Friday 21 April 2017

22nd April 2017 - Townsville - Hinchinbrook passage - Gayundah Creek - Mission Beach

Saturday 22nd April 2017

Mission Beach
2XS anchored off Clump Point

Yes it is very dark and stormy!!
We left the anchorage outside Breakwater Marina (Townsville) bright and early Thursday morning.  Well…not quite… We got up bright and early and with a stifled yawn and a happy enough smile we went to raise the anchor.  45 minutes later…yes, it was up.  The anchor winch was grinding slow, protesting feebly all the way.  I spent the 45 minutes hanging into the chain locker to knock it down as it came up, at glacial speed.  In the meantime Pete, cursing softly but vehemently, wrestled with the chain and winch with one hand and the seawater hose with the other.  The entire chain was coated with thick oozy stinky mud.  Normally I would wield the hose – one of my favourite jobs, getting ooze off the chain.  But this time I had to stay hanging into the locker because it was more important to keep the chain knocked down.

2XS in the shelter of the jetty breakwater 
So EVENTUALLY off we set, with both sails up, sailing steadily through Hinchinbrook Channel.  The island is much bigger than I remember, with majestic mountains and a fringe of deep mangroves.  We anchored up a wide waterway, Gayundah Creek, in a patch of calm water.  Beautiful!  I kept an eye out for crocodiles – I am sure there were many, lurking in the mangroves.  But not a croc, not a bird, not a sign of life.  Not until we had dropped anchor and whammo!  A thick cloud of midgies descended, ferociously feeding off our poor soft Tasmanian flesh.  We gave a few startled squawks and rushed to find a tube of Repel.  It didn’t really repel them; we ae both covered in very itchy bites and welts and I have already swallowed a frightening number of antihistamines.  Ah, the tropics!!


Yesterday we sped from Hinchinbrook Island to Mission Beach at a great rate of knots.  Literally!  The wind and the waves were with us and I think we went 12 knots at times.  That is VERY fast for 2XS!  Not entirely comfortable… It was very stormy and Pete got totally drenched.

The very very long Lucinda sugar jetty
So we were very glad to get around Clump Point to find it was really quite calm and possible to anchor.


Pete Salmon, with Maddie and beautiful Baggins the labradoodle, came to get us and we are cosily ensconced in their beautiful tropical house on the side of a hill overlooking the bay.  Steve Mason (from Flinders Island) will join us later today. 

Maddie and Baggins
Meanwhile back in Tasmania my brave 15 year old Angus is freedriving for crayfish!

From the Mercury

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