BYE TRUDY & Co PLUS KEPPELS TO MACKAY

BYE TRUDY, JOHN, JACKSON, DREW & MIA

Many tears as we waved goodbye to Trude, John and the kids and watched them disappear down the road. We'd had such a lovely few days altogether and felt very down as we wandered back to the boat. However, a reality check dawned as we realised the boat must have been hit by a torpedo so we set about getting Silver Affair ship shape again, ready to take off within the hour. All washing was done and dusted and we set off at lunchtime for North Keppel Island, a mere 8 miles east from Keppel Bay Marina and 5 miles north of Great Keppel. We anchored close inshore from another lovely little beach for a well earned rest in a nice quiet anchorage. 


Left North Keppel at daybreak in very light winds and had to motor-sail towards Port Clinton, but ended up going an extra 6 miles to the beautiful Pearl Bay that has a number of little rocky islands at it's entrance. When anchored just off the beach and looking out towards the entrance it reminded me on a smaller scale of Vietnam and all it's little rocky outcrops and hongs.  Three other yachts were with us for the night. One boat was the biggest catamaran we've probably ever seen. It was 62ft long x 31ft wide, a veritable block of flats. Col didn't like that boat's chances getting through Swansea bridge.

PRETTY PEARL BAY Just north of Port Clinton

We had to laugh later as we were reading in bed and I asked Col the time.....7.40pm came the reply.  Now that was definitely a record.  Not surprising that I didn't seem to have any trouble with my 6am "anchors up" call, also a record. For our early bedtime excuse I am reminded of something a good boating friend once told us and that was the fact that your body is constantly moving when boating and it has nothing to do with alcohol but the movement of the boat and very quickly you become exhausted. That'd be it.  Thanks Laurie G. you are our Guru.


It's my second very worrying day in the non-communicado zone of Shoalwater Bay Military Excercise Area, the fact being that I have absolutely no "in service" bars on my mobile phone, let alone any mobile wi-fi. I don't even know if Trudy, John and the kids have made it safely home yet, not happy Jan, but it's not the only worrying fact. The Army just happens to be playing it's "war games" for the next two weeks. We have to head out and around more than what we wanted to go in order to dodge the military zone or we will be SHOT and blown out of the water never to be seen again.


Well we made it through the war games in one piece, what a relief that was. As we were making good time we by-passed Hexham Island and kept going towards the Duke Islands (40 miles total) in a very fine misty drizzle and anchored behind Marble Island and had a little late afternoon aperitif on the back deck. As I sit here I am gazing across to a passage between two Islands here at the Dukes (Hunter & Marble Islands) called Lola Montez's Passage and I won't say anything further on that interesting piece of information!!

We leave Curlew - head for Mackay Marina

Seem to be having good luck with all anchorages here in Queensland so far with all of them being dead quiet and calm with no nasty wind changes during the night. We left Marble Island at 6.30am heading for Curlew Island only 30miles north. An easy one today and the ocean is better than the lake, dead flat and glassy which of course means no wind. So it's just one engine on, sit back and relax, finish my book and do the last hour on my Liam crocheted rug. Must say I"m very pleased with it, somehow it has the look of the reef colours about it which is appropriate for my dear little far Nth Qld boy. I'm hoping it can go on the end of his very first big boy bed which might happen soon now that he is 2. Although Mummy says he hasn't quite worked out how to climb out and over the cot yet, which is very surprising as like his father he climbs anything and everything. 

LIAM'S BIG BOY BED RUG

Curlew was beautiful in the afternoon when we arrived in glassy conditions with the sun shining. We dropped anchor and another yachty rowed over for a chat, talking about the weather (what else does one talk about)and had a beer. Next thing, old Bligh looks at the glassy conditions, considers the 30knt southerly coming the next day and says "let's go". Have to admit I could see the sense of it so by 5pm we left Curlew, heading 40 miles in to Mackay Marina ready to sit out the strong winds and SHOP. Yeh. 


Bligh did well with that decision - to keep going through the night while conditions were excellent, ie excellent as in we had flat seas but pitch black, no moon whatsoever and FOG. We couldn't see 10m in front of us - thank God for the chart plotter which delivered us right to the very front "door" of the huge Mackay Marina. The good thing was, our heads hit the pillow at 4am and by 4.30 an almighty blow arrived in the form of the 30knt southerly which was not supposed to arrive till lunchtime.  Message for Sue: If it's Mackay Marina it must be Rissoles tonight. Bligh has put in the order. Where's those sarongs?????
Welcome back to Australia Nina's Dad - arrives today - see you soon