2009 another season in "PARADISE"

"The weather was beautiful one day and perfect the next".........

Without a doubt the best weather we have experienced over the years cruising on Family Affair

Family visitors on Family Affair

The Holland family (Peter’s nephew Mark, Erica and children Justin 14yrs and Emma 11yrs from WA) were on board for 10 exciting days. During their visit we spent a day at Day Dream Island where we took the opportunity to watch an the footie grand final in one of the local character pubs. Nightly anchorages were spent at Nara, Langford Reef, Tongue Bay, Turtle Bay, Gulnere and in front of Airlie Beach. The snorkeling was pristine at Blue Pear Bay, Butterfly Bay and Manta Ray Bay, the views spectacular at Hill Inlet and Hamilton Island and great swimming was had at White Haven beach and the other anchorages we were at. A feed of Oysters taken from the rocks at Gulnere was a bonus as were the delicious scones Emma cooked and the freshly baked bread which was a very popular daily event. The family took a Ferry trip to the outer reef on one day to round their holiday off beautifully. Family Affair copes very well with a ‘full house’

Our Time

It was the right time to head back into Laguna to do more work on the boat (Peter painted the roof) and take the opportunity to catch up with a number of our yachtie friends. We always enjoy the community BBQ’s held on Friday nights at the marina and were pleased to be able to visit Lynton and Barb from “ Ka La Wee” in their holiday home at Midge Point for a yummy roast meal. Chris also had a great Saturday at the markets and then more retail therapy around Airlie with Sue from one of the other boats. After a week in the marina it was time to head out to the Islands for a stint. As the weather was glorious we had some very relaxing lazy days swimming in the crystal clear waters and soaking up the beauty and tranquility of Chance Bay and Gulnere anchorages. As the weather conditions did not suit visits to White Haven Beach we were in close proximity to Sea planes and snorkeling and diving tour boats for one of the days. It all added to the spectacle

dust storm

A Dust Storm

What a difference a dust storm makes! The whole East coast of Australia was engulfed by dust storms due to the extreme weather conditions inland. The dust hung around like a fog reducing visibility to 2 kilometers and stayed with us for about 6 days. During that time the beauty of the area was completely masked. Fortunately it did not affect the water clarity and the snorkeling was still beautiful

A day on Day Dream Island

Knowing that were to have a young family visiting us we decided to check out Day Dream Island for ourselves as a possible venue for them. We were very impressed with everything about the Island - beautiful settings with numerous pools, restaurants/cafes, bakery, lots of activities on offer including things like para sailing, mini golf, tennis, great walks and the very friendly staff. At a minimal cost we can spend 24 hours anchored off the Island and participate in the activities of our choice. As the weather was warm and balmy we decided to go ashore and watch the AFL preliminary final at the open air cinema on the Island. What an amazing setting and the perfect night for it. We will certainly be adding Day Dream Island as one of the top options for our on board visitors. The three beautiful mermaids pictured watch over this lovely Island and add an extra 'magical' feel to this region.

North to Bowen

Memories of our trip north from Airlie to Bowen in 2008 enticed us to head there again. We were able to catch light winds and the tide to make the trip comfortably sailing 95% of the way. We stayed several night in beautiful Bona Bay, shadowed by the high hills of
Glouctester Island. Sadly we did not repeat the spotted mackerel experience of last year but several school sharks did get on our trawling line. They were not received as enthusiastically as the mackerel! On Friday we had another lovely sail to Bowen where we anchored just outside the marina. Peter was delighted to note several boats had ‘beached’ on the front town beach and promptly did the calculations on when we could do the same. On Saturday we dinghed ashore and re-visited the town. We enjoy the history of the place which is cleverly depicted in murals painted on town buildings. The locals are very welcoming and we enjoy the hospitality, shopping and coffees… Saturday afternoon saw us high and dry and Peter was able to change the oil in the sail drive gear box – mission accomplished! On Sunday morning, because the winds were right, we hoisted the sails to head back to the Eco Resort for a late Fathers Day lunch which was yummy and, then anchored overnight at pretty little Breakfast Bay. We caught the tide and wind just right on Monday morning for an exhilerating 5 hour sail which saw us at Gulnere anchorage near Hamilton Island by 1pm. We were able to sail around 8 knots for a good portion of that time which is really good for FA

More photos

A Fantabulous week

That was the description that Russos and Jenny gave to the week they spent on board Family Affair. The week’s weather was outstanding which meant the snorkeling, especially at Blue Pearl Bay was breath taking, oceans of beautiful clear water for swimming and lots of opportunity to relax and soak up the many and varied locations and anchorages. As we had light northerly winds, which are unusual for this time of the year, it was particularly interesting to be able to anchor and visit anchorages on the South side of Whitsunday Island and Haselwood Island. Turtle Bay was glorious and Waite Bay very picturesque. The weather was perfect for sitting in the cockpit area enjoying sundowners sipping chilled wine and listening to gentle music. Russos, an old sea salt from the Fremantle area, soaked up every moment on the water with total abandonment and kept the rest of us highly entertained. A highlight of the week was the ‘photo competition’ with a viewing every night. Consequently we ended up with some outstanding photos..some of the winners from the different categories are attached ..humorous….portrait…and general. We so enjoy sharing this fabulous lifestyle with friends and family, it adds even more to our enjoyment

Birthday celebrations - not all planned!

