we enjoy a 'sundowner' in the cockpit. One other boat across the bay is our only company. The forecast is for rain and Northerly winds, not our friend, so we plan to sit here for a day and catch up on some chores. It has been a good three days plodding our way up the Australian East coast. Everything from 30 knot tail winds to motoring in calms, so far stopping every night to get what rest we can. We seem to have overcome the 'sailing blues', maybe the land travel break was beneficial, and though there are always challenges, we are enjoying the sailing once again! We do not know what tomorrow brings but you must have a plan so our plan today is to make for Cairns, enjoying the Whitsundays and other stops along the way, then hopefully over 'the top' to Darwin and see what lies in store. We loved Thailand so if we can get Toketie up there we would love to see more of the area. Most boats join a rally in Darwin and sail through Indonesia. We have chosen a path less travelled and plan to head straight West into the Indian Ocean to Cocos Keeling Island and then turn North to the top of Sumatra and direct to Thailand. However, it is a long way and anything can happen so we etch our plans firmly in the sand and they glisten like a Sand Mandala (Tibetan: དཀྱིལ་འཁོར།; kilkhor) leading us on.....

...the pic is Fred and Lesley who made us feel welcome in Bundaberg and introduced us to so many fine people.....

"sail on Silver Girl"

2011-05-03T00:14:00.000-07:00

It is with a heavy heart that Toketie prepares to 'go troppo'.....

Bundaberg, Australia has been a mixed blessing.....the flooding was one of the most intense experiences we have had in the Pacific Ocean! For the third time since leaving Canada in 2006, we seriously contemplated giving up the cruising life. But two months of land travel in Malaysia and Thailand have convinced us to give it another chance. With all the drama and trauma in Australia though, the silver lining has been that we have met some incredibly fine people and I believe it is mostly their total acceptance of us into their lives, always being there to help us, whether machining the stripped out windless or a ride from town or the railway station....not to mention saving us on the river, that gives us the strength and courage to continue!

But 'the time has come the walrus said' and the Great Barrier reef and points West are calling so last minute preparations have been completed, provisions have been stowed, fuel, water and all the other essentials for self sufficient living have been seen to and even the weather has finally cooperated with strong SE winds to drive us up the coast to Cairns and beyond to Darwin.

This message, however, is a special thanks to the friends for life that we have made in Bundaberg! Through Lesley (OCC Port Officer) and Fred, we met a group of serious blue water sailors with many circumnavigations under their collective belts. And a finer group would be hard to find anywhere! So to Chris and Ann who bring the concept of 'mi casa es su casa' to life, to Brendan (who literally saved our bacon) and Marina, to Derek and Gill, to Phil and Liz, we can only say that just being who you are, so open and welcoming and willing to help, you have inspired us and given us back our love of this cruising life. It's not always easy, it's never the picnic that non-cruisers imagine it to be, but it is a uniquely rewarding and fulfilling lifestyle that challenges us at every turn and makes us feel alive! 'Silver Girl' we hope to see you in Thailand next year and we will be keeping a weather eye out for 'Jorga' when your nest is empty and the call of the wild lures you to distant ports once again......rumour has it they are opening China up to cruisers :)

There are no 'goodbyes'....only farewells till we meet again.....thank you Bundaberg from david & linda!

the 'mastah' of pastah at work

2011-04-29T02:19:00.001-07:00

while visiting friends in Canberra, we were treated royally ....the homemade pasta was to die for.....of course the 20 year old Penfold's was icing on the cake....thank you John & Masumi!

splash!

2011-04-28T23:46:00.001-07:00

Toketie is back in the water and we are happy to feel the floor moving under us again! We are still at the dock but keeping busy getting sails back on and a million other chores.....not the least of which is charts for what we think might be our next adventure.....stay tuned!!!

home again home again

2011-04-23T03:13:00.001-07:00

well....back in Bundaberg....Bagarra actually....house sitting the water dragons...after a wonderful visit with John & Masumi in Canberra.....but we must confess that it feels nice not to have to pack our bags again for another expedition to bus/train/plane stations.....as for figuring out where we go from here.....that seems to still be a mystery......

Sangkran!

