Year 2 10 July 2025-Fitzroy Island – Green Island
I need two extra crew members from Cairns to Indonesia leaving about the 14/15 July 2025. If anyone is interested please contact me as soon as possible.
It was a greyish morning when we woke but with the promise of some sun. I pondered our options and thought it may be good to go out to the reefs and Green Island which was only about 11nm away as the crow flies. It is an island (what they call a Cay) with a large reef off it. We had our standard breakfast of cereal and fruit and yoghurt.
Once done we upped anchor and headed out passing our friends Free at Last 2 as we went past and I wished them well on the hailer on the VHR radio. We had plenty of time so we just put up the headsail (genoa) and sailed at an angle to go toward the Arlington Reef and then we would gybe back toward Green Island. William and Nicola set about making a loaf of bread which turned out very well -see the picture of the day.
As we were sailing quite slowly under the genoa I decided to get some fishing gear together. Normally I have at least one or two keen fishermen on board. However, with Darrel’s departure we were on our own. I have heard from Darrel which is good and he is out of hospital and feeling a great deal better which is great. I sorted out the rods and decided to put one out with a lure we bought in Port Stephens some way back, it is a white and red lure with a paravane on the front. It went down well and I went down below. Within about 8-10 minutes the ratchet went on the reel and we had a fish on. I managed to get the rod and reel under control and began to reel whatever we had on the line in. I got the guys to get a bucket out of the lazarette and the knife from the binnacle and a chopping board or two. I reeled the fish in and saw it looked like a reasonable size tuna. I managed to get it over the rail and on to the deck where I dispatched it. We then set about filleting it and I did some and Mark did the rest and he did a good job. Once filleted we had to clean up the deck etc and prepare the fish for cooking which Mark did very well.
During the time we were catching the fish there was a Mayday (emergency call) about a boat at Green Island which had hit the reef. As there were other boats nearby the island they went to the rescue and were far closer than us so we did not have to get involved. We sailed on and got to our waypoint when we gybed and then headed between Green Island and Arlington Reef on our Starboard side. We sailed on about 6 kts on headsail alone and we could see various boats at anchor and on buoys. We continued on until we got to a point when we were adjacent the island and then Nicola motored us toward the point where I though we would anchor. The plotter told us it would get a lot shallower and we thought of anchoring and then decided to go down the reef a bit and anchor where it may be more sheltered from a swell point of view. We headed in where there was deeper water and then it goes quite shallow so we anchored in the best place we could. This was some way from the island and it looked like we were in the middle of the ocean.
Once anchored we had some lunch and rested and chilled. I thought that we should decide by 3.00pm whether we should be staying here for the night or heading off to the mainland. I had looked at the weather and felt we should be fine here. It will not be flat but we should have a gentle roll which we should be able to cope with. We therefore read and relaxed.
By later afternoon I enjoyed sitting on the aft deck which had a breeze blowing which was quite nice. We think we spotted the boat which hit the reef and was the cause of the Mayday. The sun gradually went down and the moon came up. It was a lovely scene and funny that we were some 15 nm off the Queensland Coast anchored in about 15 m of water and off Green Island, a coral cay.
Coral Cays have very different beginnings from islands like Fitzroy Island which is where we were last night. Coral Cays are formed by currents and waves washing reef debris onto the calm sides of submerged reefs. Over time reef debris continues to collect on the cay and birds bring seeds from the other islands. Some of these seeds grow and the roots bind the reef debris together, helping it prevent being washed away. Low shrubs are the first to grow. Eventually more complex plant communities develop. Green Island with its closed vine forest is an example of the final stage in coral cay development. It is in effect now an island with a forest of trees and bush on it.
Green Island is coral cay 27 km (17 mi) offshore from Cairns, Queensland, Australia located within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park World Heritage Area in the Coral Sea. The island is surrounded by coral reef and protected in the Green Island National Park. Most visitors come for the day. A luxury resort with 46 rooms is situated on the island. The island supports a range of vegetation, including dry coastal/beach plants and a vine thicket rain forest. There are no natural freshwater springs on the island so all vegetation relies on rainwater and a small freshwater lens located under the island. The island was formed approximately 6,000 years ago by waves depositing sand, coral and other debris onto its coral foundations.
The Queensland Government has gazetted Green Island as the cay's official name, this being the name given it by Lieutenant James Cook on 10 June 1770, either because of the appearance of the coral cay's vegetation, or possibly after Charles Green, who was an astronomer aboard the Endeavour at the time. Since the early 20th century, tourism has been the main activity on the island. A guest house was originally built in the 1930s and an underwater observatory was installed in 1954.
In 1970 Queen Elizabeth II, The Duke of Edinburgh and Her Royal Highness Princess Anne toured Australia including Queensland. The Queensland tour began on Sunday 12 April when the royal yacht Britannia entered Moreton Bay at Caloundra, sailing into Newstead Wharf. After visiting Brisbane, Longreach and Mount Isa the Royal Family travelled to Mackay. The royal party had a leisurely cruise to Townsville. According to the formal schedule, the Royal Yacht Britannia arrived off Green Island on the morning of 21 April, after leaving Townsville the day before. The scheduled visit to Green Island was dependent on the weather. All three members of the Royal family were taken by Royal Barge to the Green Island jetty. The visit only lasted 30mins, before Britannia left for Cooktown by 10:15am the same day.
Mark cooked a great supper of our fresh tuna with ratatouille which delicious and so good to be eating the fish we have caught. We will head back to the mainland tomorrow.
Need/Opportunity Year Three
In year three I will be going from Thailand to Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and then on to Chagos, Mauritius, Reunion, Cape Town, St Helena, Azores and back to the UK. I am looking for crew from Mauritius/ Reunion Island to Cape Town and from Cape Town to the UK. If of any interest do email me.
The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com