Pre Departure

The month of April was spent in a flurry of activity preparing for an 18 April departure. We packed up all our furniture and managed to squeeze it all into the size of a normal garage - it was stacked to the rafters. Next we took a road trip to Mt Bryan in South Australia to take our beloved dogs down to live on a sheep station with Andy and Robyn, Dave, Katie and Kym. Jack and Rosie took to it quite well trying to chase down a few sheep and a kangaroo and are being well looked after. We miss them terribly. The road trip back without them was hard.

The 18 April departure time came and went, we handed our house to the real estate agent, tied up a few loose ends and moved on to the boat. Then we had to sort the boat - we could hardly find the bed there was so much stuff in there. Took a few days to clear the decks so to speak and then the shopping - took three hours to stow it all away. Peter very relunctantly went up the mast again to change some light globes and then it seemed finally we were ready to leave on Friday 24th - it was a manic month.

Christmas 2008

December saw us having a few days in Yamba with my sister who looked after Jack and Rosie while we drove to Sydney for Christmas. We had a wonderful time. We stayed with Debbie and Phil while Amy Pete and Jessie flew in and stayed with Brett. We had Christmas dinner in a lovely park not far from Brett's place. We had the full Christmas dinner, turkey, ham, red cabbage etc and then played soccer. A good time was had by all. Peter and I did a little bit of sight seeing and photos are below.

Happy Christmas

From Debbie and Philip

Nearly home

Hullo Good People

Am writing this from Mooloolaba (nearly home) during a gale warning (11 Nov) – yes it is really blowing!! To recap – had a wonderful two weeks on Lizard (have since found out that they call it Blizzard). Actually apart from the wind the weather is beautiful. A lovely heat which really doesn’t seem to burn – unlike the sun further south. The snorkelling on Lizard is absolutely fantastic – octopus, 10ft shovelnose shark, nimos and water really clear. Also we heard the Research people on the radio saying they could see the crocodile that lives there! We left on a day (17 Oct) when the wind was “only” blowing 15 – 20 instead of 20 – 25 but still from the SE so we were beating into it all the way. Four full days to arrive back at Yorkeys Knob (Cairns) where we spent a week restocking the victuals, fuel and water then on our way again. The weather was against us going down the outside of Hinchinbrook so went down the inside again – will get to Zoes Bay on the next trip. Had quite a good run down with an enforced stay at Goldsmith Island (which wasn’t a hardship! – despite winds up to 40 knots). Rosie had lost her ball (presumed it rolled overboard) but lo and behold while walking on the beach at Goldsmith, there hanging on a dead branch on the beach was a round dog’s toy which had seen better days – but it was pink and perfect as far as Rosie was concerned! Of all the things that you could find on a beach!

We had a quick call into Mackay and there was a barbeque on for the marina guests so we tied Jack and Rosie on their short leads on the deck and off we went for an hour and a half. Jack and Rosie met us at the gate when we were coming back to the boat. Their leads and harnesses were hanging over the side of the boat. Rosie had made a small hole in the netting around the deck and Jack had shredded it! How they slipped out of their harnesses and landed on the dock and not in the water is a bit beyond us – close call number 2!!!!

While on the subject of Jack and Rosie – we are looking for a foster home for these two adventurous dogs for next year. Anyone vaguely interested – let us know.

Celebrated my birthday at Pearl Bay sitting in the cockpit with a tablecloth consuming pork roast with crackly and fresh apple sauce and baked veges with a good bottle of wine. A wonderful day.

We finally made it out to Lady Musgrave Island for three nights. The water wasn’t as clear as the last time we had been there – it was still a good snorkel but we have been to Lizard.................!!!

We left Lady M at 5.30am and arrived at Warthumba Creek off Fraser at 7pm – it was a very long day and we actually had some northerly winds which were supposed to go SE in the evening so we anchored in the surf waiting for the winds to turn but they never did so it was quite an uncomfortable night. Our bed is at the pointy end of the boat so we cant get thrown out which is just as well!!! (Not as bad as Hummocky though!!!!)

Tossed up whether to stay a few days at River Heads in the Sandy Straits but knew the weather was closing in so headed on down to Inskip Point and left at 5.15am with about 10 other yachts. It wasn’t the ideal time to cross the Wide Bay Bar but it was a very calm morning and it was actually the best crossing we have had – mind you they have changed the way points so it is a little deeper. Just for a change we had some northerlies so we put the jenniker out and off we went. Had a great 10 hour sail down to Mooloolaba and here we sit in a gale warning! But Friday is looking good and we should sail into Scarborough late Friday afternoon (14^th) having completed 2,256 nautical miles.

