The cute rabbit turned into the angry devil at 5am this morning, violent electrical storm with 35 to 40 knot winds till sunrise. My neibours dragged and shipped out (thank god) and could not be seen at sunrise. I had all systems up and running with anchor watch, raymarine,navionics and the mains running while making multiple espressos.i didn't move a inch with 20 meters of chain in 3 meters of water. Very exposed in the lagoon in Northerlys and no where really to hide. Sailing home now doing 7knots in 12knots of breeze!

Monday was one of my best days on the water ever; out early with my partner, a nice westerly, multiple pods of whales, and a truckload of dolphins sommersaulting and playing on our bow.



Forgot to put this image in the vid:

Tough decisions to be made after just anchoring up at Morton Island

One corona down and just reaching for another. Might finish off with a rum to keep me warm tonight.

Been out of range for a few days....

I thought I would share a few photos:
Whales in the Whitsunday Channel.
Middle Percy Yacht Club.... we added a fender with our name on it.
Middle Percy sunset.

Get out there guys!!!!

southace said..
Now and then you should be out at Bait reef and Whitsundays by now! I left Bass strait in March in my last yacht and was in Whitsundays by June and July.......
I guess with climate change and crap it's better arriving later now....but everyone told me it just gets better the futher north you go....and they where right! Stop dragging your heels/hull and advance forward northward!

Ha ha! Yeah, we arrived in Airlie Beach yesterday afternoon.

We helped out a fellow yachty with gearbox problems and had to tow him from Thomas Island into the Abell Point Marina. There was no wind to speak of.
It is the longest it has ever taken me to travel 32nm!
Towing a 45ft yacht into a busy marina AND getting it into it's pen (without anything going wrong) is an achievement to be truly proud of!

We are heading up to Magnetic Island in a few days and then back to Gloucester Passage for the Shag Islet Reunion at the end of August. Anyone else going to be there?

Oh yeah, I finally managed to get a photo of Now&Zen with the sails up!

Not always easy to get a pic of your yacht under sail. No dinghy on the davits.
You didn't send your wife out to get the photo did you???



Yes Cisco, she took the dinghy ashore to Fraser Island.

Bait Reef, what amazing place!
Great snorkelling - we will be back.

cisco said..

NowandZen said..
Bait Reef, what amazing place!
Great snorkelling - we will be back.

You are hitting the highlights mate.

From where you are with a sou' easter it would be almost a beam reach to the narrows between Hayman and Hook Islands into Stone Haven anchorage where you will find Black and Langford Islands.

The snorkelling on the reefs of those islands is different but as spectacular as Bait Reef. Black Island is supposed to have a couple of visitors moorings and is a great little island for a beach BBQ.

Keep us up to date and remember the rule here. Pics or it didn't happen.

I should be up in the area this time next week. I am helping deliver a 40 foot yacht to Hamilton Island for race week.

Ha yeah!
The only photos I took of Bait Reef are yachts bobbing around on moorings out in the ocean, it could be anywhere.

We left Bait Reef yesterday for Greys Bay - Bowen and are now about to haul anchor and head up towards Magnetic Island with plans to be there Sunday.
If I had lighter sails, maybe Saturday

I lived on the pick for over 2 weeks in horseshoe bay, the Breakwater Marina Have the friendliest staff and good berths.

The snorkelling is crap around magi island due to bad Vis. There is a nudist beach on the Easten side You might enjoy.

I went fishing but caught bugger all. Dragged the spinnaker out for a pleasant sail home.

SemusMcgilicoty said..
Maiden voyage!!!! Hobart to Dunnaly yesterday...Dunnaly to triabunna today...
Ran aground once in Blackman bay... I was down below and is scared the fararks out of me.

As long as that's all it did

Ramona, do you go into the northern parts of Jervis Bay much for your fishing? Years ago I was taken climbing down cliffs to get close to the water, people spoke about some large pelagic species coming into the area…even marlin, is that still the case? What do you mostly hope to hook into?

Night sailing the east coast of Tassie tonight.

Ramona said..

SandS said..
Nice looking assy Ramona ..... How do you prefer to retrieve when on your own , fire the tack and haul into companon way ?

I like to think that's what I do. Actually the cleat in the photo is the tack line. I bear away, let the tack go and haul the sheet under the boom as I feed out the halyard. I stuff it in the cockpit first. Usually it's a total balls up but yesterday I had the added pressure of my mate on his yacht 20 metres up my clacker just as I had to drop it. I have twin spinnaker halyards and I used the wrong side one yesterday [frozen clip on the correct one} so I had some extra friction coming down. As it turned out it was one of the few drops I have had where the sail came aboard dry!

Good one , now it's the right halyard !!