Saturday (12 December) after I blogged, in a break from the relentless rain, we popped out for showers and a coffee. Richard also serviced the Whale bilge pump (only accessible from the lazarette) so he spent quite some time down the hole with me passing tools as required. Eventually, after a bit of huffing and puffing, he managed to get this done and it all worked beautifully. Fantastic job!

In the evening the downpours continued and the wind picked up so, before we retired for the night, we checked all our lines yet again. The forecast is really rather bad…. Here’s the wind forecast for Sunday.

Sunday morning and it rained hard all day. The gusts of wind were significant and we were glad that we had taken time to put some extra wraps on our genoa and staysail just in case. But while Morphie was fine (as we had prepared) the boat next door wasn’t! The guy had been on board the day before but had not done anything other than put out some more (unsecured) canvas so, of course, this promptly blew off but we were able to save it. Then the support pipes that are sewn into his cockpit canvas started to come out and were threatening to launch themselves at our hull so, once again in the pouring rain, Richard climbed on board and tied these in situ so they would stay put. Later on the neighbour’s top life lines broke under the pressure of the boat being pushed onto the dock by the wind. But Richard managed to re-secure all the fenders to the lower line to save the boat bashing against the dock. Very annoying when people don’t bother to prepare adequately for this type of weather event and it was not fun to end up having to deal with it by default in the terrible conditions. It’s not as if it wasn’t forecast!

Thankfully the Coomera River didn’t flood as we were worried about the forecast King Tide and, although the docks came closer to the top of the pilings than we had seen previously there was no risk that they were going to come uncoupled.

By now it was clear that this was an exceptional weather event and we just ended up having a Netflix binge session with occasional checking outside to make sure everything was OK. The noise down below from the torrential rain was really quite loud….just thankful we didn’t get the threatened thunderstorms too!

Monday morning and it was still raining and the winds were howling. Check out the rain forecast below.

By now reports were coming in of power outages; damaged boats; flooding; landslides; exceptional surf and sea foam conditions; dams inundated; and we were just thankful that we were OK. We didn’t record the actual wind speed that came through here – 50+ knots were forecast – but some others nearby recorded 72 knots, so definitely not an insignificant event. Check out these images from various local sources of conditions here in Queensland.

Tuesday morning and the rain started to clear in the late morning. Again there was another King Tide forecast so there was some concern over the river flooding on top from heavy and significant rainfalls further inland – to the extent that some of the dams were at full capacity. We took the opportunity to dry ourselves out, get some laundry done, and do a clean up. And that was about it for the day.

Wednesday it rained for most of the day so it was another lazy one down below. In the evening we headed out to the local Chinese restaurant for dinner but sadly it wasn’t that good! Never mind it was nice to be off the boat.

Thursday and it was still raining….. I braved the elements to head to the on-site supermarket to pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables. And that was about it again for another rainy day on board. Phew getting a bit fed up of this! But we shouldn’t complain. This is cyclone season here in the South Pacific and the first major storm of the season was barrelling towards Fiji as a massive Category 5 storm so we were concerned about the impact that would have on these lovely islands and their people. So all our thoughts were with them at this difficult time.

Friday morning and it was cloudy but dry. Woo hoo! So we got ourselves cleaned up and headed over to the Intercontinental Hotel lagoon pool for the day. Was lovely, especially bobbing around in the water, although we were concerned about a helicopter that kept circling and circling around low over the river….so wondered if this was some sort of search and rescue operation. And then the relative peace was broken by a man shouting that his baby had stopped breathing and he needed a doctor. The fear and anxiety was obvious from his voice. OMG. We stayed away from the main area as people were now running around and then we saw three police cars as well as an ambulance turn up to the back of the hotel. We just prayed that the outcome was a positive one.

On the way back to Morphie we stopped off at the Tavern for a snack supper and a couple of drinks. At this point we found out that there had been a large Covid outbreak in NSW which involved community transmission. So we are now waiting to find out what the Queensland Premier’s response will be to this – already Tasmania have closed their borders completely to NSW – and the Northern Beaches area have been declared a Covid hotspot. And on top of all that our local area back home in the UK is in a Tier 3 lockdown situation and it looks like a No Deal Brexit is probably on the cards….. What a year 2020 has been for everybody – don’t think anybody will be that unhappy to bid it farewell in a couple of weeks time!

So we just want to take this opportunity to wish everybody a very Happy Christmas! We’ll be thinking of all our family and friends so many miles away and will raise a glass to you all on the day. Take care and stay safe.

Jan

Saturday morning (5 December) we had a leisurely start and then headed over to the hotel complex. We got set up by the lagoon pool and enjoyed a few hours bobbing around in the pool on these massive floating bean bag cushion things. Great fun!

We enjoyed watching the world go by and the wedding party as they walked around the lagoon perimeter towards the docks for their photo shoot with the yachts. The staff, meanwhile, were busy clearing one part of the beach for a private reception and there were some guys setting up fireworks for later. Was all very interesting. Around 5pm we headed back to Morphie stopping off at the brand-new marina residents’ shower blocks. These have just opened and are beautifully done – just a shame about the design as you need to be a bit of a contortionist to move around within the cubicles whilst getting dry LOL. We had dinner on board followed by a Netflix session.

Sunday morning we awoke to a cloudy day. I popped out to the local IGA supermarket for a fresh loaf of bread so returned with coffees from the nearest cafe.

Later on we headed over to the lagoon for the afternoon and found a couple of good beds and it was pretty cool as the wind picked up although the clouds had dispersed leaving us a beautiful blue sky. Was lovely and we had a couple of drinks in the Tavern on the way back to Morphie. We then had a dinner and movie night onboard.

Monday morning it was cloudy and drizzly on and off with thunderstorms predicted. So not a lagoon-type of day.

We decided to pickle the watermaker as we will be in a marina for the whole of December and most of January (as we are going on a road trip to see family in New South Wales) so we are unlikely to need to make water for a while. Job done we then washed Morphie down as the large numbers of swifts that fly around here had left little deposits all over the coachroof. We then installed canvas on the bow so that we could leave our cabin hatch open during the night.

Jobs done we sat in the cockpit reading and the rains got heavier and thunderstorms started to pop up all around us. We had dinner in the cockpit as it was so hot and humid and just watched and listened to the storms all around us. It was quite exciting this time as these storms circled us but didn’t get too close LOL. We saw lots of fruit bats flying home to roost for the evening too.

Tuesday morning it was cloudy and humid again with another increased CAPE forecast so we decided to stay put. The damp environment caused problems with my legs so we just stayed onboard and rested up all day. Thankfully there were no more storms.

Wednesday morning we had another lazy start. We then headed to the lagoon and had a nice time bobbing and enjoying the sun.

On the way back to the shower block we came across a cheeky parrot and a mob of kangaroos (including joeys) just munching on the hotel grass completely at home LOL. So we watched them for a while and then found another mum (with her baby inside the pouch this time) on the roundabout near the car park. Everyone just ignores them as part of the scenery but we can’t help ourselves stopping and watching for a while.

