On the south side of Thomas Island. An absolute delight.

We were ready to slip our lines at 9.00 am this morning and after filling the tank with diesel at the fuel dock left at 9.45am. We are heading south and while we are not alone in doing so many are staying another week or two, waiting for the northerlies to kick in. The forecast was for south easterlies turning to easterlies later in the day.

This meant motoring a lot of the way and while we tried to set a sail it proved to be ineffectual. We motored down Molle Passage, using the flooding tide for assistance and as we neared the southern end I decided to continue south through the narrow passage between Long Island and the mainland. This was a successful strategy as we hit over 7 knots with the tide.

Once out of the passage we motored south for a while before turning east, raising the sails, killing the engine, and savouring the quiet in a close reach towards Lindeman Island. In fairly flat seas we had a bit to eat before dropping the sails and motoring round to Thomas Island. We dropped the anchor in a very pretty bay on the north side of the Island.

Easterlies are predicted for tomorrow. Let's hope they are right!