MARBLE ISLAND TGO CURLEW ISLAND

Second leg of our journey to Mackay was from Marble Island to Curlew Island. As the winds had been consistently blowing from the south the swell was starting to get a bit bigger which made the sailing not as pleasant. However the consistent 15-18 knot breeze made for some good reaching at 8 knots.

We had a small drama as we were approaching Curlew Island, the jib was pushing against the halyard for the reacher, and with no warning the big head sail unfurled, not something you want to happen in 18-20 knot winds. To make matters worse the sail got wrapped around the jib so it was impossible to re-furl the sail. A few anxious moments with David on the fordeck pulling down the reacher and tying it on to the lifelines to allow us to head in Curlew Island. Luckily no damage.

 

The sail north from Shoalwater had been in company with two other boats from RPAYC. The good winds and early start meant we arrived at Curlew Island mid afternoon. The women decided to rise to the challenge of "wipping up afternoon tea". As usual they excelled in the challenge.



Even better the afternoon tea continued on to sundowners

Our second toilet challenge of the trip, the toilet in the main bathroom refused to flush. So the evening was spent pulling apart the motor to try and identify the problem. The joker valve was encrusted with build up so this was suspected to be the issue. Plan was to use the other toilets and get a replacement part in Mackay. Note no pictures of the issue are posted to keep the G rating for this blog.

We had a secure anchorage but as the wind picked up it was a restless night so we made an early start to sail up to Mackay