We dropped the National Park courtesy mooring in Little Pioneer Bay at 7.30 am in calm conditions with the idea that we may anchor in Zoe Bay on the eastern side of Hinchinbrook Island for lunch, go ashore and explore the creek and waterfall in the southern end of the bay. This bay is open to the prevailing trade winds so calm weather is necessary to contemplate such a move. By the time we reached there the wind had piped up to about 15 - 18kts and a lumpy swell was rolling into the bay. I decided that I wouldn't be even trying to get off in those conditions so we sailed straight past. The waterfall in the southern end of the bay was tumbling over the rocks and we had a great view of that through the binoculars. Would have been nice to see it close up as it was flowing over the cliff face in several different places.
This was one of the best sails we have had on the east coast, with a glorious breeze on the starboard quarter until we jibed outside the northern end of the Brook Islands at midday to take the inside path between the Family Group of islands and the coast. We had thought to anchor for the night behind Goold Island, but the going was too good for that. Olivia has a big powerful feel as she slices through the waves on the jib alone, so we continued on and were anchored at Dunk Island at 3.25pm. The tide was with us most of the way and on the jib we were clocking between 6.5 and 7 knots continuously. Lily tethered on her painter to Olivia's stern revelled in the conditions, gleefully surfing down the faces of the waves, resting momentarily at the bottom, self satisfied, before being jerked into action for the next ride. 48nm under our belts in less than 8 hours. Wonderful!
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| Olivia anchored at Dunk Island with beautiful little Purdaboi Island in the background |
Dunk Island
The resort here is still in the same condition as last year when we were here. The buildings along the front are still derelict apart form a couple in the eastern corner. We came across a worker who told us that the café was open for business on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from about 10am until 5pm. They have an inviting looking menu attached to the front of the café so we might indulge ourselves while we are here.
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| Last day of sling. Six weeks tomorrow. Summit of Mt Kootaloo |
This morning Peter and I decided to walk to the summit of Mt Kootaloo. It is a good walk and the path is well maintained. The rainforest canopy makes for a cool walk free from the blazing sun and the undergrowth is lush and green from having enough rainfall this year. We chose the alternative path for the descent. This path is more overgrown and animals have dug and scratched in the compost and leaf litter on the path and as such more concentration is required so as not to trip on the uneven surface. In places the path follows the edge of a precipitous drop that is camouflaged by rainforest growth. Tomorrow we intend to take the trail that circumnavigates the island, about 10kms
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Sounds idyllic! Hope the weather stays good for you especially after you take the sling off. Now mother says be careful n don't overdo it!!!!
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