Airlie Beach Race Week – Our Comings and Goings

Friday 17^th August 2012

Airlie Beach Race Week – Our Comings and Goings
The days are warming up and I have taken the doona off the bed at night. Yah!
20’05.015S 148’53.405E – Black Island

Black Island with Stonehaven in the background

This morning finds MrJ and I anchored off Black Island; the seas are calm and the breeze is gentle. This week has been very busy with our comings and goings. It has been also busy on the water around Pioneer Bay with the annual Airlie Beach Race week being held. Every time we sail in or out of Airlie we would get to see the racing activities.

chasing eagles

Saturday 11^th Aug – Found us still hanging out in Mays Bay doing mundane chores like clothes washing, cleaning floor. MrJ had one of the big hatches out on the cockpit table for repairs to the seal. In the afternoon we sat on deck watching the turtles and dugongs and trying to get some pics of a Sea Eagle and an Osprey in flight.

There were two other private boat in the anchorage and then late in the afternoon a charter boat, a Seawind 1000, comes roaring in to drop its anchor in front of AR. MrJ was a bit concerned that they had settled too close in on the fringing reef; he called to warm them but the skipper of the charter boat seemed to be okay with it and stayed all the same.

Sunday 12^th – It was an early sail across to Able Point, dropped the anchor of the northern wall of the marina, jumped in the dinghy and went to the A finger in the marina, walked up to the bus stop and caught the bus into the Centro Shops. All because we need to pay some money off our phone bill before Telstra gave us extra charges! MrJ and I had brunch at the cafe before returning to Able Point on the bus. I stayed ashore while MrJ returned to AR to get the trolley and then we walked into Airlie Beach to get some beer and wine, getting back to the boat in time to watch some of the race boats coming in.

boats racing

Gary & Mercedes

During the afternoon Gary and Mercedes came over for a chat and afternoon tea. They too enjoyed watching all the race boat coming in.

Monday 13^th – Today was Kerrin (MrJ’s big stepdaughter) and my sister Marion’s b/day, cheers to them both.

in the marina harbour at dawn

It was another very early start for MrJ and me, getting AR into the public dock at 0630hs to water up and wash down the decks. I walked around to the local shop to buy bacon and egg rolls for our breakfast before leaving the dock. You are only supposed to be on the public dock for 20mins but if no other boats comes along it is ok to stay a little longer.

cruise ship in the bay

MrJ and I sail out of Airlie for Mays Bay once again, before the crowds of race boat get moving. On the way out we pass a large passenger liner anchored way out in the bay. Sailing across the Whitsunday Passage we see whales, a mother and its calf playing and splashing in the sea. Such a beautiful sight to see!



mother & calf

Back in Mays Bay one of the little yachts is still there, he is a lone sailor and has been in Mays Bay for two week getting supplies brought over by another yacht. MrJ and I are back to doing our chores; washing the sheet and fixing hatches.

taken from Mays Bay

Tuesday 14^th – MrJ is still at it, fixing the big hatch. The job is much bigger than I had first thought, getting the sealant to seal and set properly is very pains taking at times. I had decided to defrost the main fridge/freezer as our next trip across to town would be our last time suppling up in Airlie Beach before we start to head north again. There are more whales in the Passage, I could see them just the other side of the Lion Point but too far for my camera.

waiting for the bus

Wed 15^th – Another 0630hs start to the day finds MrJ and me sailing back to Able Point where we walk up to the Whitsunday Shopping Centre for our food supplies. We catch a taxi back to the public dock where all the bags are loaded into the dinghy to be taken out to AR. I stay on board and have the joyous time of unpacking the groceries. Anything packaged in boxing has to be removed and/or put into contains so that we keep the cockroaches away. Cockroaches absolutely love cardboard packaging to lay their eggs in around the glued joins.

MrJ does the washing

MrJ does a fuel run with jerry cans in the dinghy and then we did some more washing. Our little plastic twin-tub washing machine will only take small loads so we find ourselves doing the washing a lot.

