Sailing South

After reef-hopping to Orpheus Island with David Beer, it was time to head back to the Whitsundays to pick up friends for a month or so working our way slowly south.

Close Encounters

We had a couple of strange experiences ...

We've mentioned the regular fly-overs by Border Patrol. It's hard to capture a good picture of the plane, but I tried. When I saw this photo I realised perhaps they weren't interested in us at all; it seemed they were chasing a UFO!

Closer inspection was not very enlightening, but we concluded that a moth had flown in front of my iphone at the moment I snapped the shot.

But what was a moth doing on the outer reef? And what was this tiny bird that we found perched on the Genoa sheet doing out there, either?

 We identified it as a Rainbow Bee-eater and can only assume it got blown off course.

Unless it too was chasing the moth, thinking it was a bee. In which case it was merely confused. Either way ...

We saw plenty of other birds which were supposed to be out there, like terns and Noddies, which made for a pretty picture at sunset.

One even came to visit and rested awhile on our bowsprit.

Which would have been fine, had it not invited all its friends.

It was a simple choice; scrub the roof, decks, solar panels and hatches free of bird poo every morning, or find a means to scare the birds away. George tried many techniques, including an air horn, humming bird tape (it almost drove us off the boat), loud clapping, thumping, flashing lights and harsh language (which almost forced a choice between offloading George or the birds). In the end, after two sleepless nights, we just had to move somewhere the birds had more attractive places to roost.

 This was a scene from Bait Reef, the most accessible reef to the Whitsundays and victim to the inexorable march of tourism. We were silently pleased to see the landing platforms occupied by flocks of seabirds when the helicopters were away, but did wonder how the well-heeled tourists felt as said heels sank into a welcome mat of guano.

Apart from David, who had been with us since we left the Whitsundays, our first human guests were Judy and Peter, who hopped aboard at Hamilton Island.

 We spent six days revisiting some favourite parts of Whitsunday and Hook Islands, and taking refuge from the pesky sou-easters in places like Gulnare Inlet.

We also welcomed the newest member of our crew, Jack Tar, who has many skills.

 

 He is very helpful in the kitchen. 

 

Almost as helpful as Uncle!

 

After all the wining and dining, it was important to get some exercise.

George maintained his excellent skills at hunting and gathering, and when he couldn't go spear-fishing, he collected fresh oysters.

After Judy, Peter and David left us, we picked up Judy and Laurence Beasley, for a cruise south to Mackay.

There was the issue of Judy's badly sprained foot (an injury acquired as she worked the fore-deck), but nobody let it bother them too much (most of all Judy) and the Alchemy lounge was put to very good use until she was able to come out for some sightseeing trips in the dinghy.

We did some more snorkelling and met some captivating reef denizens, including this Blue Spotted Fantail ray,

a large Morwong in a fish-cleaning station -  

and some laid-back green turtles (much more on them in the next post).

We island-hopped on the long trek south from Hamilton Island to Yeppoon, and stopped for our first night at Brampton Island, where we met the caretaker (seeing as the resort is now defunct).

We took the dinghy to neighbouring Carlisle Island (now deserted) and forged our own bush trail to an old Melaleuca forest. It was wonderful to have to whole island to ourselves.

This tree brought to mind a hybrid between one of Tolkein's Ents and the Weirwood from Game of Thrones. Not sure what he thought of George adjusting his tie!

After a short stop in Mackay to pick up and install our transformer that had been left for repairs earlier in the year, we moved on. Our trip took us right through the city of ships anchored off the coal-loading jetty at Hay Point. A disturbing sight from your helm station, even when it isn't under way!

Then it was on to the beautiful Percy Islands.

The large tides and flat sandy beaches meant that our fold-down dinghy wheels came in very handy.

 We finally reached Great Keppell Island, where we stepped ashore for some more oysters.

 Then it was time for a quick visit back to civilization in Yeppoon.

And we bade farewell to Laurence and Judy in Rockhampton, before getting the boat ready for our next visitors, and the journey on to Bundaberg.

George and The Giant Clam

The last few weeks have taken us from the Whitsundays  to Townsville and Orpheus Island (the furthest north we got), then back to Mackay. We spent most of the time working our way up and down the outer reef, apart from a short trip to Townsville to have an engine starter motor fixed.

