21/4/2021

The Whitsundays

The past week has been spent enjoying the southern islands in the Whitsundays.

It has been quite windy so only short journeys have been undertaken.

From Shaw Island we made the short trip to Thomas Island one of our favourite islands in the Whitsundays with a choice of sandy beaches to walk on and clear water to swim really paradise.

Over the weekend we moved further south to Goldsmith Island the winds picked up and the water was choppy so luckily, we were not travelling far.  It is a little early in the year for the yearly migration of cruisers travelling north, so we had the bay to ourselves. There are a couple bays with beaches to explore but must say the beach at Minnie Hall Bay was the best a nice big beach to walk and the view was picturesque.

It was then a short hop further south to Brampton Island.  It is really sad to go ashore and see the abandoned resort deteriorating before your eyes. The resort must have been pretty spectacular in its hey day, such a nice outlook.  Sadly, the place has deteriorated even further from when we were there last year.

Today we headed further south again and have picked up a mooring in the channel between Keswick and St Bees, it is rather stunning so heading off in the dinghy soon to explore this rather pretty place.  Sadly there are now restrictions on visiting Keswick Island now from the lessees which is rather disappointing as there is supposed to be some great national park to explore.

16/10/2019

Green Island

After our amazing day yesterday we departed Michaelmas Cay this morning and picked our way through the reef 4 nautical miles to Vlahoff Reef and picked up a mooring.  The winds had turned northerly so it was not going to be the best anchorage.  We dropped the dinghy down and went across the reef to the sand cay but the swell across the reef was direct onto the beach.  It was not going to be the best place to stop in the conditions so we dropped the mooring and headed 9 nautical miles further south picking our way through the reef and down a channel to Green Island where we picked up a mooring.  The wind was still in the wrong direction to enjoy snorkelling the reef so we dropped the dinghy and headed into the island to explore.  There is a resort on the island and many ferries bringing visitors daily from Cairns so it was quite busy with tourists enjoying the great sunny day.  There were plenty of water activities on offer and a really nice rainforest walk through the island, not a bad place to spend the night.

17/10/ 2019

Russell Island

We awoke this morning to a beautiful day, bright sun, no wind and water like glass no good for sailing.  We dropped our mooring at Green Island early this morning and picked our way through the coral bommies and headed south east 21 nautical miles to Sudbury Reef.  What a picture post card location, clear blue water and a sand cay with scattered reef.  It must be good fishing as there were boats anchored everywhere including a couple of fishing trawlers.  We dropped the dinghy down and went exploring cruising around the coral reef and going ashore on the sand cay.  After a couple of hours enjoying the reef we headed another 17 nautical miles south, picking up a mooring at Russell Island a very pretty island with a sandy beach and plenty of coral surrounding the island, certainly a nice place to sit back and watch the sun go down over the mainland.

18/10/2019

Dunk Island

After a 42 nautical mile south today we have arrived back at Dunk Island.  We departed Russell Island early this morning with winds of 3-4 knots and flat seas, perfect conditions for a very relaxing cruise for the crew but the captain was disappointed as the sails were not coming out.  As we passed Mourilyn Harbour the northerly sea breeze came in and winds picked up to 11-12 knots and the screecher was unfurled to assist the engine and increased the speed and make the captain a little happier.  Alas we did not catch a Mackerel along the way.  We dropped the anchor mid-afternoon and took the dinghy ashore for a walk along the beach.  Our timing could not have been better as we were informed that there is an International Skydiving event at Mission Beach and 4 plane loads of skydivers were due to land on the sand spit at Dunk Island before they head out to a sand cay tomorrow for another event.  What a spectacular sight, each plane dropped about 12 skydivers with colourful parachutes dropping from the sky and land one by one on the sand spit.  It is hard to believe that it was a month earlier that we arrived at Dunk Island on our trip north.  What a month it has been.  We have travelled and seen some fantastic parts of the Queensland coast and realise we have only scratched the surface with so much more to see. 

