4-10 July 2008 Bundy to Brisbane

With a SE-S wind predicted we decided to sail east across Hervey Bay to Wathumba Creek on the northern end of Fraser island. We anchored outside the creek the first night as it has a very shallow entrance. After checking it out on Saturday morning in the inflatable, we decided to enter on the high tide. We anchored in a small hole inside with 3 other cats but as the tide dropped it became clear we were going to sit on the bottom.

Sunday we left on the high tide and reached south to Moon Point before motoring to Yankee Jack Creek for the night. We listened with increasing interest to each weather forecast as we got closer to the Wide Bay Bar. Monday we motored to Garry's Anchorage and with a forecast of NE-NW and a decreasing swell for Tuesday, we decided this was the best time to cross. But Tuesday saw a SE 10-15 knots when we crossed with 1.5 to 2.0 m seas. The "mad mile" was aptly named but the bar was not breaking and although there were a couple of bigger sets, we crossed without incident and anchored at Double Island Point.

Wednesday's sail south to Mooloolaba gave our first whale encounters, 2 some distance away (one breaching and one slapping it's flipper) but the last surfaced only 50m in front. We quickly tacked and it swam alongside for quite a while before continuing it's trip north. We hand steered and kept a much more vigilant lookout after this. We anchored in the Mooloolah River with "Davoren".

Our final day's sail started in a strong SW that died by lunchtime. We motor sailed for a couple of hours before arriving at Raby Bay to the cheers of the awaiting crowd (Mum and Dad). Warren sounded the fog horn to signal the end of our trip and we tied up in our marina berth. Now the cleanup, return to work and planning for the next trip!

1-3 July 2008 Yeppoon to Bundaberg

The weather has been very good the last 3 days with blue skies and light winds. This has lead to some motorsailing and motoring but is much better than the alternative of 20+ knot headwinds. We decided to pass through The Narrows - the shallow passage between Curtis Island and the mainland. The shallowest sections dry to about 2 m at low tide so it is important to work the tide.

As the higher tide is at night at the moment, we decided to travel this section on Tuesday night. We had met a Kiwi couple in Mackay who had done the night sail and they said they had no problems as the route is well marked. We motored from Yeppoon to Maria Inlet, anchored, had an early dinner and then started our trip down the Narrows at 1800 hrs. While a little stressful on a moonless night, we went through without incident and anchored in Graham Creek (left) about 2130 hrs.

An early start the next morning had us motorsailing through Gladstone harbour before the wind died and we then motored to Pancake Creek.

Today we sailed about halfway to Bundaberg before the wind died and we motorsailed to arrive at Bundaberg Port Marina at 1845 hrs. 72 nm in 12 hours! Tomorrow we start the final leg home through the Sandy Straits and the dreaded Wide Bay Bar. Suzanne, please check the Coolum Surf for me every morning! The wind is forecast to increase over the weekend so we plan to bide our time inside Fraser Island before we cross the bar. Life is tough sometimes!!

30 June 2008 – Port Clinton to Yeppoon

E then S 10- 15 knots
South to Yeppoon today and with a predicted ESE breeze to go NE in the afternoon, we were looking forward to a reach and maybe even the chance of getting the spinnaker up. No such luck as the easterly left at 0900 to be replaced by a southerly. More tacking – although with blue skies and slight seas, it was good sail. We are now tied up at the Keppel Bay Marina getting ready for the next 350 or so miles south. If all goes to plan, the next update should be at the end of the week from Bundaberg.

29 June 2008 – Hexham to Port Clinton

SE 15 – 20 knots, easing in the afternoon
Another 60 mile day to windward. Port Clinton is a huge harbour within the Shoalwater Bay Military Zone. The south arm of this area is the only anchorage open at the moment due to live firing exercises by the army. The picture was taken inside the harbour and shows 9 other yachts at the preferred anchorage. We had a very calm night and have put this on our list to revisit as there is a lot to explore.

27, 28 June 2008 Digby to Hexham Island

SSE 15-20 knots
The winds are forecast to increase tomorrow so we decided to skip the Percy Islands and make straight for Hexham Island today. Although this means another long day, we do not need to move tomorrow if the winds are as strong as predicted. 62 miles to windward – what more can I say. Hexham is a good anchorage although a bit rolly and subject to bullets (large gusts of wind) that had us moving around on the anchor. We spent our day off fishing, reading and exploring. Warren’s fish cleaning attracted a couple of large sharks that had him deciding that the top of the back stairs was a better cleaning area. We kept all the fish scraps and disposed of them the next day well out to sea. Definitely no snorkelling at Hexham.

