Lady Musgrave Island 2014
Lady Musgrave Cruises
Lady Musgrave Cruises will be transporting us to Lady Musgrave Island on the “Spirit of 1770”
from the 1770 Marina, 535 Captain Cook Drive, Town of 1770.
However, there is a lot of preparation before we leave Canberra, and then we have to get ourselves to Agnes Water, the town next to 1770.
Timetable
Saturday 14th June - Working bee at the Club shed starting at 9 am. This will be our last chance before Musgrave to ensure the gear, boats and trailers are in good order. Be there!!
Sunday 15 June - Group packing. There will be a number of large items to lift and pack into boats and all of the club gear and spares to distribute for transport up. It needs a few strong folk and other careful, meticulous ones and should only take an hour or so.
Tuesday 17 June - Gear issue for Musgrave at 5.30pm.
Monday 23 June – Convoy leaves Canberra – early morning
Tuesday 24 June
12:00 / Arrive Mango Tree Motel, 7 Agnes Street, Agnes Water (07) 4974 9132.(Mango Tree to be confirmed)
Collect boarding passes between 7.30am- 5.30pm at
Lady Musgrave Cruises
Reservations Office,
Shop 2, 1770 Marina, 535 Captain Cook Drive, Town of 1770
13:00 / Grocery shopping in Agnes Water
FoodWorks Agnes Water,
Lot 1, Round Hill Road, (07) 4974 9911 ask for Michelle or Peter
Open Sun 7:00am – 8:00pm
14:00 / Unload cars at 1770 marina
15:00 / Pick up food from FoodWorks,
Fill Fuel & water containers at 1770 marina
16:00 / Pack gear onto ferry.
Finish / Adjourn to Agnes Water Tavern, 1 Tavern Road, Agnes Water for dinner.
Wednesday 25 June 2014 - Trip Out to LMI
The two club boats will drive to Lady Musgrave Island under their own power with two people on each boat (Jeremy, Ron, Ilya, Andrew).
Lady Musgrave cruises will transport the rest of us and our gear to the island.
Times are approximate, everything is weather dependant!
Boarding at 1770
5:30 / Boat drivers and crew leave motel6:00 / Launch club boats – they head of directly to LMI
6:30 / Be at marina
Load Ice, fresh food
7:15 / Put personal gear on boat
7:30 / Place any orders for additional deliveries with the Reservations office
Park cars
8:30 / Depart 1770
10:00 / Arrive at LMI
10:30 / Start to unload Spirit of 1770
Car Parking in 1770
Free car parking is available opposite Marina
Undercover car and boat storage is available from 1770 Boat Storage 10km from town
- telephone on 07 4974 7047 or mobile 0407 740 252 (they give lifts)
Delivery to Lady Musgrave Island
Our gear will be taken by glass-bottom boat to the island lagoon entrance (Visitors access), and then we have to carry it 300m to the camping area. Two wheel barrows are available. The club boats may also be able to take some of the gear over the reef to the camp site around high tide.
Tide Times
25/06/2014 07:04 3.39m High
25/06/2014 13:06 0.77m Low
25/06/2014 19:26 4.14m High
26/06/2014 01:47 0.91m Low
26/06/2014 07:46 3.38m High
26/06/2014 13:44 0.78m Low
26/06/2014 20:03 4.15m High
We will set up the most essential group equipment first (e.g. the fridges, kitchen, food supplies) that afternoon and then your own campsites. The boats will need to be brought up onto the beach during the evening high tide and made fast. The next day we will start by setting up the remainder of the group stores/equipment. The group tarp, marquee tent, refrigeration, moorings, radio, compressors etc. need to be set up, so don’t expect to dive in the first 24 hours, though it could happen.
While on LMI
Gas.
We should take 3 x 9kg gas bottles. Use 2 going while 1 is being refilled. Turnaround >= 2 days.
Water.
We will have a communal 25 litre water barrel with a tap in the kitchen. This will be kept full from the 20 litre water containers. Water container refills >= 1 day.
Picking up deliveries from the Spirit of 1770.
Orders of food, ice can be picked up from the Spirit of 1770. To avoid congestion on the pontoon and vessel, campers coming across for orders must stay clear until 1.30pm and leave by 2.15pm. Only two per group to collect water and supplies. Any variation to this needs to be authorised by the Spirit’s captain.
