hi guys
new bloke here
ive had a bit of a dream kicking about in my head for a few years now and the times coming where im thinking about giving it a shot..
i live in brisbane and have wanted to solo sail the qld coastline in a small sailboat, camping and island hopping my way north. if i were fortunate enough to round cape york in one piece and have the desire to continue, possibly give the gulf a shot to reach gove and then onwards to darwin. its stupid and dangerous, i know.
at the start of autum next year i wish to depart brisbane and make my way north. i think my biggest initial obstacle would be finding suitable spots to beach my sailboat at afternoons amongst the exposed surf beaches of the sunshine coast. and then of course, getting out again the next morning.
once clear of the surf beaches heading north i intend to do stick to the coastline until its possible to do a bit of island hopping where possible weather and distances permitting. along the way ill face navigational and weather hazards of course -always being at the winds mercy for starters. ill have to face my fear of crocs along the way too!
the gulf- shes a big one. it would be pretty crazy to cross it but im a bit inspired by this german bird whom kayaked across it the other year. at the worst, if i made it that far and the weather window wasnt right and i felt the risk too great, id possibly try to hitch a ride and tow with a passing yacht heading that way.
i realise the dangers and difficulties with making such a trip and that the consequences of it going belly up could affect more people then just myself. im pretty uncomfortable living the safe life right now and in need of going walkabout. ive previously solo motorbiked across asia and cycled from hobart to halfway through nsw and worked amongst other things as a jackeroo in the territory and prawn fisherman off of north qld.
my sailing experience is limited to recreational use of small boats around moreton bay. i hope to brush up on my physical skills over the summer and once i begin my journey i suppose ill have a lot of nautical miles to learn further. my theoretical skills relating to weather and currents will also need further developing.
im yet to purchase a boat. i hope to buy one within the next few months. im going to be going for a fibreglass mono hull sailboat with jib and mainsail. it will need a small amount of space to fit my rations and gear. apart from my own budget limitations, i want to do the journey in a small boat irregardless. the uniqueness and challenges of doing it this way will give me a good kick out of it.
any insights/advice/criticism/support anyone can offer me will be appreciated. ive not yet fully commited myself to this stupid but potentially amazing adventure, but i intend on doing so.
i havnt done much research as of yet. im still wrapping my mind around what i have to leave behind to chase my dreams. so im just throwing things out there at the moment, i havnt studied up much, nothing is concrete, im just looking for feedback.
in particular, if anyone could offer me advice or point me in the right direction on the following issues it would be of great help.
a) i dont have any info on sailing the remote north coast of queensland or around the top of the territory from gove to darwin. nothing relating to small craft and accessibility to landing beaches etc.
b) seasonal winds. what can i expect in autum in qld and nt?
c) does anyone know of this or similar journey done before and where i could read and learn about it?
d) what are my chances sailing across the gulf
e) any idea on what distances i can achieve / timeframe i should be setting for such a journey (obviously heavily dependent on boat chosen, weather at the time etc. assume that most days are spent sailing)
and so on and so on.
im unsure how long i can sail for in a small boat without getting restless and pissed off with it, that will sure be a challenge within itself!
anyway guys, let loose and criticise or support, im interested to see what comes out in the wash and find out some educated and experienced opinions.
hope i dont come across as too much of a dreamer, but just as a bloke who doesnt want to lead a boring life..
thanks guys
I have a book purchased off Amazon called "Keeping Australia on the left by Mark Steward Darby".
It is an account of how Mark and his then girl friend sailed a 16 foot catamaran (like a hobie) around Oz. It tells how they crossed the gulf, so doable.
Keep us up to date on your progress. I would be interested in how you go.
Cheers Rob.
I would suggest you look at a cat as fatigue will be one of your greatest obsticals that a cat could reduce. Also landing on beaches would be much .simpler.
Good Luck, you will need plenty
Good on ya andalusian,
Sounds like your have a great adventure. As long as your aware of the potential dangers you can implement measures to reduce the risk.
check out Alan Lucas's book, Cruising the Coral Coast.
www.trailersailerplace.com.au is a good place to learn about various triler sailers
Forget about trying to land at surf beaches....go around the headland etc to the sheltered bay, anchor or land on the sand there, then walk over the headland if you wanna go for surf
in a trailer sailer day sailing 50 miles a day will be a big day , better to do less, a small tillerpilot would make a huge difference, very boring if you have to steer for 10 hours especially if you are going slow.. If i was going to do that trip on my own with not much money to buy a boat i would want to enjoy the sail so would look for something like a hobie 16 and an ex surf lifesaving 4 man canoe. The canoe tyes in under the beams and turns the cat into a quick small cruising tri, not as much room as a trailersailer but much faster and more fun. There is a company that sells something like this as a kit but it is very expensive. I made one up here for less than $1000 and it was safe and seaworthy in rough seas,hard to capsize ans cheap enough to leave somewhere and hitch home if you had too. A hobie on its own would be harder work and too light for most people.
