The 8:30am kite surfing lesson was cancelled because there was no wind, which was very disappointing for Phoebe and Rowan. This may be the lull before the storm, as the wind direction has changed and unusually was coming from the north Big winds are brewing up for New Year’s Eve.
We decided to go to the next big bay along, going anti clockwise around the island. It meant motoring as there was no wind, also meant an easy departure from Nonsuch bay through the narrow gap in the reef.
The bay we were going to has an enormous reef around it and there is a narrow wiggly passage into it from the south which would save us 19 miles going all the way north and back again. The guide book said it shouldn’t be attempted entering, only exiting, but as the sea was so flat and visibility was good we decided to do it to save us hours of motoring. Reassuringly we saw a boat go in ahead of us, luckily it all went very well and we wiggled our way through the reef and coral islands. it is a huge bay and our first mission was to drop Phoebe off at the little town, where she had arranged a taxi to meet her, as she is off to stay with her friend for 3 days. It meant anchoring and Rowan taking her in by dinghy. We also managed to get the lovely laundry lady from Catamaran marina to pick up a whole big Ikea bag of laundry from Phoebe’s hotel, what a bonus!
The big bay of North Sound
Dodging our way through coral heads and small islands
We then headed to the other side of the bay to Great Bird Island and dropped the anchor near Hell’s Gate! Rowan went out and did some snorkelling and found the coral in much better condition. It was a lovely setting for the night, there were a few other boats about but nowhere near as many as Nonsuch and no gin palaces.
Great Bird Island
Hell’s Gate
Sunset
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