After nearly three weeks at the Coral Sea Atolls of Marion and Lihou, we are back inshore, hiding from the mean weather.
Last stop at Lihou: South West Cay
South West Cay was our last and least pleasant anchorage at Lihou: lots of bommies extending a long way out, very tight sandy spot to drop the pick in to be in less than 20m depth, and in the ESE and ENE conditions, not very protected from the chop. Fortunately it was one of the rare days of light weather at Lihou!
Although a little unnerving from the boat, it looked striking from the air. Sometimes the best way to appreciate the sheer scale of nature’s beauty is to take to the sky. Anui as usual looked minuscule in the vast seascape.
We went ashore on the cay, said goodbye to the birdies, the crabs and the eels then spent our last night in this wild place. Although we have been starved for underwater life at Lihou, the wildlife on the cays has been an absolute highlight of this voyage. Do click on each image to see the captions.
Return to the coast
With a nasty forecast for the next 10 days, we had to give the next atolls a miss and scurry back to the coast. We had been to these before anyway. We chose to head back towards the Whitsunday Islands and Airlie Beach instead of Magnetic Island and Townsville as originally planned, which allowed us to enjoy a nice, comfortable, long sail without making too much northing.
The easterly winds were kind and granted us a gentle 222nm passage back. This is when you realise how far offshore we were! We eventually crossed the Great Barrier Reef, meandering through familiar reefs, then came into Butterfly Bay at the top of Hook Island for a rest after a 32-hour passage. Compared to the conditions at the atolls, there was not a breath of wind, no chop, no noise, no movement whatsoever… We did not sleep well, wide awake listening to the stillness, wondering whether we were high and dry! Is there something wrong with us?
We finished off the last 20nm to Airlie Beach the next day. What a shock to the system it was to arrive at Pioneer Bay. We have never seen it so busy. So many boats! We are anchored at the back of everybody, too nervous to squeeze into the pack after weeks in the wilderness on our own!
It has been blowing hard over the last few days, and would have been much worse offshore, so we are glad we cut our trip short. We will be on the move again once the weather calms down and will head south, likely over the weekend.
For now, we are using the time on board to put the finishes touches to our Cruise Story of this spectacular voyage. Stay tuned!
Sv-Anui 
So many beautiful views, Guys! There is so much life on those tiny islands. I’m glad that you made it back to shore for safe harbour. 😎🇦🇺
Hi John, the cays were brimming with birdlife. Magic for bird photography. Safe inshore, doing all the chores before we take off again.
What a wonderful retirement you guys have! 😎🍻
Yap, living the good life while we can!
Oh yeah!! 😎👍🏻🍻
So lucky to get that favourably weather window while so far offshore. Life is all about timing!
Some lovely memories there.
Yes but it is also about not waiting for the best conditions because they rarely come, and going with what you get!
Welcome back to the ‘mainland.’ I bet you are looking forward to getting back into day sails. Am I correct in guessing that the photos are of masked boobies. I’ve never seen them.T
Hi Trish, the captions give details (i logo) but the first in the gallery are masked boobies, the central ones are red-footed boobies. We’ll be glad to leave Airlie tomorrow… too crowded here. Hoping to get back to the Swains if the weather allows.
Sorry. Chris. I’ve been caught skimming; I didn’t open the photos – I just had a quick look perusing through. Nice. Sail safe.
What a great adventure! Thanks for the wonderful photos and passage details.We are making our way north. Maybe we will catch you in Airlie (it sure looks crowded up there).Chris & SuzanneDiscovery II
Hi team Discovery! Leaving Airlie tomorrow to escape the crowds. Might see you somewhere else! Hope to get the weather for another go at the Swains on the way south.
Loved the bird pics and all the other wildlife! Then we had to laugh how in your quiet anchorage, you were ‘wide awake listening to the stillness’ ….. easy to imagine at how used you get to the rolling boat and accompanying noises
Hey, we finally bought a new house, another fixer upper, big garden ….. can’t wait to get started!
Thought our sleeplessness in the stillness would make you laugh!
Congrats 🙌 on the new purchase! That will keep you busy for a while. When are you moving?
No moving date yet, ASAP, depends on solicitors etc.
More laughs at your alliteration, you’ll be rhyming next 😉
Great photos as always. Thanks for sharing what we have out there. The wind is still blowing from SE here in Mackay this morning. Safe travels.
Thanks Mick and Lyn! It is still blowy but we are starting to go south.
Another fabulous adventure. That anchorage looked more than a little nerve racking!
Glad you made it safely back before the weather blew up. That would not have been pretty out there…
Safe sailing southbound and we’ll keep an eye out for you ❤️
Yes, South West Cay rated as the worst anchorage at Lihou! So we were not even a little tempted to stay. We hesitated about going to East Diamond. But in the end we chose safety and comfort for the way out.