Dell and Peter

Pacific Express

Yorkeys Knob - near Cairns‏

Well here we are at Yorkeys again. We left Lizard in 20-25 knot SSE winds (it always seems to blow that up there!) We headed East around the Island to get a better run with the wind. We managed to get a bit of wind in the sails and had the headsail half out (one reef in the main) and motor sailed to Cape Bedford. It was pretty rough - Rosie threw up once. Managed around 6 knots - left at 7.00 and got in at 1.30. We dragged anchor twice so ended up staying where we ended up!!! Pretty shallow in there.

Left Bedford at 7.50 and headed for Hope Island. Put the autopilot on and headed with a bit of wind as far as we could and then had to beat directly into it to get to Hope Island. rough old trip - plenty of water over the sides. Got to Hope at 3.30 and managed to pick up the only buoy there (there should have been two). Stayed two nights - recovery time!! Autohelm proving its worth!!

Left Hope heading for Low and did a 10 hour day. Copped a beauty over the port side which neither of us saw coming!!! Washed the cushions off the back - I was sitting on the opposite side and I also got soaked!! Have harnesses on the dogs - were glad they werent sitting on the cushions!! A 30cm wall of water coming down the decks is a lot of water with a lot of force. really need to tie things down well on the deck Got into Low and knew the weather was improving on Tuesday but we really dont like the Low so left in 20-25 knots again to make the run to Yorkeys. Got in around 2.00 on sunday. They gave us a berth which is huge - meant for two cats and we thought beauty this should be easy - not!!!!! Peter is really good now at getting in and out of small spaces and Yorkeys is a tight marina. But given plenty of space he doesnt have a reference point so cut the corner badly and seeing as how I am not an olympic long jumper I couldnt get off! So he reversed out and cut the corner even more - by this stage we are almost sideways! Reverses out and almost takes out the Bavaria as we go. All the brooms were tied down so they wouldnt go over the side so managed to find some sort of stick which promptly broke so we are both pushing and just managed to get back out past it. Third time lucky and we managed to get in ok. Who would have thought!!!

The dogs are loving the walks though it is extremely hot and they run up and down chasing the fish which swim up and down. Have the shade cover over the top and the fan in our bedroom. Staying here at least a week - doing some work on the boat and will have to reprovision up - getting the hang of that and the fridge and freezer are great so we have pretty much been able to keep up with our fresh vegies. Hoping also to get Rosie clipped here - she has got a bit out of control.

Of course today the sea is like glass - would have been a very comfortable motor down but we are pleased to be here. And pleased to be heading south although Thursday is forecast to be 25 - 30 all the way up the coast. We can island hop for a while from here so will wait for the good weather and hopefully provision up well enough that we can stay out of the marinas for a while.

Peter has lost heaps of weight - I havent and today he looks like Prince Valiant!!! Usually he looks like Doc (out of the future) but a nice shower and shampoo!!! I am tying my hair in a pony tail and Peter's isnt far off it!!!!


Dell and Peter
XXXX

Lizard Island

Hullo good people
We made it!! Sailed into Lizard Island on 4 September – almost four months to the day since we left Scarborough (5 May).

We spent nine nights at Yorkeys Knob waiting for the winds to calm. While it is a very nice place and we hired a car and had a lovely drive up to Kuranda it was certainly time to move on. The next stop was a very pretty little Island called the Low Isles, however it is totally overregulated and overrun with tourists and we were very pleased to be able to make a run for Port Douglas after six days of 25 – 30 knot winds. We met some lovely people at the Low on a yacht called Tookawile and have travelled to Lizard in their company.

Port Douglas was a great place to hide out. Went up the river in the mangroves and could motor down and use all the yacht club’s facilities. We anchored up behind a little yacht called Doris. We spent five lovely days at Port Douglas. We had asked the lass in the yacht club if there were any resident crocs in the area and she said not. However on the second last day we were there we finally saw what the tourist boats were stopping to look at just across from where our boat was – yes you guessed it – a resident croc! Peter had managed to get himself two lovely mud crabs here though!