We explored a number of reefs along the way, and stayed in many beautiful anchorages (yellow asterisks).  

This is Stanley Reef, where we had a sandy lagoon completely to ourselves (apart from daily swoops by the Border Patrol aeroplane).

The water was much clearer than in the Whitsundays, so the diving was a lot better.

Fish

George (aka "Predator") maintained his good form, catching coral trout virtually on demand.

Giant Clams

During our visit to Orpheus Island, we learned about the giant clam project. Tridacna Gigas (giant clams) were mass-cultured in the late 1980s in a project to help repopulate the Asian stocks. The clams survived very well, and now there are around 3000 competing for space in a small portion of the ocean bed at the James Cook University Orpheus Island Research Station. Sadly, they are so overcrowded that many have died, and swimming amongst them is an eerie experience.

Contrary to the legends of giant clams trapping unwary divers, the clams close very slowly and incompletely, and only if you disturb them in some way, so there is really no danger.
 These two much healthier looking clams were living together on a coral bommie on the outer reef, and you can see how much better the water clarity is when you get away from the coast.

I kept swimming across the coral and was thinking about that old Beatles song, Octopuses Garden.
I'd like to be, under the sea,
In an octopuses garden, in the shade.
And I came across this delightful sight; fan coral spreading over a resident clam.

I didn't see the octopus, but I am sure he was around somewhere!

Rooster Tails  

Sailing north from Gloucester Island to Stanley Reef we had an 18 knot sou-easter and put all our sails up. At our peak (helped by a following sea) we topped 11 knots, which sent a huge wake up behind us. 

We were so excited! The only problem was that when we fired up the engines again to motor into Stanley Reef, the port engine would not start. George and David diagnosed a starter motor issue, and we decided to live with it while we enjoyed the reef, then motor back to Townsville with the remaining engine and get the problem fixed. Fortunately it was just the starter motor, and two days later we were back in action. Sailing away from Townsville (and Magnetic Island) was a highlight of the trip!

Our powerful (48 nm) radar proved its worth as it picked up other ships, airplanes (the faithful Border Patrol) and squalls at sea. Here is a picture of one squall as we saw it on the horizon, and as the radar showed it at the same time.

On the whole, the weather was good once we left the Whitsundays, but we had some heavy rain, which makes a rather hypnotic pattern on the water.

 At Orpheus Island we decided not to go any further north (it was getting too hot) so we slowly worked our way back down the reef to Hamilton Island (in the Whitsundays), where we were due to meet Judy and Peter; the first visitors who were to join us for the long trip south.

Exploring The Whitsundays

In the last 2 weeks, we have travelled quite a long way! We left Mackay and headed north, through the islands that make up the Whitsunday group. In the middle part, we signed up to a 5-day "Rendezvous" run by Multihull Solutions (the brokerage through which we purchased Alchemy 1)  and joined 5 other large catamarans on a journey of discovery through the region.

On Day 2 of the "regatta", we got our first photo of Alchemy 1 under full sail. Isn't she beautiful?

Our Whitsunday trip has taken us to 10 different anchorages on 7 islands, and a few mainland bays and harbours. The arrows don't show our exact route (Alchemy 1 is not an amphibious vehicle!) but they do show you how we have moved around. The map covers about 100 nautical miles from south (just above Mackay) to north (Bowen).

 Our first stop was Goldsmith Island, where we met our friends, Jeff and Anne, aboard their Lightwave 45, Skedaddle, and enjoyed a sunset meal with Alchemy 1 as our backdrop.

Before heading to Skedaddle for dinner, I decided to drop a line over the back of the boat, sporting a small, fish-like "squidgy" as we had no fresh bait. I wasn't expecting to catch anything, so was pleasantly surprised with this decent-sized coral trout! I have since been told that coral trout are a renowned fighting fish, and it is practically impossible to catch one on a four-pound line designed for whiting. Fortunately, I didn't know that at the time.

 

The coral trout is widely distributed through the Pacific Ocean and prized for eating, attracting high prices in restaurants. The legal length is 38 cm, which is the exact size of this fish.

The Alchemy 1 Restaurant

Coral Trout Ceviche 

Coral trout has white flesh and does not taste "fishy", so it is perfect for frying in butter, or steaming, or marinating.

Ceviche is a dish of growing popularity that originated in Mexico and throughout Latin America.

