Rapidly North and cyclones
15 April 2011 | Dunk Island
michael and jackie
We shot off from Orpheus Island this morning The wind was from the South East so up went the spinnaker and we were soon hitting a speed of 8 knots. it was our best sail to date. Once we get above 8 knots of apparent wind the boat really takes off. We shot North past the northern end of Hinchinbrook Island and on to Dunk Island. On the way the sea is peppered with small islands looking a bit like hedgehogs. By the time we got to Dunk, just under 50 miles the wind was getting stronger, 20 -25 knots and we were getting a bit concerned about our speed. However the spinnaker came down without incident as we turned to head for the anchorage on the Western side.
The trees on the South East side of the island had been stripped of their leaves by the recent cyclone Yasi. The resort which sits at the head of the anchorage had clearly taken a direct hit and was closed. A couple of diggers made perfunctory attempts to remove sand but the wharf was smashed and large trees still lay over some of the buildings. Although most of the buildings looked intact. It was a bit different from the scene pictured by our friends last year. We checked their photos and saw them sitting by a pool surrounded by deep verdant vegetation - all a victim of the cyclone.