Trapped and Uncomfortable - Episode 186
Good morning patrons
This episode was scheduled last week when we had internet south of the Montebello Islands, so as explained last upload, please understand if we don't immediately respond to your valued comments.
This week's video depicts our rough time in Shark Bay as we tried to manage winds shifting from north east to north west with only a very limited choice of anchorages. Strong tidal flow in the region also complicated matters by dictating the timing of our movements.
Once again, our anchoring system has proved its worth and while Mirrool's narrow beam makes life aboard a little close it really is a huge advantage when the wind begins to howl.
As usual we try and include our impressions of nature's beauty, as well as, a glimpse of her darker side.
Troy and Pascale
PS - A link to our patrons, Terry and Christine Hinchliffe's Small Boat Cruising Guide to Shark Bay is here if you are interested: http://www.publications.hinchy.org/
Trapped and Uncomfortable. The Reality of Small Sailboat Life - Free Range Sailing Ep 186 (YouTube)
Comments (17)
Actually I’m following the voyage of the paper canoe written by Nathaniel Bishop in 1878. He traveled threw here back in the day and left a detailed itinerary of all the towns and places he visited, giving lectures to fund his travels. He was the original YouTube er before electricity. I used google earth to find the scars the Mississippi left in the landscape (it meanders and changed direction before it was tamed) and used Nathanials very accurate description of the places he lectured at. Then I used google street view to actually see the old (some now abandoned historical buildings) from the 1878 era where the Mississippi used to flow (now just dry depressions in the earth). It’s like living for 150 years and being able to see what was and now what is. It’s amazing to stand at a place miles away from where the Mississippi flows and know that once a long time ago it washed right past my feet in the depression in front of me that now is a grassy knoll.
It’s great to see that weather where your at. I’ve been cruising down the Mississippi River and the only waves we see are wakes from passing boats. You can see my videos on Facebook under my name. Cheers guys.
Nice, we'll have a look. Are you reading Mark Twain as you cruise?
Sad that Troy's beard blew off, but Pascale's buckwheat cheesy savory crepes looked fantastic! Shark's bay looked more like a washing machine than an anchorage. I love the look of Mirrool's narrow beam, and how that improves her overall seaworthiness under way, and at anchor.
Shark Bay has some strong tides that set against strong winds and the overall shallow nature of the bay let the wind really get a sea up. It looks sheltered but it can get very mean here very quickly.
We had a similar problem in Shark Bay, but the north end of Dirk Hartog where we were stuck for 3 or 4 days. The easterlies became sou’easters then southerly then sou’wester but all the while flicking into the ESE or WSW for lengthy periods. This rendered the anchorage not particularly sheltered but the worst part was any better anchorage was a hard day’s sail dead upwind. We also found around Exmouth that you could never rely on SE not having significant SW, which really limited some of your anchorages.
At the moment the wind is W to SW through the day then S at night, bending SSE early morning. Quite a challenge to find shelter in but we have settled into Boodie Island, south of Barrow and it is pretty good. We've been here enough days that we have our own small Tiger Shark who likes to visit! Northerlies are the worst on this coast and there are very limited anchorages that are all rounders.
Troy's new hairdo thew me off! I thought I was seeing Leo Goolden for a minute there! (The Brit who is rebuilding the Tally Ho!) Love the swallows...
We picked up half a knot with that extra resistance gone
👂 The chirping of the swallows is brilliant 👂Nice take!
Thought it was Tom Cruise there, but then saw it was (Clean Shaven) Troy Cruising... Fascinating coast, only done it by road. It looks far better by sea! Great footage of the Welcome Swallows. I was fascinated by the way they gripped that fishing line! Still in lockdown nonsense here, not too bad but glad you two are free !!
It is a challenging coastline but yes, very worth the effort. The border closures have meant a lot more boats in the anchorages than last time which was unexpected but makes sense in hindsight.
Thanks, that coast looks more appealing every episode. Very interested in which splice you used on the chain to rope join? Cheers
This one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqVF4NcpqXs
Thank you for a nice relaxed episode! Glad the comfort level improved after the choppy start.
Do you use chafe protection on your ground tackle when you go beyond chain to rope ? Also interested for a review of the dynema rigging when you find the time ! Thanks for the continuing adventure.
No, we don't have the need for chafe protection there and I have yet to see a problem develop at that point over the years. In heavy conditions, we do run a sacrificial line from the cleat on the foredeck, over the bow roller and then tie it to the rode with a rolling hitch. This eliminates the chance of the nylon heating up in its core as it bends over the roller- an occasional source of nylon failure. We have covered a fair bit of the construction and tensioning of the rig but we'll think of a video detailing the individual solutions and our thoughts on the pros and cons.