Cleaned up we wandered around the different restaurants to see what was on offer and decided that we quite fancied George’s Paragon Seafood Restaurant for the following night. We had a couple of drinks on the outside wine bar terrace before heading back to Morphie for a quiet night on board.

Thursday morning and we had another lovely pool day although, this time, we were by another swimming pool nearer the main part of the hotel as it was a bit chilly in the wind out by the lagoon. We had a lovely time.

We headed back reasonably early to get showered and then, later on, suitably dressed we headed out to the restaurant. It felt very festive being out and about at night for the first time and we enjoyed the Christmas lights in the Marina Village.

We were surprised when we got inside the restaurant – it was much bigger than it looked from the outside – and the ambience of all the Christmas lights was delightful. It felt very festive and, on top of that, the food was really good too. Was a great evening.

And, of course, on the way back to our dock I had to try out Santa’s sleigh as he had left it here for some reason LOL.

Friday morning and we were on a mission to return to the Boatworks but via dinghy. We had ordered a service kit for the Whale bilge pump from the on-side chandlery and had been informed that it had arrived so we got dink down off the davits and took ourselves the 2.7 miles up the river.

We pulled into the Boatworks and Richard went off to pick up the spares. On the way back down the river we pulled into Hope Island Marina to do a quick shop at Coles supermarket (which has a greater selection than the one on-site here) and enjoyed checking out the houses that line the river canals. On the way back to Sanctuary Cove we were being chased down by a rain cloud so quickly made it back (checking out the superyachts at the other end of the marina on the way), got unpacked, and then raised dink back onto the davits before the heavens opened.

And that was it for the day….it rained….it poured….and it rained some more….

The rain never let up all night and it is still raining now (Saturday morning). We have checked our dock lines and have put out a couple of additional ones. The forecast for the next few days is absolutely horrendous as a low front pushes onshore bringing with it up to 50 knots of wind. So looks like we’ll be staying down below for the next few days and keeping abreast with the Brexit news as it develops to its final conclusion this weekend (hopefully!).

Stay safe everyone and look after each other. Bye for now

Jan

Saturday (28 November) and Sunday we were out and about utilising the Boatworks courtesy car. So, in no particular order, we both had GP appointments; then the chemist so that we would have a month’s supply of our medication on board; we visited a couple of malls, supermarkets, butchers and a bottle shop to get our Christmas supplies; we got some cash; and even got a gas bottle refilled. All this was achieved in 35^oC heat and high humidity which was completely draining. Everywhere we went was absolutely rammed with people; we had to drive constantly around car parks looking for people leaving so that we could find a space; and even Santa was out and about with his helpers. Phew glad to say that our tasks were completed successfully and we were happy that, apart from fresh fruit and vegetables, we were now ready for Christmas onboard.

Monday we stripped the beds and headed off to the laundry. Unfortunately other people had the same idea so we had to wait for some machines to become available. So we sat it out in the air-conditioned environment of the cruisers’ lounge and downloaded lots of things from Netflix to watch for when we are offline. While the downloads chugged along we caught up online with various boring administrative type things. And that was it for most of the day – eventually we were back on board with all our clean laundry folded and stowed. By now the wind had clocked to a south easterly direction and was blowing 25 knots. So very breezy in the cockpit and, thankfully, this meant that it was a bit cooler all round. And then the skies cleared and gave us a spectacular view of the full moon.

Tuesday we had a car again for a couple of hours just to pick up fruit and vegetables. Once back on board we swapped out our docklines for others as these were salt-encrusted so put them in buckets of diluted fabric conditioner to soak and soften them up. We topped up the water tank and found a (temporary) home for the old anchor onboard. Annoyingly the manual bilge pump (in the cockpit) decided to fail at this point so Richard rushed off to order a repair kit (thinking it is probably the diaphragm) which should be arriving in the next week or so (and we can always do a dinghy trip back up the river to the Boatworks to collect it from the chandlery when it arrives). At least they sell Whale pumps here in Australia so no problems in sourcing the kit we need. And apart from that we had a quiet day on board.

Wednesday morning we had breakfast in the Galley and then returned to Morphie for a leisurely day of cleaning and tidying down below. Then we just chilled out until later when David (the main barista from the Galley) came to visit for a short while with his young family – it was really nice to be social for an hour or so over nibbles and drinks (although I of course forgot to take a photo!)…..

After they left I spent a lot of time thinking about Caroline’s family as the time of the funeral approached in the UK. Thankfully the local florist had done a really great job so, although I could not be there, at least they knew that we were supporting them from a distance. Best message received was during the night to let me know that they were now down the pub celebrating her life with a glass or two of prosecco! Caroline would definitely have approved.

Thursday morning we awoke to grey clouds and a bit of drizzle. We got ourselves ready and, at 10.30 (high tide) we said our farewells before casting off to meander down the river towards Sanctuary Cove Marina. It was a huge distance of almost three miles LOL.

On arrival the dockmaster came out to assist us into our berth and we got ourselves tied up and then headed into the office to complete the formalities. And we were given a bag of swag – how nice is that!?! Whilst there they were talking about a carol concert on the lawn of the on-site Intercontinental Hotel that evening and they immediately added us to the guest list. What great service!

We then went for a walk around the huge marina village complex enjoying the splendid views of our very large neighbours and the lagoon-style pool at the Intercontinental Hotel which we have access to as part of our berth fee. We are at the far end of A dock….could be a bit closer to the amenities but who cares?!? Was very hot and steamy out with high humidity making the temperature feel a lot worse.

Anyway, back on board, we had an early dinner, showered, then headed out to the hotel lawn for the carols (which was being filmed and streamed elsewhere in the complex). Not sure what we were expecting but everyone had taken their picnics and chairs/tables with them and we just turned up empty handed. Doh!! Deciding not to sit on the grass for the whole event Richard bravely walked back to Morphie to collect our new beach chairs and we then settled down in comfort to watch the show. It was very family orientated. It was lots of fun to watch the kids get so excited, especially when Santa and Rudolph joined the show, although the best cheering was definitely for the free candy canes LOL. Not all the carols were ones we’d heard before but obviously were crowd favourites if the singing and dancing going on amongst the audience was anything to go by.

Because it was so dark the decorated buggy parade (with most of them lit up like Christmas trees) was fun to watch but difficult to capture on film. Never mind, was a great evening.

At the end of the evening, we enjoyed checking out all the boats lit up on our way back to our berth. This was definitely a good start to our time here in Sanctuary Cove and it might even feel a bit like Christmas!

This morning, Friday, and I’m blogging while Richard is chilling. We are not allowed to work on our boat here (and actually had to get special permission to be allowed to liveaboard) so this is going to be the theme for the month LOL. This afternoon we will probably catch some rays by the beautiful lagoon pool. Definitely a nice place to settle down and read a book or two….so looking forward to that.

