Matey's musings: The jewel in the crown

Cabin fever!

We left North Keppel Island reluctantly, having found a great snorkeling site. But, with south-east winds forecast the poor Matey got no rest! On Monday we headed north and anchored at Port Clinton. We knew we’d have to miss Island Head Creek, due to military training and an exclusion zone. (Matey was disappointed about this as, being a fan of rocks, she was looking forward to admiring the dramatic cliffs at the entrance.) Up early Tuesday morning to go around the corner to Pearl Bay. But, poor old Matey was just lining up the cliffs at the southern entrance for a slightly nerve-racking entry between, but enticed by the beauty beyond, when Captain Democracy, on a whim, decided that we should just keep heading north. Oh all right, a sensible decision, thought the Matey, we have a lot of ground to cover and we need to make the most of favourable winds. So, onward north. Monday night was spent at High Peak Island. We arrived late in the afternoon and, almost surrounded by coral bommies, it looked like the snorkeling would have been great, but it being late in the day, we decided against it. It was nice to have a whole island all to ourselves but unfortunately it was low tide and too rocky to go ashore!

Pointing to Percy

Early to bed for an early rise. Finally, by lunchtime Wednesday we arrived at South Percy Island, and not a moment too soon, as Matey’s legs were demanding a walk on stable ground, having not touched down for several days. We anchored at the first opportunity, just around the corner from the swell. We discovered someone had considerately put a hammock up in a tree. Captain, the anthropologist, also found a midden and a very smooth grinding stone, worn down by generations, and a cutting stone too.

Eventually, we made our way back to the boat and discovered the swell had increased so much that disembarking from the dinghy was quite a challenge. Hmmm … it wasn’t going to be a comfortable night. Time to move again. We eventually anchored at the other end of the island in a much more protected spot, with rugged hills surrounding it. The entry to this anchorage was a bit nerve-racking though with reef on each side of the channel in, so getting the anchor down was all the more sweet. We were joined there by Dave and Heather from The Catch, who we first met at Pancake Creek. Heather’s bread recipe has been deemed a great success — supplanting the need for bread mixes and kneading!

Exploration of the eastern end of South Percy Island revealed a rugged and somewhat barren landscape. Sadly, nowhere is safe from the detritus of humanity, with all sorts of refuse discarded who-knows-where ending up on this otherwise wierdly beautiful island. We found two sources of fresh water in the rocks, if we’d been desperate enough to collect it drop by drop. After evening drinks with Heather and Dave, we had a rough, rolling night of broken sleep as the swell surged around the eastern end of the island. Time to move to Middle Percy so we were off on Friday morning.

Yachties’ Mecca

Ahhh, the much-lauded and eagerly anticipated Middle Percy Island (West Bay anchorage) didn’t disappoint – it is beautiful, looks tropical, and the A-frame tribute to visiting boaties, ‘Percy Hilton’, was as quirky as expected (tradition being that each vessel leave a memento of its visit). Thanks to all those sailors who have told us this is a place not to miss! While we were in the A-frame, in swooped a helicopter with five customs staff aboard. Normally inspecting the numerous coal ships into Mackay, these guys had a quiet day and were inspecting some other parts of their domain. Nice work if you can get it.

Drenched on Percy

The rough weather continued and first night at the anchorage was less than restful. So, at high tide next day we entered the ‘boat harbour’ – a ‘lagoon’ with a narrow entry channel behind the anchorage and accessible only at high tide. This also means rough seas outside are tamed in the channel. Inside is a lovely protected area surrounded by high hills. Part of it has a sandy bottom and is large enough to beach TC at low tide, so finally some restful nights’ sleep!

The wintry, rainy weather continued though so the hatches were battened down as the rain tried to find weak points for a few days. We met Brad and Robyn, the affable residents of the Tree House, who welcome boaties, keep the beach tidy and assist with ‘managing’ the island. (We gratefully accepted their offer of a hot shower, and Matey was excited to wash her hair using a real shower with a sensational view!)

Following a wet walk to the old homestead, we met Kate, the current lease-holder who is continuing the tradition of keeping goats, among other things. Her cousin, the previous lease-holder, assisted boats for many years as well as providing some supplies. (The island was ‘unmanaged’ for several years, between lessees, while a dispute with the EPA was resolved in court. By the time Kate arrived disrepair had set in, the vegie garden was overgrown etc.) We walked through a variety of types of vegetation (some introduced along with the goats and wallabies). We were given the task of delivering three goats a few hundred metres up the road to Steve, the other resident of the island.

Captain has found his destiny (apart from leading goats) – to grace this exceptional island with his presence for as long as possible. Fortunately the Matey also found it a superb place to linger. (Matey wouldn’t mind the tree-house job when it becomes available!) Further exploration of the island revealed varied landscapes and surprises and the desire to return took hold.

Digby Island

Sadly, we had to keep moving north, so on Saturday we departed Middle Percy and waved goodbye to all our new friends. We’ll be back!

En route to Mackay we had to choose between Digby and Curlew Islands for a stop-over. Somehow Digby won, although Curlew is supposed to be the more attractive anchorage. It must be impressive as Digby is beautiful, and we were blessed with fine weather.

FTA

We delivered 60 kg of delicious Percy Island honey to Mackay. TC struggled under the load but we were well rewarded with some freshly caught local King Salmon (and were directed to a supplier of prawns and bugs), as well as our own supply of honey.

South Percy