Hinchinbrook Channel

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Fri 9 Aug 2019 09:58

Position: 18 28.17 S  146 13.06 E
At anchor off Haycock Island, Hinchinbrook Channel
Wind: Calm
Sea: calm  Swell: negligible
Weather: mostly sunny, warm
Day’s run: 59 nm

We started at first light this morning as we wanted to make for Hinchinbrook Channel and find an anchorage before dark. Also, we needed a high tide to get across the shallow bar at its southern entrance off Lucinda which required a crossing at around 1600. We left Havannah Island with a light northerly breeze in patches of fog but by mid-morning the fog had burnt off and we had mostly sunny weather for the remainder of the day. Unfortunately, we also had almost no wind and consequently had to motor for several hours.

At around 1600, after rounding the very long Lucinda Jetty from which raw sugar is loaded onto ships, we followed a motor launch across the bar and into the deeper water of Hinchinbrook Channel. We had planned on anchoring in Bluff Creek a short distance inside Hinchinbrook Channel but as we entered the creek the depth was significantly less than the chartlet in our cruising guide indicated. Consequently, we aborted this plan and continued motoring up the Channel. We continued for another six miles and found shelter behind the small steep sided Haycock Island. Tomorrow we will aim for Gayundah Creek.  Hopefully it will prove a little deeper than Bluff Creek.

All is well.