Catherine and I spent the past week cruising the southern islands of the Whitsundays. Our voyages over the last few months have now spanned most of the region covered by the best-selling cruising guide 100 Magic Miles, although there are many places within it that we have yet to visit. You can follow our latest voyage, and previous trips, on my Chart page where I have uploaded our tracks and some photos.
We left Airlie Beach last Wednesday and made our way to Plantation Bay on Lindeman Island. Actually, we tried to depart the day before but the tide was particularly low and that made our marina too shallow for us to leave, so we had to wait until the next morning. Our voyage continued south to Thomas, Brampton and Scawfell Islands. We then made our way back north, stopping at Goldsmith and Shaw Islands before returning to Airlie Beach.
It was a leisurely cruise. We weighed anchor after breakfast and travelled only about 25 nautical miles (about 50 km) each day. We would reach our next anchorage by lunchtime and spend the afternoon exploring the beach or relaxing on board.
We enjoyed more solitude than around the islands closer to Airlie Beach. The many tourists on bareboat charters are restricted to the central islands and not permitted to cruise the southern region. So we left the crowds behind in search of secluded bays. You might not expect Islands like Lindeman and Brampton to be uninhabited but they and several other resorts are in fact closed following the devastation of cyclones like Debbie earlier this year and Yasi in 2011.
We met an eccentric character while anchored at Brampton Island. “Arrow” kindly invited Catherine and me to join him and his companion Peter for dinner on his boat. It’s how cruising used to be, he said, when people visited other boats in an anchorage. He prepared Shanghai braised pork, a delicious meal he learned when in the restaurant business, which we were to discover was just one of Arrow’s many pursuits. I would have to write a book to tell you all his stories about diving for abalone, sailing wild seas, exploring the Coral Coast, flying across the outback, partying with successful rich people, marrying a beautiful business woman who funds his adventures, coaching his genius son to win world championships in rowing (until he became a stunt car driver) and much more. Arrow is so outgoing and animated, I’m sure his hospitality is enjoyed every night at some anchorage along the east coast.
We continued to see many whales, dolphins and turtles. Several times we saw whales breaching and slapping their tails. They were often in the distance and a couple of times we were close enough to have a good view of the spectacle. (Warning: The following video footage was taken handheld while sailing on choppy waves and might cause sea-sickness for some viewers.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2xQiK7_9OQ?rel=0
We’re back in Airlie Beach now and looking forward to our visitors who will be joining us over the next few weeks. Maybe we can cook them a new dish, Shanghai braised pork?
Debonnaire 