Photo: Paradise in the Great Barrier Reef.

Marie didn't much believe my account of our passage through the Whitsunday Islands. She came back onboard Sänna in Mackay and, with the wind from the south east again, we beat the forty miles or so back up to the Lindeman Island anchorage in the southern Island group. We dropped anchor in the dark as usual but it was good to be back together again. I miss her so much whenever she's back in the UK, but Henry needed to be in school. Our three month adventure with Henry around Australia had been fantastic and I was growing to love the frontier feeling of this country, even though we thought Queensland no match for the deserted shores and desolation of the Northern Territories. Now we were back to our normal intimate crew of two and there was a job to be done; Sänna had to be out of Australian waters by November so we needed to make our way southward to Brisbane and be ready to depart for New Zealand....

I had promised Marie that we would return to the Whitsundays before working our way down the Queensland coast to Brisbane. It was relaxed, good sailing and fantastic! The Islands were nearly deserted and the fleets of charter boats gone. We found anchorage after anchorage to ourselves and our magical relationship we both relish devoured us. My head was in a good place and Sänna was in a magnificent mood too. She reared her bows, flaunted her sails and slid effortlessly southwards through easy seas, wanderful islands and treacherous reefs. These were treasure days and I didn't want them to end. We tracked the Queensland coast with good winds but then a threatening storm forced us into Gladstone Harbour for a few days shelter. It was good too. Then we threaded our way through the Fraser Island shallows and Brisbane was not so far away...

We are now moored in the centre of Brisbane making ready and provisioning for the long voyage to New Zealand. We need a favourable weather window as the Tasman Sea and the Southern Ocean can be demanding and unforgiving. But we have received word that Fat Annie has already arrived in Whangarie, having themselves sailed their way south from Vanuatu in the Pacific.

She is waiting patiently and she knows we'll be there soon...
________________________________________________________________________________
Please visit our SV Sänna website for more details of our circumnavigation voyage from the UK. Also at www.facebook.com/SV.Sanna. Like our Facebook page if you'd like to receive more news about our sail adventure. You can contact us here.