Australia, Whitsundays (I)

Cruising Log for Whitsundays, Australia - October 1998

The Thomas and O'Neil flew from Adelaide to Queensland's Hamilton Island via Ansett, arriving at 1245 hours. Ann had arrived earlier via ferry from Shute Harbour on the mainland. We had arranged to overnight at the only hotel on the island, Holiday Inn, Crown Plaza. We spent the remainder of the day surrounded by the glitzy facilities of the resort most of which are oriented to the Japanese economy. Development is not particularly in keeping with the hilly, flamboyantly tropical nature of the island. Several high rises including the hotel main building are particularly jarring. Our accommodation was very comfortable in a beachside low rise and a garden bure (Polynesian hut), well out of sight of architectural misfits.

October 1

It was a perfect morning: clear, warm, with some important wind. The resident kangaroos were out in force much to the delight of Suzy and Catherine. Dave picked us up as arranged and he introduced the seven of us to our floating home for the next week: WINDSONG, an almost new Moorings® Beneteau 405. Everyone had a quick look through the boat. Our "Gourmet" provisioning was on board so with much able assistance, Donna got the supplies stowed. Les Gilbert provided a comprehensive chart briefing and we chose a route which ensured we would see most of the islands.

We departed the dock at about 1300 hours and headed south to Lindeman Island, about 8 nautical miles distant. Clearing Dent Passage, Donna and I got the sails up. There were about ten knots of wind from the south east which gave a comfortable beam reach for our first time sailors; everyone save Donna and me. WINDSONG produced an easy five to six knots and she felt particularly well balanced. As we neared lower Lindeman Island, I turned to pass north of little Seaforth Island to sail through the narrows between the two islands. Winds became fluky so I dropped the sails in favour of motoring. Lazy Jacks made it almost too easy to stow the mainsail! Keeping a close eye on the depth log we passed near Club Med situated on Lindeman and headed for our night anchorage in Neck Bay on Shaw Island.

The depth log was calibrated only in meters and being used to read out in feet, I found it a little difficult not to react in alarm to readings of less than FIVE. This despite all chart depths presented in meters. Incidentally, the "Red Right Returning Rule" is reversed in OZ as well as in NZ necessitating another mental adjustment. Tides average 3.5 meters so to be on the safe side, I anchored in about 10 meters as high tide at 1640 hours. I put out the all chain rode manually as I had forgotten how to turn on the anchor winch circuit. Later I asked the base to prompt me by radio. I had neglected to turn on the switch in the starboard aft cabin. I put the dinghy in the water, a superb inflatable, and all but I went ashore to the beach.

WINDSONGi is equipped with the usual engine compressor operated fridge/freezer, which necessitates a short engine run twice a day. I monitored this and had a close look at the boat. She is spacious. The four Thomas had the two aft cabins, Donna and I took the forward cabin and Ann used the salon sofa. Compared with our own boat, a 445, space seemed almost the same. The main differences were: two rather than three heads, a smaller forward cabin, a little less space around the salon table and a cockpit table more comfortable for four than six. The nav station included a seat. At least as welcome as the lazy jacks was a bidirectional anchor winch with a hand held controller. I particularly liked the helm lock: much more positive than the one on our boat. As in Tahiti, St Martin, and Opua, NZ, only one anchor is rigged. A secondary Danforth anchor is stowed in the starboard cockpit locker.

Queensland is very cautious with bareboaters. We were warned that if we failed to communicate with Moorings® for over twenty-four hours, search and rescue would be implemented. Thus all bareboat charter companies require a radio check-in from each boat twice-daily stating overnight location and intentions for the next transit. This gets a bit tedious as one listens to each bareboat skipper having a little chat with the Charter Company every morning and evening. To ease the pain, all companies have a time slot but still, one hears a lot of chatter. Inevitably, after a day or so, each boat sounds familiar. One or two companies really nursemaid their clients, advising against certain locations perhaps because of unfavorable winds or weather. I even heard one company literally order their client to move to a more favorable location! Not surprisingly, there seem to be many neophytes out there. Overheard during the week: "my anchor is dragging", "let out more scope!" "We are aground, will we capsize?" "I can't find the harbor entrance!" Some skippers use reasonable RT discipline, but only some. Anyway, monitoring the frequency allows picking up lots of useful information.

I briefed the crew on essential water conservation techniques and enjoyed a sundowner. Supper was absolutely top notch. We demolished a huge selection of cold sea food, which included a lavish amount of prawns and what seemed like a boatload of Moreton Bay Bugs. The latter are local shovel nosed lobsters, which look like something from outer space but taste wonderful.

