By George.Curtis2 - 29 Mar 2016
Flying Fish Articles
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South Stradbrooke Island – 27°45.58 'S, 153°26.23 'E
Manly Boat Harbour – 27°27.30 'S, 153°11.40 'E
Sandhills – 27°17.50 'S, 153°28.80 'E
Newport Marina entrance – 27°11.15 'S, 153°05.65 'E
Garrys Anchorage – 25°37.77 'S, 152°58.42 'E
Susan River, Great Sandy Straits – 25°25.53 'S, 152°56.65 'E
Bundaberg Port Marina – 24°45.60 'S, 152°23.30 'E
Pancake Creek – 24°01.90 'S, 151°44.50 'E
Lady Musgrave Reef – 23°54.15 'S, 152°24.62 'E]
Gladstone Marina – 23°49.89 'S, 151°14.66 'E
Great Keppel Island – 23°09.80 'S, 150°57.15 'E
Keppel Bay Marina, Rosslyn Harbour – 23°07.00 'S, 150°47.20 'E
Pearl Bay – 22°26.60 'S, 150°44.00 'E
Percy Middle Island – 21°43.70 'S, 150°21.20 'E
Curlew Island – 21°35.62 'S, 149°47.91 'E
Mackay – 21°06.40 'S, 149°13.80 'E
Scawfell Island – 20°51.71 'S, 149°36.03 'E
Brampton Island – 20°47.91 'S, 149°15.93 'E
Shaw island – 20°30.25 'S, 149°02.83 'E
Whitehaven Beach – 20°17.50 'S, 149°33.15 'E
Nara Inlet – 20°08.68 'S, 148°54.21 'E
Butterfly Bay – 20°04.59 'S, 148°55.50 'E
Bona Bay – 20°02.44 'S, 148°26.61 'E
Upstart Bay – 19°43.90 'S, 147°45.08 'E
Bowling Green Bay – 19°18.54 'S, 147°22.92 'E
Magnetic Island Marina – 19°09.54 'S, 146°51.28 'E
Orpheus island – 18°35.72 'S, 146°29.20 'E
Haydock Island – 18°28.28 'S, 146°13.24 'E
Mourilyan Harbour – 17°36.45 'S, 146°07.40 'E
Marlin Marina, Cairns – 16°55.00 'S, 145°47.00 'E
Michealmas Reef – 16°36.26 'S, 145°58.42 'E
Hope Islands – 15°43.73 'S, 145°27.38 'E
Cape Bedford – 15°14.00 'S, 145°19.47 'E
Lizard Island – 14°39.70 'S, 145°27.12 'E
Bathurst Bay – 14°12.50 'S, 144°28.00 'E
Flinders Islands – 14°10.50 'S, 144°13.80 'E
Hedge Reef – 13°57.08 'S, 143°52.67 'E
Morris Islet – 13°29.40 'S, 143°43.42 'E
Portland Roads – 12°35.59 'S, 143°24.42 'E
Shelburne Bay – 11°53.83 'S, 143°05.41 'E
Escape River – 10°57.30 'S, 142°41.20 'E
Sisema or Red Island – 10°50.91 'S, 142°21.78 'E
Possession Island – 10°43.76 'S, 142°23.34 'E
Cape York – 01°41.38 'S, 142°31.45 'E
South Stradbrooke Island – 27°45.58 'S, 153°26.23 'E
Entry through Gold Coast Seaway is easy with good depths but can be nasty in onshore wind against tide especially if a big swell is running. It is not easy to see the leading marks from seaward. Cmaps accurate. Gold Coast Seaway Tower Volunteer Marine Rescue (VHF 16, 81,82) are always helpful.
The inshore passages through Moreton Bay are very well buoyed but I would recommend a copy of "Beacon to Beacon". Beware buoyage changes are frequent resulting in charts and pilots not always being up to date. If in doubt follow the buoys.
The above anchorage, 2-5m sand, is lovely with good walking ashore to the ocean side of Stradbrooke. Lots of Kangaroos, Pelicans, Sea Eagles. Monitors. The current does run hard through here and at weekends/holidays it gets busy other times you will be alone.
The passages up into north Moreton Bay seem to be shallower than charted. We had to wait for springs to get through Canaipa passage and even so it was tight. The so called Main Channel now has an area of shallows with less than 1m at LW.
