There is not a breath of wind and the only other boat is a large cruiser further up the inlet. We are surrounded by rocky edges with typical Australian bush, eucalyptus mostly but with a fair smattering of pines. As we entered the inlet there were many more pines and it felt like we were entering a fiord, or cruising somewhere close to Alaska, apart from our T shirts and shorts.
Sandy has a line over the side already and the peaceful look on her face tells me it’s not about catching a fish at all. That is just the infrequent bonus that lets her enjoy these moments. The serenity is almost tangible. The only sound is the occasional bird call and the tiny wavelets slapping the dinghy. I’m going to have to pull it forward tonight or the sound outside our cabin’s portholes will seem deafening in the stillness.
After so many days of big winds this is a rare treat, but I’ve jumped ahead a few days.
We decided to get an early start from Curlew to cover the 45 miles to Scawfell Island. The direct route meant using a channel around a shallow reef that didn’t look deep enough on the electronic charts, but Lucas’s guide book indicated enough water for us. It was nailbiting stuff with a hand ready to throw us into reverse, but Lucas was right and eventually we swung away from the reef’s rocky jaws and into open sea.
While the sea was big from the strong winds it was a comfortable following sea and on heads’l and mizzen we rolled along at an easy 6.5 knots. By mid afternoon we entered Refuge Bay on the north side of the island and motored to the recommended anchorage. The wind was howling and we ended up selecting a quieter spot off a small beach in the lee of some high ground.
No sooner had we settled in than a small catamaran rounded the headland and made straight for a spot close to us, soon to be followed by another one. It’s something we’ve noticed before when we get to an anchorage early. Because it’s pretty obvious Wind Wanderer is a serious cruising vessel, the assumption seems to be that we know what we’re doing and any anchorage we choose is going to be the best on offer. If only they knew!
We don’t mind as long as they know how to set their anchor properly and don’t come too close, which is usually the case. Sometimes we think we should anchor in the second best spot, and when everyone has settled in, up anchor and move to our first choice.
Even though it was windy, gusting 30 knots we had a good night in our sheltered spot. Just before sunset I watched a sea eagle soaring high above the ridge and marvelled at how unaffected he was by the wind. I guess if you can fly at speeds way faster, 30 knot’s is no big deal.
In the morning we made an early start and were able to sit on 5-6 knots all the way to Goldsmith Island. It was a good day for sailing and we got there by 1 pm. A few hours into the trip one of the catamarans slowly overhauled us, probably doing 8 knots with all his sail up and I must admit to the temptation to make it a race. We were enjoying a comfortable ride with just heads’l and mizzen. I still had our main and stays’ls to go and they’d add 3 knots at least, with a fair bit more heal and wave crashing. I settled for knowing he’d be well aware that we were sailing with a minimal rig and had a lot more we could add if we wanted.
Goldsmith put us officially in the Whitsunday Islands. It’s a beautiful, uninhabited island and we ducked into the first anchorage, very tempted to anchor there in spite of strong wind. There is a second anchorage beyond the next headland and from the wind direction it would probably be a better choice, so we motored on. We were right, but two other boats had already discovered it and we felt three would be a crowd. We’re becoming hermits!
The choice was to go back to the first spot, and resent having second best, or with so much afternoon left push on to Shaw and Lindeman Islands. We decided to push on.
The anchorage at Shaw Island is a vast area so even though there were 4 other boats there we found a spot that was flat water but far from the others. We still got very strong gusts but in between it was calm. Quite a strange mix.
In the morning one of the other boats, a large cruiser called Restless M came up close and called us. It was Errol and Claire who had been at the dinghy concert at Lady Musgrave Island. They were just being friendly and letting us know they had a picture of us sailing to Middle Percy. Unfortunately it was after we’d picked up that dinghy so we would have been motor sailing with only had the heads’l up.
In the morning we motor sailed north through the passage between Lindeman and Shaw Islands and could easily see why the resort on Lindeman is so popular Not only is the island beautiful with many bays to explore but the resort is positioned in a bay with a beach setting that would be hard to beat.
We battled against the tidal stream but eventually made it to open water and headed for Solway Pass, the narrow channel between Haslewood and Whitsunday Islands that would take us to the world famous Whitehaven Beach. Having said that, Sandy had never heard of it and I hadn’t either until I helped a friend sail his dodgy little ferro-cement cutter through the Whitsundays in another lifetime, probably a quarter of a century ago. How the years roll by. The boat was called Aspergillus, which is a fungus! No doubt because everyone who sailed on her got sick. We had battled against the current to get to Whitehaven Beach and eventually gave up and missed it altogether. But not this time.
By comparison Wind Wanderer is big and stately and powerful and we motorsailed through the swiftly flowing pass quite easily. As we turned into the bay a seaplane had just taken off and banked, heading straight over us carrying another load of sightseers back to their resort somewhere. The beach itself is a graceful sweep of the bay and shone with a whiteness seldom seen. Toward the southern end there were a few boats at anchor and a couple of day tripper boats able to nudge right up to the sand and lower a gangplank for their cargo to file off and wriggle their toes in the sand.
In Sandy’s words, “The beach is packed”. We lowered the dinghy and landed it halfway down the beach and walked toward the other end. In half an hour we passed 2 other couples! Soon the seaplane was back and made a graceful landing before trundling along to the beach at the busy end. Eventually the ‘crowds’ left and as the sun was getting low a beautiful tall ship with 3 yardarms on the foremast came through the passage and anchored. It turned out to be the Young Endeavour, a sail training brigantine for youth programs and a magnificent gift to Australia from Great Britain for our bicentennial in 1988. It was good to see her in such beautiful condition a quarter of a century later.
While the anchorage was picture perfect it developed an uncomfortable swell during the night. As we headed for Solway Pass again Young Endeavour had 5 crew up the mast doing whatever they do, and the first day trippers were pulling into the beach.
We got sail up and had a leisurely sail around the southern coast of Whitsunday Island and soon had the highrise buildings of Hamilton Island in view. They look so out of place in this setting. Crossing the Pacific most resorts had set up individual cabins, often in Polynesian style on stilts over water. If they had a main building it was seldom more than 3 stories.
As the gap between the islands narrowed to a tight passage we were able to keep sailing and saw Hamilton had many more homes and resort accommodation tucked in between the trees. They looked great and no doubt popular. As we clicked away with the camera we saw people on their balconies clicking away at us. All collecting memories.
Coming out the other side there was a lot more boating activity around and it was easy to see why these islands, sunken mountain tops really, have become the pick of Australia’s sailing holiday industry. It is beautiful and the choices for short sails or longer, with many anchoring options is unique. Unfortunately the result of all that popularity became obvious when South Molle Island levies a per boat fee if you land there, and Hamilton Island lets you come in at $17.50 per hour as a stop over fee. I’ve got no idea what the marina rate is but they have managed to get a zoning that forbids any anchoring nearby. Fortunately we have the freedom to say “No thanks”.
As we sailed north to Hook Island we had some swallows join us. There was a special moment when one, gliding on the wind was able to keep pace and look into the doghouse window, while we had the opportunity to watch him in flight as though we were flying along with him. They way they feel the wind and make little adjustments is a treat to watch.
So here we are having had a good night’s sleep and about to make the 8 mile crossing to Airlie Beach for supplies. While having coffee a pair of Sulphur Crest Cockatoos joined us and Sandy got some great pictures. They’ve worked out that if they land on our shrouds and booms, tilt their heads and look coy, food arrives, and it did. It was a great half hour but the wind is freshening and it’s time to get moving.
Until next time...