Take care everybody at home and look after each other. Bye for now

Jan

Friday morning (20 November) we had breakfast at the on-site cafe in the East Coast Marina before settling our bill and casting off towards Sandhills, an anchorage on Moreton Island. We have been waiting patiently for a particular weather window to visit this place so were delighted that, finally, the conditions were perfect. It was flat calm as we headed over there and got a really good anchor set in sand on arrival. Amazing views of the dunes and back towards Brisbane. We just enjoyed being back out on the hook again. We were even treated to a flypast during the late afternoon followed by an amazing sunset. It doesn’t get much better than this!

Saturday morning it was flat calm again and we were up early to see the sunrise.

We then took ourselves off on a little dinghy exploration and spotted a small eagle ray and a bin-sized southern stingray on our travels. We pulled up on the beach (which is full of tread marks as people drive along here and get stuck often LOL) and even enjoyed a bobbing session in the shallow beautiful waters.

Afterwards we headed over to Big Sandhills, deciding against climbing the dunes despite more hardy folks giving it a go, and enjoyed the scenery. Heading back towards Morphie we then poodled along the coast to the Small Sandhills and checked them out too. Had been a lovely day.

Sunday morning, as the wind was clocking north, we headed back across to Peel Island and had a nice four hour run checking out all the birds who sit quite happily on the channel markers.

We hung at the back of the fleet looking for deeper sand and got a good anchor set. The weather then started closing in on us and the fetch picked up so we decided not to go ashore. We were surrounded by lots of boats out for the day and, as they left, they were replaced by liveaboards looking for shelter in the strengthening winds. Despite the conditions and the inevitable rocking and rolling we had a good night’s sleep.

Monday morning the weather forecast had deteriorated again….sigh…..so we decided to head back towards the Canaipa passage to get some shelter from the wind. There was a small craft advisory for increasing winds and uncomfortable short-interval swells so being back in the river made a lot of sense. For the first time in a long while the wind was coming from the right direction and the sun was out so we had an absolutely amazing sail south to the entrance to the Canaipa Passage although was quite upset to see our neighbour from Peel (who had left the previous afternoon) stranded in the middle of the sandbanks. Not sure how he missed the well-buoyed channels and ended up there…..

Arriving in Canaipa – now motoring into the winding river system – the wind continued to howl and we carried on towards another favourite anchorage the Huts. But when we got there it was too exposed to the choppy conditions so we decided to continue on to Tipplers. This change of plan brought with it some challenges as we were now on a falling tide and some of the channels are pretty shallow – we saw less than 1ft under the keel at one point! We also saw another yacht stuck in the mud along our route and Facebook lit up with sad stories of groundings and rescues in the area so obviously lots of people had been caught out.

Thankfully we were able to get a good position in the Tipplers anchorage and a solid set in mud (with lots of scope out) and hoped for the best in the 30 knot winds and higher gusts that continued to blow through. We didn’t want to leave Morphie alone so decided not to go ashore….

During the evening I received the terrible news that Caroline, a special friend for 40 years, had succumbed in her long battle with cancer. This was not completely unexpected as we were in constant contact but it still hit me hard. Here is one of my favourite pictures of us both at The Ritz enjoying afternoon tea in January this year when we had a long girlie weekend in London to celebrate my 60th birthday. RIP Caroline you will be sadly missed but the amazing memories of our times together will live on forever.

Tuesday morning and the strong wind warnings persisted along with an increased CAPE (thunderstorms). So we decided to return a couple of days earlier than planned to the Boatworks. As we headed up the Coomera river the winds died and we wondered what was going on but, of course, the minute we got near our berth we were hit with 25 knots of breeze which made docking a bit exciting! We were relieved to be back tied up safely. During the afternoon the clouds built and the sky darkened until eventually the storms appeared – pretty dramatic lightning strikes and thunder – so we were, once again, grateful to be surrounded by much bigger masts LOL.

Wednesday morning we awoke to a cloudy and gloomy day. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the Galley, being welcomed ‘home’ by the staff. After breakfast we headed to the on-site chandlery as we had decided to bite the bullet and purchase a Rocna anchor. Although our Lewmar Delta anchor was still in good condition and had served us well for many years throughout our travels, here in Queensland we had struggled to find good holding when we came across any sort of vegetation on the bottom and had dragged a few times. So the time was right. We looked at the sizing guide for the Rocna and purchased a 25kg version just hoping that it would fit neatly on the bow sprit and the anchor rollers. So, it was purchased, and they delivered it to our dock. We prepared the chain for it’s arrival by chopping off the last two links as they are showing signs of wear. If you are wondering why we are using the generator rather than shore power to do this job, it’s because our tools (along with Morphie) are all American 110V so would not work using the 220V sockets on the dock.

Then we dropped the Delta into the water and pulled it across to the dock, unshackled it (this will be stored in one of the lazarettes just in case we ever need another anchor attached for storm conditions), shackled the Rocna up and pulled it onto the bow. And, thankfully, it fitted nicely and obviously Morpheus has had an early Christmas present. Doesn’t she look smart?

Our other spare anchor will be donated to a new home as we already have another of this type in the lazarette for when we use two anchors together (bow and stern) to hold us straight….seems a shame to dispose of it but we can’t store everything we take off otherwise we’ll need to raise Morphie’s waterline because of all the weight she is carrying LOL.

Thursday we spent a quiet day on board getting on with some administrative things making use of the good internet service. And that was about it although I did pop out for a short while for my latest physio appointment – he was very impressed with my progress and my hip is certainly giving me less grief after his intervention. So very happy with this.

Oh yes and the temperature was 33 degrees C during the day and a severe heatwave is forecast this weekend. Phew….might be spending some time in the air-conditioned cruisers’ lounge at this rate!

Today, Friday, we plan more of the same. We have a car booked for the weekend so will being doing the usual things like provisioning and propane refills. We will stay here in Boatworks until Thursday when we will move down the river to Sanctuary Cove marina where we plan to spend Christmas and New Year.

The best news this week, though, was that the borders between Queensland and New South Wales have finally opened so we are actively making plans to visit my nephew and his family in January during the school holidays. It is hard to believe that we have been in Australia since March but have been unable to see them until this point. So we have lots of things to look forward.

Take care everyone at home as you come out of lockdown and then have to cope with the new Covid Tier arrangements being put in place. Stay safe and look after each other.

Bye for now

Jan

Tuesday afternoon (10 November) we headed over to the beach at Tipplers and enjoyed a few hours in the sun trying out our new beach gear. Was lovely to relax in this great spot. Whilst we were there we spotted this boat come in with a crowd of people on which seemed quite late in the afternoon for people to be arriving.

Later on, back on board, and we realised that it was actually a wedding party. They decided to have some photos on the jetty so we had a great view from Morphie as we sat enjoying sundowners. Even the wallabies decided to come out to say hi.

After dinner and a movie night we headed to bed to be woken up by some loud bangs and we realised that there was a firework show, so we got up and enjoyed watching that too. Must have been quite some party from the noise that was emanating from the land LOL. We didn’t actually hear the boat come back to pick them all up as we were sound asleep again by then.

