Homeward bound

Saturday 31 July, Dunk Island to Goold Island

The trip home began in light SE winds and we tacked down to Goold Island. Nice anchorage – no fish but a beautiful sunset.








Sunday 1 August, Goold Island to Port Hinchenbrook Marina

We motored the 10 miles to the marina and entered at about half tide and had a minimum depth of 1.2m.





We met Marie (from my work) her fiancé Rob and Rob’s mum Janis for lunch. It was great to catch up with them, hear all their news and share our trip so far.





Monday 2 August, Port Hinchenbrook to Garden Island

We left after lunch and a swim in the marina complex pool. This was appreciated as we were very hot after riding our bikes the 4 kms into Cardwell to collect mail and do our shopping. Garden Island is small but picturesque and popular with the locals.

A dream realised

Saturday 24 July, Townsville to Orpheus Island
We had a good run up to Orpheus Island in a 15 to 20 knot ESE breeze arriving there at 5pm where we picked up a mooring. We passed a number of islands including Rattlesnake Island where the RAAF practise their bombing. We had made sure there was nothing happening today before we left.

We also passed Fantome Island which was the site of a leprosarium. One of our friends and neighbour, Peter Ludlow, has written a very interesting book on the history of Peel Island that mentions the aboriginal patients being transferred to Fantome. A fire destroyed much of what was left on the island.

Sunday 25 July, Orpheus Island to Hinchinbrook Island

We have been looking forward to getting to Hinchinbrook after hearing of the spectacular beauty of the passage. Unfortunately it was raining as we entered the channel and we could see very little.

We sailed up to Haycock Island were we spent 3 nights in the worst weather of the trip (lots of rain). Good reading and a couple of DVDs helped pass the time. A highlight was catching up with Jackie and Steve off Free Spirit who were also here. Steve related the story of getting a fish hook in his foot on the way up. Unfortunately the hook was still attached to a 4 foot mackeral at the time (Ouch!!!). They ended up getting medical assistance at Palm Island to remove the hook and he is recovering well.

Wednesday 28 July, Haycock Island to Dunk Island

We decided to head further north today in the hope of escaping the rain. We motored initially to charge the batteries and so we could check out Gayundah Creek. We saw another Seawind here from Townsville (Boom 'n Bust) who said they had seen a croc swim by.

Once out of the channel we raised sails and by 1330 the spinnaker was up and the sun was out. We carried it all the way to Dunk where we anchored in Brammo Bay.
While we were waiting for our boat to be built, we had a few days at Dunk Island after one of our bike trips. We loved it and in 5 days put on the weight we had lost riding 550 kms in the previous week! While dining at the resort we would look out over the yachts moored in Brammo Bay and say that will be us one day. Well today was the day!

We spent 3 nights at Dunk. We hiked up Mt Kootooloo (280m) and had planned other bush walks until Warren nearly stepped on a rather large snake that crossed our path.




We got our exercise kayaking the next day. Hot showers on shore courtesy of National Parks were a treat.

Magnetic Island and Townsville

Monday 19 July Cape Cleveland to Magnetic Island

With very little wind and a good forecast for the next few days we motored the 2 and a half hours to Magnetic Island. We anchored in Horseshoe Bay and went for a walk ashore. We were last here in the late 70's and while the units are much flasher, the place seems much the same. We were lucky to time our visit with the local cruisers Monday night BBQ on the beach. We had a great time and met lots of interesting and helpful cruising folk that we hope to see again in our travels.

Tuesday we accepted an invitation from Brian and Annette (Muscat 7 - Lightwave 38) to go around to 5 Beaches Bay for the day with a couple of other cruisers. This was a very relaxing day in perfect weather.


Wednesday 21 July Magnetic Island to Townsville

We were glad we had spent the time at Magnetic, but it was time to stock up in Townsville. Our 2 nights turned to 3 as we had a strong wind warning and a few unplanned jobs. We also had a few late (very late) nights following the Tour de France. Our bikes came in very handy as I visited friends at the TAFE one day and we went searching for to Bunnings and a bike shop on Friday (30k trip in the end). This was to get Warren's gears cleaned after the bike had an unplanned swim at Airlie!

