Our plans to head for Nara Inlet have been scuppered due to rain. Rather sit here in the rain than somewhere else. So life on board will be reading in a dampish environment tho our cockpit gives us good preotection from the weather and fresh air at the same time - something not many yachts have.

Last night we went with Chris and Gilli to the Whitsunday Sailing Club to take advantage of the Wed evening roast where you pile your plate as high as possible and generally eat for a week. While we thought we had loaded our plates as high as possible, on looking around we saw we had been beaten handsomely by many others! Luckily the photo I took did not come out! Always dangerous offering a yachtie a bargain. True to cruising lifestyle we were all yawning by 20.00 and in bed by 21.00! Some life. There is always something to do and the days seem to fly by, leaving you ready for bed embarrisingly early. At least we save power by going to bed early!

Monday morning and it is finally calm. We have had four days of howling 25-30 knot winds. Fortunately our anchor held beautifully. Getting ashore in the dinghy was like riding a tractor in a swamp and made for wet clothes but with the water and air warm it was not a problem. We used the time to talk to Westwind, provision, fix various things, read and sleep. What a life!! Today looks to be a beautiful hot and windless day, which will give us a chance to practise hoisting the spinnaker. When we wanted to try this the other day we found it had been torn in its life before us but the sailmaker here fixed it for a nomimal fee - all the more reason to like Airlie Beach!

Since leaving Airlie Beach last Friday we have had an idyllic five days cruising around part of the Whit Sundays, having anchored in Nara and Macona Inlets, Cid Harbour, and Tongue Bay. The weather was perfect for taking it easy tho now the wind has picked up so we made our way back to Airlie Beach where we will hunker down for a few days and get some chores behind us (always something to be done!). The wind gave us 6 knots of speed today despite no mainsail....

On Monday we climbed up Whit Sunday Island's highest peak for the most wonderful 360 view of the area. Will post a photo as soon as I have worked out how to exceed my photo 'allowance' on this blog site. Yesterday we anchored off Border Island for a few hours to go snorkling, and were rewarded with good coral and reef fish.

Our new boom has been ordered so we are free to leave town for a few days. We will sail boomless to Whitehaven Beach and Border Island for the weekend together with Chris and Gilli on Westwind. The weather forecasts look good and it is finally suntanning weather. The new boom will probably take at least two weeks before delivery, so we are goign to be in the area over that period. Not a bad place to be stuck.  The whole town is yachtie friendly, which makes a change!!

Airlie Beach is a gateway to the Whitsundays with lots of traffic - yachts to motorboats to helicopters (for the rich) and airplanes. So it is a busy place, added to which is a huge new marina building project. We are anchored in the bay just outside the Whitsunday Sailing Club, essentially a dinghy sailing club but with facilities for visiting yachts for a very small fee. It is wonderful to be able to tie your dinghy up on the club pontoon and go ashore for water, a shower, washing, internet, etc. A short walk takes you into the tourist part of town where there is one travel agent after the next. We are likely to be based here for a few weeks as we have the boom fixed/replaced.

Chris and Gilli on Westwind are anchored 50m from us, so it is very social and Chris is a mine of information on how to do things. Hopefully we will get the quote on the boom today and decide whether to replace it or patch it.

It has suddenly turned warm and time to put away the jumpers, slippers, blankets, etc and get out the suntan lotion. Within a few days we plan to sail across to the Whitsundays and explore the islands while we wait for the boom. The weather for it is perfect with light winds.

Hello again from Airlie Beach this time. Not sure where to start as lots has happened. The good stuff: while making our way over this morning from Shaw Island we spotted turtles mating alongside, and then a little later a white whale calf and mother. The calf seemed to be so happy, sticking his tail straight up and waving it around. 

En route from Great Keppel Island we overnighted in Island Head Creek and it lived up to its reputation of total isolation. There was only one smallish fishing boat where we anchored and no-one for miles. Next night was at Middle Percy which is known for the A frame hut on shore where passing yachts leave momentos. Then onto Scawfell Island and last night Shaw Island, by which stage we had finally arrived in the Whitsundays.

