Sundancer II Life is about living!

Departing Cairns and Heading North

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We departed Cape Gloucester on the 23^rd June taking advantage of some lesser winds but enough to make an overnight sail to Magnetic Island anchoring in the north at 10am on the morning of the 24^th.

Magnetic Island did not fail to impress. A great anchorage in the southerly wind conditions, and Lia’s favourite so far as it was very flat 😉. It has beautiful walks with koalas in the wild and WW2 historical sights. We had a few fun catch ups with Lia’s boss and partner (Adam and Georgia) and an old buddy from Cromwell (Trudy) in Townsville.

We also did some serious planning while in Maggie Island. In hindsight we should have left Bundaberg a few months earlier, due to cyclone season starting in November, and the southerly winds and seas that WA is notorious for in the summer months … but hey, that is life. So we made the decision to push faster to get north with less stopovers, to give us maximum time in the Kimberly before the end of November.

After a few delightful days in Maggie Island, we did another overnight dash in good strong southerly winds (18-24 kts) to arrive in Cairns. I haven’t been to Cairns since my Navy days in the 90s but Lia has spent quite a bit of time there over the last few years with work. Some familiar sights but a lot of build-up and changes. We both caught up with old mates. Great to see Nathan, Toby and the family, and Lia’s Topdeck mates.

It was going to be a 4 day stop to reprovision and catch up, but with me being me, I decided to pull the engine hatch cover off to look at a leak that had been annoying me for a while. If I needed parts, then Cairns was the place to get them. But of course, it turned out to be a Pandora’s box. Once the cover was off, I found it had been delaminating for a while and the wood core rotten away. So, 4 days turned into 7 days to rebuild cover. It was some long days, but Cairns is a great place with lots of distractions in the evenings. A huge thanks to Toby for the use of his garage and expertise advising the best way to rebuild the hatch. Now it’s better than ever.

With all completed, a last big shop (for 3 weeks until Thurday Island area) and some cocktails at Salt House, we sailed from Cairns on the morning of Monday 6July, for the Low Isles off Port Douglas and a few days on the reef before heading to Lizard Island. We had one night in The Low Islands and a snorkel with the punters the next morning before sailing few hours to Batt Reef for some fishing and an overnight stay on the 8th. We found out this was where Steve Irwin met his match with that stingray. Safe to say we just fished not swam 😉

This morning we move to Mackay Reef a few hours north as the open reef here and the weather made for a choppy night. From there we push north to Lizard to hunker down before a predicted blow on the weekend. We also have Nigel joining us on the 29^th July at Thursday Island so about 3 weeks to make it to the top. Should be fun.

Also we have no idea about internet from here onwards. Watch this space for the next post 😉

Mackay, Airlie Beach and Cutlass Bearings.

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We left Bundaberg early with high levels of excitement on May 30. Several hours into the first day we noticed and odd smell… Boom! The cutlass bearing in the stern tube failed. Bugger. We spent the next few days wondering how this could happen, but regardless we are glad it happened now not months later in the middle of nowhere

The first night we anchored in Pancake Creek arriving after sunset, which was a little nerve racking as the anchorage was very busy. The following morning up at sunrise to sail north to the Kepple’s, back into phone coverage to make some calls to plan for the cutlass bearing repair.

We did not want to go backwards to Bundaberg, so we started calling around to all the marinas in the region. Thankfully Mackay gave us an emergency lift on the 11^th June the following week which was fortunate as the next best offer was over 3 weeks away. So, after getting over the first ‘bump’ in the trip we settled into the fact that we just had to sail as much as possible and make to Mackay by the 11^th June. We stayed a few days in the Kepple’s before sailing north in favourable conditions on the 4^th June.

Because we could not use our engine too much as it would overheat the stern bearing, we had to plan the dash north with the wind and navigate old school. Yes, we are a ‘sailing boat’, but when you are put in a situation with little or no engine to rely on, it gives planning another dimension. What was very enlightening, and delightfully refreshing, was being at the mercy of the wind and reminding us that if you have the time, as we hope to do over the next year, you can get things done.

