Russell Island, Queensland

• Krummel Bay
  Russell Island, Queensland
  Australia
  
• 07-Dec-2006
• 27°38.5000"S/153°22.9000"E

We left Brisbane yesterday afternoon riding the outgoing tide for the 13 mile trip down to the mouth of the Brisbane River. We spent the night at a small bay at the river mouth. It was not exactly an anchorage that you will find in any cruising guides as we were anchored right next to a freeway and train tracks. There was a constant flow of traffic from the Shipping Port. We kept hearing engines and thinking a ship was coming at us, until we realized it was a train passing, or a big truck gearing down.

In our last post, Amy mentioned that we snagged an old mooring on our anchor. It was a 300+ pound tire full of concrete. It weighed so much that it pulled our bow down far enough to make to head flood! Let me say that I thought that we were going to loose our anchor and chain. I did not think that we were going to be able to pull it up. The anchor windlass is not strong enough to pull up that much weight. So we had to pull it up using the winches on the mast, just a few inches at a time. It took us at least 3 hours motoring against the current while winching this mess up to the surface. We finally got it all up and was able to cut it loose and our anchor!!

When cruising here you really have to watch the tides. It is really shallow, and you need the tidal currents to push you along instead of fighting them. That is why we stopped for the night at the mouth of the Brisbane River in the not so cool anchorage. We left this morning on a rising tide and motor sailed 20 miles. We arrived at slack high tide to anchor in Krummel Bay, off the north end of Russell Island, to wait for the rising tides tomorrow. Then we will keep heading down the Gold Coast to Surfers Paradise all via inland waterways. This is a stretch of inland waters are a lot like the Intercoastal Waterway in the U.S. It is like going down a narrow river.

We have discovered one of the best things in Australia, the “Retired Services League”. Australia has a club for their retired military members in all the towns we have been in so far. We are able to use their facilities as we are retired U.S. Coast Guard. The club here on Krummel Island is very small. Amy and I walked through town and ended up here. The drinks are super cheap. And they have cheap dinner specials every night as well. At sunset everyone has to stand up and observe a moment of silence for all the military members that have been lost in service.

We met the president of the club after a few drinks and he gave us his membership card entitling us to a big fat dinner, cheaper than McDonalds. And they have a courtesy van that drove us back to our dingy for free!!