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HEAVENLY HINCHINBROOK...continued |
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heads. Not good. There followed a swooping ride out to Masala, where the fun really began – trying to get the dinghy back onto the davits while it was going airborne on the waves. We succeeded, but with a few new cuts and bruises to add to the collection you inevitably get on a yacht. |
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You would be hard pressed to find a more stunning anchorage. The crenelated backbone of the island’s highest peaks, over 1000m, soars directly above you. The weather is constantly at play around the peaks. During a clear evening sunset, the peaks form a dramatic silhouette with beams of sunlight blasting between them like cosmic searchlights. |
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Right: Banksia Bay had a lot less swell than Zoe Bay |
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Then there is the morning. There is nothing between this stunning mountain range and the rising sun. Before the sun appears the mountains begin to glow purple. As its rim bursts from the sea, so the colours burst from the mountains. As the sun rises higher, so the hue changes from purple, to rich orange, yellow and finally the green-brown of the forests intermingled with exposed granite. |
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There was no way we could spend a comfortable night in Zoe Bay in those conditions, so we moved 5 nm north to Banksia Bay, at the southern end of Little Ramsay Bay. It was still a bit swelly, but would do. |
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Left: the setting sun bursts through the granite peaks like a cosmic searchlight |
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Right: sunrise on Masala at anchor in Banksia Bay. |