Calendar


Trip Diary

08-2012 Peel Island (An Ekka tradition)
08-2012 Moreton Island
07-2012 Rocky Point
06-2012 Blakesleys
06-2012 The Bedroom
05-2012 Breakfast on Karragarra
05-2012 St Helena
05-2012 Perigee Bedroom
02-2012 Queen Mary II
02-2012 Mud Island
11-2011 St Helena
11-2011 Shorncliffe to Redcliffe
10-2011 Weinam Ck to Dunwich
10-2011 Peel Island
10-2011 Breakfast on Karragarra
10-2011 St Helena and Green Island
09-2011 Wivenhoe Dam
08-2011 Fraser Island
08-2011 Canaipa Passage
08-2011 Karragarra
08-2011 Stradbroke Island
07-2011 St Helena
07-2011 So long, and thanks for all the fish.
05-2011 Green Island
05-2011 Wivenhoe Dam
04-2011 Upper Noosa River Weekend
04-2011 Easter at Woodgate
04-2011 Mud Island
04-2011 Karragarra for Breakfast
02-2011 Bongaree
02-2011 St Helena
01-2011 Weinam Ck to Blakesleys
10-2010 Moore to Blackbutt Rail Trail
10-2010 Whitsundays
09-2010 Mud Island
09-2010 Redcliffe
09-2010 Girraween
08-2010 Upper Noosa River
08-2010 Potts Point
08-2010 Peel Island
08-2010 Gateway to City Bike Ride
08-2010 Mud Island
07-2010 Blakesleys Afternoon Paddle
07-2010 Kedron Brook to Scaborough (and return)
04-2010 Colmslie Beach
04-2010 Brighton Park
01-2010 Nundah Creek
01-2010 Blakesleys
01-2010 Upper Noosa River (with a difference)
01-2010 New Year Paddle
12-2009 Potts Point
08-2009 Raby Bay to Peel Island
08-2009 Wynnum Creek to King Island
07-2009 Sandgate to Redcliffe
05-2009 St Helena
04-2009 Wellington Point to Peel
04-2009 Breakfast on Karragarra
03-2009 King Island
03-2009 Mission Point
03-2009 Mud Island
01-2009 Morning Tea at The Pin
01-2009 Circumnavigate Macleay Island
01-2009 New Year Recovery Paddle
12-2008 Caniapa
12-2008 Pine Rivers
11-2008 Coochie Night Paddle
10-2008 Breakfast at Karragarra
10-2008 Girraween
10-2008 Coomera Falls Circuit
09-2008 Hinchinbrook Island
09-2008 Manly Harbour Festival
09-2008 Linville to Blackbutt Rail Trail
08-2008 Weekend at Blakesleys
08-2008 Old Woman Island
08-2008 Circumnavigate Macleay Island
07-2008 Upper Noosa River
07-2008 Weinam Creek to Dunwich
06-2008 Scarborough to Bongaree
06-2008 Wellington Pt to St Helena
06-2008 North Stradbroke Jazz Weekend
05-2008 Point O'Halloran to Blakesleys
04-2008 Upper Noosa River
04-2008 Aquatic Paradise to St Helena Is
04-2008 Eprapah Creek
03-2008 Paradise Point to Moreton Island
03-2008 Wynnum Ck to Tangalooma Point
03-2008 Amity Point weekend
03-2008 Bremer River
03-2008 Brisbane River - Gregors Ck to Barneys Rocks
02-2008 Play Day - Coochie Mudlo
02-2008 World Wetlands Day Paddle
02-2008 Brisbane River night paddle
01-2008 Australia Day Week
01-2008 Blakesleys 3/4 Moon Paddle
01-2008 Shorncliffe to Nudgee
01-2008 Brisbane River - Barneys Rocks to O'Sheas Crossing
12-2007 Raby Bay to One Mile via Blakesleys and Potts Point
12-2007 Diamond Head to Tipplers
12-2007 Wynnum Ck to Green and St Helena Islands
11-2007 Bike Ride Bay Islands
11-2007 Tingalpa Creek
10-2007 Potts Point Night Paddle
10-2007 Return to Gilligans Island
10-2007 Salt Water Creek and Coomera River
09-2007 Elimbah Creek
09-2007 Scarborough to Caboolture River
09-2007 Fraser Island Whale Watching
09-2007 Circumnavigate Russell Island
08-2007 Pine Rivers Night Paddle
08-2007 Linville to Blackbutt Rail Trail
08-2007 Brisbane River City Reach
08-2007 Peel Island
08-2007 Brisbane River
08-2007 Green Island Day Trip
07-2007 Pine Rivers Night Paddle
07-2007 Mooloolah River
07-2007 USS Kitty Hawk in Brisbane River
06-2007 Black Tie on Peel Island
05-2007 Harrys Hut Camping Weekend
04-2007 Theodolite Creek
04-2007 Upper Burrum River
04-2007 Circumnavigate Big Woody
04-2007 Walkers Point to Toogum
03-2007 Boat Passage to Big Sandhills
12-2006 Woodgate to Mon Repos
10-2006 Fraser Island Whale Watching
04-2005 Keppel Islands
12-2004 Fraser Island
10-2004 Munna Point Camping Weekend
10-2004 Mooloolaba to Maroochydore
09-2004 Coochie Mudlo Island
08-2004 Karragarra Island
07-2004 Wellington Point to St Helena Island
06-2004 Noosa River Camping Weekend
05-2004 Brisbane River Night Paddle
04-2004 Budds Beach to Moreton Island
10-2003 Bulwer to Tangalooma
05-2003 Eatonsville to Harwood Island

