Middle Percy Island - 'Cruisers hangout'
Trying to avoid a difficult sail directly into strong headwinds, we once again waited for a break in the persistent southeasterlies.
Then, on a Saturday evening, the forecast finally showed an unusual window of calm weather for the days ahead. By the following morning, we had taken a one-hour flight north to Townsville, stocked up on supplies, and departed the marina by 2:00 p.m.
Our plan was simple, shelter behind Cape Cleveland overnight and continue on at first light.
Later that evening, I woke suddenly with my heart racing. The yacht felt as though it was drifting, or so we thought. In reality, the sea had become so incredibly calm and glassy that even sitting still felt unfamiliar and unsettling.
The moon lit up the night sky while the sea lay completely calm and glassy. At 11:00 p.m. that Sunday evening, we made the decision to motor around the point and assess the wind and swell conditions for ourselves. To our surprise, the ocean was still absolutely flat.
Taking full advantage of the rare stretch of calm weather, the engines were soon humming as we headed south. The easterly winds gradually returned, and by midday the following day, perfect beam-reaching conditions had the yacht cruising comfortably at speeds of 8–9 knots.
By 5:00 p.m., we were safely anchored off Airlie Beach.
After spending a relaxing day at Airlie Beach, the winds eased once again. David then flew in to join me at Hamilton Island, and after enjoying a quiet ale or three and an early night, we departed southbound the following morning, with no fixed destination...latitude and longitude still unknown.
By nightfall, we had dropped anchor in a stunning sheltered bay behind Scawfell Island, well east of Mackay. The anchorage was peaceful, secluded, and surrounded by breathtaking scenery.
At 3:00 a.m. the next morning, we were back underway. Our goal was to reach the Middle Percy Islands by 3:00 p.m., making the most of the continuing favourable conditions.
The journey south was filled with unforgettable whale sightings as humpbacks migrated toward Antarctica for their summer feeding season. One of the highlights of the trip was arriving at Middle Percy Island and visiting the island’s iconic A-frame cruisers’ hangout — a legendary stop for sailors travelling the Queensland coast.
That evening, we tried our luck flicking soft plastics, but the fishing proved quiet, with no decent-sized fish landed.
Departing again at 10:00 a.m., we set out on an overnight passage bound for Great Keppel Island, aiming to arrive early the next morning. There was still time for a spot of fishing around Great Keppel Island, where plenty of small cod were caught and released.
With forecasts predicting strengthening winds of 20–30 knots over the coming days and weeks, the trip soon came to an end, and we boarded a flight back to Brisbane.
Over five days we covered 370 nautical miles (or 685 kilometres) while repositioning from Townsville Marina to Keppel Bay Marina (near Rockhampton, Australia).
