Departure Gladstone -Take two

I returned to Gladstone on the fourth January and the new battery was fitted. All was in order.The new battery was duly marked with the installation date. None of the originals had been dated in any way, so the new one was differentiated, as they weigh 60kgs each and it would have been a shame to confuse them in the future, as fitting them into place is not easy.

The 5th January , marked my official retirement from the paid workforce after 40 years in the Australian Maritime industry. A career that gave me much and I hope I have been able to, in various different ways give back a little to it. It was a career and definitely not a job, however  I knew about 18 months earlier ,when anchored on K'Gari one morning off  Port Klang in Malaysia , watching the ships arriving and departing, that I wasn't actually suffering withdrawal symptoms from work and it was time to go.

My trusty crew for the final leg ,my personal  long range electrician and friend  Peter, arrived on the 6th and we departed for Tin Can Bay on the morning of the 7th.

Flying along off Bundaberg

An easy and pleasant sail had us in the marina at Tin Can Bay at 1746/9th January.
Having logged 10618nm, via Borneo,Singapore,Peninsula Malaysia,Thailand and Indonesia, (also don't forget the 4 fish, from my sustainable fishing regime) after taking delivery of  her in Vietnam, K'Gari was in her new home berth, having sailed the final leg down the  Great Sandy Straits, past her namesake landmark.

The first sunrise over the island K'Gari to be  taken from the deck of K'Gari
and yes, I think it is Paradise.

Yes, its been a steep learning curve  at times, which I strongly suspect will be an ongoing theme. Yes I've made some mistakes.Yes there have been some issues. Yes, there was some vile weather, but only a tiny bit , probably no more than two weeks in total, yes, K'Gari has withstood it easily, and yes ,yes,yes  it's been such an adventure ,with some great friends and with the bonus of  making  some more friends along the way.

We are "at home"

Regrets- absolutely none,its been so much fun, and now there is all of Australia to play in and around.