Back to Magnetic Island 3rd - 13th September

The weather was still favourable for our journey south, so we decided to haul ourselves out of bed early (3am) for the next long leg of the trip south to Mourilyan Harbour. In calm conditions we motor/sailed nearly the whole 60nm. For the last two hours we scored a NE breeze of about 10kns, which although late, helped us arrive by 2pm and saw us anchored outside the swing basin opposite the sugar terminal. We were the only boat in there, aside from a trawler, which surprised us. We thought we'd see more boats heading north by now.

Poor little cyclone ravaged Purtaboi Is near Dunk Is
 It used to covered in thick rain forest

These early starts were becoming a bit of a habit so as the body clocks had us up at 3.30am we thought we may as well carry on to the next anchorage at Dunk Island. In the early morning light we could see a large, grey ship anchored behind the North Barnard Islands. It happened to be the navy ship "Canberra" and we were close enough to see the sailors participating in daily exercise routines on the deck. We were looking forward to lunch at the kiosk on the beach, but it was shut for the weekend as there was a huge wedding celebration in progress and the staff had all been requisitioned for wedding duties. Very disappointing! On Sunday we decided we needed a decent walk as we hadn't done much exercise lately. The island circuit looked like a good idea. It is a 12km walk incorporating a climb up to the top of Mt Kootaloo and the scenic lookout over Dunk Is and Mission Beach. By the time we reached the top, towards the end of the walk, I needed a good drink and the nibblies we had brought with us to boost the energy levels.

The view from Mt Kootaloo

The wedding party must have been pleased with the weather as it was still calm, clear and beautiful. It also meant the we decided to motor south to Goold Island for the night. This is an anchorage where calm weather is necessary if you want a comfortable night. When the trade winds are stronger lumpy seas enter the bay. The island is densely wooded and the beach lovely. Watch out for sandflies though!!!

Eastern side Hinchinbrook Island

With the quiet conditions still in place we thought we'd try motor/sailing down the eastern side of Hinchinbrook Island to see if we could anchor in Zoe Bay for lunch and then continue on to Orpheus Island in the Palm Island Group for the night. By the time we reached Zoe Bay the wind was SE at about 10-15kts and the seas bouncing off the rocky eastern coast made the seas lumpy and uncomfortable. Zoe was out of the question. We kept on, just making the rhumb line, for Hazard Bay on Orpheus Island. Hazard is a delightful bay, full of coral reef and bombies, so anchoring quite a way out is necessary. There is a resort in this bay which is only accessible to the guests. Around the corner is a pontoon and jetty which is used by people for snorkelling on the coral. It is such a pretty bay with clear water and golden sand.

Feeding the Rainbow Lorekeets, Horseshoe Bay

The weather forecast indicated a windy patch coming our way in a few days time so we decided to make for Horseshoe Bay on Magnetic Island where we could sit comfortably during the blow and where there is plenty of activities to keep us occupied. We have been here for six days now and have socialised with the boaties in the bay, done all the usual walks and sampled morning coffee at the cafes. We have also discovered that there is a public laundry at the Arcadia Hotel which has relieved me of the nasty job of sloshing clothes about in the bucket and prevented us from becoming socially unacceptable. On Wednesday we took the ferry across to Townsville to have dinner with the Scott family at The Jewel of India restaurant - very enjoyable. Our friends Ric, Val and Tiger (Arkaydes) were tied up in the Breakwater Marina so we called in to catch up during the afternoon. Ric was away for the week, but we spent the late afternoon with Val and Tige. We still had an hour to kill before the dinner date so decided to walk around the centre of town to fill in the time. As we were walking past the Irish pub a voice called out to us - Alan from Camelot. The hour passed quickly as we exchanged stories. We're beginning to feel like locals around here.

Tige's in Townsville

I have booked my flights back to WA via Sydney (Greg, Leisha and Jessica for a few days) on 30th September and Perth on 6th October. Peter will stay on here for a couple of weeks to spend some time with his dad and family. He will also do maintenance jobs on Rene and Lily and put them away in a berth somewhere for the summer. We have a couple of options, but some negotiation is still necessary re dates on our preferred spot. We will be spending our last two and a bit weeks here together between Townsville and Horseshoe Bay.

Sundowners Horseshoe Bay