Time in Southport (17th May till 23rd May)

Sun Rise approaching Gold Coast

We did an over-nighter from Yamba and as we got closer to Southport the lights got brighter and as the sun rose we finally got to see just what a crazy place the Gold Coast is!

Originally we were planning on staying at the Southport YC but were not able to get a suitable berth but luckily we were welcomed in at the Marina Mirage which we found out is the home of the super yacht. 

Little Sally

It was quite enlightening when we quickly figured out that we are the 'little boat' in this marina and we have to wait till at least 9.00am in the morning before the sun rises due to the height of the decks around us.  Basically this place is mad - great fun to visit but not quite the place that you would want to live.  There are helicopters flying in and out all day, there is a floating church, a million and one eating places and a lot of really big boats up for sale.

The "Liquid Church"

We had to say goodbye to Leapy Lynda on Thursday after a very big celebration on Wednesday night.  She is off to spend some time with friends in Brisbane and make plans for the next leg of her travels.

Thursday was a pretty damp day but did manage to find some time in between the showers to wander up into the main part of Surfers and have a look around the myriad of shops, tour booking agency's and souvenir shops.  We decided to head off to the Boat Show at Sanctuary Cove on Friday which was also pretty mind blowing.

Our new crew Ian & Karen Hughes arrived on Saturday arvo so went and had a bit of a swim before they arrived.  It was also presentation night at Safety Beach SC and through technology we were able to become part of the evening through a Skype hook up (thanks to Ross & Louise).  It was great to see all the members and we were thrilled to find out that we took out the double whammy!  Mark being awarded the very prestigious title of  "Club Person of the Year" and myself & the Sharpie crew taking out the Club Championship for the second time in a row.  Naturally we were all very excited and really thrilled that we could actually be part of the event!!

Sea World - Dolphin Encounter

Sunday was our day for adventure at Sea World,.  We are got out of bed early and prepared for our Dolphin Encounter which I have been wanting to do for years,  It was amazing being so close to these fantastic creatures and we were even allowed to touch them which is apparently equates to a job well done in dolphin speak.  Anyhow we all had an awesome morning which was followed up by some roller coaster action, the amazing seal show and some more dolphin encounters before we finally wandered our way back to the boat.

Tomorrow morning we leave Southport and will most probably be heading to Hope Harbour Marina up the Coomera River.