Thank you to everyone who has been following the Blog it has been fun writing it and putting in the pictures. It was good to know people were reading it and we hope you got some sense of the fun we had this year on the trip. To those of you thinking about doing it, stop thinking about it and get cracking you will not regret it. To those of you who just read it – thanks and we hope you enjoyed it.

Yes, I have been tardy –as a number of you have so sagely pointed out we can’t still be 25 NM from Sydney or Immigration have caught up with us ! We are home. We came through the Heads about 0945 on Monday 7 December and managed to get the 11.30 Spit Bridge opening to have the boat back on the mooring by about midday. Then the “small” job of unloading – god we have a lot of crap aboard. It took most of the rest of the day to unload and get the boat in some sort of shape to be back in Sydney. We are home – that means shops and more bloody shops – we have spent eternity in Bunnings and Chatswoo trying to get the Xmas shopping done. Back to earth with a thump!! So the upshot of all this is pretty simple really. We have had a ball. The places, the people the boats have all been great fun, exciting and interesting, and yes we would do it again. The big question is when would we do it again? I have to also acknowledge Phlat Chat’s Admiral, Chris she has been wonderful in everything she has done on the trip. We would not have made it past Pittwater without her help. I am hugely indebted to her for this (as well as all the other stuff over the last 34 years!!). Stay tuned for more adventures. Here endith the lesson !!!

Well, we are now 25 nm from Sydney Heads. We have travelled through the night with Jim helping us, for which we are most grateful. We are lucky with the wind, while it has now died off to 6 knots we had 15-20 NE all night so it really pushed us long. We hope to be in the heads by lunch time today. The forecast is for NE today but a nasty 30 knot Southerly tomorrow – so we made the right decision to get cracking when we left Laurieton yesterday rather than wait.

Today is a lovely day, we are in Laurieton a lovely little town just south of Port Macquarie resting after two nights at sea. It is also our 34th wedding anniversary today. We left the Gold Coast after 10 days at the Marina Oceanus, which I would recommend to anyone. It was great, very central and the team running it are delightful, thanks “Rooster” and Chris. Our friend Jim Sinclair, from the CCC flew up to help us do the overnight passages, as did James our son. We left on Thursday evening from the Gold Coast to head south. The first night was a bit of a slog, but we made it (a few of the crew did try to berley up some fish for us but as we had no lines out their sacrifice was wasted). Friday was lovely, a nice 15+ knot Northerly breeze and we got a good distance. The night time was a bit different, the odd storm cell, lightening, 30knots but mostly behind us. We got through the storms unscathed, some others were not so lucky with some gear damage reported and I think one lightening strike. We decided to pull into Laurieton to have a break from night sailing and a southerly was forecast and as we all know, “gentlemen do not go to windward”! Also James has work commitments so we needed to ship home faster than 20knots from the south would allow. So we will have a break and head off to sea again on Monday, and hopefully Monday night and Tuesday will see us home.

A quiet day today for us only a few jobs but we are crossing a few things off the list. One of the challenges of marina life especially in a Super Yacht Marina is the passing traffic and today we had to put up with the people in the three photos in this post – and yes it is a challenge but I am coping. Fresh prawns for dinner tonight and then next week we get set to head south to Sydney.

I think I got it pretty right we did knock off about 5.30 yesterday but we still seem to have plenty to do. Had a nice meal up in marina area tonight and early to bed as it has been another busy day. We never seem to get to the end of the damn list! Tomorrow is a day of rest !!!! (well one can hope) .

First happy 30th to Andrew Howie, our godson, I hope you are a good boy at this party Andrew and behave as your Godfather would behave! We are still on the Gold Coast having had the dinghy attended to by Swift who have been a bit tardy but with Chris on their case and a helpful sales guy, Roy we seem to have made them see sense and the dinghy looks like it is in better shape now. We have also been up to our armpits in boat jobs (why are there sooooo many !?). Wednesday and Thursday we had both bow watertight compartments open so we could check them and tighten and seal screw / bolt holes. What a job, fortunately for me Chris was small enough to fit in while I am just too round to fit in the tight spots so Chris got the rough end of the deal. We think we have sealed it up and today is a layday with only 5 hours of work scheduled instead of the usual 12-13. We purchased some fresh prawns and bugs straight on the trawler yesterday and had them for dinner – yum they were great. The weather is OK now but a big blow is coming so we have decided to wait it out in the Gold Coast. We are both now keen to get home but we must be disciplined and wait until the weather is right. So hopefully we will be home in 10 days or so. Then we have the “pleasure” of unpacking, and getting the boat back into Sydney shape.

