Lindeman island faces Shaw island and reputedly has attractive walking tracks. Anchoring at the north end in a bay called Boat Port gives good access to the tracks. It was only an hour to get here so we dropped anchor in the pleasant bay and had an early lunch before going ashore. One other boat was there. The swell got bumpy and bumpier and bumpier. Although the wind was not coming in the anchorage transformed itself into an unpleasant chop. Sadly after an hour we pulled the anchor and left, not fancying another disturbed night. Checking our friends' Don and Anne's blog on Harmonie we discovered that they had been to the same bay and been forced to leave at 2.30 am. We still had time to sail so we headed North once again to Cid Harbour.

Passing the skyscraper hotels of Hamilton island, with Virgin jets dropping off more tourists we arrived at Whitsunday island itself. Finally an anchorage that was flat and sheltered. The Whitsundays have many anchorages. However, the tourist guides don't explain that hardly any have beaches, and few combine shelter from the wind and lack of swell. The swells are partly the product of the large tides in the area. Cid harbour is one of the few that does provide shelter from most wind and swell. It was unsurprising therefore that this large and beautiful bay was full of boats. There were lots of charter boats and it was strange to see the familiar Sunsail livery again. Despite the number of boats the bay is big enough to accommodate them without it feeling crowded. We took the kayaks ashore to the nearest beach where there is a pleasant walk between two bays. We spotted several huge iguanas as well as a tiny wallaby, about a foot or so in height, as well as numerous lizards. The bay teems with large sea turtles who pop up their heads to say hello on a regular basis. It was good to have a quiet night.