Weather change

Last night in the face of increasing winds forecast we decided not to go north, but to stay in the Flinders for 2-3 days. There is another big fat high over the Tasman approaching NZ and it's doing the same as always - vastly increasing the wind speeds in this neck of the woods as the high spins anti-clockwise and throws SE to E winds off its top edge.
When we went to bed last night there was no wind at all and the sea was flat calm. Different story from about 0200 when the wind started picking up from the SW (unusual) and blowing a nasty little chop into the bay causing us to pitch, but not as bad as at Digby!! That place is etched on Jim's brain. Dennis will no doubt remember.
We are still anchored here in Stokes Bay, Stanley Is., Flinders Group alongside "Scorpio" (among others). That is ironic because it was Kevin on "Scorpio" who was at Curlew when we were at Digby and who passed the remark over the radio that "it's always been a mongrel"!!!
We are hoping the wind goes to the SE because then this anchorage will quieten down and will become the calm haven it's supposed to be.
Just to illustrate the indecision which plagues us on this coast, "Forty Two" left this morning after saying last night that they wouldn't be going and we are still here! Our options would have been to sail direct for Morris Is. (65 NM) or Hedge Reef (28 NM). Morris is by far the best anchorage but it would have meant we would arrive after dark and that's not good approaching a coral reef anchorage in high winds. Hedge might have been doable but is not such a good anchorage and gets a swell across the top of the reef at high tide. So, it might not be any better than this and the hope is that this one quietens down.
So, there we are - the joys of the north Queensland coast!
Love from us
Jim and Jean

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