Tag: Shark Bay

Dirk Hartog Island and Steep Point – May 2021

May 30, 2021 / terry

Wow! Nothing about this trip went to plan. It was a trip a long time in the planning too, and well planned at that. But fate intervened, not once, but several times.

The Plan:

Abandon the very long standing family tradition of going to Shark Bay for the 1^st term school holidays.
Travel to Giralia Station on the southern end of Exmouth Gulf with Trevor, Em and the kids, and Ron and Jo for a week of wilderness beach camping and fishing.
Trevor and Em to travel back to Hamelin Pool with us, drop the boat off in storage, then continue on across the unsealed Useless Loop road and winding sand tracks to Steep Point, Australia’s most Westerly Point.
Put the vehicles and Trev’s camper trailer on the barge across to Dirk Hartog Island for a four day stay, exploring the sights and fishing from a 3 metre plastic twin hulled boat.

Admittedly, there was a lot that could go wrong here, with mechanical failures, damage on the appalling tracks around Steep Point or problems with boat motors. In the end, a lot went wrong but it was none of the above.

The Preparation: With so many caravanning and boating trips lately, we forget just how much work there is preparing for a completely self-sufficient camping trip. Giralia Station requires fresh water, toilet and electrical provision. You get a lovely stretch of private beach, but nothing else, other than a couple of dump points. Dirk Hartog Homestead Camp has some excellent shower and toilet facilities but campers need their own power, fuel and must take out rubbish. Despite everyone’s determination to travel light, we all collected various objects that might prove useful, cramming them into every last nook and cranny. Ron and I spent some time checking over the trailer bearings and springs and throwing out all the unnecessary things from the boat. We had some appointments in Perth just prior to leaving so we loaded our box trailer with stuff and brought it down ready to load into the boat.

How Things Really Went: During all the packing, my back started to get increasingly sore. I tried to do the right things, wearing a brace for heavy lifting, stretching and taking a few anti-inflams but it just kept getting worse, heading steadily towards the point where the crippling spasms set in. I know from past episodes, that it is a two-week recovery from that point. Christine added her bit to the drama by waking in the middle of the night with a heart arrythmia and high blood pressure, something she has not had before. She wisely called an ambulance. When the ambos arrived, they took one look at me and declared they would do a two for one, and we both went in. Christine was the first call but she had to walk out and sit in the seat, whereas I got to have the green whistle and use the lie down. The doctor in the ED thought it was quite funny and kept us each up to date on the other’s progress. By 9am the next morning, we were both let go, Christine having had a jolt to reset the rhythm and me with some strong painkillers which did the job but left me pretty useless otherwise.

The decision was made for us. The Giralia part got the boot. Trevor, Em and the kids decided to spend the week exploring the Murchison along the Wool Wagon Pathway followed by the Kennedy Ranges, returning to meet us at Hamelin, when our medical problems eased. Ron and Jo headed to their place in Greenhead to pull some weeds and relax. Christine started a course of tablets and made a booking for further tests at a later date. I lay around and took my narcotics. We did have one stroke of luck in the form of bad luck. Our starter motor died and needed an RAC tow to the mechanic for a new one. Having that happen deep in the outback would have been horrific.

The Trip: We eventually set off, taking the box trailer with us. Trevor had off loaded some stuff, including the plastic dinghy, at Greenhead, so we picked that up along the way. I was still not up to driving so Christine did the lot, doing a fantastic job and getting us to Hamelin with no dramas. Trevor and Em had got there only an hour before us having had a wonderful week on the inland dirt roads and exploring some amazing country. I was still out for the heavy lifting so I supervised the kids in the swimming pool while the others made camp. The bad news was the weather forecast, with 15-20mm forecast across the Useless Loop Road for the following day. It was going to be a matter of getting through before the Shire closed it.

The old telegraph station homestead

True to the forecast, the rain started around 6am, forcing us to break camp in the wet and head to the camp kitchen. The camp kitchen tried hard to reflect the old station life but, in reality, it was a sub-standard facility by today’s standards. The only positive is that it was a higher standard than the ablutions. The Hamelin Caravan Park is remote and isolated, but that is not an excuse for the poor facilities in this day and age, especially when the prices were full Covid prices.