Good on ya ,
First boat to sail ( unassisted no motor )the northwest passage was two @18 year old kids from Canada in a Hobie Cat 16ft , mate of mine sailed the same design Syd to Qld putting ashore at nite on beaches with and without surf .
I think the Hobie can carry a better payload than most mono,s and might be a bit quicker with the weight .
Its a do able challenge ,planning is everything , Good luck
hey guys
thanks for the positive feedback, reccomendations and advice.
i had considered a hobie 16 or similar due to its speed and ease of beach landings etc however changed my mind due to cargo carrying ability and comfort.
i reasoned that id want to carry about 40L or maybe a bit less in freshwater plus camping gear and this storage would be hard in a cat. then factoring in the sitting position, long days and constant exposure to the seawater has me figuring a mono hull will carry the load and keep me dry but make the trip a little slower. also, the ability to sleep aboard comfortably- especially in the gulf- is of great importance.
ramona- yeah i had been thinking of a corsair or status 19 for those very reasons.
ill get the books that have been reccomended and give them a good read, thanks again.
cant wait to get my boat and do a few overnight trips through moreton bay to test things out!
while you're reading, give this one a go.
www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/unlikely-voyage-jack-de-crow
from the wales to the north sea in a mirror.
good for stirring up some motivation, plus the author was from Geelong too.
There are stacks of references here www.microcruising.com/ including one of a Queenslander circumnavigating in a 12 footer called Acrohc Australis.
Check the famous small boats link on the left of the main page for some inspiration.
What you're planning would be a shake down cruise for some of those mentioned on that page.
Highly inspirational.
Oh, and a Hartley comes to mind as well. Nice size, easy to rig and has a retractable board.
Michael
I
!2 k seems very cheap, was love at first sight... what is the accomodation like
Select to expand quotegoogle follow the yellow boat road]
hi guys
new bloke here
ive had a bit of a dream kicking about in my head for a few years now and the times coming where im thinking about giving it a shot..
i live in brisbane and have wanted to solo sail the qld coastline in a small sailboat, camping and island hopping my way north. if i were fortunate enough to round cape york in one piece and have the desire to continue, possibly give the gulf a shot to reach gove and then onwards to darwin. its stupid and dangerous, i know.
at the start of autum next year i wish to depart brisbane and make my way north. i think my biggest initial obstacle would be finding suitable spots to beach my sailboat at afternoons amongst the exposed surf beaches of the sunshine coast. and then of course, getting out again the next morning.
once clear of the surf beaches heading north i intend to do stick to the coastline until its possible to do a bit of island hopping where possible weather and distances permitting. along the way ill face navigational and weather hazards of course -always being at the winds mercy for starters. ill have to face my fear of crocs along the way too!
the gulf- shes a big one. it would be pretty crazy to cross it but im a bit inspired by this german bird whom kayaked across it the other year. at the worst, if i made it that far and the weather window wasnt right and i felt the risk too great, id possibly try to hitch a ride and tow with a passing yacht heading that way.
i realise the dangers and difficulties with making such a trip and that the consequences of it going belly up could affect more people then just myself. im pretty uncomfortable living the safe life right now and in need of going walkabout. ive previously solo motorbiked across asia and cycled from hobart to halfway through nsw and worked amongst other things as a jackeroo in the territory and prawn fisherman off of north qld.
my sailing experience is limited to recreational use of small boats around moreton bay. i hope to brush up on my physical skills over the summer and once i begin my journey i suppose ill have a lot of nautical miles to learn further. my theoretical skills relating to weather and currents will also need further developing.
im yet to purchase a boat. i hope to buy one within the next few months. im going to be going for a fibreglass mono hull sailboat with jib and mainsail. it will need a small amount of space to fit my rations and gear. apart from my own budget limitations, i want to do the journey in a small boat irregardless. the uniqueness and challenges of doing it this way will give me a good kick out of it.
any insights/advice/criticism/support anyone can offer me will be appreciated. ive not yet fully commited myself to this stupid but potentially amazing adventure, but i intend on doing so.
i havnt done much research as of yet. im still wrapping my mind around what i have to leave behind to chase my dreams. so im just throwing things out there at the moment, i havnt studied up much, nothing is concrete, im just looking for feedback.
in particular, if anyone could offer me advice or point me in the right direction on the following issues it would be of great help.
a) i dont have any info on sailing the remote north coast of queensland or around the top of the territory from gove to darwin. nothing relating to small craft and accessibility to landing beaches etc.