2011-04-16T19:44:00.001-07:00

In the Buddhist calendar, we are beginning the year of the rabbit...2555! On April 14, as we were driving back to Thailand from Cambodia, the festivals were beginning. Also known as the 'water festival', Sangkran is one of the biggest celebrations in Thailand. The throwing of water on each other signifies cleansing for the new year. In Bangkok, areas of the city were packed with soaking wet people as the celebrations took place. They can last from 3 days up to a week and everyone has a lot of fun.

eating and sleeping in Thailand

2011-04-09T22:39:00.001-07:00

We are enjoying the food in Thailand! On the streets, you can still eat for a dollar or two, not including your beer which can run another dollar. It can be very spicy, as in the Tom Yam soups or quite bland as the many variations of deep fried pork, chicken, beef or prawns! Noodles or rice are the staples. The next step up from eating from the countless carts on every street and alley is the open air food courts or very informal restaurants....only slightly more expensive but you get a plastic table and chair to eat it on. Then come the mid-range restaurants with proper seating, and likely fans or air conditioning, where you can have a meal for two for under $10, again adding a couple of dollars more if you drink beer with it. The local beers, Singha from Singapore, Chang from Thailand and Tiger from Malaysia are very popular and the big bottles (equivalent to about two cans) will cost anywhere from 60B to 120B and there are about 30B in a Cdn dollar. Wine is available but imported and expensive. Phad Thai, of course, is everywhere and varies considerably in quality. It is not hard to find Western food if you get a craving...pizza and burger joints abound.

We have been fairly lucky with hotels although a couple were not up to standard and we moved pretty quickly. The best way to book them seems to be online where the prices are often cheaper than showing up at the front counter. The risk is that the pictures do not often reflect the reality. You can find a room for 200-300B but on viewing them we never found one we could stay in. Our tastes seem to average about 1500B or $50/night and for that we have been staying in very nice clean safe places usually with a swimming pool. It's way over our budget but that went out the window long ago! This is the Mei Zhou Hotel in Phuket, one of our favourites!

elephant & mahout

2011-04-08T21:25:00.001-07:00

we did the 'support the elephant' thing and rode this old girl around the trail with the mahout.....sad really as they are chained by the leg the rest of the time and it seems only the 'big boss' really profits from it....but they are fed and working and breeding......apparently some of the other elephant riding tours are more conscientious.....

quiet time on the beach

2011-04-08T21:20:00.001-07:00

....on Ko Lanta.....

Contemplating!

2011-04-08T21:19:00.001-07:00

The Temples or Wats are everywhere and very much a part of the culture.

local fishing boat

2011-04-08T21:17:00.001-07:00

This is one of many local fishing boats we saw on the island of Ko Lanta.....usually propelled by a big diesel engine on a long shaft that sat on the stern...

The Chinese Dragon!

2011-04-08T21:15:00.001-07:00

Great statue we walk past every day.......in Phuket!

Spirit House

2011-04-08T21:14:00.001-07:00

In Thailand every property, every Buddhist one anyway, has one of these at the corner of the lot or on larger building maybe on the roof. It is well maintained and offerings are made daily. The idea is to placate the spirits of anyone who formerly lived or died on the grounds...to give them a place to reside.

Humpback cow

2011-04-08T21:10:00.001-07:00

One of the earliest domesticated animals...about 7,000 years ago in the Indus Valley of present day India.....along with goats, sheep, dogs, pigs, chickens.....from 'Guns, Germs & Steel' by Jared Diamond

Phuket!

2011-04-05T07:15:00.001-07:00

After nine days on the island of Ko Lanta, raining most days...in fact heavy rains, flooding, squalls....good thing we rented a scooter the second day and saw the whole island....wasn't so bad though as we were due for some 'down' time...as in recovery from the bus ride from Bangkok....would have been fun in my 20s.....but at this stage....well lets just say we'll fly back....now in Phuket and we seem to be enjoying the towns/cities more lately....more to do I guess....even the hustlers can be fun....the Tuk Tuk drivers are on to you at every corner...they rarely take you where you want to go but if you want to see the gem factories, their cousin's tailoring shop or countless souvenir places....they get stamps for petrol apparently for bringing you in....once you catch on you can use them to get you around cheaply....needless to say we have seen some shrines, some beaches and some marinas....still not decided whether to bring Toketie all the way up here....life is good here...as in cheap....and people are nice....but there would be some challenges getting here so no decision yet.....found a really funky bar that was hosting jam sessions....called the 'Glasnost'....closed now for a bit as it was getting too hot....Jna who was married to one of the owners has become a friend....four or five more days and we are back in Bangkok.....internet not always convenient....more pics when possible.....