If Christine had been asked to make a list 10 years earlier on where she would like to spend her 60th birthday, a night sail on a moonless night through the ghostly forms of the Whitsunday mountains would have definitely been at the bottom of the list!! It was not planned that way but there was a hold up at the Mackay boatyard getting FA back into the water. so we were consequently 4 hours behind schedule. This meant missing the full advantage of the tide and as we had planned to meet up with visitors to the boat in Airlie on Friday 21st , we made the decision to keep going into the night. We had the most beautiful sail (spotted a whale on the way) until sunset but then the breeze died away completely and at about 9pm the tide turned. It proved a very long trip, something like a 13 hours, and in retrospect we should have anchored at Burning Point and caught a few hours sleep, waited for the tide and saved a few hours of motoring. Because of the darkness of the night we donned safety jackets, epirbs and had all the nav gear including radar.. We tried listening to the test cricket on the radio, but that proved very uninspiring. Once your eyes adjust to the darkness it is amazing how much light a sky sprayed with thousands of stars can give. It is very beautiful. At midnight Peter wished me a happy 60th but we were too exhausted to celebrate in any real style and a big hug and kiss under that ‘moonless star filled sky’ was it. The anchor finally went down at Funnel Bay at 1.30am. But what a great experience. Thanks to safe reliable Family Affair with my number one skipper. How surprised I am to admit that I don’t think I would have preferred things any other way and the experience would have actually been top of the list!!
The rest of the day was very enjoyable, a trip to the hairdresser, welcoming our visitors on board and then all out to a beautiful meal at the Clipper restaurant, Coral Sea Resort. …..and of course lots of phone calls and SMS’s from family and friends

A week of hard yakka in the boat yard

Joe was with us for a day and a half after the boat was taken out of the water so he gave Peter a hand for that time. We hired a car for the week which enabled the guys to visit the mandatory ‘boy shops’ ie Bunnings and Super Cheap so they were suitably armed for the big job of sanding and painting the exterior of Family Affair. Unfortunately it was time for Joe to head home (maybe fortunately for him!!)so the bulk of the work was left to the skipper. The end result was good with FA looking lovely and fresh, white and clean. Christine took advantage of having the use of a car to catch some retail therapy, pity about the $80 parking fine!! We were very happy to go back into the water after the week as it was grotty and dirty in the boat yard due to all the work being done on other boats around us. It was not all bad though as we met lovely people from ‘Adagio’ (Peter and Julie) and it was great to have a visit from Murray and Bev who had just sold Catillac and were heading home overland to the west. The Mackay marina is a lovely spot so we were able to enjoy meals at a variety of eating places, coffees and a meal at the yacht club during that week.

Renewing Friendships with our Yachtie Mates

It was a bonus to arrive at Laguna Quays, where the boat had been berthed for the last 10 months, in time to join in the mandatory Friday night BBQ. There were at least 20 yachties (and ex yachties) at the BBQ which gave us the opportunity to renew acquaintances and be bought up to date on their latest adventures/misadventure on the water. We also had a couple of enjoyable sundowners with Annie and Harry from ‘Calypso Cat’ and Ross and Yvonne before we headed out of the Marina. During our week taking Rod around the Whitsundays we briefly met Lance and Trish from ‘Euphoria’ at Goldsmith Island, Lynton and Barb’s on ‘Ka La We’ at Happy Bay and Phil and Pat from ‘Aquavista‘ at Nara and Gulnare anchorages. It was fun to have drinks with them on 2 nights and meet their guests. We look forward to having more contact with all of the above mentioned and other yachties over the next couple of months. It certainly has added a whole new dimension to the cruising experience meeting people from other boats and sharing knowledge and experiences. Bev and Murray have just sold Catillac so were delighted to have them call into the boat yard at Mackay for a quick cuppa as they headed down the coast by car on there way back to the west. Many yachties including us, will have wonderful memories of happy, fun times spent on Catillac. It is a beautiful boat and Bev and Murray very, very hospitable.

"Apprehension"

Family Affair had been left to her own devices at Laguna Marina for 10 months, just what were we going to find? Peter was concerned that a battery would fail and drain the others and Christine had visions of mould throughout. What a relief to find her in good shape internally, but the "old girl" definitely needed some TLC externally so the plan was made to head to Mackay and give her just that.

Rod, a mate of Peter's from Quairading came with us to the boat which was great - good company, a helping hand and someone to share the sights with. One of the highlights was Linderman Island which was lots of fun. We spent the day as 'club med' guests - golf, lots of food, breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea, a hit of tennis, unlimited drinks..... the turkey showed us how......

2008 recap

Will fill in details later