Emergency stop

We ran out of fundamental food items such as flour, onions and ice cream (amongst other things). We left our quiet and peaceful anchorage this morning, but not without spotting a “dingo”, wild dogs living on Fraser Island.

We sailed against the current for 15 miles but the wind and flat seas made the trip quit pleasant.

Who named the place where we are now? No idea, what a strange name: “Tin Can Bay”!.

We are waiting for favorable conditions to go through the famous Wide Bay bar. It is apparently very notorious with the locals. You have to plan very carefully this passage as it is 3 miles of a very narrow channel with large breaking cross swells. You have to be in contact with the local coast guard before, during and after your crossing. Few boats were lost or flipped here so we prefer to wait to have a better swell than what’s now out there (3m).

Bricolage à bord

Victor: aujourd’hui j’ai fini mon "chef d’œuvre". Ça a pris longtemps, mais je suis content.

Cléa : J’ai aussi travaillé sur mon bateau.

Toujours a Fraser Island

A nouveau une petite navigation au pres, mais cette fois-ci avec mer plate...ce qui change tout ! Et Merlin en profite pour faire des pointes a 10 nds.

Mouillage a Kingfisher Bay ou les enfants (re)decouvrent les mysteres des marees et s’amusent des centaines de petits crabes qui viennent effectuer une etrange danse presque sous nos pieds.

Jamais banal et toujours special

On profite a nouveau de la plage que seuls les oiseaux semblent s’etre appropries: petit footing, collection de coquillages, et baignade dans une eau claire mais que les enfants trouvent tres fraiche (24 deg !).

Platypus Maximus

We left yesterday at 3am to try to escape the strong S-SE winds (30knt+) forecasted to reach Fraser Island, 45 miles away.  The winds had a different idea. It blew “only” up to 25 knot and early in the morning but from E-SE… just on our nose. So under the rain and with bumpy seas, we started a tacking training session, with a counter current of 1 knot, and ended up doing 70 miles, arriving at 3pm. We are anchored in Platypus Bay, in front of a very long white sand beach that we’ll go and explore before the next rain arrive.