Magnetic Island and Townsville 28th July - 10th August

Gloucester Passage to Cape Upstart



We departed Abell Point anchorage at 8am and motored all the way to Gloucester Passage in calm conditions. Here we found plenty of anchored boats in Edgecumbe Bay off the Eco Resort. Most had been involved in a Lagoon (catarmaran) rendezvous here and were still in party mode. Sunday lunch at Eco Resort, under the trees, with about twenty sailing friends turned out to be a lovely way to wile away the afternoon. The resort turned on a delicious lunch for us. After an early night we were up with the birds and off to Cape Upstart for the next night. Here we had another calm night, ready for an even earlier start, 4.15am, for the trip to Horseshoe Bay on Magnetic Island. We wanted to arrive there before dark as we expected to find the bay full of anchored boats. Our fuel gauge steadily shrank as we motored all day - beautiful but costly.

One of Our Favourite Places On Earth - Magnetic Island



Someone pukled the plug out!!!!

Horseshoe Bay was as expected. Many anchored boats there. On our first night we counted about fifty. Luckily it is a large bay with plenty of room to accommodate everyone. We spent three days here walking our favourite tracks, catching up with friends and reacquainting ourselves with the beach coffee shops. Having satisfied ourselves that all was well here we thought it was time to catch up with Peter's brother and sister in Townsville, so we booked into the Breakwater Marina for four nights. This enabled us to catch up on the laundry, fill up with water and fuel and take a trip to Coles for supplies.

Clive and Virginia invited us out to Muntalunga Park for a BBQ Sunday lunch. Amanda met us at the Cotters Market and we all travelled the 30kms out there together. It was lovely to catch up with the family again. We still find it hard to realise that we won't be seeing Andrew again. He was always there to meet us, full of questions about our trip. When we are in Horseshoe Bay I often think of how much Gwyn and Andrew loved being here. There are always memories.

While in Townsville, we discussed purchasing a fridge/freezer for us to use as a freezer only, as our boat fridge is not set up to keep running continually enough to store meat safely. We ended up with a WAECO 35litre car/boat fridge that will run easily off our solar power supply. So far it is working really well and is performing as we envisaged. The boat fridge can now be dedicated to veges and fruit, drinks storage and other items that are not as touchy as meat.

The Ridge Walk to Nelly Bay

After our short stay in the marina we headed out to Horseshoe Bay again to continue our "holiday". Yesterday we walked the ridge walk to Nelly Bay, some 10kms over the range. I must be getting fit as I didn't have to rest along the way, however, my legs were letting me know they'd done some work by the time we arrived back at the boat.

The spring tides are huge at the moment. Yesterday the low tide at 1.30pm was 0.19m. It exposed the sandy mud more that either of us has ever seen in Horseshoe Bay. Peter and I didn't factor this in when we walked to Nelly Bay and when we arrived back here there was no moving our Lily the fifty or so meters to the water. We decided to explore the sandflats and see what was there. All my childhood shell fossicking with mum and dad came back to me. We came across a deep furrow in the sand and upon digging carefully discovered a beautiful Olive shell. I was elated that they are still there in the sandbanks just above the very low tide mark. Us humans have not succeeded in eliminating them all. Needless to say I put it back in the sand after admiring it's shiny, patterned home.

Very low tides in Horseshoe Bay

What a beauty!

Many of our friends from our trip up the coast, and previous years, are here as well as Ron Irons, the man who sold Olivia to us.  As expected, there is plenty of socialising, both on shore and on the boats. Some of the yachts will be leaving in a couple of days to head south again to the Whitsundays. Most of our friends are not going any further north this year. Peter and I are here until I leave to fly back to WA on the 28th August to complete a teaching job that I committed to previously. Mike Clarke, an old sailing mate of Peter's, is arriving to accompany him south to the Whitsundays on the 29th August. I expect they will have a great time - they usually do. Peter is hoping that I will come back to help him take Olivia south to Manly to the East Coast Marina, in Moreton Bay, where he wants to leave the boat for the summer. I'll see. Maybe I will, as it's a long way by himself.

Coffee with our contingent at Adele's Café, Horseshoe Bay

Pets We Know

We have met some gorgeous dogs this year on our travels. Here are a couple of them.
Tilly is in a long term dogsit relationship with Ron, previous owner of Olivia. She is gorgeous. The reason her owners have left her with Ron is that they are on a boat trip to New Caledonia and Vanuatu. Tilly does not travel well on boats, so it was decided that it was kinder to leave her at home. She still has to endure boat trips, but at least it is only to Magnetic Island in a motor boat, not a leaning sailboat. Ron is having dinner with us and Tilly is trying to pluck up courage to come down the stairs to sit on his knee. She sways as the boat rolls slightly in the swells coming into the bay. She's making me feel seasick! We try not to laugh too much. Poor Tilly!! She has such an intelligent look on her little face. I think I've fallen in love with this beautiful little dog!

Tilly, the Jack Russel

 



Ric dogsits Molly (left) and his own dog Lexie. He looks like he's had enough. These two are best friends and go nuts when they catch up.

 

Molly is from SV Chandon and belongs to Colleen and Ian. She is a Spoodle. Lexie, the Cocker Spaniel, belongs to Ric and Val from  SV Arkaydes. Lexie has the longest eye lashes imaginable. Both these gorgeous girls race around like maniacs when they meet on the shore. Lexie has the most expressive brown eyes that speak volumes. Molly is a dog that 'talks'. If you speak to her she knows and immediately comes back with an answer. As far as dogs go these three are good advertisements for owning a dog - and from me that's saying something!!!!!

(I'm a cat person) Shhhh!!!!