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Illywhacker on the Great Barrier Reef |
Words and Pictures by Peter Aston (www.illywhacker.com)
North of Townsville is a great part of the world. The Great Barrier Reef closes the coast so daily anchorages can be coastal harbours, islands or coral reef cays, depending on the weather.
MAGNETIC ISLAND
Next door to Townsville, Magnetic Island has anchorages protected from the predominant SE Trade winds as well as for Summer Northerlies. The most popular, Horseshoe Bay on the north side is a pleasant 2 1/2-hour sail from Illywhacker's berth at Breakwater marina.
Horseshoe Bay has a wonderful beach and moderately clear water. There are a few shops, restaurants and hotels at the southern end while to the north is an area of beautiful wetlands adjacent to the National Park.
The whole of Magnetic Island is a haven for birds and native animals, including koala, all living in plenty of native bushland with very little threat from industry. 3000 people choose to live here for the tranquillity of life on a tropical island
We spent 3 days enjoying Magnetic Island waiting out a strong wind warning. There can be a nasty swell in the bay following a lengthy blow sometimes and while we were there, one persisted for most of the time. Walking along the beach was therefore a pleasant pastime.
The SE winds held for about 4 hours on the day of our departure only allowing us to sail for half the 33nm distance from Horseshoe Bay to Orpheus Island.
The rest of the passage past the Palm Group was under motor and we anchored in Pioneer Bay around 1600hrs. High tide slack water at Lucinda entrance was at 0800 and this necessitated a 0630 start.
On the previous occasion, our entry into Hinchinbrook Passage was marred by a chance meeting with a mudbank due to careless navigation. This time there were no such incidents and we had anchored in Gayundah Creek by 1130.
Keen fishermen delight in driving around the creeks of Hinchinbrook all day hoping for a big barrumundi to strike or for incredible mudcrabs to fill their pots. We saw the fishermen but no strikes or writhing pots so decided our day would be spent in quieter pursuits.
The yacht "Distant Drum" (which I think is a great name) was anchored further upstream and we had mail to deliver. After our lunchtime siesta we dinghied over for a chat and a cuppa. A few drinks later and it was evening - the day had passed very pleasantly! Dawn next morning reminded us that this was one of the quietest anchorages ever.
MOURILYAN HARBOUR and FITZROY ISLAND
The ebb tide swept us out of the Hinchinbrook Channel and stayed in our favour all morning. With a SE breeze we were making good time and had a perfect sail towards Dunk Island.
Mid morning we sighted a Humpback whale and her calf slowly heading south. As usual the camera wasn't handy at the time. Dunk appeared off the beam at 1430 but the large number of tour boats and jet skis convinced us to press on. We finally anchored in Mourilyan harbour at 1730 after an easy day's run of 47 nm.
The country around Mourilyan and Innisfail 10km to the north is the heart of North Queensland's sugar cane country. Cane railway tracks run beside the roads and sugar mills every 100km belch steam from their stacks into the azure blue sky. It is very attractive country to drive and the coastline is only very lightly habituated. Anchoring in Mourilyan requires one to stay clear of the ship-swinging circle. The harbour entrance is a tight squeeze for larger cane ships and they must turn 180 deg to exit. As a protected place to stop it is bulletproof.
A 40nm run, again with a SE pushing illywhacker along, brought us to Fitzroy Island in just over 7 hours. Another resort island but more low-key than Dunk with a backpacker clientele and a National Park camping area, Fitzroy offers reasonable SE protection in clear water. There are several walks and the surrounding coral makes for interesting snorkelling. We like taking the dinghy along the foreshore seeking out deserted, usually tiny beaches from where we swim and snorkel.
CAIRNS and REEFS
Cairns is just 15nm from Fitzroy Island but what a difference. Cairns Marlin marina where we tied up, is a hive of activity from very early morning until late at night. It is adjacent to the Esplanade, which together with several streets behind is also given over to frantic tourism. Sometimes, 30 flights a day arrive from Japan and rapid sightseeing is the order of the day.
It's busy in town and the tour boats, aircraft and helicopters do a thriving business, fortunately taking tourists to well defined areas, which can easily be avoided by recluse yachties.
The Great Barrier Reef is showing signs of degradation due to coral bleaching, crown-of-thorn-starfish infestations, overfishing, soil runoff from farms, new developments and tourism. The managing authority has introduced zoning plans to restrict activities and allow some areas as fish nurseries to facilitate recovery but the outlook is grim. Global warming will undoubtedly have a major impact. It all means we have been very lucky to have seen this part of the world early in our lives but we are fearful for the future.
We spent several days at Vlassof Cay, a small sand island on the outer reef some 20nm from Cairns. Entrance is by winding a path around the coral bommies to find a clear patch for the anchor in about 5m depth. I was able to use our hookah dive compressor to explore the adjacent coral and to meet the friendly local fish population.
One morning we dinghied across to walk the 100m around the tiny sand island when a small seaplane landed and taxied right to the beach. The pilot assisted a young Japanese couple ashore complete with a champagne breakfast. We tried to be invisible as the occasion was obviously designed to be very special. It was a beautiful morning and was no doubt, an experience for the newlyweds that will provide memories of paradise on a remote tropic island for years to come.
CAIRNS to ZOE BAY
October is the month cruising yachts look forward to a change in the weather. In late September there appeared to be no let up in the strong southerlies often with rain squalls. We took a drive up into the Tablelands and enjoyed the cool mountain climate. On our return, the prevailing SE winds slowly gave way to NE sea breezes and calm nights.
Our passage south started on 6 October and true to form the winds were variable with light northerlies during the afternoon. These winds allowed us to stop at the fabled Zoe Bay on the eastern side of Hinchinbrook. Wide open to the SE it is a fabulous stopover in winds NW - ENE.
Ends
Peter Aston, the author of this article, is reporting about more of his sailing trips on his website: http://www.illywhacker.com/
If you want to supplement this article with hints or own experiences, please click here.
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