Boy oh boy what a fast (and relatively uneventful) trip that was! With a forecast of southerly winds of anything from 10-20knots, we took the conservative estimate and left Southport at 3am on Wednesday to allow us to arrive at Mooloolaba no later than 5pm – in the daylight and also on the last of the incoming tide. We actually had mostly 20 knots, with quite a few patches of gusts up to 30 knots. It may sound a bit much but the seas were moderate, and with one reef in the main and good winds right behind her, Paseafique took off like a rocket and we had a fast comfortable ride to Mooloolaba, averaging 8 kts. We were tied up to a private pontoon in the main canal (organised by Phil’s cousin, Mal) by 2.30pm. Mal was on hand to help tie up which is always very welcome.

After a very (and I mean very) early night, we woke up to drizzling rain which we were expecting. Not to be deterred by that (we are from Melbourne after all), we donned rain jackets and explored the neighbourhood and picked up a few provisions at the nearby shopping centre. We had a visit from the previous owner of Paseafique, Annemaree, and spent a very pleasant couple of hours chatting about the boat and cruising life in general. The steady rain gave us the chance to try out our rain catching system and by this morning our water tanks were full. Mal and Pam spent the evening with us on the boat last night enjoying a warming curry in the cosy saloon.

The rain and wind picked up overnight last night and we were very glad not to be at anchor as it would have been a much more unsettled night for us. We have spent a good deal of today planning the next leg of our trip – to Wide Bay Bar (WBB) and the Great Sandy Straits. The brains trust of the Women Who Sail Australia group and friends and family who have done that bit has been invaluable. The WBB is best negotiated in settled conditions and on the last bit of the incoming tide, so requires wind strength and direction, tides, waves and swell to all line up. At this point we are thinking of leaving Sunday or Monday night for an early morning daylight crossing Monday or Tuesday, but we will continue to monitor the weather situation.

In the meantime, there is plenty to keep us occupied. I am going to have a go at getting the weather maps through sailmail on the HF radio, and Phil has to change over the alternator on the engine. We had put the old one back on in Southport when we thought there was a problem with the new one which we had installed about a year ago. We have had the new one checked while here in Mooloolaba and it is fine so will put it back on. Tomorrow we will be provisioning and visiting the laundromat and we hope to catch up with another of my nursing buddies from way back who lives not too far away from here.