Sailing

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27-28 Sept: Thomas Island to Lindeman Island

27th Sept

Had a lousy sleep last night – we may have been out of the current, but we were so shallow that the swell became waves under us. At low tide it was like being on a roller coaster – maybe not that bad, but for a couple of hours until the tide came in a bit we were miserable campers..
Decided to move on to Thomas Island. This is in the Lindeman Islands National Parks group.

To make the most of the ESE winds we came up the eastern side of Thomas. The seas were choppy, and while we made really good time, averaging 4.5kn, it wasn’t a pleasant sail. Just off the northern tip of Thomas Is there’s a small island, Dead Dog Island and just off that a huge rock called Fairlight Rock. Our route went between them. The book did say to watch out for ‘overfalls’ when the current is maximum, which it was … We went through the gap very fast! The swell was about 2 – 3 meters, breaking waves to the side of us, and we were being swept towards the rock. Fortunately just before we entered the pass Steve put the motor on and made sure we had control. We were relieved when that was behind us.

Our journey finished at ‘Naked Lady Beach’ ( true, that is its name). Around low tide we went ashore with oyster knife and bucket. Tonight for dinner I had four dozen black-lip oysters gently sautéed in coconut oil with a dash of tamari – heaven!

The very pretty Naked Lady Beach on Thomas Island.

The very pretty Naked Lady Beach on Thomas Island.

28th Sept

For an hour or so around low tide the boat rolled very uncomfortably – unfortunately this was just before dawn, so we both started the day less perky than usual. Fortunately it only got better from there on.
The book mentioned you could walk across the island from Naked Lady Beach. This little bay has to be the prettiest we’ve seen, and that’s saying a lot. We found the path and followed it through mangroves, melaleucas, grass trees and finally coming out to a tiny, rocky bay with a pumice-stone beach. It was so picturesque. Thoughtful previous visitors had constructed a driftwood lean-to giving great shade. They must have been builders – it was so well constructed using only driftwood and rocks. We sat in the shade under it for a while watching the crystal clear water lapping the rocks with the brilliant turquoise ocean beyond. It was pretty close to a spiritual experience.

Time to meditate, at our secret bay.

Time to meditate, at our secret bay.

This driftwood lean-to was fabulous to sit in the shade and look at the ocean.

This driftwood lean-to was fabulous to sit in the shade and look at the ocean.

To view more photos from our time at Thomas Island CLICK HERE.

Back to the boat we had some lunch and got ready to sail, catching the ebbing tide north again. Burning Point on Shaw Island was our destination. The sailing started very slowly with light winds, so light we motor-sailed for half an hour. Once we changed direction and cleared the island we made good time just sailing. A change of wind direction though meant our chosen anchorage wasn’t the best. A quick look at the book and we decided on Plantation Bay on Lindeman Island instead – good decision! It’s a very calm anchorage – no rocking and rolling. There’s just us and a catamaran here.

Full moon tonight – always spectacular when viewed from the cockpit of a yacht.

Full moon over Lindeman Island.

Full moon over Lindeman Island.

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25-26 Sept: Goldsmith Island

25th Sept

Left Brampton about 8am to catch the ebbing tide north.  South-easterly winds directly behind us and choppy seas made the sailing a bit hoo hum. When we turned northerly though for our approach to Goldsmith we fairly flew along. We’re snuggled in to Minnie Hall Bay in 2 meters of water at low tide, anchored just far enough away from the coral bommies on both sides of the channel to the beach.
Another very pretty bay – quite wide with 3 sandy beaches spread around it. After our exercise yesterday and sail this morning we didn’t want to do much. However we did go in to the beach. Steve thought it was close enough to row so didn’t put the outboard on the tender – big mistake! The distance was deceiving and he got a good work out.

26th Sept

We slept reasonably well last night. Bullets kept hitting us, but they ensured we stayed pointing into wind and we slept well. Roylen Bay is the next bay north on Goldsmith Island, which sounded very nice with its beautiful white beach. We up-anchored and motored the short distance on to it. It’s a smaller bay with a fringing reef just off the beach. We anchored just outside that, planning to not quite dry out, but be out of the way of the current.

Sand goanna tracks. This was made by a pretty big old girl.

Sand goanna tracks. This was made by a pretty big old girl.

