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