Position: 20 02.11 S 148 26.52 E
At anchor Bona Bay
Wind: SE F3 - gentle breeze
Sea: rippled Swell: nil
Weather sunny, warm
Day's run: 26 nm

Medical appointments have been completed so today we were free to continue to Townsville. At 1100, after a quick run ashore for some last minute fresh victuals, we weighed and sailed from anchor, once again bearing away to the north, running wing-on-wing before the SE trade wind.

My plan for the day was to sail as far as we could to be at anchor somewhere comfortable before sunset, with a spot behind Gloucester Island looking promising which in fact came together. At 1540 we were approaching the Gloucester Channel. I dropped the pole as we altered course to enter its narrow course. Another boat had been sailing in the same direction at a similar speed to us for most of the day, but closer inshore, and as we entered the channel our courses converged so that we were only about twenty meters apart. I could clearly make out its name, Mundi Mundi.

Negotiating the channel was straight forward, being well marked and only having a few minor kinks requiring small alterations of course. At 1620, as we cleared the channel, I was surprised to see a large number of boats, I would guess around fifty, anchored on the mainland side of the western entrance to the channel. Looking through my binoculars, there was clearly and organised event of some description going on with numerous dinghies pulled up together on the beach, an inflated red arch standing opposite all the dinghies indicating an entrance to the event, and an amplified voice drifting across the water. Fortunately this was not where I had planned to anchor. My companion for the day left us at this point, obviously heading to join the boat-fest, while we turned to the north to seek anchorage on the western shore of Gloucester Island in a quieter spot.

We had to come close-hauled into the fresh E'ly breeze to close the beach, and I tucked a reef in the main to reduce Sylph's angle of heel. At 1646 I rolled up the jib and edged closer to the shore under main alone, our speed dropping to 1.5 knots. Five minutes later we rounded into the wind, dropped the main, and let go the anchor in 6 meters of water.

There is no particular hurry to get to Townsville so I will likely spend the day here tomorrow, maybe have another go at scrubbing Sylph's bottom, then continue on our way on Sunday.

All is well.