We loved the Strand and the many old buildings around town. Overlooking the bay are many huge, spectacular houses. I thought my brother John, an architect in Hong Kong, would like this one. I wonder how deep the anchors of those supports need to be for this to survive a cyclone!

North to new cruising grounds

Wednesday 14 July, Airlie Beach to Double Bay
After stocking up at the Cannonvale Coles, I visited the local campus of BRIT to catch up with Natalie while Warren got a haircut. We also found a great fishing shop at Cannonvale where we got some new gear and advice so we are looking forward to finally catching a mackeral.

We started our trek north into …..you guessed it – a northerly. So we motored the 10 nm to Double Bay East. Unfortunately we had no phone signal so I missed the estimates broadcast for DET. As you can imagine I was very disappointed. Stayed the night and caught several good sized bream. Only 2 other boats here which was nice after the crowded anchorages around most of the Whitsundays.

Thursday 15 July, Double Bay to Cape Gloucester

Another short but this time fast sail to Cape Gloucester in a fresh SE breeze. We anchored off the Eco resort and went for a walk along the beach to Monte’s resort. Both pretty low key but very popular it seems with the fishermen. We had a relaxing 2 nights here. The anchorage was good but got a bit rolly in the mornings with a SW (reminded me a bit of a night at the Sandhills in this regard).

I started a new book on my Kobo ereader that Ben got for me at Borders. It has 100 free classics and I am working my way through them. So far it is good – the battery lasts about 2 weeks, 5000 page turns, and it is easy on the eyes. You can adjust the print size and it bookmarks where you are up to. I’m reading Jane Austen’s Emma at the moment as I recently read the novel The Jane Austen Book Club.

Saturday 17 July, Cape Gloucester to Cape Upstart
Sailed the 52 nm to Cape Upstart along with a couple of other boats from Cape Gloucester. This was another good anchorage and although it is a national park there are about 300 houses. The land was sold before it was declared a park and you can only get here by boat. While we didn’t go ashore, some looked a lot bigger than beach shacks.

Sunday 18 July, Cape Upstart to Cape Cleveland

Another long day, 64 nm, the highlight of which was when 3 whales surfaced 50 metres off our port side. They were accompanied by a few dolphins who I like to imagine were making sure the whales didn’t get any closer. They did a few tail slaps and pectoral fin waves before disappearing south. No time to get the camera unfortunately. Another good anchorage and with a good forecast for the next few days which will deteriorate as the week progresses, we decide to go to Magnetic Island instead of Townsville while the weather is good.

Ben's Excellent Adventure - Part 2

Thursday 8 July to Monday 12 July

The second half of Ben's time with us was a bit windier and so we headed over to Luncheon Bay and then a mooring in Butterfly Bay for the night. We have settled in to a nice routine of early nights (except when we play cards) and late starts. Ben is enjoying the change of pace and particularly the sunshine! From here we headed to Nara Inlet and walked up to see the rock art of the Ngaro people.


After a quiet night at Nara we went to Cid Harbour for the Ben's final 2 nights with us. I was keen to climb Whitsunday Peak - a challenging walk that took 2 and a half hours in total. We had heard there were 967 stone steps to negotiate and as we headed off and it is straight into the steps. Our heart rates rose rapidly, and having read the National Parks sign that said to allow 4 hours, I checked my watch to find we had been going 8 minutes! I decided not to count the steps and instead concentrate on the beautiful surroundings.




The view from the top was spectacular even with only moderate visability.


Monday we dropped Ben at Hamilton Island for the flight back to Melbourne while we headed back to Airlie to reprovision for our trip North to Hinchinbrook. The P&O liner Pacific Dawn greeted us as we rounded Pioneer Rocks on the way to Airlie Beach.

Ben's Excellent Adventure - Part 1

Saturday 3 July to Wednesday 7 July
Ben arrived Saturday and we spent the night at Hamilton Island Marina. It is very windy, quite cool and isolated showers - not the weather Ben was looking for I'm afraid. Sunday we head to Gulnare Inlet on Whitsunday Island. It is quite shallow at the entrance however plenty of room inside and seems to have a lot of cruising yachts and few charterers. One fish for Warren and Ben and I happy to read in the overcast conditions.




