Our final excursion in Port Davey is a visit to Melaleuca, the closest place to civilisation there is in this area. This is where the airstrip is, as well as walkers huts which mark the start/end of the South Cape Track. It rained a lot during the night and we spent the morning on board waiting for the weather to clear. Fortunately very little wind. Finally got away after an early lunch of soup and toasties. Took both RIBs up the Melaleuca Inlet, a winding, tanin stained rivulet, lined with rocks and trees. Stunning scenery, we are on a plateau surrounded by rugged mountains in the middle distance. As we came closer to our destination and once we slowed down the reflections on the water were amazing. The tide is quite low at the moment exposing tree roots and rocks. We pulled up at the dock and left the RIBs to walk around the boardwalk. Seems quite a bit longer than when I was here before, many years ago and there is an example of an aboriginal dwelling here, nobody at home today though... We visited the Deny King memorial museum which hosts an interesting display of local history, including the tin mining era, as well as some home made furniture from Win and Clyde's home. The museum is also a bird hide and the endangered Orange Bellied Parrots are monitored from here. We have seen some on the wing but none are visiting the hide today. Walked along to Deny King's old place on Moth Creek, and (with permission from the family) explored the yard and outbuildings. The fruit trees and netted gardens are still here, as is the old Californian Red Gum (Sequoia) that Deny planted. Deny spent many years of his life living and working in this area and it was clearly in his blood. There are several docks including one lifting dock for a dinghy, like ones we have seen in Bocos del Toro, in Panama. The family still use the home and regularly visit here, usually flying in and landing at the gravel runway that was originally built by Deny.​

We reach SE cape at first light and the motors go on again as we turn the corner and head north into Recherche Bay, Anchoring in "Baie du Sud" around 7am. This area has a historical connection to the French explorers, particularly Bruni d'Entrecasteaux and Huon de Kemandec, whose names now grace familiar lands and seas in Southern Tasmania. The French explorers had a much more respectful and congenial relationship with the First Nations peoples of the area than the English colonial fleets that came later. ​

For the adventurous amongst us there is an opportunity to climb the rigging! Of course Keith is up for it, whilst I opt for camera duties. The first lesson is how to put the harness on, which requires a PhD in macrame and a good grasp of yoga. Its a free climb up the lower shrouds then clip on before climbing back and outwards via the futtock shrouds to the landing platform before heading out along the yards, to hang out for a while. Great view from up there! 

After a quick lunch and boot cleaning we weigh anchor and start heading east down the narrows and into Bathurst Harbour. First Mate Susie steers and Captain Sarah calls the bearings from the pilot house. The narrows are aptly named, but the waters are plenty deep enough for our 3m draft. There is apparently a sunken catamaran in the narrows, however even its upright mast is not a concern and we easily pass over the top of it. The cloud capped, Mt Rugby dominates the vista along this passage.​

A couple of sails are unfurled and the motor goes off for a while, beautiful silence. Its quite a spectacular fjord-like passage before the vista opens up into the vast waters of Bathurst harbour. The majestic Western Arthurs mountain range also come in to view in the NE of the bay. Vegetation is sparse, alpine-like and apparently unchanged since the glacial valley's formation after the last ice age. The area has not been logged and there has been limited clearing. The sun is in and out all afternoon, the weather ever changing in typical Tassie fashion. We anchor at by the Celery Top Islands, named for their dense cover age of Celery Top Pines. ​

Another great night's sleep and another damp morning, misty rain but very calm in this sheltered bay.  Today’s excursion is to walk up Mt Beattie at 250m altitude. We take the RIBs to Clayton’s Corner and land on the long jetty. This is where Clyde and Win Clayton relocated their home, having initially built it in Bond Bay, to the west. The house is still here and a kayaker is inside in front of the fire, having stayed for a couple of days. The house is now used by hikers and has full water tanks a basic kitchen some bunks and a bathtub. Long drop toilets are a bit further up the hill. We drag ourselves away from the fire place and Sophie sets a cracking pace upwards. Initially we walk through forest which offers good rain protection. Once we leave the boardwalk the track is narrow and very muddy, and we get light rain on and off. There are expansive views from the top but weather is closing in so after a quick lunch we head down as the rain builds and wind picks up. The track is even more muddy on the way down and we are drenched and dirty on return. We scrub our boots on the foredeck. A quick hot shower and spend the afternoon trying to get things dry as well as having a nap. Spag bol and an early night for us!​

Below is a fab video from Parks Tas explaining the unique underwater ecosystem in Port Davey.

The STV Windeward Bound is a 33m, 120 tonnes, brigantine rig sailing vessel built by Captain Sarah Parry AM, whose singular vision has brought the vessel and youth development program to life. 
The prime objective of The Windeward Bound trust is a focus on youth development, achieved through a structured Sail Training Program on a traditional square rigged vessel. She proudly flies the flag of many sponsors, and of Rotary International with whom she works closely, and is supported proudly by her Patron, Her Excellency the Honourable Barbara Baker AC, the Governor of Tasmania.
Since launch day in 1996, Windeward Bound has covered more than 100,000 nautical miles, has circumnavigated the Australian continent, sailed to New Zealand and back, circumnavigated Tasmania, crossed Bass Strait more than 30 times and sailed the Australian East Coast many times.
We were fortunate to be able to join the (more youthful) crew of The Windeward Bound on a voyage to the pristine World Heritage area of Port Davey and Bathurst Habour recently. This was a truly unique experience and indeed a privilage.