19/10/2019

Cape Richards

We awoke to glassy seas and no wind this morning so we did not leave Dunk Island until mid-morning as we were only travelling 16 nautical miles to Goold Island at the top of Hinchinbrook Island.  We are finally going to get the opportunity tomorrow to visit Zoe Bay, it has eluded us each time on our travels so far due to weather conditions but finally the weather gods are favourable for a visit.  There was hardly any wind and a glassy sea so there was no sailing again.  After 10 nautical miles the wind increased slightly and we were able to unfurl the screecher for some assistance.  As we came into our anchorage we could see that a burn was in progress on the island and smoke was going to affect anchoring in a rather nice looking bay so it was another 2 nautical miles south to anchor at Cape Richards at the northern end of Hinchinbrook Island and not far to travel tomorrow.  There is a small beach so we dropped the dinghy and went ashore to explore being careful as we are in croc country here.  There is a camping site just off the beach that is fenced so the crocs can’t share your dinner and met some fishermen who have been camping for the past few days hoping to catch plenty of fish and crabs.  We did the short walk and decided against a swim.

20/10/2019

Zoe Bay – Hinchinbrook Island

We finally ticked off another item on our bucket list visit finally getting to Zoe Bay today.  It was worth the wait and the effort to get there.  We departed Cape Richards early this morning and motored the 17 nautical miles along the island to Zoe Bay and dropped anchor.  We dropped the dinghy and headed into shore and followed the track through the beautiful rainforest.  Most of the walk was quite easy until we passed the lagoon and headed up the mountainside to the top of the falls that was challenging, even a bit of absailing included.  Once we arrived, and took in the view the trek had been worth the effort and the rock pool with fresh running water was so inviting so of course we had a swim.  As it has been a long time since there has been any rainfall the waterfall was not fast flowing but the fresh water tasted pretty good.  We climbed down again and headed to the rock lagoon where you can see the waterfall flowing over the wall of rocks, so worth the effort to get there.

We headed back through the rainforest and back to Rhapsody for a 17 nautical miles trip across to Orpheus Island.  The weather gods were in the captain’s favour at last, we had a nice 10 knot north east wind so the sails were up in no time and the engines were finally turned off.  As we headed out the winds gradually increased to 15-16 knots and we were having a really good sail reaching speeds between 7-8 knots so the captain was very happy but too fast to snag a fish on the trolling line.

24/10/2019

Palm Island

After 3 days spent at Orpheus Island sitting out the strong southerly change that came through on Monday we finally dropped our mooring today and moved a little further south.  It was nice to be moving again after 3 days of reading, watching movies and doing puzzles.  We dropped our mooring at Hazard Bay, Orpheus Island and motored 2 nautical miles south to Juno Bay on Fantome Island hoping to drop anchor and head ashore to see the abandoned Leper Colony.  As we headed into the bay the winds were still quite strong and there was a swell making the bay unsuitable to drop anchor and definitely not good conditions for the dinghy.  We abandoned that idea and motored a further 5 nautical miles in rather swelly seas to Palm Island and dropped anchor at Casement Bay a very nice calm anchorage.

26/10/2019

Back to Townsville

The winds had finally eased slightly so we departed Casement Bay early on Friday morning and raised the mainsail hoping to sail.  As we headed out of the bay the winds increased again to 16-17 knots and there was quite a swell.  The winds were on the nose so a good sail was not looking good.  We kept going deciding whether to stop at Horseshoe Bay or further on to Townsville.  About half way across to Magnetic Island the winds moved more side on so the mainsail was finally giving some assistance.  Then we heard some noise and looked up to see one of the cars on the sail had come adrift from the mast so the sail had to be dropped and motor to Townsville to sort out repairs.  Breakwater Marina is such a great marina being situated on The Strand and close to town it is easy to get around.  We booked for a week to do some maintenance before heading back to the Whitsundays.

Townsville always has something on and sure enough we were able to head into town last night for free entertainment and lots of street food on offer.  Not a bad place to relax and wait for the wind to finally die down before the last leg of our journey.

