Thursday and Friday was spent exploring Port Douglas on foot. lots of long walks around the area and on 4 Mile Beach. Amazing beach, so hard you dont even leave a footprint and people ride their bikes along the beach hardly even marking the beach also. 

Saturday we departed from Port Douglas after 5 nights exploring the town and surrounding areas.  We had a great time and will definitely be back.  The town is very vibrant with great shops and eateries to while away some time with 27 degree winter days.

We left the marina at daylight and headed south to avoid the oncoming strong winds due to hit the area next week.  The winds were reasonably light and sea swell quite good so planned to stop at Double Island 20 nautical miles to the south.  All went well for the first half of our journey and then the winds and squally showers came through for a while until we got closer to the island.  We were safely anchored by 11.00 am and felt that was quite enough excitement for the day so time to kick back and watch the footy for the afternoon.

Sunday the winds were going to pick up later in the day so we departed Double Island at 5.00 am to head towards Fitzroy Island.  The wind was fairly light and seas had little swell but pitch black when we raised the mainsail and unfurled the headsail.  We were having a really good sail with speeds ranging between 6-8 knots when just on daylight we heard an almighty bang and on inspection could see that the mainsail had dropped.  Sure enough the mainsail halyard had failed so that was the end of sailing for the journey.  By the end of our journey the seas and winds had increased considerably so it was nice to pick up a mooring at Fitzroy Island.  There were plenty of people on the island enjoying the winter sunshine either walking on the beach, snorkelling our enjoying the water sports.

Luckily we had kept our old halyard just in case so Steve had the lucky job of being winched up the mast in rather strong winds and side on swells to attach the line so we can continue on.  Luckily he has been nice to the skipper so he was safely winched up and brought down, and I must say he was happy to be back on deck.

By Marg

4 Mile Beach Port Douglas

4 Mile Beach Port Douglas

4 Mile Beach Port Douglas

Double Island

On Sunday morning we had a team meeting wit hour sailing Buddies to discuss the weather pattern that was coming and there was a decision made to postpone going any further north for now until later in the year when weather conditions were more predictable.  We spent the day at Low Isles catching up on a few chores that needed addressing, before heading to Port Douglas on Monday morning for a few days until the strong winds settled down.  We could then make a decision as to where we would like to visit next.

Once we were all tied up in the marina it was time to explore Port Douglas.  The place was busy with holiday makers enjoying the winter sunshine and is certainly a vibrant place to spend time.  We had a great meal at the local yacht club that was packed and were lucky to get a table.

On Tuesday hired a car and travelled the inland road to Cooktown, what an interesting place to visit.  There is so much history, from Captain Cook spending 10 days to repair his boat to the gold rush.  We drove up to Grassy Hill to look over the town, the Endeavour River and the Coral Sea.  The wind was howling which I believe is normal for the area and the reason we did the trip here by car.

On Wednesday we drove to Cape Tribulation and what a spectacular drive it is.  Once you reach the Daintree River crossing it is by car ferry and then a drive through thick Rainforest to the top at Cape Tribulation and onto the beach.  The walk through the Daintree Rainforest is worthwhile and so diverse.  Of course on the way back it is mandatory to stop at the Daintree Fruit Ice Cream Shop where you are served exotic ice creams made with the tropical fruits grown on the property, heaven to Steve.

Thursday was time to go for a long walk and explore Port Douglas, walking along 4 mile beach and then lunch and some shopping in the very vibrant tourist town with many boutique clothing chops and restaurants. 

Today we had a short trip of 21 Nautical Miles from Double Island to the Low Isles which are just north of Port Douglas.  There was a good stiff breeze of 15-20 knots and ideal for the spinnaker.  After a really good sail we were picking up a mooring at Low Isles by 11.00am, The welcoming committee immediately after mooring was a black tipped reef shark which swam right up to the stern of the boat and came to the surface to eyeball us.  There was not a soul around when we arrived and after lunch we jumped in the dinghy to go ashore and explore.  The island has day visitors coming from Port Douglas but we did not spot a soul.  There is a really well maintained lighthouse and well laid out paths to see the island.  It is quite windy and cool so chickened out on going snorkelling, maybe at our next destination.