Now that we are boatless we have started to explore the lovely island of Tasmania, which is now our home, by other means. Still can't believe I moved back here after all these years! We recently spent a few days down on the Tasman Peninsula, staying at Port Arthur at The Fox and Hounds, the local pub. We enjoyed an awesome (and relatively quick) boat ride from Eaglehawk Neck to Port Arthur with Pennicott's Wilderness Tours and I wanted to share it with you.

This is a spectacular coastline with shear cliffs, organ pipes, sea caves and pinnacles, popular with bushwalkers and rock-climbers campers and boaties. We skipped this coastline in ITIKI when we took a short cut through the Denison Canal, which brought us out further north, but even so we would not have got as close to the cliffs, chased the dolphins or circumnavigated Tasman Island ourselves. It was great to do it in a quick boat with crew who know the area so well. And we could not have asked for better weather!

We waved to the rock climbers on The Moai, near Cape Nola, checked out the seals hanging around the rocky waters edge, and passed the entrance of Fortescue Bay before heading towards Cape Hauy. Here we saw some more climbers attempting The Totem Pole.

Finally it is on to the Iconic Tasman Island. The island, which is well know to Sydney-Hobart sailors, has an area of just 1.2 square kilometres. It lies off the south-eastern corner of the Tasman Peninsula and is contained within the Tasman National Park. The lighthouse and weather station are unmanned since the '70s, but at one stage several families including 19 children, lived on the island. Seals line the rocks around the shore. The skipper takes us further offshore to admire the island from a distance, before taking the short cut through the gap between the Tasman Island and shore. 

We make a short detour into a sea cave, and our skipper gently nudges the bow of the boat into this deep, dark cavern. The conditions are unusually calm and sunny for us today. We are very lucky as apparently there are only 10 days a year where we can safely go into this cave, and come out alive!

We finish in the bay at Port Arthur, such a spectacular coastline that I have always wanted to see. The tour was awesome and highly recommended next time you are down this way. Take a look at the video below to see some more! ​

It took us 2 long days to make the 132nm from Airlie Beach to Horseshoe Bay on the north side of Magnetic Island, with early starts both days. The first leg from Airlie took us
outside of Gloucester Island to Cape Upstart. It was great to do some sailing under main and gennaker, with a little Volvo assistance at times. Spotted plenty of whales along the way as well, which is always a delight! Cape Upstart is a big anchorage with some shacks ashore, good protection from the south-east trades and a very  popular stopover for boats on the way north and south. A little rolly at first but settled during the night and we slept well.

We took advantage of Queensland’s 50c bus fares to head uphill to the Forts Junction and tackle the famous Forts Walk. Saw a couple of koalas chillin' out in the trees along the way. It is quite a hike to see the various ruins and lookouts with several side paths and back tracks. Hot and sweaty work so we head down to Florence Bay for a picnic lunch. Lots of steep steps on the way down and as our legs were starting to turn to jelly we thought it might have been a mistake, particularly if we need to go back the same way! Florence Beach is lovely, beautiful white sand and very clean. Not too many people either as most come on foot or by boat. We have a quick dip but there is quite an algal bloom on the water here and a little difficult to avoid the slick. After a picnic lunch and a rest before heading back we manage to get back on our feet. Fortunately we can return on a gently sloping road up to Forts Junction, but even so it is slow going. Made it to the bus stop and just as we did a couple of locals stopped in their car and offered us a lift back! What a lovely gesture and very welcome!

​Back on the 50c buses again this morning (no expense spared!) First stop at Alma Bay. There is a lovely beach here which has life savers, grassed BBQ and picnic area. This must be the main tourist beach as it was quite busy. We spy an older couple who are having a picnic with a table cloth and wine in glasses! Very civilised! Why didn’t we think of that.
 
We enjoy a swim here as the water is lovely and clean, then its 2kms walk to Nelly Bay where the ferry wharf and IGA are located. Stopped for lunch at SOS seafoods and some ordinary barra and an average glass of wine, before getting back onto the bus to Picnic Bay. This is the end of the line and there is not much here at all. The beach is unpatrolled and there is an old, long, disused jetty in the middle. Some kids are having a bit of a carnival at the SLSC but none seem too keen to go in the water. We walk along the foreshore, past the signs announcing a recent croc sighting, and then succumb to the temptation of the local craft Brewery where we have a “tasting board” before heading back to Horseshoe Bay on the bus. As we have a little time to kill on board the bus before departure, the driver treats us to several verses of “The wheels on the bus…” complete with actions, including horn going beep, beep, beep and wipers going woosh, woosh, woosh. Hilarious!
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​After a couple of full-on days we make the most of some rainy weather to stay on board, rest & recover, bake, eat, drink and repeat – and of course a few boat jobs.  

