Notes On The Mooloolaba River Entrance

A test of competent seamanship is often best illustrated when preparing to cross a barred entrance particularly when conditions on the bar itself are challenging.  In the case of Mooloolaba entrance, which over the years has enjoyed a reputation for being one of the easiest bars to negotiate, the recent shoaling has necessitated continual marking and revision of the channel by local port authorities.  Skippers would do well to consider the rule of twelfths and understand how even a low ocean swell and it’s direction can impinge on the safety of a vessel crossing a shifting sand bar like Mooloolaba entrance.  Combine the limitations of channel markers and navigation aids with a good lookout out for changes in water colour and swell pattern to stay in the channel.  Understand the currency of navigation information and accept that sometimes the channel markers and nav aids will not correspond to your chart or plotter map.   

The 80’ foot schooner Joshua C successfully entered the Mooloolah River using the 2.37 metre high tide on the evening of Wednesday June 18.  There a number of reasons to note the event.  First of all in the previous few weeks to the Joshua C entering Mooloolabah Harbour there had been several groundings at the entrance to the river by vessels of considerably less draught than the Joshua C’s 8’. Despite recent dredging in both the river confines and on the bar itself, the build up of sand (after the heavy May rains experienced across south east Queensland) was such that waves would form and break across the river mouth on even a slight swell. 

I personally watched a local prawn trawler trying to depart the entrance make two unsuccessful attempts before bottoming out less than 100 metres from the breakwalls.  Within 10 minutes of the trawler returning to it’s berth a 50’ yacht (just one of number of yachts in a procession of “go arounds” to seaward of the heavily breaking shoal) attempted the crossing and was pounded by heavy surf whilst firmly aground in the same spot the trawler had only minutes before failed to negotiate. Fortunately the yacht shrouded by it’s own cloud of diesel smoke and taking the breaking seas heavily on it’s beam for at least 5 minutes was able to escape back to the deeper water by using full power astern. 

All this occurred about 1530 hrs on the afternoon of Wednesday June 4 the predicted time of a 0.23 metre low tide which happened to be the lowest tide of the year.
 
The second reason to note the event of Joshua C’s arrival in Mooloolaba is that her skipper Robin Cook  not only passed through the “dangerous“ Mooloolah River entrance that calm June evening but even more triumphiantly crossed the extremely shoal Maroochy River bar an hour previously.  This transit was paramount to the departure of the Joshua C for her Coral Sea cruise after 10 years lying in the Maroochy River system. 

As alluded to in the Boatweb article  “Wedding before the Mast“,  there were plenty of doomsayers and wagers against the Joshua C’s chances of  ever crossing the Maroochy River bar.  In the final period of waiting for the penultimate combination of a  big high tide and fair weather to achieve the bar crossing the Joshua C  lay to anchors at Cotton Tree.  It was here in a deepish hole (for there are no deep holes in the Maroochy River system any more) close to the southern bank less than a couple of hundred metres from the dreaded Maroochy bar that the vessel survived the strong winds, torrential rain and subsequent flooding experienced in May.  Apart from swinging 360 degrees at the height of the storm the 50 tonne Joshua C remained in a  channel in which paddlers, jetskis and small outboards have exclusive passage.

And finally the Joshua C’s arrival in Mooloolaba from the Maroochy River will spell the end of an era for the Sunshine Coast.  The schooner’s construction, launching and preparation for sea is a saga that has involved many local people.  The times when a vessel could tie up to a tree in a quiet estuary and the owner go about his business on board are gone. The Maroochy River will never again have a vessel like the Joshua C grace it’s waters, not to mention the chance for land lubbers to step aboard a sailing ship and be introduced to a world of rum infused sailing dreams while a Jimmy Buffet tune plays on the cockpit sound system. From homeless youth to local business people the Joshua C project has inspired many to embrace life on the ocean wave.  Congratulations to Robin and first mate Annette who are heading north at the end of June.

Captain Tricko

One man band, sailorman, artist , writer, urger has lived aboard for ten years. My main accomplishment is recovery from frozen shoulder and having my name on a statue honoring Matthew Flinders in Hervey Bay. I also surf a bit and don’t mind a bit of hastily organised fishing.