Hamilton, Whitsunday, and Hook Islands

Shaw Island Sunset

Monday, June 4, 2012 - Cid Harbor, Whitsunday Island

By 0845 we had pulled up our anchor at Shaw Island and with not a cloud in the sky and less than 10 knots of wind, we motor sailed toward Hamilton Island dragging our fishing line behind us.  Our son and daughter-in-law will be arriving next Saturday at Hamilton Airport and we wanted to check it out before their arrival.  

The fish aren't biting!

We motored into Dent Strait between Hamilton and Dent Islands.  Dent Strait is a no fishing area, so we pulled in the line with not even a nibble.  The tide current was with us and pushing us at 8 knots through the channel.  There were was a lot of tidal debris floating through the channel.

We had the opportunity to scout out the airstrip, harbor entrance, and buoys across from the Hamilton Marina.  We won't be staying long here as the buoys are $90.00 a night and a slip $120.00 night.  There are a dozen resort owned, red mooring balls, and two blue ones that are free.  Must be quite a scramble for the 2 freebies.

Hamilton Island Marina and Resort

Red = $90.00, Blue = $00.00 - Big Scramble

The marina is a bit pricey.  We've been told that we can pull up to the fuel dock for a pick up for 15 minute or less with no charge.  Otherwise the guest dock is $17.50 per hour.  Hope Garyn and Jess's plane is on time, and we can get in and out quickly.   Although I would like to stay a little longer and pick up a few supplies at the Hamilton Marina Grocery Store.  I guess we'll have to just wait and see how it goes.  The weather forecast for Saturday looks like rain and wind which mayl complicate the pickup.

After our recon of Hamilton Marina Area we scooted around the corner to Whitsunday Island and Cid Harbor where we dropped the anchor by 12:15 in 23.2 ft of water at 1/4 low tide.  We should still have plenty of water under us at low tide.  There were about 5 other boats in the bay with us.  Data cell coverage was painfully weak, so we didn't do more than briefly check our mail before giving it up.

S   20 15.758

E 148 56.456

Cid Harbor on Whitsunday Island

The bay was well protected from the wind, but there was a small swell that rocked the boat throughout the night in the light of the full moon.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012 - Butterfly Bay, Hook Island

As the tidal currents would be most beneficial around noon for a run to Hook Island, we spent a leisurely morning in Cid Harbor.  I slept in late, but Russ awoke early and took this lovely photo of the moonset in the rosy glow of the dawn.

Moonset at Dawn

At 11:15 we pulled up the anchor, turned on the motor, and cranked up the water maker.  It was the first time we had turned on the water maker since we had been in Vanuatu.  For the two hour journey to Butterfly Bay we made about 24 gallons.

Rock Peninsula Between the Wings of the Butterfly

Butterfly Bay

Butterfly Bay is on the east side of Hook Island and is shaped like a butterfly with a peninsula of high rocks separating the two wings.  We tooled around the east wing before deciding on snagging a buoy in the west wing.  This looked like the most protected of the two bays from an expected southwest wind.  Since we were the first boat in, we had the pick of buoys.  Technically, you aren't to tie up for the night until after 3:00 p.m.  We were an hour early, but there were a dozen buoys and not another boat in sight.  Alas, there is no internet connectivity in this bay.

S 20 04.442

E 148 55.470

This bay is supposed to have the best snorkeling in the Whitsundays.  The sun was out, but breeze and ambient cool temperature made getting in the water unappealing.   Since we plan to come back with Garyn and Jessica, we decided to wait for a snorkel and hopefully a warmer day.  Boats started to trickle in around 3:30, which is the anchor time expected from the charter boats.  We pulled out the table and chairs and arranged ourselves on the Lido deck to watched the boats come in and snag their buoys.  Everyone seemed to be pretty proficient so there wasn't much entertainment value in the watching.

A big motor cruiser pulled in an moored up next to us.  There were seven men and no women on this boat.  Two of the guys came over to talk with us and were very impressed that we had sailed from America.  When they returned to their boat, we could hear them tell the others that we had sailed from San Francisco.  As a response one of them started singing without the actual words, New York, New York.  We think he meant to sing, I left my Hear in San Francisco, got his geography mixed up.  No worries mate.  It was party time for these blokes.   I wore my earplugs to bed.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012 - Stonehaven Bay, Hook Island

Once again we waited for the tidal current to be close to slack before heading to Stonehaven Bay.  With no Internet connection, we broke out the satellite phone and gave my mom a call.  She is in a rehab center right now getting her strength back after a pulmonary embolism and blood clots in her legs.  It's definitely hard to be so far away at times like this.  It was nice to hear her voice, and she promised she is working hard to get out of the rehab center...not a very restful place.  Wish she was here with us.

