01/11/2020
Discovered Mustang’s bottom line this morning. Woke up at 6am to find the bottom was almost on the bank in the knee deep water. A small part of the rudder was in the mud. It must be yesterday we dropped the anchor at the bank while the hulls were still in deeper water. Over night the boat swang to bank and sat there in low tide. No wonder it felt dead still last night at sleep, because we were simply on flat ground. Luckily the tide was rising and there was only little breeze in the morning. J moved the anchor to a deeper area and poured water into the dinghy on the front deck hoping the stern would be lifted, while I kept tightening the anchor rope until the rudder was eventually pulled out of the mud.
We reached the mouth of the river past the high tide also past the time to cross the Wide Bay Bar, so we had to stay in Pelican Bay for a day or two to wait for the best time to cross the bar. It is peaceful and pleasant here, I don’t mind to stay for a few more days.
In the afternoon, we went to the shore, the landing side was inside Pelican Bay, the wind was calm.
Went through some bush, there’s a road, 4WD vehicles kept coming and going. Across the road there was a campground, and then the beach where you could see Wide Bay Bar. As it was a Sunday, the beach was crowded with people, 4WD vehicles whizzed by, and it felt easier to be run over here than in the city.
Looking out over the sea, there are some areas where waves were particularly high because of the raised sand banks underneath. Even though it had passed the best time to pass, there were still boats taking the plunge, bouncing up and down. Actually, there was a shortcut called fisherman’s gutter for shallow drafts, but it increased the risk of running aground.
Having seen enough of the waves and the crowds, we returned to the quiet side of paradise. Cooked up an ultimate version of instant noodles. The base used was a pack of pork bone flavored ramen noodles. First marinate some textured veggie protein with its sauce packet. Shredded beef heart cabbage, sautéed in chicken fat with baby corn and bamboo shoots, and sprinkled little bit of the seasoning from the Shin ramen. I added extra egg noodle to make 2 serves. When the noodles were almost done, I added the Kaneshichi shirakedashi mushroom powder, replacing it with the seasoning powder that came with the package. Next, added the marinated veggie protein and cooked until softened. Added the vegetables, then sprinkle with spring onions and drizzle with sesame oil to finish.
For dinner we had Mapo tofu. Used up the last carton of long life tofu.
Sea Journal 