Manly Boat Harbour – 27°27.30 'S, 153°11.40 'E
3 marinas within the boat harbour accept casual visitors. The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, East Coast Marina and Moreton Bay Trailer Boat Club (MBTBC). The RQYS and MBTBC have both had recent big expansions filling the harbour with berths and giving more visitor space. Cm93 2010 charts have the changes. All have the usual amenities. Fuel at both RQYS and MBTBC. There is very little difference in price but MBTBC is much near to the shops and the excellent chandlery , Muirs.
Buses run regularly to Wynnum Plaza or Wynnum Central for shopping. The train from Manly takes 45 mins to Brisbane central.
The alternatives to here for visiting Brisbane are the river (if it 's not in flood), Scarborough and Newport marinas the latter two being a long way north and 1.5hrs into Brisbane by bus and train. They are however cheaper and both are pleasant to stay at.
Sandhills – 27°17.50 'S, 153°28.80 'E
Anchor in 5-12m sand/mud, good holding. The shore shelves very steeply. Good in easterly winds , OK in SE, NE but then it gets horrid. Good walks across to the ocean shore.
We have been told it is possible to leave Moreton Bay via South Passage keeping close to Amity then heading north towards Reeders Point and follow the edge of the sandbar out to sea. We have not done this but a friend has many times.
Newport Marina entrance – 27°11.15 'S, 153°05.65 'E
This marina is west of the popular Scarborough marina in a canal housing development. It is much quieter, less crowded, well maintained, clean, tidy and completely sheltered. There is 2m+ throughout the marina but the entrance has silted and now has min 1.9m. Entry would be best around HW for manoeuvering as there is a fair amount of current. There is a laundry with outside locked drying area, shower block and grassed area with free BBQ provided. 15 min cycle ride to Kippa Ring shopping area. 10 min walk to catch bus to Redcliffe,Sandgate then train into Brisbane costs $12 return takes 90 minsapprox. There are Bakery, Liquor shop, Pizzeria and convienience store 2 mins away.
The price is much the same as Scarborough. Security to each pontoon. Myport marina net operates here. It is not suitable to work on your boat. There is no hard stand or work area. It is a safe place to leave the boat whilst travelling. It takes about 10 mins to cycle to Scarbourough marina for Chandlery etc.
Garrys Anchorage – 25°37.77 'S, 152°58.42 'E
This is a popular anchorage, with good all round shelter in 2-5m mud/sand. The current runs quite hard through the anchorage. Easy access to the shore at a campsite, nice walking BUT at times you will be eaten alive by sandflies and mosquitos. There are now signs ashore warning of Crocodile sightings however people are still swimming. Dingos are sometimes seen ashore.
Mobile phones work here and we had interent via the wifi dongle.
Wide Bay Bar
The south entry to Great Sandy Strait is via Wide Bay which has a shallow bar entrance leaving the boat subject to a beam sea for several miles once across the bar before shelter is reached. The tide runs hard with overfalls and rips. It is best tackled near HW and left alone in big swell. Tin Can Bay VMR will give updates on bar conditions on request. Be aware the most recent edition of Beacon to Beacon has incorrect waypoints for the entrance. As off January 2nd 2010 the correct waypoints are outer 25deg 48.210S 153deg 04.810E, middle 25deg 47.368S 153deg 06.604E, inner 25deg 47.625S 153deg 08.028E. The outer leading light has been moved as has the inner leading line. Check with Tin Can Bay VMR before attempting the bar.
Susan River, Great Sandy Straits – 25°25.53 'S, 152°56.65 'E
This is one of the few anchorages providing all round shelter in the north part of Great Sandy Strait. Anchor just north of the remains of the small craft moorings in 2-5m, sand/mud, good hodling. Strong current runs through the anchorage and is very strong at the entrance off North Head with rips and overfalls. There is another anchorage further up river past the R & G buoys shallower and with some permanently moored yachts. There are known to be Crocodiles breeding in the Mary River. Prehaps not the best place to swim.
Bundaberg Port Marina – 24°45.60 'S, 152°23.30 'E
Bundaberg Port Marina is a good Port of Entry as easy entrance not tide dependant with customs having a quarantine anchorage area for late arrivals. Friendly marina well maintained with good chandlery, nice Bistro, fuel, gas and excellent haul out/repair/dry storage facility. It is a long way into Bundaberg. The marina provides a courtesy bus in to town 3x daily but return is via local bus. It gets very busy late October when the Port to Port Rally arrives. Charges for 12m $199/week live aboard. If you anchor the marina charges for shore facilities and landing are high $27/day but you can land on the beach and walk to the marina. The tide does run through the marina and at springs you might wish to wait for slack water to manoeuvre. The quarantine dock is a well marked outside T but do not go on until advised by the marina.