Now for the bad news: on passage from Island Head Creek to Middle Percy while going downwind, an unplanned gybe snapped our boom. Luckily it was broad daylight, we were not hurt and the lazy jacks held the boom up and prevented it from doing any damage to the pilot house or topsides. Despite the 28 knots of wind we managed to get the sail tied down and boom stowed without causing further damage. Now to get it fixed or replaced.... As Mom says "What next?' Guess we can expect a lot of chirps about this one.

Hullo from Great Keppel Island. The water is turquoise and the breeze gentle. We are anchored a 100m off the beach and went on a long walk this morning looking for the lighthouse. However, once we had conquered the hill and saw it was another 4km away, we gave up and turned back. Patricia and Alan Lucas joined us for supper last night (Ian's yellow fin tuna cooked with spinach and coconut milk) and tonight we are going ashore to barbeque with some other yachties. Some cruisers go no further north than this as it is so beautiful with enough space for everyone. Pleanty of good snorkling spots and many little bays. Will post a couple of photos later.

We are nicely tucked up in Keppel Marina in Yeppoon. I am afraid I am a weather coward as on hearing winds of 30 knots plus were expected, I wanted to be in a marina... and even here under the lee of a headland the wind is gusting over 35 knots! Last night we dropped anchor off Hummocky Island and with all the rocking and rolling had little sleep, especially me as as with each wind gust I sat bolt upright waiting for the end of the world! The morning dawned grey and drizzly and over the 22 nautical miles to Yeppoon, the wind was 25-30 knots from behind. Despite having only the genoa up we were doing 6-7 knots and got in ahead of really ugly wind. The forecasts for the next few days are not great, so we will stay here and replenish food and all else. Off for happy hour at the local yacht club.

A week later and time to catch up. To get a signal I have to take the computer up on deck and then sit with a towel over my head so I can see the screen!! We sailed to Lady Musgrave last Monday with wind from behind and arrived late in the afternoon. The next day was cold and windy and going ashore was only possible at hi tide due to the coral surrounding the island. The next day dawned sunny with crystal clear turquoise water. I snorkled around a sea mound and saw beautiful flower corals. We then went ashore and walked around the island. Turtles nest there in season and the trees capture birds that nest in their branches....

We departed early Thursday morning for Pancake Creek back on the mainland and had lovely wind all the way tho we had to slow down when Ian caught a 12 kg yellowfin tuna. Much excitement and now plenty of meals in the deep freeze! Pancake Creek is a lovely little place where you can follow a path up to the Bustard Head lighthouse. This we have done a couple of times and spent the rest of the time with friends we first met in Maclean and new friends. We are planning to move up the coast again tomorrow morning.

After lunch today we motored down from Bundaberg to the mouth of the Burnett River so that we can head off to Lady Musgrave Island (about 65 NM away) early tomorrow morning. We have had a very productive time in Bundaberg: our two new solar panels are on newly welded brackets and are giving us more than double the power that the old ones did. Ian has attached mast steps up to the second spreaders, and has effected numerous other small improvements.

The winds should be in our favour and we will be in touch when we return to the mainland in a few days time.

It is 17.00 and Bruce and Ian are still working away to get the new solar panels on. The job is unlikely to be finished today. It has involved huge work for Ian as to avoid melting the electrical wires that run thru the targa bar when Bruce welds, the wires had to be pulled out with a trailing wire left on. Once the panels are in place, the wires will be re-instated by pulling the trailing wire in the opposite direction, which is likely to be even more difficult.

I intended to get off Rebel to take a photo of the welding from top down. However, the mooring we are on is fixed as opposed to floating, and with full moon giving a super low tide, we are way below 'ground' level, so the photo will have to wait! There is a mess everywhere - dirt all over cos the main focus is welding and not keeping stuff clean, cupboards unpacked to access the electrical wires, tools lying around.... I am thinking of booking into a hotel for the night but can't get off the boat. Blast.