Running Out of Luck

After the dolphin feeding fun was over we motored up to Coolibah Creek on Fraser Island to anchor overnight in preparation for our final 80 mile sail to Brisbane the next morning. After sailing over 10,000 nautical miles around island chains and across open oceans this short journey proved to be the most challenging for us so far. Two days earlier we had attempted to cross the bar but turned back when the Coastguard advised us that another yacht had suffered sail damage and the conditions could only be described as 'ugly out there'. Maybe our luck had finally began to run out as the following series of events unfolded for our next attempt. The engine on Faraway had been running a little rough over the last few days so in the overnight anchorage Ian decided to change the fuel filter. He was unable to prime the fuel without air bubbles forming and the engine would run for a few minutes then stop starved of fuel. We changed the filter again and still had the same problem four hours later. There was no way that we could cross the shallow and dangerous Wide Bay Bar in the morning without a reliable engine. We called a Yanmar engine specialist in Tin Can Bay and he suggested to check the fuel lines back to the source. Luckily Ian spotted the problem immediately. One of the copper fuel hose connectors had sheared off from the fuel tank preventing a constant fuel flow to the engine. Ian managed to reconnect the hose with some spare watermaker parts and our engine started to work again like magic. There was only time left for a quick dinner and an early night as we had a 4:30am start the next day. We woke up to a miserable and rainy day but pulled the dinghy up and our anchor and headed towards the bar. We could see at least 12 other yachts motoring out as well to cross the bar at high tide. This was a good sign compared to our first attempt at crossing the bar when we didn't see any other yachts out on the water. We were both apprehensive about the crossing but realised that once we were over it would be a straight run down to Brisbane. There was only one spot where it became shallow on the bar and the waves were steep between 2 to 3 metres but our engine held out and Faraway glided over the big waves effortlessly. Unfortunately the predicted winds never came so we had to motor south. The visibility was so poor that we nearly didn't see a small fishing boat bobbing out on the ocean across our path (I have no idea why they would be out fishing in such a small boat in terrible conditions). I took a bleak photo of the coloured sands on the famous 40 mile beach as we motor sailed past. After 5 hours of motoring we decided to stop off at Laguna Bay in Noosa to put the anchor down and give Faraway and ourselves a rest. We planned to leave around 10pm that night with the wind and sail down to Brisbane for sunrise. That was the plan. After anchoring out off the shark nets in fairly calm conditions and light winds we had some lunch and a rest. The winds started to increase late afternoon and by 4pm we decided that the swell was getting too big for comfort. Ian went on deck to put the lines out for a downwind sail when all of a sudden Faraway seemed to suddenly change direction in the water. I could see the shark nets and the beach getting closer and closer. We were drifting onto the beach! Ian yelled out to pull the anchor up so I ran to the bow and started winching. I hadn't winch very far when a length of chain came up without our 70lb anchor. Our anchor chain had snapped and our faithful anchor was lost forever. Our worst nightmare had happened after all these miles. Ian had to cold start the engine and we accelerated through the waves out to sea. I was in shock at this stage. After 15 mins we called the Coastguard so they could warn the other yachts anchored in the bay. The Coastguard then informed us that a severe thunderstorm was headed our way as the day turned into night. As I looked out of the cockpit all I could see were thunderclouds and lightning. There was no escape we were surrounded by bad weather. Ian decided to run north to avoid the storms that were showing up on the radar in an intensity that we had never seen before. Lightning was hitting the water all around us and also on land. The situation had become extremely dangerous. Ian tracked the storm until we could head south. Luckily we managed to avoid the worst of it. The predicted wind did not arrive so we continued motoring along the coast until we reached an area south of Mooloolaba. We were able to sail a course here to fill in time so we could be south of Caloundra for entrance into the North West Channel at sunrise. Ian kept a good watch during the night for large ships which were anchored off shore waiting for their pilots. The sunrise brought clear skies and a beautiful view over Caloundra and the Glass House Mountains. We slowly motored along the channel into Moreton Bay. I saw a small pod of dolphins which was a nice welcome. We were both totally exhausted and looking forward to getting into Scarborough Marina for a rest. We arrived safely around 10am just in time to avoid more thunderstorms and the heavy rain that hit the coast around noon. I'm happy to hang up my anchor for a a while now and have some land time. We won't be going very far anyway until we buy some more chain and a replacement anchor. If there is a Santa Claus we could certainly do with a visit!