Saturday paper run

`Doo do do, lookin' out my back door' (this morning). Makes you want to sing!

It could have been the most expensive paper pick-up run ever if it hadn’t been for the light breeze that allowed us to sail from Airlie back to Double Bay after picking up a Weekend Australian yesterday. Mind you we threw in an extra couple of goodies like fresh olive baguettes, fruit, milk and juice while there.

After two blissfully undisturbed night's sleep, we decided on the paper run to Airlie but had to motor around as there was little to no breeze. We anchored off the VMR ramp and Royden ran me into shore in the dinghy to walk up to the supermarket while he attended to a couple of jobs on Sea Piper.

There were a lot fewer boats anchored/moored off Airlie than two years ago. The tri-masted  Whitsunday Magic lying on its side on the reef of Pigeon Island, west of the town, was another stark reminder of how exposed Pioneer Bay can be to storms.  

We were happy to be heading back to our secluded and remote little bay after a couple of hours in Airlie.

Sailing back to Double Bay with the weekend paper on board and the Code Zero doing a great job in the light winds.

Double Bay is one of the most delightful anchorages in the Whitsundays (according to us).
We arrived here on Thursday afternoon just before the predicted squall which changed the wind speed from zero knots to 30 knots in a few seconds.
Because we are tucked in right at the bottom of the bay, there is no space for waves to kick up and Sea Piper remained steady throughout the blast. The bucketing rain washed the decks clean of salt and we were able to then channel the rain into our water tanks – not that we’d used much but every little bit helps.
Our protected position in the bay also means we have no phone or TV and only intermittent internet (usually night and early morning).and that’s through an aerial located right at the top of our 17m mast.
Our foray around to Airlie yesterday allowed us to make contact with Easy Rider who left Townsville a day later than us. By the time we returned to Double Bay they were anchored up and ready to join us for a fresh mackerel dinner. The real treat however was Henma’s home-made apple crumble straight out of the oven.
The Easy Rider crew managed to find their way back to their boat in the dark and between light rain showers. Another squall rolled in around midnight, setting the wind generator whizzing and again washing the decks.
Royden slept blissfully through it - the advantages of hearing loss!
Today is `reading the Weekend Australian’ day and maybe we’ll go for a ride in the dinghy and a walk on one of the very small sand beaches on this side.
So far I've done little reading though. Hair's washed, bed's made, the washing's done, bathroom's cleaned and the blog updated - with a pause for coffee and a shortbread.

Beautiful conditions look like prevailing all this week - with the odd daily squall.