By Marg

Low isles

Low Isles Anchorage

Approaching aptly named Low Isles

Today we are departing from Cairns but before we left the marina it was a visit to Rustys Markets.  The markets are fresh produce heaven with stalls of fresh produce through the entire area. There was nothing you could not buy in the way of fresh fruit and veg to stock up for our journey north.  The lines were untied at 10.30am and we headed out of the marina and along the shipping channel until there was enough water depth to turn towards our next destination, Double Island.  The mainsail and spinnaker were hauled and we had a fantastic sail arriving at our destination by 1.30pm.  There is an exclusive resort on the island and you are also very close to the mainland.  Tomorrow we are off the  Low Isles off Port Douglas.

What a vibrant place to spend some time.

We left our anchorage at Fitzroy Island on Tuesday and sailed the short 12 nautical mile journey to Cairns, arriving in the marina at 11.00am.  The marina staff were on hand to take lines and tie us to the dock, along with a great welcome pack.  Then disaster struck we were about to plug into shore power, only to find that our power plug had broken and could not be plugged in.  It was then on with the walking shoes and map to find someone that stocked the type of plug we had.  Closest was Bunnings but to no avail so on we walked through the vast industrial area until we had success.  By the time we arrived back at the marina we had been walking for more than two hours, my phone was congratulating me with the number of steps walked.

Yesterday it was on with the walking shoes again to walk around the city and get some of the things needed on our list.  Cairns is a really beautiful city to walk with beautiful tropical gardens everywhere and so many eateries to choose.  We had lunch at a great restaurant overlooking the marina and completed all the chores and laundry that needed to be done.

Today it was off in the hire car to purchase all the heavy items and of course another lunch at a different restaurant overlooking the vast marina precinct.

The weather has been sensational with plenty more sunny days to come so we are now ready for the next part of our journey.  We are leaving Cairns today after visiting Rusty Markets to purchase some fresh produce.  Our next stop is Double Island 13 nautical miles from Cairns.

By Marg

We pulled up our anchor at Dunk Island on the morning of 14th June  and continued our journey north with a few possibilities of overnight anchorage, depending on the wind conditions as we went along.  At first there was next to no wind and needed to use the engines for the first few hours to assist the sails.  Gradually the winds picked up and we were in full sail and able to turn the engines off so decided to head to High Island for the night.  As we were getting closer we came across HMAS Canberra carrying out some amphibious exercises and needed to stay well clear.  The winds picked up more as some storms passed over us so we decided to continue all the way to Fitzroy Island for the night.  After lunch things got interesting, Steve headed inside to get a few jobs done when we had a big strike on one of our trolling line.  Steve hauled in the line to find we had a good sized Spanish Mackerel hooked on the line.  He eventually managed to get the fish on board and off the line while we are still sailing along at 7 to 8 knots.  Of course we had to get the photos as proof as we are not the best fishermen and this is the first fish we have ever caught on our trolling lines.  We reckon there may be more fish further north of the Whitsundays or just luck.  Then came the filleting and bagging of our fish and into the freezer and making sure we were still on course.  The timing could not have been better as not long after along came a ferocious little storm with stronger winds and driving rain.  The rain then affected our chart plotter so Steve spent the rest of the trip getting it working again.  Now comes the dilemma do we replace at Cairns or keep going with what we have.  We arrived at Fitzroy Island at 5.00pm and were lucky enough to pick up a mooring.

Next day we went ashore in the dinghy and did a challenging walk up to the Lighthouse and back.  The walk is quite steep in parts but a good walk with great views from the base of the Lighthouse.  The resort was quite busy with many guests and ferry loads of people arriving from Cairns.  Fitzroy Island is certainly a nice place and we are planning to spend a few more days here enjoying what it has to offer.

Here it Sunday and we are spending another day at Fitzroy Island and tomorrow as well.  It is such a laid back island full of people enjoying what the island has to offer, with all sorts of accommodation and activities to fill in your day.  The sun was out today so a nice warm day.  We went ashore to explore some more of the walks available.  Both were quite short and easy to do.  The first was The Secret Garden which was about a 1.5km walk through beautiful rainforest to a lookout which would be rather spectacular when there has been a lot of rain.  The second walk was the Nudy Beach walk which was another 1.5km walk through beautiful rainforest along the cliff face to a beautiful sandy beach with clear water.  When he arrived at the beach as there was not a nude person in sight just a great view.  It was then a walk back to the bar and eatery for a drink and to enjoy the live music from the Sunday Session. 

Off to Cairns from here so our sailing buddies can do some minor repairs to their yacht and we can do some sightseeing.

