Last Whitsunday Island Hop Stop - Stonehaven Bay, Hook Island, Queensland, Australia
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Tue 25 May 2010 21:44
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20:05.574S 148:54.405E
On May 23, we made one more island hop stop before
moving on from the Whitsundays to points further north on our quest to reach
Darwin by the end of June. The 15 mile sail from Airlie Beach to
Stonehaven Bay on Hook Island was another one of those fast and completely
smooth jaunts on flat water under a blue sky. Nice. After two weeks
of sailing in water protected by the Great Barrier Reef and assorted drowned
mountain islands, we have become accustomed to wave heights less than three
feet. Usually we're happy if wave heights are less than three
meters. Someday in the not too distant future, we'll have to come to terms
with 'real' sailing again, but for now, this flat water stuff will
do.
We spent one night moored off Hook Island.
The mooring is one of many provided by the Australian government in an
effort to protect the fringing reefs around some of the national park
islands from damage caused by errant anchors. The spot was pretty and
the day beautiful, but we still didn't step a toe into the water.
We continue to wait for our air temperature, water temperature and
water clarity criteria to be met. We figure if we are going to meet a
scary Australian sea creature in the water, we want to at least see it
first.
Picture 1 - Sailing next to an uninhabited drowned mountain national park island
in flat water under a mostly blue sky. No wonder so many people come here
on vacation to charter a sail boat.
More on our continued trek north
later.
Anne
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