I have to report that unfortunately on Monday 17 July we buried Cruising Basil at sea, between Thomas Island and Shaw. Cruising Basil had sailed over 4000 nautical miles with us, making two trips up through the Whitsundays. Last year he made his first trip on the water, coming with us from Sydney to Magnetic […]

As we departed Brampton, we could feel the breeze picking up to its 15-20 knots as we exited the shelter of the Island. Pete wanted to fish, so we flew only the jib, though we raced along at over 7 knots anyway, covering the short distance to Goldsmith very quickly. The only fish interested were […]

Despite a comfortable night at Curlew, we decided that we would close the Curtis Coast cruising guide, and open the 100 Magic Miles of the Whitsundays. We wanted to ensure we had plenty of time to explore as much of the Whitsundays as possible before Al and Larissa’s wedding. After the wedding, we would need […]

I have finally got the explanation of what we have been doing together to go with yesterdays photos. I have divided it into sections to make it a bit easier to read as its a bit long! Go make a cup of tea before you start it! Keppel – Port Clinton We pulled up into […]

Since our last post we have been island hopping north, and have lots of photos of great weather, new friends, lovely beaches and beautiful anchorages. I have a very hefty draft blog which I dont intend to completely bore you with, so I will do a photopost with some explanatory comment for now. We can […]

We woke on Saturday to much more pleasant conditions than the previous day, having had a reasonable night on the anchor. We checked the forecast, and decided to head off straight away, having coffee and breakfast en route to North West Island. There was a light South Westerly breeze which allowed us to set full […]

Our first task on arrival at Keppel Bay Marina was to stop by the fuel dock and fill up with diesel. Whilst untying us to leave, I tripped over one of the huge dock cleats, and gave my foot a big clout. It hurt like crazy, but I had to get on with the berthing, […]

As always, waiting for the perfect weather can be a double edged sword. While you are waiting, you are watching good conditions go to waste! We had another 3 nights at Pancake Creek, carefully watching the forecast oscillate from good for the reef, no good, good again to unlikely to eventuate. A crappy little trough […]

Decided to push on tomorrow, as waiting for the perfect weather is taking up sailing time! In the meantime, have put together some photos of our exploration of the Creek. Unfortunately, the turtles and dugongs that visit in the evening have been too camera shy to star, but I hope you like the offering anyway […]

The anchorage at Rocky Point was sufficient but not comfortable. Whilst out of the main tide, we were still more affected by the tide than wind, despite a 10-15 knot southeasterly. This set us as stern to the wind-over-tide activity which was not pleasant. In addition, the wake from the passing tugs sent our stern […]