SATURDAY

Tony asked where the fish photos were so here they are. Last night, Craig hooked a squid with his bait jigger so we cut it up. The fish loved the fresh bait. Theses are the two we kept. Note that the common denominator is the pink rod. Both were caught with it,  one by Heidi and one by me.

We headed over to Blue Pearl this morning for a session of snorkelling, fish feeding and stand up paddle boarding.

 

 

Trish baked our two fish whole and we enjoyed them for lunch at Black Island, a real find just south of Hayman.

From there, we headed for Nara Inlet where we will be spending our last night before heading for Airlie Beach in the morning to hand in the boat. Another great adventure completed. We might lead a relatively normal life for a while now until our next adventure.

 

FRIDAY

 

We awoke this morning to the sounds of cockatoos invading the boat. Cadging food off boaties is obviously something they regularly do.

The weather looked excellent so we set off to head out through Hook Passage and south to Whitehaven but, once we got east of Whitsunday Island, the ocean was a complete mess so we gave up on Whitehaven and headed back through the passage and had a very pleasant sail north to Langford and Black Islands where, once again, we had some very pleasant snorkels.

We are now moored for the night in Stonehaven, not as tranquil as Nara, but very comfortable.

THURSDAY

After yet another leisurely morning, we eventually left Hamilton harbour and headed north up the west side of Whitsunday Island with the assistance of a pleasant following breeze. The plan was to sail out through Hook Passage to Cateran Bay on Border Island We did implement that plan but, as we approached Hook Passage, wet weather set in and we had to motor across to Cateran Bay in very unpleasant conditions. There is no weather protection for the helmsman.

 

 

It was however worth the effort in that, by the time we had lunch and were ready to go snorkelling, the sun came out and we snorkelled in very pleasant conditions. The snorkelling at Cateran Bay is almost as good as Blue Pearl.

We then headed back east and are now very comfortably anchored at the end of a very tranquil Nara Inlet. We are yet to decide what tomorrow will bring but the forecast wind and weather conditions mean that Whitehaven might be difficult to get to. We might need to save that for next trip.

 

 

As we left Hamilton Island this morning, a large P&O cruise ship was disgorging its passengers using its lifeboats. We obviously left Hamilton at the right time.

 

 

WEDNESDAY

 

Life continues at a hectic pace We were successful at finding some magnificent oysters at Cid Harbour last evening, perhaps the best we have ever found in the wild. We'll be back.

After exploring the walk from Sawpit Creek to Dugong Beach and the campground where we have camped in younger days, we headed for Hamilton Island where we are spending tonight. The rubbish has been disposed of, the shopping has been done and the water will be topped up. The only swimming we have done today is in the resort pool. We encountered this glamorous couple heading out to dinner.

 

The trip here from Cid Harbour was surprisingly rough and it seems that we won't be able to travel along the southern coast of Whitsunday Island to get to Whitehaven as planned tomorrow. While the forecast is 15 to 20 knot winds, we have seen very little wind below 20 knots and quite a bit above. We will have to resort to plan B, whatever that may turn out to be.

 

Below is the view from our cabin window.

 

 

 

 

TUESDAY

A leisurely day today.

 

 

Life is really hectic on board the boat.

We eventually left Butterfly Bay after another round of snorkelling and headed south down the west side of Hook to Nara Inlet where we had lunch.

 

On the way,we hoisted the sales and did a bit of sailing but the wind direction and tidal current was such that we were gaining very little by braving the swells in the passage so we got the sails down and adopted a direct heading under engine power. We were told that the boat has an autopilot which doesn't work but it does!

One of our party is partial to a little red wine.

We are spending this evening in Cid Harbour where we have, in the past, found some very nice oysters. We will be visiting our favourite Dudong Beach camping area for old times sake.

Tomorrow we may drop into Hamilton Island to see how the other half live.

MONDAY

We woke this morning to a very peaceful Stonehaven. We didn't see any more of the Giant Trevally which was hanging around the boat yesterday afternoon and unfortunately, notwithstanding significant effort, nothing of any size was prepared to attach itself to Craig's fishing line.

 

 

After a leisurely breakfast, we headed for Blue Pearl Bay on Hayman with the assistance of the engines and the headsail. Blue Pearl maintained its reputation for excellent coral and lots of fish. There were quite a few tourist boats there but we managed to avoid the crowds who, peculiarly, were snorkelling with noodles but no fins. The batfish provided their usual entertainment.

 

 

We then headed for Butterfly Bay where we are now anchored for the night. The coral here isn't as pristine as I remember it but perhaps we were snorkelling in the wrong place this afternoon.

 

 

At each place we have visited so far, we have been able to tie up to a mooring. That is particularly comforting at Butterfly Bay in that, while the wind strength is only 15 knots, the bullets coming off Hook Island have considerable power.

 

 

WHITSUNDAY ESCAPADES

Well here we are, back at sea, but on a considerably smaller vessel than our recent voyages.

As I am typing this, we are sailing across Whitsunday Passage with the assistance of a 20 knot south easterly breeze heading for Stonehaven where we are proposing to stay tonight.

 

 

Our vessel is a sailing cataraman – Stardust – big enough to accommodate the eight of us.

We are spending this evening securely attached to a mooring with a very nice coral reef a short swim behind us. We went looking for oysters earlier but the tide was a little high. We will try again at a lower tide. Tomorrow we hope to explore Blue Pearl Bay and Butterfly Bay.