August 2000 The Whitsunday's

Original Website Menu for 2000

Technically speaking the Whitsunday Islands are the five or six islands around Whitsunday Island.  The larger group shown on the map is really the Cumberland group.



Enough of that. We left Mackay and this started our cruise through a wonderful group of islands that really are all that they are cracked up to be.

 This photo really belongs  back a few pages as it shows the GPS readout as we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn.  Two points to notice is the speed and the accuracy.  The boat gets along at 8 knots whenever there is a reasonable breeze behind us.  The accuracy of the reading is thanks to the US turning off a jamming thing called Selective Availability, which allows the accuracy now to be as good as 5 metres .


We left Mackay after resupplying and enjoying the company of Lorraine, Russell, Travis and Reid (friends that go back to pre-natal classes for when Courtney was born).  A short sail to Keswick-St Bees Island, one of the few islands that have large slices of freehold land that are being subdivided so that you can buy your own slice of Whitsunday.

 After anchoring for a few days off Keswick we continued along in classic sailing conditions, 15 knots of south easterly and sunshine and came into Brampton-Carlisle Islands.  We found the north-western side of Carlisle met our criteria, sheltered from the breeze, not too much swell rolling in and a little beach to take the girls. We left Mackay stocked up with new fishing gear and Col determined to catch a fish of substance.

We got lucky there with a Queenfish caught of the back of the boat and a nice array of reef fish, including a Red Emperor, from one particularly successful morning on the reef edge.  While out in the dinghy Col had a close encounter with a humpback whale.  A mother and calf cruised past only 20 metres away. A magical sight.  The fishing over the next few weeks improved with regular meals of mainly reef cod on the table.  One night at Lindeman Island we were able to show the girls why we don't let them swim off the boat, especially at night.

From Brampton-Carlisle we moved on to Thomas Island. On our way there we had a great display from a pod of whales tail-slapping and generally having a great time.  While anchored there we were treated to another display.  From Thomas it was on to Lindeman and we were able to stretch our legs here as there is an excellent walking track to the top of the island.



From Lindeman we went on to Whitehaven beach off Whitsunday Island.  This a lovely place but suddenly we found people - by the hundreds.  There was easily 50 yachts anchored off the beach and a couple of hundred people come over for day trips each day.  We moved to Haslewood Island after two days which offered good snorkelling and a somewhat less hectic white silica sand beach.

From there we ran south to Shaw Island and then west to the mainland to Laguna Quays.  This is a resort/marina complex which was an excellent place to have a holiday from cruising.  We were able to swim, play tennis, walk and generally enjoy the resort for the price of our marina berth.  What better place to have Anna's 6th birthday and watch the Olympics.  Here we met up with Bill, Kerry, Joanna and Mark who we met while on our trip three years ago on Team Spirit.



After three weeks it was time to move on, and after encountering the roughest patch of water yet off Cape Conway (short and steep two metre seas and 25 knots on the nose, waves constantly washing the decks and the boat sea-sawing over the short waves) we turned and ran down wind to Cid Harbour.  On our way we found there was a large amount of water in the bilge.  This turned out to be a leaking propeller shaft seal which had come loose during the pounding sea.  We decided it was prudent to get to a slipway just in case so we sailed on to Airlie Beach (checking the bilge about every two minutes!).  The repair went well and we decided to stay anchored there and check out the tourist ghetto that is known as Airlie Beach.

From there it was out to Hook Island.  We first anchored at Stonehaven harbour for a couple of days and then on to Blue Pearl Bay off Hayman Island.  This was a particularly great with the best snorkelling yet.  During the middle of the day the place filled with day-trippers and the odd guest from Hayman Island (conspicuous by the blue esky, designer swimmers and Moet).


Interspaced by snorkelling, swimming and fishing life aboard still goes on as usual. The cat, Tiger, lays around and schoolwork goes on.

After a stopover at Hamilton Island (busy and expensive sums that place up) we are now off Lindeman Island and after a few days around Shaw  we will go into Laguna Quays to collect our mail and also our first visitor aboard - a friend from work Darryl.