The forecast is better for Monday, so we head around to Whitehaven Beach. The sun is out by lunchtime and we have 2 great days and nights here with walks on the beach, kayaking and relaxing in general.



On Wednesday we motored to Hill Inlet to climb up to the lookout for the view over the full stretch of beach. It's nice to see the variety of butterflys on every island.


On our way to Blue Pearl Bay to do some snorkelling, we saw a whale on the NE corner of Hook Island. We slowed down and saw 4 in total.




Low tide at Blue Pearl Bay gave us a close look at the reef and the fish. As we had a mooring we decided to spend the night here.

Whitsunday Cruising

Saturday 26 June to Friday 2 July

After purchasing fuel, ice and supplies, topping up the water and doing the washing we headed off from Hamilton Island Marina for Whitehaven Beach under blue skis and a gentle breeze – where was this weather last week! After the 2 weeks on the go to get to the Whitsundays and then the non-stop action of the rally, it was nice to put down the anchor with no real plans for the next week.

We sailed or motored from Whitehaven to Hill Inlet, Tongue Bay, Macona Inlet (see pic), Butterfly Bay, Blue Pearl Bay and Stonehaven. We fished (2 keepers only), crabbed in Hill Inlet (no luck but we did find an anchor chain and line), kayaked, collected oysters and snorkelled. Life is tough in the Whitsundays. We saw lots of charter boats (big, small and massive), some cruisers and another Navy patrol boat (HMAS Bundaberg).

We saw turtles, dolphins and schools of brightly coloured reef fish while snorkelling at Blue Pearl Bay. Note the spectacular rock faces on the cliffs on the North side of Hayman Island.

We read, watched Patton (again although Warren says it is the first time this century!) and slept at least 8 hours a night. Altogether a great week and we are really starting to get into cruising mode. Our eldest son, Ben, joins us tomorrow for 9 days so we are looking forward to showing him the best of the Whitsundays. The weather has been great all week although it is windier today 15 – 20 knots and gusts up to 25 and more is predicted for tomorrow. Ben is hoping for warm weather after a cold spell in Melbourne.

We are currently anchored off the VMR ramp at Airlie Beach to stock up at Coles for the coming week. It is a short walk from here which is just as well as we probably will need several trips.

Seawind Rally - Part 2

Tuesday 22 June, Cid Harbour to Hamilton
With the breeze still sitting in the 20 to 30 knot range we were glad of the short course today to Hamilton Island. As it was all on the wind, we still ended up taking over 3 hours and covering 20 nautical miles. Tonight was a cocktail party and trivia night at the new yacht club which is very impressive.

Wednesday 23 June, Hamilton to Cid Harbour
The beach party at Whitehaven had to be moved to Dugong beach at Cid Harbour today. We all had a great blast downwind and we finished a close second to One More. The BBQ on the beach was followed by sand modelling which was won by the artistic Leaper crew. Unfortunately our sand modelling skills were in line with our trivia skills!

Thursday 24 June, Cid Harbour to Nara Inlet

One More had spent last night at Macona Inlet and proudly showed off their catch before the start (3 Spangled Emperor). The breeze was not quite as strong as the last few days and Brent added a loop around North Molle Island before heading to the shelter of Nara Inlet.



The 20 Seawinds were quite a sight although it didn’t stop Solway Lass getting up close and personal.







Friday 25 June, Nara Inlet to Hamilton Island
While the breeze eased today, we had rain showers to add to the mix. The breeze started off 15 – 20, eased to nothing in the middle and then finished at 15 – 20.
The final night’s mystery dinner was at the golf club on Dent Island. We were ferried over and met on the red carpet by the Channel Whitsunday cameras and Brent looking very smart in his tux.


The venue was great, food good and entertainment had everyone up dancing. There was a fancy dress theme of "celebrities" and some crews really got into the spirit.
The effort of the XTSea crew from Gilligan's Island helped them secure overall rally winner.