Tuesday 8 July
Afternoon – move compressor and as much as other stuff as possible to island lagoon entrance
Wednesday 9 July – Trip Back from LMI
At the end of our trip we pack all our gear up and bring it back to Canberra.
The two club boats will drive back to 1770 under their own power. They will need to be loaded around high tide [3:32m @ 05:29], so packing will need to be done the previous day.
Lady Musgrave cruises will transport the rest of us and our gear to 1770.
11:00 all gear must be at island lagoon entrance(much will be moved the previous day)
11:30 all gear must be aboard boat.
15:30 depart LMI (approx)
17:00 arrive back at 1770 (between 16:30 and 18:00 depending on tides)
Unload gear from Spirit of 1770 & pack into cars & trailers
Retire to Pub /Accommodation
There will be 14 nights spent on the island.
Thursday 10 July - Convoy leaves early to head home, other people head off when they want.
Emergency telephone contact
· Emergency telephone contact for the trip up & on the island is Jeremy’s Next-G 0427 547502, on the island Ron’s Next G 0417 070 024.
· Telstra blue tick mobiles (including Apple iPhone 4S, 5C; Blackberry Z10, Torch 9800, Torch 9810; HTC OneXL; LG Optimus Spirit; Motorola DEFY+; Nokia Lumia 800, N9; Samsung Galaxy Y, Sony Xperia Z; Telstra ACTIVE TOUCH) can be used on the island, otherwise send postcards back by carrier tourist!
Getting to Agnes Water
Plan to take at least a day-and-a-half of driving to get to Agnes Water – most will use two days. We will discuss where the convoy might make stops.
The trip from Canberra to Agnes Water via the Newell Hwy/A39, is around 1,700 km, and takes 19-20 hours, travelling through western NSW via Yass, Cowra, Orange, Wellington, Dubbo, Coonabarabran, Narrabri, Moree, Goondiwindi, into QLD and through Dalby and on to Agnes Water – more details will be forthcoming.
You can save some time by bypassing Gilgandra via Mendooran: 8km north of Dubbo (Brocklehurst), turn right to Mendooran in the 80km/hr area zone (look for Shell service station on left). On the way back, take the same bypass 15km south of Coonabarabran. Take the left to Mendooran, look for the red McYuks sign.
A check list of personal equipment
There are size restrictions on equipment taken, so please keep your gear to a minimum.
Every item needs to be moved 6 times:
- from your car to the wharf,
- from the wharf to the Spirit of 1770,
- from Spirit of 1770 to the LMC pontoon,
- from LMC ponton to a glass-bottom boat,
- from the glass-bottom boat to the island lagoon entrance, and then
- 300m to the camping area.
Pack everything into a few sturdy bags or sturdy plastic tubs (avoid the cheap brittle plastic ones) which are of an easily manageable size that can be easily carried by one person (no loose bits and pieces). Most of our gear will be stuffed into one of the boats two narrow, wet hulls. Clothes and other things that you want to keep dry must be in water proof containers (e.g. a garbage bag inside another bag).
*** KEEP WEIGHT BELTS SEPERATE! ***
If the weather is a bit rough or rainy during the trip, bags and equipment can get wet. Anything you require for the boat trip to the Island together with your wetsuit boots/sturdy shoes, a spare T-shirt and a pair of shorts or bathers should be placed in a small bag to be kept accessible on the Spirit of 1770. We will need to be changed and ready before the Spirit of 1770 begins to unload.
Baggage Restrictions (LMI Cruises Requirement)
· 1/2 cubic metre per person
Any excess may not be taken if the vessel is fully loaded.
0ne (1) trolley per 2 persons, not including water, only the essentials.
Extra luggage cost (5-15 days camping) $50 per trolley
Example - 4 adults equipment excluding water should fit onto a 6 x 4 foot trailer.
· No glass bottles
· No spear guns.
· All equipment must be tagged with the booking name of ANUSC and the owners name.
Bring
• 20l water rectangular containers – 1 for each person (The club will supply 15)
(LMCruises requirement: at least 5 litres of fresh water per person per day for at least 6 days = 30l per person)
• waterproof bags to carry your gear
• tent and sturdy normal pegs
• tarp/shade screen for under tent
• tarp to put over tent (keeps birds droppings off)
• your own folding chair (Avoid oversize/wide chairs at the table)
• rope/clothes line (and padding)
• sleeping gear (mat/ lilo/ sleeping bag)
• waterproof jacket
• warm clothes – thermals take up little space, warm head cover for the cooler nights
• sunburn cream, sun glasses, hat
• insect repellent
• Detergent based (cheap) shampoo - baby shampoo is good, normal soap does not lather in salt water.