We are in the Gold Coast. We came from Peel Island via the narrow and shallow channels on a rising tide. We had no trouble with depth but did need to keep our wits about us. I don’t know if the twits who drive the big Stink Boats get their lobotomy free with the boat or they have the operation before but Jesus they’re stupid. One goose came past in a narrow part of the channel about 5 metres away in a big Rivera kicking up about a one metre wave. Shook the crap out of us – the man is an idiot and should have his boat confiscated. We came down the Broadwater to be confronted with every boat under the sun – there were boats everywhere and only every tenth person had a clue. It was mayhem. After the peace we have enjoyed further north we were like the kids from the bush. There is something about the Gold Coast that attracts the flash and the gaudy. These idiots come past 10m away waving and smiling and knock the crap out of you. However we are in a nice marina in the main part of town and it is not too pricy. There are restaurants and shops near by so Mother is happy. We have a few boat jobs and hope to out of here nest week for the run home to Sydney. We had a lovely day today with Rob and Steph and Rob’s Mum and Dad and brother, John and wife Fran. We took Rob’s boat from Southport to Hope Island, and had a picnic lunch on the way. It was great to catch up with nearly all the Howie clan. Rob’s Mum and Dad are in fine form and we had a great day.

We have been busy bees the last few days. Finally the wind has swung to the north, yeah! Since last time we have been holed up at Gary’s Anchorage in a very strong and usually NW which confused everyone. Great lightening show that night but the thunderstorms did not Passover us luckily. After a couple of days at Gary’s and a final dinner with Synergy and Tacks Z Evasion we parted company on Wednesday morning, them to head for Tin Can Bay and “home” and us to Pelican Point to be ready to cross Wide Bay Bar early Thursday morning. Thursday dawned with a light easterly breeze and a pretty quiet bar, yeah! We got up at 0430 and had the anchor up at 0500. Off to the Bar. It was a bit lumpy in the stretch they call “The Mad Mile” but other than that it was a perfect gentleman. We made great time and arrived at Mooloolaba River Entrance about 1430. We were getting low on fuel as we have bloody driven from Mackay, so we fuelled up and dropped the pick in the “Duck Pond”, dinner at a little Thai place on the wharf – all good. Up at 0430 the next morning (this getting up at 0430 better not be habit forming!) to make a dash for Peel Island at the southern end of Moreton Bay. We are now anchored up at Peel and will head toward the Gold Coast tomorrow. Chris caught a good Spanish Mackerel on the way today so more fresh fish – but don’t they make a HUGE mess.

Well we left Bundaberg at 0600 (yes a sleep in!) on Sunday to cross Hervey Bay and into the Great Sandy Straits. It was another windless morning, so the engines got another work out. Slowly through the morning a bit of breeze came in but only 4 knots and the sea was glassy – so we had a flat ride. About 11-12 the breeze started to fill in and we were able to sail – yeah!!. We had been trolling for time and we hooked a nice big Spanish Mackerel which was great to fight as we brought it in but 2 metres from the back of the boat it threw the lure and escaped – it was a great fight and we have fish to eat so can’t complain. By 1300 we were sailing along nicely and planned to stop at Big Woody Island for the night but as there was a bit of west in the breeze it was not going to work. We then headed for Kingfisher – too rolly so we kept going to South White Cliffs (Yankee Jacks) That was the best sail of the day! 15-20 knots on a reach and we were doing over 8 knots. Anchored up in here for the night and moving on to Pelican Point to be ready for Wide Bay Bar, which now looks like Wednesday not Tuesday.

We have escaped Pancake Creek, leaving at 0430 in the morning to make the long, long run to Bundaberg. So, now we are up at 0500 and Sunday typing this blog in the Burnett River (upon which sits Bundaberg) this early start must be catching. The trip to Bundie was another drive……..only had wind in the last 2 hours – the winds have been so contrary this trip. We did have some fun fishing. We caught a very large Mackerel Tuna – took me 30 minutes to land it and my shoulders are stiff this morning. Unfortunately they are lousy eating. A couple of hours later we landed a nice 80cm+ Spanish Mackerel , and they are GOOD eating. So that’s dinner fro a couple of days. Today we drive (again) to Fraser Island (maybe wind later today) where we will spend a few days before positioning ourselves for Wide Bay Bar, the trickiest bar on the coast. We will wait for near perfect conditions for that sucker! We are still travelling in company, but from Bundaberg some people are going there separate ways. It has been a great few weeks with these people and Chris and I are very grateful for their company, advice and easy friendship.