The crew from One More made a great effort also.

Talisker won the coverted “Horns” for his consistency at the front of the fleet.

We would like to thank Brent and Renee for organising another great week – the weather caused a few changes to their plans but they were flexible and delivered a good time despite the challenges.

Seawind Rally - Part 1

Saturday 19 June, Cid Harbour to Airlie Beach
Time to meet the other 19 boats participating in this year's Seawind Whitsundays Rally. Abel Point marina is host and the new facilities are much improved on those we experienced 2 years ago. It is closer to the shops for groceries and we had nice wide berths.

Tonight there was a skippers briefing followed by a meet the fleet party. Some owners have sailed their boats from home (Lake Macquarie, Brisbane, Yeppoon, Sydney) while others are using charter boats (their own or hired).

Sunday 20 June, Airlie Beach to Long Island

SE 20 - 25 knots. Gate start off Airlie than a reach to Pioneer Rocks. It was then on the wind all the way to Happy Bay. Peer Pressure had a great start and sailed well to win the race and earn the honour of wearing the "Viking horns" the first time. Well done, Len, Isla and Lee. We had a good start but went the wrong way and finished in the middle of the fleet.


Hawaiian Cocktail party followed by karaoke at the resort was great fun. The Seaquence crew of Megan and Kelly were a hit with YMCA that had everyone up on the floor and the Dream On crew again showed their unique style.

Monday 21 June, Long Island to Cid Harbour
Strong Wind Warning SE 20 - 30 knots. The forecast forced Seawing organiser Brent to move to plan C for today's sail. A beat to the planned stop at Lindeman was quickly canned, likewise South Molle Island so after a fleet vote it was settled on a quick reach across the channel to the very protected anchorage of Cid Harbour.

This race was started on the beach Le Mans style - the crew has to get out to the boat, off the mooring or anchor and get their sails up as quickly as possible. Tallisker had a great start and lead for most of the race until becalmed behind Cid Island and watched in dismay as Peer Pressure again took line honours and "the horns". Seaquence won the skippers hat for the overall rally leader at that point (helped by Next Phase support during karaoke I might add!)

South Percy to the Whitsundays

Thursday 17 June, South Percy Island to Scawfell Island
The day didn’t start well with Peer Pressure finding their anchor chain wrapped around a coral bombie. Several anxious moments for Len as he pictured having to take to the chain with his bolt cutters so early in their cruise. They eventually unwound themselves and we all headed off in a very pleasant ESE breeze of 10 to 15 knots. Peer Pressure and Next Phase set spinnakers while One More had a motor ticking over as we needed to make good time to cover the 68 miles to Scawfell before dark. After the excitement of the last few days it was nice to relax.

The breeze died after lunch and we dropped the kite and started the motors. We were then joined by 6 dolphins who delighted us with a display of precision bow riding and acrobatics. Very special as we sat in the bow seats of our Seawind and enjoyed the show. I really think they were pleased to entertain us! So Quinn, we have seen dugongs, turtles, dolphins and whales but happily no sharks or crocs.

The breeze freshened again about half an hour later and the spinnaker was up for a quick finish to the day. The only issue was avoiding a rather large ship en route to Mackay that the AIS picked up on a collision course. A course alteration was required to ensure we passed well astern of it. It was off to join the other 57 ships anchored off Mackay.

We arrived at Refuge Bay on dusk with just enough light to appreciate the pine trees and rocks to the waterline of Scawfell Island so characteristic of the Whitsunday Islands.

Friday 18 June, Scawfell Island to Cid Harbour

Southerly of 10 to 15 knots sees the spinnakers up again for the final leg to the Whitsundays. One More made an early start as they wanted to get to Airlie Beach to meet some family members while we left at 6:30. This is a very beautiful part of the coastline with many islands that we hope to explore on the trip south. Saw a navy patrol boat heading south.

The breeze died again around lunchtime so we motored up the Whitsunday Passage to Cid Harbour. The forecast is that the glassy conditions will not last! We saw several more Seawinds including Hadja (1160) who are also participating in the rally.

