What a special time it is when we have family on board. We had 10 days of calm weather, no strong winds and no rain, but it was very hot and humid. A heat wave had engulfed Queensland.
So there were lots of swims and snorkels, an endless stream of cold drinks, ice and wet towels, and we were all chasing shade. The fridges chugged along after almost doing a backflip as we loaded them up with more food and drink. Our new portable 12v fans did an amazing job, especially at night.
First stop, Whitehaven Beach. 10 days of northerly winds meant several Whitsunday locations were out of reach but we did sneak in a day at Whitehaven and also Chalkies.
We jumped in for a quick snorkel at Chalkies where a very friendly turtle joined us at the back of The Bossa. She even hung around so we could swim with her.
Chance Bay was a favourite spot with many cool down swims.
The northerly winds do present the opportunity to visit the bays on the southern side of Hook Island. These photos were taken at Saba Bay. I hadn’t snorkeled here for some time.
With such a calm forecast we decided to revisit Bait Reef for a night. It was surprising how quiet it was in the Whitsundays so we were confident we could nab a mooring at Bait and we did. We had a lovely time. It was calmer than our last visit but also hotter! It was fun sharing the outer reef with our family.
We had stunning conditions at Bait Reef but it was VERY hot!
We had a wonderful time with Abbey and Nathan on board. Lots of laughter, games and swims. Special memories.
A few family snaps and Nathan even caught a fish!
It was then Airlie Beach to The Keppels. The kids departed at 6.45 am and we headed south at 7 am. We did two big days along with an overnighter (220 nm) and arrived at the Keppel Bay Marina at 5pm the following day … to be greeted by a storm. Eeek!
The storm along with a 180 degree about-turn in the wind direction, hit us one hour from the marina. Bugger! The rain pelted down and the wind was now howling from the wrong way, but the seas unexpectedly settled and as the wind passed through to then crash and bash the poor yachts anchored out at Great Keppel Island behind us (including our friends on Waterfront), our wind died and we safely tied up at the marina. We were just very wet. Nothing a long cold (yes, it’s still hot) shower couldn’t fix.
Brilliant! Love the mix of shots… nudis too! Great to see some recovery.
Four nudis & one flatworm is my 2025 score. Most I’ve seen in a season. Yes the Whitsundays recovery was very pleasing. Like you we are now tackling the weather as we head south.
Great to receive your update Amanda. Well done picking the weather to spend with the family, would have been fabulous. Photos are terrific and so clear. We are home now. Glad to not have to avoid the storms as much now. Wishing you safe travels⛵️
Yes the storms have been prominent haven’t they? We’ve been lucky avoiding them so far. Hope your trip home was the same. We had a great time with family. We actually enjoyed the Whitsundays as we haven’t really spent much time there for a few seasons. But it was HOT!