Winter warmth

DESTINATIONS: WHITSUNDAY CHARTER

Escaping the busy life of Sydney for an idyllic winter voyage around the Queensland's tropical islands was just the tonic, reports sailor Jane-Anne Lee.

At Airlie Beach’s Abel Point Marina, our charter boat was nicknamed Fat Girl. But after seven nights on board the Hunter 356, we certainly appreciated her wide beam. The roomy interior and spacious cockpit were ideal for cruising the lush waters of the Whitsundays, 1,100km north of Brisbane.

With consistent 15-20-knot winds from the prevailing south-east on all but one day, our five-year-old Whitsunday Escape charter boat Marmic, a blend of her owner’s names, revelled in the conditions, delivering a steady six knots as we made our way from one heavenly location to another.

It’s little wonder that the Whitsundays, made up of more than 74 islands, fringed with coral reefs and white beaches, are described as ‘probably the best cruising ground in Australia’ by Trevor Rees, managing director of Whitsunday Escape.

‘They offer a unique experience,’ he says. ‘You have got a number of protected anchorages that are accessible in about any weather conditions. The average sailing time between destinations is about two hours and the winds are pretty consistent throughout the year. It is also relatively unspoilt with pristine sea life and coral as good as the outer reef. Those sorts of factors put the destination ahead of its competitors.

‘If you go overseas, at the average anchorage, for example, in the Caribbean, you will have a few dinghies coming alongside trying to sell things and you have to lock up the boat when you go ashore. Here, you can do what you want and go where you want. Even in the peak periods, if you want an anchorage to yourself, a bareboat charter could find that.’

We spent our first night before the briefing on the boat, free of charge, at the marina. Apart from some spot varnishing and a few jamming cupboards, Marmic was in fine condition. In town, we picked up enough supplies for the week, including some fish which Whitsunday Escape kindly offered to freeze overnight in their office. We enjoyed dinner in Airlie Beach, where we bumped into journalist friends from Sydney. They were in town to chase a story on Nicole Kindman, who was starring in Baz Luhrmann's movie Australiain nearby Bowen.

Before setting off on our charter, we had a thorough three-hour briefing session about the boat, anchorages, dangers and a suggested itinerary for our first four nights. It was recommended that we anchor before 4pm and not depart before 10am until visibility was good. Tides up to 3.5 metres pose the main challenge for the Whitsunday novice. The book, 100 Magic Miles of the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsunday Islands (David Colfelt), was to be our cruising bible.

Every day, there are two radio schedules, one at 8am, the other at 2pm. If we couldn’t make those times, we were to check in morning and afternoon. This was quite different to our last bareboat charter in Tahiti, where the small French company had no desire for schedules. ‘See you in 10 days,’ were their parting words.

Day one: Stonehaven Anchorage

After a leisurely three-hour sail in 20-knot south-east winds, bypassing the key danger point of Pioneer Rocks, we picked up a mooring in Hook Island’s Stonehaven Anchorage. The steep, rugged tree-clad slopes of Mount Sydney towered over us. We cooled off in the aqua waters before tossing some barramundi on the barbecue. Though majestic, it was not the calm anchorage we had hoped for with gusting south-easterly bullets punching the boat through the night. The next morning, we motored to Hayman Island’s Blue Peal Bay for a spot of snorkelling. The sponges, clams and fish were spectacular. On leaving, an enormous green turtle glided past our boat.

Day two: Butterfly Bay
After another day of great sailing, we moored in beautiful Butterfly Bay, so named because of its shape. It’s designated a Marine National Park B Zone so fishing and shell-collecting are prohibited. Despite being surrounded by high hills and the shadow of Mount Sydney, we also experienced bullets of wind in a south-easterly. Any discomfort was outweighed by the sheer beauty of the bay which also had great snorkelling, particularly at Alcyonaria Point. Again, the barbie was fired up, this time for garlic prawns.