Wednesday morning we got up really early and headed out towards Peel Island as the wind was going north. We went a slightly different route this time using the tide to take us through Jacob Wells and then up past Russell Island. It was beautiful and calm along the route.

We weren’t able to ride the tide the whole time as it swirls around through the river systems and so our speed was not consistent but we made the anchorage at Peel in good time having covered a very chilly and cloudy 25 miles. During the passage we observed a two minute silence at 11 am (on 11th November) in remembrance of those that had gone before.

When we arrived it was pretty windy and with choppy seas so we didn’t go ashore and just had a quiet afternoon and evening on board once we were happy that we had a good anchor set.

Thursday morning and the weather forecast had changed yet again….sigh…. The wind was howling and the fetch was significant and it really wasn’t that inviting to go ashore to the beach. So we stayed put for the day. Checking out the forecast for the following week and, on seeing the enhanced CAPE (which equals a thunderstorm risk) we decided to try to get into a marina on Friday. We are really fed up with the weather pushing us around like this with such short bursts of good weather inbetween some pretty horrible stuff! We phoned and were lucky to get the last available berth in the East Coast Marina – phew! So we had a leisurely day and evening on board rocking and rolling in the wind.

Friday morning we weighed anchor early and headed across to Manly where the East Coast Marina is located. We enjoyed checking out the wildlife and fellow sailors along the way. It was pretty grey and choppy out there.

On arrival we secured Morphie then got her washed down and cleaned up.

We then headed to the office to check-in, we got ourselves cleaned up in the shower blocks, and then headed into Cafe le Mer for a delicious brunch. By the time we returned to Morphie it was cloudy and had started raining….and the thunderstorms turned up in the evening…so we sat in the cockpit watching it all happen around us.

Saturday morning and it was really hot and steamy. Richard decided not to waste the time on the dock sitting around so he swapped out the Raritan toilet unit for a new one we had in our stores along with new seals etc.

While he was swearing and cursing the small area he was working in I headed out to the shops for some shopping. Later on we headed out to the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron for a few drinks on their deck. We had a nice time, returned to Morphie for dinner, just in time before the heavens opened.

Sunday morning it was very hot and still but this time with a beautiful blue sky. It did make us wonder what we were doing sitting here in the marina yet again. Richard kept himself busy this time refurbishing the old Raritan head unit with new seals etc so we have another working spare.

Later on the clouds started building during the afternoon and started to threaten but the storms circled us this time. The main focus of the whole day was keeping cool!

Monday morning we decided it was time to get off the boat. So we went for a walk on a blisteringly hot day (30 degrees plus) to Wynnum. We did stop along the way a few times to admire some pretty crabs.

As we walked the promenade we were very surprised by the strength of the wind away from the marina and the white caps out in the bay. Arriving at Wynnum we checked out the sea-fed lagoon and the pier.

Then we headed over to the Pelican’s Nest Cafe for a late lunch of fish and chips (naughty but nice).

Full up we strolled back to Manly village admiring the pretty trees and birds along the way.

Overall we did over 5kms which, for me, is quite a lot! We then had a couple of drinks in the Harbour Bar at the village tavern before we returned to Morphie for a quiet night on board.

Tuesday morning the wind was howling (clocking over 30 knots here in the marina) and the chop was enough to get the marina docks wet. There were storms all around with the occasional rain squall but no really close encounters with thunder and lightning. So a day for resting and relaxing down below, especially to recover from the long walk the day before.

Wednesday the wind continued to howl although there was no rain associated this time. So we were happy to be staying put for another day or so. We made the best use of the facilities so did some laundry and downloaded more Netflix stuff to be watched offline when we go back on the hook. And that was about it for the day.

This morning, Thursday, and we have just checked the weather again. It looks like we are going to have a nice few days to return to Peel (and actually spend some time on the beach perhaps) tomorrow and then the weather gets nasty again on Tuesday with strong thunderstorms and high winds forecast yet again. So a very short window or what!?! We were due to return to the Boatworks on Thursday anyway for my next physio appointment so we’ll probably see if we can return sooner than planned to avoid this nasty stuff heading our way, yet again. Weather is certainly very unpredictable here in Queensland at this time of year.

Anyway, hope you are all coping OK with the latest lockdown. Sending lots of virtual hugs and love to all our family and friends. Bye for now

Jan

Wednesday (4 November) the wind continued to howl through the Boatworks. So we got busy giving Morphie some love….so washed and waxed the topsides and finished off the stainless steel cleaning. Pretty tired after that so we had a quiet night onboard.

Thursday we worked hard again, this time washing and waxing the hull (including by dinghy on the port side). Phew….but she is certainly looking lovely!

In the afternoon I took myself off to the shopping mall for some beauty salon pampering which was a real treat. We also checked out where Calagorm had been relocated to so we could send David and Hella a picture of her in storage. We then had a nice afternoon and evening sitting in the cockpit before being chased below by the wind chill.

Friday morning and it was another cloudy and windy day. But we remained focussed and this time it was the cockpit that got some washing and waxing love. Felt great to have got Morphie all clean and tidy again. This was followed up by another quiet night on board.

Saturday morning after a leisurely start we drove up the M1 towards Brisbane. First stop of the day was the Yatala Pie Shop. This famous place is pretty historic and has been absolutely rammed whenever we have driven past. So we decided it really was time to try it out. It was so busy with both in-house diners and drive-through cars that although we managed to get parked up we had to eat our goodies in the car. Never mind, it was pretty nice, and definitely a big treat for Richard who has been actively avoiding pies now for over six months! Guess one a year won’t hurt….

Then we continued north to the Daisy Hill nature reserve and park. We enjoyed checking out the beautiful area which, as is common with most public spaces in Australia, had cloakrooms and BBQ areas dotted around the vast acreage. We particularly loved seeing the kookaburra up close foraging for food, was not so keen on the ant nests or the over-sized spiders hanging between ferns.

After our walk we headed to the koala sanctuary and enjoyed watching these little critters sleeping safe and sound in their enclosures. These are all rescue animals and many of them are infertile due to complications with chlamydia (which is a common problem amongst the wild population) so will not be released back into the wild. But they have a gorgeous spot with huge windows looking out over a wild eucalyptus forest so I’m sure they are pretty happy with their lot! No cuddling this time sadly….

Leaving Daisy Hill behind we headed back down the motorway towards Oxenford and to Richard’s favourite shop, Bunnings. A weekend with a car would not be complete without at least one visit LOL.

Anyway, this time we were on a mission. We wanted some cheap beach chairs and a new insulated soft cooler for taking ashore to the beach with us. Mission accomplished we turned around to return to the Boatworks and popped into the Gold Coast City Marina for a drink at their over-the-water bar.

But there was no-one around, it remained cloudy and chilly, so we quickly moved on and returned to Morpheus for another quiet night on board.

Sunday morning we put our clothes into the washers and then headed back to the Galley. It was pretty busy – Sunday is always their busiest day of the week it would appear – and so we were pleased that we’d reserved a table.

