Since our last post we have been either berthed inside Abell Point Marina or anchored outside. Although the failed drive plate was quickly fixed, the sharp-eyed mechanic noticed that the bolt in the saildrive mount had fractured (out of sight) at some time in the past. But are such bolts available ex stock major capital city? Of course not. They must be ordered in from Europe. We might have gone sailing, but decided against taking the risk. The bolt eventually arrived in Airlie Beach on Monday and was installed straight away.

Our time in Airlie Beach was not wasted, however, as we gave earnest thought to how we could spend more money while there and came up with this list:
# Replace the "day sail" fridge with a better one for cruising, an Ozefridge eutectic with both fresh water and normal air cooling. Working at my usual pace, this 2-3 hour DIY installation took about three days.
# Get the battery monitor reconnected so it could at last take account of the solar generation. Get general wiring tidy-up. Perform advocacy for lithium batteries on sceptical electrician.
# Replace worn topping lift before boom crowns one of us.
# Replace unreliable incandescent anchor light with LED light. Convince electrician to take old fridge.
# Get shade curtains for the rear and sides of the cockpit. The overhead shade we already had is of limited use with the low mid-winter sun. Almost makes an extra room!
# Put wheels on the transom of the new dinghy, which is too heavy to haul up and down beaches.
# Top up dinghy fuel tank at fuel berth. Reject options presented by the automatic pay station to authorise amounts ranging from $1000 to $9700. Choose "other amount" and enter $10. Spend $3.

We could hardly believe it as we sailed in light to moderate winds towards Blue Pearl Bay at Hayman Island under a blue sky. Half-way there, we were suddenly alarmed to see a couple of light green patches surrounded by white water. We were supposed to be in 30 metres of water. What were these sandbanks doing there, so close? Then the sandbanks rose and revealed themselves to be a whale and calf passing by about 50m away. The calf practised thumping the water with his tail and then they were gone, too quickly for a photo.

We took up a mooring rope which was strong enough for a cruise ship, had a quick snorkel, watched through the shade curtain as the sun set, turned on the anchor light, checked the fridge ...