We arrive at the Ningaloo Coast…
After a day sail from Carnarvon, we arrive at Cape Cuvier late in the afternoon, with a 3+ metre swell and a 15+ knot southerly behind us. We knew Cape Cuvier from our land travels but, coming in by sea and then anchoring was another story, with the imposing cliffs and port infrastructure to contend with.
Travelling with Nic and Julia from Blue Yonder has been a godsend for us and, once again, they are anchored up ahead of us, providing a reference point and some advice over the radio as we anchor in about 15 metres of water. Interestingly enough, 15 metres is probably the deepest we have ever anchored and so that means putting out 60 metres of chain - another first. Late in the afternoon, and with deeper water, there are no real reference points down below like we have been used to at the majority of anchorages we have been in.
As we are anchoring, some of the port vessels arrive, including a large tender and several tugs. It is a fairly tight anchorage in this regard so this adds a little to the anxiety as we let 60 metres of chain go and then ascertain if we are holding - are we going to drift back too close to the tender vessel mooring?; will the anchor hold?; will we be able to get it back up safely in the morning and not be stuck around a bommie or rocks? All these things go through your mind as you are going through the process, at the same time the sun is disappearing and the swell is lifting the boat up and down. We sit and wait and look at reference points on the land, combined with the chart plotter and all seems good - so time to celebrate another first with a beer on the front, overlooking the awesomeness of the 60m red cliffs that tower over us like a mountain from above.
We are up early next day - with a destination of Cape Farquhar, about 40 nm north, hoping that we can get in through the reef as there is a 3+ metre swell running. The back up plan is to return to Gnaraloo Bay, about 8nm south if we can’t get in. The anticipation of the day ahead was great - sailing down a stretch of coast we know and love between Cuvier and Gnaraloo; locations where we have spent a lot of time solo and with family and friends. We have a stiff east south easterly, so we haul the main and unfurl the jib and start making our way north. Needless to say, the views are spectacular, with the sun shining on the cliffs of Cuvier behind us and the imposing headlands of Red Bluff in the distance.
We are soon just south of Red Bluff and about 1 mile offshore, marvelling at the cliffs and spotting the odd whale out to our west. We round the corner and sail down Red Bluff towards the surf break, with Blue Yonder just ahead of us. After all of the unseasonal rain, the coast is looking amazing - probably the greenest we have ever seen it - albeit prickly spinifex - but it just looks like green rolling hills from our ocean viewpoint. The wind angle doesn’t quite allow us to get too close to the surf break, but we are pretty sure we can hear big Stu Coutts calling the shots from the top of the pack. We ran into Stu in the carpark at Carnarvon IGA just before leaving; he was on a four day mission to the Bluff to make use of the forecast swell.
The wind is coming down slightly now and we have a consistent 13 - 15 knots of south easterly so we track about a mile offshore and unfurl our screecher sail. This is the sailing we have come to love - 12 knots of wind coming over the back quarter, smooth seas and we are getting along at 8.5knots. The screecher gave us the extra speed we needed to get back up level with Blue Yonder and we had a couple of fun miles sailing side by side, just off the coast. Great photo opportunity for both yachts as it is quite hard to get pics of your boat under sail. Cruising past Turtles, a surf break nestled in front of a large dune expanse brings back many memories and we even spy ‘Jemma’s dune’ (where she managed to bog the car and had to walk back to Gnaraloo) as well as a large rock formation where we had walked and explored with Linda and Hayden a few years back. Before we knew it, we were coming around the corner of Tombstones @ Gnaraloo. Nicky and Jen Mickle had been texting back and forth and we were casting our eyes to the dunes to spot her, knowing that Greg would be sitting at ‘Centres’ nailing a few waves. A lot of memories as we sailed past 3 Mile Camp and onwards towards Gnaraloo Bay.
We arrive at our destination and drop the sails, positioning Singularity just outside the entrance to the lagoon, which is surrounded on both sides by reef and rolling surf. We let Nic and Julia take the lead as they have been into this spot many times and follow them in through the cut. Hearts are pounding a little and with an eye over the shoulder for set waves. Before we know it, we are inside the reef line and making for the anchorage. Once again, Nic and Julia’s local knowledge comes to the fore and they guide us into the anchorage area - which looks great but is actually a very thin layer of sand on rock. Nic has swum the whole area and had three small spots where there was sufficient sand and a small rock ledge to allow to get an anchor to hold. After Blue Yonder is secure, we position the boat under Nic’s guidance and drop the anchor - Nic is in the water and swims it into position - and we are anchored and secure. After sorting out the boat, Pete is in the water and follows the anchor line to where our anchor is sitting - having a good look to note for when we return on our own.
