An Exciting Conclusion to Our 2015 Sailing Season

Last week Peter and I were sitting on Rene, drinks and nibblies in hand, when he asked me when I was going to finish off the blog. I was finding it difficult to find motivation as I'd written extensively about Magnetic Island on our previous visits. Well he must have taken my musings to heart as the next day he provided me with an exciting conclusion (a bit too exciting actually!!!) to our 2015 sailing season. In the process he learnt a very compelling lesson.

Snake Bite!!

We decided to take our last walk over to Picnic Bay then to a little bay beyond known as Cockle Bay.
A coffee on the waterfront back in Picnic Bay would complete a lovely walk. A bush track takes you through the bush near the houses on the way out of Picnic Bay. We had just reached the last of the houses when Peter jumped and I noticed what I thought was a stick flung up in the air. No. It wasn't a stick. That was a snake, about 70cm long, skinny and light brown. Originally when he felt a jab on his foot he thought it was just a stick too, but no, when he inspected the wound site there were two little fang marks oozing two little blood dots. The snake was still hanging about, not too concerned, so we managed to get a good description for the medical staff at the Medical Centre.




This snake was on Dunk Island but we thought it was the same as the one that bit Peter



Luckily a man was renovating his house over the road so we hurried (trying not to hurry, keep the patient calm and still etc) over and asked him if he could take us to the Medical Centre. I think he was more alarmed than we were. His wife bound Peter's leg in a tablecloth she had nearby and he got in the ute and off they went. I stayed behind as the ute only had two seats. Later the man met me walking along the road and took me to the Medical Centre. Thank you Cynthia and husband, who helped us out in a tricky situation.

We spent the next two hours there, Peter's leg bound securely with bandages from toes to thigh. He briefly felt a bit of a sting in his foot, much like a bee sting, but then back to normal. There was talk of two days in a Townsville hospital for observation, which meant an ambulance coming over on the ferry to pick him up. The snake was definitely not an Adder, Magnetic Islands only really deadly snake, but probably a Tree Snake or a Whip Snake. These are described as mildly venomous, so Peter decided to discharge himself out of the Medical Centre (after signing a form exonerating the staff of any wrong doing) and retire to Rene for a quiet day resting. We had informed them that we would be back in a flash if he started frothing at the mouth or going numb or any other weird symptoms occurred. They didn't. The only other thing that happened was that his foot was a bit swollen and itchy for a few days.

Snake bite and a kicked toe! I think he has learnt his lesson!

The moral of this story is: Wear shoes in the bush - not thongs!!!!

This is my last day in Townsville. Today I fly to Sydney for five days with Greg, Leisha and Jessica, then on to Perth for a few days with Karin, Paul and Isabelle before taking the bus to Albany. Peter is going to stay in Townsville for three weeks to do some maintenance on Rene and put her in her holiday berth in the Breakwater Marina for summer. It will give him the chance to spend a bit more time with his family as well. My only problem now is how to squash two bags worth of gear into one for the flight home.

Goodbye 2015 sailing season. Looking forward to more sailing and heading south again in the second half of next year.



Goodbye Rene. See you next year

Friends & A 'Meanie' Nomination 14th Sept

Waterfront, Horseshoe Bay

 

Arkaydes anchored in Horseshoe Bay today. It was great to catch up with both Ric and Val and of course Tige. Our sailing paths had not crossed since we spent the Easter holiday sharing a mooring with Arkaydes in Refuge Bay on Greg and Leisha's yacht, Ocean Street. We gossiped over coffee in the sunshine at the corner coffee shop and as lunch approached we agreed to meet at 4.30pm for a BBQ on the beach. Then we all adjourned to the boats for some R&R. Peter usually takes himself off for a walk in the afternoon, but I prefer to relax on board out of the heat with some sewing or a good book.

At the appointed time we met under the shady trees along the waterfront, found ourselves a table and BBQ, set out the food and settled in for a friendly chat. Then.... Ric spotted my shopping cool bag. Earlier in the afternoon I had mended it as the seam along the bottom had split. He could not get over the fact that I had fixed a $2.50 shopping bag and decided I needed a nomination for an esteemed position in the 'Meanies Club'. Ron (Roseanne) and his tight fisted mate had dreamed up this idea last year to celebrate those amongst us who excel at being a 'tight arse'!!! Thanks Ric. I love you too!

