my first attempt to hoist the sails until the
following day.
It was while beachcombing on Hinchinbrook
Island that I first had the pleasure of seeing Placebo
lying quietly at anchor. It was under the protection
of the island’s lofty, rainforest-clad mountains that
I spent my first night aboard my little trimaran.
Next morning, well slept and with the skipper
feeling a little more skipper-like, we weighed
anchor, hoisted the mainsail, unfurled the
headsail and rode the fading westerly land
breeze to Gould Island; marvelling at the way
the three hulls skimmed along the water surface
like a magic carpet. We nudged the boat onto
the warm sand to unload camping gear and
food before anchoring off the beach and then
paddling ashore in our lightweight tandem
kayak, the ideal trailer sailer tender.
Under the seemingly watchful gaze of Placebo
as the tide came and went during the day, we
set up camp, roamed the beach and adjacent
forest, played games of 'Irish rocks', a fiercely
competitive activity akin to lawn bowls or the
French boule, with small rocks replacing the
more refined manufactured balls of those sports.
Next morning, though the sea still looked
benign, the Bureau of Meteorology issued a
strong wind warning for the next three days.
While I had been impressed by Placebo’s
performance so far, I was not sure how she
would handle 30+ knots and the steep, short seas
created in the shallow waters of the Coral Sea.
Especially laden with four adults and gear.
Reluctantly I broke the news to the crew that
our island escape would be cut short and that we
had to pack up our campsite and get underway
quickly before the promised strong winds
started to whip up the sea.
By mid-morning we were underway, heading
for Cardwell under threatening skies and with
a fresh breeze from the south-east. Once out
of the lee of Gould Island the wind picked up
dramatically, lifting the port ama (f loat) well
clear of the water and periodically slapping waves
against the main hull, drenching the cockpit.
With a reef in the mainsail we were making
eight knots, enjoying the tussle between boat
and weather but pleased to reach the sanctuary
of Port Hinchinbrook as the full force of the
strong wind warning became a reality.
On the drive home we workshopped our
options for the remainder of the Easter weekend,
and decided to make use of the f lexibility of
trailer sailing by relocating to Lake Tinaroo:
a large irrigation lake on the Atherton Tableland.
For the next two days we enjoyed the very
different experience of freshwater sailing,
without waves or swell, but plenty of wind to
put Placebo through her paces under ideal
conditions, notwithstanding the occasional rain
squalls that swept across the lake.RECONNECTIONS
Since that Easter weekend in 2011, Placebo and
I have been on many three, four and five days
passages along the Queensland coast, launching
the boat at many different locations between
Yeppoon and Port Douglas. Mostly with family
or friends, but sometimes solo.
Among the many highlights of my return
to the sea were several circumnavigations of
the Keppel Islands, anchoring at night in the
serenity of Leekes Beach on Great Keppel Island
and, by day, walking the national park trails of
North Keppel Island. In the famously crystal
clear waters of the Keppel Islands, schools of fish
took immediate shelter under Placebo as soon
as we dropped anchor, seeking refuge from the
marauding squadrons of boobies that continued
their lethal dives within centimetres of the boat.
Also memorable were several voyages between
Cardwell and Port Douglas with my daughter
during her university holidays, propelled by the
reliable south-east winds by day and anchoring
at Dunk Island, the Johnstone River (Innisfail)
and Fitzroy Island by night.
Cruising up Dickson Inlet on arrival in Port
Douglas also brought the unexpected joy of
encountering my first boat Erus on a mooring,
looking well-cared for and still sporting her41
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