Despite being slightly regretful that we did not have the opportunity to go ashore or explore more of the reef at Mast Head Island, we had no hesitation in casting-off the mooring lines at 5:20 am on Wednesday (16th June). Northerly winds were forecast again for that evening, so we needed to be somewhere else, and none of the other reefs in this area had northerly protection. We departed for the southern coast of Great Keppel Island.

The calm weather that we had been craving for the last two weeks for snorkeling and visiting new reefs, now taunted us with insufficient wind to sail on our 47 nm northwest passage. Instead, by mid-morning we motored into a fog bank that reduced visibility at times to about 0.1 nm. This was not really a problem because there were few other vessels on our route and we could use the radar to "see" into the fog. But they were strange conditions in which to cross over the Tropic of Capricorn.

Inspired by Ciaron's tasty gift and discussions with Adam and Rachel on SV Lady Annabelle, Randall trolled a fishing line until we reached an area of Marine National Park zone where no fishing is allowed. Just before he had to reel-in the lines and store the rods below, one of the reels started to scream and I slowed us down while he pulled in a good-sized fish (about 60 cm or 24 inches). Having not done much fishing in Australia, we had to look-up this pelagic species online, and decided that it was a school mackerel. Fried in Panko breadcrumbs, it provide two delicious dinners.



The school mackerel that Randall caught

Fortunately, the fog had lifted a little by the time we reached the Keppel Islands, so we had no difficulty in finding a suitable place to anchor on the south side of Great Keppel Island. Although a light wind was now blowing from the east, it was due to turn northerly again overnight, so we anchored near one other boat at the west end of Long Beach.

The following day, with plenty of organizing and cleaning to do on Tregoning before Hillary and Glen arrived on Saturday afternoon, I sadly resisted the temptation to try to talk Randall into launching the dinghy for either a walk on the Island or a snorkel. It was quite a painful sacrifice because the calm, sunny conditions were perfect for both of these activities. Many other boats joined us in the anchorage with happy crews buzzing around in their dinghies, including one couple who had a long snorkel around nearby Monkey Point. Still, it was satisfying to get the galley, floors, and bathrooms thoroughly cleaned without the boat rolling.



A double rainbow seen in the late afternoon from Long Beach, Great Keppel Island

The boats thinned-out on Thursday afternoon with the forecast for the wind to swing around to the southwest. We awoke on Friday with some protection from Monkey Point but it did not take long for the winds to stiffen and the direction to become more southerly. By 7 am, it was time to leave this unprotected lee-shore. However, the entrance to Keppel Bay Marina can be a little shallow, so we did not want to arrive there much before noon when the half-tide would be rising.

Instead, we sailed and motor-sailed our way anti-clockwise around Great Keppel Island, looking at potential anchorages, such as on the north side of Humpy Island, to use during Hillary and Glen's visit. Frustratingly, strong southeasterly winds were forecast for much of the week, so we were not certain that we would be spending much time out of the marina but we could be flexible. There were no boats in the large Wreck Bay on the east side of Great Keppel (maybe the name was a clue), but about 25 were scattered through the anchorages on the northern coast. Unlike our last visit there, it did not look too rolly, so that was encouraging.



A white-breasted sea-eagle in flight (to 84 cm or 33 inches) seen during our circumnavigation of Great Keppel Island

We aimed for the mainland by taking the channel between Great Keppel and Middle Islands, which we had not used before. The channel between various rocks is marked and looked more than deep enough on our chart. However, we were a little surprised to find only just enough depth over sand south of the channel, and made a note not to use it again except at high tide. A rather ponderous sail westward using only the jib in fairly light winds, allowed us to delay our arrival at the marina until noon, and we reached our berth without any concerns about running aground.

We now had about 24 hours until our guests arrived which meant a frenzy of activity to hose-down the decks and to clear-out and clean the front cabin. Rising at 4 am the next day, allowed me to beat the rush of people wanting to use the washing machines, and by 8 am I had the five loads that comprised five weeks' worth of laundry, washed, dried, and folded. We were now ready to greet our visitors, and plan a week of exploring the Capricorn Coast.