• camera/binoculars
• torch & batteries (head torches are ideal)
• towels (leave a spare in Agnes Water)
• SCUBA gear (including torch with batteries, safety sausage)
• Sturdy tub (Nally bin) – not too big, or bag to transport dive gear
• plates/cutlery/cup
• alcohol/ private food
• personal medications/prescriptions
• No personal refrigerators
Grog
In the past a number of sub-groups have successfully transported a small cellar to the Island to assist with the general ambience of the gourmet meals. You may wish to form your own group to enjoy this aspect of the trip. For those wishing to buy beer or whatever in Agnes Water, a number of hotels have bottle shops. Get casks or cans to avoid broken glass. Any glass must be packed in solid, water proof cases for safe transport. NO cardboard cartons of bottles which will dissolve in the boat hulls!
Notes on Diving
Please be extremely cautious in your diving activities. An accident or mishap may not only spoil your holiday but a lot of other people's as well. You are diving in a remote area and there are definitely no second chances.
The maximum depth around the island is approximately 25 meters, with the exception of “The Promised Land” at 30m. The waters around Lady Musgrave are subject to currents that can be very strong on occasions. Please take into consideration these currents in planning and carrying out your diving activities. Check anchors carefully during diving. If in poor conditions or strong currents dive in shifts and leave an observer on the boat while diving.
The Island is on the lee of its reef and conditions can be quite rough on the weather side. Be careful when diving on the south and east of the reef when the south - easterly is blowing. There can be high swells rolling in from the south which are not apparent from camp.
Boating
Diving from club boats
The two club inflatables, Tigger and the Goat (Capricorn), are planned to be used on the trip. Each boat will carry 6 divers. Please do not overload. Inflatables are ideal boats for the diving around Lady Musgrave Island but are very prone to damage. Do not make yourself unpopular by putting a boat out of action. As with other group activities, do not leave the work for the "experts", as they are not being paid to run the trip. Try and learn how to operate, refuel and maintain these boats; it will increase our safety and your enjoyment. Some points to note in the use of the boats:
· Keep the boats well away from the coral at all times. Even on the reef flats you can find sharp pieces to shred the boat. Tilt motor(s) to keep the prop(s) safe.
· Always wash the sand off any gear and also wash sand off the pontoons before loading gear into the boats.
· The sand is coral grit, not normal sand, and is very abrasive.
· Be careful in lifting cylinders into the boat. Do not drag the cylinder over the pontoon. Lift it!!
· When transporting equipment in the boats be paranoid about any sharp objects that could slip or move.
· Do not let the boats wash around on the beach.
· Always anchor with a large amount of rope payed out. This ensures that the anchor is unlikely to be pulled out of its setting. If you do not know how to tie off the anchor or are uncertain of your knots, ASK somebody and learn how.
· The anchors are supplied with a buffer buoy system that acts as a 'shock absorber' - learn how to tie the triple Prusik hitch for the buoy and ensure you use it.
· Check overnight moorings daily. If the weather looks suspect we may need to move the boats into the lagoon and/or pull them up onto the sand above the high tide mark.
· One club inflatable (Tigger) has a separate tank for an oil injection system, the other (Goat) and the compressors run on straight petrol.
· When venturing out onto the eastern side of the reef or travelling to Fairfax Island, it is better to travel with the company of another boat.
· Do not use boats unless the pontoons are firmly inflated.
· Do not load or drop weight belts onto the non-carpeted portions of the boats. Lead shot weight belts are BANNED, if lead shot gets into the hulls, it will cause corrosion.
· There are marine CB radios available for each boat and a base station at camp. These have an effective range from any of the normal dive locations around Musgrave and Fairfax Islands. ALWAYS report into Musgrave base before and after each and every dive. However, radios can only help if they work and are used. Learn how to use them and check them frequently. [N.B. Turn them off after use]. We will operate on channel 91 (or 27.91 MHz). Emergency is channel 88 (or 27.88 MHz).
The locals use VHF.