Wednesday 15 June 2011

Cape Capricorn

On Tuesday we had a great passage from Pancake Creek to Cape Capricorn. We spent a lot of time "with the fridge on" (ie motoring), but the last hour or so was a great sail. Before leaving Pancake Creek we met Sally and Phil from Amaris. Their 35 foot steel sloop was home built, and very beautifully done it is too.

Zen Again at Pancake Creek
We departed Pancake Creek at 0630 in a very light WNW breeze. We motor-sailed most of the way with the breeze going around to the North for a short period. For an hour or so there was no breeze and the sea "glassed out" - always spectacular.

The sail for the last hour was so good we took turns helming the boat, with the other trimming the sails. A sure sign of a lovely sail! Normally we let the autopilot or wind vane steer. The boat was doing 6 knots beating into a 10 knot breeze with the full main and the little No 3 jib.

We anchored along with Splash, Smart Move and several other boats, in the little bay on the north side of Cape Capricorn. No prizes for guessing why it is so called (see latitude of our position report). The anchorage was a little rolly, but then it is open to the north and west.

Moonrise over Cape Capricorn
Cape Capricorn is quite spectacular, and from the anchorage an array of islands is visible. The nearest is Hummocky Island but one can see the Keppel Islands in the distance.

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