We ate lunch and pulled up our anchor for the one hour hop around the corner.  Russ had set up a nice route through the passage between islands and we skirted potential hazards.  There are many islands some of which have long shallow reefs connecting them.  The reefs are exposed at low tide, but dangerously concealed at high tide (until you hit them).

Sticks mark the shallow reefs

The Whitsunday Islands look a lot like the Pacific Northwest, San Juan and Gulf Islands.  There are rocky cliffs and pine trees that come right down to the water.  Our night in Butterfly Bay reminded us of being in Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe, particularly with the bullet winds that zipped down  from the mountains periodically and blew the boats to end of their mooring tethers.

When we arrived at Stonehaven, again about an hour before official tie up, there was one other boat in the bay and the people on the boat were snorkeling in the reefs that were beginning to be exposed as the tide started to drop.  

Can you see the coral head just under the water's surface?  

We tied up on a mooring, narrowly missing a coral head as we approached our buoy pick:

S   20 06.181

E 148.54.260

Tidal Drop Exposes the Reef

On Golden Pond

Hooray, we have Internet.  Yesterday, was the due date for Garyn and Jessica's New Zealand Friends, Jessie and Simon, to have their baby.  No word, so I guess Baby is late.  Garyn and Jess are in New Zealand this week so I know they would let us know if the baby arrived.  After we checked our mail, we broke down and decided to go snorkeling, even though it seemed a bit cool.  The late afternoon sun was casting a golden glow on the rocks and water, and we couldn't resist.

We dug out the stinger suits (which we didn't really need - not one jelly fish in sight), and our short dive suits, snorkels, fins, masks, gloves, etc., lowered the dinghy into the water and did a drift snorkel around the coral reefs as the tide was dropping.  The water clarity is not the best due to the tidal swings stirring up the water, but we saw stag horn coral, soft corals, cabbage corrals, and lots of fish. I saw one fish that was about a meter long.  Not sure what it was, but it gives me the creeps when the fish are that big, and lurking underneath me.   It was a shock to get in the water after almost 9 months of being dry.  The water wasn't freezing, but it wasn't real warm either.  We lasted about 45 minutes and were glad to get out and take warm showers.

I fixed tacos for dinner, and we finished listening to the Overlanders.  It's quiet in the bay, and the boat is hardly moving in the still of the night.  If it weren't for an occasional bump of the buoy, we could be on land.

All is Well with the 2 Sail R's on SV Worrall Wind.

Islands - Brampton and Shaw

Yippee!  The Sun Is Out.  It's a Glorious Day - Sunday, June 3, 2012

Saturday, June 2, 2012 to Brampton Island

By the time we fueled up on Saturday morning, it was 10:00 a.m. before we left Mackay Marina.  Earlier we said our goodbyes to Vija, and waved off Boree, all heading out today.  After a week of wind and rain, this was the most promising day for departure.  It was still overcast and drippy, but the winds were down and the seas were beginning to calm.

Coming into Brampton Island

We motor sailed for just over three hours and arrived at Brampton Island.  We were the first boat in the anchorage.  By 3:30 the tide had reached its low and we sat in about 15 feet of water.    The rain persisted off and on through the afternoon and evening.

Rain, rain, go away!

Jetty at Low Tide on a Rainy Afternoon

We heard our friends on Vija trying to make contact with Mackay VMR, but their radio was not strong enough.  We were positioned between them and Mackay so we relayed a position report for them.  They were about 15 miles farther north than we were by night fall.  While the wind was quite pleasant for us, it was slow going for Vija who only has a small outboard attached for extra push.

They hope to be in Bowman by 4:30 tomorrow afternoon.  I think the wind is going to have to blow a lot harder for them to make that time frame.  They are sailing non-stop.   By nightfall, we had four other boats anchored in the bay with us.  I fixed a shrimp and green pear curry in coconut milk for dinner.   As the evening progressed the clouds began to thin and we could see that hiding somewhere behind them was a bright moon.

Sunday, June 3, 2012 - Yippee!  The Sun is Out!