Yeppoon to South Percy Island

Sunday 13 June, Rosslyn Bay to Port Clinton
Another 6am start in a 10 – 15 knot southerly. We set the spinnaker at 8:15 and this gave us a smoother sail in the confused seas. We dropped it before we gybed to port to head towards Port Clinton where we anchored in the South Arm. We sailed on our anchor for quite a while until the tide changed. Movie night tonight. Warren has been collecting DVDs in anticipation of the trip. The TV with DVD combined uses a bit of power but it does stop us going to bed at 8:30 which is becoming a bit of a habit.

Monday 14 June, Port Clinton to Island Head Creek
There is a strong wind warning current for this region and winds of 20 – 30 knots forecast and 3m seas with a 1.5 to 2m swell. We head off at 6:45 to see what the conditions are like with South Percy as our planned destination. We had discussed with Peer Pressure the possibility of going to Island Head Creek if conditions were as forecast. We had 2 reefs in the main and even with this reduced sail area we were surfing down the swells.


We saw a log speed of 15.7kn (18.2 on the GPS). While exhilarating, discretion dictated we pull in to Island Head Creek before we did any damage. I am sure the boat could handle the trip to the Percys – it is usually the crew that is the problem. The early mark meant Warren could do some fishing and got a bream and rock cod for dinner.

Tuesday 15 June, Island Head Creek
Still a strong wind warning, 20-30 knot south easterlies and now we add rain to the mix. It wasn’t a hard decision to decide to spend the day here. Warren did a few jobs and I started a new book that I can’t put down. With the overcast conditions we have had to run the generator for about an hour and a half yesterday and today. Tomorrow the wind is forecast to ease during the day and we hope to continue our trip to the Percys.

Wednesday 16 June, Island Head Creek to South Percy Island
We leave at 7:10 hoping the conditions are easing as predicted. Wind is a steady 20-25 with gusts up to 30 as forecast. Peer Pressure and One More follow us out and we all settle down for the trip to the Percys. Seas are big and very confused again.


It is hard to get a photo that depicts the size. The wave behind Warren in the first photo is big but doesn't look it in this photo. The second photo gives a better idea of the wave size. The masts of Peer Pressure and One More are visible behind us in this shot. Double reef again and while we make good time it is not as exciting as Monday ……… for most of the trip. One More saw a whale cross their stern close by. So now as well as watching the waves and the wind gusts, we had the added concern of a whale appearing at any time. I am not sure what we could do if we were surfing down a swell when it happened. Luckily the whales seem smart enough to keep out of our way.


As we approached South Percy along its eastern shore we find the seas getting bigger, more on the beam and cresting occasionally. I had one heart in mouth moment when a wave broke on the beam sending water into the cockpit and sending the esky sliding across the saloon. I for one was glad to drop the anchor at South Percy. Looks nice but we don’t go ashore. I am getting to the end of this book!

Bundaberg to Yeppoon

Tuesday 8 June, Bundaberg to Pancake Creek

If we thought the sail yesterday to Bundaberg was good, then today’s was sensational. We motored out of the marina at 6 in a light SW breeze which had built to 10-15 knots from the south by 7. We raised the spinnaker, with Len and Isla close behind and spent the next 7 and a half hours tacking downwind crossing gybes with Peer Pressure in a steady 15 – 20 knots (we weren’t racing of course but Peer Pressure won!).

We averaged 8 knots under the spinnaker with longs runs at 10-11 knots. We anchored in Pancake Creek at 3.30pm in the inner anchorage. I think we were all asleep by 8.30 and were looking forward to a day off on Wednesday.

Wednesday 9 June, Pancake Creek
We had a leisurely start to the day before we gave the fishing a try. Len has never been a fisherman so had a neighbour’s help to put together the gear he needed. Warren gave him a lesson in pumping yabbies and off we all went. We got a couple of whiting and a sweetlip and then went to check on Len who was fishing from his boat (perhaps better described as his line was in the water and Len was on the boat). As we were discussing the vagaries of fishing, I noticed a tug on his line. Len jumped to it and promptly pulled in a good sized tusk fish followed by another even bigger. This success put paid to our plan to walk to the lighthouse on Bustard Head. The track is very overgrown and we decided to leave that for another visit.

