Went Kayaking around Sawmill Bay – Cid Harbour

Thursday 28^th June 2012

Went Kayaking around Sawmill Bay – Cid Harbour
20'15.818 S - 148'56.570 E

Cid Harbour from Sawmill Beach

The sun was shining its warmth this day; taking both cameras with me I jumped in the kayak and went exploring around the shoreline of Sawmill Bay Cid Harbour. Over at the main beach I was able to get off the kayak to see what was around. I was the only person on the beach at this stage, until an hour or so later when several people came ashore in their dinghies from the larger motor boats that had just arrived in the bay.

Rainforest floor

The main walking track that takes you up to the Whitsunday Peak was still much the same, a lovely natural rainforest trail.

The water stream that drains out onto the beach had changed. It had been deepened by last season’s rains washing down the hills and out into the sea.

The sandbank along the beach had changed it course where this little stream comes out and there are now a couple of large water holes in the sand where the stream once trickled.

Green ants on the march

The second walking track across to Dugong Beach had not changed with its entrance into the rain forest surrounded with rocks and natural bush. The once used metal tracks of the long ago old sawmill are still buried deep in the sands.

Sawmill Beach acquired its name because from 1888 to 1904 the Withnall family operated a saw mill there and in the 1990s remnants of that occupation still could be found, though fast disappearing. During the Depression of the 1930s under a scheme to place certain unemployed persons in an area where they could fend for themselves the Department of Labour and Industry, Brisbane in November 1931 approved an informal tenure over an area of 200 acres in the Sawmill Beach area of Cid Harbour, and Alexander Burnett, William Charles Fisher, Harold Robertson and George Henry Gray were permitted to occupy the area free of rent. They had the right to cultivate ten acres of the leased land but whether this occupation took place is not known.

Gardening on Shore - Cid Harbour

Wednesday 27^th June 2012

Gardening on Shore - Cid Harbour
Very overcast with some sunshine and a few showers

Sunset in Cid Harbour

Today was the first time that we have been able to get off the boat in four days, four days of wind and rain. In the afternoon the sun actually came out and the air was warm, warm enough to be in shorts and t-shirt once more.
I thought that this would be a good day to do some gardening in this nice warm sunshine. Into the dinghy went the Thai Coriander plant that I had bought at the markets in Airlie last Saturday along with the small bag of dirt that I had carried all the way home from Bunning’s, my bag of garden tools and the small planter box. MrJ and I dinghied over to the southern beach in Sawmill Bay; this is where I unloaded all my goodies and began to garden, being careful not to spill or leave any of my mess on the beach.

MrJ talking to a fellow boatie (Peter)

After the gardening I went exploring with my camera. While on my exploration I came across some bright orange bugs on the berry and leaves of a mangrove tree. I am under the belief that the bug is a species of Crusader bug (or holy cross bug) and the tree is a Mangrove Apple (sonneratia alba)

The Crusader bug is an insect located mainly in Australia but is also found in Indonesia and the Indo-Pacific. They can be seen nearly anywhere from urban areas through to the coast but are not found in the desert. The Crusader Bug is a brown bug with a striking yellow cross on its back. It has long legs with hind legs much thicker than other legs (my photo does not show this). The antennae have orange tips (my photo does not show this). The thorax has prominent conical spines projecting on either side at the shoulders. Later instar nymphs have two orange spots in the middle of the upper surface of abdomen (my photos show orange body with black spots).

Crusader Bugs

The Mangrove Apple grows up to 15m tall. Its leaves are rounded and leathery. The flower is white, pom-pom-like and open only for one night. The fruit are large (4 cm) green with a star-shaped base containing 100-150 tiny seeds that are white, flattened and buoyant and they are leathery. Mangrove Apple grow mostly along banks of tidal rivers, creeks and within sheltered bays of offshore islands and reef cays They have thick cone-shaped aerial roots and use ultra filtration at the root level to exclude salt. Mangrove Apple can tolerate wide fluctuations in salinity and often grow on exposed, soft but stable mud banks low on the tidal mudflats. It is believed that they store excess salt in old leaves which they later shed. Alba is the most widespread of the Sonneratia - they are found from East Africa through the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, northern Australia, Borneo and Pacific Islands.


Young Crusader Bugs

Blowing a Gale in Cid Harbour

Tuesday 26^th June 2012

Blowing a Gale in Cid Harbour

Raining in Cid Harbour

Last night was a pussy cat compared to the two previous nights sitting on anchor in Cid Harbour with gale force winds hammering AR. The winds were anything between 27-34knts or even more at times through the night with some of the bullets so hard that I thought that the bridal was going to pull out of its point in the hulls and I was not getting out of my warm safe bed to check the gauge. Very unnerving to say the least! Our good ol’ Rocna anchor held fast in 5.5mts of water with 25mts of chain out plus the bridal; always like to put out a 5:1 ratio of rode and in shallow water with strong winds we usually put out 7:1 for the sheer weight to help hold us at anchor. We are in good holding in Cid Harbour with a sand/mud bottom.

Done in the doona

 MrJ did get up on several occasions and that was good enough for me as I buried myself deeper down into the doona. If it wasn’t the wind hammering us it was the rain pelting down! It has been raining constantly for the past two days, from a light drizzly to a full on downpour, drenching everything and nothing getting dry in the cockpit.