Most services can be found in Bundaberg but it tends to be spread out so without a car can be a nuisance. A courtesy but is provided into town but return is via public transport. The dry storage here is excellent with good one piece, substantial cradles.
Marinanet is the internet access here.
Midtown Marina is situated up the river right in the centre of town. It is 10 miles from Bundy Port Marina, is not a Port of Entry, and needs half tide up to get there but it is cheaper and has trot moorings at $109/week including use of shore facilities, marina $184/week. It is smaller and a bit tatty but the chandlery is excellent. The river can flood badly so be wary of leaving the boat in the summer wet season. Internet access here is MyPort.
Anchoring is possible in various parts of the river. Off the marina has become popular but there is strong current, big ships come past and it can be subject to surge. Past the sugar port off Chalmers Point just past the small craft moorings is good but getting ashore is interesting, lat 24 deg 47.054S, long 152 deg 23.088E.
There is an airport with domestic flights, train to Brisbane and long distance buses.
Good shopping in town. Bundaberg has tried to make itself attractive to visiting foreign yachts but it is still a long way from major tourist areas. Excellent for working on boats or leaving the boat in dry storage while travelling.
If you are using the Telstra Wifi prepaid service it is available throughout the river.
Pancake Creek – 24°01.90 'S, 151°44.50 'E
A lovely anchorage in 5m hard sand. Can be difficult to get the anchor to bite but good once in. Well sheltered apart from northerlies. no facilities. Good walks ashore. Dugong seen. The entrance is marked, again Beacon to Beacon is useful, the inner narrow pass has 1.8m approx at LW.
This is a lovely anchorage with good shelter even in northerlies you are behind substantial sandbanks. The entrance is well marked but on approach the boat will be beam on to the sea. It has a couple of shallow spots near the inner G & R posts. We entered 1 hour after LW and had minimum of 2.2m, but the shallows were very easily seen and avoided. Once in anchor in 2-7m mud/sand good holding. It is popular as a stopping point en route to Lady Musgrave Reef. Camping sites ashore popular with fishermen but no facilities however there are some nice walks including one to the lighthouse. Exploring the creeks is strictly a dingy job. We saw Dougong, Turtles and Dolphin. The tide runs hard through the anchorage area.
Lady Musgrave Reef – 23°54.15 'S, 152°24.62 'E
A beautiful atoll anchorage with an easy, sheltered entrance on the NE side marked by port and starboard posts then a starboard post and then leave the isolated danger mark to port head into the lagoon and anchor where you like. The current runs fast through the entrance at springs especially near LW. There are several low bommies inside. Most have sufficient water over them at LW but a few don’t and are easily seen in good light. The waypoint above is a good anchor spot in 7m sand , good holding. The island has a boat passage for dingies to land. There is a nice walk on the island to the far end and to the camp-site. Green Turtles nest here as well as Terns, Shearwaters and Gulls. Day tripper boats arrive about 1030am and leave around 3pm. The snorkelling and diving are excellent.
The reef covers at HW. We have been here in 20kts SE. It was lumpy at HW but tenable. The nearest place to run to is Pancake Creek or Gladstone 30+ miles away.
A beautiful reef atoll the first of the Great Barrier Reef. The buoyed entrance is on the west side so sheltered from the prevailing winds but it is narrow and the tide runs through hard especially at springs when it can reach 5-6 knots with good overfalls. At the inner end of the entrance an isolated danger buoy is best left to port, then choose your spot. Nearest the island gets busy with day tripper boats and tourists. Most of the bommies have 2-3 m water over them and are readily seen but there are several very shallow bommies to avoid. The water is clear with a sandy bottom, good holding. There are reported to be some areas with poor holding especially north of the entrance line.Walking on the island is lovely. It is a protected marine nature reserve with breeding colonies of Terns, Gulls and Turtles. There is a camping area on the island, no water, no rubbish. This is a major diving/fishing area both inside and outside the atoll.