Our legs have stopped wobbling so we tackle the (much shorter) walk from Horseshoe beach to Radical Bay and Balding Bay. There are several strategically placed warning signs along the way announcing that Balding Bay is a nudist beach. Both are really lovely beaches, with beautiful white sand, crystal clear water and lined with spectacular boulder formations. We saw one yacht anchored at Balding bay, although they came over to Horseshoe for the evening, so we decided to come over in ITIKI tomorrow. We had dinner ashore at Barefoot wine bar, lovely meal, and met some fellow Tasmanians.

​As planned, the next day we took ITIKI around to Radical Bay after breakfast. Went ashore and had a walk and swim, so good. A great day relaxing, watching the comings and goings of humans and birds.
 
Sadly it ended up being a radically rolly anchorage overnight, which explains why boats only come around here for the day, so we woke in the wee hours and ended up leaving at 3am! Got to Cape Upstart just after lunch, mostly motor sailed. Keith went up the mast when we got there to sort out a halyard, and spotted a Dugong between us and the shore. What a treat! We motored back to Airlie the next day, having thoroughly enjoyed a “side trip” to Maggie.

We spent just on three months in the Whitsundays and as you can see from our NFL track we made several loops around the major islands of the Whitsundays, using Airlie Beach as a base and catching up with friends, old and new, and welcoming our final guests on board ITIKI. It was a great time to relax and enjoy the area with no time pressures and no great distances to travel. We also used the opportunity to get some regular maintenance and outstanding works done and generally peace out. Here are some of the highlights of our time here.

It might not have the white sand beaches and palm trees, but Macona Inlet, on the southern end of Hook Island is a magical anchorage. It is a long, fjordlike bay surrounded by high, rocky cliffs and lined with mangroves - great for exploring in the dinghy or SUPs. With two distinct anchorages and several small beaches, which all but disappear at high tide, so be quick if you want a swim! Turtles, rays and dolphins frequent the bay and possibly sharks as well. Great protection from the SE trade winds. We stopped here a couple of times and would definitely recommend it. Very peaceful and good protection from SE winds.

The bay to the west of Macona, is much better known and frequented, and also very beautiful. What makes Nara Inlet so special is the historical site including cave paintings left by the ngaro peoples, the local sea peoples and traditional owners. Its a short walk up hill from the tiny landing point on the rocky shore and the visit is well presented with interpretive information and voice recordings from descendants of the ngaro tribe. Its a bit challenging to anchor the dinghy here at high tide, so its good to have someone drop you off to visit the cave.

When conditions permit we love to jump in the water and check out what is happening below the surface. The Whitsundays and Barrier Reef are renown for the abundance of underwater life. The long reef off Chalkies Beach, is definitely worth a visit. We picked up a mooring here and took the dinghy to the southern end, swimming north back towards the boat. The bays at the top of Hook Island, such as Butterfly Bay and Manta Ray Bay were also well worthwhile and are popular favourites when it comes to searching for nemo, with pretty good coral and varied sea life. Our most adventurous trip was getting out to Bait Reef, which is 17nm NE of Hook island, offshore on the Barrier Reef. As there is no protection from wind or swell here, so its best to go in very calm conditions. If you get lucky its well worth a visit. The coral is in excellent condition and whale spotting is almost guaranteed in July and August.
As anywhere the underwater experience really depends on the weather conditions which can determines the visibility and comfort factor when snorkelling. One really pleasant surprise was a spot we had not been to before and not even considered for snorkelling, but it proved quite interesting.  Cairn Beach is the starting point for the challenging Whitsunday Cairn walk, and while we were not up for that, we had perfectly calm conditions to explore the long and colourful coral reef that extends from the beach a long way south. We picked up a free mooring buoy, and in perfect and calm conditions I jumped off ITIKI and swam over to the reef, while Keith took the SUP. It was so super calm and he could see the reef clearly from the board. What a lovely surprise location this one was! 

The prevailing trade winds come from the South East and during our time in the area we regularly had forecasts of 20+kts from this direction. So when the going gets tough, everyone gets going...to Cid Harbour! There are no mooring buoys here but plenty of room to anchor and great holding in sticky mud. There is excellent wind and swell protection, and with no high cliffs around, no katabatics. You will arrive to find dozens of boats here if a big blow is forecast but fear not, there is always enough space for more! Yes we did spend quite a few days and nights here and (sometimes) in good company.
​Ashore you can access the Whitsunday Peak walk, which is not for the faint hearted or unfit (ie us). Otherwise there is a lovely and less challenging walk from Sawmill Beach to Dugong Beach, where there is a camping area. Great to stretch those legs when you have been hunkering down listening to the howling of the wind in the rigging. The only downside is that there is no swimming, after several shark attacks in this area some warning buoys and signs have been added to the anchorage. Keith bravely went exploring on the SUP and can confirm the presence of "noahs" in the area!

