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... well maybe not a FULL disaster, but at least some errors of judgement!  How to spend an Easter weekend mucking about in boats.

Good Friday

Early last decade, it was the custom for some LSWSA members to get out on the water to see the start of the 'Brisbane to Gladstone' ... at that time, both the multihull race and the monohull race were starting from Shorncliffe.  When the multihulls began starting from Manly with a course up the inside of Moreton Island it became less of a spectacle, and with the proliferation of the 'spectator fleet' and its diesel fumes it all became a bit unrewarding.

This year we decided 'let's accompany the multihull start' and launched out of Manly into an uncomfortable little chop, heading for one of the marks of the course St Helena south cardinal, and hoping for some photos.   Getting close to time, and expecting the race to come close by, we landed on the northern tip of Green Island, only to see the Raiders leading the fleet on a screaming kite run up towards the river mouth, then to cut back on a reach to St Helena.  Nowhere near us, didn't get even one snap!

Bouquets to Gary Saxby on his line honours win.  Brickbats to the media, as usual only featuring coverage of the monos.  A great big flying finger to the quote 'we beat the multihulls second year in a row' ... whoeee, Goliath beat David for once?  Commiserations to both the Raiders who retired with rudder troubles.

Comments from the crew about a couple of the spectator fleet ...

• Wow! Windrush on steroids!
• 'looks like two Careels held together by a piece of aluminium'

Good Saturday

A couple of years ago, we sailed up the Brisbane River, only to be defeated by a strong outgoing tide and a very light northerly.  With the peak of Saturday's tide at about lunchtime, we decided to try again.  We aimed to stop for lunch on a little sandy beach we had previousl noted directly underneath the Story Bridge.

The day started out well, but as soon as we came in among the skyscrapers the wind became very flaky, even worse than the lake.  What we hadn't counted on was the disruptive wakes created by various vessels.  The wash made the 'little beach' quite untenable for beaching, and we paused there only briefly before continuing upstream with the tide.  Got a few interesting pics ... click on the thumbnails.

the 'little beach'

it's Tshirt pattern, not pelican sh**

Then the only real disaster ... with the main traveller slamming back and forth while rolling in the stinkboat wakes, I guess it was statistically inevitable that a physical lurch put me in the path of the upper mainsheet block.  A nasty black eye ...

With the turn of the tide we gave up the idea of sailing, furled the jib, sheeted the main safely central, cranked up the outboard and headed back to the boat ramp in Morningside Park ... click HERE

Conclusions?

• Interesting, but we're not gonna try a third time ... easier to go for a ride on a CityCat
• Idiotic powerboat drivers are the norm, all the large passengers sitting down the back, bow high in the air.  In the whole day we saw only one perfectly trimmed big tinnie, one driver astern on the tiller, two passengers right up foward, planing flat with only a ripple of wake.
• Excellent new pontoons now being installed at many ramps ... we'll have to get some mooring lines
• Best of the lot was Morningside's hi-tech unisex loo.  When the green light shows outside, push the button and the door slides open.  Push another button inside, the door slides shut and the canned music starts.  A little wall cubicle allows a sensor-activated soap / wash / dry cycle for your hands, and the toilet automatically flushes as you do so.  Hey. maybe we can get a grant for one?

Good Sunday and Monday  stayed off the water, working on boats instead.  Well it's only Monday morning now, so maybe ....

Cheers,  JB.