Gladstone Marina – 23°49.89 'S, 151°14.66 'E
A clean tidy marina in a large basin off the main channel, reasonably priced with local chandleries , haul out /dry storage and good repair facilities. Very well protected but this is a huge commercial port with many shipping movements daily and a lot of coal dust.It is also firmly in the cyclone belt so check with your Insurance company. Buses run from the marina to the shopping centres or town centre is about 15 min walk. Domestic airport, train and buses. When transiting Gladstone Port area (including the large ship anchorage area outside) all vessels must contact Gladstone Port Control and monitor vhf 13. There are substantial fines of $2000aus for not doing so.
North of Gladstone passage through the Narrows is at springs only as there is a large drying area (tide of 2m plus your draft gets you through) but is fun and not difficult. It is an interesting short cut to Keppel Bay. The creeks before and after the narrows on Curtis island are cyclone holes. Beacon to Beacon pilot does not cover the Narrows.
Be aware this is crocodile country don’t swim. The Fitzroy river has a large breeding population of Crocodiles.
Great Keppel Island – 23°09.80 'S, 150°57.15 'E
5.5m sand. Swell creeps around the top so tuck well in. Can be too roly for comfort.
A beautiful island with nice walks ashore, good diving, snorkelling and swimming. The current runs strongly through the channels and anchorages. Even in SE winds the anchorage can be rolly and I wouldn 't like to be here in a strong NE. We found that by tucking up into the top NE corner as far as depth would allow we were far more comfortable. The bottom is good holding sand. It is very popular at weekends. There are restaurants ashore near the resort on the west side. Anchoring is possible but depths are shallow.
Keppel Bay Marina, Rosslyn Harbour – 23°07.00 'S, 150°47.20 'E
Well run, friendly marina. Usual facilities but also courtesy car available free for 2-3 hrs. to shop in Yeppoon. Hard standing/haul-out available but expensive compared to Bundaberg. buses run from the marina regularly to Yeppoon and to Rockhampton. Small chandlery at the marina.
Dr Peter Smith at "Total Heath", Cedar Park Shopping Centre (first set of traffic lights on way into Yeppoon) is an ex UK GP running a practice here. If you need medical care do approach him and he will attempt to help. Please mention you are on a yacht travelling.
The friendliest marina around situated in a large harbour with an easy entrance. Clean tidy, well maintained with good café/restaurant and facilities. Haul out/repairs around the harbour. Small chandlery only. The marina has a courtesy car you can borrow for 2-4 hours to go shopping but not to sightsee. Buses run from here to the nearest town of Yeppoon where there is good shopping and up to Rockhampton the nearest big centre with train and domestic airport. Nice beaches safe to swim on. Good local cruising around Keppel Bay. This place deserves to be better known. Internet via Marinanet. Nearest local Doctor is at Cedar park shopping mall on the way into Yeppoon, ask for Dr Peter Smith, ex UK GP from Stafford.
$171/week 12m plus $50 liveaboard fee(for 2)
Pearl Bay – 22°26.60 'S, 150°44.00 'E
Enter between the mainland and the island to the immediate NW. Min 3m at LW with minor overfalls. The water visibility was poor. We could not see any reefs entering and never saw the inner reefs. Anchor in 2.5m sand, swell crept in, roly. OK but not as good as Lucas reports. In bad weather go to Port Clinton or Island Head Creek.
Percy Middle Island – 21°43.70 'S, 150°21.20 'E
Rolls and rolls and rolls but not a lot of options on the way north if day hopping. 7m sand.
Curlew Island – 21°35.62 'S, 149°47.91 'E
3m sand. We managed to creep further in at LW as the bottom was very flat but water was cloudy so poor visibility. Pleasant walking ashore. Didn 't swim as lots of Jellyfish around. Some rolling but not as bad as Percy islands. The entrance from SE easy keeping approx 200m from shore had no less than 6m. We left via the west end keeping close to the small islet off the headland. The reef to the north was close but seen and the passage narrow but deep 14m.
Mackay – 21°06.40 'S, 149°13.80 'E
Entrance safe but can be large swell in strong SE wind. Well protected large marina. Full facilities, bus from marina to town centre and Sugarland shopping centre. Expensive as does not give discount for 7 day stays. Haul out and shipwrights available.
