NINKERS: Week 1 - a bit late - but as the saying goes better late than never

So already I am into week 3 of retirement - I cant believe it. It has gone so fast.

So what have we done or what have we learnt - after all this is what this all about.

The first thing I have learnt is that all the new and wonderful technology really needs some good knowledge to link up and hook up, especially when overseas or out on the boat - have to get an inverter on the boat to cope with the large amounts of power needed to charge everything up, hence the reason why this entry is so late (but I wasnt going to let that phase me).

But dont sweat the small stuff, sure I would have liked to have recorded daily the things I was starting to experience, but hey not getting stressed out by the small things that dont work is what this journey was about, who the hell cares!

I have the time to work it out, I have the time to remember and I have the time to go back and remember so its all about taking time to smell the roses and remembering - it will happen.

So week 1:

Overview: 5 smiles (yes eventually I will learn how to put some smiley faces in here but not today)

Cost:

normal weekly shopping costs: $300
petrol (because we were somewhat stupid - and roamed around aimlessly this was higher than anticipated or what would be standard so lets say $500 $300 for stupidity)

Length of Time:

Saturday 29th September to Thursday 4th October (I think) so 5 nights and 6 days

Weather:

Cloudy, and a bit too windy for alot of the time, but generally OK got better over the weekend

Funometer: 5 smiles

Valueometer: 3 smiles

Saturday: 29th Sept

So there we were all ready to rock and roll, boat loaded, everything ready and first up Saturday we headed off for our very first large trip. No real plans, lets just go where the wind takes us (and it took us further than we thought), find some nice places to settle for the night, do some fishing, play some scrabble, read etc.

So while the following Video wasnt taken on the weekend we headed on the journey we have done this part of the treck many times so here is a little of what we see when we head out.

Crusing up the Coomera River

This all played well, there we were with Lil' Ted and we found a lovely spot at Slipping Sands - we took a nice slow chug taking us about 3 hours and then I headed for a well earnt afternoon nap (something I havent really enjoyed for many years). As you can see nice and isolated, great beaches and no hussle and bussell just us and no one insight just how we like it.

After we headed for a bay that was a bit more protected because the southerlies where coming up and had a fabulous night of fishing, chatting, and scrabbling. Derek caught the first of the nightly feeds (lol no we thow them back). So windy though we lost a chair off the back of the boat (too funny)

What I love is what you see while at the beach!

Day 2: Sunday: 30th Sept

Woke up the next morning and decided to head for Tangolooma - a big chug - nearly 5 hours only to get there and the winds where terrible and the seas very rough with no real protected bays to stay in. So we took Ted off for his designated wee and poo break, had some lunch and decided lets chug back (hence the stupidity factor petrol money).

We learnt alot - dont follow the map, follow the navigation equipment, because the 5 hours there probably could have been 2 hours if I wasnt following the map - but hey we learnt alot and yes it was all a bit scarey because the seas where quite big and OH DEAR only quarter of tank of petrol left.

Got into a nice bay at the back of Peel Island and had a nice night - we were a little worn out and it didnt take much rocking before we were fast asleep.

Day 3: Monday: 1st October

OK need petrol desperately - lets head for Redland Bay Marina - got all nav equipement and maps on the go and finally got there (tank now showing just about empty), but shock and horror no Petrol (note to self establish Marinas that sell petrol). So now we were on a very very slow chug to Raby Bay and at about 11am with the tank now dead on empty we finally got the much needed petrol to allow us the freedom to go where ever we wanted to go and $800 later but to the credit of the Raby Bay Marina they did give us a discount of $50 which I thought was nice, given they are already cheaper than Gold Coast City Marina by about 20 cents a litre - anyway it was all sort of fun really, we learnt alot and decided to head to yet another new destination which was beautiful and closer to the Broadwater.

Had a great night, lots of beach walking, fishing and generally just relaxing and having some fun after what seemed like quite a stressful day (still windy and seas still quite high)

Day 4: Tuesday: 2nd October

Everything back to a bit of normality again, in waterways we sort of know ie: close to where we are use to being and a full tank so can literally now go whereever we want to. Decide to head for Tiger Mullet Channel with a few nice stops along the way. Generally had a lovely day, weather better, no wind, water lovely and nearly swimming weather but not quite a jump off the back of the boat yet.

Into Tiger Mullet and had a lovely afternoon doing all a bit of the same as above, out on the tender discovering some small islands, out walking on the dunes and casting the odd rod out.

Day 5: Wednesday 3rd October

So chugged over to The Pin beacause the weather and winds were much better now and settled in for some lovely swimming, walking, photography etc - yes it is all much of a much but some how the days go so fast I cant believe it. Great Sunset tonight

Day 6: Thursday 4th October

Everything perfect, and our perfect beach walk is calling us so off we go with Lil' Ted for a few k's walk along some of the most perfect beaches you would find anywhere in the world some of the photos below were taken at another time being there because silly me - my memory to take a camera eluded me. Generally it was fabulous weather and the first swim or jump off the back of the boat into the water weather sooooooo glorious.