Thursday 2nd July, 2015
After a very calm night, which ensured a
good night’s sleep, the wind came up early as we have become accustomed to,
and was around 15 knots from about 6 am.
We had already decided to spend the day
here and climb Whitsunday Peak. Steve, on Wilparina, had promised to take the
kids from “Galene” (a very nice 50 foot Maritimo motor cruiser and one of his Akuna Bay
motor boat mates), who we also have got to know, for a sail. By all accounts
they had a good time, and then “Galene”
headed off to Whitehaven Beach, as they have a limited time frame to
show their family as much as they can in the next few days, before they fly
home.
In our case, the morning was spent cleaning
the encrusted salt off the boat, after our sail across to here. I managed to
polish the foredeck, having done the rest at the marina, and we discovered that
we took a bit of water into our cabin, from ploughing through the waves
yesterday. I tracked it down to a probable leak point in the anchor locker,
where we had some wiring fitted and it was not properly sealed and could allow water
through in the sort of conditions we sailed through. Anyway, it is now sealed up and hopefully
will no longer be a problem.
Mica and Koonya at Cid Harbour
Mark rowing Janet ashore
With all that out of the way, we headed out
with Mark and Janet to Sawmill Beach, where the walk to Whitsunday Peak starts
from. We all had picnic lunch to take with us, and headed up the hill. The tide
was still running out, so no problem leaving the dinghies on the beach, but it
could be a problem when we get back. Fortunately, I have my dinghy wheels now
fitted, so if we need to wheel the dinghy out a long way, it is not a problem.
The climb up to the peak is not for the
faint hearted, we all feel much better for the workout, and the view is
spectacular. On our way, we ran into Ken and Robert from “Charm” and agreed we
would catch up for sundowners on the beach at around 4.30 to 5 pm.
We enjoyed our sandwiches at the summit and
fortunately, it is a clear day, with only a little haze. You get such a
great panoramic view of the islands.
The trip down was quicker than the trip up,
but used different muscles, so it will be interesting tomorrow to see how
everyone scrubs up. When we got to the beach, not surprisingly, the tide had
gone out quite a bit, and there was quite a bit of rocky shore between us and
the water. We were well prepared with our wheels on the dinghy, and watched a
few other less fortunate owners who struggled to carry their dinghys across the
rocks.
Sundowners on the beach no longer looked
like a good idea, so we invited Ken and Robert, and the Smithys from Wilparina
to sundowners on Koonya. We all enjoyed the chance to exchange a few stories,
enjoy a few drinks and snacks, and talk about plans for the next few days. The
sunset made it that little more special.
It was then back to our own boats for
dinner, everyone feeling like they had put in a good days exercise, and
probably ready for an early night. A nice steak on the BBQ made a great finish
to the day.
Strong winds are forecast for tomorrow (no
surprise there), so we will see what it is like and plan from there.
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