Ko Lanta beach

2011-03-26T21:28:00.001-07:00

....the view from our resort on Ko Lanta Island.....

on the other hand....

2011-03-26T21:27:00.001-07:00

for anyone seeking the ultimate getaway.....

tarzan and jane

2011-03-26T21:26:00.001-07:00

...we have finally found a place to settle down that suits our lifestyle.....sharing with the anacondas is a bit unsettling though....

reclining Buddha

2011-03-26T21:24:00.001-07:00

...they say the Buddha is represented in three positions....standing, sitting and reclining...this 42m statue is second only to the 44m one in Bangkok....I believe he was sitting under the Boddhi tree when enlightenment struck....

Ayutthaya!

2011-03-26T21:22:00.001-07:00

not quite Angkor Wat but dating back to 1200AD.....if they had better mortar, they would have stood up better....

king's summer palace

2011-03-26T21:20:00.001-07:00

a stop on the day trip to the Ayathaya ruins....

travelling...

2011-03-22T19:32:00.001-07:00

Spent 5 nights in Bangkok! I thought the traffic was bad in Montreal....it's an experience in Bangkok! Riding the river and canals on a 'long tail' or the river ferries was a highlight.....day trip to ruins of Ayutthaya...lots of palaces and Wats (temples)...Tuk Tuk drivers hustling everywhere....then overnight bus down to Krabi and ferries to Ko Lanta Island. Plan to relax on the beaches here for a week or so then visit Phuket. Pics to follow when time and internet allow!

full moon...

2011-03-19T06:42:00.001-07:00

...on one of the many canals in Bangkok!

Lok Si Temple, Penang

2011-03-19T06:41:00.001-07:00

some of the views of this complex covering an entire hill.....

Hainan Temple!

2011-03-19T06:34:00.001-07:00

The Temple of the Heavenly Queen, aka the Hainan Temple, in Penang was dedicated to Mar Chor, the patron saint of seafarers...so it seemed proper to pay our respects and make an offering!!

Penang!

2011-03-13T23:36:00.001-07:00

Enjoying the Island of Penang! Great hotel on the beach, 8th floor corner unit overlooking ocean, jellyfish in the sea, kids in the pool....great openair food market across the street where we have been having thai, malay, chinese, japanes, e indiand and even some yucky western food.....riding buses all over....just spent hours in Ko Lok Si Temple...what an experience.....two days we fly to Bangkok.....

postcards from Langkawi

2011-03-02T21:30:00.001-08:00

Found a very nice place to stay after a couple of tries.....the Green Village is small, quiet and very friendly....the pool has a calming influence and the beaches are a short walk across the road...the small town is filled with every type of restaurant and we are beginning to unwind....the Hindu Temple figures were from a daytrip to the Batu Caves in KL....the Captain hangs over our bed....seemed appropriate somehow....

Langkawi!

2011-02-27T17:42:00.001-08:00

escaped the hustle of KL.....plane hop to Langkawi was quicker and no more expensive than first class train overnight...so here we are looking for a beach....they have bigtime dutyfree here....

KL

2011-02-25T17:16:00.001-08:00

off to rocky start....the fancy Tilt Train to Brisbane broke down....twice...second time they loaded us on buses to continue....finally made the Gold Coast Airport Hotel (not recommended) 2 1/2 hrs late....but found a great pub across the street and a good Thai curry and cold beer got us back in the mood....Air Asia flight was uneventful...Airbus ok....long bus ride in to city centre....and quickly merged into the hot, sultry crowded atmosphere of Kuala Lumpur....hotel was a bust again but put up with one night then found a great place around the corner...we are in the heart of Chinatown and Little India...big busling husling market at the end of the road.....soaking in the flavors and aromas.....off to find the Batu Caves today.....

"on the road to find out...."

2011-02-21T13:16:00.001-08:00

first stop after putting Toketie safely to bed in the boatyard was Ann & Chris's...where this young possum jumped from the roof to the tree to take a banana out of Chris's hand.....and in the morning the water dragons joined us for breakfast by the pool.....heading into Bundaberg to catch the train down to the GoldCoast.....

leavin' on a jet plane....

2011-02-08T22:09:00.001-08:00

Well, cyclone Yasi hit the coast about 500m N of us. It did a lot of damage to several small tourist communities behind the Great Barrier Reef. Cairns was spared the worst of it but Port Hinchinbrook was hit hard enough to pile all the boats in the marina up on the shore!

http://www.news.com.au/police-divers-search-for-cyclone-yasi-victims-in-port-hinchinbrook/story-e6freoof-1226000927368?from=public_rss

All is quiet on the 'cyclone front' at the moment.