This is Ric admiring my neat handiwork!!

At this point I feel I need to defend myself. This afternoon I cleaned the boat. It shone like an new pin. No Horseshoe Bay grit on Rene's polished floors. I checked all the cupboards for any excess stuff that could take a trip to the Op Shop and washed everything I could find. After that I sat back and wondered what to do next. A quick look ashore informed me that Peter was the tiny black dot at the far end of the beach, at least half an hour away - that's if he did not 'have a chat' to one of the half dozen people between him and Lily. And there was Lily, residing peacefully on the beach with all the other dinghies waiting obediently for their master's return. Swimming ashore did not appeal, so I went back down stairs to see what I could do next. My sewing project (a cross stitch tablecloth) was complete, all the books and magazines had been read, cleaning done.... and then I spotted the broken cool bag.
"Well of course I thought. I'll mend you." So I did. Having confessed my 'Meanie' type behaviour I think I might be able to claim I was bored - although there might be a tiny bit of meanness there too.

BBQ time in Horseshoe Bay

It was wonderful to catch up with you guys again. Keep safe and enjoy the rest of your trip.

My project for this year - an old cross stitch tablecloth that I resurrected.
It had been partially worked in dull colours by an unknown person, so I unpicked the lot and started again.

Back to Magnetic Island 3rd - 13th September

The weather was still favourable for our journey south, so we decided to haul ourselves out of bed early (3am) for the next long leg of the trip south to Mourilyan Harbour. In calm conditions we motor/sailed nearly the whole 60nm. For the last two hours we scored a NE breeze of about 10kns, which although late, helped us arrive by 2pm and saw us anchored outside the swing basin opposite the sugar terminal. We were the only boat in there, aside from a trawler, which surprised us. We thought we'd see more boats heading north by now.

Poor little cyclone ravaged Purtaboi Is near Dunk Is
 It used to covered in thick rain forest

These early starts were becoming a bit of a habit so as the body clocks had us up at 3.30am we thought we may as well carry on to the next anchorage at Dunk Island. In the early morning light we could see a large, grey ship anchored behind the North Barnard Islands. It happened to be the navy ship "Canberra" and we were close enough to see the sailors participating in daily exercise routines on the deck. We were looking forward to lunch at the kiosk on the beach, but it was shut for the weekend as there was a huge wedding celebration in progress and the staff had all been requisitioned for wedding duties. Very disappointing! On Sunday we decided we needed a decent walk as we hadn't done much exercise lately. The island circuit looked like a good idea. It is a 12km walk incorporating a climb up to the top of Mt Kootaloo and the scenic lookout over Dunk Is and Mission Beach. By the time we reached the top, towards the end of the walk, I needed a good drink and the nibblies we had brought with us to boost the energy levels.

The view from Mt Kootaloo

The wedding party must have been pleased with the weather as it was still calm, clear and beautiful. It also meant the we decided to motor south to Goold Island for the night. This is an anchorage where calm weather is necessary if you want a comfortable night. When the trade winds are stronger lumpy seas enter the bay. The island is densely wooded and the beach lovely. Watch out for sandflies though!!!

Eastern side Hinchinbrook Island

With the quiet conditions still in place we thought we'd try motor/sailing down the eastern side of Hinchinbrook Island to see if we could anchor in Zoe Bay for lunch and then continue on to Orpheus Island in the Palm Island Group for the night. By the time we reached Zoe Bay the wind was SE at about 10-15kts and the seas bouncing off the rocky eastern coast made the seas lumpy and uncomfortable. Zoe was out of the question. We kept on, just making the rhumb line, for Hazard Bay on Orpheus Island. Hazard is a delightful bay, full of coral reef and bombies, so anchoring quite a way out is necessary. There is a resort in this bay which is only accessible to the guests. Around the corner is a pontoon and jetty which is used by people for snorkelling on the coral. It is such a pretty bay with clear water and golden sand.