We had a really nice breakfast before returning to the cruisers’ lounge so that we could multi-task with downloading more Netflix productions to watch off line once we leave the marina again. Plus I was on the search for more insurance products – this time it was house insurance under the spotlight…

All done we returned to Morpheus and Richard stayed behind to clean down below whilst I headed out to the shops for some last minute shopping. I returned to a lovely clean boat and, when everything was stowed away, we had a quiet evening down below.

Monday morning we were up early, returned the courtesy car to the office, and headed down the river away from the Boatworks again.

First stop was Tipplers and, by the time we arrived, the cloudy day had turned into a rainy one and I got pretty wet deploying the anchor from the bow. Luckily we got a good set pretty quickly and we spent the rest of the afternoon in the cockpit. It was pretty chilly so we had to dig out those fleeces again… Thankfully we had a very peaceful night on anchor.

This morning, Tuesday, and I’m blogging whilst Richard is relaxing and checking out the anchorage. What a difference a day makes eh?!? The plan is to stay here another night and providing the sun stays out and it warms up later we’ll be heading to the beach. Really looking forward to it…..

Tomorrow is the 11th November so we’ll be taking a few minutes to commemorate all those that gave their lives so that we can live ours in freedom.

As the wind is turning north tomorrow we will probably make the 25 mile or so run up to Peel Island for a few days. The weekend forecast, however, is for more thunderstorms so we’ll have to watch that closely and run for cover again if necessary. But that’s a decision for another day.

Blanket lockdown restrictions have been imposed at home in the UK again, so we really hope everyone is coping. We do worry about you all. Bye for now.

Jan

Tuesday (27 October) we were having a lazy day on board when, in the afternoon, the heavens opened and there was thunder and lightning all around us (again). And it rained, rained and then rained some more. But we were secure in our anchor spot at Tipplers whilst we watched this military plane circle around us numerous times. All very curious. Was a stormy sort of sky as the sun started to sink.

Wednesday morning the forecast continued to predict more storms. But it was lovely and bright out so we hoped they had got it wrong (which wouldn’t be the first time). During the morning the physio cancelled my Thursday afternoon appointment and offered one the following week. Well, this just drives me nuts as we are returning to the Boatworks specifically for this appointment. So I fixed a doctor’s appointment instead as I wanted to talk to him about the outcome from the hospital referral to see if this would inform our decision about our future plans.

In the afternoon having enjoyed a brief dolphin visit we spent a few hours at the cafe enjoying a couple of drinks and, of course, saying hello to the resident wallabies. But the skies darkened ominously so we returned swiftly to Morphie and got ourselves ready for more storms. They rolled in and around us again for most of the evening until about 9pm when we thought they were done so headed to bed.

Come midnight the anchor alarm went off and we realised we were rapidly heading backwards towards the beach which had become a lee shore in the storm that was raging around us. We dressed as quickly as possible, Richard started the engine, I turned on the instruments and whilst he was motoring away from the beach (with the lowest depth sound being 0.1 of a foot) I rushed forward and picked up the anchor whilst getting a good soaking from the torrential rain and the assault on my senses from the thunder and lightning. We manoeuvred out from the beach and dropped the hook again. We got a good set and put out loads of scope just to make sure. We sat in the cockpit (soaked through) and realised that we had just missed the jetski anchored off the beach and had certainly woken up the campers as they were out there with torches – they probably heard our engine really close to them. Phew, what a nightmare. We think the severe and sudden wind gust from the other direction had broken our anchor out of the mud which then didn’t get a chance to reset. That was really close!!! We got dried off and huddled up in warm clothes in the cockpit as we sat anchor watch the rest of the night.

Thursday morning we were up early and returned with the tide through the river system to the Boatworks in Coomera. We were quite relieved to be tied to a dock yet again. We got ourselves secure and settled and then took to our beds for a few hours to recover from the previous night’s ordeal. At 4pm I picked up the courtesy car and headed to see the GP. Well, it was an interesting chat. He said the hospital outpatient staff are “parrots” unable to deviate from the worst-case scenario script. He had never, in his experience, had anyone wait as long as they suggested I might have to. He thought there was a chance I could see a consultant early next year. He also expressed concerns that Richard should not be exposed to Covid by going home due to his current ‘vulnerable’ status. I still believe he is being a tad optimistic on the hip but another curve ball or what?!? On my return to Morpheus we both sat in the cockpit and discussed all our options whilst reviewing the information from home. We decided to wait until the latest announcement about lockdown in the UK before making our final decision.

Friday morning we spent a few hours in the laundry which took longer than expected as a couple of machines decided to misbehave. We downloaded some more Netflix programmes to watch off line and then I delved into the annual insurance renewals. By this time the imminent lockdown at home had been leaked to the press so this just confirmed our decision to stay put. No point going home if we are just going to end up locked down and unable to visit family and friends. Of course, this decision, makes a difference to the insurance policies as they are generated around our time abroad. So I emailed the insurers and awaited their response.

The boat insurance was done quickly and easily including full cyclone coverage (as the season here is defined as 1 December to 31 March) so that was good. Thank you Admiral. The travel insurance, however, was a different kettle of fish. They were excluding Richard for anything heart related, as expected, but I wanted some clarification on some other important elements. They confirmed this exclusion covered air / sea / land ambulatory services, repatriation, and even death benefit. So basically Richard would be uninsured unless he had another injury / illness which would be treated here in Australia free of charge anyway under the Medicare system. They also excluded me for arthritis generally (not just my hip which was expected) so that leaves me exposed too. Damn, that’s just not worth having, especially for the premium they want us to pay. So I started the hunt for an alternative provider and, in the meantime, joined the Southport VMR (Volunteer Marine Rescue) which, for an annual membership fee, provides free local sea rescue / towing services.

In the late afternoon we joined Hella and David on Calagorm for sundowners and we had a lovely social evening. You don’t realise how big their boat is until you see it up there on blocks!

Saturday morning the forecast was for more storms and high winds so we doubled up on our dock lines before heading out to Garage 25 for their Caffeine Gasoline monthly event. We sat on the deck and watched all the comings and goings and had some breakfast being joined by Hella and David. Was such fun to see all the cars (and bikes) plus to explore the private car museum again too. So for all you petrol heads out there enjoy the pictures!

We then went out shopping including to Richard’s favourite wet fish shop in Labrador. We also had to visit three butchers for me to be able to purchase some liver and gammon steaks. Neither of these are readily available here so it must be a British thing LOL. Anyway, as we were driving around the storm clouds were bubbling up and we received a text message on our phone which said:

Emergency. VERY DANGEROUS STORMS. Likely impact Woodbridge, Beenleigh, Southport, Coomera. Giant Hail. Destructive Winds. Seek Shelter.

