18.07.2020

As Geoff (DH) has posted in his blog My Sea-tirement we had to invest time and money with gas servicing both the oven/cooktop as well as the bottles, install the wonderful D400 wind generator (dubbed Wendy), and the Brothers Sol – our two new flexible solar panels and their requisite updated solar controller. In doing this, the only access to the battery box and all that wiring is behind the companionway steps. Removing them temporarily is a necessary evil but something one shouldn’t forget. Geoff gathers bruises and war wounds regularly but hopefully this will become less frequent.

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We had the delightful opportunity to meet Christine, Duncan and Paul who are aboard a sister-ship of sorts, in the Montevideo “Good as Gold”. We visited their boat and ooh’ed and aah’ed at both similarities and differences in our respective vessels. We admit we are quite jealous of several aspects of their boat and I am sure that there are some things about VT that they admire too (the Shed for example!) We are pretty envious of the targa on Good as Gold with an ingenious hot water deck shower, but especially a cockpit that is both roomy, can get past the wheel, and good cover from the elements! We hope they are enjoying their rally Beyond the Barrier Reef and hope to catch up with them along our respective travels.

In preparation for an early start, we intended to fuel at the dock in the afternoon and anchor outside the marina at the anchorage just upstream from the mouth of the river and opposite the mouth of the creek.

Bundaberg Port Marina has experienced higher than usual visitors coming and going over the past year or so due to the influx of sailing and boating enthusiasts making hay in the Covid-free sunshine timeframes. As a result, queues are forming for the fuel dock, and we waited and waited until the afternoon when what we thought was the last boat to fuel was at the dock.

Contrary to the usual kick to port that our boat (with an offset prop) gives when in reverse, this time VT came out straight much to our surprise. So, we took the opportunity to completely exit the pink finger into the river, in reverse!

The large powerboat at the fuel dock had obviously exhausted most of its fuel as the crew took an inordinately long period to fuel and fill water tanks. The expected circling in the river went on for well over 40 minutes.

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It would be our suggestion that large powerboats be directed to the high flow commercial fuel dock if Bundaberg Port Marina would agree to this. Alternatively, the marina would be advised to install another separate fuel dock with high flow for such vessels.

A quiet night at the anchorage downstream opposite the creek, although we heard a couple of keen boaties leave in the wee hours ahead of us.