Abell Point Marina for Karen’s Big Birthday Bash

21-31 July 2016

After thoroughly enjoying our fantastic Anniversary celebrations on one of Marcona Inlets fabulous little beaches it was time to head to Abbel Point Marina at Airlie Beach. It had been 36 days since we’d last been tied to a dock so it was time to top up water and fuel but there were also a range of things we wanted to get done on the boat before moving on to Townsville, our planned departure port for our trip to Papua New Guinea’s Louisiade Islands. Of course, there was also the matter of Karen’s big 50^th Birthday Bash coming up the following week.

We are always very careful to anchor away from coral for both its health and our boat's but still managed to snag this coral encrusted rock in Marcona Inlet. Fortunately it came free with a poke from the boat hook and hopefully the coral will be fine.

We upped anchor and made our way out of Marcona Inlet to discover the wind blowing in the mid teens out in the Whitsunday Passage just forward of the beam with a moderate sea state. Just the sort of conditions Our Dreamtime loves. We were soon romping along at over eight knots weaving our way through all the tourist charter boats coming out of Airlie Beach to the islands.

The Whitsunday Passage and North Mole Island ahead

Getting along nicely in great sailing conditions.

Boats packed with tourists heading for the islands.

 

All of a sudden Karen cried “Whales – heading right in front of us”. Sure enough there was a large humpback whale less than a hundred metres off our starboard bow on a collision course. As we began to bear away, it casually turned parallel to us and swam along about forty metres off our beam. That’s when we realised it was a mother with a very young calf. The youngster seemed proficient enough at the swimming caper but mum repeatedly swam under it raising it to the surface making sure it was getting good big breaths. She seemed totally unperturbed by our presence and it was absolutely magical to watch. We were tempted to ease sails and slow down to extend the experience but decided we shouldn’t risk crowding these beautiful creatures.

Any encounter with these gentle giants is a privilege.

Mother and calf

Once we passed Pioneer Rocks the wind eased in the lee of the ranges but the remainder of our short sail to Abell Point was still extremely pleasurable and we were almost reluctant to drop sail as we approached because we were having such a good time but we did force ourselves to get squared away and join the line up heading up the channel. Of course one of the big tourist yachts with decks over flowing with back packers just had to cut in front rather than wait their turn. Then a kayaker and stand up paddle boarder decided cutting across the marina entrance channel in front of a stream of boats entering and leaving was their right reminding us we were re-entering the rat race.

Airlie Beach in the distance

Peak hour at the marina entrance.

Marcona Inlet to Abell Point - 15.8 Nautical Miles - 3 Hours 06 Minutes
Average Speed 5.1 Knots - Max Speed 8.6 Knots

Our parking spot at Abell Point Marina

The next few days in the marina were a blur for us as we cleaned the boat inside and out, serviced the engine, worked on completing the overhaul of our watermaker, filled the water and fuel tanks, reprovisioned, checked over our sails repairing any warn stitching or chaff areas and commissioning our new dinghy. Yes that’s right. A new dinghy.

Karen repairing some wear on the mainsail.

Our new dinghy Bumble Bee looks at home on Our Dreamtime's davits.

 

The injuries we inflicted on our beloved Sweetlip in Bundaberg had proved too grievous for us to be able heal on the move. (See the story HERE ) She still served us well on our trip north but our pump was given a new nick name of Amex as we dared not to leave home without it. Poor saggy Sweetlip needed CPR before every trip and usually again for the return to the boat. The experts in Airlie Beach advised us our Aquapro was repairable but not in the time frame we needed, hence we now have a brand new dink hanging on the davits. Her black and yellow colour scheme has seen her christened Bumble Bee. She does look flash on Our Dreamtime’s stern but after all the work we did refurbishing Sweetlip it was a hard decision for us to replace her. Fortunately we were able to gift her to a local yachty who gratefully became her new owner with plans to make the needed repairs and extend her life further.

Rob about to paddle Sweetlip over to her new owner

 

So then came Karen’s huge half century celebrations.

 

Wednesday – Karen’s parents, Trevor and Joy flew in from Brisbane along with childhood friend and bridesmaid Gaylene the day before so the pre-party began with an afternoon of much bubbles and merriment.

Let the warm up begin.

