November 20th Pancake Creek to Bundaberg
Most decided to go early in the morning. Aurelia at 4.00am and the rest of us at 5.00am. Only Thyme decided to stick it out.
Well it was a sail and a half. After a nice 10/ 12 knots it got up to 25 knots and the seas very quickly built up. We were tearing along and recorded a record speed 10.2 knot on the log and 11.0 on the GPS. As the gusts got stronger I realised that we had to slow the boat down and in reefing the headsail it became twisted the wrong way around the forestay and jammed � open. With Bundaberg in sight I then tried unsuccessfully to reef the main, it got stuck in the lazyjacks and so we had to go about and drop it completely.
This left us the last couple of miles under motor and a turn to starboard to enter the river thus taking on 2 metre seas broadside. Situations like this are always made twice as bad when you have a loose sail making a terrible din. Then there was a fast approaching storm which we saw in the distance at the same time the warning came out on the radio! All in all an exciting end to the day and we were pleased to see four people on the dockside who had run out to help us into our berth. The marina is unprotected from the NW which does make things a little hairy. Molokai nearly had a disaster. I watched Joy standing professionally on the bow, mooring rope in hand when ther was a lot of arm waving from the shore and Denis suddenly went into reverse and disappeared back into the river. The marina had given them duff information and they had the fenders out the wrong side. They then returned and made a professional entry! Just Magic was not so lucky and hit the side of the dock putting a hole in the side of the hull, fortunately above the waterline. All this might sound over dramatic but its not often you have to slip into a narrow berth in 25 knots in an unprotected marina.
Meanwhile my Headsail was still flying around and waking the dead so with the help of other yachties and performing gymnastics on the pulpit with wind, lightening and rain pouring down I managed to sort it out without any apparent damage.
It was with relief that we settled down to a few quiet drinks below while the storm raged above