Position Update 0900(UTC+10) Coral Sea Day 11
Vega
Hugh and Annie
Thu 27 Sep 2018 22:44
Along much of the east coast of Australia it is very shallow as the seabed rises from 700m or thereabouts to 50m depth along the marine equivalent of a cliff edge. This shallow area extends for several miles and it was a bit disconcerting to be out of site of land, 40nm off, in less than 50m depth! The coral gives rise to many islands and very shallow areas and careful attention to the chart is required. Further north the coral forms the Great Barrier Reef although technically the shallow area here is also part of the reef and is included in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Reserve. Swell from the east meeting cross currents or the ebb tide can give rise to large standing waves and dangerous conditions for small craft. The recommended route for yachts into Bundaberg is to the north of our track yesterday but in the calm conditions and on the flood tide we could sit back and enjoy the whales and dolphins.
We are now chilling out to Santana, tidying up and have just received the call to enter our berth for customs and immigration inspection........................