26 June 2008 – Mackay to Digby Island

SSE 15–20 knots
The winds did ease a little, or so the weather bureau said, although as we bashed our way towards Digby Island it didn’t feel that way. The boat made good progress with a double reefed main although we took a lot of water over the topsides. Unfortunately 2 of our hatches are leaking and this has caused some issues for us to deal with when we get home. We arrived at Digby at 1600 hrs after covering 54 nautical miles to windward in about 9 hours. The anchorage was a bit rolly and stark. We were just happy to have stopped pounding!

25 June 2008 - Mackay

SE 20 – 25 knots
Lois and Kel left this morning to fly back to Darwin and we decided to spend another night in the marina to prepare for the trip home and let the winds ease (we hope). Tomorrow will be a big day as the nearest anchorage is Digby Island (about 45 miles to the SE). No more updates until we get to Rosslyn Bay (Yeppoon) in a week or so.

24 June 2008 Keswick to Mackay

SE 20 knots
After a rolly night at Keswick we motored past the large houses on the hill overlooking Egremont Passage. We are not sure what the attraction is but apparently there are plans to develop the island for 2000 people. Warren says they can have it – this was not his favourite anchorage. There was a BBQ at the marina tonight and we met quite a few interesting people – all heading north. They can’t understand why we would want to head south! Why are we again??

23 June 2008 Goldsmith to Keswick Island

SE 15–25 knots
We decided to move on as we need to get closer to Mackay so headed off with a forecast of 15-20 knots. It didn’t take long for us to realise that we needed a couple of reefs in the main. It was hard going into the south easterly with a large swell. We decided to stop at Brampton for lunch to see if the wind and seas would abate with the change of the tide. Good protection and a pity we had to move on. We decided to head for Keswick Island over Scawfell Island as it is closer to Mackay.

21, 22 June 2008 - Goldsmith Island

SE 20-30 knots
Our first visit to Goldsmith and it offers good protection from the strong winds in Roylen Bay. We spent 2 full days here reading, fishing (some bream and lots of lost gear to the sharks), exploring (more snakes) and relaxing. This is only the fourth time in 5 weeks that we have spent more than one night at an anchorage.

20 June 2008 - Thomas Is to Goldsmith Is

Light SE breezes

Thomas Island is described as one of the best anchorages in the Whitsundays and it did not disappoint. We spent the morning exploring the beaches and hiked up a dry creek bed to try to get to the other side of the island.

Beautiful wildflowers but only a glimpse of the southern side. As the wind is predicted to increase tomorrow we decided to head to Goldsmith Island this afternoon instead of tomorrow.

19 June 2008 – To Thomas Island

Light SE breezes
Left Whitehaven early to get through Solway Passage before the tide began to run too fast. Sailed to Lindeman Island while having breakfast and anchored at Gap Beach to climb Mt Oldfield for one of the best views of the Whitsundays. In a word – spectacular (and no snakes!). The picture at left is looking towards Shaw Island. After lunch, we had a gentle sail between Shaw and Lindeman then around to Thomas Island.

16 – 18 June 2008 – Snorkelling and more

We left Hamilton Monday morning and sailed through Solway Passage to anchor at Whitehaven Beach. We enjoyed great Gympie steaks on the BBQ and caught up with Lois and Kel’s travels in Europe by barge, bike and train over the last 6 weeks. Tuesday we sailed north to Cateran Bay on Border Island to enjoy some great snorkelling. The water was clearer than we had seen to date with colourful coral and fish. We spent the night here on a mooring. Wednesday we checked out Dumbell and Esk Islands on the way to Chalkie’s Beach. More good snorkelling – this time off a sandy beach with lots of inquisitive fish. Spent the night at Whitehaven.

14 – 15 June 2008 – Crew changeover

SE 20 – 25 knots
We hiked up the hill overlooking the anchorage at South Molle Island for a fantastic view of where we had sailed over the last week. Excitement on the descent as Warren nearly stood on a snake. We decided to try our new storm jib on the sail to Cid Harbour this morning. Len and Warren got it set and we were happy with the way it performed. Hopefully we won’t need this sail but it is nice to know it is there if required. We spent the night in Cid Harbour as Len and Isla fly home tomorrow from Hamilton and our friends Lois and Kel join us for 10 days. Seas were very rough as we motored to Hamilton on Sunday morning and Len and Isla had some anxious moments when we couldn’t get onto our berth immediately. They made their flight as Isla hitched a lift with one of the many golf buggies after they missed the airport bus. It’s nonstop excitement with us!