Breakfast in the campkitchen

When we reached the Useless Loop Road, the sign said “Closed When Wet” but there were no barriers up or other signage, so we drove past the shire truck, with the workers saying nothing and set off. The first 20 kms was sealed, a pleasant surprise, and the remaining 80kms to the National Park entrance was mostly freshly graded. In places, the rain was starting to sheet off forming small running creeks but it remained hard and not slippery. The further we went, the deeper the water got but the road surface stayed solid. Once into the National park and across the bar that holds water back for the Useless Loop Salt Works, the road turned into a heavily corrugated narrow track. The good thing was that the rain had wet the dunes to the point that the normally difficult dune climbs early in the NP section were really easy.

The scenery over the last 60km or so was spectacular, with huge windswept sand dunes, some totally devoid of vegetation, deep inlets of blue water and rolling hills of heathland. Of course, rain squalls swept across all of this. Kelsie and Ashton wanted Trevor to drive over the dunes but fortunately, they were over-ruled. We reached the ranger’s house and got directions to our allocated camp site. Booking is absolutely essential as all sites were full. There was a small city of tents and marquees spread along the beach at Shelter Cove and a small armada of fishing boats anchored off shore.

The rain came down with little relief. Trevor announced that they would opt to sleep in the car, it being just too hard to set up a camp in the conditions. We did manage to erect a 3X3m gazebo and use a car and a screen wall to get protection from the weather side.

Huddled in our gazebo at Shelter Bay

I dug out a portable gas heater and we all huddled around it, venturing forth in the rain lulls to fish. The kids even went for a swim, the water being so warm. We managed to get our 30 Second Tent up in a weather break so we were set for a good night’s sleep. By 8pm, the sky had cleared but it was too late for Trevor to set up, especially with a 7:30am barge to catch. By 6am, the rain returned, and we broke camp in rain once again.

The fishing fleet at dawn in Shelter Bay

The barge arrived, with a car and camper on it, and we watched as the guy backed off, veering slightly and only just keeping the front wheels on the ramp as he exited. There is no wharf or concrete ramp, just a sand beach. Trevor was waved forward, and he crossed the sand, hitting the barge a tad fast. It made for scary watching. It is one vehicle at a time so we had a half hour wait then our turn came and we approached the ramps at a more sedate pace, boarding without issue. Driving on and off the barge was the only time I drove, Christine did a refusal. Once parked, we went up onto the bridge to meet Kieran Wardle, the owner of Dirk Hartog Homestead. He briefed us on our stay and moving around the island.

Locked and loaded

At the other end, we backed off and set off across the 20km track to the homestead camp grounds. The track was a lot narrower on the island, and I did tell Christine off a few times when she allowed a thorny bush to rake down the side of the car. Strangely, it was always my side, never hers. A few flooded areas had to be negotiated, but again, the ground below proved hard, and we reached the homestead with no real problems, although Trevor had some fun backing up and getting off the road to allow three on-coming vehicles access.

We had camp sites 1 & 2, close to both the bar, camp kitchen and showers. What more could a person need? The sites are spacious and some kind soul had left a half a bag of firewood in a firepit. There is no wood collection on the island and we hadn’t brought in much. We set up camp, mostly on Trevor’s site, creating a sheltered camp big enough for us all. The wind was up so we just dumped the boat for another day. I walked along to watch a family fishing near the homestead lodge and they displayed a good catch of whiting and flathead, as well as the biggest blue swimmer crab I have ever encountered.

Encouraged by the sight of fish, we set up to fish in front of camp. Kelsie and Ashton are keen on their fishing, Kelsie especially so. She has a lot of patience. Unfortunately, it wasn’t well rewarded, with only a couple of small fish caught. We had missed the tide. Over the next three days, we fished a bit from the beach, the weather offshore never being kind enough to consider launching the boat. We had dragged the damn thing all that way for nothing. We had little success off the beach, a few whiting and flathead was it. We did enjoy a fine feed of plump juicy oysters from the headland a short walk down the beach.

