Sail to Mackay

Wednesday 21^st June 2017

The exodus from Curlew started at around 6.30 am, as a couple of catamarans left. We had planned to leave at around 7.30am, with a forecast of SE winds at 15-20 knots and seas around 1-1.5 metres. The breeze had come up early and in the early hours of the morning was at least 25 knots, but seemed to be moderating by sunrise.

As agreed, Kite Runner and ourselves had anchors up just before 7.30 am, and motored out through the western channel to get outside trhe sand spit before raising our mainsails. It was already bowing 15 knots, so it looks like we are in for a good sail. Once the sail was up, we pulled away and were already doing a bit over 6 knots with just the main up.

The wind strengthened to about 20 knots and soon we were doing  6.5 to 7 knots running almost dead square. We stayed on that line until we cleared all of the shoal areas and then came up into the wind and raised out headsail, increasing our speed to 8 knots +.

Unfortunately with the increased wind speeds, the sea state got less attractive and we did a fair bit of surfing along the way. Nevertheless, we were at the entrance to Mackay Harbour in 6 hours, averaging 7.2 knots and hitting a maximum speed of 12 knots.

Keen to get into the harbour and out of the lumpy wind waves, we were unfortunate enough to arrive right at the time a sugar ship decided to enter Mackay Harbour and we had to bounce around in uncomfortable seas for around 20 mins before we had clearance to enter the harbour (which you need to pass through to get to the marina).

Sugar Ship lining up the narrow entrance to Mackay Harbour

Kite Runner Bouncing around outside wishing they would hurry up

Once inside and tied up  on a very ordinary blow off berth (fortunately we had a few helpers), the talk around our marina leg quickly changed to the State of Origin Game tonight, and there is a big screen set up in the restaurant area of the marina and everyone will be there.

To fill in the afternoon, we decided to have a deeper look into problems that Kite Runner is having with it’s near solar panel system. Clearly it is not working as it should, and by the end of the afternoon, the wiring and controller are under suspicion. We will look in more detail in the morning.

Naturally, we couldn’t be left out, so at 6.30pm, we wandered up to find a table to have dinner at the Steakhouse and ready ourselves for the game. There was a good crowd there already.

Also anchored at Curlew near us last night, was a trimaran, which also sailed to Mackay, and followed us into the marina. It turns out the owners are a young South African couple, who decided they would take some time out and come to Australia, buy a boat and sail up to the Great Barrier Reef . They bought the boat in Brisbane, he has limited sailing experience and she has none, and the facilities on the boat are basic. It also has a few mechanical problems.

We met them up at the pub where people were gathering in anticipation of the State of Origin, and invited them to join our table for dinner along with another couple from NSW that Phil, and Wendy knew.

They were a very nice young couple, well and truly on an adventure. They have a 6 month visa at the end of which they will decide if they will sell the boat, try to get an extension to their visa, or leave it here and return. The jury is out at the moment, as the sailing conditions hsve not been quite as idyllic as they were led to believe.

The food at the Steakhouse was good and the football got under way. By half time the Queenslanders were silent, and our new South African friends were intrigued about this Rugby League game, which they had never seen before. NSW supporters were buoyant (not that there were many of us), but still concerned that QLD could come back.

The euphoria in the crowd was amazing as QLD clawed there way back to the narrowest of victories.

Time to go to bed and get over it. Tomorrow is Show Day in Mackay, a public holiday, but we are  assured that major shops will be open till 4 pm.