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Tannum Sands to Roslyn Bay via the Keppel islands

In 2002 Kate Yoemans Paddled from Brisbane to the tip of Cape York Peninsula.Along the way various people kept her company for most of the journey.Her last and most dangerous leg from Cairns to the tip was done solo. Kerry Richards joined Kate and Lindsey Faudry for the leg from Tannum Sands to Roslyn Bay near Yeppoon. This is Kerry's log of the trip.

ROLL:- Personal paddling Sea Kayak
TRIP:- Tannum Sands to Roslyn Bay via Keppel's.
DATE:- May 14th - 22nd 2002

NOTES
Pre trip : This is ridiculous! The night before the trip . Its 11.30 pm. And I'm still sorting gear. I wish I hadn't weighed it all. 82.4 kg Here's the list.

Front Hatch
Emergency food 2kg
Stove - light - spare fuel - fry pan - plates etc. 7.5kg
Food bag- pd. Milk, flour, hot drink pack, , cocoanut, seasoning , salt , honey, maplesuryp, oil, 4 potatoes, 5 small onion. 6 kg
Fishing gear including deck real 3.5kg.
4 x 2.5 l water 10 kg.
TOTAL 32kg.
Glove box
Spray jacket and Vinyl cape, VHF radio, Toilet paper, Bandage, 3 glow sticks, spare sail, Multi tool , Torch and 10 batteries AA, Sun block, 3 fishing lures.
TOTAL 2.9 kg

Cockpit
PFD and spray deck, 4 x 3 liter wine bladders water
TOTAL 15kg
Day Hatch
Food
6 x day packs:- Nibble bags, snack bar, Pasta or rice meal, Packet soup + 2min noodles
2 x small salmon can
small peanut butter , small jam
Dried veg pack- 2x peas 1 x mushrooms
Dried fruit- prunes , mixed fruit , figs , bananas
Contential soups x 6
Dinner pack :- 1 x corn thins , 1 x small Kraft cheese, 4 x small bars, 4 x meal replacement drink
TOTAL 10 kg

Rear Hatch
Clothes Bag :- Trackies, Long army pants, 3 x T shirt, 3 x undies, 1 x shorts, 2 x paddling shorts, 1 x rash shirt, 1 x long sleeved shirt, 1 x flanny, 1 x dry as a bone jacket, 1 x jumper + beeny , 1 x boxers and T shirt (PJ's) Toiletries and towel 7 kg
First aid bag
Therma rest + Hammock, sleeping bag, flanny and pillow, silver blanket Mozzy cover, 2 x fly + pegs 9kg.
TOTAL 16kg
Deck Trolley, 2 x brake down carbon paddles 6.5kg.

And there you have it. What can I throw out? Help!

GROUP:- Myself, Kate Yomans and Lindsey Faudry .

CONDITIONS:

Tide - Weather N to NE early in trip ranging in strength 5 to 25 kn. Open ocean conditions , wave ht .5m to 1.5m on up to 2m swell.

TRIP DETAILS: Tues 14. Depart Yandina 7.55am.
9.15 Just south of Tyro muffler fallen off. Only the rear tail pipe,- can't fix it so keep on going.
9.35 Tyro
2.30 Arrive Tannum Sands caravan park. Unload gear and on the road 3.15pm. Lost about 1hr. this morning stopped at road works and 20min for lunch.
4.00pm Rocky . Stopped for fuel.455km - $40
4.40pm arrive Keppel Bay Marina where Joan and Vern have their boat. Stayed with them the night, leave my car at marina and Vern is going to run me back to Tannum Sands.
Wed.15 A picture perfect day, walk around marina and beach. Sea as flat as.
Vern drove me back to Tannum arrived 12.00. Kate and Lindsey have shifted their boats and set up camp .I loaded my boat and gear onto my trolley which promptly bent. I borrowed some tools and did some modifications when Lindsey and Kate came back from swimming; we tried the trolley again and rolled a tire off.
Major modifications were needed. I found a second hand shop and bought another golf trolley and modified the wheels from it. Keep fingers crossed it will stand the distance.
7.00pm had dinner set up camp and bed early.

Thursday 16th. Awoke to my alarm 6.00. Good nights sleep, Breaky and packed up ready to walk to beach.
8.30 last minute things walk up to park and onto beach. Wheels still a problem.
9.30 On the water at last. Almost perfect day, some small chop, paddling into light NW breeze. Up the harbour, across to the inside of Facing Island.
11.30 Becoming choppier, wind 10 - 15 kn. Paddling directly into it. Stop for lunch at Farmers pt. 1.00pm . Had a leisurely lunch - re arranged some of my gear so more weight in the back - to stop nose burying and water coming over deck with the load I am carrying. Wind even stronger now so we decided to camp on sandy beach. The Oaks camping area, north of Farmers pt., Directly opposite south end of Curtis. ½ hr.paddling into 20-25kn. Wind. Quite a hard battle.
The Oaks is beautiful camp spot under some trees protected from the wind. The main camp is back off the beach with toilets etc. but too far to carry our gear
Landed at 2.30pm. set up camp - snooze . Kate went fishing but no luck. Now 4pn and wind has died.
This is a good camp site Has Toilets and a water tank.
Made potato fritters for tea and in bed 8.45 No sand flies here.