The Toketie crew have booked flights to Malaysia and will escape for a while to do some land travel. The plan is to put Toketie safely up in the yard till we return.

Tropical Cyclone 'Yasi'

2011-02-01T23:42:00.001-08:00

It's a big one! Category 5 and that is as high as the categories go! With winds forecast to 290 kph to hit near Cairns tonight. Most people have evacuated the coast. For a dynamic satellite view see http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/satellite/sequadrant.shtml

Toketie is safely S of it but still on the edge of the cyclone zone and the season is just heating up!!

cyclone season in Australia!

2011-01-30T19:13:00.001-08:00

Well, the cyclone season is well underway with 'Anthony' hitting the Queensland coast N or us and 'Yasi' cranking up to a Category 4 and forecast to hit the same area of the coast by Thursday.

http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com/

But stormtracks are unpredictable and can change course and intensity so we stowed the dinghy today and will keep a weather eye out!!!

Kangaroos!

2011-01-22T20:20:00.001-08:00

Across the road from the marina, in a dip in the grassy field, stepping carefully so as not to disturb any resting snakes, we found a family of kangaroos! They feed here at dusk and at dawn.

More flooding in E Australia!

2011-01-12T19:25:00.001-08:00

The official death toll is now '12' with many more people missing. Brisbane and Bundaberg airports are still open but surrounded by water. Bundaberg is expecting another peak today of 6m, less than the 8m that we had over the holidays but enough to flood businesses and homes in town. The army is airlifting supplies to stock shelves in stores as people run out of food.
Meanwhile the cyclone season is heating up with one descending on New Caledonia and forecast to turn S towards New Zealand and another over NW Australia and moving towards the coast. A deep low forming just N of us has the potential to develop into a cyclone. A very large high pressure system is forming to the W and hopefully will push these lows away from us.
Reminds me of the old Chinese curse...."may you live in interesting times"......

Flood waters have receded....

2011-01-07T21:29:00.001-08:00

...but not everyone escaped.....

missing boats!

2010-12-31T15:54:00.001-08:00

Two absent owners of boats that were on the river during the flood have contacted us via comments on the blog or the YouTube video. I have put in a call to the VMR488 rescue service to get any information on the boats locations. They are checking records. I also put out a call to the boats still on the river asking if anyone knows the whereabouts of these two boats. This is the most information I have at this time.

S/V Kalalau last seen by us on moorings downtown may be hung up behind Spinnakers restaurant. No confirmation on this but a light blue hull was seen there recently. Will try to get a confirmation.

S/V SuseaQ last seen by us on moorings in center of river was part of four boats that became entangled and lifted their moorings as they drifted downstream. The four were in sight for days until the river rose higher and pushed them downstream. It is believed SuseaQ is stuck behind Paddy's Island but again no confirmation yet. Just informed by VMR that the owners are flying in from the US and SuseaQ is believed to be behind the island.

Will post a followup if I get further information.

Meanwhile the good news is that the flood waters have receded by approximately 3 meters and the current is slowing.

Toketie in the Bundaberg Flood on the Burnett River

2010-12-28T10:47:00.000-08:00

December 24, 2010

Burnett River, Bundaberg, Australia

Christmas Eve!

This is without a doubt one of the more difficult Christmases aboard Toketie. Being on the other side of the world, away from family and friends is hard enough but more bearable nowadays with email and skype to make you feel closer. No, this year it is the circumstance we find ourselves in!

As you know from previous entries, we were moored in the river in downtown Bundaberg in Australia. We were enjoying the luxury of hot showers, or cold when the humidity went into the 90s and the breeze stopped. Being able to walk into town and wander through air conditioned malls to buy groceries. And we have met some wonderful people here through contact with Fred and Lesley, the Ocean Cruising Club Port Officers.

But we are busy as well. There is always a list of maintenance chores on board, getting the new wind instrument repaired, trying to solve the main sail track rigging problem and of course the routine daily chores of cooking and cleaning. We have been out to restaurants a few times with moderate success. The fresh prawns and scallops from the fishing boats at the marina are a treat.

But last week, the heavy rains that have plagued the East coast of Queensland this year, causing much flooding, have finally reached us on our little moorings on the river. With a particularly high tide and a spill of water from the dams upstream, our buoys were submerged and the mooring lines were tense.

