Six Days In Island Head Creek 7th - 12th June

 

Snug and cosy in Island Head Creek

 

We set off for Island Head Creek knowing that we would be there for a few days due to a forecast of bad weather approaching and the creek’s reputation for comfort and safety beckoned. Do not arrive here in the dark! The entrance is tricky and visuals are needed to augment what is seen on the chart plotter. As we motored into the outer anchorage we noticed a large ketch beached to the north of the creek and thought to ourselves that this was not a good place to be. Later we discovered that it had indeed been wrecked a month or two before our arrival. We motored past six other craft anchored in the outer creek behind a sandbar, but didn’t like the way they were being held side on to the current by the wind. Wind over tide antics – not if we can help it!!! By the time we had motored 5nm down to the third creek to starboard, light was fading and we found a snug 7m anchorage in the middle of the creek. Four other boats were already there and we settled in for a few days. The tidal range is becoming more of an issue as we travel north to an area where the tides are the highest on the East Coast, some 8m in places.

 

More fresh rain water

Rain! Rain! Rain! Wind! Wind! Wind! For the next five days we were largely confined to the boat. Collecting water, Scrabble with Ric and Val, reading books, an occasional sojourn in Lily and the interest of a new boat appearing in the anchorage sustained us, although by day three we were going a little boat crazy. The muddy mangrove creek edges ensure that going ashore is out of the question. Mud, insects and the fear of crocodiles put paid to that. The scenery however, is stunning, a little less grand version of Hinchinbrook Island Channel. Eventually the weather eased and we made our way to the outer creek for a day of exploring before moving on the islands to the north. Whilst out there Peter and I decided to take a long walk to the wreck we had seen on the northern shore on the way in. What a sad sight. A lovely ketch washed up to the highest tide line, her keel buried in the sand, rudder broken and slowly being demolished by the elements. Her registration was May 2014 so the grounding had been quite recent. Later Val looked on the internet and found the sad story. ‘Navigational error!’

 

At last the weather cleared and we made ready for a morning departure to the Duke Islands, the Hunter Island anchorage in particular, some 40nm north.