3/11/2019

Back Home to the Whitsundays

After a really good week spent at Breakwater Marina, Townsville we have just arrived back in the Whitsundays today.

Townsville is such a great city to spend time in and the marina is in such a good location right alongside The Strand, and so easy to get around.  We had plenty of time to enjoy those coffee shops and the Captain to get his ice-cream fix.  We certainly did plenty of walking and enjoyed the Sunday Markets for fresh produce.  There was even time to catch a bus to the shopping centre for some retail therapy.  We had to do some repairs to Rhapsody and caught the bus out to the industrial area for parts so learnt where everything is and how easy it is to get around even if you don’t have a car.

We departed Townsville on Friday morning to head south.  There was an east wind blowing so thought we would get a good sail but that was not to be.  We were sailing but the currents were so strong that we were being pushed sideways at the same time so needed some engine horsepower to head in the right direction.  We dropped anchor at Cape Bowling Green, not our favourite anchorage but we did have a good night there.

On Saturday we left Cape Bowling Green early and hoisted up the mainsail and unfurled the headsail hoping for a better day of sailing.  The captain even had the trolling lines out ready for the next big catch.  We had only gone a few miles when we heard a loud noise from above and saw the mainsail had dropped down.  After further inspection we found that the block at the top of the sail had failed and shredded the sheet line so not good for sailing.  From then on it was motor and headsail so we were happy to drop anchor at Cape Upstart an anchorage we rather like.

Today we left Cape Upstart early this morning and headed the last leg to Bona Bay, Gloucester Island.  We were hoping to use the headsail to assist the engine but most of the way that was not going to work as the wind was not being helpful today.  Finally as we passed Abbot Point the wind was more favourable and the headsail was unfurled to assist.

All the boats seem to have headed south now and we are the only boat anchored here which does not happen often.  Bona Bay is such a nice anchorage it seems so long ago that we passed here on our way north.

We are planning to spend the next few months here in the Whitsundays an area we really enjoy, with plenty of places to visit whilst we are here along with some maintenance on Rhapsody.

Back to Double Island

14/10/2019   After a really relaxing weekend in Port Douglas we departed the marina this morning after refuelling and headed south.  There was virtually no wind, only gusting between 4-5 knots and a flat sea so sailing was definitely out of the question today.  So it was a very nice cruise down the coast for 20 nautical miles to Double Island.  All was going well until 5 nautical miles from our destination when the captain spotted he had a fish on one of his trolling lines.  He was hauling in a rather large Spanish Mackerel and quite excited until the unthinkable happened, just as he almost had the fish on board, you guessed it the darn thing escaped not a happy Captain.  Worse was to come, with 10 minutes there was another Spanish Mackerel on the line and the same thing happened so the Captain not a happy Captain second time round.  We have incredibly light winds at the moment so heading out to the reef for a few days from here, looking forward to that.

Michaelmas Cay

15/10/2019    We departed Double Island early this morning and headed 20 miles north east to Michaelmas Cay on the Barrier Reef not that far from Cairns.  There was virtually no wind so it was a lovely cruise the entire way.  OMG what a stunning place!  We arrived mid-morning and picked up a mooring.  What an absolutely stunning place to visit.  The water is crystal clear and was like glass so you could see to the bottom.  We snorkelled some of the reef this afternoon, really good snorkelling with plenty of coral and a big variety of fish with turtles trying to hide from us.  The sand cay is a bird sanctuary and I have never seen so many birds there were thousands of them squawking and buzzing around.  Many were nesting in the sand some on eggs and many with young underneath.  There were day charters here with plenty of tourists enjoying the amazing weather and very impressive part of the reef.  So glad we made the effort to visit and could not have picked a better day.

