Cruising Queensland Australia - Blogs

We saw the Lizard!
It is easy to get distracted when you are working hard and playing hard. But we realised that if we stayed much longer in Cairns, we would take root. So, and bearing in mind we are one of the slow-coaches, we left Cairns slightly ahead of the pack. To get back into the swing of it, so to speak, we had a short first day, spending the night at the little town of Port Douglas. It is a charming place, mainly given over to the tourist trade, but it is not until you leave it that you realise it's the most northerly real town on the East Coast of Queensland; after that you are on your own. Our friends from Andante helped us into the very friendly but rather shallow marina, and we spent a quiet night. Next day, we had a lazy start, hoping to have lunch on the move after refuelling. But come the time, we were unable to leave - Cleone was stuck fast in the soft mud! So we had lunch and then refuelled, before setting out down river and across the bar.

It was a great sailing day - the wind was abaft the beam and there was plenty of it. As the afternoon wore on, and Andante emerged from the river behind us, the wind freshened, and soon it was blowing at over thirty knots. The navigation inside the Reef is demanding, and we kept a careful plot. Short, steep seas soon built up, and in the early evening, we tied down the third reef and furled the genoa completely. And we were still making over seven knots. By this time, Andante had overtaken us, and when we began to reel her in, and her lights changed from white to red, we knew they had met a problem. There furling gear had broken. In the rising seas there was nothing practical we could do to help them, and so they diverted to nearby Bedford Bay to retrieve the situation as best they could. But as we discovered later, they could only furl their mainsail by cutting it off the mast, leaving them with a very difficult repair on their hands, the solution to which is as yet unclear.

We arrived in the shelter of Lizard Island at about ten the next morning. Friends from Windflower and long-lost Calli Due were already there; we were delighted to see them. We slept a couple of hours after a Norfy Special Breakfast, before setting out to explore this delightful haven. It's a quiet but well-developed place. There is an unobtrusive and rather exclusive resort, a government research station (part of the Museum of Australia) where they carry out serious research on the reefs, a decent, tarmacked airstrip, and lots of well-marked footpaths leading to interesting sights and glorious bays. We visited the research station, and the next morning Nicky and the Skipper trekked to the top of Cook's Look, on the descent meeting one of the famed lizards, a smallish specimen of some two feet long. He was quite unafraid of us, sitting very still whilst we took a couple of photos, hoping to catch his long red tongue as it flickered out, presumably in search of insects for lunch. This mountain (hill?) is famed as being the point to which the young Lieutenant Cook ascended in order to find a way out of the tortuous reefs in which he had become trapped. At the top, some 1000 feet up, is a compass which points out, amongst other things, the direction and distance to London (and New York) and indicates the location of Cook's Passage, through which he eventually made his escape before having to re-enter the reefs in order to find shelter again! The surrounding reefs can clearly be seen from this magnificent vantage point, and Cook cannot have been disappointed by his discovery.

The island is also famous for a failed commercial enterprise led by a young Mr Watson in the 19th Century. Following an outbreak of ethnic violence amongst his staff whilst her husband was away, his young wife Mary fled the island with her baby and a servant, pushing a large iron tank into the sea and climbing into it. Needless to say, the trio drifted away Northwest through the Barrier Reef, landing on a small island where they starved before finally dying of thirst, their bodies only being found some three months later. Mrs Watson was a native of St Newlyn East, in Cornwall - apparently there is a tablet to her memory in the village church there. Despite this tradgedy, the island is a beautiful, quiet and happy place, with magnificent snorkelling to be had amongs the giant clams (5' across, some of them) and abundant tropical fish. We've been told this is the last place where we will swim - north of here are abundant large crocodiles. We spent a quiet night aboard; although not far from the Equator, it was a chilly evening, and we were glad of long trousers and fleeces.

We have still plenty of miles to do, and time presses. We have to be in Thursday Island by 20th August. Nicky has a plane to catch, and we are meant to cross the start-line for the leg to Darwin. So this morning we stole away before dawn, the Skipper managing to sleep his way through his alarm, set for 3 am. But after a fight with the anchor chain, we were away by four am, and hoping to be in or around the Flinders Islands by nightfall. We will keep you informed of progress!

All well with us, and best wishes to everyone.

James, Chris and Nicky - Yacht Cleone - 14o25'S 144o45'E

Yacht Cleone - in the Great Barrier Reef - Part 2 - Flinders and Morris

Windy but not so rough.

