HINCHINBROOK TO PALM ISLAND

Woke up to a postcard scene, the water was so calm you could see the reflections. If it was not for the crocodiles and sand flies it would be a great location to spend a few days.

To leave the Hinchinbrook Channel we had to go past the 6km sugar wharf at Lucinda and negotiate the shallow entrance/exit to the channel. Luckily we had our friends on Kailani with us (a catamaran so they went ahead of us and called out the depths. Still touched in one place but was only a gentle bump.

 

This photo does not really do justice to the size of the wharf - you are 6km from the shore

 

 

From Lucinda we battled across the water to Palm Island with the winds 15-29 knots directly on the nose so motoring all the way. Settled in for the night, luckily the wind dropped so it was not too unpleasant. A different sunset photo for the collection.

DUNK ISLAND TO HINCHENBROOK CHANNEL

Time to start heading south. Our first destination was the Hinchinbrook Channel which is between Hinchinbrook Island and the mainland. The mountains on both sides makes it very protected but the shallow mangrove swamps make it the home to salt water crocodiles. This means you have to put your dinghy on deck and not venture ashore.

With the winds still very much from the south it was a day for motor sailing. Luckily the wind was quite soft and the seas flat.

It soon turned very smoky. The reason soon became apparent as there was a bushfire burning in Hinchinbrook Island. Given how remote it is we assume it will keep burning until it puts itself out. Luckily the southerly winds ensure the channel itself was revealed in all it's glory

 

 

 

After the last 2 days of stronger winds on Dunk Island this was a welcome relief.

 

 

DUNK ISLAND - DAY 3

Today we celebarated the rendezvous at the most northern point of our cruise. We had a BBQ lunck ashore but no-one wanted to leave so we ended up sitting on the beach and enjoying the sunset before lighting a bonfire. It was with great reluctance we finally made our way back to the boat.

 

Of course nature provided a great backdrop

 

 

DUNK ISLAND PART 2
 
Someone had the bright idea to do the Dunk Island trek
 
Luckily we did not read the tourist brochure or the sign before agreeing to do it
 
MOUNT KOOTALOO — 7 km return (3 hrs) Grade: moderate 

From the spit, walk to the north-east end of the beach to the start of the walking tracks. This more strenuous walk winds up a steep track to the 271 m summit. Cyclone-damaged rainforest on the lower slopes allows glimpses over the island and reefs as the track ascends. On the upper slopes, the forest opens out and eucalypts emerge through the canopy. Near the summit, a short branching track leads to a lookout, which offers spectacular views over the Family Islands and nearby mainland. Near the lookout, the remains of No. 27 Radar Station, built during World War II, are slowly being reclaimed by the rainforest. The track continues around the summit, rejoining the main track and returning to the beach. ISLAND CIRCUIT - 9.2 kilometres (3 hrs) Grade: moderate 
From the spit, walk to the north-east end of the beach to the start of the walking tracks. Mt Kootaloo, you’ll pass through the magical Palm Valley and then onto Coconut Beach. Not for the faint hearted, this challenging walk will introduce you to Dunk Island’s lush green rainforest where you are likely to encounter the many different species of birdlife.

 Once you get to the top of Mount Kootaloo you are rewarded with some magnificent views

 And the remains from the WWII radar station - the troops had to make this trek every day

From there it is an interesting walk through a tropical rainforest. Really brought back memories of our times in Asia

 

 

 

At the end of the walk you come out on Coconut Beach which has some interesting rock formations along with a washed up mooring buoy from a really big boat.

And where else can you enter restricted air space and not get into trouble

 

 

DUNK ISLAND

Dunk Island really lived up to the perfect tropical paradise with blue skies and a warmth in the air.

The resort at Dunk Island is currently closed, it is rumoured to have been sold to an overseas byer fro $30M, but they are keeping facilities on the island working including picnic areas, toilets, showers and running water.

We took a walk along the island past the sealed runway (built by Qantas but currently not in use) and the resort to the other end of the island, Some of the buildings have been restored to house the workers taking care of the resort and others are still as they were when they were damaged by the cyclone.

The "Dunk Island butterfly" pool is back to full working order.

Reached the end of the island which looks north towards Cairns

Really good to see Sonia finally enjoying a tropical holiday

In the late afternoon we went ashore for drinks and made used our skills to make grated coconut which one of the expert cooks used to make coconut milk and coconut cream. Pity no one could catch a fish to make coconut curry.

