EGsail2016: 10 lovely days with friends from Melbourne

We were joined by Lisa and Bill for 10 days of excellent sailing. Lisa was new to sailing but Bill had raced dingies in his youth and sailed on something a little larger some years ago. The weather looked as if it might be a bit too windy but in the end we only had one day when we decided to stay put. The SE trades are blowing strong and consistently. We set off from Airlie on the day they arrived and beat down to Bauer Bay where we picked up a buoy at the deserted resort. We spent a peaceful night after a lovely sunset. Next morning it was another beat down to Shaw Island. We had decided to make our way down South so that we could then enjoy some down wind sailing with lots of stops while making our way North again. Also we knew that the forecast for day three was for 25-30 knot SE winds so we needed to be somewhere safe and sheltered. Not long after leaving Bauer we sighted our first whales, not very close but still exciting. By the time we reached Shaw it was blowing quite hard and we found a sheltered and calm sport for the night. Next morning, when the wind was blowing 25+ knots we planned to stay put but a nasty swell came in and we relocated further down the island nearer Burning Point. We spent the day at anchor reading, knitting and sewing. Next day it was Bill!s birthday and still quite windy but we decided to sail down to Thomas Island, one of my favourites. We had a good beat down with reefed sails but were well out of the wind and very comfortable once in the shelter of Thomas. Our original intention was just to have a swim, walk and lunch at Thomas and then return to Shaw for the night. However, it was so peaceful there that we stayed the night and took the risk of a swell coming in as it had done on previous occasions when anchored there. As we were having breakfast next morning we saw more whales. We set off for Whitehaven, down wind this time. The wind had moderated somewhat and we had a lovely sail. Bill and Lisa did all the sailing for the whole time while John and I just sat back and relaxed. I think that the only time one of us took the helm was when manoeuvring around buoys and anchors and entering and leaving the marina. What fantastic crew! We anchored off Whitehaven and Bill and Lisa went ashore while John and I swam from the boat. We then spent the night at Apostle Bay. It's the next bay up from Tongue and we had the bay to ourselves while Tongue had about 20 boats anchored. There are turtles everywhere. In the morning we had hoped to anchor off the northern end of Whitehaven off Hill inlet. However it was too shallow so we picked up a buoy in Tongue and went round the point in the dingy. We had a very wet ride!! We did the Hill Inlet walk while the tide was very low. We've never been there at that state of the tide and it looked very different but still very beautiful. Next morning we had a close encounter with a dugong as we left Tongue - very exciting. We made our way to Cateran Bay which we had to ourselves for a short time. Then others came and we had a bit of entertainment while a small motor boat made a complete hash of trying to anchor. The snorkelling was good although the water was definitely cooler than it was a couple of weeks ago. We went on in the afternoon to Macona Bay to anchor for the night. The wind had dropped completely. It was a still, dark night with no moon and the stars were amazing. Just after dinner we were visited by a lone dolphin who swam around the boat. Next morning we sailed to Cid Harbour where we anchored and then went ashore in the dingy. We climbed Whitsunday Peak (434m). It's a steep climb for about 1 hour 20 minutes up but you are rewarded by a superb 360 degree view from the top. Next day we made our way back to Airlie beach. We started with a good breeze but it soon died away and we ended up motoring the last bit. We saw more whales. It's one of the best whale seasons ever. We had dinner ashore courtesy of Lisa and Bill and then very sadly said farewell to them next day. Hopefully they will be back to sail with us again at another time!

Leaving Airlie beach. Lisa and Bill put to work straight away!