Friday 17th 6.30am. Good night's sleep, breaky-rolled oats, apple.Fill yesterdays empty bottles, pack up and ready to leave 8.30am.
Kate has gone looking for a lure she lost yesterday.
Perfect sea conditions today, no clouds so it will be hot and burny on the water. Weather forecast was for NW10-15kn. So no sailing today.
On water 9.00, took 1hr to cross to sandy beach on south end of Curtis Is.
11.45 around to Black Head to a sandy beech. Sailed back into beach. The wind has been in our face for the last hour. Lunch stop The coast outside Curtis is very picturesque with its rocky headlands and numerous sandy beaches. 4
1.45pm. On the water, into small swell and wind chop. Just paddling at a leisurely pace, it is blowing around 15-20kn now.
4.15pm. found a beautiful beach and landed in small surf and went exploring.
Came back and set up camp 5.00pm. We are at Sand hill aprox. 6km north of Black head.

Saturday 18th. Peaceful night . Woke around 6.00am. Slow start to the day . Banana fritters for breaky.
9.00 on the water This is really a top camp spot, only good for about a 2.8m high tide otherwise there would not be much beach left to camp on. There are sandy beaches all along the outside of Curtis.
12.30 Rounded Cape Capricorn. It has been a great trip, a light breeze, enough to fill the sails as we came around the top and down into Yellow Patch . Caught a very small flathead and a Remora Sucker fish about 1.2m long on the way trolling lure. It is an absolutely glorious day, the water is crystal clear and a light green in color. A clear sky , we can see the Keppel's in the distance. I am sailing as I write my log in a gentle WNW breeze.
1.50pm. Arrive at Yellow Patch What a picture, light orange sand hills, blue green water. Decided to camp so set up camp and than went for a walk up the sand hill. The view is amazing. We saw a pig out on a candy spit. Must have come over at low tide , he is now surrounded in water , pigs must be able to swim.
5.30 We are now sitting around the fire having tea. Trying to have an early night so we can leave early tomorrow before the wind comes. IT will be in our faces going to Hummocky, about 14km from here.

Sunday19th. Another magic morning. Breaky finished and packed 7.45. Bit of a struggle to the water at low tide, soft sinking sand in places. Very still at present but forecast is nw 15kn later in the day.
8.00am. On the water Light SW breeze as we left but it soon came around to NW, sail not much help. Made it to tropic of Capricorn at 9.30. Had some excitement, my lure got bitten off, than soon after a large brown fish, may be a shark, surfaced beside Kate's paddle than 2 more followed for a while .No more luck on my line. Kate caught a small flathead, which she released, than caught a Honeycomb Cod which we ate for lunch.
10.30am Arrived at Hummocky and spent the next hour drifting over the reef, fishing and making our way to the north side of the island where there is a nice sandy beach and good camp spot. Even though it is a little blowy this afternoon the s change is expected tonight . Forecast is for SW tomorrow.
11.30 arrived at our camp spot, had a swim than lunch , lazed around the set up camp. I am sitting in my hammock looking over the beach and ocean towards the Keppel's and it is 1.55pm. Snooze time zzzzzzzzzzzz
4.30 It is now blowing 20-25kn.NW. Sea is really building now.
7.30 Still blowing, have finished tea and decided to shift camp, - found a protected spot in the bush (low shrubby scrub) . There is only a light breeze.
8.30 early night.
We spent about an hour today making fresh water with a PUR Survivor 35 Desalination hand pump. Makes around 6litres per hour.

Monday 20th . 6.30 am. Blowing around 20kn.still from the north. Sit on the beach behind a rock and make breaky. The forecast says N-NW20-25kn in the morning and easing in the afternoon coming around to the SW.
7.30 seas appear to be dropping a little so hopefully the change is on its way
11.30 Depart Hummocky in15-20kn NW. very messy sea . 5
1.35 Put sails up . Wind now from SW . Good sailing although some bracing required at times surfing.
4.00 Arrive at humpy. A good trip. Arrived sooner than expected due to good sailing.
Camped at far end of beech away from beach away from camp due to expected S wind during night. Dinner and early night .Phone home good mobile reception. In bed 8.30.

Tuesday 21st. 6.30 Rise and walk the beach back to main camp with stove and Billy and shower, Hot shower ahhhh. I feel so much better.
8.30 still having breakfast rolled oats and banana pancakes, made from reconstituted dried bananas, worked well. Take it easy this morning. Left for Kepples11.00
Easy paddle and sail to the resort drifting over coral and many fish and stingrays.
Lunch at resort, $10 steak burger and chips. A Kookaburra got the steak while I was eating it .
Had an easy paddle around to north side of Middle Is. And Myall, did some fishing and caught a Trumpeter for tea. Ocean is flat and clear .
5.00 camps on Myall have done 14km today.

Wednesday 22nd. Perfect morning again, light W-SW breeze. Not good for sailing back to Roslyn Bay about 10km.
8.00 ready to leave . Myall camp faces west so sun has only just arrived on our beach. Some good coral and plenty of fish. Only small beach not much good for walking. Humpy has tracks all around the Island.
8.15 leave for mainland good conditions. Easy paddle , arrive 10.30. trip is over for me and Kate and Lindsey are going onto Mackay and Kate than on to Thursday Is.

COMMENTS This has been a most enjoyable trip, sorry I can't be traveling further.