After a lovely stay at Tin Can Bay we headed up the coast on Thursday for Garry's anchorage, leaving at 10am and arriving around 2-30pm. We had to motor as there was very little wind, however it was a good trip as the tide assisted our trip. With the boat set on auto-pilot we enjoyed sitting up top of the cabin in our deck chairs drinks in hand enjoying the scenery which included houseboats, campers and other boating activity along the Fraser Island coast. We sighted schools of Tuna in a feeding frenzy, dolphins and numerous turtles. Suddenly you see a little black head pop above the smooth surface, eyes blink at you in surprise and then they duck dive out of sight. All was just as one would imagine it would be!
Garry's Anchorage, which is named after a prominent Aboriginal who lived in the area with his family, is a quite little haven with lovely little sandy coves and with an attractive green backdrop. There were about 7 boats of different shapes and sizes anchored with us. That afternoon we thoroughly enjoyed a visit to Family Affair by Arnie and Ida, a couple we had met at Tin Can Bay. We organised to pay them a visit on the following afternoon little knowing what events lay ahead. We knew that bad weather was expected and that our anchorage would be a safe place,however the gale force winds were rather more than predicted. The news was full of the damage the winds caused in SE Qld. Peter recorded wind gusts up to 59 knots and even although he had put 2 anchores out he was continually checking things throughout the night to made sure everything was OK. Not much sleep for him that night. I was busy trying not being motion sick (which meant I needed to be asleep!!) After we had finished watching the football that evening we had noticed our friends boat getting further and further away. Sure enough they had dragged their anchor in the strong winds and ended up stranded on a sand bar up near the mangroves for the night. Obviously they would have not be going anywhere until high tide at 8-30 next morning if they could get off otherwise it would be another 12 hours!. It was touch and go whether they would get off, Peter motored over to them in the dinghy in difficult conditions to give assistance but eventually it was the coast guard who helped them off. This is not how one imagined it would be!!
Later in the day we moved, as had Arnie and Ida, around the corner to a more protected anchorage. We then paid our return visit to them and learn't that that type of experience was pretty run of the mill for them ( they seem to always be having some sort of adventure or the other) but Arnie, who is a journalist, now has new material for a story!!.
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