Saturday 04 June Saturday was another day in paradise. Blue sky, no wind and no swell. But not all was well in paradise! As everyone took their morning turn at emptying their bowels, the odour increased to fill Imagine. Jack and Toni kayaked to shore and Liz swam. They went for a walk and explored more of the island while Andrew tended to the smell coming from the toilet and holding tank.
By the time everyone returned Andrew had replaced the air breather filter which was causing the problem.
We thought it would be rude not to attend the sundowners with the other boaties, so off to shore with more wine, sausages and a freshly baked loaf of bread.
Once again we fired up the fire pit and the bbq for the sausages as other boaties arrived. This time as the wine and tales flowed and we made our sausage sandwiches we noticed the others started drooling over the smell of fresh bread. We thought it was prudent the we offer a slice to the others before we were attacked.
Being Saturday night we stayed up and partied and this time were the last to leave at the late hour of 8.30pm. We boaties really know how to party.

Friday 3rd June
After a relatively peaceful night, we set off early to continue our trek to Percy. We stopped at South Percy Thursday night before heading on to Middle Percy.
For once West bay was calm and no roll. First up were swims off the back of Imagine. Jack and Toni went ashore in the kayak and Sue and Andrew went in the dinghy while Liz stayed onboard for a while then swam ashore to join us.
Once ashore we checked out the A frame, checking that our sign was still there. We returned to Imagine to get ready for the obligatory sundowners back at the A frame.
We returned to shore along with most of the other boaties in the bay. Andrew and Jack lit the fire for the BBQ, then while Andrew cooked the steaks and potatoes Jack started the fire in the fire pit.
Throughout the evening the stories flowing as much as the wine and rum. We were the first group to leave the fire and head back to our boat ready for bed at the late hour of 7.30pm.

Wednesday 1st June
We left Keppel early in the morning heading to Percy. The weather was forecast for 15knt to 20knt winds. After leaving the bay we did have 10knts for about ten minutes, before it dropped to 5knts. So we put up the Gennaker. That lasted three minutes when the wind got back up so we dropped that sail and went back to the headsail. After about 20 minutes it died again.
Ok, time to try again. This time it lasted most of the day. Eventually the wind went down to 2knts, so it was motor time.
Just then the steering went. Imagine did a 180 degree turn, the gennaker back filled and we needed to do something quick. Andrew raced downstairs into the back cabin and pulled the mattress off the bed and dropped the emergency tiller into position. To steer you need to stand on the bed boards, one foot on the tiller and poke up through the hatch like a meerkat so you can see where you’re going! Back on course Jack took over on the tiller while Andrew, Toni and Liz tried to pull the gennaker down. The gennaker jammed and Andrew had to go up the mast and free it.
Once that was sorted, it was time to look at what went wrong with the steering. Andrew and Liz started on ripping the floor up in the back cabin to get to the steering shaft. That part of the floor had been screwed, glued and fibreglassed. A couple of minutes with the angle grinder and the floor was up, revealing the shaft was a pipe that has rusted though.
Jack and Liz swapped jobs. Jack and Andrew found some hardwood and bolted it through the pipe to hold it together. An hour later we had steering. We have been lucky that the swell and wind were low and in the right direction that made fixing the problems a lot easier than it could have been.
Just to be on the safe side we headed to Pearl Bay for the night, and will recommence our sail to Percy in the morning.

Tuesday 31st May
The last three days on Great Keppel the weather has been good. Sunday we went around to Monkey beach for a snorkel. Monday Liz caught the ferry from Keppel to Yepoon (the mainland) for more supplies. She returned in the afternoon with a backpack full of only the essentials (booze), oh and broccoli and capsicum.
Tuesday we moved around to Wreck Bay to get out of the swell.

Friday 27th May
Another busy day with blue sky. After breakfast Andrew, Liz, Toni and Jack went ashore to meet up with Drew who they had met last night. Drew had been around Great Keppel Island for about 20 years, so he knew all the trails and tales.
He took us on a seven kilometer walk around the north eastern side of the island. He showed us all the bays along tracks we would not have found on our own. Some of the tracks were more like goat tracks.
Before returning to Imagine for lunch, Drew showed us around his catamaran that he had built himself.
The afternoon consisted of swimming off the boat chilling under Imagine’s sunshade and Drew joined us for sundowners on deck.

Saturday 28th May
As the wind has dropped and the sun had come out to play, we decided to move around to the other side of the island. We hauled anchor and left over thirty boats in the northern bay and motored around to Long Beach on the south side.
We had the bay to ourselves when we anchored but it didn’t take long before we were joined by a handful of boats and jet skis day tripping from the mainland.
Another day of chilling out and swimming in the glassy water. Liz ventured all the way to shore and Andrew got out the inflatable kayak. When Liz returned she wanted to catch bait fish with the casting net. She had seen bait fish along the shoreline and had seen someone using a net earlier. So Andrew and Liz headed to shore but returned empty handed this time.
The sun is beginning to set and there are a few more boats making their way into the bay. We are expecting more tomorrow, some from the mainland for the day and other yachts from the other bays.

Thursday 26th May
Today was a very busy day. It started with Toni and Liz swimming to shore escorted by Sue and Andrew in the dinghy. Once ashore Toni and Liz met Drew walking along the beach, while Sue and Andrew were swiming. Drew told them about a bbq happening tonight on the beach two bays away from where we were anchored.
Toni and Liz wandered up the beach exploring the next bay, returning a couple of hours later to where Sue and Andrew had just been chilling on the beach. They returned to Imagine where Jack had lunch ready.
It was 4pm before anyone moved again. Then it was time to head around to the bbq. We only took nibblies and wine, as Liz was making dinner when we got back. We spent a couple of hours at the bbq (fire on the beach) talking to other boaties that had come ashore. Drinking, eating and talking as the sun sank over the horizon.

Wednesday 25th May
The swell is dying and the rain has stopped and blue sky above. The water is still cloudy with low visibility so we did a few jobs onboard. We had discovered a small hairline crack in the fuel header tank leaking fuel. So with amazing metal putty it was soon repaired.
Next was the wind generator that has stopped generating power. Liz, Jack and Andrew carefully removed the generator from its mast while Imagine was still rocking. Once down Andrew checked it over and detected one of the windings are high resistance.
While this was going on Sue was armed with rain water and vinegar washing port holes and hatches, Andrew attempted to help dry one of the port holes and pulled on a lifeline and ended up overboard along with the drying cloth!
That was enough work for the day. A swim around the boat was in order before lunch. Again this afternoon was for just chilling.

Tuesday 24th May
The rain eased and the clouds parted as Jack, Toni, Liz and Andrew sped to shore in the dinghy this morning. Timing the landing on the beach wasn’t easy with the swell still rushing up the beach. It almost went to plan, with only a small wave crashing over the stern of the dinghy just as everyone had got out.
After walking the length of the beach we headed inland following one of the tracks to what is now a derelict resort. Water tanks leaking water from splits in the side. Overgrown staff accomodation blocks. The main resort building with tourist accommodation littered with broken windows. Goats wandering around the resort and its overgrown runway. It was quite surreal.
The path opened up to what would have been a crowded white sand beach. We walked along the beach and came across a smaller cabin style resort. This had a few patrons, but more importantly it had a bar and bistro. We had to partake in a drink (only to support the island economy). A few chips didn’t go astray either.
Arriving back at the dinghy we all headed into the sea for a quick swim before making our way back to Imagine for an afternoon rest.