We dropped our mooring at Orpheus Island at 8.00am and headed out of the bay.  The weather had turned very cloudy and was drizzling with showers of rain.  We were planning to stop at Zoe Bay at Hinchinbrook Island and walk up to the waterfall and fresh water swimming hole but as we passed by the entire island and bay were covered in thick cloud and rain so decided it would be better to visit on our return journey later in the year. The wind started off very light and we put up the spinnaker but it was too hard to keep it flying in the light variable winds. The wind slowly built up to between 12-15 knots and better with some storms and gusts and we unfurled the sceecher but as a rain and wind storm hit us at over 20 knots we erred on the side of safety and quickly furled that up and we set mainsail and headsail in wing and wing position and sailed the entire way with a following sea.  There were squally showers that kept coming across and very little sun, I hope the tropics warms up soon. We are in the wet tropics apparently so have to expect a bit of rain.

We dropped anchor in front of what was the Dunk Island Resort and settled in for the night and plan to go ashore to explore the next day.

We are spending two nights at Dunk Island and once the rain disappeared around midday today we were able to take the dinghy ashore and explore.  We walked past the abandoned resort that was damaged during Cyclone Yasi and has never been repaired to Muggy Muggy Beach.  The walk takes you through some beautiful rainforest to a lovely sandy beach with vegetation down to the sand. Forgot to bring our Oyster tools so just had to look and drool this trip. There has been plenty or rain as all the vegetation is so green and healthy. Coconut palms every where loaded with Coconuts but all well and truly out of reach.

Tomorrow we are heading further north to the Barnard Islands.

We are on the next phase of our journey after departing Magnetic Island this morning.  From the strong winds we had over the past week, there was next to no wind on departure and the mainsail was up but was of no use so we had to motor for the first part of our journey.  By mid-morning there was enough breeze to unfurl the spinnaker and turn off the engines.  By the time we were almost at Palm Island the wind was finally up to around 14 knots and our speed picked up and we had a great sail the rest of the journey.  Not having sailed these waters before I was amazed at how many islands were in the area and will need to spend more time on our return journey exploring some of them.  We arrived at Pioneer Bay on Orpheus Island at 3.00pm and were able to pick up a mooring along with Evelyn who we are travelling with.  We all went into the beach to stretch the legs and explore this part of the island.  We will definitely be spending more time here on our return journey as there looks like plenty of coral to snorkel and some nice walks to see some more of the island.

Tomorrow we are off to Hinchinbrook Island so hopefully enough wind to fill the sails.

Magnetic Island

We are now safely tied up at the Magnetic Island Marina at Nelly Bay.  We headed around to the marina yesterday as the winds were picking up and it was much more comfortable to come in a day earlier.

The Coral Coast Rally had its presentation night and dinner last night at a restaurant close to the marina.  The food was superb and presentations were made to the winner of the rally.

We are planning to spend a few more days at Magnetic Island to enjoy the island and plan to depart on Monday heading north to Palm Island Group. There is so much to do and see, you can spend weeks here to really get the most out of your visit.

Tomorrow night we are off to the theatre on the island for a dinner and live show. Each time we have been there has been a different show and are always very entertaining.

By Marg

Horseshoe Bay Anchorage

Today there was no sailing just a day to enjoy Magnetic Island and catch up on some chores on Rhapsody.  Once the maintenance and cleaning was complete we jumped in the dinghy and headed to shore where you can catch a bus to take you around the island.  There was a short wait for the bus so indulged in the most amazing home-made pies from the Gelato Shop.  A day pass can be purchased for a bus ride around the island where you can get on and off at all the stops.  We decided to just go for the ride around the island for this trip.  There are some great stops around the island to explore and some fantastic walks.  We did get off the bus to visit The Fort which is the most amazing place where the Australians built a gun tower and fort to protect northern Australia from the Japanese during World War II.  How these amazing people prepared and poured concrete with the limited equipment they must have had is hard to comprehend.  Along the track we were very fortunate to see a mother koala and baby sitting up in a tree.  She did not seem at all concerned with the group of tourists taking photos.  On the return walk mother koala had crossed the track and was down on the ground and then scooted up another tree, she was amazingly very agile.  They are certainly a very special animal to see up close and in the wild.  By the time we reached the bus stop for the return to Horseshoe Bay we found we would have to wait for more than an hour so decided to do the 2.5km walk back to the bay.  It was a very easy walk with the first part through a great bush track.  By the time we reached Horseshoe Bay we felt we had earned a gelato before heading back to the boat. 

After a hot shower we headed back to the beach at 6.00pm for a dinner with the Coral Coast Rally Crew at the local pub, followed by a trivia quiz. 

Tomorrow is another free day so we will do some more of the great walks that the island has to offer.