After snorkeling in ideal conditions at John Brewer Reef, our departure at noon on Sunday (25th October) was made much easier by having perfect sailing conditions. It was sunny, we were on a broad reach in about 10 knots of wind, and the sea was flat with no swell or wind-waves. It was magical!

And so it stayed until I came on watch at 8 pm.

A huge thunderstorm cell was moving eastwards over us from the coast. We could not understand this as our winds were onshore but there it was. Randall had tried to dodge the cell, which was clearly visible on the radar, but unless we turned around and went north, it was a losing battle. Instead, we decided to furl the jib in case the cell came with a strong squall of 30 to 40 knot winds. Frustratingly, however, the jib would only roll-up a little way and then got stuck.

This changed our plan, so we started the engine and turned north to move away from the cell. But we were not quite quick enough, and while I went forward to see if I could tell how to release the furling line, it started to pour. I could see that the line had somehow got trapped in the furling drum but not how to release it. Fortunately, it was warm enough that I was not wearing many layers and the rain was not too cold and, more importantly, the wind eased rather than strengthened. We could see lightening to the south of us but thankfully none was close, so Randall could lie down on the bow safely. By manipulating the furling drum he was finally able to release the trapped line and we could bring the jib in. We then turned back towards the south and motor-sailed until the storm cells had passed.

It was alarming that this had happened in the dark but Randall’s efforts to avoid the storm cell had helped. The incident reminded us of the difficulties that Phil on SV Silhouette had experienced while we watched him trying to anchor with a flailing jib in Tasmania. Luckily, our problem was easier to solve and in much calmer conditions. By 9 pm the cell had passed and the wind was again from the northeast, so we unfurled the jib and were sailing again as if nothing had gone wrong.

By midnight, the wind was so light that had to motor-sail the rest of the way to Grassy Island. We had originally intended to go to Bowen but the ideal sailing conditions and assisting current allowed us to aim closer to the Whitsunday Islands. There are not many anchorages north of the main Islands with protection from northerly winds, so we arrived in the early afternoon to find six other boats already there. There was plenty of room in the lee of the island and the anchor held very well in the sandy bottom.

To the south and west of Grassy Island, we were surrounded by forested mainland hills and relatively few signs of people. With our focus on exploring the reefs, we had missed the opportunity to take the channel inside the mountainous Hinchinbrook Island, but perhaps we can do that next year. Much of the coast between Cairns and the Whitsundays is lined by National Parks, and north of Cairns, most of the coastline is either National Park or Aboriginal Land. Unlike the developed coastlines in southern Queensland and New South Wales, along our route from Cairns very few areas of shoreline lights can be seen at night. This was true of the view from Grassy Island, where the number of anchor lights in our bay, significantly outnumbered any other sources of light in our view...other than the stars, of course.