Green Island

16/10/2019     After our amazing day yesterday we departed Michaelmas Cay this morning and picked our way through the reef 4 nautical miles to Vlahoff Reef and picked up a mooring.  The winds had turned northerly so it was not going to be the best anchorage.  We dropped the dinghy down and went across the reef to the sand cay but the swell across the reef was direct onto the beach.  It was not going to be the best place to stop in the conditions so we dropped the mooring and headed 9 nautical miles further south picking our way through the reef and down a channel to Green Island where we picked up a mooring.  The wind was still in the wrong direction to enjoy snorkelling the reef so we dropped the dinghy and headed into the island to explore.  There is a resort on the island and many ferries bringing visitors daily from Cairns so it was quite busy with tourists enjoying the great sunny day.  There were plenty of water activities on offer and a really nice rainforest walk through the island, not a bad place to spend the night.

Russell Island

17/10/2019    We awoke this morning to a beautiful day, bright sun, no wind and water like glass no good for sailing.  We dropped our mooring at Green Island early this morning and picked our way through the coral bommies and headed south east 21 nautical miles to Sudbury Reef.  What a picture post card location, clear blue water and a sand cay with scattered reef.  It must be good fishing as there were boats anchored everywhere including a couple of fishing trawlers.  We dropped the dinghy down and went exploring cruising around the coral reef and going ashore on the sand cay.  After a couple of hours enjoying the reef we headed another 17 nautical miles south, picking up a mooring at Russell Island a very pretty island with a sandy beach and plenty of coral surrounding the island, certainly a nice place to sit back and watch the sun go down over the mainland.

Dunk Island – October Visit

18/10/2019    After a 42 nautical mile south today we have arrived back at Dunk Island.  We departed Russell Island early this morning with winds of 3-4 knots and flat seas, perfect conditions for a very relaxing cruise for the crew but the captain was disappointed as the sails were not coming out.  As we passed Mourilyn Harbour the northerly sea breeze came in and winds picked up to 7 to 11 knots and the screecher was unfurled to assist the engine and increased the speed and make the captain a little happier.  Alas we did not catch a Mackerel along the way only 2 large Barracuda, not advised to eat them so back in the water and Steak from the freezer for dinner.  We dropped the anchor mid-afternoon and took the dinghy ashore for a walk along the beach.  Our timing could not have been better as we were informed that there is an International Skydiving event at Mission Beach and 5 plane loads of skydivers were due to land on the sand spit at Dunk Island before they head out to a sand cay tomorrow for another event.  What a spectacular sight, each plane dropped about 12 skydivers with colourful parachutes dropping from the sky and landing one by one on the sand spit.  It is hard to believe that it was a month earlier that we arrived at Dunk Island on our trip north.  What a month it has been.  We have travelled and seen some fantastic parts of the Queensland coast and realise we have only scratched the surface with so much more to see. 

By Margie

Weekend at Port Douglas

On Saturday morning we departed Low Isles and motored the 9 nautical miles to Port Douglas for a weekend in the marina.  There was only 6 knots of breeze and a flat sea so just a very casual cruise to enjoy.  We really like Port Douglas very much it is such a lovely town to spend time in.  There is plenty to do in such a small place and is always quite vibrant and busy with tourists and the weather was sensational.  We were even lucky enough to snag the markets on Sunday morning.  There is obviously a lot of very talented people who live in the region as all the stalls had unique handmade items for sale made by the stall holders.  The variety on offer and the size of the markets made for a very pleasant morning.  The local fresh produce on offer was certainly worth the effort to stop by.

Back to Double Island

14/10/2019     After a really relaxing weekend in Port Douglas we departed the marina this morning after refuelling and headed south.  There was virtually no wind, only gusting between 3 to 4 knots and a flat sea so sailing was definitely out of the question today.  So it was a very nice cruise down the coast for 20 nautical miles to Double Island.  All was going well until 5 nautical miles from our destination when the captain spotted he had a fish on one of his trolling lines.  He was hauling in a rather large Spanish Mackerel and quite excited until the unthinkable happened, just as he almost had the fish on board, you guessed it the darn thing escaped not a happy Captain.  Worse was to come, with 10 minutes there was another Spanish Mackerel on the line and the same thing happened, the Captain not a happy Captain especially the second time round.  We have incredibly light winds at the moment so heading out to the reef for a few days from here, looking forward to that.