October 2

Today's destination was Thomas Island, our southernmost point of the trip. We motored clear of Shaw Island and went through a few basic sailing maneuvers including heaving to. We practiced man overboard and then pressed on to our destination. Winds were light so to comply with the "get anchored by 1600 hours" specified by Queensland, I downed sails and motored the last few miles. We anchored in the southeastern most cove sheltered by Dead Dog Island. Despite the northeasterly wind, there was quite a surge from the south. We had a late lunch but soon some of our new sailors began to look distinctly unhappy. I decided to move! The very picturesque cove to the west was also rough and there was less swinging room.  Tonight seemed not the night for Thomas Island so I raised anchor and made for the southern part of ShawIsland. We anchored in very calm Billbob Bay; a bit late, but the crew was happy!

October 3

Our destination was Chalkie's Beach on the East Side of Haslewood Island. It was a longish sail so we started early. Winds were light so we motored north up the eastern side of Shaw Island through a series of beautiful channels until we gained Cumberland Channel. Here we found some wind but it soon died. We fished, had a bite to eat, and motored north towards narrow Solway Passage. En route, there was great excitement as dolphins joined us. Much to our delight, two plus a baby swam alongside the bow for a time. With Donna at the helm, we continued for Solway Passage dividing Whitsunday Island from Teague and Haslewood Islands. The tide floods south through the passage. The cruising guide warns that the passage"... can become spectacular with curling waves, whirlpools that spin a yacht around 90 degrees and overfalls." The Passage was difficult to see from the channel but my navigation proved accurate and as we rounded Teague Island there it was. The tide was flooding and we now had a southwind! Indeed, there were whirlpools and a few curling waves. I stayed with the navigation and directed the helm. Donna handled the helm well. We cranked up the diesel to 2500 RPM, and we easily overcame the strong current.

We anchored off Chalkie's Beach by 1500 hours and the Thomas dinghied to the beach while the rest of us snorkeled ashore. I knew from black clouds to the west that a storm was on the way. I let out some more scope on the anchor and the storm arrived. Strong winds and torrential rain set in.

The wind put us on a lee shore so I spent time on deck carefully monitoring our anchor. We held firmly. This was radio call-in time so there was all kinds of chatter as the storm caught people off-guard. A part from dragging anchors, there were no reported mishaps and soon the storm passed leaving safe but unsettled conditions.

October 4

While we had decided to make an early departure for nearby Whitehaven Beach, the perfect morning weather beckoned the crew back to Chalkie's Beach. We spent an extra hour at anchor before motoring to Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island's Eastern Shore. Whitehaven Beach is a spectacular 4 mile-stretch of white sand said to have formed during the last ice age when the tropical seas were much lower. We dinghied ashore and spent a couple of hours walking or swimming along the beach. Schools of rays cruised the water a few feet from the beach.

We could not tell if they were the dangerous variety so we gave them a wide berth. Visitors come to the beach by float plane and helicopter as well as by boat; there are no roads. As with most of the Whitsundays, there is little development. The whole area is designated the Whitsunday Passage Marine National Park. Whitehaven and all of Whitsunday Island are undeveloped. Only the few Islands with resorts have any development and then only in pockets. Hamilton Island is heavily developed but it is an exception. The remaining islands are tropical wilderness. Our anchorage tonight was planned for Stonehaven, a bay on the Eastern Shore of Hook Island and the northern most point of our cruise.

I had arranged to rendez-vous with an Australian couple, the Gerbers. Gerry is a Sydney lawyer who has recently purchased a Moorings® 405: SHOOTING STAR. When I booked this cruise, it turned out to be in high season; not permitted in my contract with Moorings®. Gerry, however, would be traveling in January '99 and wanted a reciprocal charter in the British Virgin Islands. That is high season in the BVI. So he too encountered difficulty. Through the Moorings® OZ Chief, we agreed that I would make our boat available to Gerry for a week in return for my week in the Whitsundays. The arrangement ads cost in lost revenue but so what!

In any case, I knew it would take at least five hours to get to Stonehaven from Whitehaven. Even with some judicious encouragement, I could not tear our happy group away from Whitehaven much before 1230 hours: Queensland's 1600 hours anchor down time was out the window for today! I explained that lunch would have to be when underway and once back on board, I raised anchor turned north and with a good tailwind, unfurled the jib. We paralleled the beach making four to five knots in very comfortable conditions. Our now well adapted crew found no problem putting together a nice lunch which was served in the cockpit.

Sailing conditions were absolutely ideal. With lunch over, Donna brought us head to wind. I partially furled the jib, raised the main and we turned back north. Once on course, I let out all the jib and with a perfect point of sail, we reached along at about six knots. After three hours or so we had The Pinnacles in sight. This is the north eastern tip of Hook Island. There area number of hazards in this area but we avoided the shoals and rocks by giving the point a good berth. The Cruising Guide warns that with a flooding tide and a fresh southeasterly wind, strong currents, overfalls and very choppy seas can be encountered. The tide was flooding and the winds were southeasterly.

