Mud Crabs, Mother’s Day and High Visibility Shirts!!

(Gladstone – Cape Capricorn-Yellow Patch)

We have spent the last 4 days tucked away in a pristine inlet on the north east coast of Curtis Island – called Yellow Patch; named for its distinctive pumpkin coloured sand dune. Again we have struck it lucky meeting Rick and Alison on their 42 ft luxurious Sea Ray Cruiser ‘Lady Diane’ – To us yachties we refer to these as “stink boats" but quietly very much admire them as well. Rick AKA “Crab Man”, loves mud crabs and ‘everything’ to do with fishing. We have feasted for the last two nights on his abundance of delicious mud crabs, to the point that we might be starting to grow claws and walk sideways ourselves! We have both taken turns in heading inland with Crab Man to pull the pots deep into mangrove territory, amazed at the beauty of the surroundings and wildlife.

To clarify the fishing competition rules, we can only add to our score when both of us are fishing at the same time. Therefore our score is a lot less that the actual amount of fish we are bagging. To this point we are 16 all. Here in Yellow Patch we have managed to catch an array of species including flathead, trevally, bream, flounder, stripey, whiting and a big fat ugly toad fish. Ro is mastering the art of cast netting, half filling the bucket with bait fish with just a few casts.

Yesterday, we went on a morning adventure which included a run in the dinghy, a climb up the sand dune with a height of at least 20m and a walk across the sand drift onto of the dune, where we felt like Lawrence of Arabia. If we walked a little further we would have reached the ocean on the other side, but having not prepared for such a long walk with little, but ever growing, Noah we decided to enjoy the view and soak in the “serenity “-a bit like Darryl from the movie “The Castle”. Check out the photos, they are great!

Earlier in the week back in Gladstone, we observed that when one wakes up the only decision needed is, “Which high visibility shirt will I wear today – the fluorescent green or fluoro orange?” This reflects a culture surrounding a town built around industry and mining. We were pleasantly surprised at what Gladstone has to offer with an excellent marina and harbour full of islands and bays to explore. We had a great time catching up with Ro’s sister Cherene and family.
After leaving Gladstone we decided to take the North Channel rather than up the Narrows as conditions were favourable for a fast 30 nm sail to Cape Capricorn where we spent a night awaiting high tide to successfully negotiate the tricky passage into beautiful Yellow Patch just a few miles away.

It’s Mother’s Day today, my very first and one I will always remember fondly thanks to the two gorgeous boys in my life. At 7:30am after feeding Noah, I jumped in the dinghy with Crab Man Rick and headed up the creek for a morning cruise to pull the crab pots. Upon my return Ro had cooked me pancakes with strawberry jam and cream....not good for the waistline – but a special treat. Ro had also stuck a note on Noah with some special words for Mother’s Day and an arrow saying Look under me.....I discovered a box complete with a big bow under the couch – It was a brand new hair dryer. So wonderful, as mine broke a little while ago. Although Ro said “It’s a pity I can’t use it on the boat as our inverter won’t accommodate the spark required. Ha! Oh Well, I shall just have to wait and doll up when we reach our next port. From here at Yellow Patch we will head to Great Keppel Island and surrounds before heading into Yeppoon.