10) The Whitsundays to Cairns. 14 June to 2 August 2013.

After two beautiful seasons in the Whitsunday Islands it was time to move on. It is always so hard to leave beautiful places that you have become familiar with and very fond of, but it is always great to discover new places and meet new friends. So yet again it was time to move on.

We had 1.5 months to move north along the coast and get to Cairns by the end of July. That way we could have a month to get 'Reverie' around the top of Cape York, across the Gulf of Carpentaria and along the Top End to Darwin, in the safest month of August.

So on the 14th June 2013 we left Gloucester Island for the large port town of Bowen, officially the tip of the Whitsundays. It was a quick sail north being chaperoned by dolphins and we anchored in the sheltered northern bay, known as Queen's Bay. There were no buses into Bowen and it was a long hot walk into town and back, to check out the scenery and get a few fresh items from the supermarket. This did us good as we don't usually get much exercise when making passage.



Northeast tip of Magnetic Island.

We continued north returning to the same places we had stayed at in June 2011, on the way home to Sydney. So leaving Bowen behind we sailed to Cape Upstart and then to Cape Bowling Green - yep flat as that. These two mainland bays are a very long day's sail between each other and other weather refuges to the north and south. So at the end of a very long eleven hour sail it is good to find a peaceful anchorage. We were the only boat at Cape Bowling Green and just on dusk we were surrounded by dolphins hunting fish. The water was boiling.

Horseshoe Bay Beach

It was mid June and the weather was perfect for sailing and we were able to put up both the main and the jib, giving us 8 knots. This got us to the south east of Magnetic Island very quickly before the wind died. Then out came the 'iron main' and we did the last little bit around the east side of Magnetic Island and into the northern bay, Horseshoe Bay. We were planning to spend a couple of days here. It is a quiet and pleasant island with a relaxed atmosphere but at the same time it has everything a traveller would want.



We ended up staying a week at Magnetic Island as the weather had turned foul again. This was not a hard ask and quite pleasant. Walks around town, bus trips around the island, swimming, and nightlife activities saw the time go by quickly. 

A great night's entertainment.

Peter roaming.

Soon it was onto Orpheus Island and we decided to stay a few days here as it is very beautiful and probably the last spot Peter would get the chance to clean the hull without the menace of crocodiles.The marine research station on Orpheus assured us that they dive and snorkel daily and have never encountered crocodiles. They also advised that crocodiles are rife behind Hinchinbrook Island, which was easily seen from Orpheus and only a few hours boat ride away. So out came the hooka (underwater breathing device and not what you were thinking) and several days later most of the hull was clean.

A small taipan - still dangerous though.

I spent my days checking out the beautiful fringing reef - complete with colourful fish, coral, turtles and a few giant clams. Even managing a few wildlife shots while exploring the island. We even had a great night with people from a neighboring yacht. I struck up a conversation on the island with David and Helen and before you know it, the nibbles and drinks were out.

A beautiful kingfisher (Goold Island).

Finally we said goodbye to Orpheus and sailed northwest to the large uninhabited volcanic island of Hinchinbrook. Boats can enter the large strait (the Hinchinbrook Channel) that separates the mainland from the island, from either the south at Lucinda or from the north at Cardwell. 

Ancient Aboriginal fish traps with Reverie (background).

Most shallow keeled boats do cross the barred channel at Lucinda but having a deep keel we had to travel a long way north to enter the large strait. Two lovely days were spent checking out the small island - Goold, to the north of Hinchinbrook Island, and the even smaller - Garden Island. 

Beautiful Garden Island with Goold Island in the background.

But you would definately not swim here.