One of the few fish caught

The kids played a lot of beach cricket, and there were frequent games of UNO. There was reading and relaxing, all in mild conditions, the temperature barely getting above 23 degrees, but at least the rain had left us. On Day Two, we set off to explore some features on the island. Some 15kms back towards South Passage are some blowholes on the cliff face. Previously, we had only ever seen the western side of the island from a boat and close exploration was not possible, due to the wild and dangerous nature of the coast. From land, it is easy to appreciate the scale and grandeur of the cliffs that make up the seaward side. The swell was just running enough to produce some blowhole effect. From there, we crossed back through the homestead and drove north to Notch Point, hoping to find a spot out of the wind. Of course, the wind had veered to the north so we once again were faced with an onshore wind. Despite that, we fished, the kids swam and played with their boogey boards and we made jaffles for lunch. Two big whiting at least gave dinner for the kids but there was little else.

At night, the mice would appear. These were not your ordinary domestic mice Mus Musculus, but a rare and endangered native species called the Shark Bay Mouse or Djoongari, Pseudomys Fieldi. It was once widespread across the western part of the continent but is now restricted to four islands in Shark Bay. It is shorter and more ball-like than the house mouse. At first, we found them to be incredibly cute, as they came right up and took food from our hands or nibbled at our toes. However, after we discovered that they had gotten into everything, including the drawers in our car, the attraction wore off. Every packet of food had little holes nibbled in them. They were so tame that it was easy to place a clear plastic box over one and watch as it showed no distress. Neither did it run away when the box was removed. Christine regularly screamed when she came across one in the car food drawer. This amused the kids no end. We began to worry that it would still be there when we left the island. In the end, as we went to drive off the barge, Christine spied a mouse running around on the deck so we assume that it got out just in time.

A Shark Bay Mouse nibbling Christine’s toes

Processionary Caterpillars

Another amusing wildlife sight was that of numerous trails of Processionary Caterpillars. These very hairy caterpillars live in tight clusters in acacia bushes, venturing forth on occasions to move location. They do so in a long head to tail conga line, travelling across the sands to a new tree. Sometimes, there were four or five such trails around the camp. They look soft and furry, but must never be touched. The millions of fine hairs are barbed and will penetrate skin, continuing to work their way down like fibreglass filaments. They are a major threat to the horse breeding industry in the Hunter Valley where the barbs penetrate so deeply they cause foals to abort.

Some evenings, we headed for the beachside bar for sundown. It is a very basic bar, with only two drinks on tap, Matso’s Ginger Beer and Single Finn Ale. Both are $15 a pint so putting in a big night is out of the question. A group usually gathered, some being campers, some staying in the lodge accommodation and some even coming off a cruising yacht. It added a nice touch in such a remote location. In fact, the whole setup is a credit to Kieran Wardle and the staff, with facilities beating many other outback tourist locations that have far easier access to supplies. Yes, it is on the pricey side, but why wouldn’t it be. Everything comes in by boat and staff are hard to find.

A check of the weather report showed another huge weather event approaching for the weekend. We were due to leave the island on the Friday, but the forecast suggested heavy rain starting Thursday night. Strangely, this was tropical rain, coming down in a mid level mass from the north. It was to link up on Saturday with a cold front from the south, making the chance of being rained in and stuck on the island for nearly a week very high. We decided to leave a day early. Later, we found that the area received more than 80mm of rain and the road was closed for 3 or 4 days.

Ominous signs for the weekend.

The exit off the island was uneventful, the barge loading and unloading just as scary but really quite easy.

The drive back across the road was far more comfortable than the drive in, the rain having flattened some of the corrugations. There was a lot more grading on the Useless Loop Road too and we shaved around half an hour off the previous three hour trip. Once back at Hamelin Pool, we picked up the trailer, transferred the boat to it, and headed off. We booked into the Dongara Hotel Motel for the night and enjoyed a wonderful meal at the bar while Trevor and Em made it back to Greenhead to stay at Ron’s place. By morning, the rain had caught up with us and the final drive home on Friday was in heavy rain. A few checks of the radar vindicated our decision to leave early, with many large storms going through South Passage. I wondered how all the fishing camps along the shores of Shelter Bay were faring.

