Butterfly Bay

60^th AUS Trip Blog 11

There is a big blow overnight on Stonehaven Bay. Rain lashes the boat. The wind howls through the rigging. The bulkhead in my berth develops a load grinding noise as the boat pitches up and down. Dinghy and kayaks go bump in the night. I have to close my porthole to avoid being drenched.

My sleep is frequently interrupted by loud noises, including Dave’s stentorian snores, which are competing on an equal footing with the rain and the grinding bulkhead. When asleep I dream that I am being chased through the rainforest by a howling tiger who is grinding his teeth. 

In the morning, it is no surprise that radioman Dave reports that we are still no-go for our Shangri-La of Whitehaven Beach, which, alas, lies on the windward side of Whitsunday Island. Instead, we opt to head to the top of Hook Island to Butterfly Bay. This will position us for a possible run to Whitehaven tomorrow.

 Taking on the gale

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

 The wind is fierce and it is raining in spurts. Not what the brochures show. We reef our mainsail and only put out half of our headsail. With all of the cockpit controlled furling systems on this boat, it is easy to adjust the sails. The ride is exhilarating; waves breaking on our bows while the swell from astern makes steering a bit unpredictable. Everyone has a turn as skipper and enjoys the challenge.

 Kank at the helm                

Our destination is Butterfly Bay, which is shaped like a starfish. OK, it is shaped like a butterfly. However, as we will find out to our delight, it is not called Butterfly Bay because of its shape, but because millions of butterflies live in the bush just off of the beach.. If you walk under the trees, they all arise en masse like a swarm of locusts. Really cool.

 

There are butterflies in these trees!

Everyone leaves the boat to investigate. I decide to kayak around the whole bay. It takes about an hour and a half. The wind is so strong that when going into it you sometimes get blown backwards even when paddling. The hills of the Whitsundays create things called “bullets” – intense gusts of wind that are 2-3 times the wind strength. I get struck by numerous bullets as I traverse Butterfly Bay.

Meanwhile Dave, Kank and Andrew are exploring the bush, where they discover the butterflies. Margaret decides to have a quiet time on the boat. This is pretty much a daily need for her. If Kank has a burning desire to exercise; Margaret has a burning desire to curl up alone with a book. Slowly, we are learning to shape the day so that everyone gets what he or she needs.

 I need a daily challenge. Kayaking into bullets satisfies me for today. Sailing in gale breezes does it too. Trying to keep up with a parrotfish is yet another challenge.

 What do Dave and Andrew need? Andrew loves to explore and to discover. It is he who notices the leaves that ants have cemented together for a nest, or the bright purple “bommie”, (a coral head) or stingrays in the surf. Dave is the man for all seasons. He likes to swim, kayak, bushwalk or read a book on the beach. He also prefers to do his business in the bush rather than in the boat’s head, where it is dumped right into the ocean.

 Dave enjoying his  book

That night Andrew serves up a delicious meal of barbequed lamb, with sides of potato and salad. I am happy that I am getting my lamb fix while Down Under.

 The sea conditions that night make sleeping difficult. The bullets come at infrequent intervals, but they always wake me up. The swell hits us from the beam (side), so we roll dramatically.  It is amazing that nobody has gotten sea-sick.

Waterman at Butterfly Bay