Scawfell Island – 20°51.71 'S, 149°36.03 'E
At last a non roll anchorage. 5m sand, excellent holding. We sat out 20-30 knots SE with comfortable ease. A big anchorage with plenty of room. A slight surge came in giving an occasional roll but nothing uncomfortable. Its a high island so there were some good williwaws. Anchorage appeared best towards the E side to avoid the worst bullets. Walks along the beach. good snorkelling and diving along the headlands. The reefs inshore were easily seen. No facilities. Telstra signal iffy occasional connection.
Brampton Island – 20°47.91 'S, 149°15.93 'E
Anchor between Pelican island and Swordfish point in 3-6m sand, good holding. Nearer the jetty has less wind. Nice walks ashore.
Shaw island – 20°30.25 'S, 149°02.83 'E
Tuck in towards the beach, flat bay with less reef than appears on the charts, 5-6m sand/mud. Strong tides between islands, well sheltered anchorage.
Whitehaven Beach – 20°17.50 'S, 149°33.15 'E
Beautiful anchorage in 4-5m sand but swell can be very bad. Only possible in light SE winds. Walking on the beach is wonderful and nice walk across to Turtle bay. Solway pass has strong tides with some overfalls but no problem wind with tide.
Nara Inlet – 20°08.68 'S, 148°54.21 'E
Cyclone hole. Excellent holding in thick ,gooey mud, 5-8m. No swell gets here. Telstra phone signal internet connection.
Butterfly Bay – 20°04.59 'S, 148°55.50 'E
Pick up a National Park mooring or anchor outside the white buoys in 10-12m. Well sheltered, no swell, water is cloudy here but just outside lovely snorkelling and diving.
All the bays along the north coast of Hook island have mooring buoys. These have a 2hr time limit or overnight if picked up after 3pm. Lots these buoys all around the Whitsundays. See the Queensland marine parks website for details.
Bona Bay – 20°02.44 'S, 148°26.61 'E
Gloucester passage straight forward but is shallow so check carefully Anchor in 5m sand. Walks ashore near NP camp-site but no other facilities. Bona Bay was calm and comfortable in 25kts SE but in early am a land breeze sprung up making the anchorage very lumpy. We left.
Upstart Bay – 19°43.90 'S, 147°45.08 'E
Flat anchorage in 5m sand. Wind gusty down valley but no swell. Early am land breeze was much gentler here.
Bowling Green Bay – 19°18.54 'S, 147°22.92 'E
anchor in 2.5m sand tucked round sand spit. No swell but wind chop can make it uncomfortable.
Magnetic Island Marina – 19°09.54 'S, 146°51.28 'E
New marina nearly empty. A good alternative to Townsville where the entrance has silted to 0.5m LWS. Easy buoyed entrance is narrow and ferries operate so vessels are asked to give an "all ships" call on VHF16 on entry/exit. For stays of 3 nights a $50 voucher per boat is given towards a meal at the restaurant plus a voucher for a free bottle of wine. Nice meal. The laundry is in the hotel and is free. There is a good, well stocked IGA across the road. Buses leave from outside the ferry terminal for all over the island. There are lovely walks accessible by bus. Telsra phone signal for wifi. An excellent stop. Recommended.
Orpheus island – 18°35.72 'S, 146°29.20 'E
3 NP mooring buoys or anchor in 8-10m sand. No swell and fine until 2am when land breeze picked up and the bay became very unpleasant. Other boats had stronger SE winds and were fine all night.
Haydock Island – 18°28.28 'S, 146°13.24 'E
This area took a direct hit from Cyclone Yasi Jan 2011 as a result lots of damage to trees and shore, no buoys present, most marks disappeared. The leading marks at Lucinda were present but nothing else. we entered using OpenCPN with CM93 2010 charts, with 2m tide and didn 't run aground. The anchorage tucked behind the island is quiet and peaceful. The tide runs through but holding is in thick gooey mud, difficult to wash of the anchor, in 6m. Lots of good anchorages in the various creeks along Hinchinbrook. Once in the northern open area all anchorages are tide rode so wind against tide can be lively.
The marina at Cardwell was decimated in the cyclone and was not open in May 2011. It is a very scenic area, very secure and a pleasant rest. Telstra signal.
