Island Head Creek to Percy Islands – 12 June 2008

Island Head Creek to Percy Islands – 12 June 2008

Our last day in Island Head Creek, after a week of storms, was capped off with a fantastic 5km+ walk along a deserted beach in brilliant sunshine. At Pinetrees Point at the end of the beach we found the local inhabitant made from flotsam & jetsam collected by the many sailors who have walk this beach before us (see photo).

From there we motored on glassy seas with large rolling NE swells past Cape Townsend, where the Australian Military play their war games, to the Dukes group of Islands. We anchored at the small but pleasant Hunter Island after negotiating the 3 knot opposing currents in Lola Mantes Pass and as the crew said, we are all over Lola and her strong currents! The Dukes are privately owned and run as Farm Stay holidays and have Cattle and Deer roaming the island, restricting access above high water mark, but we managed walks along the beaches and over the rocky headland in our 6 day stay which included sheltering from winds, again above 35 knots.

Next stop was the Percy Group of Islands where we enjoyed an 8+ knot sail from Marble to South Percy - great fun and it was good to be sailing again. The anchorage at South Percy was rolly but the island offered great walks and we met up with the crew of Kieara C who shared our small anchorage (see photo). Not only was the company good but they know how to fish and we were invited over for a Mud Crab and Chilli pizza and great night drinking plenty of wine. The only problem being we had to return to Erica on a pitch black night and rough seas – a very sobering way to finish the evening.

From South Percy we had a quick sail in 20+ knots to the famous West Bay on Middle Percy. At West Bay the Island owners and visiting sailors have constructed a hut, the “Percy Hilton”, where visiting boats for more than 60 years, have displayed their boat names - some with a story about their crew (see photo). West Bay is not a good/smooth anchorage but certainly worth the effort because of the Hut and also the enclosed harbour/bay which can be entered at high tide through rugged rocks covered in razor sharp oysters (see photo).

Erica’s crew is only just surviving the eating, drinking and limited walking!