‘On the Wing‘ arrived midday with Ken and Ingrid who anchored near us. They’d snagged a lovely big mackerel on a lure on the way and asked us if we’d like to share it with them – Yes, please!  BBQ fresh fish on the beach tonight.
Just before low tide we went for a swim and snorkelled over the fringing reef. It’s just a small area but still had some quite lovely hard and soft corals with lovely rich colours – not many fish.

Beach BBQ of freshly caught mackerel, with our friends Ken and Ingrid.

Beach BBQ of freshly caught mackerel, with our friends Ken and Ingrid.

 

Watching the sun set while eating our delicious BBQ fresh mackerel at Roylen Bay, Goldsmith Island.

Watching the sun set while eating our delicious BBQ fresh mackerel at Roylen Bay, Goldsmith Island.

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23-24 Sept: Brampton Island

23rd Sept
Quiet day today with only snorkelling just before low tide planned. The channel between Brampton and Carlisle has a central reef. I donned my stinger suit (a sight to behold!), Steve put on his wetsuit and off we went in the tender. The tide was so low we needed to go around Pelican Island to get to the channel. Steve’s snorkelling gear was a new purchase but took no time at all to get used to it. There was a lot of reedy sea grass growing, apparently smothering some of the coral bommies. We found a few not so badly affected and enjoyed seeing a few fish, some pretty corals, lots of sea slugs and quite a few sea urchins. A pleasant snorkel, but nothing to write home about.

24th Sept

Today we ‘do’ the walks.
Despite the circuit track apparently being closed indefinitely due to lack of maintenance we continued on. There were a couple of places where we had to scramble under or over fallen trees, but on the whole it was a well-constructed track that hadn’t suffered much from the neglect. We checked out Oyster and Dinghy Bays on the southern side for future reference, being anchorages in a northerly and climbed to Brampton Peak. All up a walk of around 14km.
We both voted it to be one of the best we’ve ever done. It had everything – thick rainforest, glades of lime-green strappy calves tongue, maidenhair ferns in the gullies, grass trees covering the slopes and beautiful big old hoop pines which are favoured by the screeching sulphur-crested cockatoos, standing sentinel over the southern bays.

Dinghy Bay, Brampton Island. Taken during our bushwalk on the Circuit Track.

Dinghy Bay, Brampton Island. Taken during our bushwalk on the Circuit Track.

But the real highlight of the walk was the butterflies – thousands of blue tiger butterflies all around us as we walked. We could have been walking through a butterfly enclosure there were so many of them.

Blue tiger butterflies. There were clouds of these pretty butterflies surrounding us on our walk.

Blue tiger butterflies. There were clouds of these pretty butterflies surrounding us on our walk.

The climb to the peak was tough – a few hundred meters up over 2 km with lots of switchbacks. The views from the two lookouts were worth the effort – and we got enough internet cover to speak with our children.

The passage between Brampton and Carlisle at low tide. Taken from Brampton Peak.

The passage between Brampton and Carlisle at low tide. Taken from Brampton Peak. Note the disused airport runway.

At sundowners Ken and Ingrid from the ‘trailer tri’ On the Wing came over and shared stories about anchorages and boats.

To see more photos from this beautiful island and our walk CLICK HERE.

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22nd Sept: Newry Is to Brampton Island

A calm anchorage like Newry’s is to be savoured. However it’s onward we sail. The forecast of 5 – 15 knots from the south east held on the 20+nm sail to Brampton Island. Brampton is directly east of Newry. Leaving mid-tide we allowed for the ‘ebb’ to firstly carry us north before the ‘flood kicked in to carry us back onto track. With wind and tide sorted all that was left for us to do was set the sails, get Ray going and sit back and enjoy the ride, which we did. The trip took about 6 hours.

Our destination -the gap between Carlisle Island on the left and Brampton Island on the right.

Our destination -the gap between Carlisle Island on the left and Brampton Island on the right.

After a rest we took the tender over to the resort. What a sobering experience. It’s been closed since January 2011. I think it was originally closed when a cyclone damaged the jetty and the light rail line that would take the holiday-makers from the boat to the resort. From the sea it is the vision of a perfect tropical island, golden sands, coconut palms, swimming pool on the edge of the sea, fringing coral reef and accommodation units tucked in amongst the tropical gardens. However close up, the pool, while undamaged is full of green water, the gardens are untended and overgrown, and coconuts and palms fronds litter the pathways. The accommodation units still contain their beds and washing machines and even electric clocks, the restaurant is full of chairs and tables, lounge chairs still in their original wrapping, apparently never been used, and just off the beach at the watersports hut are the surf cats and jet skis. All sadly abandoned!

