Having come back to Cairns from our Coral Sea trip, we made the unusual decision to head back south for a bit! This post explains why and where we have got to.

Why?

You cover a lot of distance northwards when you go out to the Coral Sea, rather than take the coastal route. We did a big loop from Airlie Beach to Cairns, enjoying remoteness and isolation. Some cruisers thrive on busy coastal anchorages, we much prefer the offshore wilderness.

But we got to Cairns much earlier than we really wanted. The problem with getting this far north too quickly is that the wind is much stronger. We have noticed in previous years that there is about 5 knots difference in wind strength between Airlie’s latitude and Cairns, and again between Cairns and Lizard Island. If you get a long way north too early you end up getting stuck somewhere, hiding from howling winds, unable to enjoy the reef because it is just too rough, and unable to turn back because even motoring into head winds is horrible.

Not keen on getting trapped in the river at Cairns for ages, we took the decision to use a two day reprieve in the strong winds to turn tail and give ourselves more options for exploration over the next few weeks. So a day after making it into Cairns, we left. We will sail north again later in September as the trade winds ease.

Where to?

Turning tail did mean motor-sailing and god forbid an overnighter, but we have got about 100nm back south to go somewhere we have long wanted to see yet always missed: Hinchinbrook Island and its mangrove creeks… another special adventure.

We are quite excited about this escapade. It’s all about making the best out of the weather you get. It is also about doing what’s right for us: we get bored and restless when we get trapped, but enjoy the excitement of discovering new to us places, especially when they are as spectacular as Hinchinbrook Island. So our plot to go against the flow has worked well.

The passage from Cairns was mainly a motor-sail into headwinds and choppy seas but the views onto the mountainous coast line were stunning, especially at dawn and it was so worth the effort!

Stunning Hinchinbrook Island

We had been to iconic Zoe Bay on the eastern side of the island, a few years ago. Click here for a link to the 2019 post. But we had never been to Cape Richards, to the mangrove creeks at the bottom of Missionary Bay, nor had we followed the Hinchinbrook Channel which runs between the Island and the mainland. So we have a few things to keep us interested over the next week of strong weather, which hopefully will keep the mosquitoes and midges the island is known for at bay. The crocs will however still be around! We have included an overall map of the island so you get an idea of where we are and where we intend to go:

For this post, we are mainly including drone shots while we can fly it to showcase the stunning beauty of our surroundings and the anchorages we have been to over the last few days.

Arrival point and first night anchorage: Cape Richards. We had a comfortable night in flat water: bliss after the rough and tumble of the passage from Cairns.

And in the next image we look behind us towards the northwest and Goold Island; it is a different time of day, different light, different mood, but just as breathtaking with the stormy clouds and wind lines.

Second day: we moved a little further into Macushla Bay. We are anchored in mud in 2.5m at low tide. It is very shallow so we are a long way from the shore, but it is scenic and peaceful.

We went for a walk ashore (starting point on the beach you see on the left hand side). Well, it actually was an 8km bush bash on a very overgrown, poorly maintained track and we got lost – multiple times! We wanted to go to North Shepherd Bay on the NE side of the island but instead were heading to South Shepherd. We found our way back somehow and realised where we had gone wrong. So we decided to stay another day and give the correct track to Shepherd Bay another attempt, armed with proper walking boots. Unfortunately we had to abort again when Chris had another one of her ‘episodes’! That walk might have to wait till sometime next week when we come out of hiding in the mangroves!

Here is an evening view towards Missionary Bay and the mangrove creeks taken from Macushla Bay. The clouds are no longer shrouding the peaks, the mangroves get a lovely glow from the setting sun. It fills you with peace.

Missionary Bay is a fascinating place. It has a network of eight main creeks with a few small tributaries. These navigable creeks penetrate the vast mangrove forests of the bay’s southeast corner.

As the wind started to pick up on Thursday afternoon, we made our way deep into one of the mangrove creeks, the furthest south in the above aerial. We followed Number 6 Creek which meets up with Number 7 Creek, with Mt Bowen dominating the landscape.

We are tucked in there for a few days while it blows hard and are anchored in 4.5m of totally calm water with plenty of swing space. We are sharing the anchorage with cruising friends Graham and Helene, on Roo Bin Esque. Sumptuous does not begin to describe this part of the island.

Number Seven Creek is the only one of the eight that gives shore access. All others keep you boat bound, hence our choice. We will dinghy to shore for scenic walks over the coming few days.

Stay tuned for the second part of our glorious adventure in our next Friday post.