As we neared the northwestern tip of Hook Island, the wind shifted against us and we started tacking. This was one of those times that tacking was rather pleasant. There are a cluster of small islands and reefs here and tacking was a nice way to see stuff that the other boats motoring through on the shortest path were missing.
We got to Narrow Passage, between Hook and Hayman Islands, about an hour before low tide. I was hoping we would be able to catch the last of the ebb through, but our first couple of tacks quickly revealed that the south-going flood had started. Each tack was putting us just behind the one before. Okay, fire up an engine.
Sailing towards the north end of Hook Island
That held us in place for a while until it was warmed up and we could use more power. There was a lot of traffic going back and forth through the passage. It was becoming clear that this was on a lot of day-tour itineraries.
We rounded the corner into Butterfly Bay, the biggest inlet on the farthest side of Hook Island from the mainland, and discovered a mix of about 3/4 charter boats, both power and sail, and 1/4 private powerboats. These were all scattered amongst a generous collection of free government moorings, which are placed to protect the coral. We picked an empty one and tied up for the show.
As we bobbed at our mooring, a whole procession of boats came and went. The occupants of the chartered monohull that arrived three minutes before we did all went for a swim. They were headed back out of the bay thirty minutes after they arrived. I guess if you rent a boat and want to go see a good chunk of the Whitsundays, you don’t have time to savor. Most of the other boats stayed an hour or two, with the guided tours on the strictest schedule. About an hour before sunset, most of the power boats unhooked and sped off to their marinas, presumably to get back by dark.
A strong wind was in the forecast for the following night. It wasn’t here yet, so the sun broiled us all as we swam or cowered under our awnings. Maryanne couldn’t take it anymore and went for a swim herself. I really wanted to join her, but I spotted something suspicious at the top of one of our shrouds on my post-sail rig inspection. It kinda looked like a broken strand, but it also kinda didn’t. It was probably nothing, but I knew it would be bugging me until I knew for sure. It was also as calm as the bay was going to be during our stay, so there was no better time than the present.
Up I went. It was nothing, just a few encrusted salt crystals that needed to be brushed away. We could really use a good rainstorm. By the time I was back down on deck, I was so overheated that I briefly considered foregoing my usual snorkel prep and just jumping overboard fully clothed. Maryanne wanted me to join her on her exploration of the surrounding reef, which is why all of those boats come here after all, so I wouldn’t have been a good snorkel buddy without fins and all.
Kyle had to go up the mast - so managed to take a couple of 'aerial' photos (one day we might actually invest in a drone).
The water was not cold, but I was so hot that it felt that way to me for the first few seconds. Aaahhh! It’s amazing how a quick dip can instantly reverse hours of heat buildup.
The snorkeling was okay. The visibility wasn’t the best and there was a lot of silt buildup. The interesting thing about the area is that it’s almost completely made up of varieties of soft coral waving in the current and it goes on for the whole perimeter of the bay. We swam until we realized sunset was not far off, and returned to Begonia feeling fresh and new.
All the reef was very silted over with only rare patches of life, and most of the life was soft corals. The west side of the bay being much better populated than the east.
We stayed another whole day at Butterfly Bay, watching the charter boat turnover. I went for a short swim, mostly to cool off. Maryanne skipped it. She felt like she had seen it and her hair can be a bit of a pain to deal with, so she stayed behind.
There is no cellular service in Butterfly Bay, so poor Maryanne found herself with no jobs to do (and feeling guilty). She was a bit fidgety the first hour or so after getting out of bed, but it didn’t take her long to rediscover the joys of leisure. She spent the balance of her day sat in the cockpit reading a book. She’s still an overachiever. She finished the whole thing in a day and started on the next. It will take a long time to get her to where she can just look out and admire the clouds for an afternoon…
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