Log Entry 21st March 2008

Today marks the start of the annual Brisbane to Gladstone yacht race and I was invited to sail with a work colleague and his crew of regulars to see the race on the water. Darryl has a Ross 830, which he stores at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, located adjacent to Lara’s berth at East Coast Marina on Manley boat harbour.

After a slow start from the harbour where the mainsail flapped uselessly and the spinnaker refused to fill we motored to the north side of the Mud Island well into the bay. Eventually the south-easterly picked up and we sailed over to a marker off Tangalooma (Moreton Island). This marker was part of the course around which contestants sailed before heading north out of Moreton Bay.

It certainly was a prime viewing spot and it was very exciting to watch the boats reaching powerfully up to it before turning north onto a spinnaker run.

The Bay is a very busy place commercially and the deep water in this area is vital to the navigation of large ships in and out of the Port of Brisbane. This Origin vessel, which I think is a natural gas carrier, was one of the smaller vessels we saw.

Thanks for the invite Darryl, and thanks to Dave, Andrew and Dave (2) for sharing a beer and some good boating conversation.