Bundaberg to Cairns. May 2009

Well, one thing we can say is that the Australian East Coast, north of Mooloolaba, has given us wonderful sailing conditions. Once inside the Great Barrier Reef we have had some of the best sailing yet. The majority of the sailing has been with the spinnaker up in around 15 knots of wind. We have day hopped our way up and through the Whitsundays to Airlie Beach.




A group of playful dolphins we encountered


Daryl wandering the beach Crab activity between tides


Sunset at North Percy Island

Sunset at the top of Hook Island Camels on Airlie Beach

We had a week by ourselves in the Whitsundays before going back into Airlie Beach to pick up Gaye and Brian and friends Michael and Faye. The weather wasn’t playing the game and we had renamed them the ‘Wetsundays’ by the time we left. Never mind, fun and relaxation were high on the agenda and that we did. I didn’t realize what beautiful butterflies there are in the natural environment throughout these islands. We did a couple of pretty walks on South Molle Island and Hook Island.

Faye, Michael, Gaye and Brian Brian's great butterfly shot

View from the lookout on South Molle Island The cheeky parakeets


Bushwalking at Nara Inlet Cave drawings of the Ngara people

And what holiday in the Whitsundays would be complete without a day at Whitehaven beach. We were able to anchor the boat just off the beach and swim ashore. It lived up to its reputation, a beautiful white sand beach.

Whitehaven Beach Michael and Faye on Whitehaven Beach

Swimming at Whitehaven Drinks with 'Three Ships'

Troppo night aboard

Although the visibility and sea temperature weren’t great for snorkelling, Gaye was determined we were going to still take the opportunity and snorkel. Because much of the Whitsundays is marine reserve and protected some of the fish were huge.

Sunset at Hook Island Gaye chatting with the locals

Snorkelling at Hayman Island Brian feeding the bumphead wrass

Daryl feeding the friendly spadefish Brian in for a dive

After dropping our guests back at Airlie we did the fastest clean, provision, water, and fuel up on record and we sailing up the coast within a couple of hours.!! We had a night at Magnetic Island and one at Dunk Island. We’ll remember Magnetic Island for the pub that charged us $9.80 for a beer and a water!!! …and the fact that it was a gorgeous day on a gorgeous island. We can’t hang about, so it’s a swift sail up and into Cairns with an hour to spare before our new crew, David arrives.

Mooloolaba – Bundaberg. May 2009

We have finally prized ourselves away from the comfortable marina life and the maintenance that happens when we are in port, and it feels great to be back on the water again.



Fiona helping us repair our sail with her machine

There are just the two of us aboard after a short stay by a crew member who became seriously seasick every time ‘Cool Bananas’ set sail seaward. We amble our way north, day hopping from anchorage to anchorage.
At Tin Can Bay we sample the local barramundi at the Yacht Club and take home local prawns another night for dinner. We take part in the tourist event by being on the beach at 7 am to see the tamed dolphins come in to be fed.


Feeding the dolphins at Tin Can Bay

Then it’s on up the straits, on the inside of Fraser Island and through to Bundaberg. We can’t get excited about the water as it’s murky and cold but the sailing is great. We have steady trade winds from behind and the spinnaker is getting an airing daily.
We anchor in the river in Bundaberg to let some stronger trade winds pass. It’s a good time to catch up with old cruising friends and a quick provision.
On the last night before leaving, the wind dead calm, we feel a bump on the boat, followed by some frantic shouting, all of this at three in the morning - our first experience with being hit by another boat. We go out to find a much stressed skipper and his wife on their boat which is straddled across our bows. Poor guy, he was so confused he didn’t know what had happened or for that matter, which way was up. We did much soothing and calming before he could organize himself to get his anchor up, motor started and disappear off into the dark. Daryl and I sat in the cockpit afterwards, too scared to go back to bed until we knew they were reanchored and safe. When all was quiet and their lights went out we made our way back to bed. All good… no damage, except maybe to his pride.

In and around Sydney - March/April 2009

Seventy two sea hours later (and a three day stop in Port Macquarie) we arrive into the Hawkesby River, near Sydney. For a week or so we soak up the surroundings and enjoy time catching up with friends -Chris, Showcat and family plus Sue, Steve and family, both friends who live in the area and go back a long way.





Then it’s time to hit the big smoke. A picturesque sail down and funnily enough when we got to Sydney Heads Daryl said he’d go and recheck the charts, as the charts indicated that this was the entrance, but it didn’t look developed or busy enough to be the right place. Sure enough we had the right entrance and further in the city rose to meet us. Who could remain unimpressed sailing up Sydney Harbour on this gorgeous autumn day? We anchored ourselves in Blackwattle Bay and had downtown city on our doorstep.






