20:14.373S 149:00.963E

Sunday 28^th May 2017

Distance run: 5nm

After lunch we lifted the anchor and motored round the headland into Tongue Bay.  Here we wasted no time getting the anchor down and heading ashore, as we aimed to walk up to the lookout to get a view of the sands of Hill Inlet, best seen near to low tide.  The pilot book said that getting ashore or back at low tide would be near impossible, so although we had no trouble getting ashore at the little beach, we set off up the hill at a fairly fast pace to make sure we’d be back again before low tide.

The view from the lookout was very well worth the climb.

Hill Inlet to the right and Whitehaven Bay to the left.                                       Looking left towards Esk Islet.

As the late afternoon light changed, so did the colours.

We stayed and enjoyed the view as long as we dare, and then set off back to the beach where the dinghy awaited.  We couldn’t go back to the boats the way we had come, because now there were rocks sticking up out of the water, so we went instead to the left where the chart had shown a sand bottom rather than coral. Very soon it was too shallow for the outboard engine, which had to be lifted. What followed was a hilarious half an hour of Steve and Bob paddling with an oar each through very shallow water over a coral garden, while Sue and I leaned over the front of the dinghy telling them which way to go.  It so reminded me of a similar scene in Taveuni, Fiji, with Pepe and Bear, though this time I think we didn’t have quite as far to go, nor did we have the sticky mud to squelch though first!

Eventually we found our way to the deeper water, put the oars away and the outboard back down, and headed back to the boats.  After a very full and eventful day, it was definitely time for a relaxing sundowner. Or two.  Cheers!