We did cross the Wide Bay Bar and we did ground the boat yesterday but fortunately not at the same time.... actually the grounding was just a small glance too but the tabloid news reporter in me couldn't resist the headline. Had an uneventful night at the bay behind Double Island Point. You can see from the pics we are pretty close to the beach but we were still in 6 metres of water, so clear you could see the sea bed. The tall sand cliffs protected us from the southwest wind and just a mild swell rocked the boat very gently. Headed over to explore the beach. A few 4WD passed us, struggling to get passed the dead trees on the shore that had fallen from the cliff-tops. Found a large lagoon on the beach ... read more

Woke Wednesdayto the first sunny morning of our trip. We had plans to head further north but the westerly winds were not good for anchoring on the west side of Moreton Island and without any other anchorages that attracted us strongly and as we had perfect conditions at Peel (sheltered and few other boats which is rare) we decided to stay where we were. Took the dingy through the beautifully clear water for a beach stroll before lunch, and I climbed the small bluff at the eastern end of Horseshoe Bay, giving me a nice shot of the bay. Relaxed on the boat in the afternoon, it was nice to be warm for once. Had my first shower of the trip! Alex had an extra long nap as did Naomi in the cockpit (thanks to phenergan- ... read more

Woke to rain and it continued for most of the morning so decided to stay put and relax, and get this blog up to speed with some old entries. Naomi made pumpkin scones. When it did settle, there wasn't a puff of wind and the bay was like a mill-pond. Discovered the speaker for the VHF isn't working- will put that on the "to do" list. Went for another beach stroll.... read more

Well it's finally here, our time to leave. All last minute preparations finished, well most of them. Everything packed onto the boat, key returned to the marina office, water tanks filled. A miserable gloomy day with frequent showers but had lovely hour or two with friends who came to see us off, most of us huddled in the saloon. Then came 2:30, time for us to leave, fortunately coinciding with a break in the rain. Set off with a target of only getting to Jacobs Well but we never even got that far. Out of the Coomera river, we got the front sail up and sailed quite briskly with wind hitting 20 knots at times. At this time we realised that I got my tide information wrong and would be hitting the shallow part of stretch ... read more

1 1/2 weeks to go until we set off on our trip of a lifetime!! Counting down the days now and trying to get everything done in time for our departure. shopping for food, spares and completing the list of jobs seems to be taking up all our time and having a 1 1/2 year old trying to 'help' is not really that 'helpful'!! In the last week our Rutland regulator seems to have packed it in so have ordered a new one from New Zealand and with fingers and toes crossed we are hoping it arrives before 4th may, our planned departure date.... read more