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.