23-29 August
Snorkeling at Great Keppel Island
On the Saturday Niclas joined a snorkeling tour from the Island, whilst Sanna preferred to stay on land in the beautiful weather.
When we were in Pancake Creek we met up with Phil and Julia, a lovely couple sailing a Catalina 42 “Catch the Wind”. They also happened to be very qualified in Marine Biology and everything diving, and when we got to Great Keppel our paths crossed again. They convinced Sanna to also join in a snorkeling session and on the Sunday we went out with them for another snorkel. We saw some large turtles, nice corals and plenty of smaller fish.
Pearl Bay
Monday 24th August. 49NM, light S winds, mostly motor sailing
Our first stop north after Great Keppel was Pearl Bay, a relatively shallow but sheltered bay a day sail north. There was a warning sign on the beach saying this is military target area with live fire, so we didn’t go bush walking. This bay is part of a larger area which is often used for training purposes by the military, one must keep a close eye out for any notices to mariners, published online, to ensure one does not enter when there are any military exercises happening – currently there are none so we where free to pass and anchor in the area.
Hexham Island
Tuesday 26th August, SE 12kn, 34NM, nice motor sailing. Very choppy sea in the channel between Hexham and next island. Wind against strong tide.
We had a nice morning at Hexham after a relatively calm night (some swell), and Niclas brought the drone out for a flight. We’re still very much learning how to operate it and luckily managed to get it back to land on the boat, with a less than gentle landing.
Whales and dolphins along the way
Middle Percy Island
Wednesday 27th August. Hexham to Middle Percy (West bay). S-SE, very calm winds, motor sailed 23NM
A must see destination for cruisers, with a very famous A-frame hut on the beach where boats have left memorabilia for many years. There is a little homestead on the island with a couple of care takers who look after the island and harvest honey which can be bought from the hut.
The first night we stayed at West Bay, but in the morning the wind changed from S to NW and we had to relocate to the southern part of the island, at White Bay
Mackay
Friday 29th August, 68NM White Bay to Mackay marina
In the very early morning, we headed off in the dark just after 4am as we had a long passage to Mackay and wanted to get there before sunset. Initially we had some dense fog, but it cleared up after a couple of hours.
Our provisions of fresh water, diesel, gas and food were all running a little low so it was time to get to a marina and sort that out. There were also some big winds coming Sunday morning which we wanted good protection from. We unfortunately also still have some issues with the toilet and are looking for a ‘joker valve’ replacement (which turned out to be hard to find, but more about that for next blog post).
Thanks everyone for reading and comments made!