Mon 22nd Oct 2012: 14 NM
The anchorage was quite good at Homestead Bay, and we all slept well.
However, we were up early Monday as rear admiral Julie and Capt Barry were due in Abel Point Marina , Airlie Beach by midday
After a morning at leisure , Capt Barry went across to SILVER MINX to assist Capt Geoff repair the hole in his tender.
Capt Barry had some spare patches and PVC glue (which was lucky as Capt Geoff had used the last of his glue fixing a hole in the tender the day before, and the Hamilton Island Chandlery does not sell glues of any sort for tenders - at least that is what they informed Capt Barry when he enquired ).
Capts Barry and Geoff dragged the tender up onto the bow of SILVER MINX, located the hole by rubbing detergent over the suspect area, marked the area , then deflated and dried the area of the tender.
Next we cut a patch about 100mm in diameter, to overlap the pinprick of a hole , and used a light sand paper to rough up the area to be glued.
Then Capt Barry applied a HYPERCLEAN spray to the area of the tender to have the patch applied, and rubbed this off , once , with a clean rag, in one direction only, then let it dry for a few minutes.
Finally we applied three applications of glue, in light layers, to both the tender area to be patched and the patch, waiting about 4 minutes in between each application for the glue to get tacky in the 10 kt breeze, then we applied the patch , smoothed out any air bubbles, and left it tied down on the bow ( as it needed about 24 hours for the glue to go off properly before inflating the tender).
After the tender repair Capt Barry dropped Capt Geoff and Vicki off at RANGER, to look over the Riv.
Later that morning Geoff and Vicki Player and Steve and Angela Marshall came to LAST WORD for morning tea.
About midday , we said our goodbyes ( not knowing when we might see each other again) and LAST WORD raised its anchor and set off for Abel Point Marina, Airlie Beach.
The seas were flat and the breeze a lovely 6 to 8 kts. As we sought clearance to enter the marina , we were advised that entry was fine, but look out for a departing yacht. Capt Barry decided to wait outside the Marina leads, and not soon after one of the dinosaurus maxis "Broomstick " wandered out.
I mean WANDERED out, as it took forever, with no one at the helm for some parts of the exit through the S shaped entrance/breakwall. Other exiting yachts started to build up behind Broomstick, so Capt Barry got on the loud hailer , and suggested they get under way and clear the entrance leads before they finish doing whatever it was they were trying to do. This had a sort of positive effect as someone took the helm, but their progress was not much faster, with the yachts behind started to go left and right around the stern of Broomstick.
Broomstick eventually cleared the entrance to the marina , and LAST WORD was able to enter and berth at N03, another of the 30 m berths with plenty of room . Just what Capt Barry likes.
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| LAST WORD put to bed for a week in Abel Point Marina , Airlie Beach |
Later that afternoon rear admiral Julie and Capt Barry cleaned and tied up LAST WORD, and made her ready to be left in the berth for a week while they went to Sydney for a ( pardon the pun ) flying ,one week visit.
We packed that night , and as we were taking home about 16 kgs of frozen Mackerel, Capt Barry turned down the freezer, to minus 24 degrees, to ensure the Mackerel stayed frozen on the trip home.
The next morning sheets were changed and we did a couple of loads of washing and drying , and rear admiral Julie and Capt Barry then locked and left LAST WORD and handed the keys to the marina manager , as LAST WORD was having a Hastings Deering service fellow change the starboard engine water pump , under warranty, while he was in Sydney.
At 10.35 am Capt Barry and rear admiral Julie arrived at the Whitsunday Cruises desk to confirm our ferry passage to Hamilton Island on the 10.45 am ferry ( for our 12.05 pm Virgin flight to Sydney ) , only to be told, by the check in lady , that the ferry departed at 10.15 am , and there was not another ferry for 2 hours.
Rear admiral Julie looked a little stunned, and there was a brief discussion about how we came to be in possession of the wrong information. Rather than spend useless time looking for the guilty party ( who may well be penning this blog ) , Capt Barry suggested to the the lady behind the desk that she recommend the next fastest way to get to Hamilton Island, in time to catch our flight, suggesting that this cannot be the first time this situation has arisen.........ie.... WHAT IS YOUR BACK UP PLAN IN SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES ?
The Whitsunday Cruises lady looked up a number and made a call to someone called SCAMPER??? at Shute harbour who agreed to take us ( and our frozen Mackerel ) to the Hamilton Island airport jetty for $200, if we could get there by 11.00am.
Capt Barry said "do it" and " PLS BOOK US A TAXI ", and we were in the taxi and on our way to Shute Harbour at 10.45 am.
We had a quickish trip to Shute Harbour and arrived at the SCAMPER terminal at 10.58 am and boarded the aluminium landing ( or should I say - SHAKER ) craft via a boat ramp, at 11,04 am, and we were THUMPED ALL THE WAY to Hamilton Island, in a building southerly , blowing 20 + kts.
The skipper sat or stood up top at the back of the craft , presumably to see and stay out of the spray and noise.
The SCAMPER is a multi use vessel capable of transporting a car or about 30 to 40 people on bench seats, has no creature comforts and has two large outboard motors, and BANGS A LOT on the water.
The trip added to rear admiral Julie's and Capt Barry's ever increasing experience of the Whitsunday Islands, and gave us a few ideas on what not to do for our next vessel..
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| LOOKING FORWARD FROM OUR SEATS ( WE SAT AT THE REAR TO AVOID THE WIND AND SPRAY) |
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| Not happy JAN. Gee Barry, tell me again what the difference is between this vessel and LAST WORD. |
We arrived at the ferry terminal at 12.40pm , and Capt Barry grabbed the suitcase of Mackerel and ran for the baggage check-in.
Of course, as fate would have it.........there was a bloody big line up of people trying to check in baggage. SO.......Capt Barry worked his way through them ......apologising for pushing.....saying that he had been called through for a flight that leaves in 15 mins.
Most people were fine with that , except one fellow.....who demanded to be told what flight Capt Barry was on.
Capt Barry thought about whacking him over the head with the suitcase full of frozen Mackerel , .... BUT INSTEAD .... just smiled and answered the question.
Well, the fellow said,,,, "that is also my flight", to which Capt Barry replied , "well..... you had better get your act together and follow me", and went the rest of the way, without incident, straight to the check in desk ( with the other fellow in tow ).
The kind Virgin lady ( well ,....you know what I mean ) checked in the suitcase full of Mackerel, and rear admiral Julie ( who had caught up by then ) and Capt Barry went through security gates and made the boarding gate with about 10 mins to spare.
We relaxed on the flight home, which was a direct flight and took about 2 hours , and were met at the airport by Capt Barry's brother, Graeme.
The real surprise was not only that the Mackerel stayed frozen , but that Graeme had washed the cars and cleaned the house.
TRIP : Cid Island to Airlie Beach 14 NM, 1.45 hrs, fuel 60 L.
TRIP : taxi from Airlie Beach to Shute Harbour $38. SCAMPER ( 25 kts and 38 mins ) from Shute Harbour to Hamilton Island $200.
transporting a car to another state is stalked along the road by a cunning and relentless serial killer who eventually frames the driver for a string of murders. Chased by police and shadowed by the killer, the driver's only help comes from a truck stop waitress. . Running time : 98 minutes. Nice! www.transportingacar.co
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