Whitsunday Peak

Thursday 2^nd July, 2015

After a very calm night, which ensured a good night’s sleep, the wind came up early as we have become accustomed to, and was around 15 knots from about 6 am.

We had already decided to spend the day here and climb Whitsunday Peak. Steve, on Wilparina, had promised to take the kids from “Galene” (a very nice 50 foot  Maritimo motor cruiser and one of his Akuna Bay motor boat mates), who we also have got to know, for a sail. By all accounts they had a good time, and then “Galene”  headed off to Whitehaven Beach, as they have a limited time frame to show their family as much as they can in the next few days, before they fly home.

In our case, the morning was spent cleaning the encrusted salt off the boat, after our sail across to here. I managed to polish the foredeck, having done the rest at the marina, and we discovered that we took a bit of water into our cabin, from ploughing through the waves yesterday. I tracked it down to a probable leak point in the anchor locker, where we had some wiring fitted and it  was not properly sealed and could allow water through in the sort of conditions we sailed through.  Anyway, it is now sealed up and hopefully will no longer be a problem.

Mica and Koonya at Cid Harbour

Mark rowing Janet ashore

With all that out of the way, we headed out with Mark and Janet to Sawmill Beach, where the walk to Whitsunday Peak starts from. We all had picnic lunch to take with us, and headed up the hill. The tide was still running out, so no problem leaving the dinghies on the beach, but it could be a problem when we get back. Fortunately, I have my dinghy wheels now fitted, so if we need to wheel the dinghy out a long way, it is not a problem.

The climb up to the peak is not for the faint hearted, we all feel much better for the workout, and the view is spectacular. On our way, we ran into Ken and Robert from “Charm” and agreed we would catch up for sundowners on the beach at around 4.30 to 5 pm.

We enjoyed our sandwiches at the summit and fortunately, it is a clear day, with only a little haze. You get such a great  panoramic view of the islands.

The trip down was quicker than the trip up, but used different muscles, so it will be interesting tomorrow to see how everyone scrubs up. When we got to the beach, not surprisingly, the tide had gone out quite a bit, and there was quite a bit of rocky shore between us and the water. We were well prepared with our wheels on the dinghy, and watched a few other less fortunate owners who struggled to carry their dinghys across the rocks.

Sundowners on the beach no longer looked like a good idea, so we invited Ken and Robert, and the Smithys from Wilparina to sundowners on Koonya. We all enjoyed the chance to exchange a few stories, enjoy a few drinks and snacks, and talk about plans for the next few days. The sunset made it that little more special.

It was then back to our own boats for dinner, everyone feeling like they had put in a good days exercise, and probably ready for an early night. A nice steak on the BBQ made a great finish to the day.

Strong winds are forecast for tomorrow (no surprise there), so we will see what it is like and plan from there.