Greetings From Topaz Bill

[Andrew]

Hi Topaz Bill,

Great to read your posts on the voyage up the Qld coast. Its amazing what an Investigator in good hands can do. Do you have self steering aboard?

Cheers

Andrew

[Topaz Bill]

Hi Andrew. I have an Autohelm ST 1000 pilot, it's adequate for anything under 15 knots, but I prefer to hand steer when the wind gets up a bit.
I had a nice stay at Gladstone Marina, it's Government owned, but a great spot. I headed up The Narrows, had a lousy sleep on a very sheltered area at Black Swan, wind against tide, yuk.
Nice sail the next day to Great Keppel Island, Had a few nice walks on gorgeous beaches, and of course coffee at the resort.
We headed over to Rosslyn Harbour ( Yeppoon ) after a few days around Keppels to restock, after which off on the real adventure part of the trip to Port Clinton, Pearl Bay then Island Head. It was windy, and the yachties anchored in the harbours made "big wave" motions to me as I arrived, not realising that those legs were the most fun, I only got wet from rain and was very proud of my little boat.
Off then to Middle Percy Island via Hexham Island, would you believe flat calm for the next four days. Middle Percy is gorgeous, and the usually lousy anchorage was like a sheet of glass.
Digby Island was next stop, still no wind. There are Islands wherever you look, hundreds of them, what an amazing place to live.

[Topaz Bill]

We motored to Scawfell Island next day, good sailing in afternoon, almost at Whitsundays. I've had no phone reception since Yeppoon, and miss it mainly for weather forecasts. Early start the next day, and cruised past St Bees, Brampton and stopped at Shaw Island. Shaw is a rugged island, and after a walk on beach and no wind again, headed in to Airlie Beach, where we stayed for two days at the Coral Sea Marina. Hot showers, junk food, cold beer, it was nice after a week of privation.
After two days at Whitehaven beach and Hill Inlet, we set sail for Gloucester Passage. There is a nice resort that welvomes visitors.
The next leg was to prove a real reality check. I planned to stop at Cape Upstart, but the anchorage was so rolly decided to keep going to Cape Bowling Green. The wind was increasing all day, and by the time I arrived at the Cape, it was strong. I needed to start the engine to motor against the wind and racing tide, and of course the outboard spluttered and stopped. I anchored and the yacht rolled so violently I had to lower the centre board while I hung over the stern. Water had increased into the fuel system, I had been meticulous in filtering fuel and using " Fuel Doctor", a stabiliser and water treatment in every tank. After dumping full tank of fuel and two new filters later, it started fine. The centre board had now started to thump loudly inside the housing, so I had to raise it fearing real damage. A sleepless night followed, the nice Mackerel that I'd caught the previous day had to be dumped. I couldn't get to the nearby yachts to share the bounty, and had to through away that which I couldn't eat. This was the only time in the entire voyage that I wished I was somewhere else.


e centre board was thumping inside the housibefore it had been drum tight, so I had to raise it

[Andrew]

Thanks for the info on the self-steering Bill,

I missed your recent posts until just now. Sounds like the epic voyage is turning to quite an adventure. That's a long stretch from Yeppoon to WhitSundays without mobile signal. (i went behind Hinchinbrook Island for 2 days without phone signal, a strange sensation being cut off!) Didn't realize you've already made it to Cape Bowling Green, when you make it to Townsville/Magnetic Island it would be good to catch up with you and visit "Secret Chord".

All the best

Andrew

[Ozzie]

Great trip report Bill. Knowing what can go wrong just in my little/big Lake I admire you sailors with confidence in the 563 to do the big stuff. Keep up the reports.

[Topaz Bill]

Hi Andrew and Ozzie, I am back at Topaz and would have welcomed a visit. I'll just complete this saga -
I felt a bit in need of a couple of days relaxation so headed to Magnetic Island where I enjoyed the marina, hired a scooter and took a ferry trip to Townsville. Following this it was off to Hinchinbrook Channel via Orpheus Island. The weather reports were not looking good when I arrived at Dunk Island, strong wind warnings for several days. I needed to be back home within a few more days, so left Dunk with a strong wind warning on what was to be the last leg of this trip. Under fully reefed main and full job we were going along well, but wind gusts caused too much weather helm. After main sail was taken off, "Secret Chord" behaved like a docile little lamb. It even passed my caffeine test- if I can still make coffee it's not too rough.
By the time I reached Mourilyan Harbour the wind was blasting, and was happy to have finished the adventure. The loose rudder pintle and centre board slop need to be attended to. My friend Martin arrived with the trailer next morning,xso arrived home five weeks after leaving. And what is the first thing I did after cleaning the yacht - yes, start planning the next trip to Lizard Island and Princess Charlotte Bay. I'll add a few reflections on the voyage soon. Regards, Bill

[Andrew]

Glad to hear you made it home safe and sound Bill,

You were really tearing up the miles on the sum log! Shot past my area in no time before realizing you were way up North already,
It's must be one of the longest voyages ever done in an Investigator 563. It proves what the right boat and crew are capable of doing.
Especially running with the trade winds, i found they do sit nicely downwind in a blow with just the No2 up.

Have a well earned rest mate,

Cheers

[Topaz Bill]

Thanks David and Andrew. Here are a few reflections on the trip -
I had to rush the voyage to get back for medical stuff, but decided to do it anyway so that next time I can stop and really enjoy the most interesting places. The yacht was amazingly stable, I didn't abort a single day due to weather, although many yachts did and only got wet twice by maybe a cupsized splash. No water entered the cockpit, and sailing north from Maryborough had following winds, or a reach at the most. Many breaking waves just lifted her and went underneath.
The jib was enough in over 15kn winds and always felt comfortable and safe, I think the hull speed is 5.3 and I'm content to not exceed it. The only real discomfort was at anchor with wind against tide, we would roll abominably on occasion in anchorages that looked perfect in my cruising g
uide - I'll name The Narrows (Curtis Island), and Cape Bowling Green as the most memorable.
Most memorable areas we passed we're Yeppoon, so close to Keppel islands, Port Clinton, Pearl Bay, a perfect base for a small yacht (and a welcoming economical marina), and also of course Whitsundays, where shelter can be found from any wind direction.
I sail my Investigator beyond her design brief, but know you can enjoy just having one in the yard.The YouTube posts are crappy, it's all I could do. Regards Bill

[Topaz Bill]

You're too kind David and Andrew, you may notice that I'm a downwind sailor but we all have our limitations. I forgot to mention that because of time schedule and being somewhat of a coward, I wanted to get to planned anchorages before dark where possible, so I had no compunction about running the engine when wind was absent or sailing speed dropped below 3 kn. I didn't keep a log of distance traveled, but sailed / motored about 50 percent. It was bliss to be able to stop engine and sail.
My next trip to Lizard Island will be fun, the southeast winds are a consideration and can blow for weeks. I'll probably trailer her to Cooktown and sail from there. I haven't worked out how to turn on the comments on YouTube, I'll keep working on it.
Regards Bill

[Topaz Bill]

Yes David, pushing against tide and current more often than I would have preferred. I bought a Tohatsu Sail Pro 6hp four stroke, mainly because it was about the smallest capacity, light weight, with a 12v outlet. The motor has been great, average 1 litre per hour at 5kn, but the water ingestion has been a concern, having happened twice now. At least we have an alternative.
If Andrew is reading this, I was anchored in Deluge Inlet in Hinchinbrook channel, I saw your post on homepage but couldn't find it again. It sure is a beautiful area, try and get to Zoe Bay if you have the chance, Shephard Bay is amazing too in calm weather.