What?!? Definitely time to head back. Richard drove us quickly up the motorway as the skies just got darker and darker and the rain started falling. By the time we got back to the Boatworks it was pouring down so we quickly unloaded our goodies and got back onboard Morpheus. Thankfully we made it just in time before the full force of the storm was felt. Whilst we were unpacking the rain picked up and started blowing horizontally across the cockpit and into the saloon. We saw gusts of 50 knots. Then the hailstones started – luckily they were only pea sized and not the giant ones forecast – but the noise as they hit the boat was horrendous. We were really worried we were going to sustain some damage. The water was boiling around us and it was just so intense. Have never ever experienced anything like that before and not sure I want to do it again! Just thankful that we were in the marina and not having to cope with this on anchor too.

Check out the damage to roofs, solar panels and cars from giant hail only a couple of miles away from us inland. OMG! When the worst had passed we did a quick inspection and were relieved that we had no damage. Phew! Dodged a bullet that’s for sure.

Sunday morning and it was bright and sunny so we had breakfast in the cockpit before we headed back out to the shops for the things that we didn’t get the day before when our trip had been curtailed. We then tidied and rested up before we entertained Hella and David on board Morpheus for the evening. Another fun night was had by all and we enjoyed watching the rising of the full moon (with no howling)…..

Monday morning and the wind was stronger than forecast at 30 knots although it was bright and sunny. The forecast was now pretty grim for the rest of the week so we extended our stay here in the Boatworks which means that we now have time to give Morphie some love. Richard cleaned out the engine compartment and then picked up the new in-water pump and waterproof switch from the chandlery to create and install a new anchor wash down system. I started cleaning the stainless. After a busy day we had a quiet night on board feeling quite shattered from the physical exertion in the heat of the day.

This morning, Tuesday, and I blogged while Richard relaxed. At noon we went and picked up a courtesy UTE and drove around to Calagorm on the hard. We then drove Hella and David to the train station for them to catch their flight to Sydney and onwards to the UK. Was sad to see them go as we had enjoyed their company and who knows how long it will be before the borders reopen and they can return to their boat.

Our family and friends are about to endure another lengthy lockdown at home, so please take care everybody and stay safe. Sending lots of love and virtual hugs to you all. Bye for now

Jan

Tuesday afternoon (20 October) we walked into Manly Harbour Village to check out the facilities and did a bit of shopping. We encountered these very skittish birds along the promenade strutting their stuff and then went and checked out the local pool. It’s certainly very pretty around the streets with all the trees in flower right now.

Back on board we applied online for a renewal of our Australian Control Permit (due to expire end October) and within a couple of hours the new one was issued so Morpheus is legal here now until end October 2021. So that was great news.

Then we got the disappointing news. I was told by my doctor and physio to keep phoning the hospital to find out the status of the referral regularly. I was informed that I had been put on the non-urgent list meaning they could offer me a consultant’s appointment in two year’s time (at the earliest) which would then be followed by around another year of waiting time on the elective surgery list. I was really upset and definitely did not expect that. The GP had indicated that the scan results necessitated urgent attention and he was going to try to escalate me up the list. His view was that it would definitely be less than 12 months. So I guess my ‘visitor’ status must have been the final decider rather than the severity of the problem. I have to say, we do feel like we’ve been led astray a little bit. So the bottom line is that I’ll have to get this fixed at home. The dilemma is when?!? Lots of variables we need to get our heads around. Should we abandon Morphie without a known return date as international borders are closed until around the end of 2021 (although gives lots of time to organise surgery and recuperation)? Return home to a Covid lockdown which means we can’t even see friends and family? How long will it be before my mobility is restricted to the extent that living on the boat becomes difficult? We need to get our heads around all this and will let you know what we decide, so watch this space!

Anyway, moving on, the weather was very windy and cold, so we were happy to be tucked up securely in the marina and enjoyed a quiet night on board.

Wednesday morning it was a nice day but severe thunderstorms were now being forecast for Friday onwards. So we decided to stay in the marina where we would be protected / surrounded by lots of tall masts LOL. Thunderstorms here in Australia are powerful often with large damaging hail and very strong winds so definitely shouldn’t be underestimated. Anyway, decision made we decided to start trouble shooting the Balmar charging system which appears to have developed gremlins in recent months. We first attached the Gateway to the system so we could download updated firmware to the battery monitor. That’s worked perfectly in the past but, this time, the iPad couldn’t connect via bluetooth to the Gateway. So we thought maybe it was an Apple bug so we downloaded the app to an android phone and tried again. Again wouldn’t connect. So we just had to reset all the values and alarms on the monitor and see what would happen with that and, thankfully, it worked. But the loss of ability to download updates is annoying and these pieces of kit are not inexpensive, so we have sent an email to Balmar to see if they can advise what to do next. We purchased these pieces of equipment quite soon after their release onto the market so we do wonder whether the early units have bugs that have since been ironed out by further developments. Never mind, it works for now, fingers crossed it will continue to do so.

In the afternoon we went for a walk and watched some of the boats out racing in the bay before returning back for a quiet night on board. It rained really heavily overnight.

Thursday the rain started to clear but then clouded over and rained again. The batteries were struggling with very little solar gain and we kept tripping the breaker on the dock (which took out all the posts) so we didn’t want to plug into shore power and upset our neighbours. In the end, we just decided to run the engine to top up the batteries later in the afternoon. Then the heavens opened and we had a thunderstorm all around us although it never really threatened to come too close. So we just relaxed down below for the day.

Friday was another miserable cloudy day with a fickle wind and a bit chilly so we lazed around most of the day. But we did manage to fix the wind generator monitor – woo hoo! Annoying though that it had taken this long to get the information for a factory reset from the manufacturer’s helpline and, having gone through the manual cover to cover, I can assure you the required sequence of pushing buttons doesn’t appear anywhere! Later on it warmed up – was such a nice evening so we had both sundowners and dinner in the cockpit.

Saturday morning we were a bit more industrious filling up with water; flushing the watermaker; scrubbing the walls in the heads; defrosted the freezer; and then took ourselves off to the marina cafe for coffee enjoying their over-the-water dock. Whilst there we used the marina wifi to download some more things to watch offline later. Quite like the lighthouse type lights here in the marina too – guess they might be original sea markers or something.

When we got back we had a charging fest as the wind generator was keeping our batteries topped up nicely. We had planned a trip into the village but check out this storm coming! So we got overtaken by events when the heavens opened and we had thunderstorms around us yet again. Thankfully no hailstones again. So we ended up with another quiet evening on board.

Sunday it looked like it was going to be a nice day. Sadly, the freezer problem had not gone away – sometimes it gets too iced up and the restricted airflow around the plates causes problems with it staying at temperature, so defrosting is often all that is needed to be done. Sadly that hadn’t worked! So Richard put some more gas into the system to give it a boost. We then had a nice breakfast in the cockpit and, as it remained dry, we decided to head off to the village’s Irish Pub for a late lunch.

So we were sitting on an outside table on the pavement when the sky went black, so we moved to another table with a bit more cover and the heavens opened. OMG the rain was biblical so we quickly moved inside for cover.

