Anui is sailing again after being out of action for weeks. We left the marina like a sling shot – free at last! Big thanks to Bill and Janne Shead for letting us use their berth for free for two nights. We hope to see them at their island home at Lord Howe later in the year or share an anchorage with Cut Loose before that! Seeing our two big cats together would be quite fun.
Strengthened & anodised A frame ready to be fitted 
Sails and furlers checked
We have our A frame back, the rigging has been adjusted, the sails tested, we are watertight, seaworthy… Hooray! It has been hard yards. There were times when we felt quite despondent and had to keep reminding ourselves of our wonderful shakedown cruise to Port Macquarie to keep positive. “She sails so well and is so stunning inside and out. We’ll get through this… we’ll get through this” was our mantra.
Wednesday we took off in a 25-35 knot southeast – nothing was going to stop us! We headed to the top of Moreton Island for a night at anchor on our lonesome. It was a bit lumpy but we did not care! Then it was on to Mooloolaba for reprovisioning, vet and medical appointments – our last chores for a while. Bengie, not impressed, tried to hide in a green shopping bag!
Today as we post this, we are sailing north. We intend to spend the rest of April at the Sandy Straits and Fraser Island, to reconnect with nature. You can imagine how good it feels after spending the best part of four months working on Anui.
Sv-Anui 
Open seas, deserted anchorages, I can feel the joy. Happy settling back into the things you love.
Thanks Ann – sailing under screecher right now!
Congratulations, Chris. I’m happy for you. Next time you open a bottle of wine, have an extra sip on my name and I’ll share your happy moment. Take care my friend… 🙂
Sure will HJ!
Good for you getting sailing again all the hard work you must be so happy with the outcome I must admit I love working on boats and the only thing that would have bothered me was the expenses I could holiday at the boat works ha ha ha Go and enjoy your trip and look after yourselves Regards Gary
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Hi Gary – nice to hear from you! Yes it has been a long, frustrating and expensive time, but we well and truly have attended to everything that cropped up. Let’s hope it is the end of it for a while. It is very nice to be sailing again.
How great to be free again ! Congratulations on seeing the last few months through !
Hi Doug – Hard yards, but we have the wind in our sails and happy!
Enjoy the rest of April sailing with nice wind and weather and anchorages which are pleasing to eye as well as the spirit. I look forward to seeing and sailing on Anui. S
Hi Sue – yes we are at last doing what we were meant to do and love! It will be really special to welcome you on board when you come cruising with us again.
Well done Chris and Wade!!
Happy Sailing again!
Don’t forget to let the “QANTAS lure” out for a run. Sure to land something juicy up that way. Cheers
Waz
Thanks Waz – no fishing today, we were in a fair bit of wind in a lumpy sea. Now anchored at Double Island Point.
Congratulations! Here’s to new beginnings!
Oh yes, the return to sailing is sweet! Thanks guys.
Glad to see that your efforts have come to a happy result :-). Your stories of repairing Anui made me think of a Rudyard Kipling short story (The Devil and the Deep Sea) involving ship repair in the tropics, but a different outcome for the ship.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2569/2569-h/2569-h.htm#link2H_4_0005
Thanks for the link, Murray. We’ll download this! It has been hard yakka but we are all good now.
Dear Wade and Chris and Cat, Thankyou for all that…..so glad you at last feel free to go your own way. We wish you fair weather and sunny skies and pleasant sailing . Remember the words of the Master Christian when storms assailed Him…Just 3 words – because he knew his Father was in control. He said “ Peace, Be still”. And there was a great calm.
Be thinking of you With love from us both Happy Easter- time Pam and Frank
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Thank you Pam and Frank. Have a good Easter too.
That’s great news, it reminds me of some of the struggles you had with Takeiteasy. Hopefully that will be it for a while.
Hi Leanne – yes exactly… it’s all part of cruising, even though we wish we could have had less “concentrated” calamities on Anui!
I can understand that, especially with it being new for you. It would have been nice to have happy sailing for a while, but hopefully you can do that now.
Even though it is frustrating, it’s better to get all the gremlins out in a region where it is easy to get repairs done. Further north or offshore these things become nightmarish rather than just inconvenient.
So pleased that you have escaped! Enjoy Fraser and the Sandy Straits. Lovely place to reconnect and unwind.
Thanks Graham. You are right – no rush, we can come and go as we see fit and chill out. Tonight we are at White Cliffs after a sail under Screecher from Garry’s anchorage. We stopped there this morning after crossing the Wide Bay Bar to wait for the tide. A nice day and peaceful spot.