Which Way Do I Go From Townsville?

[resilientg]

I'm in a lucky spot.

My boat is just about ready to launch, just painted the anti foul on her.

Shes getting picked up tomorrow and taken to the boat yard so i can finish off a bit of painting on the hull and then hopefully within a few days be put in the water for her maiden voyage.

She has been waiting for over 40 years to get launched.

She is a 28 foot steel yacht.

My question is simply, if you were me and you were in townsville, Queensland, Australia, which way would you go?

I am thinking to just do little coast hops from anchorage to creek, to small island etc.

My first thought was just to putter off to the duckpond to test everything for few days then head towards hinchinbrook and hang around there prior to a slow migration towards cairns.

Weather seems to all be blowing in the wrong direction for that though.

But maybe other people more familiar with this area will have other advice?

I dont want to go for a thousand miles sail as the boats new, so realistically i am thinking that it is sensible to hang somewhere a days sail from supplies or spare parts if need be while i put both her and myself through some sea trails.

Need to be close to safe spots to hole up just in case the weather goes putrid as it is hurricane season now.

Oh lastly, haha, if there's heaps of fish and no mozzies that would be cool

Let me know if you have any good ideas?

Thanks in advance.

Matthew