Next stop was Port Clinton for another late arrival/ early departure rest stopover, where we witnessed some military testing (3 rather frightening bombs!) and then to Stanage in the Thirsty Sound. A big run north but put us in the right area to wait out a few days of little wind before making the last push to Mackay. Stanage is a fishing town and though very tidal and strong streams at the anchorage, it was a great little stop. We enjoyed the pub ‘The Crab Pot’ which served epic burgers and where Matt was harassed by the locals for buying a glass of wine. 😉.

After Stanage we spent a few days at Hunter Island in the Duke group which was brilliant. We had a great walk and also landed a big Queenfish. From Hunter we anchored overnight at Curlew Island, then to Mackay Marina the next day on the 11^th to arrive at our berth around 2pm to get prepped for the lift the following day.

To save on time and expense, emergency lifts are the last up and the first in, so you stay in the slings and don’t have the buggerence of setting up cradles for an extended stay. Because of this we were at the mercy of the last works. They of course ran late, so by the time we were up and started working on the cutlass bearing, we did not finish until 1 am in the morning. And then because it was first in, up at 0545 to put the prop on and be put back in at 0730. Late one for us with very little sleep, but also a big thank you to the Mackay Marina and Shipyard, and to the shipwright Richys Marine who stayed late and had such patience and professionalism.

After the drop (and it was some height that lift) we did a successful sea trial and did a short sail to Keswick Island in the Bee Group for an early night on the 12^th for some well-earned rest. On the morning of the 13^th the weather was not great but there was good wind so we pushed on towards Airlie Beach, stopping and Shaw Island and South Molle Island (a favourite of ours from the season before) before anchoring in Airlie Beach on Sunday the 13^th June.

Great stopover to catch up with some mates and re-stock with parts and provisions. Also got some electrical glitches ironed out (thanks Kris) and Matt also enjoyed a great game of golf. Great to see Nathan, Bruce, Tim and their families and enjoy some great hospitality. Thanks guys.

With a southerly building we decided to leave Airlie a few days earlier than expected. We hid at Cape Gloucester to wait out the weather. Also had a last catch up with Bruce, Kate and the kids and a sensational Cape Gloucester eco-resort for lunch before heading north again with the next stop Magnetic Island off Townsville on Monday 23^rd June.

Watch this space.



RAAF F18's Bombing Range.... Hoora

Here we go..... again!

Thu, 29 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

With the Sydney charter season winding up on my (Matt’s) contract on the good ship LANCE in mid-May I headed back to the Sunshine Coast for a quick visit to see mum and borrow the car for a week (because that’s what sons do 😉 ) and head back to Bundaberg to put the finishing touches on the old girl which included the antifoul work, installation of the new prop and alternator, general tidy-up and get her ready to sail….

It was an excellent summer on a great yacht and kick-ass crew, and was also good to catch up with the usual suspects, you know who you are, over the summer. Some good nights and had a few games of golf thrown in for good measure.

Lia joined me in Bundaberg a week later on the 24^th May after finishing up her last tour guiding contract and a few well-deserved days rest in Sydney. Always a last-minute rush, but though no time frame for the next 12 months we were keen to get away and head north for our circumnavigation of Australia, with the aim of getting to Perth late 2025 or early the next. When in Perth we will look at our budget and decide on how long we stay in the area, find more work or push on to Tasmania. We shall see…..

Its now Thursday the 29^thof May. A few days later than expected with some installation delays, but today we depart the berth and go to and anchor and do the last-minute preps for a sparrow’s fart departure tomorrow morning heading north. Fingers crossed with the weather, but next stop Airlie Beach……. Here we go again 😉

Watch this space and wish us luck….

