The aim of this second study was to determine the recreational marine usage of the Shoalwater Bay area by cruising yachtspersons. As in the study, Recreational usage patterns of Shoalwater Bay and adjacent waters , the scope of the brief excluded the study of recreational usage of the area by indigenous users as well as the direct targeting of commercial fishers. However, some waters are not designated as part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, specifically the waters located adjacent to the coastline for approximately 2.5 nautical miles offshore starting just south of Yeppoon and running north to Delcomyn Bay north of Port Clinton. Furthermore, Shoalwater Bay marine and terrestrial areas are also utilised by the Commonwealth Department of Defence for military training exercises. These Defence training operations restrict or deny non-military access to parts or all of the Shoalwater Bay Defence Area during training exercises and this impacts on overall usage patterns.
Cruisers are transient users, who travel at leisure on water, that is, who engage in cruising.
Within the cruising community, various types of cruisers may be identified. However, within both the sail and engine categories there are also various subcategories. The average age of cruisers was 43 years and the range in ages was 25-69 years. On-site surveys were attempted however received a nil response rate. Content analysis of cruising literature including cruising guides and magazines was also undertaken.