The beach near the resort on Brampton Island.

The beach near the resort on Brampton Island.

Apparently United Petroleum owns the lease to the resort. They have been talking about redeveloping it for some time with rumoured construction and completion dates wafting past. The latest, published in the newspaper in July this year, is that approval has now been granted for a 7-star “boutique eco-resort featuring luxurious villas, a health spa, yoga platform, cinema, library and a three-hole golf course”, which will cater for … wait for it … a maximum 30 guests. I really felt this resort deserved to be reopened as it is arguably the most idyllic of the tropical north Queensland islands, but to make it so exclusive that few will experience its beauty is a travesty. Fortunately the majority of the island is National Park, but how access to the park will be facilitated is doubtful.

Back to Top Shelf for sundowners and a toast to the Brampton that was. The mournful cry of the curlews and an owl accompanied the somber mood.
A gentle swell and no wind to speak of will give us a restful night.

For photos of the very sad Brampton Island resort, CLICK HERE.

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21st Sept: Mackay to Newry Island

We motored out of Mackay Harbour this morning at 6.30am – we left early to get as much assistance from the ebbing tide as we could. The winds were so light to start with that we motor-sailed for the first hour – quite a change from yesterday’s winds. Our track took us parallel to the coast passing Slade Pt, Dolphin Heads, Cape Hillsborough, Smally’s Beach, Seaforth. These are all locations we know well from our years living in Mackay and camping with the children.

The wind eventually settled into a gentle 10kn southeasterly accompanied by a 1/2 to 1 metre swell. The sailing was quite comfortable despite the occasional annoying jibe caused by the following wind. We breakfasted and snacked as we sailed, finally dropping anchor in a nice protected bay on the western side of Outer Newry Island. The 26nm trip took us 7 hours averaging 3.6kn. Two dolphins met us at the entrance to the bay and followed us to our anchorage – a lovely welcome after a long day.

A peaceful anchorage. Top Shelf in the foreground.

A peaceful anchorage. Top Shelf in the foreground.

We went ashore in the tender to do the walk to the other side of the island. Outer Newry Island is one of 9 islands in this National Park. As with most of the National Parks we’ve visited the facilities, while basic, are very good. The walk was only 400m one way and led us first to a picnic area with a fisherman’s hut that has been there for 30-odd years, in good repair and still well used. From there it led through eucalypts and flowering grass trees to a stony-beach bay on the ocean side.

Denise after walking across Outer Newry Island.

Denise after walking across Outer Newry Island.

A nearly full water tank beside the fisherman’s hut was cause for celebration! Fresh water is very precious when sailing so Steve returned after our walk to fill the solar shower for a nice hot, fresh-water shower tomorrow.

Who says you don't get exercise when boating?

Who says you don’t get exercise when boating?

The forecast for tonight is calm – as I write this the boat is gently rocking. I’m anticipating an excellent night’s sleep.
To view the photos from today CLICK HERE.

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18 – 20 Sept: Mackay Harbour

Outside of the Mackay Marina breakwater. 20 knots blowing.

Outside of the Mackay Marina breakwater. 20 knots blowing.

The strong winds came in as predicted at about 8am. We went for a walk along the marina breakwater to view the seas; if we said it once we said it a dozen times: good decision to come back. It is frustrating not to be continuing our trip, but this is a pleasure trip, the winds will abate, and we’ve got plenty of time. The harbour breakwater has just been reopened following significant re-engineering after the damage it sustained during Cyclones Ului in 2010 and Dylan in Feb 2014. It’s certainly an impressive structure now with a two-way roadway and wide running/cycling path the length of it (maybe 1km). It’ll be a nasty cyclone that damages this breakwater.

Inside the Mackay Marina breakwater. 20 knots. Note the number of boats here sheltering.

Inside the Mackay Marina breakwater. 20 knots. Note the number of boats here sheltering.

Over the next couple of days we got ready to sail again – cleaned the boat, washed our clothes at the laundromat, caught the bus into town to top-up the provisions and cooked a couple of meals ready to eat on the days we do long sails.

