hello from the northern territory

We have arrived safely in the Wessel Islands after a passage that was quite reasonable. Having waited for a few days for a bit less wind, it was still forecast 20 - 25, but for the first few hours we had next to no wind and had to motor; not what was expected. We had current with us, but the waves were quite large and we were rolling around so had to put on more speed. After that though the wind came up and the motor was only on to get into the anchorage at this end.

There have been a lot of sailing boats to keep an eye open for - probably because everyone was waiting for better weather. Some were coming from Thursday Island so were on a different trajectory. And the nights were very dark, no moon until a little bit comes up near dawn. Shipping wasn't a problem as they keep to recommended routes, and we were well away from them. No fishing boats at all which was a relief!

We, and about nine other boats were 'buzzed' by the borderland protection patrol plane. With Papua New Guinea so close the waters are strictly patrolled. Must be quite a fun job flying around in a little plane going low over the boats to read the name then calling them up. A couple didn't answer, not sure what happens then.

I ran a net for the half dozen boats that left Seisia with us - it was G's idea, and he volunteered me. Thanks. Anyway it is good to know where boats are and the conditions they are experiencing - the last boats have had lots of rain, and we've just been ahead of it.

The anchorage is lovely, a large calm bay by these low-lying islands. Will probably stay for at least a day, evidently you can walk on land, though it is croc country so no swimming.

Good fishing - a small mahi mahi for dinner tonight, and a medium sized albacore tuna for the next couple of days. Did I tell you that, in difficult windy conditions, we smoked some of the last tuna?

Hello from Seisia

Dawn found us sailing round the tip of Cape York, following in Capt Cook's wake; he was celebrating having clear water ahead at last and having reached the end of the reefs that had caused him so much trouble. There are lots of little islands around here but they are easy to see and mostly steep to.

At one stage we were doing 7 knots in 6 knots wind as we had left early to get the tidal flow. By 9am we were anchored between Red Island and the little township of Seisia. This is the destination for the 4-wheel drive tours that do the 'far north' trip. Consequently there is a camp site with laundry and lots of drying lines, a kiosk for ice creams and snacks, and a small but very well stocked supermarket. Prices higher but then you would expect it here so far from anywhere.

It's a dry little place of red dust and scrub, mostly aboriginal inhabitants. Notices in the supermarket say no school age children allowed in the shop between 8am and 3pm; truancy is a big problem as is alchohol. Unemployment is huge. Nevertheless the town is neat and clean, plenty of government money pumped in I should imagine.

Still haven't seen a croc though there are warning signs on the beach - don't paddle or swim, be careful launching dinghies, don't gut fish on the beach. Not that the locals seem to take much notice.

We'll be here a few days until conditions are right to cross the Gulf of Carpenteria.

we've reached the top

We have now sailed all the way from the (equivalent of) the southernmost point of mainland Australia, somewhere in the middle of the Bass Straits, to the (equivalent of) the most northerly. Left in the early hours of the morning for the 85 miles to Mount Adolphus Island, NE of Cape York.

Our frig is full of fish, but had we needed more it wouldn't have been a problem, there were flocks of seabirds pecking up the jumping shoals of little fish, no doubt being herded by bigger ones. And as we entered the anchorage kingfish were jumping out of the water, also to escape something larger. We haven't seen a croc yet, but others have and they are certainly around. Yesterday we went for a bit of a bush walk (marked with blue bits of plastic, shoes, bottles, floats etc. by other cruisers) and saw a couple of bush pigs, quite exciting enough, particularly as we had to paddle through some bits of mangrove swamp, perfect croc habitat.

A day off tomorrow, we've been on the go for 5 days now. It has been the best 5 days of sailing ever I think with constant winds, no big waves, and great speeds. Also for me a completely non-queasy experience.

Hello from Margaret Bay

A short trip, we were anchored in Margaret Bay for lunch. (Beat Hocus Pocus today) And lunch was a very freshly caught albacore tuna - thin slices raw with lemon and teriyaki and freshly baked bread. This life is not all roughing it!

The next leg is a long one, nearly up to Cape York, the top of the east coast, so it will be a 2 or 3 am start. We're getting quite used to being in bed by 8pm! Not easy to do overnight passages unless you stay in the shipping lanes, but then you have ships to contend with.

hello from portland roads

A mainland anchorage tonight, Portland Roads. Only possible to get to shore at high tide and we've missed that and will be off tomorrow so are taking it easy on board. Caught another mackerel today, so no lack of fresh fish.

Forgot to mention yesterday that a couple of largish ribs with double powerful outboards came into the anchorage. They came beside us for a chat and it appears they are circumnavigating Australia in aid of polio eradication. What a trip, in open boats where they sleep and presumably cook, only a sun awning over them. They have a website - followtheyellowboatroad.com which would be worth having a look at.