Not sure if Insta is still a thing, but its hard to beat Hill Inlet / Whitehaven Beach for world class, stunning scenery and the "money shot" of selfies. The picture postcard perfect shifting sands of Hill Inlet are best appreciated from the lookout above the bay, which can be easily accessed when anchored at Tongue Bay, to the NW. Its best spend the night there and to head ashore early-ish before the tourist hoards start arriving, so you dont have random backpackers in your selfies. From the lookout you can walk down to the northern end of Whitehaven Beach and check out the rays sunbathing in the shallows of Hill Inlet, and even take a dip with them. The brave, and shallow drafted, may even want to take the big boat up the inlet (at high tide) and spend the night tucked in close to shore. We visited this lovely location at least three times and it is a must to enjoy, especially with your visitors. As always check the tides before you go ashore at Tongue Bay and position your dinghy accordingly, or better still take the SUPs.

Well of course Whitehaven Beach has to be the pick! Consistently voted top beach in Australia, its unique, pure white silica sand is just amazing to walk on and the water is crystal clear. It is a very popular spot with day trippers at the southern end of the anchorage, and the beach fills up pretty quickly during the day. Its easy to find space further along the shore though, and swim, SUP or dinghy to the beach for a walk. There are a couple of paths through the forest to overgrown lookouts if you fancy it, but we prefer to stick to strolling along the sand. Watch out for the helicopters  landing along the middle of the beach and wave to the many sightseeing flights passing overhead! We visited Whitehaven several times and each time is different. On a calm day it is absolute heaven. 

​Across from Whitehaven is Chalkies Beach, on Haslewood Island, another long stretch of sand, but strangely, given its proximity, just regular sand and not the silica of Whitehaven. A dozen or so mooring buoys stretch out along the shore, just outside the fringing reef, which is well worth a look. Its nice to start at the southern end when the tide is ebbing north and follow the reef along with the current.
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​Special mention: For something truly unique a visit to the smallest beach in the Whitsundays is a must. We picked up a mooring at Blue Pearl Bay on Hayman Island and took the SUPs to the northern tip of the island, carefully manoeuvring between the rocks and the surge onto the 2 meter wide, corally "beach". Its about a 50m walk across from the west to the eastern side of the "spit", where there is at least a bit of sand! 

Of course the disappearing beach, off Langford reef is also quite unique! See next section

Between Stonehaven and Hayman is Langford Island, a tiny pimple of land with a large reef stretching out to the south and south east of it, that all but dries at low tide. A long sandspit on the NE of the reef is walkable at low tide but completely disappears at high tide. It looks spectacular from the air, and the resorts sometimes drop guests off by helicopter for a picnic. We dinghied ashore here walking up to the small lookout to check out the view, as well as the unique Whitsunday Bottle Tree.
Its also a popular spot with charter boats and with limited buoys (and a 2 hour limit) you need to time your arrival with the tides. Nearby Black Island and Stonehaven are popular alternatives, and most folk just stop for a couple of hours before moving on to their next destination.

We encountered a wonderful array of bird and sealife in the Whitsundays. We regularly spotted turtles in the anchorages, raising their heads to look around before spotting a camera and making a swift exit into the depths. The mangroves provide a protected habitat for several different types of rays, including the cow-tail ray, that we had not seen before. It's definitely aptly named! We had pods of dolphins come and check us out, sometimes swimming along with us for a while, and sometimes not the least bit interested. It was wonderful to see a pair of them fishing together in Macona Inlet, with one animal herding the fish towards the others waiting mouth! The sea eagles and ospreys are always lovely to see on the wing, and they regularly make their nests on the channel markers which guide us through the reefs and shallows. While on a buoy at Langford we had two lovely batfish putting on a display, dancing in the water off the back of the transom. It was also a real treat to spot a dugong off the beach at Cape Upstart on our way back from Maggie, the first I have ever seen in the wild. Sorry no camera ready for that one. And of course, the majestic animal that we all love seeing, the humpback whales! Wow there were so many of them and numerous encounters. We had to dodge a pod of them just out side Bait Reef as we were leaving, had to hold back to let them pass the exit channel! We also saw mothers feeding their young and plenty of tail and fin slapping. They were generally on the move, initially heading north but later in our stay we were starting to see them head south. 

The advantage of a long stay in the area is that  you get to go to places a little off the beaten track. Border island is one such spot we had not been to but were able to stay and play, while the charter boats came and went on their way to somewhere else. The island is quite small but there is a lovely walk up over the ridge with spectacular views southwards to Haslewood Island and beyond. Cateran Bay is lovely, and nicely protected bay so well worth a stop.

Haslewood Island is best known for Chalkies Beach on its western side, which is directly opposite Whitehaven Beach. As we had a bit of time we decided to stop at Windy Bay on the North East of the island, a lovely bay with a couple of beaches, where we had been for a picnic many years ago when Keith was working on Hamilton Island. The Commodore had borrowed the start boat of the Cruising Yacht Club of Hamilton Island for the day trip and we had lovely weather, anchoring in the wide bay and climbing off to swim ashore. As we were relaxing in the shade of our little beach tent and enjoying a cold beer, we looked out to see our little boat high and dry! Ooops, too late to move her. Needless to say we spent a little longer here than we expected to that day... I seem to remember running out of fuel just as we got into Dent Passage as well, and having to be rescued! Fortunately no such dramas this time around. Anchored a fair way out and took the dinghy ashore for a walk on the beach, check out the local rays before a quick swim and sundowners aboard.​

Now that we are based in Tasmania, we have gotten used to calling the rest of Australia The Mainland". From the lovely Whitsunday Islands we made several forays across from the islands to The Mainland. The most memorable was a short hop from Airlie up to Cape Gloucester, with the added bonus that an "old" school friend of mine was staying at Monte's resort with a bunch of her friends. Monte's is a low key resort with a bar and restaurant that is sometimes open, but is also home to the Shag Islet Yacht Club, a bunch of reprobates that meet annually at the resort for fun and festivities. We were too early for the event but enjoyed an evening ashore and BBQ and bonfire, and a few ales, with a lovely bunch of people. The beaches here are really lovely and well protected from the south, and the sunset was incredible. We enjoyed stopping at Jonah Bay on the way back, another superb beach, and protected anchorage, only reachable by boat.

