Manatee coasts to Coffs

The weather was kind, seas to 1M, swell 1.5 from SW, wind 10-15 from SW. Dolphins escorted us to the bar.

Manatee sprinted along making fast progress under motor. After settling in and having a coffee or two we decided to hoist sails. OOps are we out of practice or what...we spent a few hours playing and going around in circles before deciding to take them down as the winds were increasing. That's when Marg got hit by the main boom after an accidental gybe. Stoic woman that she is we continued on after ascertaining that there was no internal damage (we hoped). Trial Bay was about the only possible place to get in to the coast, after running through possible scenarios, Marg went downstairs to nap.

Marg emerged near Trail Bay and announced herself fit to continue. Waypoints set on the GPS, course mapped and VMR Trial Bay given our tracking details, we continued merrily to Coffs. Bugger, darkness fell a few NM short of the harbour...if only we hadn't fiddled with the sails!!

OK do we continue on to Brisbane or stand outside the harbour?

Drifting outside the harbour won so we went in circles or just drifted about 15nm offshore. AK kept getting the heebie jeebies as it was her first overnighter and she was stressing about Marg's injury. Marg was stoic.

Dolphins kept visiting, which was very calming, in fact we've never seen so many! One huge school of smallish blackish dolphins put on a show just off our beam, leaping and cavorting through the water. Various groups of large grey dolphins announced their presence by a loud snort before they dived under Manatee and played in her bow wave. We got out our spotlight as the night became very dark (no moon) and we looked out into the vastness of the ocean. We came across a patch of what looked like sea snakes on our first circle, sea dragons on our second circle. We are still unsure of what they were, possibly a long thin fish with a snout...longtoms??

We spent most of the night avoiding thunderstorms, with severe weather lashing the land between Armidale and Coffs. Spectacular but frightening.

Dawn broke, we contacted Coffs VMR who allocated us a berth at the marina...we were in no condition to anchor. Berth number allocated with a port tie up...OK run through how we are going to do this...get the ropes ready. Contacted by VMR, sorry we have to give you a different berth with a starboard tie up...OK change the ropes and fenders to the other side. Enter the marina...oh shit our allocated berth has a very large yacht already in it...quickly find an empty berth before we get into the very narrow confines of the marina. Yep you guessed right....quick, change for a port tie up. With very little sleep AK jogged "nicely" around Manatee without much swearing.

We crashed for a few hours until the marina office opened...when we were allocated a berth with a starboard tie up! Rob the marina manager was great...assisting us to move and giving directions to a medical centre. Marg ended up at the local hospital where she was diagnosed with cracked ribs.