TUESDAY DEC 17th - Emu Bay to Wirrina Cove Resort

Leaving Emu Bay in the morning, we looked forward to a pleasant sail across the Backstairs Passage to Wirrina Cove. The weather was forecast as being really good for the crossing. with 10-15 knot winds coming from the south, which would give us a lovely push, and low seas but again, and I can't emphasise this enough, NEVER trust the forecasters.

We were no further than an hour out (in all about an 8 hour trip again) and the wind was picking up more than was anticipated or predicted. Time to make absolutely sure everything was battened down. The winds picked up to 30+ knots, with gusts to 35-40 knots and the seas, rather than being reasonably low, were around 2 and a half metres. The mammoth washing machine was running once again. Up and down, side to side, tippage, windage, waveage, yuckage! We had a horrible time and I couldn't wait to get near land again. Beshrew you oh damnable weather men and your false prognostications! It doesn't make for a happy Terry.

Then sod me if the wind and waves didn't drop as soon as we were again within view of land and the whole ocean calmed to the point where we had to put the motor on for the next hour or so until it picked up again less than 10 minutes from the marina turn-in. I may have mentioned it some time ago but wow, the weather is a fickle bitch!

Finally we made it to Wirrina Cove, rang to booked a berth for the night and suffice to say we were relieved, until we entered the marina proper.

We had been given the finger letter and berth number (C20) and were told to put the fenders on the port (left) side of the boat. We puttered along, eyes peeled for the finger letters when suddenly there it was right next to us, finger C, so a spin on a twenty cent piece was called for. Nope, missed it, so we backed up a bit and turned in. Yep... I was sure this was C... now where's dock 20? Okay, there it is and WTF!!!! ... the fenders were on the wrong side than we'd been told... crap! A decision had to be made and that decision was to just take it in and hope for the best. The wind was against us and a slight human misjudgment was made. I wasn't close enough to jump to the dock to tie us off and the wind pushed us further out so we had to abort. Unfortunately the wicked wind had swung the back end out and so the front end was now over the main walkway.... right where the power columns were. The front swung slowly towards it until pulpit caught the column and a slow bend began. "Back up, back up, you're breaking it" I shouted. Dave backed up and out but came in too fine and again we knew it wasn't going to work. Unfortunately (I seem to use that word a lot), for some reason the boat decided to take on a life of its own and the back end again came out and instead of the pulpit merely bending the power column, it gave an almighty shove and the column snapped at the base and sent shrapnel scooting across the dock and plopping into the water. Um... oops? "Shiiiiiiiiiiiit you broke it" I wailed.

Now, you would think that on a dock, where big, heavy floating things are being aimed at it all the time, the power and water columns would be made of steel or some other material that could withstand a massive punch, as if from a mighty leviathan but no, these are plastic and shatter as soon as they're prodded. What a dumb design.

So, after all of that drama and panic, we took a deep breath, gathered our thoughts and made the decision to go to the other side of the berth, dock 19, which was mercifully empty. Luckily we managed to tie up without breaking anything and went to look at the damage. I had hoped a quick push and wrap up with duct tape might work. No such luck. The base was well and truly busted.

Dave rang the woman at reception and explained what had happened. I was cursing her because she had told us to tie the fenders on the starboard side. Doesn't that imbecilic woman know which side of the boat is which? C20 should have been tied to the port side! I was really fuming, I was ready to call her and give her a piece of my mind until I realised one very important thing... this wasn't finger C, I had guided us wrong and we were in finger D and the numbers were on the opposing sides. Ummmm..... oh.... oops again? My very, very bad.

We spent the next hour in a huge funk as we contemplated how much this was going to cost us. Then we grew philosophical. What's done is done, We'll face the consequences. As it is, it's possible that it may have been covered by insurance. Apparently it was "far from the first time this had happened and they possibly had some spare columns". We haven't heard any more about it so it's fingers crossed. I do have pictures of the busted pole somewhere. When I find it, I'll post it. :D