Back in civilization – Dongara Hotel for dinner.

All in all, the trip was a series of disasters, yet it was still enjoyable. We went there as a bucket list exercise, and to that end, it worked. The kids certainly seemed to enjoy the adventure but then those two enjoy everything. We failed to see all of the island, partly because we had seriously misunderstood the amount of fuel we would need and just how horrible it is to drive for a full day on the Dirk Hartog tracks. Despite this, it was worth doing. Would we do it again? No! But then, we don’t have to because it has been crossed off our bucket list.

The North-West is a Windy Place

June 21, 2011 / terry

Our trips to the Gascoynes and Pilbara so often prove to be a battle with the weather. This year, we have endured both rain and wind, with very few days when the winds have dropped to pleasant levels. We seem to spend much of the day huddled inside the yacht, outside being too bleak to soak up any sunshine. Neither it is just us. Everywhere we go, the locals are also complaining about the temperatures and the radio reports things like frost in Newman and 6 degrees in Broome.The plus side is that the country is green. In the case of the Shark Bay area, I don’t think I have ever seen it better. Despite this, we drove all the way from the Murchison River to Exmouth and didn’t see ANY livestock until a flock of sheep near Learmonth. I guess the stations were so dry before this year they had de-stocked and haven’t got back up to speed yet.
We managed a 9 day sail out of Denham, going North to Cape Lesueur then across Denham Sound to Dirk Hartog Island. After a couple of lovely days, we had to hole up in a sheltered anchorage to hide from the wind and rain. This was followed by more strong winds. We managed to inch our way along the island and eventually work our way back to Denham. In typical fashion, the weather had turned idyllic as we hauled the boat out of the water but after 9 days we needed to restock on a few supplies anyway.
I can’t say we went hungry out in the boat. The fish turned it on as usual, we found some lovely fresh oysters along the way and even managed a little bit of crab. Christine has perfected the art of bread making on board, using a Coleman stove-top oven. The good thing is that the physical work involved with sailing uses up all the calories and a few more.
From Denham, we stopped in a Hamelin Telegraph Station for a night. Having not been there since 1979 when it was still a working Post Office, I was thrilled to see the way in which the old buildings have been preserved. It is hard to believe the place dates from 1884 and I suspect that the high calcium levels in the surrounds have somehow preserved the timbers. We found the old water-cooled shade-house that we sat in on a hot February day with John Sellanger and Derek Blackman. It had walls made of two layers of chicken wire, filled with tamarisk tree needles, and drip fed with bore water. The whole effect was amazing. It still existed, although it needed some more tamarisk needle packing to restore it. We explained to the maintenance guy how it worked and he appeared keen to take it on as a project. We had a wonderful tour of the old telegraph station itself and even went and said “hello” to the stromatolites. They seemed to accept us as living fossils.

At Exmouth, we gave up on the weather, there being no apparent end to the howling Easterlies. We had exactly the same experience in 2009 and found the same solution. We left and drove East (into the wind) to Point Samson and set up in the delightful Cove Caravan Park. This is relatively new and is very well appointed.At Point Samson, we did managed a 3 day sail, exploring Delambre Island, Port Robinson, Port Walcott and Dixon Island. The seas around here can be much bigger than we are used to, the huge tidal surges pushing up some large swells and generating some ugly waters at times. At other times, when the tide is lower and in the lee of an island, the corals and life in the water makes it worthwhile.
Delambre is a beautiful place, full of nesting turtles, corals, oysters and fish. We enjoyed a wonderful sunset in glassy calm conditions, later drying out totally as the tide fell. We even talked about staying for 3 or 4 days in paradise. By 11pm, the tide was in, all 5 metres of it, and the tidal flow held us broadside to the swell. We rolled terribly. Sleep was impossible. Even moving around the boat was a chore. This lasted about 4 hours until the tide had fallen again so at least by morning, we were calm again, if not tired. Another couple in a similar sized yacht had elected to anchor out on a mooring so they just rolled all night. We stayed around for the morning fishing before sailing back to the mainland and the shelter of Port Robinson for a much better night’s sleep. With yet another strong wind warning in sight, we headed in early. The sail back was comfortable, although keeping well clear of the shipping around Cape Lambert kept us vigilant. The work boats and tugs in this part of the World seem to delight in running down recreational vessels and the bow wave from an ocean going tug is not to be laughed at.
From here, it is on to Broome to store Sandpiper for a while and a spot of work (there’s that word) in One Arm Point.

