On a clear sunny morning with light NW winds we motored to Peel Island in Southern Moreton Bay passing a sunken motor cruiser on one of the many sand banks, a large turtle and managed to avoid the frequent ferry services to North Stradbroke Island.
We anchored in Horshoe Bay on the South side of the island and went ashore tethering 'Muhu' (our dinghy) at the hitching rail in search of the old gaol (Michael is in the doorway).
Peel Is is a former leper colony so we had to go ashore to appease Anne's warped fascination with such places. Alas there are no information signboards on the island, which is a National Park, only signposts with 'No Fires' and 'Keep off, Unsafe Structure!'
The wreck of the 'Platypus' is a forlorn sight at the eastern end of the island along with the "Unsafe Structure!' which Anne is standing on.
After our little island sortie it was a brisk paddle (too lazy to get the outboard off, ie @ 27kg you think twice about it) back to Saaremaa just as the wind got up, a bit longer and we would have ended up at North Stradbroke.
We upped anchor and moved up the bay for a nice quiet night which turned out to be a bit more rolly-poly than we expected when the wind came in from the south.
Moreton Bay looks a bit like Lake Macquarie except there are a lot more shoals and large ferries going back and forth. Also the entrance from the Gold Coast Seaway is a bit trickier than the Swansea channel and a bit longer but at least you don't have to wait for a bridge to lift.
The beach babe below is wearing the latest of Saaremaa's Winter Collection and looking particularly stunning in hat , tee, shorts and Burke dekkies.
Friday 16 July
Another glorious day so it was time to sail for Manly only 9nm away but it took us 4 hrs ( just as well this is not a global circumnavigation).
'Benny Boy' (wind vane) had a go at steering for about an hour but failed miserably, going off to port then off to stbd, probably due to Michael's lack of accurate setting up or the wind was not right or whatever????
Finally with 3nm to go and only making 1nm in the previous hour the motor went on and we were in Manly in no time at all motoring through the Masters Laser Dinghy fleet as they crossed the channel access to Manly Harbour.
We tied up in a pen (Michael managed this one reasonably well) at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, $42/night for a 12m berth (not too bad). This marina is huge and Manly has more masts and boats than we have seen before. There are 4 separate marinas in the harbour.
'Privateer' is an old friend across the way , whom we last saw in Fame Cove, Port Stephens, back in December. She is in a pen with covers on and looking as well kept as during Mike and Leonie's time.
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