"Hmmm, another boat's just come into
anchor," I informed the skipper.
“Do we know them?” He asked as
our heads turn in unison to identify
the craft.
As boaties we often discuss the
pros and cons of various vessels, or
what we consider to be the suitability
of certain vessels for cruising. Does
that vessel have a comfortable length,
is the horsepower adequate and is it
best to have sail or motor? All relevant
questions, but the answers we have
found all differ.
While all the other points are
important, in my years of cruising the
key point that stands out for me and
it would appear the vast majority ofsimilar ilk, are the people that we have
met along the way.
Our fellow cruisers have definitely
added to the joy of our adventure and have
in effect made the journey all the better.
There are times when it is good to
know that someone else is out there.
We try where possible to assist others
and our latest efforts happened as we
neared our home port of Tin Can Bay.
We had spent a wonderful two and a
half months cruising the Whitsundays.
It was approximately 4.15pm and the
day was slowly coming to a close.
We were headed for Kingfisher Bay
Resort on the western side of Fraser
Island. The tide was with us and we had
about two nautical miles to go before
putting the pick down for the night.
A yell from Brian alerted me to the
fact that something was wrong, "what
the - expletive, expletive - was that?"
As I looked out the saloon hatch I
could see a large plume of thick black
smoke rise high into the sky. Clearly
someone was in deep trouble.
Wasting no time, I notified Hervey
Bay VMR and informed them that what
appeared to us to be a 30 foot cruiserhad exploded and was now on fire.
I could clearly see the flames licking
out from the thick smoke.
We were asked to render assistance
and set about to get there as fast as
we could.
A monohull arrived there first and
worked its way around the area, picking
up the people that had been on board.
They then notified the VMR barge,
which was under way to assist, that they
had the people aboard.
The barge duly returned to the resort
and we informed the VMR that the
people had been picked up and that
there was nothing else we could do,
so we were standing down.
Within a very short space of time the
boat burned to the waterline and sank.
The skipper and his crew were safe –
lives were not lost.
As I am sure others would have done,
we gave what aid we could but in this
instance our help was not needed.
Sailing can sometimes feel quite
isolating, especially if you are cruising
alone. However, cruising in company
has been beneficial for us and I am sure
for others also.26 Februar y 2015reflections
Cruising’s best kept secret
Cruising can be a solitary
life so when they get
together it is a meeting of
the clans, Anne Wilson
reflects on what it is that
binds us all.