World ARC meet the Wallabies of Mackay & celebrate completing the Pacific
by World Cruising Club 6 Aug 2019 15:35 AEST
Wallabies on the beach © World Cruising
Along with sundowners, impromptu gatherings and private tours, one of the main attractions on the Mackay programme of events is the World ARC tour to Cape Hillsborough to see wallabies on the beach at sunrise. This is a rare spectacle where wallabies and kangaroos scour the morning tide for mangrove seed pods, seaweed and coral sand dollars. After meeting these little chaps and learning about their habits and social interactions within the colony by a private guide, participants tucked into breakfast rolls and coffee before heading back to the marina.
Our big thanks to the Mackay Region (tourist authority) for organizing and sponsoring a very special morning.
The programme continued with a very emotional evening at the Clarion Hotel. The event began with a hearty Sunday roast feast which for many of the participants is a welcome change of menu after a Pacific diet of fish and coconuts.
Following the dinner, the all-important and eagerly awaited prizegiving took place for Leg 7. The winner of the Monhull Division went to the consistently fast blue boat, SKY. Congratulations to skipper Jopie and his crew for winning their final leg with the Rally. Runners up in the Monohull section were Aurora B in 2nd and Alora in 3rd place.
The winner in the Multihull section was announced to great applause. Being nominated as the kindest skipper in the fleet, 1st prize went to Helmut on Babsea. They were very closely followed by Charm and Danica I.
In usual fashion there were a number of fun competitive awards to include, guessing the ETA which was won by family boat Aurora B who crossed the line just 2 hours and 5 minutes off their estimated time. The bonus question was won by Steve and Lynda on Alora and to great giggles amongst the feet, the made up question selected by the yellow shirt team was 'which crew has the longest hair?' and the winner was, Niobe.
During Leg 7 there was the opportunity for the fleet to submit 10 of their favourite photos from the Rally since their start in St Lucia. The photos were displayed on the large screen during the prizegiving dinner and the winners were chosen independently by the Marina staff. Two winners were awarded, firstly to Chris on SKY for his professional photo 'through the compass' and the second photo selected was taken by Sweet Dream who took a fabulous shot of their boat under the magnificent mountains of Moorea in Tahiti.
Sadly it was time to say good bye to a few boats who are departing the Rally for ongoing adventure. With heartfelt speeches of gratification for an amazing experience and for the strong friendships all the fleet have made, Aurora B, Tumi, Danica I and SKY said their final farewells to the Rally.
As part of the fleet's triumphant efforts to cross the Pacific Ocean each crew member were awarded a World ARC certificate in recognition of their passage. With everyone up on stage for a photo it was quite incredible to see that a number of crew members were under the ages of 12 years.
Another stopover has been toughly enjoyed by everyone and the exploring of the Mackay regions will continue over the next few days along with preparations to cruise north through the mighty Barrier Reef and up to Darwin, a 1,500+ NM passage.
Special thanks to all the team at Mackay Marina for all their support and help during the World ARC's arrival to Australia and thank you for sponsoring a very memorable dinner at the Clarion Hotel.
The next official rendezvous will be at the beginning of September with participants gathering for an optional crew supper in Cullen Bay Marina. The start of Leg 9, Australia to Lombok, will be on Tuesday 10 September.