5-week Refit in Bundaberg Feb/Mar 2025

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Lia and I decided to work as much as we can over the summer to save the $ for this trip. About time considering but we both agreed it made sense to do so. Lia spent the summer tour guiding with a bit of insurance temp work thrown in, but also being able to spend time at home in Cromwell in NZ with her family. I also made it out there for a week in December before Christmas before returning home for a few days with Christmas with my family and then back to work to finish off the Sydney summer charter season.

I was able to get a quazi-rotation gig with an old mate Luke Caldwell on a 38m Sanlorenzo LANCE based in Sydney from October to May 2025. Great gid and great crew. In my down time I was able spend some time with the Aussie and NZ families (as above) but also work in 5-week refit on the yacht in the Bundaberg Marina work area from Mid Feb to late March. We had checked out the area last year and had a good reputation to get work done.

We had to bring the yacht out of the storage area and into the work area where I was able work and live on her with water and electrical connection and well maintained shower and toilet blocks very close. It was hot at times and come sunset the midges /sandflies ate you alive but you learnt to have a good supply and bushman’s onboard to counter this as best as possible, but plenty slipped though 😉

Time flew but the main works were…

1. Hull repaint from blue to white. We loved the blue but looking at spending more time in the tropics over the next few years made sense to have a lighter colour. Also we had to combat some crazing that was causing crack in the paint due to heat over the years. Now she has a facelift ;)

2. Couch House Roof Soft Spots. Some soft spots around the mast were becoming worrying so we hired a local shipwright (cheers Fossil) to help matt with the work of opening up the deck and investigating this. The result was soft and rotten wood inside the fibreglass layers caused by years of small leaks from fitting around the yacht. A good job that needed doing but by no means did we get it all but tackled the worst of it. Opening up the whole top deck is another job and refit all together.

3. Engine Refurbishment. Not a full overhaul but replaced water and fuel lines, exhaust hoses, rusted fittings etc. Alos investigated the alternator issues (ended up ordering a new alternator and and flushed the coolant system. As with boast and salt water, on opening up the cooling system we found internal corrosion that required a full coolant head replacement. Not a cheap exercise but had to be done.

4. Deck fittings and bolts….. hopefully stopped a few leaks. Hopefully 😉

5. Some varnishing and painting (always),

6. Propellor Removal and Servicing. On servicing we found some issues and had to order a replacement to be installed in May…. Boats.

7. Small sail repairs and electrical works (always ongoing… boats)

8. Prep hull for antifouling on return in May.

We did have some delays due to the cyclone passing near Bundaberg before hitting the Gold Coast, but the above with a smatter of smaller jobs inside and out quickly filled those 5 weeks.

Lia also joined me for the last week, and we took a few days up at Agnes Water and 1770 which was a magic time and a well needed break from the yard. In late March we put her back in dry storage and then back to work to earn some travelling clams.

Arrived in Bundaberg

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

G’Day all from Bundaberg Port Marina on Wednesday the 20^th November and we have just port SD2 into dry hardstand storage. This storage is relatively cheap due to no connection to power or water and you are not allowed to do work or live onboard. We will put her here until we return in late February for a yard and maintenance period.

From our last entry we had arrived in Kepple Bay Marina and said goodbye to Guy, and had Luke and Tina join us on the 10^th November and sailed to the Kepple Islands on the 11^th in great weather. We anchored in Monkey Beach for an afternoon of swimming and snorkling and settled in for the night. The following day we shifted anchorages to the north and had a good look around the island and also a few drinks at the resort. We also stocked up on ice for some sunset margaritas. Lovely.

On the morning of the 13^th we sailed east to Southwest Island Reef and anchored on its southern edge. Really only something you can do in good conditions. Luke and Matt tried for some fish but to no avail, se we finished off some more of that ice with margaritas again.

The next day we sailed south to Fitzroy Reef and spent a magic few days in the lagoon. Great paddleboarding and swimming, though the reef itself was not as good as expected due to cyclone damage a few years back but loads of fun all the same.