We used Airlie Beach as our base and it is very handy for provisioning, grooming, getting work done and of course catching up with friends. A big shout out to Nick and Suzie, good friends and our "bridal party" who fed us delicious meals (especially "road slam" - aka Roast Lamb), took us shopping and out to lunches and dinners and generally looked after us when we in town. 

Queensland is littered with abandoned resorts, relics of a bygone, pre-AirBnB era, when it wasn't cheaper to fly to Bali. We motored past Lindeman, formerly the Club Med, where we had once played golf and enjoyed lunch. Sadly it is now quite derelict and overgrown, unlikely it will ever be recovered. South Molle was once a popular spot at the cheaper end of the market, but the buildings are now completely in ruins and ready for a bulldozer. Strangely however there is an amazingly engineered and fairly new looking wharf, with a lifting section on the end. There is a caretaker living on the island and the grounds and walking trails are well maintained. It can be a rolly anchorage if the wind is much above 15kts, but in calm conditions it is really pleasant. We enjoyed the walk up to Balancing Rock, which gives some lovely views southward. It was a treat to have a pod of dolphins show up and cruise around the bay too.

With Keith having spent 9 years living and working on Hamilton Island we were really looking forward to seeing how it had changed since he left, and of course catching up with friends who are still living and working up this way. We had drinks with (and delivered honey to) Jon and Liz Hickling (former caretakers of  the private end of Dent Island, and Percy Islands), had a lovely lunch at The Beach Club with Laurelle, now Executive Concierge to the stars, and enjoyed buzzing around the island on a borrowed buggy, checking out our old haunts and new resorts. 
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Race week marked the end of our planned time in the Whitsundays as we had planned to head south as soon as it was over. After all its a long way back to Surges Bay! Well as we well know plans are written in sand at low tide, so on Sunday we headed over to Stonehaven to meet a potential buyer for ITIKI, with Pete from TYSCo. And the rest, as they say, is history...

From Digby it is 42nm to Scawfell Island and we pass through the big ship parking lot that is off the coast of Mackay. Its here that Hay Point VTS direct the bulk coal carriers to a set location to anchor and wait for their turn to go into the port to pick up a load. The stationary ones are not a problem but you have to keep an ear out for any ships being called into the port, and keep out of their way as they are in a hurry! Not quite as many ships as waiting off Panama, but still a fair few!

Although its just an overnight stop we arrive at Scawfell Island in time to check out the underwater life in West Refuge Bay. First we go for a bit of a reconnaissance on the SUPs and then I decided to go back and get the snorkel gear and check out the eastern side of the bay. The tide was starting to come in and with it quite an algal bloom (ick!) so I didn't have much time. I also read a review of the bay from some friends of ours who had spotted a rather large hammerhead shark in the area... ​

We were planning to go to Brampton Island, and check out the abandoned holiday resort. Keith had stayed here with family during the '90s. Sadly though the SW conditions would not be good for the night, so we diverted to Thomas Island. This is a lovely spot that we visited back when Keith was working on Hammo. It must have been northerly winds because we stopped at a bay on the south coast. I cant say I remember it that well. Anyway this time around we have southerlies so we head to the anchorage on the northern side of the bay. Its such a lovely island so we decided to spend a couple of nights here. We went ashore on the SUPs and did the walk across to the southern side of the island. The track is a bit overgrown and challenging to find, the first few marks are green triangles on trees, but after that the trail is marked by discarded flip flops and various other pieces of flotsam and jetsom, helpfully installed by passing cruisers. As you can see we had some beautiful weather!

​It's an early departure from GKI for the 47nm trip to Pearl Bay. As we approach the Shoalwater Bay area we hear a "securite" call on the VHF. Of course this is a Military Practice Area we are approaching and there is a live firing exercise scheduled to start today! Ooops! Must have missed that one! We quickly consult the Notice to Mariners on the QLD Maritime website. Phew, Pearl Bay is a designated safe anchorage so we can go in. Although we do get a bit paranoid when we see a power boat approaching us at speed from behind, that is not on AIS...

We radio another nearby boat for more information and he gives us the coordinates of the area that we missed during the announcement. Its the eastern most point of the targeted area, which is not always the same. He was planning to go into an anchorage further north but makes a bee line for Pearl Bay too when he realises that his preferred anchorage is off limits! Anyway there is no sign of any military activity and we figure it's Sunday and they probably cant afford the overtime rates!

There is a lovely long beach here and as we are just here for the night we make an effort to SUP ashore. Its a tough paddle into the wind which is funnelling down the bay, and we both end up a little further along the beach that we planned, but at least (in theory) it will be easy going back. Its always lovely walk along a beach and feel the sand in your toes after a day of sitting on our bums on a passage.

Its reasonably protected but gets quite rolly in the evening as the wind backs off and the tide brings in the swell. In the morning it is very calm and a misty cloud hugs the hills over looking the anchorage. Magic!

We start early and head back out of Pearl Bay, through the military practice area. We can see the boundary on our charts and head directly north, which seems the shortest route through it. Still no sigh of any activity so we think we got away with it. Probably should have turned off the AIS but then again...

We arrive at Hexham Bay in the early afternoon and it is really quite lovely, well protected from the south with a sand beach and a small, rocky bay on the western side. We take the SUPs into this bay at high tide and could easily go between a gap in the rocks. At low tide you would have to go around the northern point. The tides are getting pretty big now at 3-4m difference from low to high! 

For some reason I decided it would be a good idea to swim from the boat to the shore, like I needed some exercise... It was harder than I thought and then I met Sharon from Catlypso who told me about tiger and hammerhead sharks… Maybe time to rethink my exercise regime! 
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We end up staying 3 nights, which is a long time for us, enjoying beach walks and SUPing around bay. There are amazing rock formations along the shore and Keith spots a Reef Tip shark. Some fisherman come by and offer us some fish, a small sweetlips, which we proceed to butcher! What was left of it was delicious! 

After breakfast and with a forecast for 15-20kts from the south, its time to depart but we are lucky to be getting 5 so after sailing for a little, the motors are on again! Its 24nm to Middle Percy Island and we arrive at West Bay in the early afternoon, immediately taking the SUPs ashore its so rolly we were keen to get off the boat! There is quite a swell coming into the bay, a remnant of the previous days SW winds, which have since clocked east.
 
The Percy Islands are legendary amongst cruisers who make the pilgrimage north to the Whitsundays and beyond. Its my first time here but Keith visited when bringing TooUp south. We are also on a very important mission here as we are tasked with collecting a 20L bucket of the famous Percy Islands honey for Liz and Jon Hickling, the previous caretakers of the island. Jon Hickling has written an excellent History of the Percy Islands which is sold at the A Frame. Liz and Jon are now living on Hamilton Island, where Keith and I met them during Keith's time there. We got in touch to let them know we will be visiting with them prior to visiting, we happily accepted the delivery mission!
 
One of the current caretakers is Marty who is living in the TreeHouse, the other is Steve who is up in the Homestead. Steve knows Liz and Jon Hickling (and their “kids”) very well, from when they lived and worked on the island. 
 
We visit the famous A Frame building, which is the Percy Islands Yacht Club. Here we can find many years of memorabilia left by passing yachties. We even find the signboard that Keith left when he passed by here on our previous boat Too Up. We have made up a sign for ITIKI and scope out where we want to attach it.
 
It was a very rolly night, without too much sleep and we are thinking of leaving after we collect the honey. Go ashore add the ITIKI sign to the A frame collection. Drop into the TreeHouse for a chat to Marty and Sam and decide to walk up to the homestead. Marty is heading up on his motorbike to get the honey. First we walk over to the lagoon, check out the shallows, where Marty’s trailer sailor is kept. This is an ideal cyclone hole and later we hear from Steve about sitting out a cyclone here on a boat, safe and sound in the mangroves.

We departed early from Burnett Heads to track due north for 54nm to reach the Lady Musgrave Island (LMI) mid-afternoon. The ABF spotter plan does a flyover of the route to LMI and calls a few boats including ITIKI for an identification check. Similar to our time in the Tuamotus, we want to arrive with the sun still reasonably high overhead so that we have good visibility on the entrance channel into the reef, and on any bommies lurking under the surface. With very little wind we sadly have to motor all of the way, arriving around 3pm. The “cut” or entrance channel is well marked and fairly wide and the tide is rising (ie going in), which makes for an easy entrance. Still as you can see from the picture the water is swirling through the narrow channel. There are a lot of yachts already here, as well as a permanent floating platform for one of the tour companies. There is plenty of room though and we find a nice patch of sand to drop the anchor, around the middle of the kidney, and relax for the afternoon.

Tuesday we decide to head across to Fitzroy Reef. It’s a tiny coral atoll, about 2000 acres, with a very narrow and challenging entrance. There is no island here at all, only reef and low tide the coral reef is fully exposed and you can see just how narrow the channel is. It’s not charted but there are a couple of markers on the entrance. We arrive right on low tide, however the water is still rushing out of the narrow channel quite quickly, running at 3-4kts against us. All the water that comes into this lagoon over the top of the reef at high tide, only has one small exit as the tide falls and this is it! As we line up to go through I hit the panic button as a wave exposes a shallowish rock off our starboard bow. It looked like the passage would be too narrow for us, but after backing up a bit (and a few "gently heated” words) our skipper judged we would make it through  - between a rock and a hard place! It was fairly hairy as the passage must have been about 10m wide (and we are 7.5m wide) so not a lot of wriggle room. At least going out we will have our inbound track to follow.