Low Isle – Return

11/10/2019   After a really good night at East Hope Island we pulled up the anchor this morning at 7.00am to head 40 nautical miles south to the Lowe Isles.  There was a mass exodus as we were heading out with half the fleet on the move.  The winds were only light around 9 knots as we departed so hoisted the mainsail and unfurled the headsail and as there was some east in the wind hoping to be able to sail the entire journey.  After about 2 nautical miles the winds dropped down to between 5-6 knots and we were not going to be getting very far, so the captain had to reluctantly turn on one of the engines to motor sail, not a happy captain.  The crew did enjoy the very calm seas and easy sail which was very non eventful the entire way.  The only highlight being a large cruise ship passing and a cargo vessel heading north.  It is amazing the number of cargo ships in the area from Cairns north as the reef is so close they are much closer to the mainland and very noticeable.  We dropped anchor at 1.30pm amongst all the other cruisers on anchor here and the large number of day visitors here from Port Douglas.

East Hope Island

10/10/2019   After a very comfortable night we pulled up anchor this morning at 7.00am and headed off, but with only very light winds and on the nose it was a motor sail to our next destination which was only a short distance of 15 nautical miles to East Hope Island.  What a beautiful place to stop you have a small island surrounded by reef on all sides.  It is obviously a very popular place for yachties to stop as there were another 7 boats here already when we arrived and more arriving this afternoon.  As we arrived early we were able to head off in the dinghy for a walk around the entire island and a ride in the dinghy around some of the reef, it is certainly a place you could spend a few days very happily and do a spot of fishing.

Egret Reef

9/10/2019   After 13 days at Lizard Island we pulled up our anchor and departed at 5.00am on Wednesday morning.  The winds had finally eased enough to sail south.  We hoisted the mainsail and unfurled the headsail and with a steady 16 knots of breeze on a small swell Rhapsody was sailing along at 7 knots.  We had several destinations in mind depending on the conditions.  For the first 18 nautical miles to Cape Flattery we had a really good sail and as we passed the cape the winds dropped to 12 knots and our speed decreased to between 5-6 knots.  We were still sailing well but as we drew closer to Cape Bedford the wind dropped out to 6 knots and the seas flattened off so the Captain had to resort to putting on one of the engines otherwise it was going to be dropping anchor at Cape Bedford.  We motor sailed for the rest of our journey and decided to drop anchor at Egret Reef which is 9 nautical miles south of Cooktown so we had travelled 45 nautical miles.  As we were dropping anchor the reef was in full view but when we were ready to pull up anchor this morning we were on a high tide and it looked like Rhapsody was sitting in the middle of the ocean only a lighthouse was visible to distinguish a reef.

Lizard Island

We went ashore last night for a sundowner with the other cruisers here in Watson’s Bay with many of them regular visitors to the island and some staying for months.  You understand how small Australia is when you meet up with someone from our former home town in WA here on the beach at Lizard Island, incredible.

29/09/2019 Today we headed into shore to walk to the Research Centre here on the island.  What a challenging walk through a very boggy track used by four wheel drives.  After an hour of hiking through the wilderness we found the Research Centre but no staff working on a Sunday.  There certainly must be a lot of work done here for long term protection of the reef, and read extracts from Captain Cook’s journal when he visited in 1770. Looking for an alternate route back, we headed back along the beach as the tide was low to the next bay.  Then it was rock climbing to get to the next bay before finding a track to get us back towards Watson’s Bay.  After two hours of trekking we made it back to the dinghy which by this time was sitting up on the beach as the tide had gone out, certainly getting our exercise.

Another night was had meeting more of the yachties on the beach last night for sundowner and what an interesting bunch of people.  All have been long term travellers on their boats and regular visits to Lizard Island.

