Pearl Bay (Capricornia Coast)

[Kyle]We were up early again for our next leg up to one of Australia's many Pearl Bays - this one on the mainland along the Capricornia Coast of Queensland. The wind had picked up quite a bit during our stay at Keppel, so our spinnaker stayed unused in its bag for the trip. The jib was more than enough sail for the day.

Unlike back at Keppel, when we arrived at Pearl Bay, we found ourselves to be the only ones there. It is mostly protected from the southeast swell and surrounded by pretty, pine-covered islets. This particular Pearl Bay lies within a giant military firing range and is one of three places therein where transiting boats are allowed to shelter from the weather. No firing is planned in the immediate future, so we were fine there. I think the main reason for its relative unpopularity is that, since it is surrounded by the vast military training area, there are no restaurants or beach bars to visit, no cell phone service. You are not even allowed to land on the beach for sundowners. That pretty much gets rid of the weekend crowd.

Well, perhaps there is some interesting snorkeling to be had.

Perhaps, but no. Our main guidebook is unequivocal on this: “Do not swim in the waters!” It seems we have now come far enough north to be in THAT part of Australia. The lack of development along Pearl Bay's shores (especially the two river mouths that sandwich the bay), has left behind plenty of great habitat for crocodiles.

We had hoped to take out the dinghy and explore around some of the lovely coastlines and islands within the bay, but the weather kept us snug inside Begonia
The only nice day was the day we arrived.

The forecast for the next couple of days is for plenty of rain. Looks like a perfect opportunity to take a couple of “Feet-up days”, as our friend Nic refers to them.