Our journey this year starts in Bundaberg, where we left the boat on the dry for the cyclone season. It was safe here, although cyclone Marcia came close enough to make us nervous. Even before the boat got back in the water we had some excitement. The owner of the boat under maintenance next to ours has purchased our tender. This is not very exciting in itself, but it happens that this boat was seized by Customs after it arrived as part of the Vanuatu to Bundaberg rally in 2011. Customs had had their eye on it and found a huge quantity of cocaine on board. The current owner bought it in a government tender. Do an internet search for "Friday Freedom" and "wolf" and you will find the Sydney Morning Herald's comprehensive background article.

Getting back in the water was only half the job. Re-provisioning and organising took ages and we finally left Bundy on Wednesday, but not with the jobs finished. We motored and motorsailed to Seventeen Seventy with the new RIB strapped to the stern. When we have fine tuned the use of the Dinghy Sling, we will post a picture. We anchored in light but rolly conditions outside the channel, intending to go into the township by the flash new dinghy. But we were blocked by the sandbank even at high tide, so we gave up. Seeing Captain Cook's landing place has again eluded us and we have to concede that he is the better navigator.

On Thursday we motored to Pancake Creek to join about eighteen other boats taking shelter from the approaching blow over the weekend. But it was a nice day today, concluding with all the crews gathering for drinks at sunset on the uncovered sandbar.