MrJ and I were invited over to George & Maree’s boat, Warp Drive, for a BYO sundowners and BBQ. George and Maree have decided to get married after being together for many years; they are having their ceremony on the beach at Montes resort at the Shagger’s weekend and have asked me to do some photo shots for them.

early morning at the public dock

Thurs 16^th – Today MrJ and I were a bit lazy today and didn’t get into the public dock for watering up till mid morning. This might have had something to do with the terrible hangover that I was sporting after the great party the night before.

Stonehaven anchorage - Hook Island

We headed for the northern part of the Whitsunday Island taking a mooring in the Stonehaven Bay for a light lunch and a well needed afternoon nanna nap before moving across to a mooring off Black Island for the night. We see a whale in the channel heading south.

young Sea Eagle stretching its wings

On Black Island there is a Sea Eagles nest with young birds and a mother in the nest. I sit in the lighting of the setting sun watch the eagles at their games and feeding till the sun’s warmth disappears and I am forced to come into the protection of our covered in cockpit. I wait for the sun to set then retire inside for the night to eat sleep and wait for another fun filled day.

Days end at Black Island - looking back to Langford Island

The Week As It Was in the Whitsundays

Friday 10^th August 2012

The Week As It Was in the Whitsundays
Warn sunny days and cool nights – no rain

Before the Dawn - Macona Inlet

This morning finds MrJ and I back in Mays Bay waiting for the wind to change for the worse. Here is my account, in pictures, of what we have been up to in the past week or since I put any writing down.


Sunrise at South Molle

The Friendly Swallow are always visiting

Friday 3rd: sailed back to Able Point; me keeping my foot up and MrJ doing all the work.

Party on "Pioneer"

Saturday 4th: My birthday, I with my foot still up resting and MrJ went into the markets for supplies. Sundowners on board John and Marjanne’s boat Pioneer. Great way to celebrate with ten other boatie friends!

  

Shagger's BBQ

Sunday 5th: Woke up with a bit of a headache; maybe something to do with the food I ate the night before! ;o)))) The there was a BBQ lunch for the SICYC (Shag Islet Cruising Yacht Club, Shaggers) on Shingles Beach with more boatie friends to catch up. Only soda water for me!

I stayed on board and watched the world go by

Monday 6th: MrJ went shopping, by himself, while I had to stay home and rest the ankle again, after hobbling around too much at the BBQ on Sunday. MrJ then did a fuel and gas bottle run into the marina while I packed away the groceries.

Public dock, marina and boat harbour at Able Point

Tuesday 7th: Very early for some, 0700hs, MrJ and I took AR into the public jetty for water and a wash down. MrJ was doing all the work again while I hobbled around to the local shop for muffins, croissants and iced coffees. I can see that the workman are still rebuilding the public boat ramp next to the dock.

We then left Able Point for Langford Island; took up a mooring buoy and stayed there the night.

MrJ's Port & STB markers

After an early lunch MrJ and I we ashore onto the sand spit of Langford Island; the tide was rising cutting the sand spit off from the small island. There were a few tourists on the sand spit.

Langford Island

If I has a long wall these three photos would link up

Solway Lass

Tourist boat

One of MrJ's favourite

And one of my favourites

The next morning I woke up and found the place empty

Hayman Island Resort

A hitchhiker on the way to Blue Pearl Bay

Wednesday 8th: After a leisurely breakfast MrJ and I left the mooring at Langford and slow sailed across to the NW side of Hayman Island to pick up another mooring in Blue Pearl Bay.

Blue Pearl Bay

The water was too rippling to do any snorkelling; instead we had morning tea while watching the antics of the tourists and then left. Sometime you have to feel sorry for the tourists; they pay big money to do what we are doing but don’t always get to see due to the wind and weather condition. At least we can come back another day.

As MrJ and I came around the top end of Hayman Island and down through the Southern Passage between Hayman and Hook Island, we received a phone call from Gary and Mercedes on Forever Dreaming. They had just left Langford and were heading for Macona Inlet for a couple of day to get some jobs done on their boat. That was enough information for us so off we went to Macona Inlet as well; catch up with Forever Dreaming just before the bottom Point of Hook Island, near False Nara Bay. Afternoon and sundowners on ALANA ROSE!