We left Port Douglas in 20 – 25 knot winds with two reefs in the mainsail. It was pretty rough and not the most pleasant sailing. The clutchjammer holding the outhaul gave way and we ended up with three two foot long tears in the mainsail where the reefs were so we had to pull it down in fairly rough seas and heaps of wind! Made it into Hope Island at 1.30 and steamed in at the same time as Tookawile so we anchored side by side as both the moorings were occupied. One evening two whales with a baby came in and went right between our boats and one flapped its tail when it went – awesome sight.

We managed to get the main off and down below in very windy conditions and Peter repaired it and then we had to get it back up again – still blowing like mad. Challenging but achieved!

We had four nights at the Hope waiting for good weather and on Sunday 31st August it was forecast 15 – 20 knots so we upanchored at 6.30am and had a wonderful sail to Cape Flattery arriving at 4pm. Tookawile had run out of gas so they had to go into Cooktown. Caught a small mackerel on the new spoon lure which we bought in Port Douglas but shortly after the grand daddy mackerel bit the line off (100lb line). Obviously lost the new lure

Cape Flattery was really pretty and the tide was way out which left lots of beach so we let the dogs run and run. We did the same the next day (another strong wind warning in place!) and when we came back we noticed some aborigines spearing fish on the beach so the next day we saw a 4wd on the beach we went in to talk to them. It was the same three young aboriginal lads and their parents. We had hoped to walk around the beach and see if we could get to the mining town around the point. They said that was ok but be careful of crocs with the dogs as a fairly big one sleeps in the fresh water springs through the day (about 50 yards away). We stayed on the boat the next day but when Tookawile came in we ventured back to shore and walked to the other end with the dogs securely on leads. It is a pretty little anchorage with very murky water but we really enjoyed it. All Peter caught off the back of the boat were reef sharks. Jack loves to fish and Rosie is getting into it too and it is very hard to stop Jack attacking whatever Peter pulls in – he just goes feral!

Anyway after four nights at Cape Flattery a beautiful day dawned and at 9am we upanchored (actually Peter had to pull the anchor up by hand as our anchor windlass broke, the electric motor had given up) and arrived at Lizard Island at around 12.30 after a wonderful sail.

We had called our chandlery in Brisbane and told him we needed a new motor for the windlass and a couple of days later the new engine was delivered to the resort for us. It is very comforting to know that you can get spare parts sent to such remote areas and we were very grateful that it was just one phone call and they did the rest – finding out where to send etc.

The colour of the water here is just beautiful. Yachts have come and gone but mostly there have been about 16 boats in the Bay. We have snorkelled, walked to the Blue Lagoon, attended a lecture at the Research Station, had drinks at the Marlin Bar (which is the staff of the resort’s bar), and walked to the highest point called Cook’s Look because that is where Captain Cook climbed to find a way through the reef. The snorkelling is fantastic – lots of fish (even saw 3 clown fish (Nimo), and there are lots of giant clams about one and a half metres long.

The water is crystal clear and we have lots of fish swimming around out the back including a metre long Sweetlip (not allowed to fish!!!!!). The dogs go berserk chasing the fish up and down and Jack has fallen in once and we have lost count of the number of times Rosie has fallen in. At night there are really big fish swimming out the back of the boat

Today is a little bit exciting as we found out yesterday a seaplane is flying up from Cooktown empty to pick up a couple of guests so we all put in an order for supplies and it will be arriving about 1pm today. All the yachts put in an order to make it worthwhile for the pilot to bother to collect the grocery orders (freight is $1.85 per kilo)

The winds are going to be pretty strong for the next few days so we will do some more snorkelling – it is pretty awesome – and wait for the winds to die down a little. It will be a really hard slog back to Cairns we think but after that the winds seem to be coming quite favourable with the northerlies starting to come in down there.

Forgot to tell you a funny thing that happened in my last letter. We had been going along quite nicely when we noticed a huge rock off to the port side and we were panicking because it wasn’t on the chart plotter and didn’t show up on the chart. Were thinking how difficult night sailing would be with unmarked rocks in the middle of nowhere when it moved – it was a whale which had just been basking in the sun!!

It was shortly after this that the police came alongside in their boat to check all our safety gear!! Came out of nowhere but were very polite and friendly but we certainly weren’t expecting to have anyone come alongside out there!

Anyway we had a lovely lamb roast for father’s day and Peter opened the present which the kids put on board for him and we had a lovely day. By the way we drank the very expensive French wine the day we arrived – thanks for that.

Anyway enough rambling. Hope this finds you all well and not working too hard!!

