EGsail2016: A week of amazing whale sightings but still no good photos!

Another quick turnaround (laundry, supermarket, cleaning, water tanks etc) after David and Lucy left and we welcomed Sharon. Those who read the blog last year will know that Sharon sailed with us for a couple of weeks in New Caledonia. The weather forecast was certainly better for the coming week than it had been for the previous one but the forecast did keep changing. We set off to Cid in a SE wind of a good strength ?15-20 knots - we still don't have a working wind instrument, since the incident with the neighbour's mast - and made it almost there on one tack before a wind shift forced a few tacks. Next day we made an early start to make the most of the south flowing flood tide to take us down the Hunt Channel and Fitzalan and Dent Passages, past Hamilton Island, against the wind. Once through we turned the engine off and made for Thomas Island. It was grey and overcast with a strengthening head wind. However we made good time and anchored at Thomas Island with a bit of sunshine for a swim and lunch. In the afternoon we reached back to Shaw to anchor for the night. It was a good day's sailing in which we covered 37 nm. Next day we sailed very close to a mother and calf who appeared to be sleeping just off the North tip of Shaw Island. They just lay there lifting a pectoral fin to show its white underside and blowing off occasionally and not taking any notice of us. We sailed on round the western side of Workington Island and round the northern side of Hasle Wood to anchor in Windy Bay for a swim and lunch. Then we sailed on to Macona for the night. The forecast had changed. It had been for SE 15-25 knots for the whole week. That was why we had sailed south initially and thought that we would enjoy the rest of the week going back north with the wind. However it was now saying that there would be northerlies so our plans changed. The next day we went from Macona to Cateran Bay for lunch and a snorkel and then back to Nara for the night. We sighted some whales quite close by on the way but, while we were moored in Cateran we spotted a mother and calf and a third whale just off the north east point of Border Island, quite close to us, and they put on a fantastic show. The calf shot out clear of the water and one of the adult whales breached and they played around for some time before swimming off round the eastern side of the island. Because of the change in wind direction, we changed our plan to sail north and circumnavigate Hook Island, stopping to snorkel and perhaps stay the night at Butterfly Bay. Instead we headed for Tongue Inlet and anchored there. It was quite windy and the water choppy but Sharon and I rowed ashore and climbed up to the Hill Inlet lookout and down to the beach below. As Sharon was rowing back, two separate people came up to us in their dinghies with outboard motors to offer us a tow. It's very kind of them but we declined both saying that we enjoyed rowing and that it is good exercise. They obviously thought that we were two crazy women. We were expecting our usual disturbed night in Tongue but were pleasantly surprised that the swell died down and we all slept well. Next day it was grey and cloudy and we sailed through the Solway Passage and, as we came round to the south side of Whitsunday Island we were greeted by the division one racing boats (it was Hamilton race week) just finishing their morning race. Modern racers all have either black or grey sails so, on a very grey day, it all looked extremely gloomy! We sailed on to anchor in Cid Harbour for the night. Next day a breezy sail brought us back to Airlie Beach to drop Sharon off. During the week we had many whale sightings, some of which were close up but none of which did we capture adequately on camera - amazing none the less.

Back in Airlie, Sharon treated us to a lovely tapas lunch before we said goodbye to her. John and I went to Mr Bones for dinner and then left next day to fly home for 10 days. During this time we are going to Adelaide for two nights, where we are catching up with many friends and then on to Port Lincoln for two nights to attend Jonathan and Wendy's 121st birthday party. It's cold for us here in Newcastle and I'm not sure how we are going to survive Port Lincoln! We are very spoiled spending our winters in the tropics. The blog will continue on our return to Airlie.

Pentecost Island on our way south.