So, Australia Day saw Jamie and I, and Marnie and Phil up in Townsville on SOL for the long weekend, all having taken the Friday off work making a nice 4 day break. This may be the only opportunity Marnie has to see the boat as she will be leaving soon to join Dylan in the States and they will be there for quite a few years.
Jamie, Marnie and I flew up Wednesday evening, arriving in time to get to the supermarket for essential supplies. Jamie went to the marina and opened all the hatches on the boat whilst Marnie and I shopped, thank goodness, as it was extremely hot and steamy inside, still about 30 degrees Celsius even at 9pm so in the closed up confines of the boat the "real feel" was about 130 degrees he said !!!
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| Marnie relaxing in saloon |
Phil's flight from Adelaide was not due until midday Thursday so in the morning we readied SOL for leaving the marina (reversing the cyclone preparations, untying the extra lashing around the mainsail and replacing the jib). We had the lines ready to cast off as soon as he arrived.
The weather was perfect and early Thursday afternoon we left Breakwater Marina for Horseshoe Bay on Magnetic Island. The sun was shining, a nice breeze was blowing, we had the main and jib up - all systems go !!
But she was so sluggish - not responding to the helm very well at all. Even the engines had seemed underpowered as we left the marina. Very disappointing especially as we were showing her to Phil and Marnie for the first time. Jamie had organized to have a chap clean her bottom before we came up - but this had not been done so the huge amount of barnacles and weed on her hulls was really having impact on her performance.
Still we managed to tick along at about 7 knots. Phil decided to tie handholds in one of the sheets so he could have a tow behind as we sailed and soon both he and Marnie were in the water.
We anchored in Horseshoe Bay and went ashore for a swim in the enclosed swimming area (protected from the stingers - jellyfish - which are prevalent at this time of year), very refreshing even though the water temperature must be nearly 30 degrees. We wandered over to the Marlin Bar and enjoyed some cold drinks - it just happened to be happy hour and jugs of beer only $10.
Fish, chips and salad for tea on the foreshore followed by another swim then back to the boat for an early night although sleeping is not so easy even with the fans on, due to the high overnight temperatures - Marnie took her mattress out into the cockpit !!!
It is so stifling hot up here I can fully understand why so many of the boats in the marinas have air conditioners. If I were living aboard, in a marina, on shore power, I'd have one too.
Lunch at Huntingfield and a bit of a play on the beach then sailed back to Horseshoe Bay (and the happy hour again!!)
It was such a treat to be able to share SOL with Phil and Marnie, and at Easter we hope to have Amy, Grace and Cal join us as well - woo hoo!!
Sunday morning dawned hot again - I think that is all that Northern Queensland has in the way of weather - and after sending Phil on his way back to Adelaide, Marnie, Jamie and I set to cleaning, tidying and cyclone readying. Sadly we had to leave but next time we come to the boat it will be to stay!!! Yippee!!
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| Phil & Marnie cooling off behind SOL |
But she was so sluggish - not responding to the helm very well at all. Even the engines had seemed underpowered as we left the marina. Very disappointing especially as we were showing her to Phil and Marnie for the first time. Jamie had organized to have a chap clean her bottom before we came up - but this had not been done so the huge amount of barnacles and weed on her hulls was really having impact on her performance.
Still we managed to tick along at about 7 knots. Phil decided to tie handholds in one of the sheets so he could have a tow behind as we sailed and soon both he and Marnie were in the water.
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| Captain Marnie at the helm |
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| Phil & Marnie chilling on the trampoline |
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| Happy Hour at the Marlin Bar |
It is so stifling hot up here I can fully understand why so many of the boats in the marinas have air conditioners. If I were living aboard, in a marina, on shore power, I'd have one too.
Next morning after a great feed of bacon and eggs we sailed off to Huntingfield Bay where we again swam - this time we all were armed with scrapers and scrubbing brushes and cleaned as much of the hulls as we could reach. Jamie scraped off the rudders and propellers as well which were really caked with barnacles - no wonder she had been so sluggish and unresponsive yesterday !!!
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| Huntingfield Bay, Magnetic Island |
We have had had a couple of minor issues with the fridge - it doesn't seem to get cold enough and the compressor keeps on running. So with Phil's knowledge and help he and Jamie have sorted that - one of the little pumps that circulate the water around the condenser was not working at all and the temperature was set wrong.
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Sunset as we head back
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Saturday we sailed round to Picnic Bay where we had lunch - a picnic in the cockpit !! Then it was back to Townsville to the marina. Phil's plane was leaving at 11am so we figured we needed to be back in on Saturday evening.
We had arranged to meet up for dinner with Kirk, a mate of Phil's, who had very kindly picked up our little dinghy outboard from where it was being serviced and dropped it down to us on Thursday having also picked Phil up from the airport. Dinner at the yacht club with Kirk and his girlfriend, another Marnie - what a lovely couple - then Marnie delivered Marnie and me back to SOL while the boys went off to the casino for a couple of hours.
It was such a treat to be able to share SOL with Phil and Marnie, and at Easter we hope to have Amy, Grace and Cal join us as well - woo hoo!!
Sunday morning dawned hot again - I think that is all that Northern Queensland has in the way of weather - and after sending Phil on his way back to Adelaide, Marnie, Jamie and I set to cleaning, tidying and cyclone readying. Sadly we had to leave but next time we come to the boat it will be to stay!!! Yippee!!
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| Swimming Pool at Horseshoe Bay |
Lesson from this weekend - a clean bottom is a fast bottom - never again will she have such growth.
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