 

Thursday -  the big birthday and the celebrations proper  commenced with Champagne Breakfast at Barcelona Tapas bar overlooking the marina before more friends arrived from the airport in time for a very long lunch at Coral Seas Resort on the point. But wait there’s more. Karen was an event organiser in her working career so knows how to put on a party and was not going to let this milestone go unnoticed.  After all, one does only turn fifty once.

Appropriately seated at table 50 for Champagne Breakfast for the birthday girl. 

Long lunch at Coral Seas Resort

A birthday girl can never have too many bubbles.

Friend Gaylene made this amazing Our Dreamtime cookie for Karen

Chris from Robbo's Bakery in Ipswich made this very cool cake which Neil then carried all the way up on the plane.

 

Friday - Friends and family donned their finest pirate gear for a swashbuckling day of sailing on Pioneer Bay. Good friends David and Nerida very kindly took half the scurvy crew aboard their good ship Sea Breeze whilst the rest joined us aboard Our Dreamtime for an enjoyable sail in company out to the Mole Channel and back. We then anchored in the bay outside the marina where we all boarded Seabreeze for a lunch afloat. (We are dedicated monohull sailors but you have to love the entertaining room on those cats.) After disembarking we all made our way to Sorrento’s in the marina where we were joined by yet more friends who arrived from Brisbane and Townsville in time for fabulous pizzas, more drinks and much more merriment.

Some of the pirate wenches aboard Our Dreamtime.

Rob delivering some Gaylene, Bob and Lyn over to Seabreeze forour sailing day

Our Dreamtime reefed and with mizzen sail in the bag for comfort

Seabreeze went out with full sail up which provided an exciting ride when the wind hit 25 knots in the Mole Channel

Lunch afloat on Seabreeze. Thanks David and Nerida.

Rob putting his plastic cutlass to good use at Sorrento's.

Saturday – Some guests had to jet back to Brisbane but they were replaced with new arrivals from both the North and South and off we all went to the Whitsunday Sailing Club for lunch overlooking the armada of boats anchored off Airlie Beach. Then it was on to Capers at the Airlie Beach Hotel for an afternoon of cocktails before weaving our way to KC’s, the finest steakhouse in the Whitsundays for dinner.

The Whitsunday Sailing Club was a great location for Saturday lunch.

 

Then on to the pub for cocktails

Our daughter Yasmin flew in for the weekend to celebrate with her Mum.

 

Pre-dinner entertainment at KC's as Steve tries to reach new heights in glass tower building.

Sunday – Recovery breakfast and farewells at Barcelona’s where it all began. We really must thank those of our family and the large number of friends who travelled to Airlie Beach to help make Karen’s bash such an unforgettable affair along with all those who couldn’t be there but phoned and sent best wishes. Four days of eating and drinking too much, laughing until our sides hurt and living life to the fullest, the way it should be, was the best way possible for Karen to begin her 51^st year.

Recovery breakfast at Barcelona's.

A small portion of the party crew.

Says it all really!

Monday – Detox and back to sailing.

We have posted a full album of photos from Karen’s four days of fiftieth frivolity with family and friends on the Dreamtime Sail Facebook page HERE.

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Special Occasions can be so much more special when Cruising - Marcona Inlet

19 – 20 July 2016

We had been holed up in Cid Harbour for a week while the wind blew and the rain fell. Although intermittent showers were persisting, at last the wind was settling down. Naturally we were keen to move on but Rob was especially so. The following day was our Anniversary and surrounded by dozens of charter boats in Cid Harbour was not where he wanted us to be.

We finally said goodbye to crowded Cid Harbour in search of some sunshine.

The Whitsunday Islands are world class cruising grounds so finding somewhere truly secluded during charter season is not easy but there are some spots less travelled than others. We upped anchor a had a short but pleasant sail north to Marcona Inlet on Hook Island. It’s a secure anchorage and very beautiful spot but doesn’t have the high profile of nearby and usually crowded Nara Inlet. Most people anchor in a bay half way up the inlet but we made our way all the way to the end and were delighted to find the only two other boats there were friends Greg and Sue on Sunshine and Brian and Petra on Bella.

Grey skies greet us at the entrance to Marcona Inlet.

Cid Harbour to Marcona Inlet -7.5 Nautical Miles - 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Average Speed 4.9 Knots Max Speed 6.9 Knots

Most people anchor in the wide bay but we went up to the far end of the inlet.

We got hooked in and arrangements were soon in place for sundowners aboard Sunshine later on. We then got the dinghy down off the davits and did some exploring around the inlet and landed on one of the beaches for a stroll.

