Time to give this V8 a run for its money now.

Motoring out of the marina to
a beautiful sunset 

Heading out to Tangalooma

Finally we are able to motor out again, due to us having a lunch to go in the morning we don’t manage to get out until 1630, just in time to head over to Tangalooma before night fall, so out we go, both big smiles on our faces and feeling that wind in our faces again whilst sitting up in the fly bridge  while driving the boat was a nice change.  We worked out its been 7 months that we have been out in the boat properly.  We head over to Moreton Island, calm weather and a beautiful evening motoring along watching the sun setting.

 Its getting darker now and we are still about 20 Min's motoring away from Moreton, we are crossing through the shipping channel, 24 meters deep and just gone dark, and low and behold the bloody alarm in the boat goes off, telling us something major is wrong with the motor again.  How can this be.... We look at each other in disbelief and wondering what we are going to do.  Andrew tries to start the motor again, but no luck as Christie has the cover up and is watching to see if there is anything looking a bit odd in the motor.  Only to realise that the gear oil is totally empty.  Maybe its not so bad after all.... So we fill it up and about 35 minutes later with a little relief motor into Moreton, manage to anchor around the back of the wreck and settle down for the night with a well deserved wine and beer to settle the nerves. 

Well what a first night out after 7 months, so much for the weather forecast being calm. The wind picked up during the night and with the wind blowing one way and the tides going the other, we were rocking like you wouldn’t believed.  Items were being flung across the benches,  the door to the bathroom cabinet banging and the wind howling outside.  So we lay there from 2am until it got light at 6am and decided to head back through the white tips over to some calmer water along the Bribie passage.  Christie turns to Andrews when we get there and says, yeah this is the calm kinda boating I like.  

Old trusty "Sea Calf"

So after an interesting night and morning again and having explored the Bribie canals in the tinny - or as we call her "sea calf". We love just motoring around having a sticky beak into other peoples boats and seeing some of these million dollar canal houses.  We then decide to head back to the Marina.  Andrew has a look at the back of the boat in the marina to see oil slowly leaking into the water, oh no whats wrong now.

Monday morning and yeap it was once again a hard task getting up to go to work at 4.30am, ooh not long know and we wont have to be doing this work stuff for a few months, yeap we are counting the days.

Andrew gives the mechanic a call to see what the problem is only to be told that Mingo again will have to come out of the water  for the leg to be looked at as it seems as though a seal may have moved.  More expensive.

Pete driving Mingo.

After only having to be out of the water for a day this time and yeap a leak in the leg, but fixed with no problems and we are back in the water again for a spin with Andrews dad Pete.  A bit of a thrill for Pete compared to his old 3 meter tinny back in the 90’s.