Jono R. and myself put in at Cleveland Point at first light and were greeted by a great sunrise on the water. The 15-20 knot headwind didn't eventuate, though we had around 10 knots by the time we hit the Dialba Passage entrance, around 10 kms from Cleveland Point.
We skirted around the reef on the top end of Peel Island, searching for the elusive Dialba Passage which I had marked up on my GPS. There is a go slow sign that marks the entrance to the passage now which makes it a bit easier to find.
The incoming spring tides got going a bit as we meandered our way through the passage, before cutting across the shallow banks and turning into the Rainbow Channel for an express ride down to Dunwich. We walked up to a great Vegetarian Cafe which is on the main road out of Dunwich before the turnoff to the Little Ships Club for second breakfast.
After some "island time" the breeze picked up and turned to the SE for a surf home. We paddled against the wind down to Goat Island before turning towards Cleveland with a 10-15 knot tailwind, outgoing tide and up to a meter of swell to push us along.
Jono has recently purchased a Taran 16 and I have a new Pace 17 Tour. We are both enjoying our respective boats and had an exciting trip back in these conditions, hitting up to 18 km/hr on the bay runners.
34.4 km paddle, some island time, and a tail wind home - a great day out!
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