Year 2 –8 May 2025 -Sawmill Bay to Stonehaven Anchorage
It was actually quite a nice day when we woke and there was some blue sky amongst white high-pressure clouds. We had a cereal breakfast and some fresh pineapple. Once we had a good coffee we prepared to leave. It had been a good anchorage for two nights and it had filled up with other boats. As we moved away we looked back at the Whitsunday Cairn which we had climbed and the picture of the day is the picture of the Cairn.
We upped anchor and headed out of the bay. We motored South and went between Whitsunday Island and CID Island. Cid Harbour, part of Cid Island in the Whitsundays, is likely a mispronunciation or abbreviation of the name of the island, which is likely "Chid Island". The islands in the Whitsundays were originally named the "Cumberland Isles" by Captain James Cook, but the name "Whitsundays" became more common for the islands near Whitsunday Passage.
We came round the South corner of CID Island and then headed North and came round to Homestead Bay – which is an anchorage and a possible anchorage for us with the strong wind forecast. There was no one there and it looked quite small and may not be that sheltered. We put up the Staysail and sailed toward the South of Hook Island as we wanted to look at Nera Inlet. This was like a fjord and could also be a safe anchorage. The wind was up to about 24 kts but then would fade to 14kts. We sailed on well but it was only about 4 nm and we then had to take the sail down. We motored along to the entrance to the Nera Inlet and once inside we realised this could be a possibility although one would need to go in quite far to get enough shelter. We came out and there was quite a bit of disturbed water at the entrance. We put up the Staysail again and I put up some Main to get us round the corner of Hook Island. We sail passed the corner for about a mile before we gybed up the west side of Hook Island to sail into the Stonehaven Anchorage. This lies between Hook Island and Hayman Island and there are two large reefs South of Hayman Island – one by Black Island and the other by Lanford Island. There is also a large reef South of Hayman Island and there is a narrow passage between Hook Island and the reef called the Hook Passage.
We sailed up the west side of Hook Island and there are two area with mooring buoys which were also sheltered from the strong Southeast winds which was coming overnight. There were quite a lot of boats there already and we saw a number of buoys free. I decided we should go and look at Butterfly Bay which was on the North side of Hook Island. We therefore moved away and went up the Hook Passage between the reefs and came round the top of Hook Island. As we came round to Butterfly Bay the wind picked up and it was surprising as the cliffs was quite high and should have provided more shelter. I had to make sure we missed the reef inside the bay and we came to find a buoy quite near the reef. This bay for some reason is windy and when they do a clean up of the bay they find lots of clothing on the bottom which is blown off boats as the pegs do not hold the clothes on the boats!
Once moored I cooked prawns with butter and garlic for lunch which we all enjoyed. We thought of getting the dinghy down but it was very rolly and I knew we should not stay here for the strong winds. Peter and Paul decided to snorkel off the back of the boat and headed toward the reef. They were about 10 minutes and then returned. They said it was fantastic and the coral was the best they had seen on this trip.
We slipped the mooring and we then headed out of the bay and decided to return to Stonehaven. This meant going back through the reefs and heading down round and into the mooring area. This was quite full as many boats were properly thinking the same thing as me and where to go. We found a mooring and took it. Whilst it was sheltered from the wind there was a bit of a roll. I looked through the binoculars and saw a buoy closer under the cliff and therefore there would be little chance for waves to build up meaning less roll. We therefore motored up there and picked up the buoy I had seen. As I used the bow thruster it made a funny noise and stopped. There was a possibility that the pickup rope may have caught in it. However, this was not certain. We had a cup of tea and settled and we thought that the fuse had gone. We checked the fuses and they seemed ok and we cleaned them and put them back. When I pressed the buttons the motor whirred but the propellers did not turn in the bow thruster. We got the manual out and could not work out why and we checked under the floor and could not see what was wrong. Peter volunteered to go in the water and checked the bow thruster hole and even turned the propellers. It seems the motor is working but not turning the shaft. I emailed Transworld Yachts and hope they can shed light on what may be the issue.
We had a beer after all this and chilled. There are bullets (strong gusts) coming from time to time and this position has less roll. I had not taken anything out of the freezer so I made a large goat’s cheese salad which seemed to be appreciated. We listened to music and chatted and put the world to rights. We will look at the thruster again tomorrow but we probably cannot fix it. We will also see what the weather does and whether we stay here or sail in the strong wind elsewhere.
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 Reunion 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