Much Love

Dell and Peter

The latest from Pacific Express‏

Hi all

Well the trip from Butterfly Bay to the mainland was a little hairy but we made it and the next place of interest was a little place called Montes Resort just south of Gloucester Island. Its a very laid back restaurant right on the beach with about eight cottages. Had a marvellous couple of days there. Then on to Bowen – we went around the point at Bowen and found that it actually had some beautiful beaches – we were quite amazed!! Had a lovely sail and then a sail we wont talk about getting to beautiful Horseshoe Bay at Magnetic Island. What a wonderful place! We had some great walks including one to where the gun placements for the second world war were and laughed when it said they had never been fired in anger but in absolute astonishment when an unannounced US boat came in to view. I actually popped home for a couple of days here and left Peter to care for the boat and catch a giant trevally while I was gone. Next was the Palm Islands and then into the Hinchinbrook Channel where we spent a few days. Early one morning heard some speed boats going at a great rate of knots and they were towing water skiers. Racing from Lucinda to Cardwell and back again – I guess with all the crocs around they had good reason to stay on their skis!!!

We got the news we had to go home for the funeral of my brother in law so put the boat into Hinchinbrook Marina which is lovely but as they have trouble getting permission to dredge it we had to wait for high tide to get the boat in and out. Little bit hairy (and totally ridiculous!). It was pouring rain for a few days before we left and there was a gale while we were away. Left the cushions out (soaked) and discovered a leak topside on the boat (we think it is the breather for the head!) – a lot of water came out of the sky.

We drove back in a huyundi getz with the two dogs. Drove all day in the rain and made Mackay well after dark only to find there was a mining expo on and the inns were full!!! We slept the night in the car outside a petrol station. Surprisingly we didn’t wake up till 7am! Stayed with a friend in Townsville who offered wonderful hospitality and then drove us to Cardwell and stayed the night with us.

We left the marina at 4.30pm on a high tide and stayed the night at Scraggy Point off Hinchinbrook Island and could see the crocodile eyes shining in the torchlight!

The Family Group of Islands were absolutely beautiful – rainforest. Stopped at Bowden Island for a few hours then on to Bedarra where their jetty is all destroyed presumably from the cyclone. Had a couple of days at Dunk Island – walked to the top of the hill for wonderful views. Got the news that my dear old Aunt had died. Not a good month!

We stopped at Kent Island which was absolutely beautiful – rowed around the edges and explored the island and the next day when Peter was fishing he caught a tiger shark (twice!). then the mummy and daddy tiger sharks turned up - made it a bit hairy going out in the tender after that (and definitely stopped the fishing!).

Headed to Fitzroy Island which had a beach of coral so sharp you couldn’t walk on it and was a building site building a new resort. Visited another yacht 200 odd metres away and were watching the dogs, Jack and Rosie howl and carry on as they could see us. Next thing we notice Jack on the duckboard at the back of the boat (how he jumped down without falling in we do not know) and no Rosie. Couldnt see her on the boat or in the water – next thing we see her dog paddling madly out the back of the boat we were on in amongst the tenders. She was exhausted – don’t know how long she was there! Swam 200 metres in the current (thank goodness no sharks!!). We don’t think she actually jumped in – think she got up on the solar panel and slipped. Anyway when we leave the boat now they have to be left downstairs – something they are not too keen on!

So here we are at Yorkeys Knob which is about 15km north of Cairns. Had wonderful hospitality here also from friends though the stories of pythons in the house, under the house and in the yard were a little alarming!! We hired a car and drove to Kuranda, Mareeba, Yungaburra, Gordonvale round the Atherton tablelands. This area is a definite must revisit and take a couple of weeks next time.

Have been here almost a week – of course strong wind warnings north and then the skipper slipped and hurt his hip. Had xrays yesterday and it seems to be bad internal bruising which apparently will turn up in about five weeks, meanwhile he should be able to walk ok in a week! By which time the strong wind warnings may have abated and we can do our final leg to Lizard Island. Meanwhile tonight is curry night at the club and tomorrow is roast night (again!)

Hope life is treating you all well.

Much Love

Dell and Peter

Kent Island and tiger sharks!!!‏

Just arrived back from the Island. Went a bit earlier in today! The sharks were basking in the sun this morning when a tinnie hit them. Peter said it made quite a bang so they seem to have been frightened off for the time being. Forgot to tell you, we got pulled up by the police yesterday. Luckily we were under motor as there was no wind when they seemed to come out of nowhere. They checked our rego and knew who we were and checked all out safety gear! Were very polite and pleasant. Said they would probably see us on Lizard Island. We noticed that one small power boat got sent back to shore!!

