Short lived glory....

For those of you who thought we had sailed away to some exotic islands... think again! 

Getting cozy with the Mooloolaba Coast Guard

After spending our first night at anchor, we were very excited to take Aquabat out for our first sail. Bryce had been out previously for a test sail before we bought the boat but this would be my first sail and his first sail as Captain. After we finished running the lines and stowing everything to sail, we were ready to head off. Our plan was to head out before the high tide as that would give us enough time to get back to the anchor on the other side of it. We weighed anchor and were chugging along very slowing with just enough power to maneuver through the other boats in the anchorage. As we reached the edge of the anchorage, we heard a crunching sound and lost power. The engine was still on but we had lost the ability to put the boat in gear and thus move forward or backward. As we were quite close to both shore and other boats, quick-thinking Captain Bryce ordered the anchor down. Tim ran down below and was able to determine that the problem was an issue with the connection from the gear box to the prop shaft. A few phone calls and thirty minutes later, the Coast Guard came to our rescue and towed us to the boatyard where we are currently waiting on parts!

Thankfully, we are in a very nice spot close the shops and have access to electricity and showers. Hopefully we will be able to set sail (for real) soon!

View from Aquabat's current location