Chancy cruising

Waiting for the “right” weather to go further north is no longer an option. With a new grandchild due to be born and a new apartment to move into, and no guarantees of what the wind and waves might do, we decided we didn’t want to get “stuck” on a tropical island for an extended period! Much better to start cruising south and see how far we get before flying to Melbourne in October. We slipped out of Yorkeys Knob marina at 6:15am on the last Saturday in August, turning right and following the Cairns coast, past Green Island and Fitzroy Island, Normanby Island and Etty Bay, before entering the Moresby River and anchoring in Mourilyan Harbour just on 3:30pm. Cruising conditions were perfect and we enjoyed prawn rolls for lunch as we motored along. It was very peaceful in the harbour apart from the buzzing sound of the generator on a nearby fishing trawler - we assumed he had a load of fish in his freezer! It didn’t stop us having a great night’s sleep and we set an early alarm for Sunday. 

We motored out of the safe haven and continued on glassy seas, hardly even rocking in the light swell. We cruised past the Barnard islands, Mission Beach and Dunk island, the Hinchinbrook channel and Zoe Bay, finally pulling up a mooring in Pioneer Bay, Orpheus Island. We enjoyed sunset drinks looking over the craggy peaks of Hinchinbrook Island, before pizzas and another early night. Another early start on Monday morning as we motored past the Palm Group of islands and rounded the west side of Magnetic Island. We had considered anchoring in Horseshoe Bay but there is a strong wind warning for at least the next few days so we managed to snag the last berth in Townsville; it’s Magnetic Island race week, so there’s lots of boats around! We booked in for the week to secure our spot while the wind blows, knowing we will find plenty to fill our days.

We’d never stayed at Breakwater Marina before, preferring the smaller, closer to town Yacht Club, but we found it very pleasant and friendly and with a courtesy car available we made the most of the opportunity to restock the boat. The captain also had a part delivered to fix the “Sea fire” system (which activates in an engine room fire emergency) and the first mate explored the very interesting Townsville museum, taking the captain back to see a reconstruction of the bow and many relics from the “HMS Pandora”, sent to find the Bounty mutineers but sunk in the northern barrier reef - a fascinating story! We strolled along the strand, visited markets at the Townsville Football Stadium and Strand Park as well as the weekly Cotters market in the city, enjoyed a drink at “Longboard” overlooking the ocean and lunch in the rooftop restaurant at Ardo, overlooking Magnetic Island. We had a great week.

A short weather window opened up on Monday so we took the opportunity, leaving the marina at 6am, rounding Cape Cleveland and heading south. It was a long day on a “lumpy” sea, but we finally arrived and dropped anchor at Cape Upstart, joined by many others making the same journey. An even earlier start on Tuesday morning saw us leading the “conga line” of boats down the coast past Abbot Point and Bowen, across Edgecumbe Bay to Gloucester island. We dropped anchor to enjoy lunch and left reluctantly after our meal - this is a place we have thought about spending a couple of days exploring, but we have to push on! We continued through the Gloucester passage and weaving behind islands where we could, until we reached Double Bay, anchoring in front of the old fishing hut we had explored on our way north. It was very peaceful on anchor and we enjoyed sundowners on the flybridge and dinner on the deck before a reasonably early night. We gave ourselves a “sleep in” on Wednesday morning, enjoying breakfast before raising the anchor again, this time bound for Macona Inlet, on Hook Island. Once again the seas were “lumpy” but it was a much shorter trip today and we anchored well before lunch, enjoying an Antipasto platter on the back deck and an afternoon swim onshore. While there was some wind, the waves were gentle and rocked us to sleep. 

While the Whitsundays are a beautiful place for relaxing cruising, we are keeping a close eye on the BOM and most particularly the wind and wave forecasts. There is a two day weather window before a prolonged period of strong winds so we decided to push on and find a safe harbour to sit it out. On Thursday morning we allowed ourselves a little sleep in, raising the anchor at 6:30am and cruising away from Hook Island, taking the passage past Cid Harbour, filled with boats, on past Whitsunday and Henning Islands and through the Dent Passage, between Hamilton Island and its famous golf course on Dent Island. It was a picturesque cruise, with occasional “lumpy” seas when we got into less protected waters. We passed many of our previous anchorages, including Shaw and Thomas island, both visited on our way north, as well as the “Smith” islands - Ladysmith, Coppersmith, Locksmith - we anchored at Goldsmith island for lunch but continued on afterwards, finally anchoring at Brampton Island. Another wrecked resort hugs the beach, with an infinity pool crumbling into the sea. We wandered along the beach as far as the airport runway, startling the kangaroos grazing nearby, then enjoyed a dip in the sea before returning to the boat. Five yachts are also anchored here, enjoying the calm waters protected by the island’s mountain.