Derby to Exmouth

August 15, 2009 / terry

With the school holidays over, we made a quick trip South of Derby to Wulungurra, a small Independent Aboriginal School on Milidjidee Station. This small community is some 50kms South of Noonkabah Station and on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert, nestled alongside the St George Range. It was all new country to us and proved to be really spectacular. The Fitzroy River at Noonkabah is a sizable river and the crossing was made easy via a well formed concrete crossing. We were pleasantly surprised by the well formed roads heading South and we soon found ourselves at Milidjidee. We set up camp with our tent behind the Principal’s house and took a walk around the community in the afternoon to meet all the local family groups. A couple of days of work followed, installing electronic projectors and whiteboards in some of the classrooms, followed by a half a day of training for the staff on the use of electronic whiteboard media in their lessons. All went well and it was soon back to Derby to ready the boat for the trip South.
We drove fairly hard and fast across the Pilbara with Exmouth as the ultimate destination. With only a two day stop at 80 Mile Beach, the kilometres rattled by and we were soon rolling into Exmouth and making plans for a week or so cruising Exmouth Gulf. The Pilbara and Gascoynes are currently filled to overflowing with travelling tourists and Exmouth was no exception. We tried to stay in a caravan park to provision and organise but they were all full. Eventually, we found a spot in the Shire overflow area at the recreation centre, using the Tennis Club showers and toilets. With power to recharge the boat batteries and water to fill the tanks, we had all we needed and the next morning we launched at the Exmouth Marina, leaving the car at the local storage yard for a very reasonable fee.
The next week was incredible. Given that we had given up on sailing in Exmouth Gulf on our way North 3 months earlier, the week that followed of almost no wind was an amazing contrast. We sailed and motored approximatley 20 nautical miles across the Gulf to the Eastern side and explored the many islands making up the Rivoli group. These are mostly coral atolls and abound in fishing, snorkelling and beach combing opportunities. We ate like kings from the sea and enjoyed some wonderful snorkelling over some of the best coral we have encountered anywhere. Ningaloo Reef, Whale Sharks and big game fishing seems to get all the publicity up this way but the unheralded champion is Exmouth Gulf itself. It is a paradise.
We followed the Eastern coastline South then crossed the Gulf again to the well-named Bay of Rest, a large mangrove inlet that provides excellent protection against almost any breeze. One evening, while walking the tidal pools, I came across the biggest mud crab I’d yet seen. It was destined for the pot and fed us for two meals.

The humpback whales amused us during most sails we had in the Gulf. We saw them performing full breaches, where they leap from the water and crash down, apparently to rid themselves of parasites. At other times, they would swim on their sides and flap a fin across the water, throwing spray everywhere. Some show-offs preferred to stand on their head and “tail slap” the water, making a gunshot sound that could be heard for 3 or 4 miles away. We generally kept a bit of distance but one pod came within 150m and put on a fantastic display for us.
Our timing on the water proved excellent and once we retrieved Sandpiper onto the trailer, the weather turned bad. We spent a couple of days slowly driving South, waiting for the rain and cold winds to ease before reaching Shark Bay. We were both so glad that we had managed such a good week in Exmouth, having had to bypass tis attractions on the way up. There is still much to explore in the area and I know we will be back.