Jetty at High Tide on a Glorious Sunny Morning

We have decided that even though the sun is out and it would be beautiful hiking today on Brampton Island, we want to get to our destination and do some scouting about before Garyn and Jessica arrive on Saturday.  By 9:30 the tide had reached it's high.  We wanted to wait a little so that we would benefit from a northern ebb tide push.  We pulled anchor about 10:00 and set our course for Shaw Island, about 25 miles north.

Heading Out for Shaw Island

Wispy Clouds Crown the Mountain

 The wind was less than five knots, so we motored the entire way.  The sun was out, the seas were flat, and it was absolutely glorious.  Since we were getting a good push from the current and moving along at trolling speed, we decided it was a good day to throw out the hand line to catch fish.  I started off with a 6 inch pink thingy with a hook (technical term for something or other - you can tell what great fisher people we are).  No bites.  After lunch, I changed the 6 inch pink thingy that skittered on top of the water, to a heavier 9" green and yellow thingy with a hook.  This hook had enough weight instead of skimming, it traveled about 1 foot under the water and did a constant zig zag.  Pretty cool, but still no bites.

As we approached Shaw Island, I reeled in the line.  It was a great day for us to be fishing, but apparently the fish weren't interested.  Any fishing advice out there?

Anchored at Shaw Island Next to Another Nauticat

We are in a lovely bay off of Shaw island, anchored in 20 feet of water at low tide.  There are two other boats in the bay with us, one of which is a Natuicat 521, Salamander.  It is the no wood, wish we had style.   Not sure, but I think this may be the first time we have seen another Nauticat since we left Mexico.  We may contact them later and invite them over for a sundowner.

Tomorrow we will be in the vicinity of Hamilton Island where we will pick up G and J.  The wind is picking up a little and there is a gentle lapping as the water ripples past the boat.  We're BBQing hamburgers tonight (had hoped for fish...oh well), and looking forward to the full moon as there isn't a cloud in the sky.

All is Well With the 2 Sail R's on SV Worrall Wind

Leaving Mackay, June 2

WW is Snug in Her Slip During High Winds and Rain

 After a week of strong winds and rain, the system is weakening.  We almost left today as the winds died down to 15 knots, but the seas have yet to follow and are still 2-3 meters.

Marina grounds have a Hawaiian feel.

Tomorrow looks like a good day to resume our trip north.  We are in a Marina that has exceptionally high and low tides.  Even when the tides are high, the poles to which the piers are attached still have a lot of height for cyclone surge.

Breakwater Protects the Marina

One of the dock workers was telling us that when the last cyclone came through, the waves were crashing so high against the breakwater (in the background), the huge cement blocks were being pitched into the harbor.  You can't see it from here, but the breakwater has a 2 lane road on it and stands 20 feet above high tide.  Glad it's not cyclone season.


We only have three short, half day hops to Whitsunday Island. We will turn Spot on so that you can follow our path.   Garyn and Jess arrive one week from tomorrow.  We are so looking forward to seeing them.

The family we met at Middle Percy is returning today from land life in Cairns with some parts to repair their boat.  They hope to get SV Vija as far as Townsville this weekend, about 189 miles away.

Mackenzie, Katie, Ari, and Cary

SV Vija - 28 Feet of Projects

All is Well With the 2 Sail R's on SV Worrall Wind.

Fiji Rummy

Rules for FIJI RUMMY

While we spent many balmy afternoon and evenings in the restaurant bar at First Landing Resort in Fiji, Cruisers Ken and Lori on S/V Trim and The 2 Sail R's Roz and Russ on SV Worrall Wind took the cruiser game of Baja Rummy and spiced it up a bit with some localized historical events and strategies.

We call this version Fiji Rummy and introduced "cannibals" and "coups" to the play.  Cannibal cards allow players to cannibalize developing books in other players' melds.  Coups are a high point collection of wild cards that pretty much overpowers the other players.    Coups are hard to muster and cannibalism doesn't make friends.  Throw in the ability to jump your turn by calling for cards and collecting more than one discard and the throat cutting begins.

The game is obviously a little less social than Baja Rummy, but amusing and more strategic.  I've posted the rules on a separate page in the event anyone wants to give it a try.  The link to the rules can always be found in the left hand column of our blog.   If you come up with another twist, let us know. If you don't understand the rules, contact us or make up your own.  It's all in the name of fun.  Cheers!

Bingo In Paradise...in Blue Water Sailing

Russ's article on Bingo in Paradise has published in the June 2012 Issue of Blue Water Sailing.  West Marine usually carries these magazines if you are interested.