The inside of AR now has that moist clammy feeling and it will be good to be able to open some hatchs to air the place out.

The plants get a water while the genny has her rain hut

The sky is clearing

A Quick Look at the Markets and a Run for Cid Harbour

Saturday 23/06/12

20’15.818 – 148’56.570
A Quick Look at the Markets and a Run for Cid Harbour

Looking up the bay to cannonvale

Airlie Beach Market Day always falls on a Saturday morning with many colourful stall set up in town along the waterfront at Airlie Beach. This morning after last night’s rain, there was no sunshine and there was a strong cold breeze blowing making the day all dull and grey. MrJ and I decided that we would walk into town once again with Gary and Mercedes, to have a quick look at the market but mainly to see if Sandy and Kelvin had their Grotty Yachty Stall at the markets. If you are ever at the Airlie Markets do check out their stall and their great t-shirts and other items. Sandy and Kelvin are local people, local business people, local boaties and fellow Shaggers (SICYC members) besides being our good friends who we have not seen since last year. We did catch up with Sandy and Kelvin and caught up with all that had been happening since we were last there.

Mercedes, Sandy & Kelvin

I came home with some fresh veggies and another plant. How unusual for me! I bought a young Thai Coriander plant as the one I have already is getting a lot of use and need a rest. That was my excuse and I will stick with it! ;o))))

Another reason to go up town was for MrJ to get a carton of beer and some white for me from the BWS store in the main street of Airlie. Can’t go without the important stuff! MrJ always buys the  beer and wine at this store because the franchise owner give you a good deal and quiet often has great special that you can’t get anywhere else.

The blister on my foot was still giving me trouble and I had to bandage it once we got back on board. The wind had seemed to settle but I could feel that it was coming from a different direction, slightly east and the shoreline was protecting AR just for a little while. The wind was due to change, change to southerlies and come in much stronger, too strong for us to stay in this anchorage. There was a strong wind warning for the entire northern Queensland coast; MrJ and I knew that we had to get out of here, get out of here right now and fast. Gary and Mercedes were staying in town a little long and then they would come back and move their boat around to the beach front at Airlie. Their boat has a very shallow draft 800ml, not like AR and her 1.4m draft and would be able to get in fairly close for a good anchorage and protection. We had to move which we did. MrJ and I up anchored and sailed across to Cid Harbour on western side of Whitsunday Island.

A tourists boat heading for the safety of the marina

As AR left the protection of the main land the wind caught her sail. MrJ decided to only put the genoa out and not all of it as we had no idea what was waiting for us in the Whitsunday Passage. The tide was near to high and hopefully would be on the turn by the time we go out to the passage and then we would have wind going with tide, even if the wind was strong and the sea was lively, which it was.

We sailed across to the top of North Molle Island, turned along its western shore and motored into the waves, which were not so bad on this shoreline till we came to the passage between North and South Molle Islands, Unsafe Passage. Here we motored through and into Bauer Bay on the northern side of South Molle Island. From here we kept the headland of Spion Kop and Deedes Point close to out starboard side before turning into the feisty Whitsunday Passage. By coming this way instead of straight across the top of North Molle Island it would give us a better angle to head for Cid Harbour, a better angle to take the passage and time for the tide to take effect. MrJ and I had made the right choice and still with only a reefed genoa we made our crossing pretty much unscathed except for the occasional spray over the bows.

Sunset in Cide Harbour

AR is now safely anchored in Cid Harbour under the protection of the Whitsunday Peak on Whitsunday Island.

Walked a Blister on My Foot – Able Point

Friday 22/06/12

Walked a Blister on My Foot – Able Point
Beautiful Whitsunday weather

Morning sunrise

There was a spectacular sunrise this morning, a sunrise to tell us that there is a change on the way and we will have to keep a look out. This morning MrJ and I decides to walk into Bunning’s Store in Cannonvale a 3 to 4k hike from the marina dinghy dock with Gary and Mercedes. Of course we all had to have a sausage sanga that are always on sale out the front. Inside, MrJ bought some new water hose and four small solar lights for the boat. I bought some more potting mix for my little garden, for my play time. I’ve got my priorities right!

On the walk home we stopped at the Whitsunday shopping centre where we had a coffee break and I was able to buy some new post card which I was unable to get in Mackay. I love to send post cards to the grandkid, to keep in touch with them and let them know where we are and what we have been up to.

The walk to Cannonvale

Silly me decided to wear sandal instead of my hiking shoe and now am suffering with a large blister on the ball of my right foot. Some days you just want to look good, dress a little better to feel good instead of getting around in your “grotty yachty” clothes but then some days it just does not pay off.

MrJ and I invited Ric over for dinner; not because Shelly was away, just because he is a good friend and we had not touched base for a day or two. It is still not too cold in the evening not to be able to eat in the cockpit if we put the covers down enclosing the whole area. It was luck that MrJ and I had chosen to do so as no sooner that we sat down for our pre-dinner drink than did the sky open up sending the rain down in bucket’s full. MrJ had to construct an awning over the BBQ.