Now on familiar territory it was time to head home. From Herring Bay we decided to follow our previous course via Maple Bay and Sidney Spit.

On leaving Herring Bay the weather started to worsen. In direct contrast to the heat of this passage on the way north, it was cold and rainy heading south. As we came level with Preedy Harbour on Thetis Island at lunch time we decided to pull in to see if the weather would improve... it didn't so we decided to push off again.

With the wind from the south we thrashed into the choppy sea. To experiment we put up the sails and tried to tack across the channel with the engine also running. We got to enjoying this (not least because there was another yacht trying to do the same) so we beat hard into the wind all the way into Maple Bay.

As we arrived in Maple Bay the rain stopped and although still overcast we decided to head out to find somewhere to eat. We had heard there was a restaurant at the marina so we jumped in the dinghy and went exploring. After maybe 20 minutes we pulled up at the Dinghy dock and found the restaurant a very cosy and welcoming place. After a couple of dinks we jumped back int the dinghy and merrily wound our way back to Doubletime for a great night's sleep

The next day we breezed through Samsun Narrows and headed off to Sidney Spit where we easily picked up a mooring buoy for our last night afloat.

The next day was a fine motor sail all the way home, arriving back at Wharf Street in time for a welcome drink at the Lido, home at last.