 

And of course you cannot finish a blog from a tropical island without ABS

The Not So Good - or what went wrong

This is a very different post, with any cruise of more than a 1000 nautical miles there inevitably will be things going wrong wit the boat. You hope they are only minor. This page is a record of the things that have challenged us.

1) The broken toilet valve (Cost $500 including the lift out)
On the way up to Southport the handle on the ball valve that closes the toilet outlet in one of the aft cabins came loose. It became apparent that the vale was broken, luckily in the open position. In Mooloolaba, Bavaria provided us with a replacement valve but we needed Galadriel lifted out of the water to replace it. We tried in Urangan but the lift was too small so in Bundaberg the boat was lifted out of the water and the valve replaced (the valve provided by Bavaria was the wrong size but luckily the chandlery at the marina had one valve the right size). You can read more about the lift out in the blog from the Blog of 13th June

2) Main sail halyard block failure (Cost $0)
We were sailing along and changed tack when one of the blocks that controlled the main sheet failed. It turned out the screw connecting the block to the rope had fallen out. Luckily we could keep on sailing. A temporary replacement of the bolt solved the problem, but luckily the next day when we were washing the deck we found the missing bolt resting against the gunwale. It was replaced but this time with some locktite to ensure it did not happen again

3) Bimini locking pin  (Cost to date $0 plus 2 cable ties)
One of the locking pins that holds the bimini in place has decided to come loose. Rather than pull it apart two cable ties has held it in place until be get back to Sydney. Only a minor issue as the pin is still in place just loose.
We also had one screw on the bimini fall out, luckily onto the deck so some more Loctite fixed the problem as soon as we stopped for the night

4) Blocked toilet hose (Cost $0 plus lots of David's sweat and skinned knuckles)
Our main cabin toilet refused to empty. We suspected a failed joker valve so in Mackay we replaced the valve. This did not solve the problem, it turned out to be a blocked hose. A lot of struggling to disassemble and remove the hose eventually allowed the blockage to be cleared.

5) Swim Platform proximity sensor (Cost $125 including a second spare)
The swim platform has a proximity sensor that makes it stop when it is being raised. This failed when meant it would not stop and would trip the circuit breaker. An afternoon of diagnosis identified the issue as the proximity sensor and some searching on Mr Google identified one supplier in Australia who had the spare part as it is not a normal marine spare. A replacement (in fact 2) was ordered but it did not arrive in time for our departure from Airlie Beach. We were eventually able to get is delivered to Cape Gloucester where the replacement as effected in 10 minutes, much quicker than the half a day to diagnose the problem and the 1 week to get is delivered. Were so lucky that someone from the resort at Cape Gloucester was driving to Airlie Beach and picked it up for me otherwise the only option was a $125 each way taxi ride).

6) Ripped Furling Reacher (sail) (Cost TBA)
Unfortunately our big yellow sail got caught on one of the shrouds resulting in a small tear. With the wind this soon became a much bigger rip. This can be easily fixed but will have to wait until we return to a marina

7) Slow leak in the dinghy (Cost $0 so far just lots of frustration)
One of the most frustrating is a slow leak in the dinghy. It is not enough to be able to detect it and will need it to be put in the swimming pool at home. At the moment we just need to put a small amount of air in it when it goes a bit soft, Just enough to be annoying.

8) Pelican hook failure (Cost $0 plus a piece of string)
At the stern we have two life lines that un-clip to open up the back of the boat, The pelican hook as a tiny pin that holds it closed. Unfortunately the pin has come loose and fallen into the ocean. However a ready supply of cable ties has provided a way to keep it closed. Once again a easy fix when we can access a chandlery.

CAPE RICHARDS TO DUNK ISLAND

After a lovely calm night at Cape Richards time to get ready for our last leg north before we turn around and start heading south.

First a couple of domestic pictures. I admit I was wrong, at Airlie Beach Sonia purchased some basil and parsley in pots. Despite my concerns they have done very well and have provided some fresh additives to the cooking.

Another domestic photo, we even have a miniature ironing board and iron so we do not look like complete grots.

Any way, woke up to a lovely morning and enough wind to have sail almost all the way to Dunk Island, light winds and a calm sea - perfect sailing weather

 

Even calm enough for Sonia to do some photo editing

And finally these two photos say it all. For the record distance travelled is more than 1,400 nautical miles (or for the land lubbers more than 2,600 km).