June 2021
Percy Island was about 100nm from our anchorage on Keppel Island so we chose to do the trip in a couple of legs. We decided that the first leg of our journey to Percy Island would be to anchor in Port Clinton which was about 45nm and happened to be about halfway. The sail to Port Clinton was perfect and we couldn’t have asked for better weather with a 15-20kt south easterly. The south easterly also meant we had the perfect wind angle for an amazing downwind run, flying along and averaging speeds of 5.5kts. In fact this was such a good run that we did 45nm in only ten hours, dropping the anchor two miles from the river entrance just as the sun was dipping below the horizon.
Since we were eager to reach Percy Island it meant that Port Clinton was only a short overnight stop however that didn’t stop Hugo from having a bit of fun fishing off the boat. It seemed that Port Clinton was full of fish as in the space of only a couple of hours he had caught two small sharks (which we released), a squid and a bunch of bait fish. However it was the next morning as we were leaving that he caught the biggest fish of the trip, a 65cm Mackeral. But unfortunately we thought it was a Spanish Mackeral so it was lucky and got thrown back as it was undersized.
That day we had decided to only go as far as Island Head Creek which was about 15nm away. As much as we wanted to go further we were forecast for northerlies that morning which were due to freshen considerably by the afternoon. So with this in mind we set off early trying our hardest to sail the entire way. This was successful for the first hour however it wasn’t long into the trip that the wind died out and we were forced to motor the rest of the way. Although it was while motoring between Dome Island and the mainland that we caught yet another fish, this time a Tuna Mackeral which was a keeper.
We arrived in Island Head Creek just on lunch, dropping the anchor off a sandbar on the western edge of the river. Based on the forecast we decided to stay there for two nights to avoid a strong south westerly system passing through the area. Island Head Creak was a beautiful spot to wait out the weather with huge rolling hills covered in luscious green rain forest. Although the whole area was a military zone which meant that going ashore past the beach was prohibited, so we could only admire the amazing scenery from the decks of Allagai. This meant that we spent two days sitting on Allagai enjoying a rest from sailing before continuing on to Percy Island.
We left for Percy Island just as the sun was rising above the horizon. That morning we started the day with a perfect 10-15kts however it wasn’t long before the breeze died out and we were left motoring once again. The distance we had to make that day was about 45nm which gave us little time to dawdle especially if we wanted to get in before dark. This meant that once more we were left with limp sails hanging above us as the engine pushed us forwards.
With the motor going all day we finally pulled into the anchorage on South Percy just as the sun was disappearing. However this was only an overnight stop as our actual destination was the main anchorage in West Bay on Middle Percy Island. So the following morning we weighed anchor not long after breakfast and sailed our way over.
That morning we were blessed with just enough wind to sail the entire way. The wind was so light that we were able to set everything but the gaff topsail, showing off to the other boats in the area. This made up for all the motoring we had done the day before as it was an awesome sail over flat water in calm conditions. Although that day we weren’t the only boat making the crossing as three other boats joined us in the sail, all of us dropping anchor in West Bay and many later saying they admired our sail configuration.
When we arrived we had a few hours to spare before lunch so we wasted no time in launching the dingy and heading ashore to the white sand and palm tree lined beach in front of us. Once ashore we had a quick walk around and found information on a few walking tracks and were amazed by the cruisers a-frame hut. This was a small double story hut filled with memorabilia of cruisers who had passed through the area. Although small the hut was filled to brim and provided an amazing source of history for the island with some plaques dating back as far as the 70’s. We probably spent about half an hour reading plaques and admiring the creativity and effort some people had put into their signs. However eventually we decided to move on as there was a short walk to a nearby lagoon which we were keen to see before returning to Allagai. When we arrived at the mangrove lined lagoon it was high tide and the water filling it was incredibly clear and the most amazing turquoise blue colour.
After our short walk we decided to head back to Allagai for a quick lunch before returning back to the beach for a longer walk. We had found out that there was a 5-6km walk around the island which involved going up a small hill to a homestead then back down to the lagoon and beach. This was a beautiful walk along the homesteads 4WD track. The first 4km of the walk were all uphill, beginning in a lightly wooded forest which got denser and more tropical the further we went. Along the way there were several lookout points which gave amazing views of South Percy and the many surrounding islands. Also to our utter delight the entire way we had a continuous entourage of Blue Tiger Butterfly’s, there were hundreds, if not thousands flying around us and sitting in the trees.
Eventually though we broke out of the forest and came to the open clearing surrounding the homestead. It was just inside this clearing that we came across our first feral goats which to my delight were quite friendly and proceeded to follow us up to the gates of the homestead. It was as were passing the homestead that the current owners came out and kindly invited us in for a cold drink which we graciously accepted. We spent about half and hour talking to the owners before they had to head off. This was because they were hosting a big cook up of fresh goat stew that night at the beach a-frame which they kindly invited us to. With this in mind we didn’t dawdle heading back to the beach as it was already late afternoon and we still had a few kilometres to go.
That night we met the people off five of the other cruising boats in the anchorage and enjoyed an awesome meal in the a-frame. This was an amazing experience which we learnt wasn’t an every week event we had just managed to turn up at the right time.
The following day it was once again time to weigh anchor and move on as we had just agreed to have guests on board which meant a timeline to keep. The week before we had offered to meet Hugo’s sister and possible friends in Airlie Beach for their Uni holidays and that date was quickly creeping up on us. So our next stop was set to be Airlie Beach, although once again we weren’t going direct but had plans to stop at as many of the islands as possible in between.
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