Brilliant Sailing! 11+ Knots on a 45-year-old Kelly Peterson 44

Some sails are worth the wait, and this was one of them.

Ironically, it was a passage we’d been dreading. If you’re cruising down the Queensland coast, the leg from Magnetic Island south to the Whitsundays faces practically dead southeast – straight into the prevailing tradewinds.

In the summer months you can often catch a northerly back, but these can be short-lived between southerly busters. During the shoulder seasons (when this was filmed) those windows begin to disappear altogether.

To complicate things further, when you do get a window and the wind blows from the north, potential anchorages along the route become untenable. You’re in it for the long haul, and there are currents, shoals and all sorts of associated wave patterns to deal with.

Unless….

After waiting in Maggie Island Marina for two weeks, throughout which howling sou’easters never ceased to blow, we were suddenly gifted a perfect window. Leaving on a Nor’easter, which over the course of 48 hours clocked first north and then northwest, we rode the bullet train all the way to Bowen, and although she might not steer well in reverse (or at all for that matter!) for a 1978 cruising yacht, our ‘Brilliant’ lady didn’t disappoint.

Join us for everything from a little bit of Code 0 sailing in light airs to the full reefed down sleigh ride (in perfect comfort I might add). For anyone planning on sailing this stretch of coast, there’s also some info on the Maggie Island Marina and adjacent facilities. Thanks for watching and Fair Winds!

🌬️⛵️

@shazatsea (IG)

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