Feeding the Rainbow Lorekeets, Horseshoe Bay

The weather forecast indicated a windy patch coming our way in a few days time so we decided to make for Horseshoe Bay on Magnetic Island where we could sit comfortably during the blow and where there is plenty of activities to keep us occupied. We have been here for six days now and have socialised with the boaties in the bay, done all the usual walks and sampled morning coffee at the cafes. We have also discovered that there is a public laundry at the Arcadia Hotel which has relieved me of the nasty job of sloshing clothes about in the bucket and prevented us from becoming socially unacceptable. On Wednesday we took the ferry across to Townsville to have dinner with the Scott family at The Jewel of India restaurant - very enjoyable. Our friends Ric, Val and Tiger (Arkaydes) were tied up in the Breakwater Marina so we called in to catch up during the afternoon. Ric was away for the week, but we spent the late afternoon with Val and Tige. We still had an hour to kill before the dinner date so decided to walk around the centre of town to fill in the time. As we were walking past the Irish pub a voice called out to us - Alan from Camelot. The hour passed quickly as we exchanged stories. We're beginning to feel like locals around here.

Tige's in Townsville

I have booked my flights back to WA via Sydney (Greg, Leisha and Jessica for a few days) on 30th September and Perth on 6th October. Peter will stay on here for a couple of weeks to spend some time with his dad and family. He will also do maintenance jobs on Rene and Lily and put them away in a berth somewhere for the summer. We have a couple of options, but some negotiation is still necessary re dates on our preferred spot. We will be spending our last two and a bit weeks here together between Townsville and Horseshoe Bay.

Sundowners Horseshoe Bay

Time to Head South - Cooktown to Yorkeys Knob 30th August - 1st September

During our week in Cooktown we had been watching the weather forecasts carefully keeping our eye out for a weather window that would allow us to travel south without too much difficulty.  It came in the form of a calm period of a few days. We were up early to ready Rene for a 7.30am departure as the tide dictated. The Hope Islands are 20nm south and that was our destination.

The Hope Isles

Poking around at the Hope Isles

On the way north we had arrived here too late to see the coral bommies properly, but not this time. Midday saw us entering the reef area surrounding the islands with good visibility into the water and no scary moments occurred on this second occasion. We hooked on to one of the courtesy moorings and after lunch took Lily ashore on the tiny island. The spring tide exposed the reef and sandbanks around the island and we were able to have a close up view of hard and soft corals, clams and other shells and all manner of strange sea creatures residing in the reef. Five boats spent a calm and peaceful night with us at the Hope Isles.

Exploring the reef at low tide on the Hope Isles

The Low Isles

With just enough light to see the reef we motored slowly away from the Hope Isles on our way to the Low Isles off Port Douglas. Light winds had us again motor/sailing our way south. At 40nm we had a longer day on the water, but the scenery on this part of the coast is stunning as the Dividing Range meets the sea.

We arrived at the Low Isles in the late afternoon and most of the tourist boats had left or were in the process of leaving. We again managed to score one of the courtesy moorings. Not long after our arrival two young German men, crewing on another yacht, motored over in the dinghy to see the fish we were attracting. I was feeding them bread and they wanted to see the sharks. There was some discussion about whether Black Tipped Reef Sharks ate people. Then they decided they wanted to swim with the sharks. In they went. After a minute or two a shark swam past and the guy who saw it gave an excited yell, spluttering into his snorkel, and that was the end of the sharks. Anyway they had their thrills!! After that we all settled down for another quiet, calm night with a beautiful bright moon.

Feeding the fish at the Low Isles

 

 

Yorkeys Knob

We left the Low Isles at 6.30am, motoring around the eastern side of the islands far enough off to avoid the fringing reef. Again we motor/sailed the whole way, some 28nm south, in almost windless conditions. Peter rang ahead and booked a berth at the marina for two nights as we needed to take on fuel, water and stores. Being Tuesday we thought we'd take advantage of the 'two for one' evening meals at the yacht club. Very pleasant!

