Day 18: Pearl Bay – Hexham Island - Flingtime
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- Day Zero, Day-1: Jacob's Well - Wellington Point
- Day2: Wellington Point - Pumicestone Passage (Bribie Island-South)
- Day-3: Pumicestone Passage - Mooloolaba
- Day 4: Mooloolaba - Double Island Point
- Day 5: Double Island Point – Garry’s Anchorage, Gt.( Sandy Straights)
- Day 6: Garry’s Anchorage – Urangan
- Day 7: Urangan – Burnett Heads (Bundaberg)
- Day 8: Burnett Heads – Pancake Creek
- Day 9: Pancake Creek – Hummocky Island (via Cape Capricorn)
- Day 10: Hummocky Island – Rosslyn Bay (via Lisa Jane Shoals) – Great Keppel Island
- Day 11,12: Great Keppel Island (Leeke’s Beach)
- Day 13: Great Keppel Island – Rosslyn Bay
- Day 14: Rosslyn Bay – Pearl Bay
- Days 15,16,17 - Pearl Bay....
- Day 18: Pearl Bay – Hexham Island
- Day 19: Hexham Island – Curlew Island
- Day 20: Curlew Island - Mackay
- Day 21: Mackay
- Day 22: Mackay – Goldsmith Is.
- Day 23: Goldsmith Is. – Hamilton Is. - Sawmill Bay
- Day 24: Sawmill Bay - Blue Perl Bay – Hook Is., Stonehaven Bay
- Day 25: Stonehaven Bay - Nara Inlet
- Day 26: Nara Inlet –via Whitsunday Passage/Molle Group – Hamilton Is
- Day 27: Hamilton Is – Shag Islet (Passage Is.) in Gloucester Passage
- Day 28: Gloucester Passage - Cape Upstart
- Day 29: Cape Upstart - Townsville
- Day 30: Townsville – Horseshoe Bay (Magnetic Is.)
- Day 31: Horseshoe Bay (Magnetic Is.) at anchor
- Day 32: Magnetic Is. – Orpheus Is. (Palm Group)
- Day 33: Orpheus Is. – Dunk Is.
- Day 34: Dunk Is.- Etty Bay – Johnstone River (Innisfail)
- Day 35: Innisfail – Fitzroy Is.
- Day 36: Fitzroy Is. – Vlasoff Cay – Michaelmas Cay
- Day 37: Michaelmas Cay – Yorkey’s Knob (Half Moon Bay Marina)
Day 18: Pearl Bay – Hexham Island
Friday, 31-May-2013
The weather was forecast to be SE 20-25 knots, with a northerly change about 2 days out and we had decided to break out of Pearl Bay prison despite missing what should be a nice lazy lunchtime BBQ on the beach with the other prisoners.
The alarm jolted us from our slumber at 06:00 and we prepared for some heavy weather as the charts indicated areas of overfall/tide rips/races which was a somewhat daunting after the rough ride into Pearl Bay.
Life jackets ON, Personal AIS checked, MOB tags activated, main sail to 2nd reef before hoisting.
It was a SE wind speed of 18 knots inside the bay and an ebb tide with 2 hours to go which meant it was initially against us, and to a large extent, against the prevailing wind. The overfalls were in everyone's mind as we departed under motor and sail. We had figured out that the steerable motor helped a lot with atability and steering in such conditions.
Pearl Bay to our waypoint off Island Head (an alternative anchorage) was 6.25NM with a further 26.25NM toHexham Island.
We noticed Sub Zero off to starboard and motoring out behind us as we logged on to CG Thirsty Sound. The VHF radio was still giving us trouble and managed to knock out the chart plotter's GPS for a while until it re-acquired out location.
By 08:00 we had lifted the motor and were making 5.7 knots in a TWS of 24knots. The depth was 33metres. Swells were 2-3 metres but the boat was riding them very well indeed.
08:20, we changed course more directly towards Hexham as Sub Zero headed off towards the Percy's and the Dukes.
The Youtube video below is best viewed in a full screen at higher resolution. Set resilution via the settings/wheel icon.
This area was a radio dead spot with no Telstra service and the VHF was not picking up any weather reports on Ch 16,80,81. The main VHF clearly needs sorting out as we had to use the hand held VHF a couple of times.
The seas approaching Hexham were turquoise and the swells were smaller at about 2 metres with some larger 4 metre swell coming through.
12:00 The weather report from CG Thirsty Sound came through, forecasting more strong E-SE winds St. Lawrence to Bowen, scattered showers etc...
13:15 Noticable increase in SOG of about 2-3 knots as we sail between Ainwick and Hexham on a favourable flood tide.
13:30 Updated CG Thirsty Sound, furled the jib and soon after lowered the main
13:50 Anchored on the northside of Hexham Is in 4.5 metres, 25 metres od chain out.
22 00.808S, 150 21.856E
Extract from the Navigatrix journal which has hourly entries in case of an electronics malfunction requiring manual navigation:-
"A lovely day's sailing & for the first time we were'nt rugged up, just shirts and PFD's, not layers & wet weather jackets.Sunny with light clouds, at one stage it looked like rain but it moved inland. Rugged coastline to C. townsend which opened into Broad Sound Channel where we experienced the effects of tidal streams & strong SE trade winds. Encountered some big swells & overfalls but the boat sailed along very well. Much better passage than that from Rosslyn Bay to Pearl Bay.Favourable flood tidal effect in channel between Hexham & Ainwick Is, increased SOG by about 2 kknots.Beautiful approach to Hexham Is although the sea was quite large with 20+ kn of wind. Appropriate for the rocky coastline, similar to what we have seen en route but sheer vertical laminated rocks which appear to have intruded from below the sea. Boulders & rocks fill the eastern edge of the beach. a small stretch of sand in the cove protected on the west side by rocky headland, separated at high tide from pine tree covered promontory & the jaggered Cathedral Rock.
Eastern end of north anchorage is forested with similar vegetation to Pearl Bay (Wattles, Norfolk Pines) in contrast to the heath-like shrubbery of the western end. Pandanus trees line the beach.
The SE wind is blowing across the gap in the middle of the island, so very blustery on foredeck. Otherwise, anchorage has gentle swell & so far seems better than Pearl Bay under similar conditions."
