TCP a 21 Pg 1

The Paper that can’t be bought! FREE! *Within Australia* 21st EDITION Always do right, this will gratify some and 2006 astonish the rest! ( Mark Twain) “Living Doll” sails into sunny Queensland *INSIDE* The Sydney/Mackay dumb cruiser & fast boats The Wizard in the pink! Volare in the crossfire Platypus in the Kimberley’s Tigress in it again! Speranza is just NFA! o t o h p n o s r o N b o B What’s your story??? It can’t be about you without you! It’s always been “Sugar Town” and the “Coal Face” but these events prove the future of Mackay is tourism and the marina district assumes it’s place of importance. CONGRATULATIONS to the CYCA, MYC, Mooloolaba and Port Binnli for a great success for their parts in this spectacular inaugural event. Now lets all get on the terps and celebrate! www.thecoastalpassage.com A Crusing Adventure... part 4: Broome and the Lacepede Islands glassy it was hard to discern over the Moonrise. Tourists by the hundreds come to where the horizon ended and view this phenomenon. They call it “Staircase to the the sky began. moon”. (You could mistakenly believe the moon didn't rise anywhere else!) We joined the crowds along the The light southerly held as we waterfront to witness this remarkable event. In a sailed into Blaze Bay just south hushed atmosphere every second person recorded of Broome, before the beastly the “rising” on digital camera. There were markets in easterly arrived. And in Blaze the parks with fast food vans selling delicious Asian Bay we stayed! Not the prettiest Take-A-Ways along with all the regular stalls for home place, we dried out on flat grey made trinkets, t-shirts and sarongs. Broome is the mud at every low tide, the four heart of the pearling industry and offers great da ys se em in g mo re li ke temptation to purchase exquisite jewellery. We loved fourteen. The wind howled from it! the east at 25-30 knots non- stop. When it did ease a little On our last night in Broome a young couple from a we ventured out, glad to be on nearby yacht came for twilight drinks. We were our way again. We made one swapping sailing experiences, as you do, when the brief stop on the wonderful 80 subject came round to fishing. They had not had much mile beach and were not luck catching a meal. Having trailed a lure all the way disappointed, this has to be the from Fremantle it wasn't until they entered Shark Bay best seashell beach in that they had any success when finally they caught Australia! Then sailed something they described as the fish version of an Story & Photos by: overnight to our next way point. American Pit-Bull Terrier. It was about 80cm long with Maxine Holman, SY, Platypus. a very blunt nose. Not having any idea what it was they It was this night at about 4am while I was on watch, Brian asleep in sought identification from another yachting couple Having reprovisioned at Karratha during our stay in the back cabin, (less motion there.) when there was a mighty travelling in company with them. Their friends Hampton Harbour we were keen to be heading further WHIIRRRRR!... Then a THUD!!.. BANG!!.. BUMP… BUMP… announced it “a bottom feeding shark”. The fish was up the coast. The long range weather forecast held a BUMP!! Brian fairly levitated out of his bunk. His feet didn't touch duly filleted and as there was plenty they all shared the week of strong easterlies which were due to arrive in the floor till he was in the cockpit. His number 4 haircut was catch for dinner that night, declaring it “delicious”! two days time so decided it was in our best interest to standing straight up and down. WAD YA HIT!!... ...WAD YA HIT!!! make a move. This, our first year of cruising, we had ..(no time to answer)… “STOP THE MOTORS!!!.. STOP THE Next day in Denham they passed by a Fisheries office learned early on that you go when the weather is right MOTORS!!!... GET THE SPOTLIGHT!!... DROP THE MAIN!..... and thought they would positively identify this mystery and stay put when it's not! WHERE'S ME GLASSES???... WAD YA HIT!!!??