Jen, You're a lunatic, but Glenn, you are the luckiest bloke in Australia.

Rosslyn Bay: Keppel Bay Marina. We are in the tropical waters now and are getting used to the extremes of high and low tides. This ramp was level when we went shopping. That's Glenn at the bottom of the ramp.

The down-hill run in life.

We only meant to stay at Keppel Bay for a day or two. The electrical fire and repairs changed all of that. Strong winds have pinned us here for eight days now! The great thing about our trip is that there really isn't any plan. We can just go with the flow. Luckily for us our prolonged stay (and potential boredom) was eased by the discovery of the Capricorn Cruising Yacht Club. The club house is really an old portable workers shack with verandas, umbrellas and atmosphere galore. While we were there it was abuzz with friends, old and new swapping stories. (As a matter of fact we needed to stay in tonight to have a rest). A big highlight for Glenn was the Friday night special: Steak BBQ and dessert for $10 dollars. (Homemade fruit trifle and two scoops of ice cream). The German beers were a give-a-way at $2.50 each.

What? Sundowners again!!!!!!(another great "selfie" of Glenn)

Sundowners is a yachtie' tradition. Cruising yachties are generally anchored and relaxing by sunset. When in a marina they tend to seek out a common area to exchange "whale tales" and nautical advise. There is always much discussion about the up coming weather. The veranda of the CCYC became our base. The group organised a BBQ and music as a farewell event prior to the predicted weather improvement. (wrong again!). 'Bravado' with Steve and Ines from Melbourne;......'Ocean Child' from Tasmania has been called home by Dennis and Jenny for 6 years now;......catamaran 'Simba' is solo sailed by Ray from Wollongong and heading south;...... 'Windsong' has completed the "Hamilton races week" and is heading south to Melbourne with John and Jimmy wearing their team polos;..... 'Ceol Mor' with Stephanie and Duncan (Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra members) and their neighbour John, all from Kettering in Tasmania; two other catamarans that keep crossing our path are 'Tribal' and 'Plum Loco', and finally ..... 'Roger Ram Jet', a catarmaran built by Stevo and heading south to Mooloolaba with his crew Mal.

Stevo just happens to be Glenn's long lost friend from his Mooloolaba Garage Band days. They were a bit rusty together but their guitars really added atmosphere to the lively gathering.

Musician scraping off the rust.

Overlooking the marina.

What do yachties do in daylight hours while waiting for unfavourable weather to pass? Maintenance of course. Glenn often sprouts that "Cruising is just boat repair in exotic locations " . However by the look of the people we meet it is also a good way to stay fit and flexible....yoga anyone?

The easy style of catamaran repairs.

Our elderly and ambitious marina neighbour.

Rosslyn Bay is well serviced by buses travelling into Yeppoon shopping area. It is all very convenient, economical and well used. Why was Bundaberg so awkward? Lots of cruisers there missed the last bus run at mid afternoon and had to pay a taxi fare of $48 to return. Today we travelled in comfort (ie: someone else navigating the bus) to Emu Park to visit "The Singing Ship". This is a musical sculpture set on a small cliff looking out to sea. Utilising the ever-present sea breezes, it hums when air flows through the pipes and strings. Different speeds create different notes. Glenn was not impressed, partly because he couldn't sing along but also because he had just been swooped by a nesting plover protecting it's eggs. (I warned him).

Coastal harmonics enjoyed by some.

Tomorrow we hope to be out of the marina and sailing to either the Keppel Islands or Pearl Bay. Each yacht crew reads the weather and sails according to their vessels abilities. Staggered departure days will no doubt lead to heated discussions at destinations in other yacht clubs along the east coast of Australia.

Note: It is now very easy to leave comments for us. It is no longer necessary to subscribe to the blog. We like to get your feedback.

Thanks: Jen and Glenn of ST3.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy