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It has been a rough couple of days. Plenty of snorkeling, diving, walking through the island and of course, chilling in the sun. This place has proved to be beautiful in many ways.
We finally got the chance to use the diving gear! It’s a mix between snorkel and scuba, mostly known as hookah. Nivi and Guido tried it, and loved it. Although we did not go deeper than six or seven meters, It was really interesting to use it here, as the visibility is really good. The outer part of the atoll has an incredible combination of corals and life, healthier than many places we’ve seen before. This is the season where the turtles start to go up the beach to lay their eggs. During the night, they crawl up through the sand to where they think it’s suitable, dig a hole and deposit their future younglings, that will hatch in about a month or so. We had the chance to see the prints of said act in the morning.
Also, we had a thunderstorm last night. A delightful display of thunder and lights on the horizon that we enjoyed while tasting Sue’s spaghetti bolognese, something to remember, both for the food and the scenery. It didn’t really hit here, but there is another one coming today. So, we secured the things on deck just in case.
Guido’s side note: after giving it a lot of thought, I have to say that both Andrew and Sue’s pasta is equally exquisite and heart warming.
Tomorrow is our last day here, and we will try to make the most out of it!

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After the night sail adventure, we arrived to Lady Musgrave, our last stop before Brisbane. This is an amazing atoll (it’s basically a crater shaped formation covered by a reef).
To enter this reef, we had to go through a man made entrance, not much wider than the boat itself. Have you ever seen one of those “cat videos”, where they squeeze under a door or into a jar? Well… it’s pretty much like that. Sue and Nivi were at the helm while Andrew and Guido watched for corals while trying to find a place to anchor.
The place is what anyone might think of when the word “paradise” comes to mind. Turtles, birds, turquoise water. We went for a walk around the island, packed with shearwater birds nesting, a perfect time for the visit.
Tomorrow we’ll go on a snorkeling endeavor, always in the search for more surprises.

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We left Great Keppel Saturday morning with a calm sea and the wind off our back quarter. We had a great sail and by evening we were ahead of time. So we reefed the sails to slow us down. Although we were reefed Nivi still managed to reach 6.8knots. With half a moon lighting up the sea making it a nice night time sail.
During Andrew’s shift he noticed a faint red light on what looked to be the horizon. Suddenly the red light changed to green. Andrew checked the AIS. Nothing. Checking the radar and nothing on the horizon, just intermittent wave reflections.The green light was moving fast across the horizon. Thirty seconds later the light wasn’t on the horizon. The moonlight lit up the the sails. It was a yacht going past us only 200m away, with very dim navigation lights on the bow. No Tri-light, no stern light, and obviously no radar reflector. Hopefully they had seen our lights or on radar otherwise the outcome could have been very different.
Later in the night the wind dropped and we had to motor the last hour. The sail was so good we arrived outside of Lady Musgrave atoll at 3am, so we have hoved too and are bobbing around till daylight

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Paradise beaches? Clear water? This island has it all. We spent a few days at Great Keppel, were we could enjoy nice weather and Nivi and Guido even had beer at the local bar. As the wind and swell have been shifting quite often these days, we had to move to different corners of the island to get cover from the conditions.
One of the nights we watched the movie “all is lost”, where the character has a terrible time on a sailboat, with storms, lightning and eventually having to escape in the life raft. Nothing impressive really about the movie. Now, let’s say the timing was perfect, because later that night when we decided to go to sleep, we started to hear thunder rumbling and yes, lightning flashing in the night sky. Let’s just say that nobody got a lot of sleep that night…
Also, Andrew cooked his famous Pasta Bolognese, which was an absolute success, just writing this makes me hungry. Oh and now it’s Sue’s turn, as we heard there is competition with this particular dish.
It has been a beautiful couple of days here, and now it’s time to set sail again, chasing new adventures because as someone once said “you never know what the tide will bring tomorrow”.
Lady Musgrave, here we go!

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We have renamed this southern bay Idiots bay.

When we arrived Nivi and Guido found a place and anchored without our assistance. It was near high tide and we were in just under 10m of water. They put out almost 30m of chain 3 to 1 ratio, because winds of 18knots gusting 24 were predicted for this evening. The bay gives protection from the swell but not the wind.

