A busy day sailing south to Middle Percy Island

After a few weeks in the Whitsundays we decided to continue our journey south. On a still morning we left Hamilton Island and motor sailed slowly down the coast to Percy Island.

The conditions were nice and we spent most of the morning reading while the kids played or slept in the cockpit.

A Spotted Mackerel interrupted our busy schedule at around lunchtime.  But no one complained too loudly!

We arrived at West Bay at around 2230 that night and anchored alongside several other yachts.

Whitsunday Island - Wandering around with Rory

Uncle Rory's visit was great. Rory stayed with us for five nights and on the first day we caught a Spotted Mackerel on the way to Bait Reef! It was our first Spotted Mackerel this trip and that night we had fresh fish for dinner two hours after we had caught it.

We stayed at Bait Reef for two days and we all enjoyed power diving with Rory. He seemed to bring all the big fish out and about. We also swam with the big Maori Wrasse while Eric looked on from Lucey Blue. The fish were right up in Rory's face and eating his hair.

We even found a new pet we called Trevor the Trevally. He stayed with us for a nearly an hour while we were swimming around the western edge of the reef. Trevor tried to photo bomb our pictures of the school of Bumphead Parrot fish, however, he was unsuccessful...

Dad thought the fish below was really cute, he's smiling from his little cubby hole!

On the way back to Border Island we caught a huge Spanish Mackerel and two smaller Tunas, which was awesome! We kept the Spanish Mackerel and threw back the Tunas.

Thanks for coming to visit Rory and thanks for bringing out the big fish!

Hamilton Island - Grandi visits

On the 20th of October Grandi came to Hamilton Island to visit the crew of Lucey Blue. 

We spent a week or so pottering about the pool playing and we also all had a sleep over at Grandi's apartment, while mum and dad went out to dinner. We also had a delicious selection of treats such as ice-cream, mars bars, slushies and wedges.

 

We had a lot of fun at the pool and the pool bar, where we had lunch a few times.

Ryan and Mum did a few morning runs around the island and Mum even managed to complete a park run!

Dad did a few odd jobs around the boat, some that involved making my hands super greasy with engine oil and others that made a real mess out of my cabin!

 On the 24th of October Grandi left and our uncle, Rory, came up, but that's another story.

Hamilton Island Race Week - 2015

The first race of Hamilton Island Race Week commenced with a spinnaker start. The windy conditions made the staggered start a little more exciting than normal.

The first boat out was Wild Oats and the field was not crowded until the smaller boats got underway.

We think John Travolta must have flown in to see the end of the race as a Qantas jet – decked out in the company’s old colour scheme - flew into Hamilton Island cutting a path through the start line.

The Racing and Cruising Multihull Divisions were some of the last to start and the wind had dropped a little. However, before long the racing catamarans had quickly passed the majority of the monohulls already on the course.

After the start we moved to Henning Island to watch the yachts sail back up the course to the finish line.

To cap of a nice day we found an official race photograph online with Lucey Blue in the foreground as the last of the yachts sailed home.

Middle Percy Island - Northwards

We left Middle Percy Island at 0300 on the 11th of August with a rather generic plan. We would head north prehaps to Mackay for fresh fruit and veggies or perhaps to the southern end of the Whitsunday Islands. Lucey Blue still had enough generic supplies to last at least another month and our water tanks were full so we could decide along the way.

The kids were keen to stop at Mackay for some sliced white bread, but in the end we pushed on and arrived at Thomas Island (about 15 miles southeast of Hamilton Island) an hour before sunset.

We spent a day or two pottering around Thomas and Shaw Island to avoid some strong winds and allow time to explore. We caught up on some schoolwork and even managed to avoid capsizing unlike some unlucky racers competing in the Airlie Beach Race Week.

This morning we managed to secure a one-hour berth at Hamilton Island. We were a bit surprised that there was any space at all given it is the eve of the 2015 Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, but we jumped at the chance to purchase some fresh food. Lucey Blue was restocked in just under 45 minutes - a record for us!

Party lights and Hamilton Island

After a lovely afternoon spent by the Main Pool (mocktails in hand), we had a little impromptu party on Lucey Blue last night because it was to be our last night at Hamilton Island, and I am going to miss it.

The previous evening we had met and chatted with a lovely couple (Trevor and Pam) aboard their beautiful motor boat Triton. In addition to donating us one of their lures (I think they felt sorry for us and our terrible fishing record), they gave us some of their fresh caught Cobia (or Black Kingfish). Nick crumbed and pan fried it, and served it with salad, and it was SUPERB! Big thanks to Trevor and Pam for making our farewell party dinner such a good one.

Here are some of my favourite shots taken around beautiful Hamilton Island...

The stylish Hamilton Island Yacht Club, one of the first buildings you see upon entering the marina.

Another view of the yacht club.

The hanging verandah of the Hamilton Island Yacht Club, looking across the passage to Dent Island.

Lucey Blue alongside F-arm at the Hamilton Island Marina.

Looking out over the Hamilton Island Marina, with Dent Island in the background.

The Sulfur-Crested Cockatoo, a not-so-welcome visitor on Lucey Blue. These pretty devils will chew holes in anything if you let them hang about.

The kids spent hours in the huge main pool (which also had a pool bar...bring on the pink lemonade)!

Island touring in golf buggy style.

We left Hamilton Island this morning, and are currently motoring towards the north end of Hook Island. Our plan is to overnight in one of the bays up there, and then tomorrow we may head back out to the reef for some more diving and snorkelling.

The first-class passenger is eight months old...

...and sporting six sturdy little chompers!

All the better to scare off the ducks...

All the better to chomp on pizza...when my silly parents leave it where I can get to it...

(and yes...one of these pizzas did land on the floor...upside down of course!!).

PS. The Manta Ray Cafe pizzas are very good...even after you've had to scrape them up off the floor.

A day at the Audi Hamilton Island Races...

I know this post is out of order...we still have several posts to add here covering our visits to Middle Percy, Brampton, Shaw and Lindeman Islands (I have been a pretty slack blogger of late)...but I was so excited after witnessing some of the maxi yachts up close today (part of the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week), that I couldn't wait to pop up a few pictures.

We left our anchorage at Lindeman Island at 8:00 am this morning and sailed under spinnaker up to Hamilton Island and through Dent Passage, arriving just as the race fleet departed the Hamilton Island Marina.

We weren't sure where the races started from, so we dropped the spinnaker and followed the back of the fleet right up to the start line (and then promptly got out of the way).

Check out the water!! The current through Fitzalan Passage was about 3 kts...against us!

We ended up in Turtle Bay, on the south coast of Whitsunday Island, and were bobbing about directly off the start line, where we got the following shots...

I had to put this one up, because I got one for my birthday! A silver Pandora bracelet...not a Hanse 540e racing yacht ;-)...

As soon as the majority of the fleet had departed we motored back past Hamilton Island and anchored off Henning Island, just in time to catch the race leaders come flying back home...

It was a poopy, overcast and drizzly day, but it was so much fun watching the race fleet that we hardly noticed the poor weather. There were hardly any spectator boats out either, which surprised us, but enabled us a good clear view.

We finished off a fabulous day with a quick jaunt ashore on Henning Island, where we helped the kids construct a driftwood shelter on the beach. This project was inspired by one of Emily's Distance Education units on different types of shelters, and someone had even thoughtfully started the shelter for us too!

Anyhoo, way past time this chook was in bed.

Night!!