Saturday 14 July – One Perfect Day - almost

Well it was an almost perfect day.  We needed one.  Motored out of Able Point Marina at Airlie Beach into a totally pancake flat bay.  No wind.  Oh well, motoring today not sailing.  Luckily we don’t use much diesel per hour and still have some of the $300 worth of diesel we bought in Bundaberg!

Rain was supposed to leave us the previous Thursday.  Thursday it poured so Ian and I caught the bus to the Centro Shopping Centre and added to our supplies as Jan is coming to stay for six days from 19 July.  All the shopping centres around here seem to be really struggling.  Quite a few empty shop sites for rent.  Our umbrella got a really good workout.  

As we walked from the bus stop to the marina, we passed the sailmaker’s premises.  I said to Ian, ‘Wish the sailmaker would stay here late and finish our sail.’

Well he heard me.  Phoned at eight next morning to say, come collect the sail, all done.  Wow, he had stayed up to midnight to complete it.  His offside had broken his ankle during the week too.    So I hopped on his computer and transferred the money to him.  

So all the jobs were done.  We had come into the marina on the Sunday for two nights to get the rigger to put up the Profurl rigging, the sail recut and the bottom of the boat scrubbed.  All done finally.  The rain had held off all Wednesday while the rigger did a great job.  We made him cups of coffee and sandwiches for lunch and he just stayed and worked and got the job done.  Ian followed him around helping out where he could.  He said he had a great day with us which tickled our fancy.

It is an odd feeling to be in a yacht when your bottom is being scrubbed!  The hull that is!  Is moves a bit and you can hear snorting and bubbling depending whether the diver has his snorkel or scuba gear on.  Diver Rob was even more handsome than Diver Dan (David Wenham eat your heart out). He also put an anode on the propeller which arrived in time from Melbourne.

So time for us to go again.

We motor sailed out to Hook Island, up Nara Inlet which is 2.5 miles long.  Felt like a fiord with the hoop pines standing out within the forest again.  It was quite misty – see the photos. We settled down to a really lovely quiet night.  Only three of us monohulls in  Refuge Bay.  A little bay off the Inlet. 

Just about to enter Nara Inlet on Hook Island about 10 miles from Airlie. Good walk to see Aboriginal paintings in a cave.  National Parks have done a wonderful job with the walk, signs and cave.  Some wild goats around here too. 

Nara Inlet very pretty and safe anchorage unless it blows from the south.

Looking up Nara Inlet in the Mist

North Molle Island looking at Daydream Island and Resort in the distance.  You can sail between a narrow interesting passage between the islands.