Start Loc: Horseshoe Bay, Magnetic Island (19o 06.78'S, 146o 51.68'E)
Narrative: It was calm overnight which continued into this morning. The kids decided that rather than go for a swim they would prefer to water ski, so after bacon and eggs for breakfast we put the 15hp on the dinghy and got the ski gear out. They both did amazingly well and by the end of the session they were both turning easily and crossing the wake.
By the time we had washed down the ski gear, put the dinghy back on the davits and got ready to sail, it was 12:03pm when we raised the anchor. We motored out of Horseshoe Bay, around The Point and east past Radical Bay. The wind was NE at about 10kts, so as we passed Orchard Rock on the NE corner of the Island, we set full sail and turned the motor off. We sailed SSW on a broad reach down the east side of Magnetic Island, paralleling the shipping channel and dodging all the commercial and private traffic coming and going from Nelly Bay, as well as all the small craft out and about fishing.
It was a good sail into the breakwater and we tied up at the fuel wharf at 2:10pm. Heather and the kids went to the marina office to check in while I refueled.
Refuelled: 57.70L @ 165.0c/L = $95.21
Economy since 29 Nov: 57.70L for 26 hr 33 min = 2.17L/hr
Economy overall: 482.67L for 251 hr 12 min = 1.92L/hr
The economy for this period is a bit higher than average as expected due to all the motoring into wind we have done since Port Douglas. That said, the overall impression is not one of having beaten into wind for days on end, so it hasn't been too bad.
We moved from the fuel wharf around to our marina berth and spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning. The whole boat got a good scrub down, we flushed the outboards, and we washed the salt out all the lifelines and stay swages, the furling drum and the winches. The cockpit also got a good scrub and the whole boat sparkles again.
We will spend a couple of days in Townsville and restock provisions. We are yet to decide exactly where to from here, but I am thinking of a long haul past Cape Bowling Green and Cape Upstart to Gloucester Island off Bowen (a passage of about 110nm) before heading back into the Whitsundays. Alternatively, if the weather is right we could go straight from Townsville to Bait Reef or to Hook Island which are both about 135nm from Townsville. We'll see what the forecast is when we leave.
End Loc: Breakwater Marina, Townsville (19o 15.16'S, 146o 49.43'E)
Distance run: 13nm (cumulative: 2248nm)
Engine hours: 1 hr, 13 min (cumulative: 55 hr, 45 min)