For the last three days we have been travelling in company with a couple of Swedish boats, one of which is very similar speed to us. When crossing the Pacific there was a boat called Kelsey, and Catch Kelsey became our aim as we got a little closer each day. Now it is Hocus Pocus we have to catch, so it's Hammer Hocus! We beat him yesterday but he was first in today by a few minutes.

Hello from Morris Island

Another rather slow day until the sea breeze picked up about 2am. Even had to motor for an hour. Arrived by 4.30 behind a little sandy atoll, Morris Island, which has one tall palm tree and one short one and a good crop of sisal. The story is that palms and sisal were planted on these little islands for the benefit of those who might get marooned there - the long stalks of the sisal being used to get down the coconuts, and I suppose practical sailors could also make themselves some rope and maybe a bit of clothing from the sisal. On this little patch of sand the sisal has done better than the coconuts. There is a grave under one of the palm trees, no name on it, but probably someone died on a ship and was put ashore here. People have decorated the grave with various shells and choice bits of flotsam and jetsam.

hello from flinders island

A long sail today, left at 4am, and arrived here at 5pm. Not quite such good speeds as recently, but a very pleasant calm sail. Being inside the Barrier Reef (which as I mentioned is closer to the mainland here than further south) the water is pretty calm considering the wind strengths. So we are anchored between two islands of the Flinders Group with 5 other boats. Fishing boats also come here for the day and go off fishing at night time.

C, heard a geologist cruiser say there were stromatolites around here??

No fish caught in spite of being near islands and reefs all day - maybe because it is full moon, fishing is never good then. One dolphin seen, the first for a long time.

Hello from Lizard Island

Wed. 15th June


We like this trade wind sailing.  15 - 20 knots SE yesterday, and we never averaged less than 7 kts.  Consequently arrived in Lizard Island for a late lunch.  Although we knew that it was a popular anchorage we were surprised to see about twenty boats here, from US, Canada, UK, NL, German and Scandinavia as well as Australia.  Some Dutch friends last seen in Auckland amongst them.  Ten minutes after anchoring a dinghy came by saying that there was a get-together on the beach for drinks.  We really felt we were back in island cruising mode!


It is a lovely island.  This bay has a beautiful beach, and lots of patches of reef which are supposed to be excellent for snorkelling though we haven't been for a dip yet.  It's the last swimming place as all future anchorages will have the danger of crocs (see more below).  This morning we walked up to Cook's Lookout, a steep hour's scramble with great views all around from the top, including the fairly continuous line of the barrier reef. (depths fall straight down to 2000m outside)  Cook climbed up here to look for a gap in the reef.  He saw one, and they managed to get through although it wasn't the widest, and it must have been pretty hairy in such a non-manoeverable ship.  Cook named the island because of all the large lizards they saw here (goannas).  There are evidently still a lot, and we saw the ground burrows they dig, but it is winter time and we think they must be hibernating as no one seems to have seen one over the last couple of weeks.  The weather is cool for this area at the moment so that could be the reason.


As usual on such occasions we took advantage of the get-together yesterday evening to get info about anchorages ahead, and as well as excellent advice from an elderly Aussy couple who have been up and down the coast twelve times, we have also been able to copy cruising guides for the northern territory, Indonesia and Thailand onto our computer.  Several boats left today, and more tomorrow but we want to stay another day and do another walk and some swimming.


On the technical and maintenance side, which never finishes of course, we have been fitting wheels to the dinghy this afternoon.  Darwin has huge tides so dinghies have to be pulled over considerable distances of sand when the tide is out.  The marinas are only accessed by locks.   Also our outboard doesn't like running slowly, goes fine when we zoom along, then dies when we try to slow down.  So we have been making rather dramatic arrivals either speeding up to our destination or having to row the last few yards.  G has looked at it once, but to no avail.

More on crocs.  The rules are don't go to the beach or in shallow water in your dinghy after dusk, don't fish from a beach, don't throw food scraps overboard, and lift your dinghy out of the water at night.  So there you have it.


Thur 16th June


The lost email popped up again when I just turned on the computer.  Now a bit more to report.  The outboard has been fixed by pricking a slightly blocked jet with a needle.  It seems fine, hope it remains so.  The dinghy wheels have been tried out and are good - though you still have to lift the front of the dinghy like you would a heavily laden wheelbarrow.


We had a snorkel this morning over a patch of coral that is a giant clam area.  And they are huge, some a meter across;  wouldn't like to get an arm or a leg too close.  Not as pretty as the small ones with their bright green and blue edges but pretty impressive.  There was a project here to breed them some years ago as they were getting quite rare, and it has been so successful that they have been able to populate various other areas.


Also went for another (flat) walk which took us past the research station where we talked to a lad doing a PhD project on why coral trout allow some little fish right into their mouths (to clean presumably) and never eat them!  While there we saw a large goanna strolling across the sandy track.  A good morning all in all.


We will be leaving in the early hours tomorrow morning for an 80 mile trip to Flinders Island.

Hello from Lizard Island

Just wrote a long email and have lost it so will write again, but for now will just say that we are in Lizard Island and will stay here tomorrow as well.

