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HEAVENLY HINCHINBROOK...continued |
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while smoking, which we had the joy of breathing in, being immediately downwind. Some people! What goes on in their brains? |
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It took quite some time to figure out why the island looked so strange from the anchorage. Finally we had it. The entire rainforest canopy was gone. The massive rainforest trees consisted of nothing but bare white trunks poking hopelessly at the clear blue sky – not a branch left. Just a few new clumps of sprouts along bleached limbs. |
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Right: Hinchinbrook Island under a white tablecloth of cloud |
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Cyclone Yasi damage at Hinchinbrook had alerted us to what was coming. But we were still shocked at the sight of Bedarra Island and its forlorn resort as we sailed by. Worse was yet to come. Fifteen years ago, before we took up sailing, we spent our one and only tropical island resort holiday on Dunk Island. We had fond memories of walking tracks through beautiful rainforest, gorgeous gardens along the sand spit facing the anchorage, and of screaming around the bay in a little catamaran. Not now. Leanne was reduced to tears. |
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DUNK ISLAND, OR WHAT WAS LEFT OF IT |
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21 – 25 AUGUST. Perhaps the greatest on-water experience we’ve ever had was capped off perfectly as we departed Hinchinbrook—the mountain was laid with a perfect white tablecloth. Our answer to Table Mountain in Cape Town? |
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Closer inspection ashore showed the forest floor to be buried metres deep under those torn limbs. The rest had been blown into the bay then washed up onto the back of the beach during the storm surge. We marvelled at the size of some of the trees, torn bodily, roots and all, out of the ground and thrown who knows how far into the water, only to end up back on shore as bleached skeletons. |
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Above: the canopy has been torn away. Left: now it lies on the forest floor. Below: whole trees uprooted & tossed on the beach |