Tweet Manookatoo Adventures: August 2015

Sunday 30 August 2015

Holy Manookatoo!!

30th August 2015 is Melbourne's 180th birthday - the day when the first settlers landed on the banks of the Yarra River 180 years ago. This date is marked by #Melbourneday and is also the date of the Melbourne Regatta, also known as the "Blessing of the fleet".
On a sunny Sunday morning, with Australian flag bunting on the flybridge, the Australian maritime flag on the stern and the Westernport Mariner's burgee on the bow, Manookatoo joined the celebrations at Victoria Harbour.

A replica of The Enterprize, which brought the first settlers from Tasmania, headed a fleet of boats up the Yarra,
to where several dignitaries and several thousand Melburnians waited on the shore.
The Scotch College band played The National Anthem and the Naval hymn, (or "for those in peril on the sea") and Father Bob Maguire blessed the fleet, while The Captain ably managed to hold position on Manookatoo amidst a mass of jostling craft, including two Sydney ferries, many cruisers and a couple of smaller vessels.
We sang Advance Australia Fair, the Docklands Choir sang the Melbourne song and we drank a toast to Melbourne's birthday before returning to our dock feeling happy and blessed by the sunshine after a long cold winter.

Sunday 16 August 2015

Summer 2014/15

Another summer at the lakes has ended and we are on our way back to Westernport Bay.  We had a wonderful time yet again; 27 December to 27 January was time filled with family and friends' visits, cruises to new and previously loved locations, swimming, lazing- dining, drinking - we had a ball! Here is a brief rundown:
Our first visitors were Yvonne and Martin Lynch, who spent New Year's Eve with us at Harper's Bight, where we partied the night away with seafood, champagne and crownies - kisses too of course!! We spent the next few days cruising around, visiting locations including Metung, Box's Creek and Steamer Landing.
Our next visitors were the O'Connell children; Matt, Anne Marie and the boys arrived first, so we took a trip to Flagstaff Jetty so that they could take a walk (with Benjamin and Papa accompanying) to the beach, where Matt ventured into the ocean. Grandma, on babysitting duties, enjoyed some quiet time with Nicholas!! The kids had an apartment at Paynesville, so Manookatoo was tied up in front of the apartment.
Chris and Amy arrived next but unfortunately the wind got up, so cruising was restricted to the canals and a trip to Metung had to be by car. Everyone enjoyed themselves anyway, especially when we found the fun stuff in the local playground!!


Whenever we didn't have visitors who needed to be near accommodation, every chance we got, we took the opportunity to venture up Bunga Arm and stay at the Second Blowhole; a quiet, isolated spot where many boats won't venture, with the Ninety Mile Beach just across a narrow sandhill and nobody but the wildlife for company. We would take to the small dinghy and travel as far as  we could along the water, enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the area or we would climb the sandhills to walk along Ninety Mile Beach, even venturing into the waters of Bass Strait once on a calm day.
Not long after all the kids left, the parents arrived from Sydney - they had booked a unit in Metung so Manookatoo found a home on the jetty there each night. |We enjoyed cruises on the lakes and returned each night, mainly to dine at the Pub, where the beer is cold and the meals are delicious! We also made the most of freshly caught prawns from the fishing trawler at Lakes Entrance for our lunches.

Our final visitors were Glenda and Peter Splatt, who always enjoy a few days on the boat with us. We spent two nights at Bunga Arm enjoying the tranquillity, then ventured into the Tambo for a river cruise, pulling up for the night at Swan Reach and enjoying lunch at the pub before a quiet (????) night in.
Our final day was Australia Day, so, festooned with Australian flag bunting, we cruised back to Paynesville for a last cleanup of Manookatoo, packing up and tying up at a jetty on Raymond Island before hitting the road for the return to Melbourne and back to work.

A new boating season begins!

Hastings Marina, first light
We left Yaringa Marina on Saturday 8th August after Manookatoo had finished her regular service, bottom clean and paint. She was ready for another cruising season! A week was spent just "down the road" at Hastings for the Annual Mariners Club dinner that night and a few socializing trips during the week for the Captain. Friday night saw us enjoy a couple of drinks with friends (maybe one or two more than we needed?).
We cast off at 7:30 the next morning, cruising down the bay, pushing against the incoming tide, averaging about 5 knots. We enjoyed breakfast  as we rounded Sandy Point just before 9:00, reaching the entrance to the bay, and the start of Bass Strait, at 10:50.
Passing West Head just after 11:00, we marveled at the lack of wind, with just a rolling swell to remind us we were at sea.
Cruising along past the beaches
With Cape Schanck off the starboard just after noon, we continued on, enjoying lunch while we passed the cliffs and beaches, reaching the entrance to Port Phillip Bay - The Rip - at 3:15. The captain contacted the coastguard, who assured us there was nothing to watch out for, and we cruised in through the eddies as the last of the outgoing tide pushed past.
Queenscliff Marina
Slowing to allow the ferry to berth before us, we entered Queenscliff Harbour at 3:50 and were tied up at our mooring soon after. With helpful currents and mild conditions, we used a total of just 45.4 litres of fuel on our 7 1/2 hour trip. 
Next morning we were up and cruising at first light, keen to get back to Yarra's Edge for afternoon plans. We were in the fast running channel right on 6:30 am and past West Head Pile at 7:45; time for a leisurely bacon and eggs breakfast as we headed north, enjoying a light breeze and very mild conditions. The first mate took the opportunity to cook a jam slice as we cruised along!
We entered the Yarra at 11:10, passing under the Westgate and then the Bolte, before the Captain steered us into Yarra's Edge Marina just before midday.
All in all we had cruised 79.7 nautical miles, using 78.5 litres of fuel and taking 13 hours and 40 minutes to get to our new mooring.
Yarra's Edge Marina - home - for now!!