Mourilyan Harbour – 17°36.45 'S, 146°07.40 'E
A sugar wharf dominates the harbour with large vessels navigating the narrow entrance. The entrance is well buoyed with good lit, leading lines. The tide can run up to 5kts at springs. Once inside there is a large swinging basin where anchoring is prohibited. Pile moorings can be used, check with the harbour master on the wharf. Anchorage is amongst or past the moored boats just beyond the piles. Beware the pool shallows quickly and there is rubbish on the bottom. Good mud holding. There is a small jetty and ramp with a kiosk and possibly water. Telstra signal.
Water is available at the public wharf, at the western end of the sugar wharf. There is a time limit alongside, and preference should be given to local professional fishermen to load and unload. There is a dumpster at the head of the public wharf. There is a new 3-lane boatramp with pontoon. Technically, dinghies may not be left tied to the pontoon, but short stays should be ok. The "kiosk" is about 1/2klm up the road, and is basically bait and tackle only, but fuel may be purchased either in containers, or to the public wharf by arrangement.
Marlin Marina, Cairns – 16°55.00 'S, 145°47.00 'E
Port of Entry. It is a long way up the approach channel. Even shallow draft boats need to keep to the channel nearer Cairns. Visiting yachts anchor in the river entrance opposite Marlin Marina or go further upriver for a quieter berth but a much longer dingy trip into town. Do not enter the marina until a berth has been booked. This is a busy marina with large tour boats manoeuvring. It can be very breezy in the afternoons making manoeuvring interesting. Fuel dock on inner aspect of outer wall but again you have to book a slot before going alongside. Good shore-side facilities water. laundry, rubbish are available to anchored boats for $50/week plus $50/week dingy dock fee. There are also pile moorings available through the marina office. The marina pontoons are open all day but are locked at night. It is very handy to shops and is the last place to provision heading north until either Gove or Darwin. Rustys market on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings from 6am to noon is excellent for fresh fruit and veg. There is a small supermarket at Sisema but only good to top up.
Most yacht repairs can be undertaken locally. There are chandlers, marine engineers and several marine electronic shops. The rigger is in Port Douglas but will visit Cairns.
Cairns is the tourist mecca of the north so has the usual touristy shops, travel agents galore and many restaurants. It has good bus, train and fight connections. There are interesting trips around Cairns and the Atherton Tablelands. I recommend the trip to Undara Lava Tubes, hire a car and drive yourself.
If you wish to leave your boat unattended for more than a few days travelling Marlin Marina is not the place. In the cyclone season no boat can be left unless there is a nominated responsible person capable of moving the boat to the mangroves if a cyclone threatens. Half Moon Bay Marina at Yorkeys Knob 7 miles north allows vessels to be left unattended and is a cat 5 cyclone refuge. It has good facilities and a daily free bus to a local shopping centre. Buses take 20mins into Cairns.
Michealmas Reef – 16°36.26 'S, 145°58.42 'E
A reef anchorage behind a sand cay with 2 NP mooring buoys. Very busy with tour boats in the day but then solitude. There are reefs to round on approach to the buoys so good light is required. Ashore there is a large, very noisy, smelly Tern colony. Nice swimming and snorkelling. You are on the outer reefs so it can get a bit boisterous at HW as the reefs cover. There are other nearby reefs also with buoys but needing calm weather to stay overnight.
Hope Islands – 15°43.73 'S, 145°27.38 'E
2 NP mooring buoys but still room to anchor, just. This reef anchorage requires careful navigation around reefs to enter so needs good light. Cm93 was good but not good enough. We found leaving via the north pass much easier. Do not swim here Crocodiles. Nil ashore. Telstra signal.
Cape Bedford – 15°14.00 'S, 145°19.47 'E
Tuck around the cape as close to the saddle between the headlands as tide allows. We were here in 25-30kts anchored in 2.5m sand/mud, good holding. There was a lot of wind chop but very little swell crept in. Nil ashore, Telstra signal.
Lizard Island – 14°39.70 'S, 145°27.12 'E
A lovely anchorage well sheltered from prevailing SE. The reefs are now marked by white buoys. Anchor in 2-10m sand. Ashore there is a campsite with a water pump (not drinking water), delightful walks and a resort in the next bay. They do not welcome yachts but will take rubbish for a small donation and allow yachties to visit the bar on Fridays and Saturdays. Good diving around the island. Snorkeling on the nearby reefs is good with a large number of Giant Clams and many good sized fish. A good place to wait for the wind to drop before the last push north. Last Telstra signal until Cape York.
Last swim Crocodiles from now on. North of here weather forecasts on SSB only.