Bingo in Paradise is a short photo/article feature of our experience in Vanuatu engaging a village community in a bingo game.  This is certainly one of our most memorable experiences.  Photos taken by cruisers from  Worrall Wind, Skylight, and Emily Grace, all participants in the event.

Mackay

Sunset Salute - Hexham Island

It's been several days since we've logged in. We've been a bit lazy about using our single side band radio for blog transmissions as we sometimes have data service here in these close-to-shore islands, and if we have it, we use it. At the moment, we have no data service, but on the outside chance somewhere along the way that we pick up a signal, this email is sitting in the outbox ready to send to the blog.  I'll fix it up and add some pictures when we get into port.

Here are the missing days: 

Saturday, May 19, 2012 - Fresh Water Bay 

S   22 38.764 
E 150 47.311 

We left Great Keppel Island around 0800 with three possible destinations depending on wind, sea, and personal stamina. Russ is still pulling up the anchor by hand as the windlass still refuses to work. We have decided to go the shortest destination to give us some time in what we hope will be a calm anchorage so that Russ can try to repair the windless. It's difficult to hang in the anchor locker if we are rolling around. Fresh Water Bay is off the mainland in a military zone, currently not under training fire. We listen to daily mariner reports for weather and active military training areas. We are clear to enter the bay even though the bay has a big danger bill board on the beach. It is low tide as we enter the bay around 1500, so we try to get in as close to the beach and around the corner from the sea swell as possible. Seems pretty good.

There is a hooked peninsula and large rock with a land bridge at low tide. We position ourselves so that we are more behind the rock than the bridge so that when the tide comes back over the bridge we will still be in the lee of the rock island....good idea...nope! When the tide came up, the rolling swell which was 2 meters high rounded the rock from both directions, and we found ourselves in the agitation cycle of a washing machine.

We looked around at other boats in the bay and all of them were rocking. The flopper stopper was buried under the bed and since we were getting swell from both directions, it wouldn't have worked well anyway, so we resolved ourselves to a miserable night. I wind up sleeping in the upper saloon bracing my self perpendicular to the beam so that I am being rocked from head to toe instead of side to side. Russ positions himself diagonally across the bed. WW creaks, moans, and rolls all night. By 5:00 am, we are both up and groggy.

The sunrise is beautiful. We still haven't got the windless fixed, so once again, it's a manual pull. We are on our way by 8:00. The wind is 20+ knots off our stern quarter, and the combined sea state of swell and wind waves is 2-3 meters from beam to stern. After a boisterous sail, we arrive at Pearl Bay and hope this will be a calm enough place to work on the windless.

Sunday, May 20, 2012 - To Pearl Bay 

S   22 26.700 
E 150 44.031 

1100
To get in to Pearl Bay we must go through a fairly narrow notch between the peninsula and a large rock island with a fringing reef. The wind and surf are pushing us through the notch at 8 knots, but the tide is going out so there is some backwash. I am at the helm and my heart is pounding, and then whoosh we're in and the world slows down. We are about 1 hour into a dropping tide as we set anchor in the crook of the peninsula in 14 feet of calm water. A sea turtle surfaces, looks us over and drops back into the sea.

The tide is expected to drop about three meters, and we think we will still have a foot or two of water under the keel. About mid-low tide I get panicky as our depth sounder is showing 8 feet of water. We draft 6.3 feet, so according to our fish finder we may be sitting on the bottom by the time the tide reaches its low in three more hours. We recalculate to make sure we don't have any errors, and Russ pulls out his Nantucket Sounder (weighted line with knots every six feet) and drops it in the water.

There is a two foot difference in the electronic depth sounder which records at the top of the keel on the bottom of the hull and the sounder from the water line to the bottom. We relax a little knowing we have more water under us than indicated by the depth sounder. By low tide and several intermediate check points, our depth sounder is reading six feet and the traditional sounder, 8 feet. We have a little over a foot of water under the keel. Phew!

As the sun goes down, we notice that our main depth sounder which has had a dark screen for the last week, now has a lit screen. Magic at work again. The water is calm enough for Russ to get the windlass working. Yeah! I do some laundry and hang it out to dry. The gusting wind dries almost everything in an hour. Three other boats join us in the anchorage. We spend a peaceful evening listening to an audio book and relaxing with a beef terriaki stir fry, glass of red wine, and the gentle rock of the hull on the water.