If we thought Lizard Island was a windy spot, it was only because we had not yet been to Morris Island! We had a fast passage to Flinders, past stunning scenery and in fine sunlight. We left the Lizard anchorage before dawn, threading our way through the anchored yachts after wrestling briefly with an obstinate anchor chain. We spotted that Talulah Ruby had arrived during the night, but failed to see Kasuje, who had done likewise. Dawn broke, we had breakfast and neatly and narrowly avoided been run down head first by a container ship. We'd been warned that yachts are expected to keep out of the way of ships in the channel that threads its way tortuously through the reefs, so the Skipper radioed to the officer on the bridge. After a pause - he did not seem to have seen us and obviously took a look out of his bridge wing - he agreed that he would pass down our port side. But despite this, the ship continued to head towards us. Discretion being the better part of valour (wood gives way to fibreglass, which gives way to steel), the skipper prudently altered course to starboard - the book says that it's difficult to be faulted for this manoeuvre. Shortly afterwards the australian twang of the pilot was heard calling us urgently on the radio - he was surprised to see we'd altered course (steam gives way to sail; the stand on vessel must stand on!). He had left the bridge for some reason, but on his return was disconcerted - he'd obviously instructed the officer of the watch to pass down our starboard side and then cut across our stern to regain the channel. But being an Aussie, it was "no worries mate - we'll keep an eye on you" and we passed neatly within 200 metres of each other. I'm glad it was not dark.

Navigating through the well-marked and well-charted reefs is sufficiently challenging to be interesting, the scenery is stunning and we've enjoyed two magnificent days sailing. At our Flinders anchorage we were joined by Cali Due, with Windflower being in another equally protected and isolated anchorage a few miles away. And in the lee of Morris Island we were again next to Cali Due. The anchorage is well protected from the seas, but the wind is again howling around the rigging, and Cleone was straining at her anchor. But all was well; we slept long and hard and we set off for the Escape River, probably the last anchorage on this leg before we reach Thursday Island and the start of Leg 14 to Darwin.

And today has been another glorious day of down-wind sailing, with some of the most challenging coastal navigation that we have had so far, with shipping chanels to cope with to boot.

All well with us, and best wishes to everyone.

James, Chris and Nicky - Yacht Cleone
Morris Island 12o42'S 143o32'E

Yacht Cleone - Thursday Island

Nine yachts left on time from Thursday Island, bound for Darwin; we hope several more will follow!

We started from Thursday Island in a strong breeze, but a mercifully slack tide. There was a strong wind - and the threat of the flood tide - to carry us over the line, and Branec wisely stayed well up wind. The rest of us hovered nearer, and in the end, all played it safe; no-one was over the line before the start, with Branec charging magnificently through the fleet to snatch an early lead. Assisted by our ex-crew Nicky, Clare was in an aluminium dingy to do the honours, and we were happy to notice the correct flag sequence - Clare's earlier worries were unfounded and the procedures were perfect.

We played it cautiously, being one of the back-markers, but the fleet kept pretty well together as we goose-winged around Thursday Island, through Normanby Sound and out through the Torres Straight towards Booby Island and across the Gulf of Carpantaria. As we passed Friday Island, our last thoughts were, what happened to Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Saturday Islands? But it was too late, the tide had set in and there was no going back!

It's just Norfy and the Skipper for this leg. So far, there have been fair winds from the Southeast, and it's been a fast passage. But the waters are shallow, and this wind has kicked up a nasty short sea, and it has not been particularly comfortable. Both crew have got wet - and the light showers have not provided enough fresh to wash the salt water away. It's cracking sailing, though, and we have logged 158 miles in the 2 hours since leaving our anchorage.

All well with us, and best wishes to everyone.

James and Norfy (Chris) - Yacht Cleone - 10o43'S 139o34'E

Yacht Talulah Ruby II - Cairns To Thursday Island

Talulah came out of the water in Cairns,to be cleaned, we changed the rudder and cutless bearings, had a rig check, repaired the Watermaker and Generator (well sort of !!) and then delayed with engine problems this turned out to to be the injectors which we serviced. I guess that's sailing for you, but Talulah is ready to continue on her way around the world, all the fleet seemed to have there share of problems so Cairns was a very necessary stop over for the fleet, but our minor problems all paled into insignificence compared to Wizard and Asolare's. We finally got away on Friday morning and sailed over night to Lizard Island to celabrate Andy's Birthday with 6 other World Arc boats, with a BBQ. on the beach loads of drink and singing!! As we move on to Thursday Island we are all concentrating hard as there are millions of reefs, so a challenging coarse after all the open water stuff, plus we are in the big ships chanel, and we have large tides and currants to contend with. Yesterday we had the most spectacular display of a Humpback Whale slapping its enormous tail and fin on the water, it continued for some time and was magical sight. After overnighting with Andante, Northern Sky, Graptolite and Calli Due off Night Island, we were all up early to sail to the Albany Pass and reach Thursday Island by Wednesday. We also have a new member of crew Joanne, who is really lightening our load, so Happy Days aboard Talulah.

Love to all.
The Talulah Rubians......

Thrilling Thursday morning start from Thursday Island

Thursday morning 1130 saw the start of Leg14 the 800 miles from Thursday Island to Darwin. It was a moment to be proud of. Our fleet of World ARC yachts powering along the town front in a robust 27 knot breeze in full sunshine, worries of impossible tidal streams, 2m standing waves and the ever present estuarine or saltwater crocodiles, prevalent in this area, temporarily forgotten – this was just fantastic sailing!

Wishing everyone safe sailing and we are looking forward to sharing the pictures in Darwin! - World ARC