**” “Nothing”, fish. Upon hearing the story the officer looked at them said I. (A marker buoy hit us.) in amazement and cautiously asked them how they Departing after a week in the scenic Dampier Archipelago were feeling. You probably guessed, it was a Silver region we left via Flying Foam Passage and detoured on a You couldn't credit that 10 miles off shore, on a pitch black night we Toadfish and considered highly toxic. The Fish Book high tide through Sea Ripple Passage. The bottom on this could run right over the top of an unlit marker buoy on a “set line”. lists it without any “star value” and has it marked with a shallow stretch is all coral. With heart in mouth we watched No damage was done but it sure woke Brian up! We anchored in capital “P” for poisonous! They now carry their own from the deck as Platypus glided along with just an inch or Admiral Bay at 10.30am and went ashore. It was beautiful, so many identification book, purchased for them by their sailing two to spare beneath the hulls. At the end of the passage is shells, we swam, ate and slept for hours and hours. companions. a magic cove where every sound echoes and reverberates off the high ironstone cliffs. A swim in this secret spot was a Next day we anchored in Gantheaume Bay and went to discover continued next door>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> “must do” as it would probably be our last before we Broome. Although we live in the west we had never been before ventured into crocodile infested waters. The ocean so and soon found that the people of Broome hold a special licence SPECIAL PACKAGE PRICE! Achilles boat & motor 2.6metre soft bottom inflatable Keel timber floor Tohatsu 5hp 2 stroke motor ALL THIS FOR ONLY $3295.00 (inc.gst) Live to Play... PAINTS, PAINTS, PAINTS! ALTEX. WATTYL, & POR 15 Sealers, pre-primes, primers, undercoats, top coats & antifouls!!! From rusted steel to red gum, no matter what you want to paint, QUALITY PRODUCTS AT EXCELLENT PRICES! or just live another day! LIFE RAFTS, LIFE JACKETS & INFLATABLES WHITSUNDAY OCEAN SERVICES Service * Sales *Repairs* Safety Equipment DELIVERY SERVICE TO BOWEN & LAGUNA QUAYS Boathaven Industrial Estate: Lot 3 Loop Rd. Local agents for: AQUAPRO, GEMINI, ACHILLES, & RFD (Off Shute Harbour Rd., behind Jubilee Tavern) Authorised Life Raft & EPIRB Service Centre Warwick & Janelle Eastwood (“Wok & Woody”) CASA APPROVED PH: 4948 1366 Fax: (07) 4948 1377 email: [email protected] Page 2 The Coastal Passage #21 2006 The Lacepede Islands... After leaving Broome we rested briefly in that “it would do”. While all this was l i g h t e a s t e r l y Willie Creek. Ashore, a graveyard of happening great mobs of Boobies came to b r e e z e . W e co nf is ca te d fi sh in g bo at s. On e greet us. They circled round and round the a n c h o r e d t h a t prominently in view brought 180 Iraqis to mast top, their heads turned over their night off the entry Australia. Another we saw anchored in the shoulder to achieve the better view. to Barred Creek bay was from Indonesia, the occupants Looking like an ANZAC parade with the and rejoiced in the having long since been returned to their leader calling “Eyes right!” as they passed ability to receive a homeland. Authorities have not dealt with by. Ashore the islands were covered in a m o b i l e p h o n e the boat yet, it will probably be incinerated million Booby nests. The birds so signal as is the fate of many others. endearing and in every stage of development from egg to day-old chicks That night proved Continuing northward we set off for and gangly juveniles covered in fluffy white to be lumpy and Baldwin Creek intending to dry out and do a down. It is not hard to see where the u n c o m fo r ta b l e . bit of boat maintenance below the water design for “Big Bird” of Sesame Street fame Happy to see the line. As dawn broke we trailed a lure and came from, only the colour changed to morning we were very quickly hooked a Giant Sea Pike. protect the innocent! about to get under (Lots of teeth!) Not good to eat so we threw w a y w h e n w e it back. Soon after we hooked an even While at the Lacepedes we came across a realised we had company. Three bigger Shark Mackerel. (Wrong sort of cylinder type “thing” washed up on the Humpback Whales had come visiting! No mackerel!) We had just tossed it back beach. It looked interesting so we took it need for the zoom lens on the camera, they when the line screamed out again, this time back for closer investigation. It had “Made were surfacing with just inches between it looked more promising. As it splashed in Houston, Texas. USA” stamped on the them and us. I don't know at what stage and leapt across the water it attracted an outside.

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