As my supplies were thinning and I’d used more fuel than I had anticipated, I decided to visit Rosslyn Bay – Yeppoon before heading further north, and stock up. My first thought was to leave it till after the weekend to avoid any crowds, but speaking to the marina it seemed that things were pretty quiet. It was only a couple of hours west of Great Keppel and the harbour entrance was safe though not heaps of depth at low tide. All very protected within the harbour and while I was assured there’d be someone there to assist me tie up, I managed to get the job done myself – albeit in the wrong pen – just too many things to think about!
It felt a real treat to be tied up and able to step straight off the boat again. For $56 per night, the marina offers power, water, laundry, showers and even a courtesy car for two hours! I made the most of all of these facilities, believe me. It was my first shower since Yamba, and though I couldn’t notice it myself I imagine that I was slightly on the nose.
The marina also boasts a small chandlery and a restaurant, which was quite disappointing on the whole. Overpriced and under serviced. Nine dollars for a packaged beer! A lot better atmosphere, and cheeper beer was to be enjoyed at the yacht club only five minutes walk away. I found it on the second day after my walk to the top of the headland. Both activities are highly recommended! I also made a purchase at the local fish co-op where disappointingly, only frozen fish was available.
My hope from Rosslyn Bay was to head for Pearl Bay which is apparently a very picturesque and protected anchorage, but a Mariners Warning dampened these prospects due to some military exercises (using live ammunition) being carried out in the area till the following friday. Rather than stay on at the marina, but wanting to find some good protection from a building southerly system, I opted for Port Clinton which also offered good protection and was just outside the military zone.
Two nights at the marina turned into three with the prediction of no breeze on Sunday, but I made a safe getaway on Monday morning for Port Clinton. Breeze built to around 15-18knts throughout the day, which had me pulling in around the headland about 4.30pm. Just enough time to find a good spot to anchor among four or five other yachts, and enjoy the sunset.
My plan is to hang here till the military exercises are over as well as allowing a strong southerly blow to exhaust itself and things to settle down before heading to Middle Percy Island – famous for its A-frame “yacht club” where for some sixty years mariners have been visiting and leaving memorabilia relating to their ships. It’s supposed to be a must-see, must-do. So I’ve really got no choice.
It turned out to be a full week at Port Clinton. A great anchorage, but strong winds all day every day. They eventually subsided though and I was out of there, and on my way to Middle Percy Island.
Middle Percy is well worth the visit. A couple live on the island and are trying to develop the site as a non-touristy place to come. They are practically self-sufficient and haven’t left the island in eight months. I had a lovely couple of days there hanging on the beach and heading up a few of the tracks. I also took the opportunity to leave my bit of memorabilia in the A-Frame! The anchorage is ok, though rolly in anything but very calm weather.
An interesting thing happened to me at Middle Percy. I sat in the shade of a little hut and dozed off to sleep for a while – as you do when you are sailing up the east coast. Waking up I thought I’d head back to the boat, but get a selfie at the A-Frame on the way. Standing up and heading up the beach, I noticed another structure that had, among other signs, “Book Exchange”. Now anyone who knows me will know that I’m totally up for a good book, so I changed direction and followed the path to the little corrugated tin shed. Stepping in I was greeted by yet more memorabilia from boats that had passed through over the years, and up one end was a shelf full of dusty books. I walked over for a closer look and impulsively went to pull my glasses down onto my nose so that I could actually read the titles. No glasses!! In fact, of course there shouldn’t have been any glasses because I had recently welcomed my first pair of all-the-time glasses just before my departure. It was those that were missing!!! That’s not so good, given that they cost me considerably more than the $15 per pair glasses I’d been using for the last few years.
I could remember lifting them up on my forehead when I dropped off to sleep. So they must have dropped off as I got up, or as I slung my bag over my shoulder. So, they had to be here, within these one hundred or so square metres. Thank goodness. It’s also possible that they dropped on the few steps I’d taken towards the A-Frame. Well, feeling grateful that I’d noticed now and not when I got back to the boat, I started retracing my steps. Back and forth I went. Slowly and methodically. Nothing. After about forty five minutes I really felt like giving up. Even though I knew they had to be here, I just could not see them. But, well, I had nothing better to do, and they HAD to be here. I did all the things most of us do in such situations. I searched my pockets about five times, and my bag. Why do we do such things?
Wondering how much more thoroughly I could re-search this little bit of sand and scrub I started walking up and down in straight lines, dragging one foot so that I had a line to follow on my return lap. Half metre by half metre. Eventually, a couple I’d met earlier wandered back from their walk. They were happy to join me in my search. Still nothing.
Well, there was nothing else for it. Desperate times call for desperate measures right? So I prayed! “God, I know you wouldn’t want me to lose my new glasses, so please just show me where they are. Please?”
As strange as it may seem – though not to some of you – within about five minutes, I found them! Right in the middle of the pathway that I’d walked over for the previous nearly one hour!! Overjoyed, I rushed over to pick them up, and in so doing, didn’t see a piece of root sticking up out of the ground which I tripped on, falling to one knee …. right on top of my glasses, breaking them in half!!!! Now you work out the theology of that one.
Nah, hang on, I’m just kidding. I didn’t pray, but I did find them. And I didn’t trip, so I didn’t break them either!
I putted back to the boat to prepare for my nest leg to Scawfell Island, then on to Hamilton Island and Airlie Beach! I was finally closing on on the Whitsundays.
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