Our friends from Egremont Channel all came over here on Thursday too to sit out the winds and for Koonya (Janet and Mark) to have the rigger fix a broken side shroud (the wire holding the mast up!). We caught up with them for sundowners last night. We’re all planning to leave Monday morning – Koonya, Mica (Mike and Carol) and Wilparina (Steve and Kim) heading south, us north.

Sundowners on Wilparena with hosts Steve and Kim. and Mike and Carol from Mica, and Janet and Mark from Koonya.

Sundowners on Wilparina with hosts Steve and Kim. and Mike and Carol from Mica, and Janet and Mark from Koonya.

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17th Sept: St Bees to Mackay

Last night was a shocker! We rolled, a lot, all night. There was no wind to speak of so I guess it was caused by the tide rushing back and forth through Egremont Channel. The forecast today is OK, variable winds picking up this afternoon, changing direction overnight before strengthening significantly tomorrow and Saturday. Where do we hide? After going over all the options we decided to head back to Mackay Harbour to sit it out.

'Ray' hard at work in the back corner while the Skipper attends to his social media profile.

‘Ray’ hard at work in the back corner while the Skipper attends to his social media profile.

The sail back was glorious. More or less flat seas, close hauled in 5 – 10 knot winds all the way back. Great opportunity to give the auto-tiller its inaugural workout. We both voted it a great success. “Ray” will be a much appreciated member of the crew on all our trips from now on.

After two ‘not-so-restful’ nights sleep we were both pretty exhausted. A long, hot shower and dinner at the Thai restaurant at the marina was all we managed before an early night.

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16 Sept: St Bees & Keswick

Surprisingly last night was pretty good. We righted at 8pm with the incoming tide, slept well until 4am when she dried out and went over again, but went back to sleep for another couple of hours. When we woke we went for a walk (easy, just jumped over the side) aound Homestead Bay. It’s pretty big, maybe about 5 acres between the arms of the bay. St Bees is predominantly a National Park apart from a small leasehold on the foreshore of Homestead Bay. There are a few shacks there that look like they’ve seen better days.  The walk was made all the more delightful by the millions of Blue Tiger butterflies everywhere. White cockatoos screeched in the gums around the bay and various seabirds, including an oyster catcher with its vivid red beak, wandered the shallows. Back on the boat in time for her to float we had breakfast and planned our day.

St Bees has a population of koalas that were brought here in the 1920s. These koalas have piqued the interest of scientists who study both the koalas and the changing ecosystem of the island, apparently the grasslands are being replaced by rainforest. We thought we’d climb up the ridge amongst the eucalypts to see if we could spot some koalas. The best place to find them is from Honeymoon Bay, so we took the tender over and prepared to climb. This was easier said than done, the mangroves lower down and the gums and fig trees higher up being interspersed with lantana and prickly pear to trap the unwary. We didn’t spot any koalas but the views from the top were outstanding and worth every loose rock and prickle. The water in the Whitsundays is a unique turquoise blue, and to see the verdant islands floating in this beautiful ocean is a joy.

Steve. Keswick to the right, St Bees to the left, Cockermouth at the far end of Egremont Channel.

Steve. Keswick to the right, St Bees to the left, Cockermouth at the far end of Egremont Channel.

Looking south from the ridge on St Bees Island. Idyllic coves abound!

Looking south from the ridge on St Bees Island. Idyllic coves abound!

We needed to move the boat before the tide went out again – another night on a slope wasn’t on the agenda. After motoring over to Horseshoe Bay on Keswick we picked up a mooring buoy using the technique we’d been taught during our sailing course. Instead of trying to hook it with the boat hook as you draw near to it, a manoeuvre thwart with danger (for your marriage, if nothing else!), you lasso the buoy and draw it onboard – very easy.

At the shop on Keswick. Runway and St Bees in the background.

At the shop on Keswick. The runway on Keswick and St Bees Island across Egremont Channel.

There were 3 other (large) yachts travelling together moored there. One of the couples dinghied over and invited us to drinks on board. Very friendly. Before drinks time though we took the tender to the boat ramp on Keswick and went for a walk along the runway and up to the store (not open).  On our hot, sticky return to Top Shelf we both jumped in off the boat to freshen up. We were in about 7 meters of water; I’m not comfortable jumping into water that appears bottomless, but did feel a million dollars once I got out.