​We leave on the high tide at mid-morning and it is a much less stressful transit. Very strange though as the reef is not visible at all so you are totally reliant on following the inbound track (saved on the chart plotter), three channel markers and a very nervous lookout on the bow.
 
It’s only a short (17nm) hop across to Heron Island and we pull out a headsail and motor sail, picking up a mooring at Wistari Reef. Heron Island has a private resort and a research facility, neither of which are open to visitors. It is possible to visit the small harbour, however the weather is fairly ordinary so we relax and enjoy the view. As with Fitzroy, Wistari Reef gives us some protection from the swell until the tide comes up and covers the reef, letting the waves through, and we start bouncing around. We get some squalls overnight but it’s not too uncomfortable.

An early start the next morning for the 58nm journey to Great Keppel Island (or Wop-pa). We hoist the main up in anticipation of the forecast 15kts, and it builds we unfurl the gennaker. Motors stay on most of the time as the wind is up and down and shifting a lot in direction, and we gybe the gennaker a few times. We have a few squalls pass over us and it pretty much rains the whole journey. Checking the chartplotter for any nasties along the route I came across an interesting find: A wreck is named after me! Yes the Linda Jane! Well that explains a few things...

​As we get closer to the island the winds builds and we have to furl the gennaker and go to the genoa. Better late than never I guess. We came close to reefing the genoa but eventually got into the lee of Great Keppel and were able to sail around the top and into the anchorage at Leekes Beach.

​After a quick cuppa we head ashore in the dinghy, around the point to Putney Beach to go to the resort here. Not because we are desperate for a drink but – long story short – I accidentally almost ran out of my medication, not realising until we got to Lady Musgrave Island! After a bit of ringing around (thanks to StarLink) I could organise a pharmacy in Yeppoon to fill an e-script, deliver to the GKI ferry who would drop it at the resort reception. All for a $5 delivery fee! How good is that! There is no dinghy dock though so rather than pull our heavy dinghy up on the beach we decide to do a “touch and go” on the beach. I still have my wet weather gear and sea boots on, so what could possibly go wrong… Of course as I jump off the front of the dinghy I realise I have under-estimated the depth of the crystal clear water, immediately filling one seaboot, and to top it off the next incoming wave fills the other. I slosh my way through the resort to reception, looking like something the cat dragged in, and gratefully collect my package! After emptying my sea boots, squeezing out my socks, I squelch my way back through the resort to the beach. Keith has been bimbling around in the dinghy waiting my return and comes in to pick me up. As I am already wet I just wade straight in, refilling both boots. Somehow he has only managed to fill one of his seaboots when he dropped me off! We head back to ITIKI for a well-earned sundowner.

​The following day is still cloudy and we get a few spits of rain, but decide to ignore the weather and take the SUPs ashore for a walk along our long and lovely beach.  Once we get to the end there is a creek leading into some mangroves, with a couple of boats tucked up amongst the trees. After lunch we come back in the dinghy to explore the Leekes Creek  and take a closer look at the boats moored there. One boat is inhabited and reasonably well loved, the other looks like it hasn’t been checked on for a while and at low tide it lies on its side. There are a few nooks and crannies in the creek that would make great boltholes for cyclones.

I can raise the anchor with the controller though so we continue north, ducking and weaving through the shallow channels of Moreton Bay. We are using our southbound track as a guide to through the narrow channels to make sure we keep away from the shallows and sand/mud banks that make this passage so challenging. A momentary lapse of concentration, cutting it a bit fine by a navigation mark, saw us come to a standstill with a hull parked on a mudbank. It took a bit of pushing and pulling with the Volvos to get into deeper water and get moving again, and we probably left a fair bit of the anti-foul behind as well. Next challenge is to pass under the powerlines at Jacobs Well, and even though we have been through here before it is still a little nerve wracking navigating under them. We need to go as close as possible to the western tower to get the maximum height clearance, as we know the lines hang down to less than our air clearance in the centre. We follow our southbound track and make it through with plenty of room, anchoring at Peel island. The rain has returned and so we spend the night on board.

​Peel Island gets a little rolly overnight and that once again gets us up early and on the way to the next anchorage (22nm away). Its a cloudy morning but by the time we arrive at Lucinda Bay, just south of the Tangalooma wrecks on Moreton Island, we have beautiful blue skies. We take the SUP ashore for a lovely walk along the beach. There are some dolphins hanging around ITIKI which is always lovely to see. Overnight the southerly breeze builds it gets rolly so another early start. People think that cats don’t need to worry too much about rolly anchorages, and it is true to some extent but if there is no wind and the swell comes in on the beam, it is not much fun! Anyway this time we are off to Mooloolaba which is 39nm. We skipped it on the way south because of the conditions, but this time conditions are pretty good. 

