Mischief - Up to Mischief : Log 68 Further adventures of S/Y Mischief through the eyes and ears of Chas Baynes

Thursday, 2nd August 2018 - Hamilton to Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island

Again up early for another run and went with Neen nearly the whole way around the island up the off-road buggy track which went up and up seemingly for miles and took us onto the walking trails again leading to the base of the Passage Peak where we went yesterday and back to the resort, the long way.

Then Wendy took us off the marina berth and onto the fuel berth to top up as it was convenient, right next door. Faultless, well done Wendy. Thereafter we headed off towards Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island about 8 miles north, a must-go-to venue with its spectacular silicon white sands.

We had the most glorious sail, mostly up-wind which makes a change. We even had to tack out of the narrow channel from Hamilton, the first time we had had to tack seemingly since Galapagos!

Everyone went off to explore the island with Dan and Agnes from Smoke and Roses, who were anchored alongside when we arrived, whilst I stayed on board to prepare a rice salad and coleslaw as we were entertaining the crew of Emily Morgan for dinner - barbeque steak and sausages. It also gave me chance to catch up on this log which was a bit behind. We now have enough gas for the portable on board to be able to barbeque every day for the next two years following Sophia from Spirit of Catherine very kindly picking us up 24 cannisters from Sydney on her recent trip home!

We had Bones and Anna with Sharon and Anders over at 5.30pm for drinks and dinner which turned into a real rave of an evening. In the otherwise quiet anchorage, we were singing Meatloaf, amongst others, at the tops of our voices - Mischief is the party boat! I think we need our own personal bottle bank after that.

Friday, 3rd August 2018 - Whitehaven Beach to Nara Inlet, Hook Island, Whitsundays

Woke up with a bit of a headache this morning for some reason so did some exercising and stretching on the swim platform whilst contemplating jumping in, as the water looked so inviting. All the advice seems to be that the Whitsundays are off limits to all the nasty creatures that lurk elsewhere in these waters, so I literally took the plunge and lowered myself down the boarding ladder rather than make a splash to draw attention to myself! A quick swim around the boat and I was out again, not wanting to outstay my welcome.

As I had been in Neen decided she fancied it too once she was up and about, so she leapt in and feeling brave, we both swam over to Emily Morgan where Bones and Anna gave us a guided tour of the Bowman 57, a classic ocean going yacht if ever there was one. When we swam back we realized there was quite a tide running and we just drifted back having a chat. We arrived safely, the only potential hazard being a massive (no doubt man eating) turtle in the area that I had seen earlier.

We left Dave on board to cook up a Bolognese whilst the rest of us headed ashore in the dinghy to walk along the white sand beach. I led Wendy and Neen along a sandy trail directly to the ladies loo, a real sight-seeing tour! The beach was quite busy with a couple of charter boat companies preparing barbeque burgers for their clients and handing them out only for the recipients to be attacked by at least 50 seagulls like a scene out of 'The Birds'. One poor girl got followed right up the beach with them pecking away at her! There were also numerous big lizards lumbering about, no doubt also after burgers. They were about 3-4 feet long dark skinned with yellow motives, Fire Dragons I heard someone say.

On our return to the boat we upped anchor and headed off north again along the coast to the next island, Hook. On the way we passed a little island to starboard that looked in profile to be an American B52 Flying Fortress bomber, and another rather larger island that looked like a crocodile - quite bizarre.

There is only a little wind so we are now motoring but the weather is glorious and the sea is flat, as I sit on the foredeck writing this and doing a crossword. Neen has her telephoto lens out to capture any hump back whales we may see - it is huge, and I'm surprised she can even lift it let alone take photos with it, it is the length of the cockpit table!

We turned into Nara Inlet on Hook island late afternoon. To my mind it is very comparable to the Swedish archipelago above Stockholm with big rounded rocks, low hills and covered in pine trees. There is also a tide line around all the rocks which looks as if someone has been having a bath and not cleaned it out properly afterwards!

We dropped anchor at the end of the inlet and turned the engine off. The silence was deafening, disturbed only by the squawking of cockatoos and the calling of a particularly loud Kookaburra. The only other sound was from an Australian catamaran about 100m away chatting away, not loudly but sound travels easily here. We found ourselves whispering to one another.

We ate Dave's spaghetti before we fell asleep at 7.30(!), but only after we had a look at the stars out in abundance, just stunning as there was literally no light pollution. A fabulous anchorage it has to be said!