The next seven days are epic - clear water, clear skies, waves, amazing snorkelling, hanging on the beach, exploring coastal caves and secluded beaches, running with hundreds of sand crabs, sunset drinks, dinners with Blue Yonder and generally just enjoying everything this region has to offer. We even had a visit from Fisheries just to make sure we were aware that we were in a sanctuary zone, and that we were doing the right thing. We are also able to break out the surfboards and we score some fun waves - the crowd is just right - three! The coral here is next level and where we are anchored is within a rarely visited sanctuary and so the fish life is prolific. Less than 100 metres off our stern is a series of corals, including a brain coral the size of two VW beetles and an amazing array of fish life of all species, from tiny tropicals to spangled emperors and big schools of sweetlips. Whilst this small area is probably only 50 square metres, we end up snorkelling it 3 or 4 times it is so good. And people keep asking us if we are sick of this life yet????
We had been hoping to get up to Sandy Point @ Warroora Station to rv with Rob and Sue Walker and family, but the weather gods had not played in our favour, plus we didn’t want to rush past some of these magic spots. However, number two son, Riley, was still at Sandy Point with his girlfriend, Claudia, so he messaged and was keen to come and visit. Soon an overnight stay was arranged, with Riley and Claudia driving south to the lagoon at Warroora, from where they launched the jet ski and made their way over to our anchorage. We had a great couple of days with more surfing, free diving and generally hanging out in paradise. We discovered that Claudia grew up in Esperance and, from what we can work out, her and Kalani were actually in the same Year 1 class together at Esperance Primary School. Crazy small world, hey! Blue Yonder had a couple of friends come in as well, so it was good to have some catch up time and share some life stories.
With an eye on the weather, we were keen to head the 20 nm across to Sandy Point at Warroora, where there is a great anchorage and some fun waves to boot. With virtually no swell and a high tide, it was an uneventful trip out through the reef, before hoisting the sails and heading north. Keen to get some fish, Pete had the lure straight out the back but we were going pretty quick and the lure of choice was struggling. So out with a small skirt lure that swims well at high speed and a great attractant to big Tuna, Wahoo and Mackerel. Within three minutes something big hit that lure and Pete was watching the line disappear rapidly from the reel. With only a third left, he decided to try and slow whatever was on the other end down by engaging his thumb with the reel - a well used technique to put a bit of pressure on the fish. Unfortunately, all that happened was Pete burnt a big hole in his thumb and then tightened the drag and SNAP - goodbye lure, goodbye fish and time to put new line on the now near empty reel. Left cursing and nursing an ice block on his now singed thumb, Pete was soon scheming a new sailing/trolling plan with a 150 pound handline - stay tuned.
The sail was going well until we heard an unusual metallic clunk - like something falling onto fibreglass. Scratching our heads and looking around, we couldn't figure what it was and so continued on sailing, with the boat sailing nicely. Soon, we were pointing a bit high to the wind, so looking to adjust the course, Pete turned the wheel and nothing!! No steering!! First step - engage the emergency rudder pin - which locks the rudders straight; start the engines and uses the engines to turn the boat into wind and drop the sails so we could troubleshoot and find a solution to our little (didn’t seem so little at the time) problem. We gave Blue Yonder a call on the VHF and advised of our situation - they thought we had turned into wind as we had a big fish on - wishful thinking! So back on his hands and knees, Pete was soon opening some access panels to try and determine what had happened. It didn’t take long to locate the large cog which sits inside the steering wheel lying on the floor with the chain hanging limply. Problem identified - now how do we fix it? One of the things you learn quickly about boat life is how difficult it is to access stuff and you need to be a contortionist to get into places. You usually require a torch to see because it is dark back there and often it means sticking the phone camera in and taking some pics before removing it and making some assessments. Anyhow, Pete made a temporary fix and we were soon back with sails up and closing in on the entrance to Sandy Point.
So as we are preparing to enter through a gap in the reef - no steering again! Once again, emergency rudder in and we decide that best course of action is to use the motors to steer - by adjusting the amount of revs to control direction - and get into the anchorage where we have time to properly assess and repair the steering. Fortunately, there is not too much swell and only about 10 knots of easterly so we are able to maneuver inside and drop our anchor. Phew - who said sailing was boring??
After dropping anchor and putting the boat to bed (packing the mainsail, stowing lines etc), we catch up with our new neighbours, Karl and family on Eureka IV, who we had first met at Rotto and then passed by at the Abrolhos and Geraldton. We also got to briefly catch up with Riley and Claudia again who were camped on shore, and happy to share a few fillets of the Spanish Mackerel they’d caught earlier in the day. Thanks guys! A great anchorage, well sheltered and plenty of sand - oh, and did we mention the crystal clear water?
Looking forward to what the next week has to offer.