Wednesday 14th May 2014
It's early morning we are both sitting here anchored in a little bay called South White Cliffs it's raining and we are both looking still quite shell shocked from a day of hell yesterday.
We all have those days the ones you wish you could just wipe off the calendar completely.
Man I so wish yesterday could be wiped off.
What a day, it started off beautiful we had ourselves all prepared researched the area we had to go through and had studied the charts very well or at least we thought we had.
You see we were going up the inside channel of Fraser Island to get to Bundaberg, in hind sight we really should have gone back out into the ocean and sailed the outside.
We knew there is a lot of shallow water and sand banks everywhere, but we had read up major, worked out all the correct tides and believing in the charts, we set off.
There is a line on the chart that you follow and as long as you keep roughly on that line you are fine, yeah right.
We had around 21nm to go to the next anchorage and had worked it out that we would get there in plenty of time to set the anchor in day light, as you know we try never ever to go into an unknown area in the dark, it's just way too dangerous.
So off we set the tide was pushing us along so fast that we had to slow the boat down a lot, as we had to get to certain areas at different tide times to be able to get through them.
All was going well, we had a few scary shallow spots that we both held our breath as we skimmed along the bottom, we were both on watch studying the chart then all was clear I was busy doing stuff on my ipad, The Captain was relaxed but still keeping a good watch on everything, we were about three hours into the trip, when bam we were stopped in our tracks.
Yeap we had hit a sand bank, so much for charts we should of been in deep water.
Now I don't know if you have ever been on a boat and ran aground, I know Bek and Anthony know what the feeling is like...haha
But it's a gut wrenching feeling I tell you, the only good thing about this if there is a good thing is that it's only sand and land was close by and we had a rising tide so we knew eventually we would come loose.
But still it's scary we tried every which way we could think of to get out of it, the wind had picked up and with it the tide we were so far over on our side, I had to wedge myself in to stop being thrown over the other side.
And then a great big storm hit us, we rang Coast Guard to ask them which way to try and head to deeper water, and was told there is another yacht a few miles back behind us grounded as well, at least we weren't the only ones, we eventually got ourselves free and breathed a sigh of relief, this time, I was watching the chart with a eagle eye while The Captain was standing up at the auto pilot punching in the directions I was calling out to him.
We went for about another 30mins when bam straight onto another sand bank, man this was crazy by this time we were also following the buoys as well we got close to one that was different from the rest but assumed we had to have it on our port side we were wrong.
Again all the drama started, but no matter what we did we could not get off, back to calling Coast Guard again, we gave them our position and they said we had to try and turn to our starboard side as that is where the deepest water is, our charts were saying that was shallow water, eventually we got off that sand bank, The Coast Guard had rang us to see how we were going just as we got off, they told us to go back around the right side of the buoy which we did but we drifted over too far and bam straight onto another sand bank, this one we hit so hard that The Captain almost fell down the companion way, man it was like hitting a truck full on.
This one we were firmly stuck, no matter what we did we could not move, we were still talking on and off to the Coast Guard, and it was starting to get dark and the stress was really taking its toll, we asked them how long it would take for help to come and he said at least an hour and a half, great.
We were so close to the anchorage that we could see it in the distance, that was not helping either.
By some miracle we finally managed to move again The Captain puts it in gear to go forward as we were hard in reverse when we got stuck again, but we eventually had enough high water to get us going again.
By this time it was pitch black and we still had a fair way to go, we finally managed to get just close to the anchorage and decided that that was enough we were in deep water and we just could not go on any further.
So we set the anchor in what we hoped was a good spot, I know we were very close to shore but we were beyond caring.
We both so needed a stiff drink, our nerves were shot to pieces, The Captain goes down to break up some ice for our drinks when I hear this yell, I race down to see whats happened and he has almost cut the top of his thumb off, oh man.
To make ice we freeze drink bottles and we cut the bottle away from the ice with a knife, then break up the ice, it has worked really good until now.
So panic sets in, It was bleeding like you could imagine, I'm saying we need to get to a hospital, he being The Captain and all says no just get a pair of scissors I'll hold the piece up and you cut it off the rest of the way.
Yeah I almost fainted then and there, I said you got to be kidding, you will bleed to death, I raced to get a compression bandage and I think actually when he thought about it he realised it was a bad idea too.
So I give my daughter Bek a ring as I know she has done a first aid course, she helped a lot Thanks again Bek.
After talking to her we took her advise and rang the closest hospital, and explained all that had happened, what we were doing was the right thing and to get to a doctor as soon as possible, tomorrow would be ok.
We eventually got to have a stiff drink and man did we need it more so than ever.
We decided to have an early night as we were both so strung out, but it was not meant to be for me at least The Captain got some rest, thank God.
Myself I was just too stressed and ended up having one of my pain attacks early in the morning which was not good at all.
But it's morning we are both still alive, I have had at least one cup of coffee and the rain has now stopped, and we will continue on.
Well tomorrow is another day.