Bathurst Bay – 14°12.50 'S, 144°28.00 'E
A windy bay but good holding in 4m mud. In 25kts no swell but lots of wind chop. Nil ashore. We missed Ninian bay but were told it was very rolly in the same conditions.
Flinders Islands – 14°10.50 'S, 144°13.80 'E
A really well sheltered, good anchorage better than it might appear. Flat water with no roll or chop. Anchor in 5-8m sand by the sandspit. Easy to get ashore but not much to see.
Hedge Reef – 13°57.08 'S, 143°52.67E
Anchor in 3-5m sand behind a sand cay very extensive at LW but at HW springs with reefs and cays covered it was very unpleasant for 4 hrs in 20kt SE wind. Would be fine at neaps. Walking on the cay at LW.
Morris Islet – 13°29.40 'S, 143°43.42 'E
Tucked behind the island in 4.5m sand. A lovely flat, quiet anchorage. We went a walk around the island only to beat a hasty retreat when we spotted 3 sets of Crocodile tracks coming out of the sea and none going back in.
Portland Roads – 12°35.59 'S, 143°24.42 'E
Anchored in 5m sand. No swell in 20kts SE. Flat water. Nil ashore but on the way here from Morris islet we had a Telstra signal and managed to collect emails. We think from the Lockhart river radio tower.
Shelburne Bay – 11°53.83 'S, 143°05.41 'E
This is an extensive very flat bay. We anchored in 2.5m having inched our way in with 3.5m for a long, long way. Just keep going. No swell, nice and flat. Do not cut the corner on entry it is very shallow. Best water is on due north approach. The bay is unsurveyed so care is needed. There is a small reef patch on the direct exit towards Escape River. It is charted both on paper and CM93 but is easily missed.
Escape River – 10°57.30 'S, 142°41.20 'E
This is a barred river with min 1.8m but most has 2.5+m. We entered 2 hrs after HW in 15kts SE with a 1.5m sea and had no problems and min 4m water. Leaving was a mite more interesting with more swell on the bar at LW 20kts SE. This could be ugly with a big sea and more wind. Inside there was plenty of water but wind against tide chop made the many pearl farm rafts very difficult to see so we anchored behind Turtle Head island in 4m mud. It got bouncy with the tide but was OK. We felt upriver would have been much quieter but would require LW reconnaissance first.
2 boats ran aground on rocks attempting to get further upriver. Lucas does show rocks in the channel upstream but not on charts.
We used Open CPN Albany Island tide times to work out slack water in the Albany strait. The approach was lumpy but once inside smooth and fast.
Sisema or Red Island – 10°50.91 'S, 142°21.78E
Far far better than it appears. Well sheltered in prevailing winds. Tide runs through the anchorage but no swell so flat. Anchor beyond the jetty in 3-6m sand. A large freighter visits twice weekly and needs turning space. The water shallows very quickly. Entry is easy with min 2m over the sand banks. Head for the red buoy then follow the transit marks to round the green buoy then head for the jetty.
Ashore is a small welcoming community. There is drinking water on the wharf, a laundry at the campsite, rubbish bins at the landing area, a garage (fills Gas bottles) and a well stocked small supermarket 350m along the road. Restaurant at the campsite. It is possible to hitch into Bagama but not much to see and this supermarket is better stocked. Trips from here to Thursday Island, fishing, Cape York. Small Airstrip. Weekly bus south. Car hire. Telstra signal, good internet connection. A good place to wait to cross the Gulf. No swimming there are crocodiles.
Possession Island – 10°43.76 'S, 142°23.34E
The island where Capt Cook took possession of the East Coast of Australia for England. Slightly rolly anchorage in 7m sand. The fringing reef was easy to see in poor overcast conditions. The northern part of the reef appears to extend a long way as you enter the bay. Walk ashore again curtailed by Crocodile tracks. Telstra signal.
Cape York – 01°41.38 'S, 142°31.45 'E
Once in Albany Strait it was a lovely smooth passage around Cape York. Entering the anchorage keep very close to the island 50-100m for good water. The shallows extend further than charted. We anchored in only 2.5m but a few metres away boats were comfortable in 4-6m. A flat anchorage even when the tide changes. Worth a stop to go ashore and walk to the tip of Australia. Photo compulsory. There is supposed to be water here but I couldnÕt find it. Telstra signal.
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