b) seasonal winds. what can i expect in autum in qld and nt?
c) does anyone know of this or similar journey done before and where i could read and learn about it?
d) what are my chances sailing across the gulf
e) any idea on what distances i can achieve / timeframe i should be setting for such a journey (obviously heavily dependent on boat chosen, weather at the time etc. assume that most days are spent sailing)
and so on and so on.
im unsure how long i can sail for in a small boat without getting restless and pissed off with it, that will sure be a challenge within itself!
anyway guys, let loose and criticise or support, im interested to see what comes out in the wash and find out some educated and experienced opinions.
hope i dont come across as too much of a dreamer, but just as a bloke who doesnt want to lead a boring life..
thanks guys
These yachts have a cockpit that is the envy of most 40 footers being about 8 foot long.
Study the photos in the link to this yacht for sale and you will start to get the picture.
The mast is well forward, sitting atop the f'wrd companionway which is well reinforced.
This means that the mains'l carries most of the drive and they do not sail well on jib alone. Also the mast step is f'wd of the parallel dagger board which probably puts the centre of effort of the main directly above it.
The dagger board is 10 kg bouyant as long as you do not snap it off by grounding, and is a neat fit laid in the cockpit sole.
The keel is fixed and is a lead moulding that is bolted to the bottom of the hull and has a slot through which the dagger board is pushed to it's stopper.
The depth to which the dagger board protudes below the keel is set by rubber door stop wedges that are jammed between the board and it's caseing. Beware the f'wd hand that is standing above the dagger board with legs spread while sailing in shoal waters. A slight grounding could possibly ruin his chances of fathering future progeny apart from ruining a good day's sailing.
and 
and no more for quite a while.
So to your question Felix of "what is the accomodation like?", I say to you now that it is fantastic considering that four adults and two children can be accomodated for sleeping below deck in warm and dry bunks.
For you to believe me and understand how that is possible on such a performance yacht you will have to bear with me while I explain how it all fits together.
The hull has quite a fine entry that progresses to a substantial beam that only tapers off slightly aft of maximum beam. This gives good volume compared to length and allows a GREAT Cabin aft.
The way it fits together is best described by working from bow to stern.
The fore deck has a high field lever for tensioning the rig, then a very neat deck locker for the anchor, chain and rode. Below that is a shelf and locker that serve as a foul weather galley.
Aft of that is the f'wd hatch, cabin trunk, mast step and f'wd companionway and small bridge deck. Aft of this is the sailing cockpit/living room (huge).
Right at the front of the cockpit sole is the daggerboard slot which also is the cockpit drain. Just behind the daggerboard trunk is the WATERTIGHT BULKHEAD!!!! How much better can a trailer sailer get???
Just in front and just behind the W/T bulkhead are the port and starboard f'wd and aft bunks and in between the aft bunks are the two kid's bunks all with plenty of storage space under.
You may now understand why I say these yachts are decades ahead of their time. Cheers Cisco.
You asking right questions, BUT.There are too many and you wish to have answers.
What about start from the budget first. Allocate half for the boat and the rest usable and back up. This is boat question, see this girl, she's done 360 in canoe.
Here is every stop/ night and pictured. You get nice pictures of places and timing.
Personally even if I allocate 10k plus for nice F/G boat, you wouldn't wont a beached
in 35+ knots in FNQ. Further north you go easier it get, why plenty of corners to stay, but you on your own.
No worries go ahead.
And than we ask the other questions too. Where I get drinking water from Cooktown onwards / forget Lizard there is none. Would be sensible spend money for desal unit.
How much fuel for engine and cooking to carry. I don't know but you can always
rich the tip and return south to civilization. fair wind
Nice short address:
www.google.de:443/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=de&geocode&q=http://maps.google.de/maps/ms?hl%3Dde%26ie%3DUTF8%26oe%3DUTF8%26source%3Dembed%26vps%3D1%26jsv%3D344a%26msa%3D0%26output%3Dnl%26msid%3D201791563433671927989.0004a3e0624acb7127996&aq&sll=51.151786,10.415039&sspn=16.203979,39.506836&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=-24.926295,133.417969&spn=35.411055,43.857422&z=4
pictures all locations
qajaqunderground.com/expeditions/australia-2008/oz-pictures/
has been done by a guy in his 60's in a 7m sailboat
he wrote a book about ithttp://www.zeus-publications.com/my_sweet_little_epsilon.htm
they still have a couple of copies if you ring them - even though it says out of stock if you try to buy it online.
He was planning to sail all the way round, but by the time he got to perth he had nothing more to prove as he knew he could get the rest of the way.
I do recall the wildfires on cockburn sound, they had a bad habit of swamping when pushed to windward, we had to drop out of a race once and tow one into the lee of garden island so they could bale it out,
