| Group, Lindeman Group and the Sir
James Smith Group. Commonly, the sailing community tends to
refer to the entire Cumberland Group as 'the Whitsundays.' Most
of these islands are National Parks and are managed by Queensland
Department of Environment and Heritage. See Map
- The Whitsunday Islands  Geologically
the Whitsunday Islands once formed a part of the mainland.
Melting of the polar caps ten thousand years ago raised the
sea level causing the islands to become cut off from the mainland.
The vegetation and geographical makeup of the islands is therefore
very similar to the mainland.
The hinterland of many of the islands
are extremely rocky, steep and dotted with the ubiquitous
hoop pine. The highest Whitsunday mountain, Hook Peak on Hook
Island stands 450 metres tall. Lofty ridges, in conjunction
with fjordlike anchorages and narrow valleys combine to create
exciting sailing as accelerated gusts of wind, known locally
as 'bullets', whistle down from the surrounding ridges and
funnel down into the anchorages.
Bullets needn't worry you particularly,
but it is good practice to get your sails down before you
enter the confines of an anchorage, so your attention can
be directed at locating the fringing reef and any scattered
coral heads, and not worrying about your sails, and articles
of clothing that could be blown overboard.
The coral reef follows the contour of
the island and is rarely found more than one hundred metres
offshore. This certainly makes for easier navigation... However
sailors new to the Whitsundays should be aware of a number
of isolated outcrops of very extensive coral (Langford
Reef, Waite (white) Bay, etc.) Other small rocky outcrops
which can be awash at low tide have also caused grief for
the unwary (Platypus Rock, Spitfire Rock, Surprise Rock,
etc.)
Refer to Map
Whitsundays - Offshore Hazards and Tidal Flow.
It is important to understand that the
outer Reef is well off the coastline of Queensland and must
be traveled to by boat or light plane. Some islands with fringing
reefs are comparatively close to the mainland (half an hour
by boat) but nowhere is the coral so close that you can see
it or walk out to it from the mainland.
Obviously the ideal way to see the Reef is to actually get
into this water. The most practical way for the average person
to do this is to snorkel...If you can swim at all, you can
learn to snorkel. It is not hard, and the rewards are great.
Most people still remember their first snorkeling experience
as the opening up of a new world. Perhaps because of the silence
and drifting quality, there is an extraordinary sense of being
part of the world below. If you have never done it before,
it really is worth a try. However, don't attempt it if you
can't swim.
Moorings
protect coral
The anchorages of the Whitsundays are
among the best in the world, ranging from deep fjords providing
all weather protection, to isolated beaches with their own
fringing coral reefs and infrequent visitors.
 Each
year over half a million people visit the Whitsundays, an
area that makes up only one per cent of the Great Barrier
Reef World Heritage Area, but attracts 50% of all visitors
that go boating along the whole Queensland length of the Marine
Park... An average of 300 boats are in the Whitsundays section
of the park every day.
Such a high volume of traffic is a potential
concern for the delicate and fragile fringing reefs that are
one of the most popular attractions in the Whitsundays.
All of the waters and reefs around
the Whitsunday Islands are part of the Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park, managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
Authority. Certain rules apply in relation to anchoring
at sensitive reef sites and when visiting bird nesting islands.
One of the major problems associated
with large numbers of boats visiting the Great Barrier Reef
is anchor damage to the corals. Anchoring causes chains and
anchors to drag along the seabed, damaging the structure of
the reef which takes years to repair... In some instances
the coral never returns to its original condition.
To prevent this anchor damage a number
of the Whitsunday fringing reefs now have extra protection
to stop this damage.
Markers and public moorings have been
placed in popular bays where anchoring can damage coral, and
also to stop on-going damage... Manta Ray Bay and parts of
Bait Reef have been closed to anchoring.
Public moorings
To reduce coral damage further, and
to maintain continued access for reef appreciation activities,
public moorings have been installed at many sites in the Whitsundays
area. Public moorings are blue beehive shaped buoys with a
colour coded band. There are five classes of moorings and
the specifications are displayed on the colour coded band
and on the engraved tag attached to the pick up line. (see
table below).
Time on a
mooring
Currently a public mooring has a 2 hour time limit on day
use. This means that a vessel cannot occupy a mooring for
more than two hours between 7.00 am to 5.00 pm. This has been
introduced to ensure fair and equitable use of the moorings.
However if you moor to a public mooring after 3.00pm
you may remain on the mooring overnight until 9.00am the next
day. All public moorings are available for overnight
use.
A little care and planning will help
save you from accidentally damaging fragile coral beds with
your anchoring gear. Remember that the depth drops off steeply
around many reefs to an average depth of 30 metres and in
the Marine Park you are required by law to comply with designated
'no anchoring areas'.