So we had them move us from the center of the stream to near the edge where the current, still powerful, was not quite as trying to get to the dock. Debris from the fields upstream floating down river and getting caught up in mooring lines lifted four boats, moorings and all and floated them downstream in a tangle of hulls and rigging. For the time we were safe at the edge. But the rains were relentless and three days before Christmas, the water was so high, they were moving boats out of the marina. The marina itself was flooded and the fuel dock and main wharf cut off. Again boats were breaking loose in the heavy flow and colliding with other boats downstream, breaking them from their moorings. It was a mess with more rain in the forecast and no one willing or able to say how high the waters will go.

One by one, the fishing boats and local pleasure boats were heading down the river to escape what might be coming.

December 23

1430 hours

So with the last two hours of falling tide, we dropped our stern lines and I motored forward into the five knot current to give Linda enough slack to let the bow lines go. Our $200 worth of heavy mooring lines are attached about two meters below the river surface and maybe we can retrieve them some day. We pointed the bow into mid channel and gunned the engine to give us steerage in the strong current. Huge clumps of grass, mud and branches floated everywhere on the surface.

To add to our distress, the marine radio had been reporting for days that many of the floating buoys marking the river channel were out of position due to the flooding. So we ran like smoke and oakum, blind, downstream, hoping the high water would get us over the shallow bars, and on a falling tide! Not the best of situations but our only option really was to get to the river's mouth.

1530 hours

It was a fast ride and we covered the eight miles in less than an hour. At a bend about ½ mile from where the river empties into the big shallow Hervey Bay, we pulled off into a corner that we thought was out of the mainstream, and with Toketie's 60HP straining against the current managed to get our anchor into the bottom.

We sat up all night taking shifts on anchor watch. Huge clumps of debris were coming down the river and could drag the boat if caught up in the anchor chain. With a boathook we cleared the bits as they wrapped around our anchor chain. But we were holding and safely out of the worst of the town basin. I watched a small sloop ghost by under the full moon as it dragged its anchor. With no one on board it made its way around a bend and likely lodged among some moored boats. Later a huge trimaran looking like a Klingon battleship drifted by, also deserted and not lit. Here it is caught up on a sailboat and small power boat. It would later break all of them free and the group was last seen going out to sea. We were lucky nothing ran into us.

Next day we called the marina at the river mouth but there was no room at the inn. So we are anchored along the side in the river with about twenty feet of water below us. No wifi signal, so no internet. No cell phone, just the VHF radio for emergency contact. There is nowhere to land the dinghy and the current is too strong for it anyway.

Christmas Eve for us, was not so bad, confined on board and exhausted from constant vigilance to the floating lumps coming down the river. More rain and strong wind warning are forecast over the next few days so we expect to be stuck here till the flooding subsides. The option of running out to sea is dangerous as we would be in the large shallow Hervey Bay with strong wind warnings turning from SE to NW so would be exposed. Not knowing the local hurricane holes did not help.

The good news is that Linda did manage to find a ½ dozen bottles of an excellent Wolf Blass Silver Label Pinot Grigio and squirrel them away for the holidays.

So as we sit here in the torrential tropical downpours watching the river flow, we can raise a toast to family and friends far away but not forgotten!

December 25

0430 hours

Just as dawn was breaking or 'at first sparrow fart' as Captain Jack Wynters would say, a large raft of floating debris struck our anchor chain. The clump of sod and weeds and grass wrapped around the chain pulling the bow down and Toketie was dragging her anchor downstream. I frantically worked with an aluminum extending boathook to attempt to free us from the debris. After 45 minutes I managed to break it into pieces, taking the strain off the anchor chain enough so that we stopped our drift between two unoccupied boats anchored behind us. We raised the anchor and motored forward, re-anchoring where we had been.

1430 hours

When the tide changed, easing the flow downstream, we re-anchored in an area we thought might be free of the floating debris and out of the main current. In the process of lifting the anchor, the bow swung and put enough pressure on the chain to rip half of the windlass out of the foredeck. Fortunately it stilled turned and we got the gear up and reset closer to a row of pilings and rows of moorings, most with boats attached. Unfortunately when the tide turned to ebb and the current doubled, we dragged again. Michael on Eliza, which was hanging on two anchors close into shore, rowed over in his 'tinny', caught on to Toketie and climbed aboard. As we drifted slowly backwards, dragging our anchor, I motored again to ease the pressure. Brendan on 'Jorga', moored fore and aft behind us kindly tossed us one of his stern lines which we eased back on to hang off the mooring behind him.