As we gradually turned east, we ended up with a following sea. I had forgotten that inflatables ride differently than hard bodied dinghies and was rudely reminded of this by our inflatable as it surfed into the transom. Donna took the wheel while I repositioned the dinghy. Once we rounded the point though, we lost most of the wind. The flooding tide had virtually brought us to a halt so we hauled in the jib and fired up the diesel. Choppy conditions persisted and even indicating seven knots on the log, the GPS showed only three knots over the ground. We would be even later at Stonehaven! Once we gained the passage separating Hook from Hayman Island, the chop reduced and the wind dropped to nothing so I lowered the mainsail. Once again, I directed the helm as Donna steered compass headings. At 1700 hours, I called Moorings® and announced that we were"approaching" Stonehaven for the night. This satisfied the requirement.

It was a beautiful evening as we arrived in Stonehaven just after 1800 hours. We sighted SHOOTING STAR and drew along side to say hello. Gerry said the champagne was on ice so we quickly anchored. The rest of the crew volunteered to monitor the fridge charging so Donna and I dinghied over to the Gerber's. Gerry and Eileen turned out to be a very pleasant couple.

October 5

The Gerbers who have sailed the Whitsundays for years especially recommended nearby Langford Reef as a superb snorkeling spot. We motored over after breakfast and picked up a mooring. The Thomas dinghied ashore and Ann, Donna and I snorkeled off the boat. The coral was quite phenomenal and there were numerous quite large fish. There were no nasties, at least none visible! We all ended up on shore and walked the beach. Suzy and Catherine seemed to enjoy the underwater sightseeing although as the tide went out, the coral did get a bit close to the face mask. After lunch, we set sail for Nara Inlet,a deep fiord on the south side of Hook Island.

Afternoon winds were about twenty gusting to thirty knots from off-shore so finally, we got some challenging conditions. It was probably good that they came well into the cruise. Everyone hung on as our angle of heel sometimes approached thirty degrees. I sensed exhilaration replace apprehension as people got used to the motion and saw how capable and stable the yacht really was. We were only a couple of miles off- shore so the waves were only moderate and there was little if any spray. I found that like the 445, the 405 rounds up smartly when hit by a gust and she does run out of rudder. With the jib furled three two four wraps I found the balance better and in constant wind, there was little if any weatherhelm.

We were making a steady eight knots but a large white ketch swept past us. She must have been making around twelve knots! Soon we reached the southern end of Hook and turned into Nara Inlet for our night anchorage. We downed sails and motored over two nautical miles inland. The island is very hilly and as we progressed up the fiord, cliffs grew up out of the turquoise water. We anchored in a beautiful spot a short distance from an old aborigine campment where there are some rock paintings.

October 6

Breakfast over, we dinghied to a small beach where the trail departs for the aboriginal site. Donna stayed on the beach to keep the dinghy company while the rest of us hiked up the hill. The views of the inlet with all the boats was magical. Later we all agreed that Nara had been the most scenic anchorage. The cave was interesting but primarily for its situation overlooking the inlet. There are more interesting rock paintings in the Red Centre and The Top End.

I rigged a line, which they tied to the dinghy to make a small swimming area. We spent most of the day and early afternoon at anchor before departing for Cid Harbour on the westside of Whitsunday Island. We selected this anchorage as the Thomas were to depart Hamilton Island next day and this was less than an hour from The Moorings®.

October 7

At 0700 hours, we raised anchor and motored towards Hamilton Island. We docked just before 0900 hours. Dave and Les immediately swung into action to sort out the head problem and replenish our water. This trip was remarkable for the small amount of water used by a crew of seven most of whom were new to boating.

I think as a crew of seven, we made a really convivial group which all of us seemed to have enjoyed. Certainly, the children had fitted in very well and I sensed that they really loved having Ann along. It was the first sailing vacation for everyone save Donna and I. We really enjoyed introducing everyone to this delightful way of life! Ann bought everyone ice creams and then we said our good-byes and Dave drove the Thomas to the airport.

Dave and Les had WINDSONG all set to go by 1030 hours. We planned to anchor overnight at Chance Bay on Whitsunday Island just west of Solway Passage. We motored through the north arm of Fitzalan Passage and then set sail eastbound. Incidentally, a datum depth of 20 meters is shown in theCruising Guide for the north arm. We saw six meters! Dave told me that the passage is very narrow. Ann really got a feel for sailing on this leg. She had the helm while I did the deck work as we tacked back and forth enroute to Chance Bay. Chance Bay was another beautiful spot backed by a perfect beach. Unfortunately the sand flies liked it more than we did. Coral formations were exceptional and off shore, we were away from any flies. That evening was perfect. We had a drink, listened to some CDs and cooked up spaghetti.

October 8

We arose to a morning mist, clear skies and a flat calm. I raised anchor at about 0700 hours and we motored back to Hamilton Island. It was so tranquil that we stopped just past Craig Point at the entrance to Crayfish Bay and just drifted as we had a light breakfast. We docked at Hamilton Island at 0930 hours, said goodbye to WINDSONG and took our bags ashore. It was  the end of a great cruise and time to go on to other things.