We spent days wandering the city, admiring the architecture, visiting the sights and sampling the cuisine. I even managed to coax Daryl to two shows – ‘The Buddy Holly Show’ and ‘Guys and Dolls’.



After Daryl’s tolerance for city life hit max we headed again for the Hawksby River for some quiet time. Daryl watched the weather and Tuesday was to be the departure day.





Showcat cooked us a beautiful farewell curry dinner and we said our goodbyes.
The weather hadn’t given us any decent southerlies for some time so when finally some boisterous southerlies surrounding a low system came up we decided to hop on the side and see how far north we could get.



Two nights and three days later we were safely tucked up at Morton Island for the night, not wanting to attempt the Mooloolaba bar entrance in the dark. A brisk trip but we were pleased.
We got a fabulous warm welcome back into the marina and it was like coming home. We kept the stay to four days – polishing, cleaning, shopping and socialising. Excitement grew as we finalised plans to begin our trip north to the Whitsundays.



The first day out sees us in light winds and little swell. Daryl is keen to get the spinnaker up and it gives us a leisurely sail up to Wide Bay. Next morning we, along with eight other boats, cross the notorious Wide Bay bar –piece of cake in these mild conditions. In true cruising style we come up to the next intersection and ‘will we go left or right?’. I win the toss and we turn left and up the channel into Tin Can Bay. After checking out the local area, we sample the local barramundi fish for lunch and take back some local prawns for dinner. We were up early the next morning to go and check out the advertised dolphin feeding at the shore – one dolphin, a bit of a let down, but ‘you never know unless you go!!!’
Onward to Bundaberg.



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Mooloolaba - February 2009

After a two month break in NZ, where we managed to mix some business with pleasure, we are back in Mooloolaba. The yacht is in great shape, bar some waterline scum and growth –nothing a dive and a little scrubbing won’t fix.
We manage a five minute run from where we left her in the waterways to the Mooloolaba Marina. The whole place is comfortable – way too comfortable. We know February is going to be hot and the luxuries the marina offers are so tempting….. air conditioning….hire a car….buy a sewing machine…..fresh prawns…..shopping malls…..and on we stay…….



Daryl starts a new project, that of lining the cockpit roof. It is a much bigger project than first anticipated but we are pleased with the end result…..four weeks later!!! No regrets, we have indulged in marina life for four whole weeks but the kitty has had a beating and it’s time to move on.
It feels fantastic to be back on anchor once more. We head south towards Brisbane. Whose suggestion was it to go down the inside of Stradbroke Island? We have renamed the ‘Beacon to Beacon ‘guide book to ‘Sandbar to Sandbar’. We had chosen to go down on an incoming tide but that wasn’t enough. With murky water and the tide too low we banged sandbar after sandbar. That coupled with being attacked and bitten by march flies – we were very glad to anchor up outside Seaworld. But true to cruising life we had a surprise visit from Peter and Toni off ‘Tigger’ and the trials of the day were soon forgotten. It’s always a treat to remeet with old cruising friends and catch up on travels and info. We found we had mutual cruising friends in Brisbane – Jenny and Dudley on ‘Tropical Cat’ so the next day was taking shape already - lunch all together at the local yacht club.



Wonderful. Peter and Toni gave us valuable info on the best deal to get broadband onto the boat and Dudley offered to take us to the mall to get what we needed. What a luxury to have broadband on the boat for the next six months.
We were also able to thank Jenny for the article (and photos) she wrote about buddy boating with Aurielle and ourselves in the Loyalty Islands. It was published in the Australian Multihull Magazine last year and again in the Australian Cruising Helmsman in April of this year.
All too soon we are on our way again – destination Sydney.


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New Zealand - Summer 2008/2009

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The wedding was just perfect. A great day had by all. We enjoyed the time with family. My sister Rachel and our niece Kimberley came over from Melbourne, so the whole family was together.

Then more -shopping, shopping, shopping for birthdays we’d missed or birthdays we were going to miss and of course Christmas.

Daryl made the unusual decision to go back to work. This happened for several reasons. Old clients wanted him to find them properties. We wanted to invest in some more property and being back in the game gave us a good feel for the market.

We still found plenty of time to catch up with friends and family. And time with our gorgeous great nephew, Cooper. Babies grow so quickly - I could not believe how much he developed in the time we were back. And on Daryl’s side of the family three other littlies growing up fast.

We rented an old classic ‘kiwi bach’ on the beach in Opotiki for a few days over Christmas.

We have lots of discussion and research towards Amanda and Matt’s upcoming wedding in February 2010. We have confirmed the venue and the dress so it’s underway and under control.

Time got extended and we didn’t return to Mooloolaba until the end of January.

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