Homeward Bound - October 2010

October in the Whitsundays sees Erica and her crew gradually turning southwards, heading for Adelaide almost 2,000 nautical miles away, but before we do so, there are friends to farewell and places to explore. A former colleague from Adelaide (now Eco Dev Manager in the Whitsundays) came aboard in Airlie Beach and popped the Moet cork to encourage our departure. It was then off for a quick, windswept one night visit in Cid Harbour with the crew from Rose, before we headed to Nara Inlet in search of our dear friends Simon and Annie on Bushranger, in quite wet and dismal conditions. After enjoying the evening and an early morning walk up to the caves, Bushranger headed further north while we went exploring the very shallow Dugong Inlet, where we discovered some RQ members enjoying their own private party on a secluded island beach.

Even though the weather forecast was for more winds of 30kts+ we decided to accompany Bushranger on an Oyster Catching expedition to Tongue Bay (and you can see how that went) before braving the seas for a fabulous last night/day at Whitehaven Beach. It was like our own special farewell as the sun and the sunset made it very memorable. The Bushranger crew were keen to go a few miles southwards with us, across to Webster Bay for some fishing and exploring. This bay is only a few miles from Whitehaven but we were very happy to be the only ones there to snorkel amongst great coral and numerous fish, and to laze on the beach, in between fishing and exploring expeditions. Finally, a few farewell drinks and one last stunning sunset to remind us just how beautiful this place (Whitsundays) really is. Enjoy life as we certainly are...

Moet Farewell from Airlie Visitors

Erica sailing for Home

Rock Art in Nara Inlet







Erica Meets Bushranger in Nara Inlet









New Nara Lookout









The damp Bushranger Crew at Nara









Exploring Dugong Inlet









A private party on their own private island in Dugong









Oyster Catchers









What happens when an Oyster Catcher slips!












The "Boys" having fun at Whitehaven









Shell Art on Whitehaven Beach











Team Erica farewell Bushranger on Whitehaven










Tall Ships farewell Erica at Whitehaven










Our final Whitehaven Sunset is fantastic










That's a Crayfish Hunter out of luck!











Coral but just like the garden at home

My injured dive buddy

Our deserted beach in Webster Bay

More farewell drinks on Bushranger

A final spectacular sunset in Webster Bay

October 2010 - 2nd Visitors in 12 Months

It's amazing what a difference a week makes in the Whitsundays, as our first visitors had a week of sunshine and no wind, and our second visitors, Dana and Barry, arrived with a strong wind warning and rain forecast. Not to be put off, we quickly bundled everyone onto Erica and had a very fast reach across Whitsunday Passage to the northern end of Hook Island arriving at the picturesque Butterfly Bay. We were all quickly in the water making the most of the "calm" 20knot conditions before the real wind came. Day two saw us snorkelling with waves breaking over the dinghy but it was still great fun. In very poor conditions, wind and rain, we motored to Cid Harbour to climb Whitsunday Peak as soon as the rain slowed down. It was great on the walk to see waterfalls working at this time of year and the views were still spectacular in spite of the clouds. Always staying positive, a break in the weather gave us the chance to sail up to Whitehaven Beach and enjoy a swim in the brief sunshine followed by a rolly night's sleep with the leftover sea. Next day saw us braving another sail through Solway Passage and onto Hamilton Island, where our guests jumped ship for a stationary bed in a luxury resort. Life in paradise is tough sometimes but we love it!!


Erica and crew in the calm of the Marina








Visitors enjoying the sailing before the winds came







The hard working owners can still enoy a drink








Snorkelling lessons or just holding hands?









Barry going up in spectaular fashion









Almost too windy but still fun









Yes the weather did get worse









Our new friend "Stumpy" the Seagull












Waterfalls on the walking track to the Peak







Whitsunday Peak on a cloudy Day







Sunshine at last on Whitehaven Beach







Dana sails Erica to Hammo and a stable bed








Enjoy as we certainly are...