The thunderstorm was very close and the noise from the thunder was teeth chattering with the powerful lightning strikes something to be in awe of. Richard thought it was exciting I thought it was just simply terrifying! Anyway, we sat and had a couple more drinks waiting for the rain to ease, before we quickly headed back to Morphie with our fingers crossed that she had fared OK. Thankfully she was, phew! Lightning strikes on a yacht is something to be feared, that’s for sure.

Monday morning and it was time to leave. We had breakfast in the cafe then slipped away around 10am dodging this strange tug / barge combination en route.

We arrived at the Huts anchorage at noon and it was peaceful and calm with nobody else there. So we had a lovely afternoon and early evening in the cockpit before the bugs drove us below.

This morning, Tuesday, and we picked up anchor early so by 6.45 am we were underway to head to Tipplers, our final destination before heading back to The Boatworks on Thursday. The wind was howling and it certainly wasn’t a nice day to be out on the water although the pelicans didn’t seem to mind too much. Even the sand dunes looked a bit miserable in the gloomy morning light.

We had our anchor down by 9.30 am and, unusually, there was nobody here. So we picked our spot and had breakfast in the cockpit listening to the weather forecast. Again there is a thunderstorm warning but not as severe as being shared yesterday. We have just had a dolphin visit, which was nice, although sadly they didn’t stay around to play. Not sure we’ll go ashore today as it is so miserable so fingers crossed for a nice day tomorrow!

So not a lot happening really just more curveballs to contend with not least the weather here in Queensland. Thought this was supposed to be the Sunshine Coast LOL. Anyway, bye for now folks, please take care and stay safe. Thinking of you all.

Jan

Tuesday morning (13 October) it was a bit chilly as the wind was picking up so we just had a lazy day on board watching the comings and goings in the Tipplers anchorage. Overnight there was really heavy rain.

Wednesday it was cold, cloudy and raining hard most of the day so we just kept ourselves warm down below reading and relaxing.

Thursday morning – Richard’s 63rd birthday – we woke to a brilliant bright and sunny day. Yay! So incredibly grateful that he survived his heart attack in April and that he has recovered so well. So lots of things to be thankful for on this special day. We had a lazy morning and then went into Tipplers’ Cafe for a late lunch.

We enjoying watching the birds stealing leftovers and more wallaby encounters. One of them was very keen to chat to me – thought he was going to kiss me at some point – obviously made a friend here LOL.

And, of course, there is always a naughty one amongst them…. The staff certainly have their work cut out trying to clear tables before the critters move in LOL.

Afterwards Richard dinghied back to Morpheus for supplies while I found a nice spot on the beach. We enjoyed a couple of beers on the beach for a few hours before returning to sit on the coachroof and enjoy watching the sunset. It was so warm we even spent the whole evening in the cockpit which was lovely. Had been a great day.

Friday morning we were up very early and weighed anchor to head to the Huts anchorage up the Canaipa passage. As before it was serene and even the bugs weren’t biting this time. We had a quiet and peaceful night.

Saturday morning we weighed anchor but as we moved towards the channel the autopilot decided to get stuck in ‘auto’. After some manic pressing of buttons to disengage it we turned around and dropped the anchor again. A complete reboot of the whole navigation system and it was working fine – not sure why it threw a wobbly – but thankful that it appeared to just be a glitch. So off we headed again towards Peel Island which was very busy so we anchored at the back of the fleet and got a good set. Calagorm were already there and heading out to the beach in their dinghy so they came by and we made arrangements for sundowners later. At 5pm Hella and David came on board and we had great fun, was so lovely to catch up with them again.

Sunday morning the forecast continued to threaten strong northerly winds and there was a strong wind warning in place. We were experiencing a bit of fetch in our position so, as the boats thinned out, we decided to move closer in. But not before we had watched this catamaran drag swiftly through the anchorage thankfully not hitting anyone else while the person left on board just stood there. Then suddenly a dinghy came zooming out from the beach and the captain climbed back on board, started the engine, picked up the anchor and reset elsewhere. Was surprised that the skipper would leave someone on board that didn’t even know how to start the engine or respond to the VHF.

After all this excitement we picked up and moved closer to the beach. We couldn’t get set initially and it took a couple of attempts before we were happy. But at 3pm, without any warning, the anchor let go and we dragged so we had to start all over again. At this point we decided not to go ashore or to join Calagorm for sundowners – very sad about that – but it didn’t feel prudent to leave Morphie especially as there was a strong wind warning again although at this point it wasn’t too bad. So we just waved and messaged David and Hella on Calagorm sitting alongside us while we waited for the wind to arrive.

We sat in the cockpit waiting for the wind and, of course, it didn’t materialise when forecast. By 9pm it was blowing strongly and we were holding steady but still felt unsettled by what had happened early. So we decided to stay up and anchor watch… The winds did get quite gusty during the night and there was a huge thunder and lightning storm south of us. Of course these storms meant that the wind direction changed so a few times we turned around and nodded into the fetch….but, thankfully, we held firm and there was enough swinging room for everyone to stay apart. We snoozed in the cockpit and watched the show….including lots of people illuminating their decks and checking anchors….so guess not that many people slept well either.

Monday morning we checked the weather and, again, another strong wind warning but this time from the SE which would mean running back into the river system for shelter. We really wanted to avoid that as we will be doing that on our return to the Boatworks later in the month. So we waved Calagorm off as they picked up and we debated what to do. As I mentioned earlier, we are checking out marinas here in the Moreton Bay area to see whether they would be suitable for cyclone season so Richard decided we’d try out East Coast Marina in Manly for a couple of days. The biggest advantage is, of course, that it is not prone to flooding which the river-based marinas are. They were happy to accommodate us, we found the marina map online so we could identify where we were heading, and then worked our way towards Manly….we even got the sails out at one point! There were nice cloud formations over the mainland along the way.

We found the entrance to the marinas (there are three of them here behind the breakwater) and worked our way to our slip where there was a guy waiting to assist us. We made it in, despite the 18 knot breeze pushing us off, and got tied up. The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron marina is across the way which is full of more expensive boats – we are definitely in the cheap seats here LOL. But for a few nights who cares?!?

Once we were happy we got ourselves cleaned up and went to the office to check in. All sorted and, at this point, we realised that the dock hand had actually been the manager. Wow, that was generous of him to help us! We paid up for a couple of days and gathered the information about monthly stays. Although the monthly fee looks reasonable (just a tad more expensive than back down the river) they wack on a $62 a week liveaboard fee so it quickly becomes a much more expensive option and, of course, quite a distance from our medical appointments. So perhaps not for us for longer stays but certainly a nice place for a few days here and there when we feel the need for a break from being chased from anchorage to anchorage by the constantly changing weather. Speaking of weather the storm chasers here in Queensland are predicting the next couple of weeks of significant thunderstorms and heavy rain so looks like it could be fun!!

We left the office and walked through the most stunning canopy of flowers that cover the walkway to the main road. The smell was absolutely beautiful.

