Hanse 400e

Hanse 400e

Friday, June 9, 2017

On to Bundaberg

Friday 9th June 2017

Only a short sail toady, we pulled up the anchor at around 7.45am, and headed out in the direction of Hervey Bay, and of course Bundaberg. It is another very still and misty morning, with fog still coming off the water as we leave.



The forecast is for 10-15 knots from the SW, so we hopefully rig the code zero for what could be a great sail to Bundaberg,  and after motor sailing past the tip of Big Woody Island we were under sail, and enjoyed a few hours of nice flat water, light breeze (around 8- 10 knots) sailing, moving along at a comfortable 6-7 knots on a beam reach.



Sadly the wind slowly dropped resulting n the motor being needed to keep a reasonable pace to get to Bundaberg before dark.

Eventually, the sails came down and we motored the balance of the trip, arriving at the harbour entrance at around 4 pm. There are big tidal ranges at the moment and we are arriving only 2 hours after the low tide, so are not really sure what to expect.

As we approach the leads, we see that our American co-cruisers from a few days ago, Scintilla, have reappeared on the AIS, and also appear to be headed for the Bundaberg Port Marina, where we have a berth booked. They are a few miles ahead of us, so maybe we will finally meet them at the marina.

Our berth allocation is a bit of a shocker, we have been here before and we have been given the berth next to the one we had to plough our way into last visit 2 years ago. It is also on the ocean side of the marina and very exposed to tide and wind exposure. Nevertheless we got in comfortably, despite the shallow water alarm on the depth sounder.

Once tied up it was a rush up to the office, which closes at 4.30pm, to get our access key, after which we settled in to drink in the cockpit and to take in the serenity.


The view from our cockpit isn't too bad

Wondering what happened to Scintilla, it was soon apparent that they only came in to get fuel, and have anchored just off the eastern end of the marina, no doubt saving a few $$. It is possible they are planning an early escape in the morning.


Scintilla anchored just off the marina


For us, we have some shopping to do, a bit of laundry, and a bit of a rest before heading further North, maybe on Sunday.

Had a very nice BBQ on board for dinner.


A quiet evening at the marina



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