Day three and four: Border Island
As forecast, the wind was 20 knots from the south-east, ideal for our four-hour sail to Cateran Bay on the outlying Border Island, also a Marine National Park B Zone. Again, we didn’t need to anchor as there were several moorings available. When we arrived, the tide was too low to go ashore so we decided to stay an extra night to take advantage of the remote location, beaches and the sensational snorkelling in the shadow of Mosstrooper Peak. We were not disappointed, and this remained one of our favourite destinations. There were lemon, lime and lilac corals in all shapes and sizes. Clams with plush velvet lips in rich shades and schools of fish, including golden damsels, slingjaw wrasses, bullethead parrotfish, six-banded angelfish and threadfin butterfly fish. There were bigger fish below the sheer drop-offs, and turtles coming up for air. During the day, the odd day tripper tourist boat would visit, but by mid-afternoon we shared the anchorage with just a few others. In the mornings, we were woken by a chorus of laughter from kookaburras and squawking from cockatoos.

Day five: Whitehaven Beach
We set off around 10am for Whitsunday Island’s Whitehaven Beach. The wind was still coming from the south-east but, at 10-15 knots, it was a peaceful two-and-a-half-hour sail with barely a tack. We followed the advice of 100 Magic Miles, passing to the west of Esk Island then turning south to avoid the shifting sands of Hill Inlet before heading west of Lagoon Rock. The beach is a blindingly white 5km stretch of sand, described by 100 Magic Miles as the ‘legacy of a geologic era when the sea level was lower’.

After the peace of Border Island, we were certainly back in civilization with sea planes dropping off tourists for day picnics and party boats blaring rock music. But it was a big beach and there was room for everyone. The highlight was the consistent parade of turtles around our boat - so close we could hear them exhaling. Across the bay, Haslewood Island’s Chalkie’s Beach offered a quieter anchorage with good snorkelling.

Day six: May’s Bay
During our morning radio schedule, concern was expressed about our desire to go via Solway Passage to May’s Bay. But the often churning waters that can spin a boat around 90 degrees posed no problems for Marmic. There was also only slight turbulence through the Fitzalan Passage. We passed Hamilton Island, the first time we were back in mobile phone range for some days. With enough supplies on board, there was no reason to visit the marina so we hoisted the sails for our more remote destination. Whitsunday Island’s secluded May’s Bay is around the point from the popular Cid Harbour. According to 100 Miles, the bay was named after May, the wife of Lindsay Heiser ‘ both early partners in the Hook underwater observatory. Again, there was a turtle parade around our boat.

Day seven: Abel Point Marina
This was our last night on board. The boat had to be back at the inconvenient time of 10-10.30am the following morning to be prepared for the next charter, limiting overnight options to places such as South Molle, Daydream Island or the mainland. Our plan was to sail via Daydream for South Molle where we would walk in the national park to take in the views. The radio schedule forecast 15 knot winds so we headed off, sails hoisted. Once out of the calm of Mays Bay, it became clear the forecast was wrong and the change expected later in the week had hit earlier. At Hayman Island, 50 knots were reported and other boats in the Whitsunday Escape fleet sought shelter at Hamilton Island. The seas were rising, the rain was heavy and visibility was poor. Halfway to Daydream, we decided there was no point stopping at South Molle’s Bauer Bay, described by the cruising bible as ‘not the most quiescent anchorages among the islands’. Plan B was the appropriately named Funnel Bay on the mainland. But it was uncomfortable with bullets of wind regularly pounding the boat. We headed to Pioneer Bay, but it too was rolling.

Reluctantly, we called in to request a marina berth at Abel Point so we could enjoy our last night of a fantastic week on Fat Girl.

Information
Whitsunday Escape has about 30 boats in its fleet, made up of powered cruisers and catamarans, mono-hulls and sailing cats.

The best time to cruise is from mid-April to mid-November. The peak season is September/October.

Our Hunter 356 (10.6m) had two double cabins, collapsible dining table, 6ft headroom, 3.6m beam, 1.9m draft, one head, 27hp diesel, a fridge, freezer, microwave, two-burner stove, deck shower, BBQ, dodger, bimini, 240V inverter and GPS.

The cost for the Hunter 356 ranges from $490 to $620 a night depending on the season.

Whitsunday Escape can be contacted on 1800 075 145.