Cooktown 23rd - 29th August

The main street

A weather window opened for us to make the journey south from Lizard Island to Cooktown, 56nm distance and with SE winds 10-15kn . Cape Flattery and Cape Bedford gave us a chance to cut the trip short if the winds became less favourable on the way. We left Lizard Island at 6am and sailed hard on the wind for the first third of the way. Cape Flattery disappeared into the distance and Cape Bedford loomed ahead. We decided that if we could make it around this cape in reasonable time we would arrive in Cooktown in daylight. I didn't think we would ever get past Cape Bedford.
Adverse currents and wind now up to 20kns, had us tacking back and forth and wondering if we'd have to turn back and find shelter there for the night before continuing on to Cooktown the next day. South Cape Bedford finally slid behind us and as we turned south across the bay to Cooktown the wind did as well and with more tacking we arrived at the entrance to the Endeavour River just on dusk.

Hand steering to get around Cape Bedford

It is necessary to enter the Endeavour River anchorage in the top half of a rising tide as shallow sand banks abound and entry to the lagoon area requires crossing a bar. We found a quiet spot between two other yachts near the northern sand bank. We spent three nights there and then the spring tides had us moving to a deeper area as we realised we'd soon be touching the bottom. Numerous boats already occupied space reasonably close to the town, but we managed to find a place in 4.5m in the middle of the channel about 1nm up the river. Goodbye quiet, calm little place near the sandbanks! The currents out here were strong and particularly when the wind was against the tide, things got a little hectic. It always happens at 2am!! Rene managed to ride over the anchor warp and wrap it around the keel. We woke up to crunching, cracking sounds (we've heard that before!!) and a very strange motion of the boat. Up on deck it became obvious that things were going pear shaped. Poor Lily was going nuts tearing out to the end of her painter and charging back and head butting Rene and then taking off in the other direction. Water was literally rattling past the hull. The only plus in this situation was that the moon was full and we could at least see what was going on. Meanwhile Rene had dragged the anchor so it was necessary for us to reset it further upstream. Once all the drama was over Peter tied the tiller to one side and that eased the situation and allowed us to settle down for the rest of the night. Cooktown's anchorage is not without it's problems.




Cooktown Anchorage from Grassy Hill
(We are the little yacht near the sandbank in the centre of the picture next to the dark hulled yacht)

Cooktown is however a very interesting little town with a diverse history. In 1770 James Cook beached the Endeavour here to repair her after an argument with a reef further south. It was also the main outlet port for the Palmer River goldfields 100 years later, when the population reached 30,000. Of course there is a much older Aboriginal history here as well. The National Trust James Cook Museum is housed in an impressive building that was originally a convent school built in 1889. At least two hours is necessary to do justice to the displays. The panoramic view from the top floor of the building, over the Endeavour River is worth a look.

James Cook Museum

There are large monuments dedicated to the history of Cooktown throughout the town precinct and many plaques explaining historical events that happened at particular places. Mosaic and tile murals further highlight events, cultures and stories. The Milbi Wall tells the story of the first Aboriginal contact with the Europeans, from the Aboriginal perspective, in hand painted tiles. It's a very impressive art work that can be found in the park along the river front.

The Milbi Wall

Wednesday saw us taking the steep walk up Grassy Hill to see the lighthouse and take in the wonderful views across the wetland surrounding Cooktown and the Dividing Range in the distance. On the way up we noticed a walk branching off towards several bays to the south of Cooktown and also to the Botanic Garden. A rough, rocky walk down the hill brought us to the back of the Botanic Garden and although the walk was picturesque and bushy I was a bit concerned about slipping and doing myself an injury. The garden is in a superb valley setting. Huge paperbarks and gum trees grow thickly in places and provide lovely cool shade. Typical of a tropical garden, leaf shape and colour dominated rather than flowers. Attached to the information centre is the Charles Tanner Wildlife of Cape York exhibition which features snakes, crocodiles and other biting/stinging creatures and the Vera Scarth-Johnson botanic art gallery which are both worth a visit.