We then wandered down to Manly Harbour Village enjoying the sights from the foreshore along the way. We had a coffee and then went to the small IGA supermarket for some fresh provisions…. We wandered back and stowed our goodies then took the opportunity to flush the watermaker and fill up our water tank and then wash all the salt off Morphie. She looked so much better afterwards…..

We then had a quiet evening and an early night to catch up on our sleep. Of course, the strong winds forecast disappeared during the evening leaving a flat calm night.

This morning, Tuesday, and I’ve been up early to avail myselves of the facilities. The small shower and toilet block is exceptionally clean and well maintained – was quite impressed – particularly as this marina seems to house a lot of liveaboards and was busy with people getting ready for work. Back on board and Richard is still in bed while I’m blogging. Not sure what we are going to do later but I think another walk back into the village might be on the cards.

So bye for now and take care everybody. The news from home is awful we know that we are very lucky to be out here but do worry for you all. Please take care and stay safe.

Jan

Monday (5 October) and we decided not to move on as it was a Bank Holiday and this anchorage was serene and beautiful away from all the madness. Only downside was the amount of sand fleas that managed to bite us LOL.

Tuesday morning we weighed anchor and headed back through the myriad of channels and islands past the (not navigable) Jumpinpin Bar which separates North and South Stradbroke islands. And on the beach was this couple from one of the anchored boats – guess they just want to be alone?!?

Got a great spot in the Tipplers anchorage well away from the narrow channel. We went ashore and had a couple of drinks in the licensed cafe and, of course, said hello to our Wallaby friends once again. And then the day was rounded off by another lovely sunset.

Wednesday we stayed put at Tipplers. First thing in the morning, however, we spotted something odd with our charging system. The Balmar controller said 0% State of Charge! What the hell??? So we checked the DC panel and it said that the house bank was sitting at 12.4 volts and the engine battery was at 13 volts. Didn’t make any sense and we definitely had concerns as our batteries are AGMs which have a memory – if they get depleted too far they never fully charge again. So we needed to get on top of this. Before doing anything, however, we decided to test the actual batteries themselves directly. Thankfully they were both in the 13 volt range (which is fine) but both monitors were going crazy. We decided to link all batteries together just in case there was some problem somewhere we couldn’t identify. We then went through the schematic and found fuses associated with the DC volt meter so we pulled it, cleaned it, and reinstated it. Low and behold the problem was fixed. Yay….

Leaving that behind we had a lovely afternoon on the beach watching over Morphie in the anchorage. And we both had a beer – yes Richard decided he fancied one – over six months after his heart attack – and he enjoyed a couple with no adverse effects although he is obviously limiting his intake.

Was fun to watch all the comings and goings although, thankfully, it was pretty quiet. Some great boats moving around though, check this one out, do you reckon he wants to be a tug boat when he grows up!?!

Had been an emotional day for me as it would have been Mum’s 90th birthday but we raised a glass in her honour so I know she would have smiled down on us that day. We made friends with the solitary duck in the anchorage and then finished the day by sitting on the coachroof as the sun went down.

Thursday morning, very early, we were up and started to weigh anchor. We have rigged a submersible pump in the anchor locker that I throw over the side to give me wash down facilities….but this morning, I turned on the power, and nothing! Damn….never mind….back to the old fashioned method of bucket and chuck it until we manage to purchase a new one.

As the chain started to come up there was something strange about the way it behaved and when I got the anchor to the bow I found out why! Was very surprised to find an old water heater firmly attached and wrapped around the anchor. What drongo (Australian for idiot) would dump something like this in such a beautiful anchorage?!? Anyway, I took the helm and left Richard battling to untangle it as we worked our way very slowly out into the channel. Eventually, covered in nasty black mud, he got it off and dropped it back in the drink in the channel so at least nobody else was going to get their anchor caught up in it. Yuck!

We then meandered up the river system to return to the Boatworks. You can see our little trips around the area by checking out our tracker (which shows our current position at Tipplers).

By 10am we were back in our normal slip and quickly got Morphie hosed down and cleaned up, even emptying the anchor locker again to clean up all that nasty mud we had managed to pick up in the morning. We then got ourselves cleaned up and enjoyed a leisurely afternoon in the cockpit enjoying the sight of Boatie McBoatFace (not it’s real name of course) coming up the river. What a fun vessel, it even has a hot tub on its top deck, but don’t reckon it would fare too well in a strong wind!

At 4pm I picked up the courtesy car and headed off to the physio. This time he was much more personable than before (guess he must have had a bad day last time LOL) and gave me some different exercises when I explained the difficulties I had had after our last session. Fingers crossed….. He also was OK with a three week break before the next session so, hurrah, we can head off back out sailing on Monday once we have done the rest of our chores.

Friday we were going to be busy but made time for a leisurely breakfast in The Galley first…that’s always a treat when we return to the marina. Richard filled the water tank, topped up the diesel tank, and some general cleaning (including the bilge) whilst I did computer stuff (largely finishing off and submitting our travel insurance claim in relation to out-of-pocket expenses when Richard had his heart attack with fingers crossed for a speedy and painless resolution). We had lots of laundry to do so (making the most of the numerous machines) so spent some time doing that and taking refuge in the cruisers lounge utilising the Boatworks high speed internet. Managed to download some things to watch off line and also updated all our apps etc. In the evening, it was lovely and warm, so we enjoyed a couple of cold beers in the cockpit before retiring down below for dinner.

Saturday morning we were up pretty early. We had compiled a shopping list and set off on a mission to Oxenford. First stop was BCF where we stocked up on some strong Bushman bug spray to deal with the pesky biting midges! We also got a propane fill and some petrol for dink. Then it was off to the main village centre and we picked up some items in the pharmacy; some meat from the butcher and I got my hair cut whilst Richard started the Woolworths shop in my absence. I caught up with him in the aisles, we completed the shopping, and then came back to Morphie and spend a while stowing it all away again. We then had a leisurely and quiet evening on board.

Sunday morning and again we headed out to the shops – this time to Coles in Coomera – to finish off the shopping list for fresh fruit and vegetables. Heading back to the marina we popped into The Galley for a coffee then back onboard and stashed all our goodies. Then it was just a range of normal boat jobs to be done prior to heading out again the following day like engine checks, water top up etc. We are also checking the weather closely and deciding where to go. Strong winds and the risk of thunderstorms later in the week are forecast right now but that will probably change on a daily basis… We had a quiet night onboard.

This morning, Monday, we were up early and returned the car keys to the marina office. We then got ourselves cleaned up and ready and, by 8.15 am, we were slipping away from the marina and was underway down the river. At 11.05 we had our anchor down at Tipplers and here we stay. At 11.40 I finally had a telephone appointment with the dietician so that was another thing ticked off my list. So Richard is now relaxing in the cockpit while I’m down below blogging. Both of us are glad to be back out on anchor once again.

News from home is pretty grim and we hope you don’t all get locked down again. Please stay safe everyone and take care. Sending virtual hugs your way. Bye for now

Jan