Beach combing in Marcona Inlet

The rain forest vegetation is beautiful and full of bird life.

Looking back to the entrance of Marcona Inlet.

Friends of Greg and Sue’s also arrived during the afternoon on another cat but there was ample room for us to be well spread and not in each other’s pockets. Susan and Alan from Africat made it eight for sundowners and as always, drinks on Sunshine proved to be a barrel of laughs.

We did find Sunshine in Marcona Inlet but it was the boat and not the clear skies we had been hoping for. It was great to catch up as drinks and nibbles were a ton of fun as always.

Our Dreamtime anchored in front of Sunshine in Marcona Inlet.

 

We’ve always tried to make birthdays and particularly our anniversary special events in our family. We started a tradition on our 10^th anniversary when Rob organised a three day break as surprise for Karen. The morning before the big day he simply said “Pack some comfy clothes, we’re going for a drive.’  The car had already been secretly loaded up with delicious foods and probably too much drink. Away we went for a wonderful time to celebrate our first decade of marriage in front of the fireplace in a secluded mountain chalet. Very suitable as our anniversary is in mid-winter.

Each year after that it became Rob’s mission to organise surprise anniversary celebrations for Karen. The 12^th proved to be a real surprise when she snooped enough to correctly guess that we were flying to a destination rather than driving to somewhere nearby like previous years. Somehow she then concluded that we were going to chilly Melbourne. It wasn’t until after we took off and the pilot welcomed us over the PA aboard our flight to tropical Cairns that she realised why she was the only one on the plane with an overcoat.  It proved an expensive trip by the time she went shopping and bought enough light weight clothes for our week long stay plus an extra bag to take it all home.

In the nearly two decades since we have popped the champagne cork to celebrate in Paris, Bali, the ski fields of New Zealand, Hawaii, Ibiza, Rome and many fantastic places in between. Once we began our cruising life we wondered if we would have to forego this annual indulgence. Fortunately it’s only taken a bit of planning and imagination for us to continue to celebrate each year of our union in style.

Karen put this lovely arrangement together with our rings to photograph on the morning of our anniversary.

After days of miserable weather, magically July 20 dawned clear and calm. We loaded the dinghy with everything needed to make our 31^st Anniversary as memorable as any and made our way to one of the number of small beaches in the inlet. Tree lined with beautiful sand lapped by crystal clear warm waters, the setting was perfect. There was even a rope swing seat hanging from one of the trees.  It was our own private tropical paradise.

Our private anniversary beach in Marcona Inlet

We soon had our chairs and improvised table set under overhanging trees complete with Moet Champagne and a cheese platter. The rocks at one end of the beach became the location for our bush kitchen where we prepared the rest of our three course celebration lunch.

Where could you find a more exclusive spot to celebrate 31 years of marriage.



Rob fired up our portable gas burner and soon had the duck breasts rendering down nicely in the pan. These were to be accompanied by baby potatoes and green beans.  

Karen in our bush kitchen

The duck breasts cooking nicely

Time to serve.

Sitting in the sunshine on our own private tropical beach, eating delicious Crispy Skin Duck Breast in Raspberry and Chocolate Jus with French Champagne we were entertained watching turtles surface nearby and a sea eagle soaring above. Then there was desert, Apple and Almond Tort with Passionfruit and Chocolate Sauce. Both the setting and our self prepared treat easily equalled any of our previous anniversary celebratory meal experiences including the one we had on the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Every bit as good as it looked

A nice rich desert to cap off a great anniversary lunch

Rob enjoying his Moet in tropical paradise

What a magical day! We have absolutely no idea where we will be for our 32^nd Anniversary. Guess it will be a surprise.

Our cruising life has certainly not impacted on making anniversaries special so what about birthdays? Well Karen’s big Five Oh birthday was just a scant eight days later. You’ll have to read our next blog to find out about that blast.

Back on board with more bubbles and some snacks to watch the sun set on an awesome anniversary.

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To stay right up to date with what we’re up to  and see lots more photos check out and 'like' our Dreamtime Sail Facebook page at DreamtimeSail
 

 

If you have only recently discovered our blog and would like to read how it all started, or work through our previous adventures, click the link to go back to our first blog entry. Stuff it. Let's just go sailing anyway.

 

We hope you enjoy reading the previous posts to catch up on our story.