On the 16^th we moved to Lady Musgrave Island and reef, a favourite of Lia’s and Matt, and spent another great few days’ swimming, exploring and fishing. One evening whilst Luke and Matt where fishing in the dingy just outside the entrance, the famed local tiger shark came and had a good look at us. 2 metres plus of muscle and majesty just cruised around us and went on its way. Beautiful to witness and to think I was in that water the day before spearfishing. Makes you think ;)

With our lift date in Bundaberg looming we decided on an overnight sail to arrive in Bundaberg Marina at Bernet Heads on the morning of the 19^th and initially at anchor then to our booked berth in the early afternoon. Tina and Luke help us turn the yacht over and ready for her lift the next day to the storage area where she will stay until May next year. Luke and Tina flew out on the afternoon of the 20^th, and Lia and Matt stayed at the local and flew out on the 21^st.

We will now spend the summer working all we can in preparation for 2025. Matt will have a yacht gig based in Sydney and Lia will do tour guiding and contract work. Matt will return in Later Feb 2025 to do 5 weeks work on her between swings on his summer gig.

Watch this space……

Airlie Beach to Kepple Bay Marina

Sat, 09 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Greetings from Kepple Bay Marina at Yeppoon, midday on the 9^th November. Guy has just left us to return to Brisbane after a week onboard helping us sail Sundancer south. Sailing is probably not the right word as we had very little wind, so motoring is more apt, but we did get a few days in. Regardless of the conditions, a good time was had by all. Got some good swimming and fishing in… well… we tried to fish and caught a few, and an unfortunate turtle who we were able to free with little hassle.

We sailed from Airlie to North Hook Island on the 4^th November to do some fish feeding. Spent the night then sailed early the next day and headed south to South Brampton Island where we met a local eccentric couple who spearfish the bay whenever they can. They had a very interesting set-up but also plenty of fish. Also told up about the local Bull and tiger shark community he sees all the time. Not to be put off, Guy and Matt went for a fish and spearfish. Lia stayed onboard… understandably 😉

Following morning (6^th November) we continued south to Curlew Island and anchored on the southern Bay. Another great spot and another attempt at fishing by the boys. This was the unfortunate turtle experience. The next day we had a lazy start and went east Middle Percy Island to re-visit the homestead and yacht club and drop off some supplies for the caretakers we offered to take from Airlie Beach. A good walk around and a few beers at that amazing cruising trophy shed on the beach the Percy’s is famous for on the night of the 8^th November. A bit of a windy overnight anchorage but managed to sleep and head south to Port Lincon east of Shallowater Bay and had a great afternoon swimming, a good walk and some fishing.

With the time counting down for Guy’s flight, we sailed at sunrise and headed south to Kepple Bay Marina and after fuelling parked up in the marina and said goodbye to Guy. We stayed a few days here with Luke and Tina joining us on the 10^th November for a great night at the local yacht club before sailing the next day, on the 11^th, for the Kepple Islands…….

Season at Airlie Beach and the Departure South.

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

We ended up staying in Airlie until the 4^th November after a busy (work and play) but fun season in the Whitsundays. We were very fortunate to be able to stay on Little Perle’s berth (thanks Shayne) at Port of Ailie and was a fantastic base to see the area.

Not long after we arrived and tucked Lia and the yacht nicely into her berth on the 17^th June, Matt took off for a brother’s surf trip to Bali for Guy’s 50^th for a few weeks and pretended to be surfers for a while and quote way too much ‘Point Break’. Great times.

On return from Bali we based ourselves in Airlie Beach whilst Matt worked mostly on Little Perle but also did several deliveries including to Vanuatu on Southern Cloud, and Lia did several tour guiding gigs that took her over the country and to NZ. When we could we went sailing locally and explored the area which included several trips to the outer reef which was magic. It was also whale watching season, so you had to literally dodge them when out and about.

