Leg 6 -Two People's Bay to Groper Bluff approx 50nm

Leaving for Groper Bluff was an on again off again affair. The Bloke agonized over the weather predictions. We'd leave Sunday, on the other hand Monday would be OK too. The others preferred the outlook for Monday but on Saturday the Bloke once again preferenced Sunday.

Done: 0500 set off and this time we'd prepare better with water, snacks and be fully thermalled up. We'd be well prepared just like we would if we were taking on the 10 hr Mandurah to Bunbury trip.

Summer sailing in the Southern Ocean

Astro Boy? Yetti? No, just hate being cold. Thank you Mr Musto

Plan A was to motor for the first couple of hours out to Mermaid Point/ Bald Island passage and charge up the batteries by which time the wind should not only swing to the SW it should also come up and allow us a gentleman's sail upwind.  Too good... It worked out just like that and we frequently reached boat speeds of 7 and 8 knots in the 10-15kn breeze even as we passed the more confused seas off Cape #5 - Cape Riche. We reached Groper Bluff at the head of Wray Bay, well before 1500 giving us ample time to anchor and settle in for the night.

Bald Island at 07:00, 10nm from Two People's Bay and there were 4 tiny fishing dinghies there already. Talk about keen!

In the end we didn't anchor at Groper Bluff at all but further up the bay at the imaginatively named "Boat Harbour". This was rather a grand name for a dirt track, boat ramp and a couple of salmon fishing shacks.

The cats had already beaten us in, conditions really suiting their sailing needs and Urchin had it's "screecher" deployed first on one hull and later in the other to great effect. Oh yes, we were racing as usual. The cats were sampling the anchorage at Groper Bluff as we rounded the headland but it was in 7m of water with high cliff walls and a noticeable roll as the SW swells wrapped around so we headed instead for the "Boat Harbour". The cats were still sampling every anchorable metre of Groper Bluff by the time we'd returned to make a comparison. It wasn't on as far as we were concerned. Back we went to Boat Harbour  and by the time we'd returned after our reconnaissance the multitude of 4 wheel drive vehicles parked along the beach out towards the Beaufort Inlet replete with big boy toys such as quad bikes, scoobie doos and trail bikes had departed leaving only the people occupying the salmon shacks. It wasn't too long before the cats gave up on Groper Bluff too and continued their anchoring antics all around us. We must have made a fascinating sight. It's probably not common for a yacht to arrive, let alone a yacht and 2 catamarans.

Urchin at rest at last with the Beaufort Inlet in the background just down the beach from Boat Harbour.

Disappointingly, this location also proved rolly with the breeze in one direction and the swells opposite. Dang! At least we were in 3m of water and less formidable looking lee shore than at Groper Bluff.  So to ensure some sleep, we took turns at anchor watch.

In every other respect, it was a perfect day.