Gypsy Cruising

20 September

Airlie Beach to Cid Harbour

Viv arrived in town yesterday, a refugee from the horrible weather Sydney has been having recently.  Up here it’s warm, sunny and beautiful.  The afternoon was spent in the usual final arrangements – provisioning, stowing and getting prepared for the coming couple of weeks living on a boat.

This morning started early for me – awake at 4.30 so that I could get an engine service done.  The last one took over six hours and left me exhausted, but the many advantages of doing the work in the Airlie Beach marina outweighed all the misgivings I had.  So, I began pumping oil out of the engine on the dot of 5am, and had two fuel filters, an oil filter, a raw water pump impellor and engine and gear box oil all replaced before 9.  Next time should be faster (hah! next time I think I’ll ask a mechanic to do it, and not give myself such a workout).  Disposing of the old oil, filters, rags and assorted garbage rounded out the job.  Next was a walk into town to pick up some shirts, then a top up of the water and fuel tanks, and we were out of the marina by 12.30.  I guess I was already exhausted, and a trip to Sorrentos Bar on the marina would have probably been more attractive if anyone had asked me.

The Coral Sea Marina fuel wharf

My original plans of making a solid southward jump on the first day clearly didn’t materialise.  Instead we made a very straightforward crossing to Cid Harbour for what would be my final night in the Whitsunday Passage on this cruise.  I was able to drop the anchor on precisely the same spot I’ve used so many previous times on this cruise.  I’ve visited here with David and Anne, Celeste, John, Mike and Susan and now Viv.  So, a nice way to end my wonderful time in the Whitsundays in 2019, finally feeling I’ve become part of the place I fell in love with 33 years ago.

This guy swam past us, less than a metre off our stern