Taking a break on the way to the Botanic Garden



 

After all this sight seeing we thought we'd better stock up ready for our trip south again. The IGA in Cooktown is too far from the wharf area to transport our stores on foot so we organised with the store to deliver our purchases to us at the boat ramp. We have found that the IGA stores are generally very helpful and try to accommodate us boaties.

Niel and Doreen, who we met at Cape Flattery and spent the week at Lizard Island with, sailed into Cooktown the day after us. We decided to have dinner together at the RSL club and later in the week lunch at the café on the wharf. They base themselves at Cairns, but hopefully we will meet up on the water again one day.

R&R at one of the waterfront cafes

A Week At Lizard Island 16th - 22nd August

Without any doubt Lizard Island is the highlight of our 2015 sailing season. It is a wild, wonderful place with incredibly beautiful scenery in which ever direction you look. When we left Albany two and a half years ago (16 sailing months ago) one of our goals was to sail as far as Lizard Island. Back then this destination was so far in the future that we didn't give it too much thought. Now we have achieved one of our main goals, so some thought will have to be given as to what we intend to do next. In the meantime this is our Lizard Island.




Mrs Watson's Bay

As we left Cape Flattery Lizard Island was just visible in the haze to the north east. It was a quick sail in 15 - 20 knot SE winds and we arrived in Mrs Watson's Bay at 11.30am. The stark granite mountain scenery dominated the eastern side of the island and huge slabs of granite rock lined parts of the bay. It reminded me a little of the rocks in Ataturk Channel as you enter Albany Harbour. This is a beautiful, secure bay to anchor in. The water is crystal clear and the reef easy to see as we motored in to claim our little piece of paradise. With 13 boats in the bay there was plenty of room and we managed to find a spot close to the beach. Lizard has a wide valley that funnels the wind into Mrs Watson's Bay from the SE and magnifies it into strong bullets at times so we wanted to get in close to make the dinghy trip ashore was less splashy and more comfortable. I discovered the art of standing in the dinghy holding onto the painter in order to avoid most of the spray as we took Lily ashore.

After lunch we decided to go ashore and investigate the possibilities for walking and exploring the island. In the next bay we could see the refurbished resort, but we knew that only residents were welcome there. At $2000 per night I guess the guests have a right to have the place to themselves. We discovered that several walk tracks left Mrs Watsons Bay taking hikers to various destinations on the island. The first afternoon we took the track beside the airport runway to the Blue Lagoon on the southern side about 2kms from our anchorage. The track took us up the valley and it became obvious that this island is quite different to any we have seen in Queensland so far. There is a huge swampy area that is green and lush and set between the rocky hills you can't help but think this is an ancient scene. There is a lot of history here.




Chinaman's Hill Lookout Walk

A Visit to the Research Station

We met some of the other boaties on the beach in the evening and they informed us that the Research Station conducts tours of their facility on Monday mornings at 10am. Six of us met on the beach ready to walk the 3kms along the sandy track in the warm morning sunshine. As we walked along, Doreen and Neil, Robyn and Mark and Peter and I got talking and couldn't believe it when we discovered that we had all spent time in WA. Doreen and Neil had worked in shearing sheds around Esperance and Robyn and Mark had lived at Grass Patch (near Esperance). We had lived not far away in Lake Grace and here we were with 13 other boats at Lizard Island and we had all spent a part of our lives within a couple of hundred kms of each other. It is a small world!!

At the Research Station a young man conducted the tour which began with an introductory video. He then showed us the experiments being conducted and explained his own research project which was to do with the ability of corals to recover from bleaching episodes caused by warming water. It was a very interesting morning and well worth the effort expended to get there. We found that we had mobile coverage there and access to the weather forecast is available as well.

