6 October
Great Sandy Strait to Mooloolaba
Weather conditions for this morning were forecast
to be quite calm, and there was minimal tidal flow. So, Nirvana’s Kitchen, Mix’d Nutz and
I planned leaving the anchorage shortly after 6am to cross the Wide Bay Bar and
head 60 miles south to Mooloolaba. The
other three boats decided they’re too far away to make the same crossing,
and were unhappy in any case with today's forecast of mild south easterly winds, so
are staying put.
I set my phone’s alarm for 5.30am but was screwed
by technology that isn’t as smart as it thinks it is.
It turns out that daylight saving started today in NSW. My dear phone, thinking it’s a NSW resident,
dutifully set itself forward the required hour and woke me at 5.30 NSW time – 4.30
Queensland time. I woke still feeling tired
and wondering somewhere in the back of my head why it was so dark outside. This confusion was made worse when I saw the
clock on the saloon bulkhead telling me it was 4.30. After a few more seconds the explanation came
to me, but by then I was dressed and wide awake (though tired). As a final insult, the phone obviously
figured out it wasn’t in NSW during the course of the morning and reset its
time to Queensland Standard.
After all this, I lifted my anchor 30 minutes early,
along with the others, and we made our way out across the bar. This was a far more relaxed crossing than the hair raiser I experienced coming north back in June. We had an early sou-west wind that carried us
out to Double Island Point and then the forecast sou-easter and flat seas made for
a rather enjoyable motor sail down to Mooloolaba.
We made the harbour entrance by 3pm. For dinner we walked down the road for a thai-ish
restaurant where we met up with some other Club members who now live in
Mooloolaba, Sue and Alan who own the 46 foot Beneteau Super Tramp.
Tomorrow I’ll be heading for Southport, Mix’d
Nutz will begin making its way south to Moreton Bay and Leon will await the
arrival of a friend of his to deliver Nirvana’s Kitchen back to Pittwater. We’re all going our separate ways and so, for
me, this marks the end of the Club’s cruise.
A very poignant moment.
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