Drinks on board Wilaprina with hosts Stephen and Kim, and their friends Janet and Mark (off Koonya) and Carol and Mike (off Mica) was very enjoyable. Back to Top Shelf for a BBQ salmon and veggies dinner and off to bed. The boat was rolling around a lot as we went to bed – hope it settles at change of tide.

 

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15th Sept: Mackay to St Bees

The forecast today is 10 – 15 kn from the ESE, tending easterly. Good enough for us. We left the marina about 10.30am, an hour before high tide; with tides as big as they are up here (up to 5 metres) the tidal flow mid-tide is very strong and we didn’t want it against us. First sail after a long time off the water is always stressful, particularly for me. As soon as we cleared the marina breakwater we were hit with a 1 metre beam swell which had us rolling around – not fun! Anyway, engine off and sails were very soon up, and once we could turn towards our destination the swell was manageable.

The 'old salt', Happy to be sailing at last.

The ‘old salt’, Happy to be sailing at last.

The next few hours were really lovely. Still a swell, but it settled a bit, and the wind was 7 – 13 knots which made for great sailing. There was a fair bit of phytoplankton in the water creating slicks of red and resembling coral spawn. Despite keeping a whale lookout we were disappointed.

Keswick to the left, St Bees to the right. We're aiming for an anchorage in the channel between the two.

Keswick to the left, St Bees to the right. We’re aiming for an anchorage in the channel between the two.

St Bees Island is the destination – 15.6 nautical miles away (31km). It took us about 4 1/4 hours and we averaged 3.6kn arriving at 2.20pm.

Decided we’d go inside the fringing reef and anchor over sand to dry out at low tide. Great idea, except our boat has a skeg bottom, ie not flat and she now rests over on her port side. Fortunately with the incoming tide she should float again around 8pm, but be high and dry again about 4am – that’s 8 hours to get some sleep! We won’t do that again overnight.

See that fin thing underneath - that's the skeg, and what caused us to lean uncomfortably, for a while.

See that fin thing underneath – that’s the skeg, and what caused us to lean uncomfortably, for a while.

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9 – 14 September: Home to Mackay

9 – 11th September, 2015

After much planning, and with great excitement we finally left home today towing Top Shelf to launch in Mackay, sail around the southern Whitsunday Islands before heading up to the main islands – length of trip -> TBA. Pam and Milton arrived a couple of days ago to settle in and get last-minute instructions on looking after our home while we’re away, so we’re now foot-loose and fancy-free. Whitsundays here we come!

As I don’t tow we didn’t go too far today – just up the road to Gin Gin. We’re staying in the boat as we travel – may as well, afterall it’s all set up. We did get lots of stares and quite a few comments along the lines of ‘expecting rain?’, etc. Anyway, the showgrounds where we stayed was very good. Lots of room, a friendly caretaker, clean amenities and not too far to the pub for a counter meal tonight.

Next day we stayed the night at Waverley Creek Rest area just south of St Lawrence. This excellent, free, overnight rest stop has good, clean facilities and lots of parking spots, though it does fill up quickly. It’s right beside the road, but despite that we weren’t disturbed by traffic overnight.

Next day, just a short 200km to the marina at Mackay Harbour. We decided we’d stay on the boat in the carpark again tonight and launch tomorrow. We met up with another couple of Noelex owners (Tony and Dave) up here with their boats planning two weeks of sailing.

Unfortunately the weather does not look good – it’s drizzling rain and very windy, with the forecast to stay with high winds for another few days. We’ve made a policy that seeing we’re here for the pleasure of sailing, and we’re not in a hurry, we don’t sail in winds stronger than 15kn. We may be here for a few days. Dinner at the Thai restaurant here at the marina with Tony and Dave and their crew – mates who had flown up today from Melbourne.

Top Shelf at Mackay marina.

Top Shelf at Mackay marina.

12 – 14 September

We’ve been cooling our heels here at the marina for the last few days. While we’d love to be out sailing, this isn’t too bad a place to be held up. The marina has coffee shops, restaurants, fish and chip shops, a pub (useful for Steve as the football was on) and a small chandlery at the marina office. We also have our car here so have spent our time looking around Mackay, went to the Botanic Gardens, picked up forgotten items at the shops, and today (14th) we’ve provisioned the boat, fuelled up and are all ready to go, weather permitting.

Is this some kind of alien beetle? At Mackay Botantic Gardens.

Is this some kind of alien beetle? At Mackay Botantic Gardens.