Left Airlie to Sail Over to Mays Bay

Thursday 19^th July 2012

Morning Drizzly Rain
20’13.468S – 148’56.579E
Left Airlie to Sail Over to Mays Bay

Deserted Airlie Beach

MrJ and I spend the past three days anchored off Able Point once again. The weather had stayed fairly reasonable making it possible to get ashore a few times.

Shagger's banner out front of Quadrant Marine with Manger Colin and us

Tuesday MrJ and I walked into Airlie Beach but before we could even get a few feet away from the public dock who should we run into careening down the street on their hired motor scooters, Ken and Rhonda the masterminds for the Shaggers SICYC. Of course the only thing to do was to go and have a coffee at the marina cafe and catch up on all the gossip from around the traps.

The Whitsunday Sailing Club is offering SICYC members free club membership for the month of August and is eager to have any Shagger and their boat to become involved with the annual Airlie Beach Race/Day which is being held in Airlie on Sunday 18/07/12 and coincides with the Whitsundays Race Week and the Hamilton Island Race Days.

View from the Whitsunday Sailing Club - I can see Virginia's boat out there.

Backpackers play Boules to while away
the winter afternoons

MrJ and I did get our walk into town and hard a rather yummy Pot Pie for lunch at the Whitsunday Sailing Club. I though downtown Airlie was empty of people a few weeks ago; not as quiet and barren of people as this day with hardly a soul to be seen. Must have something to do with the winter weather and that the school holidays are over. The weather held off long enough for MrJ and I to get nearly all the way back to the dinghy before a light drizzle of rain began making us wet before we could get back to AR. There was no time for a hot shower as we were due over at a new friend’s boat in half an hour.

The new friends that MrJ and I went over to visit were Ken and Millie Castle off a Leopard46, Rhiannon – a beautiful big catamaran. Ken and Millie (and dog Mouse who is deaf and blind) have been friends with Ric and Shel off Neriki since last cruising season. Ken and Millie once owned and worked a Winery and vineyard in the Hunter Region before they took off on their boat some five years ago. Lovely people; it was such a pleasure spending a sundowners in their company idling the hours away with interesting chit chat.

Looking back towards the Able Point anchorage

Wednesday morning MrJ and I sailed across the Whitsunday Passage to Mays Bay on the western side of Whitsunday Island. We left the protection of Able Point with its cloud covered hill tops behind for the gusty wind swept waters of the Molle Channel and Whitsunday Passage. AR was hiking along between 7 – 9knts with a fresh breeze and apparent winds of 21-28knts; on a very close reach we were doing very well with sea spray coming over the bow.

Sea spray over the bows

MrJ and I have not anchored in Mays Bay before; we have been past many times and seen other yachts/boat at anchor and the cruising guide books all say that Mays Bay is a good anchorage with good holding in S-SE winds up to 25knts. Now we have the chance to see for ourselves.

Whitsunday Passage