Finally we entered into the Hinchinbrook Channel and after anchoring went ashore. It was a very wet and wild dinghy ride over to Cardwell Beach, as the wind had picked up and was rifling through the strait. I had visions of the dinghy overturning and the crocodiles having a nice big feed. So I sat on the floor of the dinghy to help maintain maximum stability. The town was undergoing repairs to the main highway and the beach frontage, as Cyclone Yasi in February 2011 and further storms in January 2012 had really made the whole beachfront a war zone. Twisted metal telegraph poles, trees uprooted, houses inundated with sand and water. We circumnavigated the town, got provisions and went to the post office. Luckily we noticed a house advertising mud crab ($22/kg) and prawns. Well for all those in the know I dream about prawns, smoked salmon, crab and of course chocolate. So back we went to the boat with our stash which made a beautiful weekend of feasting. It was the best and freshest crab I have ever tasted. YUM.

Stunning Hinchinbrook Island.

We made our way from the northern town of Cardwell to the southern port town of Lucinda and then did the return. The Hinchinbrook passage is really very deep and wide. It ranges from 6 to 22 metres in depth and offers some beautiful, secluded and safe anchorages to all boats. 

Everywhere a Kodak moment.

 The channel also has many smaller channels adjacent to it and numerous river tributries running into it. These other channels are also able to be entered by a yacht and the numerous river systems by dinghy, as long as you don't mind sharing with the crocs.

Last position.

After staying a good twelve days in the strait we could prolong leaving no longer and so at the first good weather window we left. Obviously it was the day to sail because as soon as we left our anchorage we noticed three other boats had left just before us. It is a well known fact in the sailing community  that if there are more than two boats together, at any given time and going in the same direction, then it is a race. We left last so were hard up against it but had to give it a red hot go. So up went the sails and we hoped for the best.

After passing the forerunner we are now in front.

Little by little every hour we gained ground and by the time we passed the Family Islands we were in front. The reason is mostly because when our boat has the right conditions it can really fly. The largest and most well known of the Family Islands, is the picturesque Dunk Island.

We are officially surfing.

The winds were 15 to 20 knots and were coming right on our starboard quarter which allowed us to reach 8.7 knots not long after leaving the channel. This was the most we had ever achieved and we were happy that we eventually passed the nearest boat. Later in the day we got to 10.2 knots, a personal best. It felt exhilarating but also scary at the same time. It felt like we were surfing on each and every wave.

Passing Dunk Island resort.

It was also great to get into the tiny sheltered bay that is Mourilyan Harbour, first. This way we could get the best position before the others arrived. They were smaller and had the luxury of fitting in anywhere. Whereas being a large vessel we had to take the deepest spot with the most swinging room otherwise we could not stay. The harbour is quite shallow outside the marked channel and as it was we were at times well within the marked channel. On Wednesday evening we were paid a visit by the authorities who advised that we would have to leave by Friday 5am or move out of the marked channel, as they were expecting a large tanker. These supertankers come into the tiny narrow entrance that is Mourilyan Harbour, turn around on what looks like a ten cent piece, fill with sugar and then leave again. We advised them that we would leave Thursday morning and for this they decided not to fine us. Bless their hearts.

The next morning as promised we left for Cairns, our final destination for this leg of our trip. The entrance to Cairns is a very long narrow dredged channel. Outside of this channel it is very shallow. We arrived at the outside leads and waited for a break in the volume of large ships and supertankers. We preferred not to be sandwiched between them nor having one of these huge ships bearing down on us, while our motor was struggling to do 5 knots. Finally we were in and we anchored just outside the harbour entrance and mooring field.

Greg, Denise and Peter.

 

Denise, Suzan and Peter.

It was nice to arrive but we had a lot to prepare for - repairs, fuel, and food for the month trip around the top of Australia. We were pleasantly surprised to find that we had anchored right beside our old neighbours from our Brisbane anchorage. Glen, Julia, Scarlett and Hunter, from 'Honeymoon' had left Brisbane after us and had managed to arrive in Cairns a few days before us. Though we never crossed paths during that time. Just shows you how big the east coast of Northern Australia really is. We also met up with old friends from Sydney, Greg and Suzan, who now call Cairns home.

Glenn and Julia with Scarlett and Hunter.