The last day of September and what a busy morning we awoke to.  The barge arrived and was busy unloading cargo on the island resort beach, we were surrounded with very large fancy mother ships that accommodate guests heading out daily on the marlin boats to fish.  The wind increased again today and is supposed to get stronger over the next few days so snorkelling is on hold.  We went ashore and walked the Pandanus track plus a beach walk.  The staff from the research centre were busy amongst the coral today.  More boats departed today and some others arrived, quite a hive of activity for a remote island.

The first day of October and we were ready for the Cook’s Lookout, a challenging hike , from the beach at Watson’s Bay to the peak of the mountain some 359 metres. The walk was challenging to say the least with plenty of rock climbing. It certainly tested your fitness and proved the captain does have a heart after all. We reached the summit and took in the views over Watson’s Bay, the resort beach and Blue Lagoon.  From this height you could see the line of the Barrier Reef, quite remarkable. It is amazing to learn that Captain Cook climbed this same summit in August 1770 to try and find an opening in the reef to sail the Endeavour out.

2/10/2019   The winds picked up overnight and will be strong for the next few days but we can’t let that stop us getting out.  Today the Research Centre was running a guided tour so we headed into shore and trekked through the boggy sand track to the other side of the island.  The tour was well worth it with a video on what the Research Station was about and a fantastic tour with the Research Director, Anne who has been here for 30 years.  This time of year is quiet for Scientists but they are all due here in the next few weeks to carry on their work on the reef.  Such valuable work, and makes you want to do more to keep the reef healthy and safe for the next generation to appreciate.  All the scientists are volunteers and very passionate about their work.  There are also volunteer geologists doing research into the first people here and how they lived on the island all those years ago.  It was well worth the hard slog to get there and back to the dinghy.

The third day of October and we are still in a strong wind warning and will be for a few more days.  The sun was still shining and we headed into shore for a walk on the beach and to do some snorkelling in the clam garden reef here in Watson’s Bay.  You can understand where the name came from there are clams galore from small clams to the colourful giant clams.  The reef is still regenerating from cyclones but the colours of the coral and fish were sensational and the clarity of the water makes the experience even better.

We have had really strong winds for several days and quite rough seas that made leaving Rhapsody quite uncomfortable so we have not done much over the past few days.  Today, Sunday the winds have lightened off somewhat so we went ashore and walked across the island to Blue Lagoon.  It was pretty windy and not really an inviting day for a swim but such a beautiful bay and not a soul in sight.  The colour of the water is really stunning and complimented with the pure white sand and boulders it is a rather special place to enjoy.

7/10/2019   Monday morning and the winds have abated slightly and the sun is shining so time to get out and enjoy our last few days at Lizard Island.  We went ashore in the dinghy and I am now used to putting on my wet weather jacket to get ashore dry, but the captain thought he would be a hero today.  You guessed it not far from Rhapsody a lovely wave came over the dinghy and drenched the captain, he did not swear too much.  We did the walk to Chinaman’s Ridge Lookout today.  You get a great view of Watson’s Bay where we are anchored on one side of the ridge and the resort and beach on the other side.  It is very picturesque with the water so clear you can see the patches of coral and the pure white sand, a very pretty view I must say.  We then walked down the other side of the track to the Marlin Bar and beach before heading back up the ridge and down to the dinghy, the legs sure are getting stronger with all the trekking we are doing here.

It’s Tuesday and the winds are finally easing.

We headed across to the Marlin Bar last night in the dinghy for drinks and dinner with the other yachties.  It was a really pleasant evening sitting out hearing all the adventures of these long time cruisers, and enjoyed a few drinks and a really nice meal before heading back to Rhapsody.

8/10/2019   Today we headed ashore for our final walk on Lizard Island as it looks like the wind conditions are going to be good for heading off tomorrow morning.  We walked alongside the island runway and down to the most beautiful spot on the island, Blue Lagoon.  We had been told there is another nice bay further along but a bit of a hike to get there so off we went.  A bit of a hike was an understatement it was a mountain climb with a goat track and rocks with the odd marker of rubber thongs to keep you on track.  The view from the top over Blue Lagoon on one side and Coconut Beach on the other was worth the climb.  The walk back down was pretty tricky with plenty of challenges to get on to firm ground.  It was a relief to get down and walk the short distance to another little lagoon and beach for a swim and a cold drink before the trek back to the dinghy.