The Whitsundays is a mecca for sailing and would recommend it to anyone, though having your own yacht helps 😉. Not only was the reef amazing but exploring the islands is a great drawcard. The walks and views were stunning, and we also visited a few abandoned Islands with resorts that have been left derelict. Some due to financial reasons but some due to cyclone damage that was sadly unrecoverable. Taken from a plaque on South Mole (see below)…’Hard work and island dreams are no match for the fury of a tropical cyclone’.

A fantastic time in Airlie beach but with the season winding down and our livers starting to seriously complain, we made plans to sail south again to Bundaberg where we had organised a lift out and storage at the marina. Guy will be flying into Airle soon and will join us for the first week, Then Tina and Luke for the second leg.

Few photos below.

Gladstone, Great Keppel & Middle Percy Island and to the Whitsundays.

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Big hello from Airlie Beach, Port of Airlie Marina. We got in yesterday after 10 amazing days exploring.

As we are starting to get further north, the tides are getting much larger. We left Gladstone 8 June though the North Channel which runs between Facing and Curtis Islands at high tide. Although it was very clearly marked, we left at high tide and had to be quite careful in some places – especially when Lia was driving 😉.

We sailed past Cape Capricorn – officially marking our entry into the Tropics! We anchored for the night in Hammocky Island, which has a beautiful sandy little beach, but not much exploring due to very dense bush.

9 June was a beautiful day but no wind! We motor sailed to The Keppel’s – a group of 14 islands just off Yeppoon. Due to lack of time, we only had time to stop at the largest - Great Keppel Island or Wop-pa.

Why is no one talking about this island? It’s absolute paradise!

In the 80’s Great Keppel was a party island, like Australia’s version of Ibiza. It had a very successful marketing campaign centred around the slogan ‘It’s a great place to get wreaked’ with raunchy photos from the island featuring in Cleo’s infamous ‘sealed sections’. At one point it was a Contiki resort island but since the early 2000s has changed hands several times with disputes between locals and developers leaving abandoned resorts and a ruined airstrip, making it fascinating to walk around. GKI has 17 beaches which can be reached by tracks and derelict roads, so we managed to get our steps up each day while spotting the wild goats and peacocks which roam freely around.

Night one We anchored off Monkey Bay on the southwest coast, where you can snorkel the reef straight of the beach. The coral was stunning colours and there were scores of fish. The next day we moved around to Leeke’s Beach just off the main visitors precinct where the 2 remaining resorts operate. We spent the afternoon at Hideaway – which has ‘Happy Hours’ from 3 to 6 – enjoying the sun and chatting to other yachties.

On 11 June we woke up to yet another beautiful day, starting some work and planning a snorkel off Shelf Beach in the afternoon. Oh, how things change. This day is forever etched in our minds as ‘CODE BROWN DAY’. After our morning coffee and ablutions, we found the head (toilet) blocked. It’s a hand pump pressure system and blocked toilets are common on yachts so we thought it would be a simple job…oh how wrong we were. It took all day to fix and put back together – the joys of boat life. We did take time out to enjoy a stunning sunset (with a facemask as part of the deep clean up!)

The next day we fully disinfected poor Sundancer and moved to Clam Bay on the east side. We were admiring another boat anchored in the bay and realised it looked exactly like ours! Yes – it was another Savage Oceanic. We spent some time comparing notes and discussing what great taste we have in yachts are before moving back to Leekes beach for the night.

13 June promised great wind and we needed to get some distance to make it to Airlie by 17 June. We got up early for a 3am departure and enjoyed the beautiful sunrise. The southerlies were quite strong, and we had some great sailing downwind with twin genoas.

The last few hours the wind dropped so we motor sailed into Hexham Island in the early afternoon. Again, another beautiful island and gorgeous little anchorage. We were the only boat in the little bay and enjoyed a beautiful walk up one of the hills giving us stunning views of the area. Despite all the warnings on Zulu and other cruising guides telling us it was a very rolly anchorage, we thought we’d be ok due to the sea being like a lake, but once again, we were proved wrong! It was a very rolly, sleepless night despite being bone tired!