Monkey Mia and North

May 22, 2009 / terry

After a rolly night at anchor in Bottle Bay, we headed to Cape Peron to look at the prospect of sailing around and back into the Eastern Gulf of Shark Bay. With the tide ripping around the Cape in 20 knot winds, I chickened out and we returned to the safety of a protected cove to wait a few hours to see if the wind was going to drop. Fortunately, it did ease and we tried again just before noon. Even though the wind was much better, the sea was still running through the tidal rips on the tip of the Cape and we had a fairly hairy time easing around on the motor. Once clear and into the Eastern Gulf, the seas flattened again and we motor-sailed down to a night anchorage at Guichenault Point. In the afternoon, we took the dinghy and explored the mangrove system.
The next morning, we prepared to head down to Monkey Mia. The wind was a fresh Easterly but we figured to stay close to land and avoid the worst of it. Coming off the shallows of the sand spit, we were appalled to find a steady line of breakers, stretching well into deep water. The seas were some of the worst we have encountered in Sandpiper, no doubt made worse by an opposing, strongly rising tide. We donned the life-jackets (just in case) and pushed on, taking a bit of a beating for an hour or so but not really in any danger. Just damned uncomfortable. By the time we got down around Cape Rose, the sea was a millpond again.
Back at Monkey Mia, we cleaned up the boat, checked the car and generally heaved a big sigh of relief. Christine made contact with a sail maker who said he could repair the sail quickly and get it back to us and the outboard had been performing well for a few days so things were looking up. Saturday was “Day Light Saving Referendum Day” so we headed into Denham to register our NO vote and to organise the sail getting to Perth. Unfortunately, it looked like the sail could not leave Denham until Tuesday so we looked like being stuck for a while.
The next few days were spent lazing around Monkey Mia, taking short trips out on the motor and doing some fishing. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Monkey Mia, watching all the activity around us as bus loads of tourist came and went, all from the comfort of our home on the water. The motor continued to misbehave, sometimes refusing to pump water. On once occasion, we motored out about 2 miles to do some fishing. The motor decided to be uncooperative and there was not a breath of wind so we ended up towing the yacht back to Monkey Mia with the little dinghy. We attracted a few stares. Despite the fact that I could not see anything wrong with the water pump impeller, I replaced it and everything returned to normal. I should have dome it in the first place.
Eventually, we pulled the boat out of the water and headed off North, stopping overnight at Bush Bay, about 40 km South of Carnarvon. Then it was on to Exmouth, where we settled in to a caravan park for a few days. Depending on the weather, we will stay on land for a bit then head out and do some motor sailing. It still looks like the main sail is 4 or 5 days away so we may have to do without for a while.
We are both feeling very fit and well with all the exercise. Christine has been sticking to her regimented strict diet and she has been rewarded so far with the loss of over 15kgs. It really shows. It must be all that anchor pulling and sail raising.

On the Water Again

May 13, 2009 / terry

Christine and Terry have returned to the life of sea gypsies. We set off on 7th May with the car fully decked out for camping and Sandpiper behind us. We plan to head North again, this time stopping to sail and to live aboard Sandpiper, both on the water and as a caravan. At times we will head off, leaving our home behind and camp from the back of the car.
First stop was our beloved Shark Bay. We drove from Dowerin, stopping overnight between Geraldton and Northampton. Progress was slow in patches with the car protesting at the weight of the yacht behind. However, we arrived in Denham around midday, fueled up Sandpiper and headed for Monkey Mia.
Rigging up the yacht was a learning curve because it has been more than 2 years since we sailed her. Given that, we were well pleased with our efforts and by 3 o’clock were on the water. The first problem we found was that the outboard (despite being checked over) was not pumping water. By the time we discovered this, we had blown some distance off shore so we decided to lower the keel to sail in. Next problem arrived in the form of a jammed keel. It refused to go down. We anchored then set about unscrewing the dining table then more plates to gain access to the top of the keel housing. This done, we freed the offending keel, put everything back together and finally sailed back to shore.

