Kent Island (a brief stop, and a lot of rain)

[Kyle]Walker Reef seemed to be getting slowly more boisterous. We decided enough was enough and headed out for Kent Island, just down the coast from Innisfail.

Rain and wind, with moments of glorious sunshine

Kent turned out to be better protected than Walker, but only because the anchorage there had less fetch (space to windward in which waves can develop). The regional conditions were generally getting worse, so we were basically back to where we started at the last anchorage.

Kent is a gumdrop-shaped island about eighty meters high which sports its own lighthouse. Since we were in croc territory, swimming was out, which left the steep, but short hike to the lighthouse as the only remaining diversion.

We never made it. The surf at the beach was too big for us to think we could successfully land without getting flipped and besides, it was pretty much pouring rain the whole time to boot. We decided to wait it out aboard. Like back at Walker reef, each night became rougher and more stressful as we tossed and turned all night worried about dragging. Time for the next leg.