Spray over ALANA ROSE's bow

Sunset in Macona Inlet (Forever Dreaming)

Mrj fixing hatches

Thursday 9th: MrJ has been working on the seals around the top hatches; starting with the small head (bathroom) ones. I managed to give the inside and the floors of the boat a good cleaning.

Wild dolphin

We see dolphins in the afternoon feeding around the coral patches. Not that I was close enough to get any great shots.

MrJ end our special day by having Sundowners and dinner on Forever Dreaming and then next morning we wake up to another beautiful day.

Morning in Macona Inlet

I Sprained My Ankle on South Molle Island

Thursday 2^rd August 2012

I Sprained My Ankle on South Molle Island
Cool nights, warm days, fresh breezes
20’15.524S – 148’50.354E

Looking down into Bauer Bay from the hill trek

MrJ and I sailed across the Whitsunday Passage to drop the pick in Bauer Bay on the north side of South Molle Island. Under stronger winds this anchorage can be very uncomfortable with lumpy swell coming in from the passage and strong bullets of wind whipping around the two large peaks, Spion Kop and The Horn, on the NE point. This day we were lucky to not be getting these conditions.

South Molle Island has a rich history:

It is said that Aborigines, the Ngrao people have inhabited the Whitsunday area for some 8000 years. The Ngrao Are supposed to have called South Molle Island Whyrriba which some sources say meant 'stone axe'. The Ngrao would paddle their canoes across the waterways to make their weapons and tools at a natural rock quarry on the island.
In 1770 Lieutenant James Cook, Captain Cook, was the first known European explorer through the Whitsunday Passage.

Whitsunday Passage

On May 14, 1815 Lieutenant Charles Jeffreys RN in HM Colonial Brig “Kangaroo” anchored in the Whitsunday area and gave the name “Port Molle” to the waters between the north-western shores of today’s Long Island and the mainland. Jeffreys and the “Kangaroo” were on their way from Port Jackson to Ceylon with a part of the 73rd Regiment, which had finished their tour of duty in New South Wales. Jeffreys gave the name “Molle” after the then Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales, Colonel George James Molle (1773 - 1823). Molle came to New South Wales in February 1814 as the Commanding Officer of the 46th Regiment and upon his arrival was he appointed Lieutenant Governor under Lachlan Macquarie. Port Molle remained the only “Molle” name on official charts until 1863 when Admiralty charts showed, in addition to Port Molle, the “Molle Islands” but with no individual names for the component Islands. It was not until 1881, when HMS Alert conducted a detailed survey of Port Molle, that the Islands of the Group received their individual names of West Molle, North Molle, Mid Molle, Molle, Planton and Denman.

The old jetty

In the early 1920’s, this group of islands was purchased by Henry G. Lamond, then comprising South Molle, North Molle, West Molle, Planton and Denman, Mid Molle and Goat Island.
Mr Lamond, who had spent his entire life in Far West Queensland, took up occupancy on South Molle on the 19 April 1927 with his family - wife, Eileen and children Hal, Amy and Bill. The Lamond family lived on South Molle till 1937. During this time, Mr Lamond earned a living as an author of worldwide reputation at the same time supplementing the family income from the wool clip of cross bred sheep that he ran on the islands. The pen of Henry G Lamond, through his articles published all over the world in the early 1930s, did much to make the Whitsunday Passage known worldwide and undoubtedly was a major contributing factor to the start of the tourist industry in this part of Queensland. In those early days the mail was delivered to South Molle once a fortnight by a Mr Otto Altman in a 27-foot boat called “Senix”. Mr Altman owned a banana plantation on Long Island


The club hous has been here since the resort was built

During the earlier stage of island life there was no wireless, no gramophones and it was only during the latter period on the island that a portable wind-up HMV gramophone was acquired. That instrument with some dozen records of the music of the time scarcely stopped during the leisure hours of the family. There was no electricity on the island and the major household light was a Colman lamp supplemented with 2 or 3 kerosene lanterns. There was no form of refrigeration and perishables were kept cool in a charcoal cooler which comprised a packing case insulated on all sides with charcoal which was at all times kept moist. This proved primitive but most effective. Groceries were ordered from Queensland Pastoral Supplies in Brisbane and delivered to the island once a month by John Burke Coastal Ships. Vegetables and tropical fruit were in abundance and came exclusively from the island garden expertly and fondly planted and cared for by Mrs Lamond.