Knowing that the wind was getting stronger as the day progressed, we raised the anchor reasonably early. We are not the first to leave; others obviously also watching the forecast, but they appeared to be heading north, the preferable way to go with the wind behind pushing you on! Instead, we bounced across the lumpy seas towards Cape Hillsborough and followed the coastline south. We arrived at the protective sea walls of Mackay marina before 10am, filling the boat with fuel and then making our way to our berth, thankful to be tied up as the winds strengthened.

Last time we stopped in Mackay, the first mate’s daughter was living there and it was easy to borrow her car and get around. The city is quite a way from the harbour and the bus only runs every three hours, so this time we had to really plan our trips! We tried the bus one day, catching the local one in but having to walk over 2km from the main port road back to the Marina on our return. Another day we hired the Marina courtesy car in order to do all our shopping in a variety of locations. And on another day we arranged for the Slade Point hotel courtesy bus to pick us up in order to enjoy lunch in the pub! Otherwise we stayed out at the marina, enjoying walks along the foreshore or out along the breakwall, a popular walking and driving route for many locals. Meanwhile, the wind reached well over 20 knots on many occasions and we were glad of a safe anchorage. After six days there, on Thursday morning, our wedding anniversary, the weather finally improved and we untied the lines and headed out to sea. We cruised through the anchorage for Hay Point coal loading facility, where five ships were tied up and filling with coal and 24 more waited offshore! A few whales also cruised by - a little close for our liking - another hazard to keep our wits about us. We were aiming for Poynter Island (in the Bedwell groups of islands) as we thought there was a quiet anchorage between two islands there, but when we arrived it was all sheer cliffs and rugged rocks, with a strong current between the islands, so we opted to keep going! We enjoyed sausage rolls for lunch as we cruised along and finally dropped anchor in the bay at Hunter Island, part of the Duke Islands, just after 5pm. Our anniversary seafood feast, of prawns, bugs, scallops and coral trout was enjoyed on the back deck with a nice bottle of Tasmanian wine, then it was early to bed ready for the next day’s cruising!

Unfortunately, the wind and swell grew stronger overnight and we rolled around in the side-on waves. The first mate retreated to the spare cabin, closer to the centre of the boat, while the captain opted for the lounge in the main saloon, where conditions were a bit better. A fitful night’s sleep had us awake early and ready to move! We cruised passed the other side of the island, where two boats were resting in the calm conditions, and continued on south. With the current Harvest Moon the tides are huge in this part of the world at the moment and we had times where this worked in our favour and we scooted along at more than eight knots, while at other times it worked against us and we slowed to less than four knots. We pushed on, passing the Shoalwater military zone (closed for “Exercise Wallaby”) and cruising into Pearl Bay, a pretty anchorage where we have stayed before. But with winds from the west we could see boats rolling about in the swell, so once again we continued on, rounding Perforated Point and entering Port Clinton, dropping anchor before a late lunch. It is very calm and peaceful here, even though the breeze is quite fresh, and many others are anchored in the same little bay as us. After a reviving nap we took the dinghy ashore and walked along the wide, sandy shore, returning to the boat for dinner and another early night.

Saturday was another early start as we cruised out of Port Clinton just on sunrise and continued down the Capricornia coast. The weather forecast was for light winds, perfect for cruising, with a westerly breeze picking up over the course of the day - winds from the west usually bring warmer days but also mean the wind has much less effect as it comes off the land. After we rounded Cape Manifold, we turned a little more south east, rounding the eastern side of Great Keppel Island and anchoring in Wreck Bay just before lunchtime. This bay is only good in westerly conditions as otherwise it is subject to the winds and swell of the south east. Many boats are already anchored there and they continued to arrive over the course of the day - there were more than 50 anchored, including many small cruisers from Yeppoon and the big Police offshore boat. A late afternoon walk and swim in the warm waters rounded off a lovely day.

