Moreton Island Sailing: Catching a Weather Window Before the Storms. Preparing to Sail the World

We leave the marina and set sail for Moreton Island for a weekend escape — taking advantage of a narrow weather window before severe storms arrive. With major weather systems forecast to move in soon, this trip is all about timing, planning, and making the most of calm conditions while they last. This is the reality of liveaboard sailing, where every sail is shaped by the forecast. We’re full-time liveaboard sailors currently living in the marina while we prepare our sailboat for a future sailing around the world. While we’re not offshore yet, weekend sailing trips like this are essential for building experience, confidence, and seamanship before long-distance cruising. When storms are predicted, knowing when to go — and when to stay — is a critical sailing skill. In this episode, we sail across Moreton Bay to Moreton Island, using the brief calm period ahead of the incoming storms. From checking weather forecasts and choosing the right departure time to navigating changing winds and sea conditions, this video shows what real boat life looks like for cruising sailors in preparation mode. This is everyday life for sailboat owners and liveaboards, balancing adventure with safety while living aboard full-time. Moreton Island provides the perfect destination for weekend sailing, offering beautiful anchorages, island scenery, and valuable experience for sailors learning to manage weather windows and coastal passages This episode is ideal for anyone interested in sailing, sailboats, and liveaboard life, including beginner sailors, people new to boat ownership, and those dreaming of travelling the world by sailboat. You’ll see how short coastal trips play a vital role in preparing for long-term cruising and bluewater sailing, especially when weather systems and storms are part of the equation. Using calm conditions before the storms hit allows us to test systems, practice anchoring, and continue preparing our boat for future ocean passages. Trips like this are stepping stones toward becoming confident cruisers and eventually leaving Australia to sail around the world. If you enjoy liveaboard sailing adventures, honest boat life, real weather decisions, and the journey toward long-term cruising, this episode is for you. Subscribe and follow along as we chase weather windows, sail to stunning islands, and work toward our dream of sailing around the world, one weekend sail at a time. It's been two and a half years since our first sail in @SailingAstridTheWombat actually that means it's been a year and a half since our first sail ever. That's right a year ago we bought this Beneteau Oceanis 430 and pulled the sail up for the first time ever when we brought her home. A sail that stretched 700 nautical miles from Townsville in Far North Queensland Australia to Moreton Bay in Brisbane Queensland. We are now preparing to move onboard and to sail around the world. Join us to see the challenges as we continue to learn to sail, prepare our boat and make changes so our boat feels like a home. We are moving onboard in just a few weeks so our sailing dream is getting closer and closer. Each experience we have and each new sailing skill learnt just keeps bringing us closer to taking off to sail around the world in our Beneteau Oceanis 430 @SailingAstridTheWombat living our boat life dream. We hope you enjoy our content. Please hit subscribe and follow our journey to full time sailing around the world. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:42 Sail Plan 04:05 Fenders In 05:50 Head Sail Out 08:00 St Helena and Green Island 11:00 Rope Bags 14:10 Big & Little Sandhills Moreton Island 16:53 Anchored 06:30 Turtle Please leave a comment, like and subscribe to follow our journey. We are Gav and Shezz an Aussie couple with a dream to sail and scuba dive around the world. We bought our Beneteau Oceanis 430 in October 2023 with zero sailing experience but the belief that we can do this. We have filmed our journey from looking for boats, buying the boat and downsizing our house so we can liveaboard and all the messy wonderful life stuff in between. Join us now as we start to get our boat prepared for liveaboard life. As new sailors we want to share all of our learnings and keep it real in our videos. We want to show step by step what it takes to choose a boat, buy the boat and learn how to sail. Our sailing learning curve is steep so come along with us as we learn and grow as liveaboard sailors. We promise you will have a laugh! Welcome aboard Astrid The Wombat Gav and Shezz You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook: Sailing Astrid the Wombat #sailing #liveaboard #sailingaustralia #sailingadventures #sailboat