So what happens? A small gin palace (a launch that has 3 levels where they sit on the back deck and drink gin) came and anchored a boat length off our bow. Sue and Andrew stood on the bow explaining very loudly to Guido and Nivi how the boats would swing around at the change of tide and collide and that his anchor may have hooked our anchor. The gin palace must have heard us calling him an idiot and he hauled anchor and moved away a respectable distance.

Two minutes later a medium size gin palace comes in and tries to anchor in the same place. He had a little more sense and realised he was too close and moved about 30m further ahead of us.

A half hour later a large gin palace pulls in along side of us about 25m away and drops anchor. We have 30m of chain plus 17m of boat swinging around. He has 20m of boat at least 20m to 30m of chain and we are 25m apart. So Andrew jumped in the dinghy and went across to ask if their insurance was up to date and to explain where our anchor was. He has moved to the other side of the bay where there was plenty of space.

Another half hour goes by when Andrew looked out the porthole to see a dinghy floating out to sea. No it wasn’t ours. Nivi, Guido and Andrew jumped into our dinghy and headed off to rescue the drifting dinghy. Half way there and it was apparent whose dinghy it was. A motorsailer had hauled anchor and was heading towards the dinghy. Our trio caught the dinghy and towed it to the motorsailer and the three men onboard.

What’s next?

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We did the second night sail of this trip on the way from Middle Percy to Great Keppel. This time however, the wind, waves and tide were smoother than the last overnight voyage. Avoiding main shipping channels and big, scary tankers, we could even get some sleep.
‘The guiding light of the stars led the way, as we cruised through the deep but gentle waters of the Coral Sea. As a mantel of millions of pearls painted on a ceiling canvas, they sneaked, timidly between the passing clouds’.
Taking two hour shifts again, we did 130 nautical miles, arriving just after breakfast. Dolphins greeted us on our entry to one of the bays of Keppel, another one of the many delights of this adventure.
As this was our second time sailing at night, we (Guido and Nivi) knew what to expect and what to be aware of. And even though we were just as eager to try out the trials of the night, as the fist time, the much better conditions made it a more relaxed experience.

We anchored in the bay on the northern side of the island as the wind and swell were easterly. This morning we went ashore and explored the beach and lagoon. The wind for this afternoon was predicted to be northerly so we hauled anchor around 10am and motored around to a bay on the southern side.

We have had lunch but we are still worn out from all the mornings activity, so exploring this bay will have to wait till tomorrow.

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We have now spent another three days on this wonderful island, and we are more in love than ever. We have used the charismatic ‘Percy Island Yacht Club’ a great deal. For a great lunch spot, a rest from the sun with a good book, a base to return to after a nice swim in the water. Gazing through all the creative signs gives you a nice picture of the great sanctuary Percy Island have become, with some of the old boat signs dating all the way back to 1955!
Now there is a new sign “Imagine NZ 2020”. Designed by Nivi and carved by Andrew.
On Thursday we had another nice barbecue with the other boats. Again some great stories where told over delicious food and good wine.
Thursday and Friday Guido and Nivi went on boat viewings on the other yachts in the bay, seeing a lot of great, different boats, hearing a lot of different experiences and opinions, all the time (hopefully) collecting a little more knowledge about the amazing adventure sailing is.
We have been going for nice walks, plenty of swims, and last but not least just a great big lot of chilling.
To get internet we had to walk up the hill and sit on the edge of the cliff which is the internet cafe! Not many cafes have such a view.
Now we will eat Andrews homemade thai chicken curry (it smells YUMMY), do a bit more of chilling and mentally prepare for the next night sail we set out on tomorrow. Hopefully we will find Great Keppel as mesmerizing, as we did with Middle Percy Island! Only time will tell..

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After everyone sleeping in (recovering from lack of sleep) daylight revealed that some of the boats had left the bay, so we reanchored closer in. Now, It was time to see where we actually were, as last night we were not really able to. Middle Percy Island is another paradise, another wonderful place with different things and surprises. Close to where we are anchored, we found the yacht club, a beautiful structure filled with the names and messages of boats passing through here. We also saw something no one would expect on an island so far from shore… a kangaroo. Actually, that explains the “no hunting” sign that had us concerned for a while. Also , we found a barbecue, so as you can imagine, we set a date with the flames.
We prepared dinner with slices of Spanish mackerel (courtesy of another sailor, back at Goldsmith) with boiled mint potatoes. We met quite a bunch of people from other boats cooking too. It is amazing to hear and exchange stories about sailing, specially for Nivi and Guido because every tale is a new lesson. After an exceptional dinner, with full bellies and happy hearts, we came back to the boat.
It seems the hard work to get here paid off, this place is great, just great.

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Hi! This is Guido, and this is my tale of ouf first night sail. Did it fulfill my expectations? Completely. Was it easy? Absolutely not.
We departed Goldsmith around midday, expecting easterly winds to guide us most of the way. As the wind started to change we realized that not only the wind, but the tide and swell would not be on our side. We settled to do 2 hour shifts throughout the whole trip, which left us 6 hours to “rest” between shifts. I will write about two highlights that made this a unique experience for me.
Highlight #1: my first night shift started just as we were approaching the port of Mackay. This means sailing through the shipping channel, where massive cargo ships and tankers go in and out of the harbour. The wind was kind during that part. The interesting chain of events started when I saw that there were two cargo vessels going into the same lane we were about to cross through. Now, for those who never experienced this, I can tell you, it is incredibly thrilling. Even though the calculations of speed and heading added up, the fact of not being able to see a one thousand feet tanker coming your way is a little bit unsettling. Not only these vessels are the size of a city, but they are also incredibly fast. After crossing, I could distinguish a dark shadow, hiding every other light I could see, by then I knew we made it.
It was a bumpy ride, and even though Imagine is a solid, strong vessel, sometimes I experienced zero gravity while trying to sleep.
Highlight #2: I finally got some sleep. The ocean calmed down for some minutes and then I woke up to the sound of the motor going. Ran up to the cockpit, where Nivi was on the helm. Apparently, the wind shifted and there were a few rain clouds coming in. What made this so magnificent was the landscape I saw when I looked outside, I’ll try to describe it the best way I can:
‘The moon cast a dim light behind the heavy, water filled clouds. Only the contour of the boat could be seen, while the sound of the waves colliding against the hull resembled the absolute force of the tides. The horizon, hiding shy between the foggy clouds and passing waves, a reminder that we were there on our own, challenging nature at its finest. A glance back at the helm, where the red light inside, glittering like wine being poured during an Autumn night.’
Maybe I was still asleep, but this portrait in, in my head will not soon be forgotten.
All in all, this was an incredible thing to do, an adventure really. I also believe that it is important to highlight how safe the boat and the crew made me feel.
Till

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Finally we arrived at Middle Percy Island, after our long sail from Goldsmith, turned into a very long, 33 hour sail. It was our first overnight sail. The experiences are as follows.
Nivi’s story: I had the first shift. It was back when the weather still was nice, the exhaustion unseen and the wind just right. Oh, how my innocent mind, still had thought of dolphins jumping around the boat, as we glided elegantly through the moonlit waters. On my second shift, everything had changed. It was pitch black. The boat banged against the water, as we went up and down, cutting through the meter high waves. Everything got thrown around in the saloon, onions and apples, books and guitars. Even Guido went across the hull. But I had no worries for them. My only thoughts, was with the instruments – my only eyes in this everlasting darkness. And how dark it was! I had heard the stories. Massive tankers, enormous cargo ships, ploughing ahead, stopping for nothing. In the back of my mind, I knew they where out there, roaming the deep blue sea, but thankfully, the chartplotter assured me, that they where all far, far away. What was getting much closer tho, was the rain. Never had I praised the hard cover of the cockpit so much as now. From the dry shelter of the cockpit, I could watch the spectacular inferno of rain and waves, merging on the outside. As the rain passed, the Radar told me, no further worries were to be seen. Again we only had the everchanging wind to fight against.
Authors note: As we arrived to our destination and anchored in the darkness of the night, a lot of thoughts finally had time to be. It was a trying, exhausting, but also a very giving experience. I felt like I learned a lot more in the hours alone on the helm, about sailing, the wind, the tides and not to forget, the instruments. I know a lot more now, about the power of the sea and how much a boat can take, being pushed around in it. It surely was a cool experience, but now, I’m happy we have some days anchored at Percy, resting and exploring the Island.