July 2000 Fraser Island to Mackay

 From Moreton Bay we went up to Manly boat harbour for a few days to book into the RQYS marina for the summer.  We rented a storage shed and off-loaded the bikes and a few things we hope we won't need in the next few months.  We sailed up to Mooloolaba and stayed there for a four or five days.  This was a great stop, we caught with my Mum and Dad again and met a few cruising families there.

An overnight sail in a 15-20 knots sou-westerly took us to Wide Bay.  Crossing the Wide Bay bar was trouble free as the conditions were good and we crossed into the Great Sandy Straits in between Fraser Island and the mainland.

At Fraser we anchored at place called Garry's Anchorage.  This was really nice with a nice beach and we stayed for 3 nights. We went bush walking on Fraser Island n search of Lake Garry and after a morning's walk couldn't find it - this was the same result from others we spoke to.

 After an excellent stop there we moved on to Hervey Bay after an overnight stop at off Kingfisher Bay Resort - a very classy looking resort built in the forest of Fraser Island.. From Hervey Bay (Urangan) we went out in a howling rainy southerly for a bit of whale-watching.  Yeah, sure. No whales could be seen in amongst the whitecaps everywhere.  So we turned north and headed towards the Keppel's.



  This was a rough overnighter which delivered us to Pancake Creek. Liz and I both got sea-sick.  The seas were confused and while the boat was racing along at 8knots it was lolled and rocked about all night.   Pancake Creek is a nice sheltered spot in behind Bustard Head










We then settled down to a few nice hops through Cape Capricorn and then on to Great Keppel Island. Cape Capricorn, as the name implies is close to the Tropic of Capricorn.  So now we are in the tropics.

Great Keppel made us feel like we had really arrived in the tropics.  Clear aqua water and picturesque islands.

Of course while all this cruising lifestyle the usual family things go on, like the kids laying round reading, dressing up for school projects and helping Mum cook.

From Keppel we went into Rosslyn  Bay for the usual three to four days to get the washing done, top up with water, fix or break a few things (depending on how the day goes) and get more food.

From there we had a great sail in up to Port Clinton.  This was the first stop of three places that are in the Shoalwater Bay area that the military control.  This means we can't go ashore above the high water mark but get the opportunity to see a vast, largely untouched section of land.

In Port Clinton we met up with Adam and Adrienne on Anhinga.  Over the next two weeks we really enjoyed their company.  After two nights in Port Clinton we went on to Pearl Bay, and while their was no Bob Jelly, Boatshed or Sigrid Thorton, it was a piece of paradise.  It was a beautiful bay with a nice bit of coral to snokel on, a long beach for Liz to walk and watch for surfacing turtles.

From Pearl Bay we moved after the swell built and I thought we would all be sea sick on anchor!  The next stop was Island Head Creek,  This is a large waterway that was made special by being able to see lot's of dugongs up close.  Here I showed my complete incompetence as a fisherman by driving a hook deep into my thumb.  After some minor personal surgery (good taste dictates I don't elaborate) I healed up just fine.



From Island Head creek we had a nice day to sail to the Percy Isles.  These are about 30 km off the coast.  First night we anchored off South Percy but with winds turning to the north we moved over to Middle Percy we offered good shelter in Whites Bay. We moved over with Capricorn Dancer, a yacht from Lake Macquarie which was skippered by Mick and appeared to be a bit of a backpacker tour.  They were having a great time and we joined them on the beach for a chat/drink round the fire on the beach.  Still, eight people on a 34 footer would be a bit cramped.  The sand hills at the beach gave the girls a chance to try a new sport - sand surfing down a perfect sand slope.

On Middle Percy there is a homestead and boats often stop there for supplies as the people there make yachts welcome.  Adam from Anhinga and Liz set off for a hike across the island to the homestead..  They were a bit light on supplies but well worth the visit.  This island, as with many islands across the world, were populated with goats by visiting sailors so that sailors after them would have fresh meat to hunt for.

When in Rome...  Liz and Adam came back with a leg of goat that they bought at the homestead.  Adam marinated it and we had an excellent meal of barbecued kebabs washed down by a Hunter red.  It's definitely a sailor's life.

After a week there and water getting low we headed for Mackay.  We broke the trip up by stopping at Digby Island.  We had two beautiful sunny days with generally just enough wind to make the trip very enjoyable.



After a week in Mackay we are re-supplied and ready to get back out there.