Up wind sailing
24 April 2011 | Fitzroy Island
michael and jackie
Our return to Fitzroy was hard work. We happily sailed back through the reefs, stopping for a short time at Upolo Reef, a small sandy cay, and then out through the narrow passage and started the upwind sail back to Fitzroy Island. It's a long time since we last tacked. At first it was quite fun. We would charge off in the direction of Cairns, dodging bulk carriers, conveniently showing on our new AIS system. This displays all the details of large ships on our screens, and even more conveniently shows our position on their screen as a big black diamond. So theoretically we look on their screens like a big ship, not a little yacht. After about four quite exhilarating tacks we calculated that we would not be back in Fitzroy before 5.30pm. It was only 12 miles, but each tack only got us a couple of miles closer. So it was on with the engines. The wind by now was at 25 knots plus so progress was slow even tacking with the engines on. We averaged about 3.5 knots before getting to Welcome Bay at Fitzroy Island.
It looked as beautiful as before and we determined to do some walking and snorkeling. We headed up a track to a now defunct lighthouse. This gives tremendous views over the surrounding seas, as shown in the picture. The lighthouse itself is a postwar rebuilt now redundant, on the site of a world war 2 radar station. The island had a chequered past as amongst other things a quarantine post for Chinese gold miners, thousands of whom actually died there. I don't think there is any memorial or reference to them.
We spent the afternoon snorkeling the bay which was quite fun, and spotted some sea serpents.
In the evening the wind got stronger and the swell swept round the corner of the bay. The effect of the swell on the side of the boat, rather than from the bows is not very nice - a bit like being inside a washing machine. A large motor boat which had anchored too close, the type which has underwater lights on all night, started to drift perilously close to us. Eventually we managed to hail them and they moved. By dawn the number of boats left in the bay were dramatically reduced - mostly but not entirely catamarans. We decided to forego the sleepless nights of Fitzroy Island and on Monday headed into Cairns. The wind was gusting up to 40 knots according to our instruments. We hit 10 knots at times rocketing along with reefed sails and a following gale. Despite the fact that the last part of the 16 mile journey is into wind we were safely in the Marlin Marina in Cairns by 9.30am. A helpful lady from the marina caught our ropes and we were tied up. What a difference to the couldn't care less attitude of Mackay.