Cairns via the Whitsundays

After the hard stand we spent a few days "putting Manatee back together". Due to a busy boatyard we were put back into the creek late at night to work the tide back to Airlie. AK stood on the deck with a spotlight while Marg helmed down the narrow mangrove creek. It was with great relief when we made the anchorage at Airlie, with only a few mangrove scratches (AK and Manatee!) and very frayed nerves (all of us).
So the next few days were spent cleaning decks, putting tools away and fixing the leaky cutlass bearing which meant AK spent days with her head in the bilge. The existing stern tube oil lubrication system was now redundant but leaked badly! Gee modernisation can be hard.
It was bliss when we moved to nearby Funnel Bay to test the new system and found it leak free. We were planning to spend a few more weeks in the Whitsundays before cruising up to Cairns where AK had a clinical placement booked and where we would work and wait out the cyclone season.
Our first stop was Whitsunday Island (again). Marg pulled the anchor up at 1045 and we headed out in N/W-N/E winds at 5-10kts via Fitzalan Passage which is between Whitsunday and Hamilton Islands. The passage can have currents running at 3-4kts and is known to be turbulent which was quite exciting after our sedentary few weeks. We decided to anchor overnight at Whitehaven Beach so needed to go via Solway Passage where we were treated to the antics of whale and calf- waving, playing and gawking at the tourists!
Solway Passage can have currents of 5kts and has lots of overfalls and whirlpools due to the reef (our depth sounder read 34m and then 62m within minutes) but we made it to Whitehaven without Manatee doing spins. We anchored in a very crowded anchorage at 1500hrs.
The anchorage cleared out early next morning so just before the tourist cats disgorged their daily fill of passengers we humans headed to the beach for a swim and walk leaving our very disappointed girls to relax on deck.

Why can't I go too?

100 Magic Miles states "Whitehaven is an incredible expanse of pure white sand, the legacy of a geologic era when the sea level was lower. It is a magnificent beach, and one that is understandably popular with all and sundry.." 



Whitehaven Beach early morning

We walked the 5 kms to Hill Inlet which AK was interested in visiting after reading about this idyllic anchorage in cruising publications. It is a large estuary with lots of sand banks and reportedly one of the best fishing spots around the area. A few catamarans in the anchorage had clearly been at anchor for some time and it appeared to be a decent cyclone hole.
On our walk back to our anchorage it was duck for cover as numerous helicopters landed on the beach to spew their groups of picnickers onto the sand. The tourist cats had also landed and the beach was busy with groups swimming, playing ball games and lunching. A seaplane also made frequent stops, landing amongst the busy anchorage. But of course no dogs allowed! Jacki was keen to catch a helicopter. The smell of avgas and suntan lotion was in the air.




We spent another very rolly night before leaving for Gulnare Inlet the next afternoon. We spent the following day exploring the inlet.

"There are endless opportunities for exploring in the dinghy. It is possible at high tide to go for miles up the estuary through mangroves....about half a mile from the anchorage on the right there is a mangrove creek that turns back to the south. Around the turn of the 20th century Martin Cunningham built a tramway to move timber from the surrounding hills along the flat and into the inlet, from where it was towed back to the sawmill at Cid Harbour (Sawmill Beach)....A cruise ship anchorage has been established (just outside the inlet). Keep well clear of any ship in this area, as it will have its hands full just manoeuvring in this current swept area."

Next stop Hamilton Island.