Links

SEQSK Discussion Group
SEQSK Newsletters
Adventurer Anthony Malloch

St Helena
Date: 13-11-2011
They must have caught one. The children fishing from the beach on the canal at Aquatic Paradise were squealing with nervous excitement. By the time we took the boats down a worthy pan sized grunter was being proudly displayed to the camera. The parents considerately reeled all the rods and took their time to show the children how to re-bait their hooks as we quietly pushed off into the warm muddy water. With the forecast for wind against tide we were angling for a bumpy sailing leg on the return journey.

The NE was already pushing a cooling 5Kn headwind as we made for the southern end of Green. The competitive sails were out enmasse and given our beeline we wondered if we were destined to become yacht fodder. Fortunately they had not done their inner circuit, either that or everyone took to the water early to escape the heat. We did not come within cooee of a ruthless competitor with another divisional championship in their sights. The closest we got to was a loose group of five unrecognised paddlers who cut across the bow on their way to either Wellington Point or King Island.

A small see sawing craft heading NW flying a sail close to the wind turned out to be a couple peddling a Hobie double kayak. While they were making a good pace, they were having to peddle like the clappers to do so. Maybe they were cyclists out for a different view of the world. We slipped by a number of small tinnies each with two or three people fishing before nudging into a quiet shady beach on the southern end of Green Island for morning tea. It was a welcome hiding place away from the noise of the jet skis and all manner of boats and landing craft crowding the northern spit. Heading north, we took our cue from the two pied oyster catchers standing silently on a mangrove branch, and like them stayed within the protection of this leafy sanctuary. A sanctuary that has mangroves so deep you loose sight of the shoreline. Mangroves that hide a wealth of fish and an occasional turtle. Mangroves that provide shady relief from the relentless heat. Reappearing just south of the spit into the glare of the white sand, colourful beach umbrellas and doof doof only served to heighten the ephemeral nature of the quiet watery solitude afforded by these gracious old trees.

The only class of boat not represented on the spit was a kayak and much to the surprise of the eyes following us it was to remain that way. We couldn't leave the place fast enough and were only to happy to head out into what was becoming a lumpy bay. We pulled into the southern shore of St Helena just east of the main picnic shelter. Mark called a caution for a rock, but the rock had other ideas and ran away as a decent sized sand crab. Two pied oyster catchers flew in and landed on the rocky shelf to the west of our chosen lunch spot in the shade of a thin casuarina. They left as soon as a crow landed in the tree on the western end of the bay. One parent hassled the crow relentlessly until the annoyed raven departed. A small ball of grey fluff then emerged from the tree roots. Standing about half the height of its parents was a beautiful solitary chick. Neither of us had ever seen a pied oyster chick before and having witnessed oyster catcher's determination to attack birds of prey on the wing, we did not want to stress either parent bird. They were aloof but watchful parents. The chick never made any demand for food, the parents never attempted to feed it. The little fellow spent its time wandering along a small area of shoreline and was ready to disappear into the protective cover of the undermined roots of a dead casuarina.

By now the casuarinas were singing and the speed boats were becoming air borne as they hit the chop off the SW corner of St Helena. This promised to be fun. I voted to return via the eastern side of Green as that would give the greatest fetch for the swell. The knots in the sheets were untied to make dropping the sail easier should I get a little more than bargained for. The yachties sheltering off St Helena waved us by as we started to sail with the wind against tide.

While it was lumpy I was expecting the swell to have picked up more. The wind was a reliable 10-15Kn, but not enough to make me squeal in nervous excitement. It was all a bit domestic and only started to become interesting when crossing the channel and having to play dodgems with yachts of various sizes. The tide had dropped enough to aim for the beacon off King Island. Turning in for the end leg gave more of a ride as the wind was directly from behind and the chop short and steep. So short that I managed to stop the kayak. Leaning back to catch a ride, the snout of the boat buried into the shoulder of the advance chop beyond the front hatch cover. It was a funny as a fit as the boat just seemed to stop. It was never going to do anything like pitch pole as there wasn't enough power in the chop. Quite clearly the conditions just weren't blowing enough to make me squeal. What did make me squeal was the gouging of the hull by rocks concealed by the muddy water off Aquatic Paradise. If you ever come ashore here, do what Mark did and go in between the channel markers. The water is so turbid that you have Buckley's of being able to pick these nasty blighters. No holes, no worries, just a bit more patina on the underside of a boat that as Phil rightly put it "owes me nothing" yet continues to deliver such joy.
The park at Aquatic Paradise in Birkdale
Entering the mangroves
A quiet place for AM tea
While the horses wait
Disappearing into the mangroves
To discover a spell binding forest
Landing on St Helena
Thirsty work this sailing
Wind ruffled sparkles
Still thirsty work
Cruising back to Aquatic Paradise