Sailing North: Away again!

2^nd July 2011

Double Island Point

We are finally away! We returned to Mooloolaba yesterday afternoon and readied the boat for sea this morning. Rona’s car is now parked at Mooloolaba and we’ll have to rescue that fro Brisbane when we get back but it’sa small price to pay for finally getting going.

7.30 this morning we motored out of the marina and set for a jib only run to Double Island. Whether we sail the outside to Yeppoon (230nms) or over the dreaded Wide Bay Bar is still in debate .Inside is risking the yacht over that god forsaken bar that I have always had problems with. Outside is 40 hours plus without sleep and with whales as company. A difficult call but what we can do is stop at Double Island Point for the night and get a run at it in the morning.

We are sailing in very loose company with a Beneteau 470 called Yesdear, a catamaran and another Mono called Ambler. I say loose company because we left before them but I could hear them on the radio and I know that their intentions are to anchor at Double Island and then cross the bar tomorrow.

The sail up was perfect. 7knts with a following sea and a wind at about 160 degrees. A dolphin joined us early on, but with an overcast sky there wasn’t much else to do but enjoy the motion, drink tea, and watch a whale.

Yes! No more than 2 boat lengths off our port side a female whale surfaced. Travelling the same direction as us we were actually overtaking her and I am sure she came up to see what we were doing. We kept our course and she kept hers and we sailed on leaving her behind.

A rainbow over Rainbow beach

Just off Double Island a pod of dolphins played around the boat for a while until we turned right and dowsed the sail before anchoring in the bay. The weather closed and we were treated to a Rainbow over Rainbow Beach before settling down to our first night at sea.

The importance of a good Chandler.

A boat is a dynamic, living thing. It relies on a myriad of people and processes to make it work. One needs an electrician, a mechanic, a rigger, a sailmaker, a very friendly bank manager, a very understanding partner, friends who understand the enormity of the task of keeping it going and are prepared to lend a hand. And you need a good chandler.

Last night we had a Boeuf Bourgogne, the night before we had Lamb Shanks. On Dreamagic we have always taken pride in the quality of our food but at the moment we are living very well indeed! And the reason for the gastronomic feast is quite simply an excellent Chandler. In our case that well known dish, Sarah Chandler who supplied frozen gourmet dishes for our journey north. Just heat and eat, they are fantastic. Well done Sarah, and thank you! If anyone else is looking to make an extended voyage and wants Sarah to provision, let me know and I will put you in touch.