The next day we had a late start. No wind at all, so we didn’t even bother with the sails and motored to the Percy’s Isles, anchoring in West Bay of Middle Percy Island. The Percys are south of Makay and are a cruisers paradise, with West Bay being the most popular anchorage in a southerly. This is the home of the Percy Island Yacht Club which is an A-frame building with boats leaving various items of memorabilia since the 70s. We managed to rendezvous with the ‘Little Perle’ crew who stopped for a quick swim before heading north for Airlie Beach. The determined delivery crew finally succeeded in getting a few coconuts from the trees on the beach which were delicious.

Coconuts!

Once they left it was time to explore. There are lots of well-marked tracks around the island, and we chose to walk across to the lagoon and took the shortcut up the rather steep goat track to the homestead. The island is absolutly stunning - mangroves, rain forrest and lots of butterfies!

At the homestead we met Cate who is the leaseholder of Middle Percy and the care takers of the island – Paul, Carla, Narco (their little dog) and Steve. It was a fascinating afternoon learning about the history of the island, how they live off the grid and their plans to build the charitable trust to ensure the heritage of the special island is protected.

We took the easier road back down to West Bay and enjoyed sundowners at the A-frame yacht club with Paul, Carla and Steve. We will definitely be back to volunteer our time helping the preserve this special place.

Alas the next day we woke to a very choppy northerly, so we had to leave glorious West Bay and move around the corner to Whites Bay. We had another big walk around the sand dunes, which were unfortunately littered with plastic debris – us humans really need to do a lot better. At twilight Matt decided to go out for a fish and just as he was about to return managed to nab a delicious coral trout.

16 June we had another early start leaving at 4.30am, with the predicted southerly arriving around 7am. We had between 20-25 knots for most of the day and it was a very quick trip to Scawfell Island, anchoring in beautiful Refuge Bay just before 2pm. Refuge Bay is another beautiful anchorage, very protected from howling southerlies, with reefs right off the beach. We had another beautiful snorkel and enjoyed the delicious coral trout for dinner.

We love our early starts, so again left before dawn for Airlie Beach arriving in the Port of Airlie Marina in the afternoon of 17 June, enjoying the sail through all the islands of the Whitsundays. Matt will be working on Little Perle and Lia will start tour guiding around Australia and NZ. In between we’ll be taking Sundancer out to explore this gorgeous area.

Bundaberg, Lady Musgrave and Gladstone

Sat, 08 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

From our last article on 26 May, we have had a great few weeks. From K'Gari we anchored outside the marina in Bundaberg to check out the facilties and of course do a tour of the (in)famous Bundy Rum factory. Great tour and walked away a very happy and a few bottles heavier.

We sailed from Bundaberg with the southerlies once again giving us a ‘strong’ sail north with 15-18kts filling in later in the morning. Initially we had the spinnaker up but when the winds hit over 14kts we pulled her down and tried a goose wing configuration with our spare genoa up the stbd track poling the other out to port. The first time we have tried this and we are converted …. What a great downwind set up with minimal roll with the filling seas. Lia was happy 😉

We were keen to visit ‘Seventeen Seventy’ which is supposed to be very beautiful, and every May they have the annual celebrations of Cooks landing - hence the towns name. We arrived at Bustard Bay outside 1770 around 5pm, but were losing light so decided to anchor and have a look at the rather hairy looking entry the next day. From the direction of the swell, we thought we would be nicely sheltered, but we were very, very wrong...it was a rolly, sleepless night.

The next day both the winds and swell had picked up, and a quick phone call to the local VMR confirmed we would not be risking the bar at 1770. So, we picked up anchor and headed for the shelter of Pancake Creek.

And what a delight it was to round that corner! We arrived right on high tide, easily crossed the well-marked bar and motored into the sanctuary of Pancake Creek. We spent 3 nights while the winds howled around us, safely anchored. The weather cleared up enough for us to walk the 5km track through the mangroves and up to the Bustard Bay lighthouse.

