Denny arrived in Mackay and we sailed north to Brampton Island. We had flown there with friends in 1972, so walking its old airstrip brought back memories. From there we day-sailed towards Airlie Beach, but the restored dinghy was coming apart and both old outboards were unreliable.
A dinghy problem
At Airlie Beach I bought a new outboard and then waited much longer than promised for a replacement inflatable. Once the tender was working we could visit the islands, though crowded anchorages, weeks of wind and rain, and the practical business of getting ashore made this a different cruise from the tropical idyll we had imagined. Denny eventually flew back to Canberra.
Back at Bundaberg
I took Malua to Bundaberg for a haul-out, three coats of antifouling and a polish while her anchor chain was away for galvanising. The chain delivery was delayed. Anchoring temporarily on a nylon rode in the river became difficult in the tide and wind, so I had to secure Malua until the chain could be collected and brought back aboard.