We will head out of here around 6 - 7 in the morning and head a bit further north. Either Russell or High Islands depending how far we get.

Whitsundays

Well Brampton was an experience – we found out the difference between a tinny and a zodiac tender – but at least it didn’t sink when we holed it on a big oyster laden rock. Not sure how that happened but there goes the resale value!!!! Patched it but it took 24 hours to glue so as we could no longer leave the boat (aside from swimming!!) we decided to leave Brampton and move on. Headed to Goldsmith Island which turned out to be another lovely little bolthole from yet another strong wind warning!! There was an island just off with a lovely little cottage, their own beach and beautifully manicured lawn. Obviously just a holiday thing but wow. We explored a couple of little beaches and saw a couple of little reef sharks up an inlet. Peter caught a large tuna which took quite a bit of landing (they are getting bigger!) The most amazing thing – could hear fish jumping at night and shone the torch and there were thousands of little longtoms jumping (like a garfish) out of the water everywhere. Never seen anything like it – kept us amused for ages.

Sat out the wind warning a night or two then left for Lindemann Island. The spot we had set out for didn’t look too promising but we went in anyway and it turned out be beautiful. It was probably the first anchorage that I felt really comfortable going in to but Peter wasn’t as comfortable. Anyway, after a re-anchor we ended up where we were both happy (wow!!). The next day we took our backpacks and headed for Mt Oldham. The island is a national park with good walking tracks. Made it to the top – wonderful views. On the way back decided to go to Gap Beach. Obviously not many people had walked down that track – was very Indiana Jonesy including a large boulder (on the side of the track in case you envisaged us being pursued down the path by said boulder!!). Anyway happily walking along in front of Peter when he suddenly grabs me and turns me back up the way we had come. Now I happen to know that there is only one reason why my husband would suddenly grab me like that – SNAKE. Well they probably heard me at the resort on the other side of the island and I haven’t even seen the thing yet! It actually was quite attractive – yellow belly with lovely iridescent blue on it – Peter claimed it was a tree snake (everyone knows that tree snakes are green – the colour of trees!!!!!). Anyway I magnimoniously let Peter take the lead after that and two more snakes crossed our path (obviously tree snakes because they were green!).

Left at 930 the next day to head for Hamilton Island to meet some friends. Went around Pe ntacost Island which was quite a sight – high cliffs. Had a bumpy(!) arrival into the marina berth (very windy and you never know exactly where your berth is!). Walked past a building site (building a new you beaut yacht club) past bins, mud, trucks, backhoes and no security to the shower/loo which is directly behind the bakery. Very unimpressed at $85 per night. However we realised the next day how cheap our stay really was. We had the run of the entire resort and it is so much more expensive than that to stay at the resort. We spent the day checking out the different pools and having wine beside them – jazz playing at one. Then met our friends at the top of the hill for sunset cocktails (more jazz) and then out for a marvellous meal – truly a great day. And they all drive golf buggies!! Really cool.

More strong winds coming in so headed for Cid Harbour and decided on the spur of the moment to walk to the highest peak on Whitsunday (which we had read about in a Stuart Buchanan book – neglected to read the fine print!). We followed pink tape and small cairns to stay on the trail. It was very jungle like – dappled light on dappled rock and dappled vines – all looking very snake like. We went up, up up following the tapes then down, down down (should we go on?!) then up, up, up – 430 odd metres – rocks, leaves, grass, jungle, more rocks – finally made it to the top – couldn’t breathe but there we were. Then we had to go back – down, down, down (is that a snake!!), up, up, up and down, down, down – couldn’t believe we actually went up there.

Monday 16 June – Sue’s birthday – sorry Sue – no coverage. You know I was thinking of you!

From there it was to Whitehaven Beach which looked very nice from the sea but when we got to shore it looked magnificent. Absolutely beautiful. Walked quite some way along it – had a quick dip and then sat and watched the tourist boats come and go and the seaplane land and take off. It was all happening here. And then they all disappeared and it was just the campers on shore and about 5 boats to spend the night.

From here it was a short sail to Catelan Bay on Border Island where we had our first snorkel. Took the tender to the beach and snorkelled from there. There were other people snorkelling too so it felt ok. Then we went to a place called Maureen’s Cove and Maureen will be really happy to know that it is a wonderful little cove and the snorkelling was wonderful. We managed to get on a buoy (advice from Bruce most appreciated!!). Of course from the boat there was a swim across a dark deep area to reach the snorkelling bit – that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up!! Lots of lovely coral and heaps of fish. Stayed the night at Maureen’s.