Several calls to Optus and we are promised it will all by fixed by Saturday. Didn’t I hear that last week (and the week before!)

Thursday 10 June, Pancake Creek to Cape Capricorn
This was the first real test of the AIS with a lot of ships anchored off Gladstone and a number going in and out. Note all the ships at anchor and Peer Pressure close behind Next Phase.



















The wind was up and down a bit today and we had to motor for the last couple of hours to get to Cape Capricorn about 3pm. We climbed to the lighthouse just in time to see a spectacular sunset. We came across a very shy echidna that did a good impression of a spiky plant as we went past.

My mum told me about the steak and kidney pies in the photo. The brand is Fray Bentos and they come in a tin and don’t need refrigeration. Available at Coles and Woolies and good back up and very tasty. Now I sound like my brother John who, when travelling around Europe after uni, used to send us letters mosting filled with descriptions or drawings of the food he liked.

Friday 11 June, Cape Capricorn to Rosslyn Bay, Yeppoon
Our batteries have been worrying us for the last few days and we decided this morning to sail to Yeppoon to get them checked. We hired a car from the folk at Keppel Bay Marina and made the trip to Rocky. A new battery and $340 later we were back on the boat ready for the next 15 weeks of our trip. Peer Pressure motored into Yellow Patch at high tide with half a meter under the keel after just missing the entrance channel.

Saturday 12 June, Rosslyn Bay
Boat work day – washing, cleaning, shopping. You can’t escape these chores even on a boat. The marina has a courtesy car you can book for 2 hours to get to Yeppoon for shopping. This is the only marina I know that has this and it is a real treat. Peer Pressure arrived by 2 and we hit the shops to stock up on perishables. Octopuss (Seawind 1000) and One More (Seawind 1160) are in the marina as they are also heading north.

More calls to Optus (now they say next Tuesday or Wednesday). I really fail to see how they are staying in business – they haven’t got a clue what is going on.

Raby Bay to Bundaberg

We finally got away at 1345 on Friday 4 June. We had a westerley breeze that got up over 25 knots soon after leaving. This gave us an opportunity to practise our reefing as we put in the second reef. Len and Isla were about an hour and a half behind. Breeze dropped out as we exited the bay so we started our motors to get to Mooloolaba by 10pm. Forecast for the Wide Bay Bar was looking a bit iffy (20-25 knots SW and 1.7 to 2.2m swell).

Saturday. We were up at 4.30 and on the way by 5.00. We had a SW 10-15 knots which died as we got to Double Island Point. Len and Isla saw the first whale of the trip here as we motored to Waypoint 1. The crossing was very good - very little wind and about 1.2 m swell. We motored on the Garry's Anchorage where we toasted our good luck with a rum and wine with Len and Isla. Lynne, the rum flask came in very handy.

Sunday. Sailed up to the northern end of the Straits and spent a very quiet night at Big Woody Island.

Monday. Off at 6.00 again for the sail to Bundy in perfect conditions. SW going around to SE, 15- 20 knots and we averaged 7 knots. No whales but 4 other cruisers also sailing north with us.

Optus still hasn't fixed our phone so this post is courtesy of Peer Pressure. I'll add some pics when we have our internet working.

4 June - Day 1 - Whitsundays and beyond 2010

Day 1 of our trip and we have already had a change of plans. Actually it's day minus 1 as we had planned to leave tomorrow (Saturday). One of the interesting things about cruising is how much your life is ruled by the weather. At home our only concern is whether we need an umbrella or an extra jacket but weather rarely changes your plans totally. On the water, Huey (the wind God) makes many of our decisions. And today Huey is saying "Today is the day".

We have had a frantic last couple of days getting ready to leave in what looks like the best weather to cross the dreaded Wide Bay Bar tomorrow afternoon. We have been keeping a close watch on the various websites (including the surf at Coolum) and discussing daily with our friends Len and Isla who are making the trip alongside us in their Seawind Peer Pressure.

So we are off today. We are still waiting for Optus to sort out Warren's phone so we may not be able to give another update for a few days.