 Monday, May 21, 2012 - To Hexham Bay

After a peaceful night and a morning rain shower with a lovely rainbow, we are on our way to Hexham Island. We have a north current, that is pushing us a long a little faster than we anticipated. The windless fired up just fine, and we pulled up the anchor with no problems. Our main depth sounder is also mysteriously working again, after the factory reps claimed it as a goner and Russ ordered a new one, that we will pick up in Mackay. Guess we'll have a spare now, which will bring us to four....the one on the top deck, the main on in the pilot house, Russ's Nantucket Sounder (which appears to be the most accurate, at least while we are not moving, and the one we have ordered. Redundancy is a good thing.)

Update on Monday: Arrived at Hexham Bay at 1300 hours and anchored in 20 feet of water. Both depth sounders are in close agreement. We are the only boat here which is okay with us as this is a small. anchorage. It seems pretty calm right now with little swell and light winds. The rocky islands are a haven for birds.

S   22 00.770 
E 150 21.803 

We have a beautiful sunset to the west. Coming in from the south east there is a band of dark clouds laden with moisture.

Big Ugly Enters the Scene

Most of it goes behind us. By 9:00 pm, the winds start to pick up, gusting to 26 knots and rain starts to fall. We must be catching the tail end of this storm. Our anchor holds well and we retire for the night, but neither of us sleeps real well. I wake around one in the morning. It is still windy, but the stars are now twinkling above us, and we haven't strayed out of our anchor proximity. All is well.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - To Middle Percy Island

We are dressed, fed, and pulling anchor at 0730. The pilothouse depth sounder that magically started working yesterday, has magically stopped again this morning. That's the problem with magic, it can't be trusted. So it's a good thing we have a new depth sounder waiting for us in Mackay, about three more days away. We have some salad fixings left, one apple, and some zuchinni, so am looking forward to some fresh fresh produce. I pull out some pork chops, chicken kabobs, and bacon from the freezer. We have lots of protein. From Hexham Island we can see our next destination 20 miles away, Middle Percy Island. Maybe we'll have some access to Internet there. Middle Percy disappears under a dark band of rain. I take down the sunscreens so our windows will get a good wash down and we move to the pilothouse where we still dry. We get a little rain, but nothing but a sprinkle. Guess we won't be filling up our water tank.

The wind is light and once again we find ourselves happily motoring with a nice current pushing us to Middle Percy Island. We drop anchor at 1115 in 20 feet of water. It is high tide, so when the tide goes down the expected 11 feet we should still have 9 feet under us. So far we are the only boat in the bay, but a 28 foot boat with two adults and two children under 4 years of age pull in under sail shortly after we do. We later meet this family from Cairns, who just bought this boat in Gladstone three days ago and are sailing it back to Cairns. Good on ya! Katie and Cary. You're braver than we are!

Our anchor position is:

S   21 39.138 

E 150 14.167 

There is a large tin roof hut on the beach, and we are prepared for our visit to the hut where sailors around the world leave a momento. We have a well worn, tropically sweat-stained ball cap that has Worrall Wind embroidered on the front. We use a permanent marker to write the date and our names. We dinghied onto the beach, and as the tide was ebbing, we left the dinghy on the beach just above the water, placing the dinghy anchor just above the high water mark. This is only a an extra measure should we become lost on the island and not able to return until after the next high tide.

We enjoyed the momento hut (Percy Hilton) and left the hat hanging on a piece of drift wood that another yacht had left. 

After leaving our contribution and signing the guest book, Russ and I explored the island walking several miles, visiting the boat harbor in a mangrove lagoon, and climbing the hill overlooking the southern coast line.

We saw a couple of small wallaby like creatures, perhaps pademelon and a large wallaby/kangaroo with a yellow snout and light grey fur. There were black crows bouncing from limb to limb above our heads on the gum and pandana trees watching our every move and broadcasting our movements with loud caws. I had visions of them swooping down and attacking us, but they just followed and kept a respectful distance.

We would have continued toward the "homestead"' but it was sprinkling and there was a long line of dark clouds blowing our way. It seemed to be a good time to turn around and we did.

Returning to Boat Before the Storm

We returned to Worrall Wind after meeting our anchor neighbors on the beach.  Cary and Katie have 2 children Mackenzie 4 and Ari 2 aboard with them.  They bought a used 28 foot sailboat. (ViJa) in Gladstone three days ago and are sailing it home up to Cairns. As we stand talking on the beach, the midges (no see-ums) come out and start to eat us!  Back to the boat.

