Mackay to Hamilton Island - Welcoming friends from another time

3/11/2017 to 15/11/2017

There is one anchorage in Brampton Island for almost any kind of wind just 20 miles away from Mackay. Usually this is our first stop when leaving Mackay and this time was not different. We left  the marina just before noon, after finishing all last minute preparations, which included a stop at the fuel dock as we were hoping for good weather to go to one of the reefs nearby.

With light winds from the south east it took us about 4 hours to get there running just one engine with a good current in our favor.

Next day we moved on to Goldsmith Island. We chose the north anchorage that has an easier approach  and good space to anchor. Just two other boats were there and we spent a couple of lovely days.

Goldsmith Island

Sunset at anchor

It's a full moon night

Then the northerlies showed up in the forecast and we moved a bit further north to Plantation in Lindeman Island, a great anchorage protected from northerly winds. There were several boats there, it felt a little crowded, not surprising as we were now in full 'Whitsundays Charter' area.

Plantation, Lindeman Island

Welcome Swallows (not really welcome on board but too cute to scare them away)

Another nice couple of days until the wind turned again to the SE and the forecast started showing strong wind warnings in what seemed to be duration: indefinitely. 

We left Lindeman and decided to go to Hamilton Marina to wait for the arrival of our friends. Due to the weather we ended up in the marina two days earlier than planned, it was a good measure as the strong wind arrived that night.

Two days later, while the weather was still wild, arrived our friends Maggie and Roy as expected. They came in a tour to Australia and New Zealand all the way from Canada. We met them on another time, another world when we were sailing the Caribbean and they were in their boat Drum. We were part of a group that sailed together to survive Venezuela's increasing piracy threats back in 2008. Since then Venezuela has deteriorated further year after year, a real shame as the off shore islands are amazingly beautiful cruising grounds (our adventures at that time recorded in: http://www.bluewaterdreaming.com/zen/isla_tortuga.html).

We hadn't seen Maggie and Roy for several years but we had always kept in touch, so we were thrilled when they announced they were coming all the way from Canada to visit Australia. It was unfortunate for them that the wind didn't ease during their stay, even when Maggie had promised to bring the sun with her. Sailing out of the protection in the marina would have been miserable. It was a collective decision to even don't bother trying. They are sailors as well and knew it wasn't worth the trouble.

With so many wonderful places to go around the Withsundays it was a real shame to be tucked in the marina. Nevertheless we hope they had a good time as Hamilton is rather a nice place to be trapped in.

Roy and Maggie

With Maggie

Stuck in Hamilton Marina

Oscar and I did have a great time catching up with them and we sadly said farewells 3 days later with promises of meeting again when we visit Canada or maybe somewhere else around this small world.

A day after they left the weather started a new improving trend and we left the marina, this time south bound.

G.