Day 8 Haslewood Island to Whitehaven Beach

mark | May 13, 2018

Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays

Arriving in style

View from Chalkies Beach on Haselwood Island.

Keith and Paul on the sand dunes at Chalkies Beach Haselwood Island, Whitsundays

Paul and Keith heading back to Caree from Chalkies Beach Haselwood Island

Caree in the Whitsundays

Chalkies Beach, Hazelwood Island in the Whitsundays

We started Sunday morning with breakfast and dropped the tender into the waters of Hazelwood Island and loaded it up with snorkelling gear and Doug the Drone. We were moored in 39 metres of water just off the beach. The current was pushing back against the wind so we raised a reefed mizzen sail to keep Caree away from the mooring ball. The water rises rapidly to a fringing reef around the island, the only access to this area is where, in the days of the islands use as a sheep station, the reef was dynamited to allow access for a barge. We unloaded, went for a snorkel and took some photos.

There were some fish around however the coral seemed to be mainly covered in a film of brown algae. It was decided we would pack up and head across the bay to Whitehaven Beach and check that out before having a BBQ on-board. Whitehaven Beach was busy with comings and goings of people via big power cats, small power boats, yachts, sea planes and the sky was buzzing with helicopters. After a short walk we headed back to the boat for the BBQ.

We had planned on leaving about 2pm however the wind was not dying off until about midnight so we decided to have a sleep and reassess the winds at midnight. Midnight came and went with no change until about 5am the next morning along with heavy rains.