Sailing diary week 11: Green Island and the Great Barrier Reef

Sailing diary week 11: Green Island and the Great Barrier Reef

For those sailing Australia's Coral Coast, it is a constant contrast between reef and mangroves. Each has its advantages and, of course, inevitable pitfalls.

On the reef and islands you are at the mercy of the never calm sea. You will encounter constant rocking, rolling and creaking. On the contrary, the mangroves offer a peace as tranquil as on land. That is, if you don't mind sandfly bites and crocodile neighbors watching from the banks.

As far removed as life at sea is from the conventional comforts of land, these last few months of sailing Australia's Coral Coast have left me wanting more.
alt=“Junk Rig Sailing”>

From the rainforest to the reef – the last week of sailing on Malaika

Again we left Port Douglas at daybreak, heavy with the thought that the journey was coming to an end, but excited to finally reach the outer Great Barrier Reef.

The plotter set a course for Cairns Harbor again, which would give us a good anchorage before heading to Green Island.

South against the Trades

The plotter told us the trip back south would take 10 hours at a reasonable 4 knot pace. However, Wind and Slash had other plans.

I wouldn't wish a trip hitting trades on my worst enemy. The wind was straight ahead at 20 knots, adding to the already established swell. We were forced to motor the whole way, each big wave stopping us almost dead in our tracks and forcing us to pick up speed again.

As a result, it took us almost 10 hours to reach Double Island. So instead of continuing on to Cairns, we decided to stop at Yorkey’s Nob Marina for a well-deserved break.
alt="Frankie perseveres through harsh weather">

Green island

Fast forward through the remainder of the trip to Cairns and we were on our way back to Green Island. By now the wind and sea had calmed down to a standstill. While we didn't get to do much sailing, it was perfect conditions to explore Green Island and the Great Barrier Reef.
alt="Green Island, Sailing to Green Island Cairns">

Exploring the Emerald Isle

We spent a full day and night on Green Island, which I consider to be my favorite island in the Great Barrier Reef so far.

We snorkeled at the Pinnacle, saw several turtles, kayaked over a tropical reef, and explored the interior of the island.
alt="Green Island Walking Tour">
alt="Green Island Pier ">

READ THE FULL BLOG POST: Green Island, Cairns – Your Complete Guide to the Great Barrier Reef Island Paradise

Green Island anchorage information

There are three blue buoys on Green Island that can accommodate monohulls up to 20m and multihulls up to 18 in 34 knot winds.

The first buoy seemed a little difficult to reach and was located near the ferry entrance channel on the pier side of the island.

We chose one of the other two courtesy buoys. To reach it, you have to walk around the edge of the reef, marked by white buoys, until you reach the entry point. Be sure to have a lookout ready to call for bommies and take your time, especially at low tide

We had to slowly maneuver Malaika through the minefield of the shallow reef and had to make some quick detours as we arrived with a fairly low tide.

If no buoys are available, it is possible to anchor in the sand pit directly in front of the courtesy buoys. There's plenty of room to swing here and the sand is said to hold up pretty decently.
alt="Green Island Sailing Yacht">

The Outer Reef: Michaelmas Cay

Green Island was certainly a highlight of the islands. Still, we were all excited to finally reach the outer cays of the world's largest living organism.

From Green Island we decided to head north through the reef channel to Michaelmas Cay, a small sandy cove at the end of a huge shallow reef. We had perfect weather on the approach, with a light breeze and completely flat seas.

• alt=“Junk-Rig-Segeln am Michaelmas Cay Great Barrier Reef“>
• alt=“Great Barrier Reef Michaelmas Cay“>
• alt=“Michaelmas Cay Great Barrier Reef“>

READ THE FULL BLOG POST: MICHAELMAS CAY – DISCOVERING THE BEST OF THE OUTER GREAT BARRIER REEF

Exploring the reef

Michaelmas Cay is a bird nesting area, which was immediately apparent upon approach. Thousands of birds circle the small white sandy beach and organize themselves into military-like squadrons on the beach.

There are a few buoys on Michaelmas Reef, but they were all occupied when we arrived. To avoid navigating bommies and squeezing into an already crowded anchorage, we anchored in 16M water, just outside the reef. I've read other blogs that have mentioned that their boats are completely covered in bird shit when they stay overnight. So that was another motivator for us to anchor outside.

After dropping anchor, we spent the rest of the day in the water observing the pristine reef and marine life. We explored a few different bommies and sand patches on the outside of the island, each as impressive as the last.

• alt=“Schnorcheln auf Green Island“>
• alt=“Great Barrier Reef-Korallen“>
• alt=“Schnorcheln bei Michaelmas Cay“>

Return to Cairns

And so our journey came to an end with the last epic week on board the Malaika.

We thought it was fitting that the final days of the trip were as prominent a highlight as the Great Barrier Reef. While it was difficult to get back to the mainland, we had an incredible sail back, were greeted by whales and dolphins, and sailed through in perfect conditions.

To make things even better, we were able to land a Spanish mackerel on the way past the reef channel.
alt=“Red Junk Rig Sailing Yacht”>

We say our See Ya Laters

The conclusion of any adventure is an emotional time. This was particularly so for me and the crew. For us, this great experience was a testament to hard work and a reward for the hours we spent building Malaika from the ground up.

We took time to reflect on the amazing memories we were able to make. We thanked Malaika for guiding us through the trip and looked to the future for more sailing adventures.

This trip definitely taught me a lot about sailing and life at sea. It may not always be the easiest, but certainly the most epic way to explore the coast. Nothing beats waking up every morning to the warm glow of the Australian sun reflecting off the sea and being able to jump out of your bedroom into warm tropical waters.

But for now, the travel bug is back to its old tricks and has us itching to get back on the road.

This will be my last “weekly” blog post highlighting my general daily activities, at least for the meantime. As we head back to Indo for the rest of the year, I'm excited to continue exploring and creating content that I hope inspires like-minded travelers to go further and live their lives to the fullest.
alt="Whale on the Great Barrier Reef">
alt=“Fishing on the Great Barrier REef”>
alt="Turtle at Green Island Cairns">
alt="Anchorage at Green Island Cairns">
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alt="Kayaking on Green Island">

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