From Moreton Island we start to get out into open water, so we can hoist the freshly repaired main up and manage to sail most of the way. After passing the busy shipping channel for Brisbane port we are in clear water and on our way. We have the gennaker out and goose-winged with the main, and a queen bedsheet on the line for good measure!  We arrive at midday and it is easy getting through the Mooloolaba entrance as we follow a marine Rescue Boat towing a stray beach cat, before weaving our way past the waterfront MacMansions lining the muddy “canals” into Kawana waters. There is a small anchorage just off the marina here it’s tight and shallow but it will do for a couple of nights. The marina staff have kindly left a key out for us to use the dinghy dock, which is really lovely. We did try to get a berth here but there were none to be had! We do a trip to the shops, catch up with Patrick from Multihull Solutions (who sold us ITIKI), wait for a strong wind warning to pass and then it’s time to head off again on Tuesday. It’s back out through the canals again and into the bay, hoisting the main up before turning north for a 64nm cruise to Rainbow Beach.

Wide Bay Bar is the channel between Rainbow Beach and K’gari / Fraser Island. Heading up the inside of Fraser cuts a lot of miles off the journey north, especially as we want to do a final pitstop for fuel and food at Burnett Heads / Bundaberg, so it’s definitely worthwhile taking this route. The Wide Bay Bar has a notorious reputation which is well deserved. There are shifting sands, shoals and reefs surround this channel and it can be treacherous. If the swell is over 1.5m and the winds over 15kts it can get pretty hairy. Looking back over the data from the nearby wave rider buoy we can see that earlier in May the wave height was reaching 6-7m!!! That would have made it impassable! We are well prepared for our transit having called Tin Can Bay VMR to get the latest waypoints for the channel to plug into the chart plotter. The channel is surveyed on a regular basis and these waypoints had changed since our last visit. We also receive the latest info on the newly installed / adjusted sector lights, on the southern tip of K’gari (Hook Point) and the other at Inskip point on the mainland north end of Rainbow Beach. These give us a bearing for our entrance through the channel, helping to guide us through the reefs and shoals. There are no port and starboard markers here, because of shifting sands, they would have to keep moving them. Instead there are virtual AIS port and starboard markers, which appear on the chartplotter but not in real life! Much easier to move if  the regular survey shows they are in the wrong place. How clever is that! It’s so good to have such great information to help us.

The wave-rider buoy outside the bar gives “significant” wave height at 1.7m and we have winds at 15-17kts so we are right on the edge of the “comfort zone” for transit, but we are bang on high / slack tide as we get to the start of the channel and it is looking pretty good. You can see from our track we need to enter the channel from the ENE, picking up the first waypoint, and head WSW initially, aiming first at the sector light on Hook Point. At the second waypoint we can turn SW towards the sector light at Inskip point and towards the third waypoint. All the while there are waves breaking on shoals and reefs either side of us, with not a lot of room for error. Its pretty disconcerting to be so close to these. Both engines are on and our skipper is the picture of concentration, hand steering, and with both of us keeping a watch out for rogue waves. Everything in the saloon is secured as the waves are hitting us on the beam, with the odd rogue rattling the wine bottles, but overall not too bad. It takes about an hour to get through the reefs and rough stuff to waypoint 3 where we are into the calmer waters in the channel. We can safely turn west and proceed another 20 mins or so before we tuck into our anchorage at Pelican Point.

​While we have a reasonably calm night there is still enough breeze to work up a bit of fetch in the broad but shallow anchorage, which slaps on the hulls through the night. No point sleeping in with that racket so up we get at first light! It’s still a long day and 31nm to get to the Kingfisher Resort anchorage on k’gari by early afternoon. The tide is rising so we should be fine to follow the preferred course through Sheridan Flats. There are a lot of shallow and drying sand banks through this section and but it is well charted and a preferred course is given on our charts. We also have our course from out southbound journey to follow. That said, I made the mistake of remarking to Keith that I thought we were through the nastiest shallows of Sheridan flats when bang! We come to a halt, having clipped the edge of a sandbank with the Starboard hull – of course the depth sounder is on the port side and still in 1/2m of water, hmmm. This one took a bit of work to move us off and back in to the deeper part of the channel. Definitely no antifoul left on the keels now! We continue on and reach our destination at Kingfisher without further incident, heading ashore on the SUP for a walk on the beach, frightening a large ray as we approach the beach (and carrying a stick in case of dingo encounters). I might mention that we only have one SUP inflated at the moment so we ride in two up! Now that’s how much I trust my skipper!

I am pleased to report that the anchorage was not rolly so we did have a good night’s sleep, but nevertheless we had an early start to get to Burnett Heads at a reasonable hour and its 54nm away. No wind so we could only motor (at 6.5kts if we are lucky) and we arrived around 3pm, first doing a hot lap of the anchorage to check it out before heading to the fuel dock at Bundy marina. This would be our last opportunity to refuel for a while. Back to the familiar Duck Pond anchorage we pick a spot in front of the Coast Guard. There is a large dredge in front of the public dock which takes up a bit of space but we have good depth in the western part of the bay. Friday’s activities include doing a provisioning run, picking up a couple of parcels from the post office that Kev has sent. This includes a new windlass controller which sadly does not fix our problem – the down function still doesn’t work! Grrr – more trouble shooting to come. We go for a walk later in the morning, stop at a coffee shop for a beverage and a treat, and then do a few boat jobs in the afternoon, including fitting the first of our Dyneema lifelines. We finish the day with schnitty and chips at the Lighthouse hotel. It’s off to Lady Musgrave tomorrow as our island adventures are about to begin!