Tonight we have been into the beach for our last sundowner with the yachties as we are heading south early tomorrow morning.  They are such a great bunch of interesting people enjoying a really good life with not too much stress.

28/9/2019           Day two of our stay and we headed ashore this morning to do some more exploring, heading across to Blue Lagoon.  It is still very windy but a beautiful warm sunny day and Watson’s Bay was looking pristine with clear water, white sand and plenty of coral reef.  Lizard Island is living up to its name so far.  The walk took us along the airport runway and down to the other side of the island.  What a spectacular view as we headed down the sand dune.  Crystal clear blue water, white sand and palm trees with not a soul in sight such paradise. Photos just do not do it justice.

18/9/ 2019       Overnight to Horseshoe Bay       

We are on our way again after our stay in Airlie Beach.  We dropped our mooring at 4.00am with calm seas and a full moon.  With only 5 knots of breeze the sails were of no use so engines on.  It was a great sight to see sunrise over Hook Island and as we were passing Gloucester Island we were fortunate to have whales come alongside Rhapsody, close enough that you could have stepped on their back.  The winds did not want to increase so it was 10 hours of motoring until 2.00pm when the sea breeze came in and we were able to raise the sails and finally turn off the engines.  With such calm seas were sailing beautifully and as evening came on the winds increased to over 20 knots then gusts to 26 knots so was a bit daunting on your first night sail with such strong winds. A very new experience for us to sail at night, but under a starlit sky and only a few passing fishing boats most of the journey was quite enjoyable. By 8.00pm the wind dropped out again so it was a motor sail the last leg of our journey, arriving under moonlight in Horeshoe Bay at 12.45am this morning.  We have awoken to a glassed out sea so may be a day to do some more exploring on Magnetic Island before we resume our journey north with the ultimate goal of arriving at Lizard Island. It is all dependent on the weather as any sailor will tell you.

20/9/2019      Return to Orpheus Island

After a lay day at Magnetic Island yesterday due to no wind we pulled up the anchor this morning and headed north.  There was a nice wind of 12-13 knots and a small rolling swell so it was up with the mainsail and as the winds were behind us the spinnaker was flown and what a good sail we had.  We were making really good time with the steady breeze behind us and all was going well until we were alongside Fantome Island when all the excitement happened.  First there was a lovely mackeral on one of the trolling lines that Steve hauled in and was sorting out when all of a sudden the spinnaker was flapping to the port side of the boat where a shackle had broken off.  So by the time the spinnaker was hauled back into the sock and the headsail unfurled the mackeral had escaped his bucket and was flapping on the deck making his presence known and leaving quite a mess.  Finally all was sorted out with the lovely fish in a safe container until we anchored ready to be filleted and put in the freezer.  Little Pioneer Bay was full of cruisers and all the moorings taken so now on anchor for the night.

21/9/2019       Return to Dunk Island

After a very comfortable night at Orpheus Island we were on the move again to Dunk Island.  We had been hoping to stop via Zoe Bay but the winds were east and resonably strong and not favourable so will try again on our return home.  We had nice winds of 12-13 knots as we left the anchorage so raised the mainsail and unfurled the screecher and off we went.  The seas were very sloppy and rolly but we were moving along.  Slowly the winds increased to 17-18 knots so it was time to change sail to the headsail and then the winds dropped down and so of course it was another sail change back to the screecher.  We were making good progress and then the winds changed to southerly and the screecher was not working so of course it was another sail change to the spinnaker and off we went as the seas settled down.  We had a great sail all the way to Dunk Island dropping anchor at 2.00pm along with all the other yachties in the bay.  It was nice to see Dunk Island with the sun shining as our last two visits it was misty rain

