Sailing North: Mooloolaba

23^rd June 2011

The Wharf Marina, Mooloolaba

Leaving Manly Harbour

We said goodbye to Steve who came by to untie our lines and departed RQYS Manly at 07.00. The weather was perfect as we motored out into the bay. The sea was flat and windless, the engine pushed her along at a steady 6.5 knots towards the top of the bay and the open sea. Dressed in thermals and beanies and cuddling cups of hot coffee life could not be better.

Well actually it could. The depth sounder appears to be stuck on 0.7 regardless of what my local knowledge is telling me, and the log which measures the speed and is found in the same instrument head is reading 0.0 which is blatantly untrue given that Green Island is definitely getting nearer. The standard fix for this is turn it off, and turn it back on again but with no success. To be safe we decided to head out towards Moreton and Tangalooma rather than push our luck with the shallows inside St Helena.

Perhaps it was the witches blessing on this the Winter Solstice but both instruments burst into life after an hour and guided us to Mooloolaba. The sea was so flat that we cooked sausages on the aft rail BBQ for lunch.

We are parked at the Wharf Marina, a marina we have used many times. Unfortunately we are tied up beside a feral yacht but the marina is pretty full. I say unfortunately because it’s hard enough to bring 12 tonnes of yacht with no brakes into a berth without trying to jump off between gas bottles, air conditioners, pots of varnish and all the other worldly goods the owner possesses now lined up along the berth because he can’t find a home for them aboard due to the stolen milk crates, rusted tools, bits of wood and other detritus that serves as his deck space.

We are staying in Mooloolaba until Monday morning when we push through towards Yeppoon. That will be a long trip and we are at little concerned about sailing north at night with the migratory whales. That said our choices are rather limited so it must be done!