Everyone was interested in the Crown of Thorns Starfish
 

Cook's Lookout Walk



On top of the world. The view from Cook's Lookout

An early start on a beautiful, still, sunny morning saw us on the beach ready for the Cook's Lookout walk. It was obviously going to be strenuous and the first third of the walk lived up to expectations. Clambering up and over steep rocks and narrow rocky paths kept the heart rate up and soon rest breaks gave us magnificent views over the island and anchorage. The second third of the walk lead along the ridge top and through thicker vegetation and cyclone damaged forest. Two category four cyclones within two years have reeked havoc on the  landscape and the buildings of the resort. People have told us that before the cyclones the forested parts of the island were thick and shady and that the resort buildings could not be seen amongst the trees. Ragged, broken trees now dominate the landscape.

This is supposed to help......just don't look down!

The final third of the walk took us up the grassy slopes to the highest part of Cook's Lookout. What a view when you get to the top. Incredible! We appreciated the views, added a rock to the cairn, rested a while and boosted the energy levels with a snack and drink. A small wooden box was located next to the rock cairn so we opened it and found a visitors book which we signed. This one was brand new and the navy had left it there only two days before. A blurb at the front of the book  informed us that the previous one is located within the resort. Kapok trees were in full flower as were many small plants growing among the rocks which added colour to the pretty walk. This is a great walk.

My contribution to the cairn

 

  

Discovering the visitor's book

 



The navy blurb

Several boaties had told us that you could get mobile phone reception on a large flat rock about a third of the way up Cook's Lookout. We found that this was indeed the case and we made some phone calls to family and friends while up there. We even walked up on another occasion. It's not often you meet your daily exercise requirements making a phone call.


Devonshire Tea in Mrs Watson's Bay

Every second or third day as the sun sinks towards the horizon dinghies begin the trip ashore for sundowners on the beach. On one of these occasions we met Annie and Ronnie from Siri. Annie paints tropical scenes on driftwood and her paintings were beautiful. I particularly liked the sea turtles. Annie invited us to homemade scones, jam and cream on Siri the next day. So on a windy afternoon we made our way out the back of the anchorage to Siri and had a lovely time yarning and enjoying the best Devonshire Tea on Annies and Ronnies beautiful boat.

Later in the week we visited Robyn and Mark on Gallivant for morning tea where we enjoyed very yummy pumpkin muffins. I'm afraid I haven't yet mastered the vagaries of our gas oven so when friends come to Rene Mrs Arnott is called upon to supply the goodies. Very slack I know, but with only one small gas bottle we have to be careful how we use it. That's my excuse anyway!!

Water At Lizard

One of the best things about Lizard Island is the fact that you can get access to fresh water to replenish supplies. It comes via a hand pump that pumps water straight out of the ground. The water is fresh and clear and we found it very drinkable. The pump is about 250m along a short walk behind the beach. On Saturday we made our way to the pump with our assortment of buckets and bottles to collect water for our trip back to Cooktown. Seven other people were collecting water and I wished I had brought the camera as everyone filled their containers and did the washing. Sheets hanging in the trees, people waiting their turn at the pump and others using the pump would have made a wonderful picture. It is a great place to wash the hair as well.

Peter perfects the knack of priming the pump and ..............water!

 The walks are well maintained and invite exploration. Having spent the week keeping our eyes peeled for a glimpse of a lizard we had almost given up by the second last day. There was plenty of evidence of them in the lizard tracks observed on the sandy bush tracks. Our last walk up to the lookout on Chinaman's Hill we finally spotted one and got a good photo. Lizard Island is a beautiful, unique place. Aboriginal cultural history and European history make this an interesting destination. We loved it.

The Lizard



The Trip to Lizard Island 12th - 16th August

Hope Isles

Annie & Ronnie's 'Siri' at the Hope Isles

We said our goodbyes to Nigel and Sarah, next to us, in the Port Douglas Marina and motored out to begin the 47nm sail to the tiny, reef encrusted Hope Isles where we planned to spend the night. Port Douglas Marina has just constructed a huge new super yacht facility which has extended the marina berths and had me a bit bamboozled on our arrival as the marina plan in our 'Lucas' did not relate to what I was seeing. It is very impressive. The day was fine and calm and we motor/sailed for most of the way, gazing at the mountainous scenery and pretty bays along the coast.

