And we're off.... Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Mon 26 Apr 2010 20:08
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26:41.173S 153:07.677E
On the 17th of April, we finally got off the dock
and went sailing. Season 3 has officially begun. Good thing too
because the Scarborough Marina was starting to feel a little bit too much like
home - and a little bit too much like a trailer park. We're certain the
boat is happy about our departure too. Harmonie
emits a subtle joyful vibe when she rides the waves under a fair
bit of sail. I don't think anyone else can feel it, but we
can. Underneath that blank fiberglass exterior, there is a
smile brewing when the wind is up and the sails are balanced just so.
All good for the boat, but our more than brisk thirty-five mile sail
north up the coast to Mooloolaba gave my stomach a little bit of a twirl.
It's amazing how five months of land travel can kill a sturdy pair of sea
legs. Speaking of legs, Don's first sail went without a hitch. Using
his recovering foot and ankle to balance when we were heeled was a test of
the healing process. So far, so good.
For the most part, there were no
calamities during our first sail of the season. Yes, it rained almost
the whole time, and yes there was thunder and lightening a little too close for
comfort sometimes, and yes there was an oil leak in the engine room, and
yes one of the bilges near the bow filled part-way with sea water because the
bow thruster was not in its full and upright position, but really, for the most
part, it was fine. All that minor stuff just makes us that much more
appreciative when we land somewhere at the end of the day. This day we
landed at the Mooloolaba Marina. It was an easy landing because we had
already scoped out the approach and the marina by land when we visited the
bustling Mooloolaba with Jackie and Michael the week before.
The two nights we spent in the Mooloolaba Marina
were uneventful. Don fixed the oil leak and put a temporary fix in place
for the bow thruster (to be addressed later in a calm anchorage). He
then walked, yes walked, with me to town to pick up a few groceries.
This was a major feat in that it was a good mile or two trek completed without a
walking stick and with very little hitch in the giddy-up. High
Ho!
Picture 1 - A cloudy sunset over the Mooloolaba Marina. We saw a lot of
clouds on our way to Mooloolaba, while we were in Mooloolaba, and for most of
the week following our departure. At least these were pleasantly lit by
the setting sun. Most of the others we saw just hung about and looked
glum.
More on our Season 3 sailing adventures
later.
Anne
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