Be aware of anchorages where you can
pick up public moorings, as this makes for an easy nights
sleeping and should be pre-planned when deciding on your evening
anchorage. To review where these moorings are located see
Locations of Public Moorings
in the Whitsundays
Adverse conditions
In the Whitsundays there are two types of common inclement
weather situations which will be addressed during your area
brief...rain and strong wind.
Apart from making things a little damp
your major cause for concern with rain is the loss of visibility.
Sudden rain squalls can quickly blot out visibility while
at the same time you experience a rapid rise in wind strength.
You can avert an uncomfortable position
by thinking ahead and having a contingency plan in place.
Take a conservative approach to sail setting at all times,
in line with your experience and the level of experience
of the crew. Observe approaching rain, note your compass
course and sight the nearest land in plenty of time. Depending
on the conditions heave to, to reduce forward movement. Reefing
in anticipation... 'its better to be safe than sorry'
Strong wind conditions generally only
provide problems for two reasons.
- The vessel can feel out of control
if too much sail is being used
- The crew may feel insecure due
to rough conditions experienced in wind against tide
or head seas.
Practice will make you comfortable with
the reefing process and you'll realise that in most cases
the initial reduction in sail area must be from the mainsail...
Often the headsail is furled first which has the effect
of reducing heel but not weather helm.
How you choose to approach rough sea
conditions is very much a personal decision, but you need
to take into consideration the comfort of the crew, keeping
in mind that an enjoyable holiday is the aim of your charter
and not a masochistic plunge to windward. Easing a course
by ten degrees often has a dramatic effect on the general
comfort level when pushing into a head sea.
Other tactics that can be employed include
motor sailing under reduced mainsail, or seeking an alternative
anchorage then waiting for a break in conditions and a change
of tide.
Winter season
(April to September)
The march of the weather systems over Australia results in
periodic bursts of trade wind activity throughout the season,
which lasts from March or April through September. Winds can
spring up from a southerly direction on the spur of the moment,
even in the middle of the night.
For this reason, local skippers strongly
advise against the overnight use of south-exposed anchorages
from April through September. Exceptions are Nara and
Macona Inlets, which are deeply embayed and are not as exposed,
for example, as are the anchorages on the southern side of
Whitsunday Island - Turtle Bay, Chance Bay.
Map
Whitsunday Anchorages.
Winter
Season
- Seas slight to moderate, winds ESE. to S.
at 15 to 20 knots. Wind generally continues
throughout the night. 20 knots in the morning, 15
knots in the afternoon
- When planning your trip seek out overnight anchorages
protected from the south. When there are strong
wind warnings, only move with wind and tide in the
same direction, and only if necessary
|
Summer
season (October to March)
As summer approaches the wind strength will lessen and lighter
north easterly winds will predominate from October to March...
during this period it is possible to get into some of the
south-exposed anchorages which can be particularly rewarding
as these anchorages are not visited as frequently.
Summer Season
- Seas mostly smooth to slight, winds NW. to
NE. At 10-15 knots. Winds are more fluky and
can come from several different directions during
the day, wind often drops off during the night.
- Plan your trip around anchorages that will be
protected from the North, but be aware that the
seasons are blurry in February and March and you
can get wind changes from E-NE to SE, so plan alternate
anchorages just in case you are advised of an anticipated
wind change by your charter company.
|
Places
to anchor or moor
It is common practice in the tropics
to enter a coral anchorage with the sun reasonably high
in the sky (between 11-2 o'clock). Early morning or
late afternoon approaches can be fraught with danger as it
is difficult for the naked eye to pick up the presence of
coral owing to the low angle of the sun... Always wear
Polarised sunglasses to improve visibility.
The Whitsundays book '100 Magic
Miles' breaks the anchorages into logical sequence
by areas (a copy is supplied on every bareboat operating out
of the Whitsundays). The detail in the charts is first class
and little can go wrong if you follow the detailed advice
given about each anchorage and follow the charts. Look for
those anchorages that are likely to be suitable at the time
of year you plan your holiday.
You will notice that in our summary
list 'Winter Anchorages, April to September'...the
islands and anchorages to the south of Hamilton Island have
been deliberately left out. This has been done because the
time constraints of a 5 - 10 day cruising holiday make it
difficult to visit the southern anchorages if its your first
time to the Whitsundays. It's difficult to combine a visit
to both the northern and southern sections of the Whitsundays
and still have an unhurried and pleasant cruising experience.
If you have 7-10 days, and you're planning
a summer cruise (wind is predominately NW to East) ...see
table Whitsunday Wind Direction...you
could make the choice to base your trip around the southern
anchorages - these anchorages are more isolated, and not as
frequently visited, so you could often have the anchorage
to yourself. As a guide to a 7 day charter trip based around
the southern part of the Whitsundays, you could review Cruising
the southern anchorages
For an overview of Whitsunday anchorages
review the following summary maps and pages...
|
Oceanic
bareboat liability insurance