Heavy rain continues to fall.

December 26

0330 hours

The tide is now half way through the ebb and the current is building. Brendan's one frayed mooring line is all that is holding us. So I start the engine and motor forward for three hours to ease the strain on the line.

1000 hours

The tide is rising and though the flow downstream is still strong, the tide slows it to about three knots and I launch the dinghy and motor forward with the 5HP to attach a line to 'Jorga' ahead of us. Using the line to hold me in place, Brendan eases me back downstream where I attach a second mooring line so that Toketie is now hanging off a two ton concrete block on double mooring lines. I then drop back down to Toketie and tie off her stern to attach another mooring line aft to the mooring behind us. We are now secured fore and aft and feel confident we can take the strain of the increasing current.

December 27

0330 hours

But the drama was just beginning. Two other yachts that have become entangled upstream of us are dragging down on us. One of them was an unmanned catamaran that broke loose upstream and crossed over a beautiful Hans Christian named 'Cloud Nine', locking them in a permanent embrace.

Ian on 'Cloud Nine' deployed every anchor he had and still the current pushed them back till they collided with 'Jorga' ahead of Toketie. They stabilized there temporarily till another unmanned steel boat, 'Wa Pe Ka', came loose and collided with them, moving Jorga's two ton mooring block back so that his stern was now in contact with our forward mooring buoy. The steel boat came free and scraped its way back outside of 'Cloud Nine' and floated off downstream. It was still dark so I could not see where it ended up. But with that pressure off, 'Cloud Nine' and the catamaran slowly drifted back down past 'Jorga' threatening to hook Toketie on the way by.

I cut our stern line and pushed the rudder hard over to keep us far enough to starboard to allow the tangled mess to clear us. The current was running strong again with the ebb tide and our mooring lines now led off the roller and under the bobstay. If we continued this for too long, it threatened to chaff through the lines holding us.

As daylight came, the strong wind forecast turned NW and without a stern line, Toketie started sailing on her hull surface upwind and into 'Jorga'. I could not leave the helm for a minute and had great difficulty keeping from running over 'Jorga' against the easing tide.

0800 hours

Meanwhile Linda got on the VHF and called the Port Bundaberg Marina at the mouth of the river to see if we could possibly haul the boat out or get into a slip. One fellow was in the office but no one was operating the travel lift. He called them for us and they said they could come in to work for double time on all charges! The marina told us that they had a slip possibly coming free as a boat was scheduled to leave and said he would let us know in an hour after contacting the owners. An hour later we called him back and he said they were not leaving but he had another he could put us in if we were willing to pay for the slip size which was longer than our boat. At this point, it did not seem like a good idea to quibble!

Before attempting to extricate ourselves from the moorings, I offered to help 'Cloud Nine' and the catamaran entangled immediately behind us attach to the mooring behind us. This was easier said than done as the current was stronger than our outboard could handle. Someone on the VHF heard us and offered to come down from the marina area in a power boat to assist. Well we waited for this Steve guy on 'Azur' and finally he cruised by to assess the situation and after leaning out his side window and giving each of us his opinion decided it was too risky for him and left, wasting an hour of our precious time. His opinions, by the way, were crap! At this point the owner of the catamaran arrived with a better dinghy and 9HP outboard which he was barely able to hold into the current. While steering Toketie back and forth in the wind and current, I dropped a line back to them and he hung off his dinghy attaching mooring lines to the catamaran, stopping their downstream drag.

In the attempt to leave our mooring, we sailed over our lines and managed to wrap them around the keel. The wind gusts were now hitting 30 knots against the current. I cut one mooring line, put the helm hard over to Port and Linda cut the second line freeing us and putting us out into the channel away from 'Jorga' and the 'Cloud Nine' debacle. With full throttle and the strong tail wind, I could just make headway upstream to get around the row of pilings and into the main channel of the river. As I turned to run downstream with the current I was doing 6 ½ knots, slowed by the strong headwind. The marina was about a mile and in no time we were alongside it and getting directions to the slip. Out of the main flow of the river, there was less current but we still had to dock downstream into the slip. With help on the dock, we secured Toketie in the slip and breathed a huge sigh of relief to be safely out of the river channel.

