Leg 67 - Mooloolaba to Double Island Point on the Winter Solstice

Our decision to delay our departure from Mooloolaba and extend our stay from the original 3 days to 10 was vindicated by a mini tornado hitting a building not too far away and ripping the roof off a block of flats. An event with national news coverage that had our phones ringing all day for confirmation that all was well.  That surely qualified as seriously bad weather and made us feel less like sissies. How fortunate we were to be on a safe pontoon and merely hearing our rigging scream, as it does, as the wind exceeded 35knots to reach 50 and push us over to an alarming heel!

 The Oak Moon setting over Mooloolaba at dawn

A stupid o'clock departure was planned but didn't quite eventuate owing to extended farewell drinks aboard with our 'Pontoon Lords', Mark and Wendy. No matter, we were still up before dawn and crossing the Mooloolah River Bar entrance on a suitable tide and in emerging daylight. Slipping out the heads was so calm that The Bloke didn't even summon me topside or alert me. All of a sudden I emerged into the cockpit and we were on the ocean. That doesn't happen too often nor does the special view on offer. Today was a rare astronomical event; not just the Winter Solstice but one that coincided with a full moon. FYI, it's called an Oak Moon. (I hesitate to say 'known', since who actually knows that?). A full moon was setting as the sun was rising. Today we would not be experiencing that dark hour just before dawn. Epic! A Solstice event like this is rare, and so much so, that the last coincidence was in 1967 and the next one predicted for 2062. To experience it again The Bloke and I will need to live to 109 and 106 respectively, by which time our money will definitely have run out!  

Sunrsie while the moon was setting

Leaving when we did, we were able to use the best of the breeze and remain in a pocket that stayed with us well past Noosa before it gave up. Our friends on Bilbungara departed just an hour later and got none of it and were forced to motor pretty much all the way to Double Island Point.

The lighthouse at Double Island Point

Double Island Point was our intended anchorage for the night ahead of a pretty significant Leg 68 - a crossing of the Wide Bay Bar. By reputation this anchorage would have excellent holding which we confirmed but was inclined to be rolly which we also confirm in spades.

Our view for the night

Sunset horizon on the shortest day of the year ahead of longest night,

It proved to be a very l o n g night indeed. We expected rolly and even to be on a lee shore. This anchorage is a staging point. The forecast for light NW winds under 10 knots turned out to be more like 20 and delivered a nasty fetch making the longest night of the year feel considerably l o n g e r. We berated ourselves for partying too long the night before causing us to be an hour later out of Mooloolaba than our friends on Sans Souci. They are veterans and avoid the Double Island Point stopover altogether and we now know why. Being an hour ahead of us, they were able to cross the Wide Bay Bar in the last of the daylight. They had invited us to follow their lead but we didn't and couldn't. This was the shortest albeit pretty, day of the year and we'd run out of light and accept our punishment.

NOTE TO SELF: If at all possible, skip the Double Island Point stopover!