This morning we headed back around to Manta Ray Bay and waited to get a buoy. It was a long (its not really but gee!) dark swim so we got the tender out and went closer in and tied to a tender buoy. The snorkelling was good but not as good as Maureen’s – and not a manta ray to be seen!

Currently on a buoy at Butterfly Bay and will spend the night here. Once again it was a long way to swim to the good stuff so got the snorkel gear and put our heads over the side of the tender and drifted all the way down. Great stuff and didn’t even get wet!!!

We will probably leave the lovely Whitsundays tomorrow (weather permitting). It’s a funny life this!! Miss you all heaps.

Love

Dell and Peter

Hi from Mackay - 5 June‏

Well folks, the benchmark in violent terrifying rocking in a swell was set at Hummocky Island just after my last missive to you. It was dark, wild weather. Two yachts up anchored and headed for Great Keppel in the middle of the night which we were tempted to do but it was so dark and stormy out there!!!! We left at 6.30 and after very rough (terrifying!) seas we anchored at Great Keppel in a lovely sheltered spot. Next day we set off and headed for the resort (5km each way) having thoughts of sitting on a deck overlooking the lovely white sand and aqua water scoffing a nice glass of wine. Reality was, the resort had closed six weeks earlier and it was all fenced off and starting to look quite derelict. The sand was white and the water beautifully aqua however. Saw a herd of goats (tiny babies, huge Billy goat) on the return trek. Should probably have lingered longer but it was onwards – elected not to go to Rosalind Bay marina as we didn’t really need anything (though running out of wine before reaching Mackay was not very clever).

It was a 6.15 start through rough seas – managed a good sail though – to reach a lovely little spot called Pearl Bay. Entering any of these places and marinas with which you are not familiar always makes you know that you are alive! The entry was through rocks on either side heading for a beach – a bit disconcerting but opened into a lovely little bay once inside. As it is part of the Shoalwater Bay training area any walking was contained to the beach but Peter caught rather a largish golden trevally here which kept him occupied for a little while. We spent a couple of very pleasant days here.

Left Pearl at 6 am wondering if we should just go a few miles up to the next lovely little spot or head for the Percys. We elected to head for the Percy Isles and the morning till 1pm was quite unpleasant (am I having fun yet!) but after that it settled down and we arrived at West Bay on Middle Percy around 3.30. Didnt realise we had reached it till we saw the A frame and coconut palms on the beach. The A frame contains all sorts of paraphanalia that boats have left as a memento of their visits. Collected some coconuts and had three lovely days here – interspersed with violent rocking in the swell but not as bad as the Hummocky (benchmark!). The Young Endeavour came in and anchored near us and the kids kept us well entertained watching them climb up the masts to tie up and let loosedthe sails. Very character building we thought!!!

Anyway strong wind warning was in and our anchorage was untenable so we left around 7.45 to make a run for Curlew Island – about 4 hours away. The wind was roaring, the waves were huge and once again it was terrifying!!! We put on our wet weather jackets but realised soon after that we should have put on full wet weather gear as we were soon soaked. We were lifejacketed and hooked on though. Were anchored in the lee of Curlew Island by 12.30. The wind still howled but we were safe and the boat was steady and it was lovely!!!! So here we sat out the strong winds. Checked the middle bilge and got an awful fright when found it was full of water (shades of sinking!!) but I hadn’t closed the hatch tight enough and we had had a lot of water over and that is where it ended up (that is what bilges are for – apparently!) We also lost the legs off our solar panels – washed away. Peter’s theory is don’t look back or to the sides and you cant see how big the waves are. Mine is just look at the floor and scream every now and then and it will all be alright!

Its lovely to have an island all to yourself but also a little eerie! Walking up the deserted beach and Peter recalls a movie where things come up out of the sand to grab you!!! I recalled it too. Was certainly a lovely time though.

Of course when we left Curlew Island the wind had dropped entirely and there wasn’t a breath so we motored from there to Mackay where we now sit in the marina. As we went past one of the big ships sitting outside Dalrymple Bay we heard our name being called on the radio and one of the chaps was obviously bored and just wanted to know if we were listening.

Have restocked the larder (and wine) and tomorrow hope to head for Brampton Island and this time I think it really will be short day sails.

Love and cheers

Dell and Peter