Going back a few days, we got to Townsville and at first it looked like it would be difficult to get ashore to pick Rob up. Fortunately the guy on the VMR (Volunteer Marine Rescue) radio was knowledgeable and he confirmed there would be no problem anchoring outside the outer breakwater of Breakwater Marina and taking the dinghy in to the fuel dock. It was a calm night and although it was quite a long way it was easy enough.
It was good having Rob on board again and we talked long into the night after Sandy had faded and gone to bed. The spot we anchored in would normally be quite exposed, hence the breakwater, but we had a good night and the next morning we set sail for Magnetic Island.
The island is close to the mainland but it is a big island so our chosen sheltered bay at the far end was a good 3 hour sail. The wind was steady and we slipped along at a comfortable 6 knots, anchoring in Horseshoe Bay around midday. It was obviously popular with at least a dozen other boats anchored or moored, but there was plenty of room for everyone.
We dinghied ashore and walked the length of the tiny town in about 20 minutes. With the Monday being a public holiday in Townsville this was a perfect get away and the place had a happy holiday buzz about it. We ended up having lunch in an al fresco environment with a competent singer strumming away in the background.
Late in the afternoon we headed back to our previous anchorage and ran Rob ashore, and I took the opportunity to examine the approach and turning space to take on fuel the next morning.
The approach to the fuel dock is across a fairly long, shallow stretch which only has .7 metre water at low tide. We tackled it 1 hour before the high and had 2 metres under the keel all the way in. The wind was stronger than we would have liked and we changed our planned tie up position at the last minute. The line handlers knew their stuff so it wasn’t an issue. By waiting for Townsville we got our diesel for $1.63 as opposed to $1.90 at Airlie Beach. With 600 litres it’s $160 that’s much happier in my pocket.
While we were there a red biplane on floats taxied up to the dock and took on fuel and a passenger. Red Baron Seaplanes takes people for joyrides from there so we had unusual company on the dock.
We escaped back to deep water again and made our way back to Horseshoe Bay where we caught up on some laundry and made plans for the trip north. At 7 am we hauled the anchor and set sail.
Our next anchorage was off Orpheus Island, part of the Palm Island Group. Great Palm Island is better known, unfortunately for crime and riots in the Aboriginal community there. Our best approach was to do 2 legs, taking advantage of the good wind and we held 6 – 7 knots most of the way. We noticed another ketch taking the direct line with just the heads’l up. On the AIS their speed was a constant 5.3 knots. That is a sure sign they were motor sailing.
At the end of our first leg the distance between us was greatest and they were well ahead and closer to the islands. By the time we entered the lee of Orpheus Island we were close behind and closing quickly at an angle to the island that kept us in the wind longer. The main difference was that they burned diesel all day while we had a great sail. They anchored in a spot that looked exposed to the swell so we went further north and tucked into Little Pioneer Bay for a comfortable night.
From Orpheus Island we were keen to go up the Hinchinbrook Channel which is spectacular with its high mountains and were close to the entrance when we checked our plans again. We were on a rising tide and the sand barred entrance of 1.4 metres shouldn’t be a problem, except there is a strange tide pattern here and every second high tide isn’t very high at all. We were going too well and would reach the bar only 2 hours off low tide, and the tide itself wasn’t due to be a very high one. We decided to not risk it and headed up the outside of Hinchinbrook Island.
The island is high and spectacular and reminded us so much of the French Polynesian islands in the South Pacific. We also started to get rain showers which would persist on and off all the way to Cairns. The mountainous coastline causes it and the vegetation around here is lush, sometimes with pockets of rainforest.
We’d been looking forward to getting to Dunk Island. Friends had enjoyed anchoring there some years back. There is a resort with an airstrip on the island, and while they don’t welcome day guests, there are facilities for visiting boats that include a few shops, take aways and a beach bar. We came in past a fringing reef and island and there were 3 or 4 other boats there, all power boats. One was a big million dollar boat on a mooring with nobody home, and the others were little half cabin fishing boats. We could see the beach facilities but none were open. The wind was chilly and gusty and the skies so grey we had no inclination to go ashore anyway.
The resort itself looked deserted but that night it lit up so I guess there were guests there. The island is only a few miles from the mainland and in summer or maybe weekends the influx of boats would create a very merry environment I’m sure. The anchorage was lumpy and there didn’t seem to be any point in hanging about so we set sail early the next morning for Mourilyan Harbour.
We’d never heard of this place but with it being the only decent anchorage between Dunk Island and Cairns we decided to spend the night there. It was a rolly sail but just after midday we dropped the sails and motored through the narrow entrance between the two high headlands, ‘Hilda’ and ‘Georgie’.
Inside the wind and swell dropped immediately and we motored into the turning basin of a snug little harbour where cargo ships come to load sugar from the conveyor at 1400 tons per hour!
There were no ships there, just a tug and pilot boat and we made our way between the pile berths up the river where a few fishing boats were tied. We set the anchor and had a millpond night. As we motored out again in the morning we were amazed at the swell and wind arriving right on cue as we passed outward bound between Georgie and Hilda again.
And now we’re 20 minutes from Fitzroy Island where we’ll anchor tonight. It’s been a frustrating day with numerous rain showers and little wind once we got an hour north of Georgie. We’ve motored some of the time and sailed the rest, but the sea is out of sorts and doesn’t want to play nice.
Tomorrow we’ll have a 15 mile run to Cairns.
Until next time...