At anchor at Monkey Mia

Luckily, I had a spare water-pump impellor so the next morning I pulled the outboard apart. There was nothing wrong with it. All the pipes were clear. Christine researched the problem on the Internet while I did this and she came up with the thermostat sticking.
Terry fixing the water pump

This seemed to be the issue, because we got things going again and headed North to Herald Bight for the night. We enjoyed a good motor-sail for the 15 or so miles to our night time anchorage, although any attempt to stop and fish was thwarted by a long uncomfortable swell that made us roll at anchor.

The moon rises over Guichenault Point

Once set up for the night, we put out a small length of net and caught 5 big mullet and a huge tailor, enough healthy Omega3 rich fish for several nights.
Over the next couple of days, we sailed, snorkelled, fished and explored the delightful coastline for some 12 miles or so South of Cape Peron. Most nights were spent South of Castle Well Hill. Once we had company from a large catamaran and we spent some time watching some Shark Bay professional net fishermen encircle a school of whiting but otherwise we saw few other humans. The thermostat on the outboard continues to play up at times and so we have done far more sailing than we often do, being a bit lazy and starting up the motor. On one occasion when the water wasn’t pumping, the wind died within half a mile of our intended anchorage so we towed Sandpiper with the dinghy. It’s not something I’d repeat in a decent sea but in the calm flat waters it worked well enough.

Anchored near Castle Well Hill

By Wednesday, we were ready to move on and decided to sail in with a very fresh Easterly down to Big Lagoon. On raising the main sail, the main halyard snapped, bringing the sail down in very windy conditions. Not only was this a big problem, but the sail also caught on part of the cabin rook and we put a big rip in it, rendering it useless. Double disaster. We sailed North to Bottle Bay on jib along, making 5.5 knots in the very windy conditions. Once there, we anchored alongside a 39 footer from Carnarvon and sat out the afternoon blow in comfort. We were joined by another even larger yacht that seeed to have 6 people on board. Later, a flotilla of 10 sea-kayaks arrived and set up camp on the beach. The place was really getting crowded.
Hopefully, the wind will ease a bit tomorrow and allow us to sail on the jib around Cape Peron and back down to Monkey Mia. This disaster may bring us down to Perth to get the sail repaired. With luck, we can organise to have it freighted to Perth, repaired and freighted back while we sit in Monkey Mia.

Sunset coming – time for a nice red

Shark Bay Fishing

April 17, 2008 / terry

While the kids are in Melbourne Shopping and playing up, us oldies have returned to our beloved Shark Bay for a week of fishing. We are staying in a house in Brockman St with the Dawsons. The weather Gods have smiled on us and we have been blessed with wonderful windless days and very high tides. We haven’t had too much trouble finding fish, with large black snapper being common at this time of year. Bill and I had a bit of a competition going, which he was winning for some time with a magnificant 54cm “Blackie” but yesterday I nosed in front with one at 56cm. Emperor of this size pull hard and are glorious on the dinner table so we are well pleased. We did a spot of netting the other night and bagged 6 nice tailor and 5 big mullet. We had to be very quick though because the sharks were so prolific we caught five just trying to get the net out of the water. Life is hard sometimes.

More Shark Bay – April 2007

April 17, 2007 / terry

Here are a few more snaps of our recent Shark Bay trip. Notice how glassy-calm the sea is; great for fishing but not too flash for sailing.

Derek on Watch

Derek maintained a constant watch….

Women at Work

..while the women worked around the boat…..

The Skipper

…and I took the helm and navigated…..

Home Sweet Home

Our land based home.

Paradise

Herald Bight…a touch of paradise.

Shark Bay – April 07

April 16, 2007 / terry

Another annual Easter trip to Shark Bay is over. For the second year running, we were joined by Derek and Joy for a week. Last year, the four of us were a little cramped on “Cape Rose” (RL24 trailer sailer) but this year we enjoyed the relative luxury of “Sandpiper” (Court 750).