And the fishing record is two good sized tasty spotted mackerel. A lot of waters in these parts are protected so no fishing near islands or reef.

Hello from Cooktown

Had a romping sail to Cooktown this morning. Hitting 9 and 10 knots sometimes with the wind behind and sun shining. Cooktown is, as we knew, a bit shallow, but the local volunteer coastguard recommended a spot to anchor very close to the jetty and town. There weren't as many boats as we had thought there might be luckily as with fairly strong winds and a 2 - 3 knot tidal flow we dance around and need plenty of room. Didn't do too much dancing, as at low tide we touched on the soft mud/sand bottom so didn't move for an hour or two.

It is a delightful little town, making the most of the fact that Cook called in here to repair the Endeavour after hitting a reef. He had put a sail round the hull to cover the hole, and then careened her on a beach here for repairs. It is hard to imagine anyone sailing up here with no idea where the reef was, it gets pretty close to the mainland with various patches to be avoided. He was trying to find a way through the reef when he came to grief. This is the last town before Darwin (still about 1,000 miles away), so we did a load of laundry, got rid of our rubbish, and filled a few can of water as well as stocking up with fruit and veg from the only small supermarket.

So we are ready to go at first light tomorrow, and hope to get to Lizard Island before dark. We are looking forward to Lizard which is supposed to be a lovely place with good walks (including the climb up to Cook's Peak from where he spied his passage through the Barrier Reef.)

hello from hope island

It is early afternoon Sunday, and we have just picked up the one and only mooring buoy off a little island, one of the two Hope Islands. Luckily visibility is good as we had to wend our way through patches of reef and a few lone rocks to get here - and getting out is easier, we can head due north. Another (German) boat that was in Low island with us is just making her way in so we will have a bit of company. We have a view of a little wooded island with white sand around it and lots of birds on the beach, patches of reef giving good protection, and a background of the hills of the mainland. We're definitely back in cruising mode! Later.... have 'done' the island which has a camp site, or at least 2 picnic tables and a couple of clearings in the bush. A couple of pelicans standing guard on the rocks and a lot of white egrets.

Spent another day at Low island yesterday, and took a walk around it (15 mins at most). Saw the lighthouse which is the original from 1878, and there is also a research station dating from the 1920's when some of the first surveys of the reef were made. This is where J spends much of her time with her turtle project, and she lives on her boat.

Tomorrow to Cooktown, not far from here and we can anchor in the river. Hope laundry and supermarket will be open in spite of it being a public holiday (for the Queen's Birthday!)

hello from the low isles

Made good progress yesterday and last night, and at lunch time today (Fri) picked up another mooring in the Low Isles. These are just offshore from Port Douglas, so we are now north of Cairns. It's a pretty spot, a little island with sandy beaches all round and a lighthouse; and large areas of reef and mangroves. Very popular with tourist boats, so large groups snorkelling and on the beach. Being a no-fishing area large fishes swim round the boats hoping for scraps. Our visitors are two black tipped sharks, a remora (shark sucker), and some large angel fish. G had planned to go under the boat to clean up the prop, but it is overcast and (comparatively) chilly, and those sharks....... The mainland around here is croc country, but we have been assured that they are hardly ever found offshore or in clear water. The stinger season is over, so those stinger suits will only be worn for warmth now.

Not much time to rest last night. Not as many ships as we thought there might be in the vicinity of Cairns, as they were all at anchor for the night. However fishing trawlers were out in full force, and as you can imagine they make us rather nervous. So we had radar on and a decklight shining on the sails. One decided to pull in his nets and turn towards us just as we thought he was safely past so it was on with the motor and full steam ahead until he was safely astern! Also the Barrier Reef gets closer to land here, so careful navigation is required to avoid various bits of reef and little islands. Not a problem, there's plenty of space, but you can't just steer a straight course.

Evidently Monday is a public holiday for the Queen's Birthday, and Cooktown, a long day's journey further, has a Captn Cook festival over the weekend. We have to go there anyway as it is the last town before Darwin, so we have to have enough food and water on board for a few weeks. Tomorrow we may go part of the way, to Hope Island, then to Cooktown on Sunday.

Progress report

Repairs are progressing slowly. Two stays are up, but the two mast-head ones have to go through spreaders, and the old wires are stuck fast. We managed to get it all down on deck, and our helpful metal worker has all the bits. He may have to make a new piece of railing for the bit round the front as it is too bent to straighten. One of the most difficult things at the moment is the foil that has the front stay through it and takes the stress of the genoa. It is very bent at the bottom and can't be replaced except from Amel in France. Hopefully a cover can be made for the lower section but we have to make sure it is strong enough. Also the motor for the main furler has to have a new bearing, it has been getting noisy and didn't like the extra bashing with the collision. Also very difficult to get apart.

We expect to be here for another 10 days or so; not much point moving until everything is fixed as the next place to get things will be Darwin (except for Cairns which is not far up the road).