Year 2 – 22nd April 2025 –Mackay – Keswick & St Bees Islands
I woke early again and sat in the cockpit and watched the sun come up over the breakwater. It had rained a little in the night and the deck was damp. There were some dark clouds as a trough had passed through in the night but as the morning progressed it brightened and the cloud thinned. Paul had got up before David and went for a shower. It was David’s last morning and he decided to cook bacon and eggs with tomatoes and beans which was a great start to the day.
I needed to change the oil and filters on the main engine so I got things ready. The process involves using a pump which I have in the engine room and I place the pipe over the dipstick tube and the pump sucks out the oil. This bit is relatively easy. I had in fact warmed up the engine first so the oil will flow easily. You then have to unscrew the two oil filters and the problem is as you are unscrewing them oil starts to leak out until you can make them horizontal and put them in a bucket. There was therefore quite a bit of oil to clear up. You then screw the new filters in and then put in new oil up to the right level (it takes about 30 lts). It is a messy job but felt good when it was finished. I then ran the engine briefly to check that there were no leaks from the filters etc.
Once we had cleaned up Paul and I went to dispose of the oil and paper towels we had used. We then did a load of washing and checked in with the marina office. We managed to get some more milk and bread from a restaurant and filled a jerry can with petrol for the outboard and then returned to Stormbird. David was nearly packed and we chatted and reminisced about the weeks he has been on board and he stated how much he had enjoyed his time. David has been great and very helpful and now knows Stormbird quite well. He has been a great crew member and Skipper in my absence. He will be missed.
At about 1.15pm we took David up to his taxi and said our goodbyes. We then returned to Stormbird prepared our lines and the boat for departure. As there is now only two of us this takes a bit longer especially as Paul is relatively new to Stormbird. Once we were ready we slipped the lines and motored out of the marina to explore some Whitsunday Islands before we need to return to Mackay on 27th April 2025 in preparation for new crew. The marina is very sheltered and as we came out of the marina I could see some swell and white horses on the sea and it was clearly blowing a bit outside.
We motored out and were met by 12-16 kt winds which will help us sail (yes sail this time!) to Keswick and St Bee Islands some 15-17 nm away. Once we had put away the fenders and lines we got out the main and genoa and were soon whipping along about 8-8.5kts on a close to beam reach. The swell was about 1 meter and would occasionally hit us on the starboard side and spray water onto the deck and I got sprayed a couple of times in the cockpit which is always a bit of a shock as the water felt cold compared to the hot sun. The sail went well and Paul was impressed and occasionally we were doing 9 kts with 9.4kts being our best speed. There was little traffic and it felt so good to be sailing again even though this meant a bit of a heel.
We sailed for about an hour and three quarters and leaving the yacht that was following us behind. There was a bit of seaweed in the water passing on a regular basis and I wondered where it had come from? Keswick Island was on our left (North) and St Bees on our right and there was a channel between the two. Due to the wind direction there were some anchorages which would be sheltered and others exposed. I decided to go up the channel in between and go to Horseshoe Bay as it was sheltered and had good holding.
Keswick Island is an island in the southern half of the Whitsunday Islands. Located 34 kilometres north-east of the Queensland city of Mackay, Keswick Island is part of the Cumberland Islands of islands that lay protected inside the waters of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The island is inhabited by a small number of residents. It is a semi-popular tourist destination set to expand with planned development. Visitors can stay in a small number of catered and self-catered accommodation. The island has its own airstrip and is accessible from Mackay Airport by a short plane flight or by private boat.
Identified as part of the Cumberland Isles Group by Captain James Cook in 1770. Keswick Island and neighbouring St Bees Island were first designated together as ‘L1 Island’ by Lieutenant Matthew Flinders, RN, in HMS Investigator in 1802. Keswick Island was later individually named in 1879 after the town of Keswick in England's Cumbria Lake District by Staff Commander E. P. Bedwell, RN, in SS Llewellyn.
Keswick Island is approximately 530 hectares (1300 acres) in area, with the majority being national park. It is part of the pristine Cumberland Group of islands that consists of St Bees Island, Keswick Island, Aspatria Island, Scafell, Calder Island, Wigton Island and Cockermouth Island. The island is near to the South Cumberland Islands National Park. Neighbouring islands in the Cumberland Group are accessible by private boat. The nearest developed neighbouring island is Brampton Island some 7 km to the north. Keswick Island is separated from its nearest neighbour, St Bees Island by only a few hundred metres by the Egremont Passage. The eucalypt woodlands of St Bees Island are occupied by a healthy koala colony currently being researched by Queensland universities to examine their equilibrium with their environment.
The island is fringed by colourful coral reefs and abundant marine life which provides favourable conditions for diving or snorkelling at mid-low tide. Three wrecks sites, including the protected historic wreck sites of The Singapore (a two masted sail and steam vessel) and The Llewellyn (a former coastal steamer) are accessible from the island within a few minutes by boat. Whales can be frequently seen around the island during their annual migration through the Whitsundays between July and September.
Once we approached the channel between Keswick and St Bees we took down the sails and motored into the channel. There was a Ketch (two masted monohull) moored in Homestead Bay on the St Bees side. We motored on and saw some houses on the Keswick side and the little airstrip. We motored on to Horseshoe Bay which was sheltered from most wind directions and had no real swell. We initially anchored in quite shallow water and I could see the bottom which was probably coral and some bommies. I did not want to risk hitting any coral so we upped anchor and moved into slightly deeper water which made me feel more comfortable. I had a cold beer and sat on the deckchair on the rear deck and Paul and I enjoyed the peace and quiet. This was occasionally disturbed by birds in the tree lined hill which we thought were cockatoos.
Once it got dark Paul prepared supper of Spanish Mackrell, red cabbage, broccoli and peas. It tasted delicious and so nice to enjoy this with a relatively flat sea, wonderful location and to the background sound of cicadas. After supper we marvelled at the stars as it was a very clear night and then chilled. We were now really beginning to enjoy the Whitsundays. There are many dive and snorkelling sites here so we hope to check them out tomorrow.
The Picture of the day is our approach to the Islands.
Need/Opportunity Year Two
I am in need of more crew from late June to Mid-July. In addition, there is one space from Cairns to Indonesia from mid-July - so if of interest do email me at hine.nick9@gmail.com
In year two I will be going from New Zealand to Sydney and hen up the Eastern Australian Coast, Indonesia and then through Bali, Singapore and on to Thailand to end year two about the end of November 2025.
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