SMOOTH SEAS WITH CATERPILLAR CARNAGE!

SPOT A KANE!

 G'day from THE REEF!
The ocean is flatter than a pancake, the fishing will stop us from starving and the caterpillars ate half my spinach in a single nite!
Very Stressful!
We made our way from Townsville and steamed through the night until we found the Reef just off Cape Upstart.
Itz amazing we are  like 40 km's offshore on a random reef and we could spit on the next boat.
Unbelievable.
Anyhoo, we steamed throughout the Day with lures out and apart from 1 small spaniard itz a very barren ocean.So we've set the pick on an edge that drops from 10 into 60 meters of water. Kane was first to score a solid fish with a nice Coral Trout.
"At least we won't starve!"
I follow close behind with a good sized sweetlip, and it just sort of continues from there until just after dark when the Toothie type critters arrived.
One special Toothie was Kanez massive Longtom on a popper.
The previous evenings sleeplessness took itz toll on me and I sacked out early.
While the  promise of smooth conditions had us full of anticipation(wkoa).
We had a Gr8 swim, before we began fishing, in around 5 meters of water with amazing visibility and equally mind blowing corals.
The new fishing gear is being put through itz paces with the light shimano outfitts defin8ly the most fun.
We have had to mount a couple more rod holders on the dinghy lifting frame to keep the rods off the floor area.
Even with the Tender now on the back platform I'm no longer going to keep any fishing gear in the dinghy as it seems 2B a gr8 way to lose them.
The dinghy load system takez a whole 3-4 minutes and requires no effort or sweat.
So much so that when we pulled up for the evening and wanted to fish, we just lowered the Tender into the water and tied her to itz mooring point on the side of the Yot. This gave us the whole fishing platform back again.
The new spotlight on the platform is
WAY 2 BRITE!!!  So it was wrapped in a towel with the vow to fit a new switch in the line so it can be turned on and off as needed.
The food as usual is shocking with a poached chicken and potato salad forced down 4 lunch. A roast lamb medallion with half a garlic filled butternut pumpkin and some very spicy wedges with creme freshe and chilli sauce to sustain us at night thyme.
Told you shocking!
Itz next day and a gr8 big
HELLO From THE WHITSUNDAYS!
We are about to arrive on Bait Reef some 7nm off Hayman Island at the top of The Whitsunday chain.
More 2 follow...
When I said there wood B more to follow I had know idea (I rarely do!) of just how much was coming.
Bait Reef once again surpassed
 all previous trips   with a busy anchorage as we arrived gradually emptying over the next few hourz leaving just us and another couple of yachts.We spent all afternoon feeding "Bruce" the resident Humphead Maori Wrasse and scores of 40 kg plus Giant Trevally.
I'm sure there are moor than 1 Bruce and that every boat has a different name for Him /Her. But the GT's were really something special this trip.
We had bought along 6 or 7 chinese takeaway boxes full of herrings from the throw netting at the slipway B4 we left,
These sent the MONSTER Trevs into an absolute feeding frenzy, So much so that we were able to hand feed most of them. Even while swimming with them they'd allow us to hold out a fish as they raced in B4 one of ther matez  beat them 2 it.
Thousands of other fish came and went throughout the day and even into the evening.
Holy Crap what a day!
This was going to take sum beating! Well next morning after a well earned sleep we set off to our next destination Butterfly Bay on the North End of Hook Island a casual 2 hour trip that waz only interupted by the scream of a triple tuna hookup on the lures. Chaos!
At least we had sum sushimi now!
This was just as well as Butterfly Bay is another strict "Green Zone" meaning look but don't "eat" anything.
Still, itz a pretty special place in itz own rite with some amazing fringing coral and rain forest rite at the waters edge and as you'd guess there's  no shortage of Big Arse Butterfly's .
Kane spent the afternoon exploring the Island while I felt that I needed  a nap after the hectic dive schedule we'd been keeping.
Life's Tuff on a Wednesday or Friday or what ever day it was.
The wind was up the next morn so we set off for what can only be described as The Jewel of The Whitsunday's "Whitehaven Beach"!
A Gr8 sail down the outside of both Hook And Whitsunday Islands.
This was also the limit of the Yotz communication capability as we had No Fone or Internet reception
 on the outside of these huge Islands.
Not a bad thing really.
I was determined 2 park Galleycat inside Hill Inlet behind Whitehaven.
It was totally washed out last year.
As it happened we arrived about half an hour 2 late and we ended up about 3/4's of the way in B4 the water decided to leave.
This left us in the middle of the estuary parked on about a kilometer square of crystal white sand.
BUGGER!
SO once we'd had a swim and a bite of Lunch crumbed Spanish Mackerel wrapps with special mayo and salad.
We decided Oysters for dinner would B a good idea!
So we left our sand oasis and waded across the still outgoing stream of water to a patch of rox in front of the Yot.
Whithaven just added anuther jewel 2 itz crown WOW!
Just check out the size of the rock oysterz!
After about 30 minutes we'd run out of bourbon and the bucket waz full of these beauties.
Kilpatrickz for dinner with a dozen or so as naturals while we waited for the killa's 2B ready
B4 dinner we had to set our mudcrab trapz further up the Inlet as we'd heard rumour there were crabsif you knew where 2 look.
We had No Idea where 2 look but I kind of know the rite kind of area 2 look.
We didn't even get to set our pots B4 Kane spotted a beast of a Buck Crab walking in the shallows.

With a careful drop of the throw net we had our first crab and he was huge!
We explored a never ending maize
of mangrove lined channels b4 setting our nets with hi quality cat food as bait.
Back 2 the YOT for a feed to end all feedz!
A bottle of Jacks, a few dozen oysters, George Thorogood and a big helping of Mud crab on the side.
No diet this week!

 

MORE 2 FOLLOW IF WE SURVIVE THAT IS!