13 June 2008 Seawind Rally

Last race from Stonehaven to South Molle Island. Still plenty of breeze around and a gate start to get the fleet away. Brent has done a great job organising the regatta with a good mix of sailing and socialising in fantastic locations around the Whitsundays.

Golf then the presentation and seafood buffet and a last chance to discuss the weeks sailing, exchange contact details and plan how we will get to the next rally. Our third place today saw us finish in first place overall for the rally - we were a happy if surprised crew. All boats were presented with a framed photo taken on the first day from a helicopter - a wonderful momento of the week.


Tomorrow some crews start the long trip home, some fly out to various parts of Australia and the world, and the lucky ones like us get to spend more time in this beautiful area.

12 June 2008 Seawind Rally

Race 5 - Tongue Point to Butterfly Bay. Another great sail downwind in 15 - 25 knots. We picked up a mooring in Maureen's Cove on the northern side of Hook Island and went for a snorkel on the reef. There was plenty of good coral and fish however the visibility was not great. A quiet night before the last race tomorrow.

11 June 2008 Seawind Rally

Race 4 - Shaw Island to Whitehaven Beach. Brent decided to mix things up today with a staggered start based on the boats finish times in the first 3 races. Our good results to date meant we started (and finished) second last. Luckily there was plenty of food at the BBQ lunch prior to the flipper races.

Whitehaven is a hive of activity with monohulls, multis, charter boats and seaplanes.

10 June 2008 Seawind Rally

Race 3 saw the fleet head south to Shaw Island. 20-25 knots SE again with big seas and unfortunately a couple of boats suffered sail damage and had to retire. The crowd was entertained at happy hour on the beach by a dinghy race where the skipper had to row while blindfolded while their partner gave directions. Luckily they don't sail like this.

7-9 June 2008 Seawind Rally

Great start to the rally so far. 17 Seawinds here and everyone keen to make new friends and enjoy the opportunity to hear about others adventures and places to visit. Saturday night saw a meet the fleet party at Shute Harbour followed by the first race on Sunday. The forecast 20 - 30 knot winds did not eventuate and we had a nice sail around Long Island to finish (in some chaos) at Happy Bay. The fickle winds and constantly changing places lead to many animated discussions at the Hawaian party that night. Royce was the best of the karaoke lineup and we all somehow found the energy to dance the night away.

Monday saw a Le Mans start where one person from each boat had to start on the beach. This is the first time I can recall a race where the prestart tactical discussion centred on the fastest way to get the dinghy on board and the sails up. It was also lady skippers day and with a steady 20 odd knots of breeze it was an exhilarating sail. Perrfection made it 2 in a row.

Hamilton Island Marina managed to fit us all in and Isla and I climbed to the top of the island for a spectacular view. We had another good night at Romano's restaurant including a trivia quiz.

1-6 June 2008 Whitsunday Cruising

We are back at Airlie Beach after a week cruising the Whitsundays. The weather has been fantastic (sorry Ben!!) Blue skies, light breezes and some of the most beautiful anchorages. But the week didn't start like that. After Ben caught his flight back to Melbourne last Sunday, we motored back to Cid Harbour as it was still raining and visibility was not good (You may have heard about one poor boatie who ended up on the rocks near Hamilton).

Monday we headed around to Whitehaven Beach where the sun came out for the first time in a week.

On the way we passed these kayakers who were no doubt happy the weather had eased.
We had a paddle in our kayaks at Whitehaven and then headed to Tongue Bay for the evening. Just 3 other boats when we got there and very quiet.........until the charter boats started arriving.

By morning when Warren went to Hill Inlet for a fish there must have been 100 people on the beach. We spent Tuesday night here also and then Wednesday at nearby Esk Island (I couldn't handle another night of the backpackers).

I read while Warren fished and we both kayaked up Hill Inlet. Warren got his first mud crab and we caught enough dart and whiting for several meals.

Thursday we headed for Woodwark Bay (on the mainland north of Airlie Beach). We put our spinnaker up in the light winds. Another beautiful spot and no charter boats. We are now back at Airlie Beach getting organised for the Seawind Rally. Len and Isla join us tomorrow and we have already met a number of other sailors who are participating in the rally including 2 couples from the US. Looks like being great fun.