December 29

For us, we hope, the worst is over! But even as I write this our friends and many others are still out on the river tucked into any nook or cranny or hanging off their moorings. The flood waters continue to rise, more heavy rain has fallen, and boats upstream continue to break loose and fly downstream like loose cannons. The entire MidTown Marina we were in is under water and the main jetties and fuel dock have broken loose and are floating downstream. These huge heavy pieces along with the large clumps of floating debris are striking boats hanging on to whatever they can. Although we had the Harbour Authority tug come by several times while we were on the moorings, they were not willing to come to anyone's assistance. They made a feeble attempt to separate the catamaran from 'Cloud Nine' but gave up quickly. They were also unwilling to do anything with another unmanned, anchored boat that was drifting back on us. No other official presence was on the river assisting anyone in any way. I suppose if someone asked to be lifted off and abandon their boat, they would have sent someone out to pick them up. But only the other boat owners, and some real heroes among them, were active on the river trying to catch runaway boats and throw off whatever ground tackle they had on board to minimize the risk of them colliding with boats further downstream. We have heard of no deaths so far in this area. The closest was when two men took a dinghy out to one of the stranded boats to give them food. The dinghy overturned and they managed to get both out of the water but one man was elderly and needed medical treatment. Another boat got him to shore to a waiting ambulance.

The flood has apparently broken water level records now back to the 40's and is still rising. La Nina has been very cruel to Australia this year!

dinghy landing ramp downtown

2010-12-28T10:46:00.001-08:00

four boats entangled downtown

2010-12-28T10:45:00.003-08:00

debris in the river

2010-12-28T10:45:00.001-08:00

Klingon Battleship entangled!

2010-12-28T10:44:00.001-08:00

S/V Cloud Nine and catamaran entangled

2010-12-28T10:36:00.002-08:00

S/V Cloud Nine and catamaran coming down on Toketie

2010-12-28T10:35:00.001-08:00

Toketie on the Burnett River!

2010-12-27T17:05:00.001-08:00

This is a short clip of Toketie on the Burnett River in Bundaberg, Australia. The river continued to rise washing out most boats and the marina wharfs. Many vessels have been lost out the river to sea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY2Gbf1MCP4

We are safe, for the moment, in a marina near the mouth of the river after 5 days of hell.

I will write more and try to upload some pictures when possible. If you go to YouTube and search on Bundaberg flood, several other videos show the town and the marina we were moored in.

Merry Christmas from Toketie!

2010-12-18T16:08:00.001-08:00

Wishing everyone a very happy holiday season from downunder!

Avro Baby

2010-12-02T19:54:00.001-08:00

so bored....Linda has borrowed Bert Hinkler's old Avro to take flying lessons....

Bats at dusk!

2010-11-25T14:36:00.001-08:00

Every night at dusk, thousands of flying fox fruit bats pass over us on their way to feed in the orchards downriver! They are as large as pigeons!

Toketie in Bundaberg!

2010-11-25T14:29:00.001-08:00

Toketie attached fore n aft in the river in Bundy!

Midtown Marina

2010-11-25T14:28:00.001-08:00

The fishboats tie up to the funky old docks at Midtown Marina in Bundaberg! When the tide is really low, the little dinghy landing dock at the marina is in the mud so we tie up to the floating fuel tanks and scramble over the fuel dock. The prawns, scallops and fish don't get any fresher than they are coming right off the boats....we especially like the large banana prawns!!

dinghy landing

2010-11-25T14:25:00.001-08:00

This little dock was put in by the town for people living on the river to land their dinghies! It has a beautiful walkway all lit up at night going up to the street!

Arrived Aus!

2010-11-15T20:09:00.000-08:00

After a bumpy but good passage, Toketie motored into Hervey Bay and up the river to Bundaberg Port Marina in the wee hours, arriving at sunrise with time to shower and swab the decks before clearing customs, immigration and quarantine. The yellow duster has been folded away once again and we are officially in the land of the Joey! Tomorrow the plan is to motor the 7 miles up the river to midtown and check out the city of Bundaberg which will be our home for the next while!

Nearing Aus!

2010-11-14T20:10:00.000-08:00

Been a long night with strong currents against us. Motorsailing now with 29nm to the channel. Hope to clear into Bundaberg in the morning!

Day 6

2010-11-13T20:15:00.001-08:00

Idyllic tradewind sailing continued today with a steady 15 knot breeze from the East. About 170nm to Bundaberg! The sun is shining and all is well on board Toketie.