22/9/2019       Return – Fitzroy Island

As daylight broke we had the anchor up and were on our way 60 nautical miles to Fitzroy Island.  There was a good south east wind blowing and a rolly sea so up with the mainsail and unfurl the headsail and we were off.  The wind was consistent and we were sailing beautifully along between 6-7 knots.  As we passed Kent Island the wind shifted more southerly so out came the spinnaker and speed increased to 8 knots.  The captain was in his element and impressed at how well he can multi-task.  The spinnaker was flying, the portable genset was on charging the batteries, the water maker was on making water, the trolling lines were out trying to catch dinner and he even had time to instruct the crew.

After a really good sail we picked up a mooring at Fitzroy Island at 3.15 so in plenty of time for 5 o’clockies.

23/9/2019       Return to Port Douglas

We were on the move again and departed Fitzroy Island at 5.30am on Monday morning to sail the 48 nautical miles to Port Douglas.  The winds were at the rear so it was up with the spinnaker and we were off sailing along at 6 knots.  The winds gradually increased and so did our speed and our arrival time was coming down.  We averaged around 7 knots and as a squall went over the winds went up to 25 knots and our speed went to 12 knots, not my favourite time of the trip but luckily only lasted a short time.  We watched a cruise ship head into Yorkys Knob and drop anchor and when we were only 10 nautical miles from Port Douglas Steve caught a lovely tuna on one of the trolling lines.  Pressure was on to clean and fillet the fish prior to dropping sails.  We were dropping sails by midday and heading into the marina past another cruise ship by 12.30 just in time for lunch.  Port Douglas is such a vibrant place and we spent today preparing for our final leg of our journey to Lizard Island.

25/9/2019        Cooktown

After 2 great nights in Port Douglas enjoying the town and preparing for our final destination we departed at 6.00 am this morning.  There was a swell of 1 to 1.5 metres and winds of 16 knots.  We raised the mainsail and unfurled the headsail and we were off on our 64 nautical mile journey to Cooktown.  Gradually the winds moved southerly and the sails had to be set wing on wing and our speed increased.  The winds picked up to a constant 18 to 22 knots and Rhapsody was zinging along at an average speed of 7.5 knots or better so we were sure we would make our destination by dark.  We were travelling so fast that the trolling lines were running on the top of the water so useless for fishing today. Much of the time we are sailing in the narrow shipping channel beween the mainland and the GBR so you have to be alert to the many cargo ships and Cruise Ships, not something we plan to argue with. What a great sail today, arriving at Cooktown by 3.00pm.  We had planned to spend the day here before our final leg of our journey on Friday to Lizzard Island but the weather was looking like being stronger winds in the next few days so we were up early again and on our way to finally reach our goal.

26/9/2019       Lizard Island

Hooray our goal has been achieved, we arrived at Lizard Island today and the next few weeks are going to be windy so we will be toughing it out here along with the other 21 boats on anchor in Watsons Bay.  We departed Cooktown this morning and headed out into 23 knot winds and a large side on swell.  It was just the headsail at first and we were sailing along at 6 knots with the odd rogue waving mak ng sure we go wet.  After 20 nautical miles and me questioning what the hell was I thinking the sea settled down and the wind remained a constant 21-23 knots not counting the gusts so we raised the mainsail with 2 reefs and we took off cruising at speeds between 7-9 knots.  The final 32 miles was a good sail, arriving in Watsons Bay at 2.00 pm.  So now for a while it is just about exploring and enjoying what the island has to offer after such a big effort to get here.

27/9/2019     Our first day here and the wind is howling but a nice sunny day.  We dropped the dinghy down and headed into shore to meet some of the other yachties on the beach playing a game of Bocce.  Some have been here for weeks and come here regularly all seemed to be seasoned sailors.  We headed off to do the walk up to Chinaman’s Lookout that overlooks Watson’s Bay and the resort, such a stunning view with clear water and all the coral reef exposed.  

By Margie