The Southerly came in strong, as forecast, at around 3 am, but Cid Harbour is a good anchorage and we didn't lose any sleep.
The wind was gusting in the 20 to 25 knot range and had whipped up some wind waves out in the channel as the tide is still coming in and won't reach high till 11 am. The ebb tide runs North so after then we should have smoother water with the wind and tide running in the same direction.
Both Koonya and ourselves had our anchors up just after 11 am, and we decided to put a reef in the main for the reach across the top of North Molle Island and then on the wind a bit more to reach Airlie. We both had a great sail with Mica peaking at 9.6 knots and Koonya probably more. It was a bit bumpy in spots, but generally an enjoyable sail.
As we approached Airlie we were sailing in a lighter breeze but still getting along at 6+ knots.
Koonya approaching Airlie Beach
Shelley and Denis are flying home tomorrow and we have decided to come back to Sydney for a week to tidy up a few affairs, like car registration etc. It will be hard to head back to the cold climate Sydney is experiencing at the moment, given the terrific weather we have had here over the past week or so.
We had a late lunch, trying to clean up any leftovers still in the fridge, before spending the rest of the afternoon cleaning the boat, filling gas bottles and diesel tanks, catching up on washing and getting rid of a pile of garbage etc.
Mark and Janet joined us for dinner at Sorrento Restaurant at the marina, and we headed back to the boat early to pack for tomorrows trip to Sydney.
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