The Hope Isles are interesting, especially if you arrive late in the day and the sun glares on the water. It is a place where it is imperative to have a view of the reefs and bombies in the water - that means arriving by 3-4pm and no later. We arrived at 5pm after a long slow day. Local knowledge would also have been an advantage in achieving an incident free entry into the anchorage. There is so much reef here and we overshot the easiest entry in, but I did my best to use my ex-rayless eyes to pick our way through the reef and bombies in order to anchor near the other boats. The glare made it difficult and after a couple of quick turns when coral began to appear under us, we finally dropped the anchor in 14m of water near the eastern island. Nine boats anchored in this tiny area for the night. I know why the Hope Isles got their name - you HOPE you don't run aground as you approach the anchorage. There are two courtesy moorings here, but both were already taken when we arrived.

A new day dawns at the Hope Isles

Next morning we saw that three of the others were preparing to leave, so we decided to tag along behind and find the best way out. Listening to them on the VHF informed us they had been here before and knew where to go. Actually it was quite easy as the sun clearly showed the reef in the water.

Cape Flattery

The wind gradually built during the day and we flew along and found ourselves off Cape Flattery at 4pm, where we motored around into the north eastern bay behind the cape and dropped anchor with two other yachts. The wind was quite gusty, but the water was calm and the anchorage secure after a 51nm trip. A ship was loading sand off  an open water jetty on the southern side of the cape. There is a sand mine here, but we could only see the glow lights in the next bay as night closed in.

Loading sand at Cape Flattery

On Friday we took Lily ashore to a beautiful, long white beach backed by rugged, scrubby bushland hills. The beach was littered with shells; cowries, olives, cones and various snail types, but all were old and broken. Very disappointing! As the tide went out it exposed large areas of sandbanks so we scouted about and managed to find some live olive shells. It reminded me of childhood when our family went 'up north' shell collecting with family friends. Needless to say we put the shells back in the sand to live another day. Behind the beach fresh water oozes out of the hill in places and huge paperbark trees line the beach. It is such a pretty place. The beach turns into cliffs and it is possible to walk around them when the tide goes out. There are so many interesting rock shapes and colours.

We could see two derelict houses on the hillside above the bay, so on Saturday we decided to explore them. Obviously a cyclone had damaged the structures and they had not been renovated. Rubbish was scattered everywhere and no attempt to clean up had been made. Piles of new cladding had been delivered and remained in untouched heaps deteriorating in the weather. Such a waste!!

There are many camp sites along the beach which looked as though they were frequently used and sure enough, several groups of people set up camps on the weekend. Pity they don't all take their rubbish home with them. A closer look into the bush behind the beach reveals quantities of rubbish that otherwise spoil this beautiful place. Later, when I read about this area I found out that it was actually Aboriginal land. Hope Vale Aboriginal Community is situated near Cape Bedford not far to the south.



We called this rock formation Giraffe Neck

Up the hill for a better view


 

On Sunday we began preparations for the short sail to Lizard Island.

Port Douglas Magic 8th - 9th August

Port Douglas is behind the little hill

 

 

We had a leisurely motor/sail, and eventually sail, from Yorkey's Knob to Port Douglas. Book reading, gazing at the amazing scenery and lazing in the sun meant that on arrival at berth A23 in the marina we were ready for a bit of exploring. What a tourist paradise this is and obviously this is the high season. People everywhere! The town itself, only a couple of hundred metres from our marina, consists of predominantly cafes, restaurants, boutiques, travel souvenir shops and acres of tourist accommodation. Aside from the crowds of people, the gardens, streetscapes and buildings are quite lovely and wandering around is an absolute pleasure.

We have been told that the marina berths here are fairly shallow and to expect Rene to settle into the soft mud in the low tides we are experiencing at present. The channel into the marina is dredged and deep enough, as is the marina itself, but the berths have not been dredged for a while. (Not as bad as Conwy though Greg.) The bathrooms here are luxurious. Separate unisex bathrooms, new and clean and a pleasure to use. Only Soldiers Point, in Port Stevens, beats this one. You get music and flowers there.

