This year was a significant trip for R Marine Jones, it marked the tenth annual Great Sandy Straits Experience for Riviera and Belize Owner’s. A total of 18 luxury motor yachts travelled from South East Queensland to the Southern end of the Great Barrier Reef and dropped their anchors inside the impressive lagoon fringed by the 2930 hectare coral reef.
For many the journey began the day before the official start date of September the 22nd 2016. Boats travelled from the Gold Coast and Brisbane on the afternoon of the the 21st of September to convene at the official starting point, Peel Island in Moreton Bay. The fleet was treated to a spectacular sunset from their anchorage Horseshoe Bay on the Southern side of Peel Island.
Beautiful Sunset – Horseshoe Bay Peel Island
The next morning anchors were up by 5:30am for a 5.5 hour journey up the coast, passing Mooloolaba, Noosa and then rounding Double Island Point to get the tide for crossing the infamous Wide Bay Bar. Crossing the bar was very uneventful and entirely flat making for a smooth transition from ocean running to the protected water of the Great Sandy Straits inside Fraser Island.
Approximately 15nm up the Great Sandy Straits the protected Gary’s Anchorage on the western side of Fraser Island provided an afternoon of relaxation and a good nights sleep before embarking on the next leg of the passage north.
Crossing the Wide Bay Bar and traversing the Great Sandy Straits cuts a large chunk of time out of the journey to Bundaberg compared with travelling outside Fraser Island. A total of 45nm between the Australian main land and Fraser Island, the Great Sandy Straits can be challenging to negotiate but with “Riv 1” leading the way the traversing was smooth. At the end of the GSS the fleet were greeted by the perfect cruising conditions that Hervey Bay had on offer for the next 45nm to penultimate stop, Bundaberg Marina.
With all the marina berths pre-booked the fleet arrived to top up their fuel tanks, provisions and enjoy a night dining at the marina restaurant. Casually the next morning the fleet departed on the 55nm passage North East to Lady Musgrave Island. The distance of this coral cay off the coast sees the mainland of Australia disappear below the horizon even before the low lying cay raises itself over the horizon ahead. With no sight of land in any direction and barely a cloud it the sky the Riviera fleet was treated to dolphins off their bows and the humpback whales migrating south with their calves for summer.
Entry into the lagoon is via a deep-water channel marked on the north side of the reef, north east of the island. To enter, you need to line your boat up in the centre of the channel, with the sun behind you and the clarity of the water you’ll find it an easy channel to navigate, nonetheless it’s worth having an extra set of eyes on the bow to help guide you through.
Formation and History
Lady Musgrave Island was formed by shingle ridges that have been cemented at their base from deposits during successive storms but, with its beautiful white-sand beaches, it is more like a sand cay. Another curiosity about Lady Musgrave is that traditionally Shingle Cays are located on the windward side of the flat reef but Lady Musgrave is an exception being located on the leeward side, like a sand cay.
The islands and reefs of the Capricorn and Bunker Groups are situated astride the Tropic of Capricorn at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. The Capricorn Group of islands consists of nine coral cays, the Bunker Group consists of five coral cays including Lady Musgrave Island. In 1803, Captain Bunker of the whaling ship Albion was the first European to discover the region and gave his name to the southern group. The first record of European contact with the island was in 1843 when Captain F.P. Blackwood of the HMS Fly was on a surveying voyage charting the islands and reefs of Queensland. He named the island after the wife of the Colonial Governor of Queensland, Sir Anthony Musgrave.
Anchors Down
Calm conditions made for easy anchoring decisions and before long the whole fleet was secured by their ground tackle. In all seventeen Rivieras and one Belize made up the flotilla from R Marine Jones. The lake like conditions on the Great Barrier Reef saw multiple toys appear from lazarettes, transom boots and various storage locations. Some new toys provided by Rib Force on the Gold Coast were put through the paces, the conveniently small to store the 12 foot inflatable Stand Up Paddle Boards proved to be popular as did the under water scooter with GoPro mount, allowing the person snorkelling to travel further underwater on one breath.
An afternoon on activities was concluded with a stunning sunset, the magic of being this far offshore from the mainland of Australia enables the sun to be seen rising from the sea in the morning and dipping into the sea at the end of the day. Lady Musgrave Island is a truly magical location and is only accessible by boat. Although the fleet experienced ideal conditions travelling the 55 nautical miles from Bundaberg, the reassurance provided by the R Marine Jones team gave many of the new comers the confidence to explore further than they had before.
When the fleet pointed their bows South at the end of the experience a great deal more knowledge and confidence to explore was gained. Open water passage making, Navigating the Great Sandy Straits and crossing the Wide Bay Bar are all boating achievements that lay the foundations for further explorations. Next year the Great Sandy Straits Experience will be replaced with the Whitsunday’s Experience. Come and join us as we discover new places and make new friends in a way that only Riviera & Belize Owner’s know.
R Marine Jones Events & Experiences your passport to adventures.
