Position: 19 01.92 S  146 37.68 E
At anchor off Herald Island
Wind: East,  F3 gentle breeze
Sea: slight  Swell: East 1 meter
Weather: mostly sunny, warm
Day’s run: 24 nm

We have enjoyed another week catching up with family but today, after a final farewell dinner with Michael last night, it was time to move on and allow Michael and his family to get on with their lives.  So this morning, feeling a little wistful to be leaving Townsville behind us but also keen to be sailing again, we let go lines, motored over to the fuel dock to take on some diesel, and then motored out of the dredged channel, past the breakwater and out into Halifax Bay where we turned into the wind, set the mainsail and bore away to the north, reaching across a gentle easterly breeze.  Then we all but drifted through the windless passage between Magnetic Island and the mainland but once clear of the island’s wind shadow we found the breeze again and continued reaching to the north. 

We had no clear destination in mind for the day.  We are going to head for Palm Island but the winds are forecast to be very light for the next couple of days so, with a few islands between Townsville and Palm Island to anchor behind, we decided to sail as far as we could to be at anchor before sunset. This turned out to be the twin islands of Rattlesnake and Herald.  Initially I set my sights on the bay to the north of Rattlesnake Island but as we approached it became clear that the breeze was wrapping around its eastern point and putting us on a rocky lee shore.  The wind was forecast to be very light overnight but I prefer not to be on a lee shore if I can help it so we tacked back out to sea and then tacked to the south east and into an anchorage off the western side of Herald Island. There are no nasty rocks nearby and the breeze is blowing us off the beach, so I feel much more comfortable here.

With only light winds forecast for the next few days, I expect we will have to content ourselves with a bit of island hopping for the time being.

All is well.