Episode 7 Overnight Sail from Great Keppel Island to Marble Island

The weather was still chilly at Great Keppel Island so we only stayed a day before setting off further north in pursuit of sunshine and warmer weather. Due to the military exclusion zone in place right where we planned on spending quite a bit of time, Shoalwater Bay, Island Head Creek, Pearl Bay and Port Clinton, we had to sail for around 14 to 16 hours without a stop. We decided it was best to do this at night and it was a great opportunity for us to complete our first overnight sail. The winds were perfect and we were going between high 7's and 8 knots consistently with top speeds in low 9 knots. We were in fact making such good ground that at around 9pm we decided to slow the boat down, as we were going to arrive at Marble Island too early! The night was pitch black without even the moon to shine on us but there were plenty of stars around to light the way. More information can be found on the web site links below about "Notice to Mariners" and Military Exclusion Zones in this area. The live ammunition training is carried out over winter to reduce the damage to nesting birds and perhaps turtles. https://publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/capricorn-coast-outside-pilotage-areas-notices-to-mariners