We bar-b-qued chicken kabobs for a salad dinner tomorrow night, and pork chops for tonight. The wind at the moment is quiet as are the swells. I hope we sleep well tonight. We are off to Digby Island tomorrow (Wednesday), and Mackay on Thursday. We are looking forward to a town, Internet, fresh provisions, refilling the water and fuel tanks, disposing of our garbage, picking up our new depth sounder, and a couple of peaceful nights sleep in a marina.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 - To Digby Island

We woke up this morning and got on our sail path by 8:15. It's an overcast day, with showers and a southeast wind about 15 knots. We lop along with reefed main and poled jib at about five knots. The young family we met yesterday left before we did with a destination farther north, but about 10:00 am, we heard them make a distress call and request for assistance. Their propeller shaft isn't working, a sheared pin, or so they think.

We called them to see if we could be of assistance. They are not taking on water. Instead of making an overnight run to Mackay, they change course to Digby Island where Russ can give them a hand if the shaft is fixable. We arrived at Digby about 1:00 and by 3:00, the other boat sailed in, dropped sail and threw in the anchor. The bay is protected from a southeast wind, but not so from the east or north east. Passing squalls squirrel the wind around and we've found ourselves facing all directions but west. So the anchorage is a lttle rolly, but so far not nearly as bad as Great Keppel or Freshwater Bay.

Current position at anchor:


S   21 29.585 
E 149 54.707 

Once Cary more thoroughly examined the problem on ViJa, he decided he could not repair the shaft and would need to sail ViJa to Mackay and have it repaired after all. They contacted the Coast Guard and reported their plan and requested tow assistance when they were within a mile of Mackay. With that decision made, the family came to visit on Worrall Wind while the wind and weather continued to deteriorate despite the gribs that indicated the winds would die to less than 10 knots. It was gusting thirty knots and raining. At least not sailing tonight was probably a good decision.

We enjoyed a glass of wine and some appetizers. The children loved playing with Fluffy, my Purrfect boat kitty. All to soon, it was time for them to return to their boat in the blustery night.

Mackenzie, Ari, and Purrrfect Fluffy

Ari and Purrrrrfect Fluffy

We will all be getting up early in the morning for a long sail to Mackay about 46 miles. Could be a slow sail if the winds die down as expected or a fast one, if they continue as they are tonight.

Thursday, May 24, 2012 - To Mackay

It was a windy night and it looks like today is going to be nasty weather. It's 100 percent overcast with very dark clouds engulfing the horizon in which we are traveling. The wind is blowing 25 knots and gusting to 30. Swell is about 1 meter and wind waves are another meter or so on top. Not at all what our weather forecast was showing last night. We pulled anchor just about 0645.  We had our own little drama pulling the anchor that resulted in a twisted anchor shaft.  Nevertheless, we got it up and stood at ready in case ViJa had any problems pulling up their anchor and getting underway. No problems for them and everyone is currently underway.

We have 46 miles to sail today, and it's a rough start, but we are sailing at 6-7 knots with a small jib and triple reefed main. Seems that Cary and Katie are novice to their boat, but have enough sailing and mechanical wherewithal to to do what they need to do to get the boat safely to Mackay. 9:00 a.m. (12 miles toward destination, about 32 miles to go)

S   21 20.153 
E 149 47.984 

The wind has calmed down to about 20 knots and the sun is peeking through the shroud of grey. We just passed by a rock island on our port side too close for comfort with a side current pushing us faster toward the island than the wind speed and sails were pushing us past. We fired up the engine to counter the current and skinnied by. ViJa is about a mile or two to our starboard, so hopefully she will pass without problem as she has no motor assist. We're making good time. By the time we get outside of Mackay the wind is only a couple of knots.

We arrive in Mackay by 4:00 and are in our slip, W27 by 4:15, and have checked into the Marina Office and gotten our key by the time they close at 4:30.  We walk over to marine rescue.  They have just sent out a boat to tow in ViJa who was an hour or so behind us.  We have yet to hear from them, but am assuming they have or will be arriving here soon.  We catch up with some of our new cruising friends from Scarborough Marina.  One recommends a place for dinner, and the other we will share a rental car with us to do some shopping.

So now it's time for a cold beer, a shower, and a night out.

All is Well With the 2 Sail R's on SV Worrall Wind.