GREAT KEPPEL ISLAND TO AIRLIE BEACH

June 1-17, 2014

The northern anchorage at Leeks Beach on Great Keppel Is (23-09.9' S x 150-56.7' E) turned out to be quite rolly so after  a few days we decided to weigh anchor and move over to Rosslyn Bay marina which is about 10nm from the anchorage.  It turned out to be a good choice and we were able to do some shopping in the small town of Yeppoon which is a bus or taxi ride a few miles north of the marina.  Rosslyn Bay has become the epicenter of tourist activity for the Keppel Bay islands.  We stayed only one day but grubbed up for the trip north.

June 2, 2014
Departed the marina for Middle Percy Is (21-39.2' S x 150-14.6' E) which is 110 nm to the north.  As with a good part of the trip from Brisbane, we had light wind and no wind.  We took  in all sails and sat becalmed for many hours waiting for a puff here or there: set sail - drop sail - set sail again.  It wasn't until late in the evening of  June 3rd after rounding High Peak Is Lt. Ho (21.53.3' S x 150-34.4' E) that we, finally, got some wind from the SE.  This carried us to Middle Percy Is and we dropped anchor in West Bay of Middle Percy at 0700 hrs on June 4th.  With all the light winds, West Bay had no developed swell so it was enjoyable being at anchor there.  In  developed Trade Winds, the rolling can be abominable, however, such is the beauty and fame of West Bay that it is seen as an obligatory stop for most cruisers heading north.  Ashore, there is a large 'A' frame shelter where cruisers can can congregate and exchange stories of their travels.  In this 'A' frame, cruisers have been hanging their their names and mementos for over sixty years.  We left an old Pentax 1000 camera on a strap hanging there.  Phyllis will have some pictures when she can post again.  Middle Percy wa grazed by sheep for many decades.  One  can see that some of the families lived there in isolation for over forty years.  Today, there are no longer any sheep being grazed but the present lessees have twenty-five colonies of bees and sell honey and lime juice out of the "A' frame on an honor system with an "honesty box" in the building.  The honey is delicious! The lime juice strong!

On June 6th at 0712 hrs, we weighed anchor and set sail for Scawfell Island (20-51.6' S x 149-36.0' E) which is about 60 nm to the NW of Middle Percy Is.  We had a good SE'ly wind at 15-20 kts and managed to make the 60 nm in twelve hours under jib only. Dropped anchor in Refuge Bay, Scawfell Is at 1900 hrs.  As the Trade Winds were becoming more developed, there are "bullets" of wind that descend down the mountainous terrain.  I believe these are katabatic winds that develop as the SE Trade Wind hits the windward side of the mountains and then rushes over the top and spills down the gullies or valleys.  They pack quite a whollop and you can here them coming like a freight train.

On June 7th at 0830 hrs we weighed anchor from Scawfell Is to Airlie Beach (20-16.0' S x 148-42.6' E) via Shaw Island (20-30.1' S x 149-03.1' E).  The total distance is about 60 nm but we decided to anchor at Shaw Is for the evening and wait out a "strong wind" warning from the Aussie Met Service. High Pressure systems that develop in the "bight" of the southern part of Australia form a ridge of high pressure over the Queensland coast over which the Trade Winds develop and blow.  The stronger the High Pressure system, the stronger the Trade Winds: 25-30 kts is not unusual.  If, perchance, a Low Pressure system develops in the western Coral Sea (around Papua, New Guinea), the Trade Winds will become "enhanced" and blow 35+ kts with stronger gusts.  This is a good time to seek a safe anchorage or marina.  That is exactly what happened while we were at SE tip of the Shaw Is anchorage.  From June 7th to June 12th we sat out the strongest winds we have experienced to date.  Gusts to 50 kts hit the boat in waves and during one squall I had to go out and tether the wind generator and solar panels lest they become unshipped and blown away!  I had 190' of chain out in 30' of water depth with a 30' nylon snubber to take the shock loading on the chain and I was amazed that we held fast during those four days.  It was an anxious time and unnerving to sit through that howling wind.  Squall after rain squall hit the boat for four days.  Finally, on June 12th, we weighed anchor at 0918 hrs and set sail for Abell Point Marina at Airlie Beach (20-16.0' S x 148-42.6' E) about 30 nm from Shaw Is.  Still had a good SE'ly at 20-25 kts and 7' seas but we were running downwind with a favorable current so the sailing was pleasant.  We were all fast at  Airlie Beach at 1430 hrs.

Abell Point Marina at Airlie Beach was one of the designated muster points for the SAil2Indonesia Rally.  Due to bad weather in Opua, NZ which lasted for three weeks, the Airlie Beach muster point was changed to Cairns which is another 315 nm north.  We will be setting sail from Airlie Beach to Cairns on Thursday June 19th.  We have to muster at Cairns by July 1st to take care of all the bureaucratic formalities associated with the Indonesian government.

Sailing up the Queensland Coast is made safe with Wx reports from dedicated Coast Guard stations and Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR's) organizations which are stationed all along the coast.  A cruiser can log in with them and they transfer you from one organization to another as you move out of VHF radio coverage from one area to another.  These VMR's are dedicated people that will help in anyway possible.  It is a far more efficient system that anything we have experienced so far.

Abell Point Marina has exceeded all expectations in terms of friendliness, cut-rate prices and berthing.  They were planning on the whole fleet of Sail2Indonesa being here but only 8 boats showed up - all the rest going to Cairns.  They have given us super yacht berths and hosted a night of free drinks at the Barcelona Tapas Bar.  It doesn't get any better than that!

As we move north, the Trade Winds will become more established and stronger.  Thursday Is, at the northern end of our Australian trip up through the Great Barrier Reef, has some of the strongest Trade Winds in the world!  That will be our check out point for Saumlaki, Indonesia: 640 nm from Thursday Is.  This should happen on July 23rd.