Bundy to the Gold Coast

Once we had left the Bundaberg river we pretty well had to motor our way down to Yankee Jack creek, an anchorage off the west coast of Fraser Island. The water did not look inviting to swim in, so we just cooked dinner and watched a movie before an early bed, as we would be up again the next morning by 5, to get through the shallow sandy straits at high tide. After picking up our anchor we headed towards the straits, following a way behind Oceana and with Songlines, Ooroo and Wind of Change not too far behind us.

We navigated easily with plenty of water under our keels for the trip and anchored in Pelican bay, close to the wide bay bar that separated Hervey Bay waters from the coral sea. We spent the afternoon going for a walk along the beach and watching the ferry move 4WD's and motorbikes back and forth from the mainland to Fraser Island. Over the course of the day about 10 more boats joined us in the anchorage, clearly with the same plan in mind, to cross the bar the next morning.

Early Friday morning we crossed the very calm wide bay bar, along with most of the boats in the anchorage. The VHF radio chatter was ongoing, with all vessels contacting the local marine rescue and logging on for the day. The idea is that you log on when going out in your boat, so that someone knows where you are, where you're going and what time you plan to get there. If you don't log off, the marine rescue tries to call you and will send out the water police if you don't respond. It's not mandatory but it's nice to know someone is expecting you and if anything goes wrong, the response time is pretty quick.

Dolphin watch

Once we had crossed the bar we set our course for Moreton Island, off Brisbane. After a couple of hours and a weather and tides update, we decided to alter our plans and pull in at Mooloolaba. We had initially hoped to stop there to catch up with family, but changed our minds given our time frame. Then as we were sailing south, we realised that it was a possible option so we changed our course slightly and would arrive in Mooloolaba marina by mid afternoon. Yet again, where we go is totally dependent on the weather and tides. We crossed the bar entrance into Mooloolaba marina just before high tide and made our way into our berth.

After a quick ship-shape we headed out to the surf club to meet up with Bron, Paul, Tom and Alec for dinner. Another wonderful family reunion was had and they loaned us one of their cars so we could visit them again the next day. Very glad they did as when we woke up the next morning it was pouring rain, so catching the bus would have been a real drag. We drove up to Bron and Paul's around lunch time and spent the day with them. H and J had a great time with Alec and Toms's nerf guns. They had nerf wars all afternoon, occasionally spraying us with the foam bullets. After dinner we hugged goodbye and they decided they would drive down and meet us at Scarborough to collect their car keys, as Alec and Tom could use the extra hours of driving. Both on their L's, they have to complete 120 hours of driving before they can get their licence.

Early Sunday morning we crossed the bar and headed away from the coast a bit as we surfed up and down the waves. Lucky for the kids, they all slept through it, as it wasn't the most pleasant start to our day. Once we were away from the shore the wave height lessened and we set our course for Scarborough marina near Redcliffe. There were a few ships as we made our way down the coast - staying just outside of the shipping channel. We had to motor some of the way given we were heading directly upwind, but then had an excellent sail as we made our way across Moreton bay to Scarborough. After we tied up, Bron, Paul and the boys found us and we enjoyed having them on the boat for the afternoon.

After saying goodbye to the family, we helped our mates on Kena tie up and relaxed with a beer. All the kids were excited to see each other and looked forward to hanging out tomorrow, after school work was finished. Tuesday morning we welcomed Ooroo and Songlines to Scarborough and arranged to have dinner together that night. Along with Kena, we enjoyed fish and chips at Morgan's, glad that the rain held off as we ate outside.

Richard, the manager at Scarborough Marina was one of the main reasons that we stopped in here, he was supportive of all the rally boats, even traveling to Noumea for one of the presentations! Great work Richard, we all love the t-shirts and caps!

P picked up a hire car on Wednesday morning and headed off to get groceries to prepare for our visitors. Then in the afternoon, H and P drove out to the airport to pick up Linda, Xavi and Raf. We were very excited to have friends come and stay, hoping they enjoy our boat as much as we do. Once back on the boat, ground rules were set, dinner was eaten and the plan made to check out the next morning. H, J, Xavi and Raf were up before 5am, hopefully this wasn't going to be the norm for the next 5 days! Thankfully it wasn't, as we made sure their curtains were closed each night, which helped them to sleep til almost 7am, a much more reasonable time to get up! After a quick chat with Richard, who runs Scarborough marina, and saying goodbye to Ooroo, Songlines and Kena, we untied our lines and motored out of the marina. Our destination was to be the Sandhills on Moreton island. A bit of motoring, and a bit of sailing on a superb day, and we anchored just after lunch.

The afternoon was spent on the beach, walking up the sand hills and then flying down on the boogie boards! It was great fun and we all had a go. J seemed to be the fastest, even beating G as they raced down the dunes. Then the kids threw sand balls at each other before we made them rinse off so they could get back on the boat.

Friday morning G cooked breakfast for everyone as it was P's birthday, and then we picked up our anchor and headed towards Dunwich, on North Stradbroke island. Tying up on the pontoon in front of The Little Ship Club, we were in time for P’s birthday lunch.

In the afternoon Linda and P took E, H, J and Xavi on a bus trip across the island. Point lookout was the end of the road and we all got off to do the gorge walk. North Stradbroke is not somewhere we've ever been, but the beaches and water looked beautiful and well worth a visit. Most likely a popular holiday destination for those living in Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The boardwalk went around the edge of the cliffs and the kids delighted in spotting eagle rays and turtles way down below us in the water. There were also kangaroos beside the track munching on the grass and were not phased by the 4 kids running around near them.

After our walk we caught the bus back to the club and enjoyed a BBQ for dinner while the kids played soccer on the grassed area.

The next morning we made our way to Millionaires row, an anchorage on the North end of South Stradbroke Island. We sailed while we could and then motored through the more difficult part of the channel. As we wound our way past several boats on moorings we couldn't help notice that some had not been cared for and we saw quite a few boats had sunk, and been left to waste. Crossing under some HV power lines had our Captain a tad nervous..

By early afternoon we had anchored and G dropped the kids on the beach to play. H and Xavi paddled over on the SUP, getting carried swiftly by the current. G stayed close by in the dinghy as H expertly paddled them both safely to the beach.

Sunday morning we headed to Southport Yacht Club. The waterways were very busy with fishing boats, sailing boats, super yachts and jet skis all out and about for the weekend. The weather had been divine over the past few days, with lovely sunshine and warmth.

Once tied up at the marina G, Linda and P checked in and enjoyed a nice cold beer while the kids watched a movie in the boys cabin. Then it was beach time, so piled up with boogie boards and sunscreen, we made our way across to the surf beach. All of us enjoyed splashing in the waves and the kids especially loved body surfing and using the boogie boards to surf the waves right up to the sand. We enjoyed a lovely dinner at the yacht club together as the next morning we would farewell our guests.

Monday morning we waved Linda, Xavi and Raf goodbye as they headed to the station in their Uber, ensuring they would arrive in Brisbane in time to catch their plane home. It's been so good to catch up with our friends and we look forward to seeing them again when we return to Melbourne. Ro and Hans came to visit in the afternoon as Ro was going to join us on our passage to Port Stephens the next day. NSW here we come!