Outside of the Mackay Marina breakwater. 20 knots blowing.

The strong winds came in as predicted at about 8am. We went for a walk along the marina breakwater to view the seas; if we said it once we said it a dozen times: good decision to come back. It is frustrating not to be continuing our trip, but this is a pleasure trip, the winds will abate, and we’ve got plenty of time. The harbour breakwater has just been reopened following significant re-engineering after the damage it sustained during Cyclones Ului in 2010 and Dylan in Feb 2014. It’s certainly an impressive structure now with a two-way roadway and wide running/cycling path the length of it (maybe 1km). It’ll be a nasty cyclone that damages this breakwater.

Inside the Mackay Marina breakwater. 20 knots. Note the number of boats here sheltering.

Over the next couple of days we got ready to sail again – cleaned the boat, washed our clothes at the laundromat, caught the bus into town to top-up the provisions and cooked a couple of meals ready to eat on the days we do long sails.

Our friends from Egremont Channel all came over here on Thursday too to sit out the winds and for Koonya (Janet and Mark) to have the rigger fix a broken side shroud (the wire holding the mast up!). We caught up with them for sundowners last night. We’re all planning to leave Monday morning – Koonya, Mica (Mike and Carol) and Wilparina (Steve and Kim) heading south, us north.

Sundowners on Wilparina with hosts Steve and Kim. and Mike and Carol from Mica, and Janet and Mark from Koonya.