Four.......................!!!

In the early 1930s he sold West Molle to Major Paddy Lee Murray and North Molle to a Mr Johnson from Western Queensland. On the 19 April 1937, he sold the balance of the Molle Group to the Bauer Family who later established South Molle as a tourist resort.
 One of the first smaller tourist ships, the ‘Woy Woy’ chartered by a Mr Pollock, cruised the passage in the early 30s. About the same time, owners of smaller vessels were starting to take an interest in the tourist potential of the area and Easter and Christmas Holidays attracted a number of vessels of varying sizes from such areas as Bowen and Mackay.


Hidden in the rainforest

After dropping anchor I made an early lunch before going ashore. With cameras and water bottle in our packs and good walking shoes on MrJ and I walked along the long jetty which lead to the resort and the track behind that the beginning of all the walks on South Molle Island. South Molle Island is all National Parks except for the rundown resort area that is now used as a stop-off stagging point or overnight stay for tourist backpackers on the way out to the reef.





South Molle Island has some of the prettiest walks in the entire Whitsunday Island Group including walks to Oyster Bay: 2.5 km from the resort - a rocky mangrove-lined beach characterised by driftwood left by the prevailing winds and tides, Mt Jeffreys: 3.5 km from the resort - this is the highest point on the island and the lookout offers 360° views, Spion Kop: 3 km from the resort, Lamond Hill: 3 km from the resort, Pine Bay and Sandy Bay:4.7 km from the resort - interesting area where coastal she oaks line the beach, the Hidden Valley and Balancing Rock: 1 km from the resort. In total there are 16 km of walks in the National Park and all the tracks are well maintained.
MrJ and I last did one of these walks, the hike to Mt Jeffreys named after the intrepid explorer and ships’ captain Lieutenant Charles Jeffreys RN, many years ago while on holiday in the resort, that’s when it was up and running to true form.

On the way up to Spion Kop (on the right) we pass the Aboriginal's natural rock quarry (left)



This time MrJ and I chose to do the Spion Kop hike on the NE point.  Spion Kop is actually a Dutch/Afrikaans word meaning “Spying Head” or “Lookout”, named by the Bauer family, who had a South African background. The Spion Kop track leads through eucalypt forest, rainforest, open grasslands with a windswept hillside of Tree ferns (Blackboys). This trek took us 2 ½ hours from start to finish with more than several photographic stops along the way and one major stop on the way back near the end of the track.

The lookout on Spion Kop

Nancy went down, went down in a crumbling heap, went down like in a slow motion movie when I slipped on a very small lose rock that was hidden under some dry leaves and sprained my right ankle. Now there are millions of these lose rock on the path but it only takes one and to place your foot down wrong and down you go; like the old saying about stepping off the curb and twisting your ankle. How many times do you do something that you become complacent? Even though my eyes were looking my mind was elsewhere, elsewhere by meaning I was thinking about my photography and not fully on where I was treading. Number one thought was for my camera equipment; number one action was to do nothing but stay still on the ground in extreme pain. Number two was to call out to MrJ as he was up ahead while I do the usual and lag behind. MrJ came quickly to the rescue but before I would let him lift me up I had him check the camera gear and all was ok, thank goodness. As far as me, well, I scored a bad ankle sprain, maybe even a torn tendon or ligament because of all the swelling, but no bruising or evidence of internal bleeding so nothing broken, a few scratches and gravel rash on the left knee and a wake-up call to be more alert in future. Nothing an ice pack, a bandage and a couple of days rest won’t cure.

Got my photography chllenge for the day done too - bonus!

And I can’t wait to see what MrJ’s account of the accident will be! ;o))))))