Gladstone Industrial Port to Lady Musgrave atoll and island

Around the world with the Aqualunies
Jonathan & Gabrielle Lyne
Mon 28 Nov 2011 08:33
28th November, 2011

On Friday 25th November we left Gladstone (lots of dolphins playing in our slipstream at the bow) for Pancake Creek as we entered we were slightly too far over to starboard and touched the bottom having backed off we anchored off a beach just inside the creek with a sandbar separating us from the sea.  We left the next morning for Lady Musgrave Island and arrived early afternoon and picked our way through the reefs inside to an anchorage, about 12 other yachts were there.
We went ashore for a walk around the island, lots of birds (oyster catchers, Shearwaters and Black Noddies) nesting and making quite a racket.  We then went for a snorkel at the edge of the reef lovely reef fish and some coral.  The following day we were invited over to 'Neffrititti' for morning coffee/tea and scones along with other yachties, it was then decided to re-congregate on an aluminium catamaran called 'Paws' for sundowners at 5pm (everybody eats supper early in Aus)  Back to our yacht for a quick supper of fresh tuna and then changed and into the dingy with a torch.  Under minimal light we dinghied to the island and walked along the beach in the dark and saw massive Longerhead turtles digging  pits in the sand at the top of the beach and then laying their eggs, covering them with sand and making their slow way back down the beach to the water.  I didn't take any photos of them as they dug and lay their eggs as the light can confuse them and put them off so waited to take photos as they were heading down the beach away from the nesting area.  It was a very memorable sight and well worth doing.  I would love to see the eggs hatch and watch the babies make their way to the sea, but not sure, other than at full moon, when that happens.
Today we have headed for the Sandy Straights and anchored just at the beginning as it is getting dark.  Sadly the good NE winds are turning SE on Thursday, not what we want also it means we will most probably leave the Sandy Straights on Wednesday instead of Thursday as we don't really want to have to go over the sandbar with a head wind blowing in.



Loading at the alluminium quay Gladstone

 



Fishing trawler in Gladstone

 



Pancake Creek, campers on the beach

 



Looking out from inside the Lady Musgrave reef at low spring tides.

 



Dolphin swimming on our slipstream at the bow

 



Dolphins riding our slipstream

 



Mother and young Dolphin in our slipstream on the bow

 



Dolphin at the end of it's jump

 



Mother and cub Dolphin

 



Mother and cub

 



Yachts at anchor inside the reef of Lady Musgrave Island

 



Lady Musgrave Island at 5.am. no wind at all.

 



Reflexions within the lagoon at 5.am

 



The lagoon at 5am from Aqualuna

 



Hardly any difference between sea and sky Lady Musgrave lagoon

 



early morning sea and sky Lady Musgrave Lagoon

 



Oyster Catcher on lady Musgrave Beech

 



Drinks with other yachties on board an aluminium cat' called 'Paws'

 



Leatherback Turtle reentering the sea after laying eggs on Lady Musgrave Island

 



Leatherback Turtle making it's way back down to the sea having laid it's eggs.

 



4.a.m. Sunrise as we leave the lagoon through the entrance in the background.

 



Entrance into the lagoon of Lady Musgrave showing reefs at low tide.