All Tied Up in Mandurah

We gave the folks at Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club a call to let them know we were on our way in. Our night on the courtesy mooring at Doddies Beach was a bit bumpy when the wind and swell piped up and we were awake early. We had to wait for the rising tide to make sure we had enough water to get through the skinny parts of the channel and into the marina. As it turned out, we had nothing to worry about. We saw nothing less than 3.3m/11' beneath the keel on the way in. Greg came out to meet us in the club tender and directed us to our berth. Tim, the GM of the club facility, was on the dock waiting to catch our lines and invited us to the office whenever we were ready for a tour. Our first impression was “Wow, what an hospitable club.”  

We'd been in touch with Tim since Albany. He'd asked us to stop by and give a talk to the club members and, quite honestly, we're pretty chuffed that he did. We love being able to share cruising stories, bits of information and answer questions, especially with folks who are so enthusiastic and interested. We'll report back how it goes.

It didn't take us long to get tied up and settled in.

Even a welcome swallow, balanced on a dock line, gave us a tweet “hello”.

The club is pretty posh. The clubhouse facilities are very large, beautiful and well-kept with a classy, spacious bar, restaurant/cafe, meeting rooms, showers (HOT and clean), a washer and dryer. Tim showed us around and pointed out the chandlery and haul-out facility just across the way. We have electric and water on the dock immediately beside the boat … that translates to using computers to our heart's content and being able to wash all the built-up salt off Cups. We left Crown Marina about three months ago, so this is a real treat for us.

Tim had been kind enough to let us use the club address to have some parts ordered and sent in advance. Little did he know he'd be getting 7-8 packages, but he had them all stacked up and ready for us. It's always a little like Christmas when we get packages in the mail … albeit, they're all boat parts. An aluminum daytank replacement, a Navionics chart card for Africa, a replacement Raymarine GPS and various other bits and pieces.

We need to hit the ground running with chores and repairs. We're only here a couple of weeks and then we need to be on the move again to keep with our early July departure schedule.

Heading North to Mandurah

We're heading north today to Mandurah, Western Australia's second largest city, and home of the Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club. When we met our cruising buddies in Streaky Bay, oh so long ago, they highly recommended Mandurah as a great place to stop. Before heading off across the Indian Ocean, we thought we'd treat ourselves to some time in a marina. Shore power, hot showers, no beaching the dinghy to get ashore, groceries delivered … it's quite the luxurious vacation we have planned.

We were up at 0530 in anticipation of getting an early start. Light winds were predicted and we figured we were going to have to motor-sail most of the way. We were correct. We sailed for a total of 2-3 hours and when the wind dipped to less than 6 knots, we gave up and turned on the iron jenny. So what if diesel is nearly $7/gallon. What? Where are the oars?

The day was another of the uneventful sort we described earlier this week. I guess I shouldn't be complaining. Eventful many times equates to adrenaline-rush which means something broke or went wrong. We did hear the alternator belt squeal once which means it's on the checklist for Mandurah. This is more like a typical day on Nine of Cups when we're in dayhopping mode. We're up early, the day is pretty uneventful, we anchor or pick up a mooring at the end of the day's passage and that's it. Dinner, maybe a movie and then move-on. We're always tired despite the fact we have an auto-pilot and today we didn't even have to manhandle the sails very much. Days like this are spent in the cockpit together, chatting, making lists, discussing possible alternatives (like alternate days of work and fun). The to-do list is long, however, since this is our big prep for our Indian Ocean crossing in July.

We were able pick up a courtesy mooring off Doddies Beach, only a few hundred meters/yards from the channel entrance to the marina. Because no one was watching, we did an excellent job picking up the mooring on the first pass and we were swinging in the breeze within about 5 minutes of arrival. Once we get into the marina, we'll be in high-energy mode. It seems we have so much to do in a short period of time … isn't that always the way?

It was pretty gray and overcast when we arrived and the day was so uneventful. No birds, no dolphins, no great sunrises or sunsets … no photos. Well, how boring is that? Here's some stuff we might have seen along the way …. but didn't.

The entrance to the marina has silted a bit and needs constant dredging, we're told, requiring Nine of Cups to enter on a rising, nearly high tide. We'll head in mid-morning tomorrow. The local club has asked us to speak to their members. We hope they're not disappointed when they find out we're not famous or anything … just crusty old sailors with lots of photos (but not many today).

Busselton to Bunbury

Another grueling passage, 26nm, but, like the old salts we are, we bore up and managed to drop the hook by late afternoon. This was the most uneventful, motor-sail you could imagine. No wind, no waves, no swell. We motored from the anchorage, around the end of the Busselton Jetty, set a northwest course across Geographe Bay for Bunbury and proceeded to eat breakfast and chat while we puttered along. For awhile, we noted that our course was 007 … that was about as exciting as things got.

Pretty slow news day, I'd say! We just sailed from there to here and that was it. I guess some days are just like that … no distinction, just blending together in a blur.

Once arriving in Bunbury and rounding the end of the jetty into Koombana Bay, things appeared more interesting. First of all, they have a very interesting lighthouse here with black and white geometric designs painted on it. That falls into the must-see category especially because it's on a foreshore walk.

Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia and an active shipping port for woodchips, minerals and grains. We passed three large bulk carriers that were anchored on the way in and the dock looks to be loading one ship now. We were pleased there were no ships coming or going when we made our entrance. That always adds excitement to the day.

We can see the Bunbury Tower, affectionately known by locals as “the Milk Carton”, that dominates the cityscape. From our vantage point, both the tower and the Koombana Sailing Club are in clear view.

The city definitely appeals to our curious interests, but at the moment, it's cold and windy today and we're happy to remain aboard. Always tomorrow.