Sandpiper anchored at Monkey Mia

The plan was for Derek to tow our off-road camper with his Mitsubishi Magna while we would tow “Sandpiper” with the 4WD. Having launched “Sandpiper” at Monkey Mia, Derek would swap the trailer to the 4WD, park the Magna at Monkey Mia and proceed North through Peron National Park to a camp site at Herald Bight. Meanwhile, we would sail the 20 nautical miles to Herald Bight. Alas, the grand plan started to unravel early on when, after a night at a caravan park in Denham, I couldn’t find the car keys. They never have turned up so I suppose you can call them “lost” rather than “misplaced”. Fortunately, we had a spare set so we set off for Monkey Mia. Once there, we found that the spare keys did not include a key for the tow hitch pin so Derek had to drive the 4WD back to Denham, find someone to cut the pin off with an oxy torch, return to Monkey Mia, swap hitches and trailers (the camper has a Tregg Hitch) and go on to Herald Bight.

We sailed North under a very light Easterly. For a while, we pretended to gain some advantage from the wind by running a jib but eventually the lack of air would not even hold a sail shape so we just motored. We arrived at the camp site about 1:30pm and were horrified to find that the beautiful spreading Tamarisk trees that had provided shade since early in the 20th Century had been cut down by the authorities to avoid issues with public liability. Insanity! With no sign of Derek by 3pm, I enlisted the aid of a chap camped a kilometre down the beach and set off to search. We found him about half a km inland and well and truly bogged (both car and trailer). A troopie with two German tourists had stopped to help so we hooked on a snatch strap and soon had the car moving.
However, it refused to budge with the trailer attached so we formed a train with a Defender snatching our Ford Explorer which snatched the camper. With this arrangement, we made it through to the beach and set up camp on the saw dust remains of the Tamarisks.

Our campsite at Herald Bight

Derek and Joy

Over the next few days, we enjoyed some magic weather and some terrific fishing. The nearly-best fish of the week was a large spanish mackerel that took a trolled Halco Laser Pro off Cape Peron. He managed to get it up to the boat before losing it. Just as well, as it was too much fish for us to handle.

Derek leaves Sandpiper

Derek enters Shark Bay

Derek and Joy departed at the end of the week and we took some R&R in Denham. A highlight of the Easter weekend for us was a reunion of the “Class of ’79” for the students who attended Shark Bay Primary School. I had much pleasure in catching up with some of my former pupils and their families.

A 56cm black snapper

The second week we based ourselves at Monkey Mia, sailing North to Cape Rose and down to the Southern end of Faure Island. The fishing was excellent, with some very large black snapper and a couple of super sized tailer. This trip represented a return to the Eastern Gulf of Shark Bay after many years of exploring the Western Gulf. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and have promised to return to Monkey Mia on our next trip.

Two XOS tailor from Cape Rose. The bigger one is 65cm.

Derek Can Catch Fish

November 10, 2006 / terry

Here is proof that Derek can actually catch a decent fish. This “little”
mulloway was caught in Useless Inlet, Shark Bay. He looks like he has been
riding a horse but that’s because the fish is heavier than him.

Derek with a mulloway

Sandpiper’s First Cruise

November 9, 2006 / terry

There seemed to be some non-fishy bits being posted so I thought I’d better redress the imbalance with news of our last trip to Shark Bay. The trip was planned as a shake-down cruise for the new trailer sailer Sandpiper (a Court 750). We spent 9 days cruising the wonderful waters of Shark Bay and several days soaking up the sunshine on land parked at the Denham Seaside Caravan Park.

Actually, the first 4 days of cruising was spent holed up in Big Lagoon, seeking shelter from persistent gale force Southerly winds. Some excellent yellow-fin whiting provided both a distraction and frequent feeds but four days is a long time to spend at anchor in the confines of Big Lagoon.

We sailed South past Useless Loop, spending a night in Boat Haven Loop and several great days exploring the many islands Freycinet Estuary. A narrow strip of shallow reef off Cararrang Station was home to a school of 60 to 70 cm pink snapper. They provided an exciting hour of catch and release fishing on light gear.

Sandpiper performed beyond expectations and was a pleasure to sail. Even so, we came back with healthy list of things to modify, which after all, is half the fun of boat ownership.

Click the thumbnails to see larger versions.