5:30am starts are the norm at the moment and Sunday was no exception! But the spectacular sunrise made it all worthwhile. As we raised the anchor, many others followed, with the forecast wind shift making Wreck Bay untenable as the day rolls on. We rounded the lighthouse peak and turned south, bound for Curtis Island. This will be a new first for us - every other time we have cruised the Narrows, working the tides to get through the waterway between Curtis Island and the mainland, but the current conditions are perfect for an ocean passage so we’re taking it! Of course, swell is always present so it’s important to be ready for it: all loose items secured, cupboards packed well and locked, dinghy secured and most importantly, a secure place for the two of us to sit! The captain has his comfortable seat on the flybridge helm, good for all but the most rocky conditions, when he steers from the helm in the main saloon, the first mate has her own spot wedged in the corner of the lounge, usually reading or knitting or doing puzzles, keeping herself entertained. We cruised past the rugged cliffs and lighthouse at Cape Capricorn and the long sandy beaches of Curtis Island. Just before midday we entered the channel between Curtis and Facing islands, cruising through the shallower water towards the port of Gladstone then turning south and finding a nice spot to anchor for the night, just off She-Oak Island. While Gladstone is a busy industrial port, the other side of the bay is very quiet and we were undisturbed all afternoon and evening.

Our original plan had been to head to Lady Musgrave Island on Monday but the wind conditions were not so favourable so when we raised the anchor at 5:30am we continued following the coast south. It was not a long journey to reach one of our favourite anchorages: Pancake Creek, where we entered the channel before Bustard Head just before 10am. Others had opted to anchor in the swelly entrance area but we continued on along the winding channel, past the mooring buoys and into the deep water beside the sandbanks. Pancake Creek runs very fast when the tide changes and we were happy to be secure with nobody else around. We went ashore for a walk to Aircraft Beach lookout, but opted not to continue on to the lighthouse at Bustard Head as the day was already warming up! We enjoyed a refreshing swim in the anchorage before returning to the boat and spending a lazy day onboard. 

The next morning was another early start, heading almost due east into the rising sun, straight to Lady Musgrave Island. The wind and waves were also from the east, so it was a real roller coaster of a trip!! Six hours later we were in the lee of Lady Musgrave island. The entrance to the coral cay is always “interesting”; there is a narrow channel between the coral reefs  and many coral “bommies” scattered inside the cay. Fortunately, having done the trip before, the captain has a marked track on the navigation screen, so he follows that very closely! There were already 30+ boats here, so all the moorings were taken, but we were fortunate to find a spot within swimming distance of the coral. There was a stiff breeze, though, so we were happy to take it easy for the rest of the day, with just a dinghy ride to the island and a short walk in the late afternoon. The wind died down as the evening wore on and we slept soundly that night. Wednesday dawned sunny and still. We started the day with our exercises, then, after breakfast, we went kayaking over the coral. Conditions were perfect so we got great views of all the lovely shapes and colours. Then we tied the kayaks to the dinghy and went across to the island, anchoring the dinghy and doing a circumnavigation by sea. It was lovely to see all the wildlife - large turtles, birds of every size and description - and black tipped reef sharks, which freaked the first mate out!! Sea slugs littered the sea floor between the coral outcrops - no wonder the Bech de Mere trade was so successful. Returning to the boat, we hauled the kayaks back upstairs, then donned our flippers and snorkels, sliding off the back of the boat and swimming the short distance to the coral. What had looked lovely from above was even more spectacular from below the water, and the fish were absolutely incredible - it was like being in our own private aquarium. We glided along under the water, occasionally surfacing to exclaim in awe about what we’d seen. Eventually we swam back to the boat, on a real high from our morning’s explorations. We’d packed a lot into a short space of time but, with only one full day here, it was well worth the effort! The wind picked up a little in the afternoon, which would have made kayaking or snorkelling a lot less pleasant…

Thursday was moving day again. We raised the anchor at 5:30am and by 5:45 we were exiting the cay. We rounded the island and headed due south, towards K’Garri and Hervey Bay. Our original plan was to travel to Rooney Point, on the north east tip of K’Garri, eight hours away. But the strong north westerly wind forecast for Friday would have made that anchorage most unpleasant, so we decided on an almost twelve hour day, to tuck behind the north western corner of the island and have protection from any wind for the night. Northerly winds pushed us along a little faster, but easterly swell rolled us around! We saw a few dolphins and a couple of whales as we cruised along, but not in the numbers that are further in the bay. We enjoyed lunch on the flybridge, as we swayed in the swell, and entered the Great Sandy Straits to anchor behind the point just before 5pm.

Of course, we didn’t account for the swell wrapping around the little island, particularly on the slack tides, so we were woken early by the rocking and rolling! We raised the anchor just after 7am and cruised around to anchor off Round Island for breakfast, then entered the marina and tied up at our berth after 9am. There is lots of windy weather forecast for the next few days so it’s nice to be out of it! We will leave the boat here for the next few weeks, as we fly south on the first of October to take possession of our new Melbourne “digs” and welcome a new baby into the family…