 Ingredients

1 fresh-caught coral trout.
2 shallots.
Juice from 1 fresh lime.
and 1 fresh lemon.
Traditionally, you would add chili but we prefer it without.

Method

Fillet the trout and slice into thin strips.
Chop the shallots into 2 mm rings.
Mix lime and lemon juice, fish and shallots together thoroughly.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Eat with plain crackers, fresh bread or tortilla chips.

 Here is a photo from another meal of ceviche prepared from freshly-speared Trevally, with David Beer and David Tyrrell, during our trip to the Swains Reef.

The Music of the Ocean

We went snorkelling at Goldsmith Island, but the visibility was quite poor; a feature of many islands and of the mainland anywhere near mangroves.

Although the diving was disappointing, this was the first time during our trip that I heard the Humpback Whales singing. The trick is to dive down and wait for all the bubbling to stop, equalise your ears, and hang below the surface, listening. The whale song (I am sure most of you have heard recordings) is a repetitive string of sounds ranging from high-pitched (like rubber squeaking), to a series of "yips" and some very deep moans.

A video of a humpback whale singing: by Santostv

The male whales are the singers, and (like most displays in nature) it probably provides a means of sexual selection. All whales sing the same sequence of notes (song) at a given time, but the song changes slowly within a season, and from one year to the next. Humpback whales from different parts of the world sing different songs. Beyond that, very little is known about why and even how they sing, considering they are underwater. It is likely that the whale uses its extensive sinus system (air-filled cavities within the skull) to shift air back and forth to generate the sound. Whatever the reason, or the mechanism, it is a rare experience to hang quietly in the ocean, enveloped by that haunting chorus.

The weather was cloudy for most of our time in the Whitsundays, and the water too murky to invite much swimming, but we were able to walk on the beach at Minnie Hall Bay (north Goldsmith). 

The holes in the sand are created by the many stingrays, burrowing down to find crustaceans to eat. Unfortunately, a lot of rubbish washes up on the beaches here, so one of our missions each time we come ashore is to collect a bag-full.

The Parks Service creates "drop-off" areas that (we assume) they clear regularly. Plastic rubbish poses a threat to all marine life, but especially to turtles who assume small plastic bags are jellyfish and eat them, with dire consequences. We came across this turtle lying in a tidal pool during our walk.

 George moved in for a closer look and deemed that it was just resting. We hope that was true.

Tides

The tides are a significant feature of the Mackay area; they can be up to 5 meters, and need to be taken into account when anchoring, or travelling. The currents run south when the tide is rising, and north when the tide is falling, which can mean 2 knots or more of speed lost or gained at that time. We anchored the dinghy at the tide line while walking on Minnie Hall beach, then almost had to swim back to it when we returned!

After Goldsmith Island it was on to Airlie Beach, where we joined the Multihull Solutions Whitsunday Rendezvous.

The event was well organised. We sailed (or motored) to a new anchorage each day. There were lots of competitions and fun events, many of which involved fancy dress. Victories (or defeats) resulted in someone having to wear the Captain's Cap, or the Dunce's Cap. George and I ultimately won the "most hats awarded" prize at the end of the event. We also won the "Best Joke" (I made one up because I couldn't remember any) and the trivia competition.  Prizes were mainly alcohol (our cellar is restocked!) but we also won a 2-night stay at the Airlie Beach marina, which will come in handy when we pick up visitors next month.

 

The "Admiral" on watch.

 George competing for the best "Figurehead" award.

For some reason, I had to wear the dunce's cap the day Alchemy 1 won it.

We stopped for a night at the famous Whitehaven beach, and watched tourists pouring in from seaplanes and motor cruisers. But fortunately they went home in the evening and the catamarans of the Whitsunday Rendezvous had this stretch of beach to ourselves.

We met many great people, amongst them the owners and crew of "Double Magic", a 43 foot Catana, who were fun company, gave us some great sailing tips and won their share of "hats" during the week.

Then it was on to Hamilton Island, for the final night of the trip.

Our farewell function was dinner and dancing at the Hamilton Island Yacht Club; a magnificent building looking over the channel and surrounded by an extraordinary array of pleasure and racing yachts.

All said, it was great fun, we had some good sailing, drank lots of nice wine (and brought some home) and I got my first taste of the Whitsundays. Now we know the places to come back to!

Love from Geraldine and George.