Day 5

2010-11-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

Beautiful sunshine with large swells from NE and SE making for lumpy confused seas. Light steady breeze directly off stern. Not going as fast as we like but making decent time.

Tradewind sailing!

2010-11-11T20:23:00.000-08:00

Quite a relief after the first couple of days where we saw some of the biggest seas we have experienced. Veritable mountains of water following us(fortunately) with tops curling over like a herd of wild horses as they rushed past us. In the night, the motion of slewing down the face or taking one over the side, along with the phosphorescence, told you what you were in! But last night and today, the wind has calmed down to 15 knots or so and the seas are much smoother. This is the fourth day of the passage and we hope to make landfall in Bundaberg by Tuesday, only 380 nautical miles away!

Lest We Forget

2010-11-10T13:33:00.001-08:00

It is not hard to find a moment of silence on the sea. The sound of the water rushing by the hull. The wind in the rigging. It is 2AM, a day ahead downunder, and it is pitch black on my watch with a few lonely stars peering around the clouds. No, there are many moments of silence at sea. And much time to remember!

rocking n rollin!

2010-11-09T20:33:00.000-08:00

Toketie shot out Dumbea Pass through the main reef from New Caledonia doing 7.8 knots! Not that we wanted to but the wind was blowing and we could not shorten sail at the time. Since then, its been a sleigh ride! Our windomometer quit on us but maybe just as well...huge mountains of water cascading down behind us and slewing Toketie as we surf down their faces. We made good 150 nm the first 24 hours meaning we averaged over 6 knots. Not bad under trysail and half a jib! It has been a tiring day and night though and we are still being tossed around in big seas but the big gusts have lost their punch and we have settled down to a more comfortable 5+ knots. Lots of clouds around and a few drops of rain but nothing too serious yet. About 600 miles to go to Bundagerg!

on to Australia?

2010-11-06T22:05:00.001-07:00

Looking good for a weather window this week! Hopefully Tuesday we
will lift the hook and head West to the land of kangaroos! Still
strong winds in the forecast but they are all behind us and looks like
the troughs and fronts might settle down for a week to let us
pass...never enjoy the squalls, lightning and heavy rains! It is
about 800nm from where we are (Noumea) to where we are going
(Bundaberg) so we hope to do it in a week. I will try to update along
the way if I can!

Toketie on the move....almost!

2010-10-28T18:19:00.001-07:00

The Toketie crew have 'officially' cleared out of New Caledonia but are sitting in the anchorage watching the weather patterns form over Australia and out into the Tasman Sea! They are a lively bunch, I must say! Highs and Lows, fronts and conversion zones....almost makes you want to pull a 'kiwi' and just go and take yr lickin! But tonight a half dozen or more OCC boats are gathering on 'Szel', a Deerfoot anchored next to us so we must put in a presence! And last night we had the crew of 'Bold Spirit' on board for the dinner they gave us in Fiji.....its so easy to come up with excuses! We have topped up the diesel, the water, the provisions so are running out of excuses...but for that darned weather! To top off the pre-departure anxiety, we are in a strong La Nina year....which is a cold current cycling below the ocean West of S America.....the pundits have declared it will enhance cyclone activity in the S Western Pacific...and guess where we are?
So we hope to cast off soon....its only about 800nm to Bundaberg on the East Australian coast and that is our destination. We think we will park there and travel a bit! Now all we have to do is get there!!! For those out there who pray (Julie:), we'll think of you too!!!

another dive!

2010-10-26T01:07:00.001-07:00

five months in the tropics and I can't seem to find a barber....no
worries....Sukanuk to the rescue and Anthea gives me a trim....just
before suiting up with the dive gear again to clean Toketie's bottom
for the very particular Australian quarantine authorities...then over
to Sukanuk to do the same....only to be chased (literally) out of the
water by a shark who was just too interested in me for
comfort.....amazing what adrenaline will do for you.....

a dive

2010-10-26T01:02:00.000-07:00

the trip to the top of the mast resulted in the wind transducer
jumping out of my hand (or it could have been an albatross flying by
and clipping it with its wing)....anyway it did not bounce off the
deck but splashed into the chuck at the dock....only 20 ft...no
problem...borrow Derek's dive gear and down I go....got it! Bloody
thing still doesn't work.....

concertina!

2010-10-23T23:58:00.001-07:00

a Colin Dipper concertina arrives in the anchorage......

The 'kids' arrive!

2010-10-20T03:11:00.001-07:00

all too short....but most enjoyable....