When the weather improved sailing wise we decided to make a break for Lady Musgrave Island, a beautiful coral cay at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. On departing we put out a line and about 15 minutes later hooked up a good-sized cobia which fed us for a week. The 'wagu of the sea' was one of the texts we received when trying to identify what it was, and we can confirm it was delicious. It was an added blessing as we were planning to shop at 1770 and was starting to look like the stash of 2-minute noodles was going to be our meals for a while 😉.

We arrived into the reef at 2pm and had an easy entry, picking up a mooring straight away. Luckily we did – that night it was very windy, gusting up to 30knots – of course not in the weather reports.

Lady Musgrave Island is an absolute paradise with no Telstra access, so it is a true getaway. Our days were spent reading, snorkelling and doing little jobs on the boat. Absolute bliss.

This little cay (like so many other places) was nearly destroyed by humans – mined for guano, used for bombing practice in WW2 and in the late 1800s goats were put on the island to feed any potential victims of ship wreaks. For nearly 100 years these goats munched through all the vegetation, until finally in the late 1970s, the government shot the last of them and the island was able to recover. Thankfully its now well looked after, with a with a well sign posted forest walk giving lots of information about the island and the preservation of the reef. Walking through the island is like stepping into another world – it’s covered in giant leafy green Psiona trees which are home to an enormous number of birds. They are oblivious to the awestruck humans wandering through their home– flittering and hopping about singing their beautiful songs. It’s hard to describe how beautiful it is.

As well as the cay, the reef is stunning – probably the most abundant part of the Great Barrier Reef we’ve both seen – lots of turtles, rays, parrot fish, and a few nemo’s. The island a turtle haven and an important hatching site between October and March, which we’ve been told amazing, so would love to return someday. Despite being protected, you can spear fish in parts of the reef, where Matt caught a coral trout – and because of that, was lucky enough to attract the attention of a few reef sharks.

Despite Lia disapproving of spear fishing on the reef (and signing a petition to ban it about an hour before we arrived) the coral trout was delicious. You can sign the petition here. | Ban Spear Fishing | Great Barrier Reef .

After our 5 days away, our supplies were depleted and our dirty laundry bags overflowing, so we headed for Gladstone Marina on 6 June.

One of the books we have on board makes the bold call that Gladstone is the second most beautful harbour after Sydney. We of course scoffed at that statement, but on arrival humbly ate our words. Despite being a very busy industrial port, it's a very attractive harbour with lots of beautiful parks. Along the foreshore they have the 'Gladstone' Navy Patrol boat on display, which Matt very much liked. The town has a lot of beautiful old Queenslander style buildings and the marina is one of the best we've visited.

First night we were keen to eat anything that wasn't fish so hit the nearest and best recommended pub food and proceeded to devour our weight in meat. And it a wonderful turn of events,we won the meat tray, halving the cost of our Woolworths bill the next day.

After enjoying hot showers and 5 loads of washing we are leaving Gladstone Marina thorugh the North Passage and onto the Kepple Islands.

K'Gari and Heading North

Sun, 26 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Sailing North to Bundaberg having left K’Gari early this morning with plans to arrive before last light tonight. Yesterday we took a 4WD tour around the island and also did a 20 min scenic flight in a 6-seater plane. Such tourists we are! It was amazing to see the variety of vegetation on this sand island, it’s beauty and we were lucky to see many dingos. K’Gari dingos are the most pure in Australia, about 85% and the local community are passionate about protecting them.

What a magic place K’Gari is and we were to be here during a relatively quiet time. It seemed busy to us but were assured that come school holidays this island is a mess with four-wheel drives and campervans. It’s a fantastic and unique place that everyone if given a chance should see one day.

Right now sailing to Bundaberg. Full main and spinnaker, sun is out with 12 knots of wind, broad reaching and going 6 knots. Champagne sailing….. Lia is loving it 😉