Port Douglas

On Sunday morning we walked to the market we had seen advertised the day before. This is one of the best markets we have been to. It is huge and most of the stallholders produce their wares in this area. I didn't notice any of the Bali/Chinese trinkets and beads that usually predominate in markets today. I could have let my head go here. Luckily I had Peter to keep me on the straight and narrow. Where are my girlfriends for a bit of girl shopping when I want them?

Temptation at the markets

After the markets we wandered down the main street to the beach. This would have to be one of the loveliest beaches in Australia. The sea sparkled in the sunshine and the water had cleared out to a beautiful aquamarine blue. Half of Far North Queensland's population appeared to be on the beach or in the water. Half of those were soaking up the sun and brewing up a recipe for future skin cancer. Oh well, live for today!

While we were on the beach we could see the Low Isles, only 7.5 nm NE of Port Douglas, and watched the tourist boats making their way out for day trips. We have decided to take advantage of this gorgeous weather and leave Port Douglas tomorrow and begin our trip further north with a night at the Low Isles. Following a stop over here we intend to visit the Hope Isles and then on to Cooktown to ready ourselves for the final leg north to Lizard Island.

The Bally Hooley steam train runs past our back door

New Territory Trinity Inlet & Yorkey's Knob 31st July - 6th August



Mourilyan Harbour to Trinity Inlet



Departing Mourilyan Harbour

After much discussion and trawling through the various weather sites three of the yachts anchored in Mourilyan Harbour during the adverse weather conditions decided to make a break for Fitzroy Island or Cairns. We thought Cape Grafton, about 7nm east of Cairns, might be the place to go. It was to be a long days sail in windy, showery conditions, but at least it would be quick. The three of us left early and stayed within sight of each other for most of the day. Spirit of Biscay (Sarah and Nigel) sailed out to sea. We picked the middle passage and the other yacht, a Bavaria 39, stayed in closer to the shore. By 3pm we were off Cape Grafton and as we rounded the cape and sailed into the bay we decided that Cairns would be a better option as it was obvious that there was little shelter to be found here today. Bullets of wind gusted across the bay turning the water a nasty brown colour awash with white caps.

Lily sits safely in the cockpit on the way to Cairns



After motoring into Cairns Harbour we made our way inland as far as the entrance to Smith's Creek where on the opposite shore we found enough space to anchor for the night. It was very quiet and the water calm and still after our vigorous day's sail. We expected strong currents through this anchorage as spring tides were now in place. Wow! During the night we suddenly heard a loud grinding, grumbling noise that woke us with a start. The water was racing past Rene's hull, rattling and gurgling as it went. After leaping out of bed and staring into the darkness, thinking we had tangled up with something, we decided that it was the anchor chain straightening out as we changed direction with the tide. Nothing seemed amiss, but that was the strongest current we have ever seen.

In the morning we motored further up Trinity Inlet to explore a bit before catching the tide out and making for Yorkey's Knob about 7nm north of Cairns. Trinity Inlet is huge and has many good anchorage sites. There are however, many derelict boats and hulls lying along the shores and in the mangroves, the result of cyclones and neglect I suppose. Smith's Creek is completely crowded with trawlers, customs, navy, yacht club facilities and pile moorings. Interesting for a look, but not much room for anchoring.

Yorkey's Knob

Our view from Rene

The manager at Half Moon Bay Marina allocated us berth 6 which is very close to the gate and the facilities just beyond. It is such a convenient place to be and at $240 per week we decided to make this our stopover for the week. The entry was straightforward although the depth showed 2.7m as we approached the marina wall. Our draft is 1.8m and I kept a good eye on the echo sounder. The tide was well out so most craft would not have problems getting in here. However the Bluewater Marina next door, in the canal development, had very little water at the entry so a high tide would be necessary to access this marina.

Sarah and Nigel arrived just ahead of us and after a long basking in the showers and fresh clothes we all met on the yacht club veranda for lunch. Sooooo Lovely!!!

A courtesy bus from the marina to the Smithfield Shopping Centre is available to marina residents on Monday, Wednesday and Friday departing at 12 noon and returning at 2pm. It is great for reprovisioning, but with 2 hours you can't muck around. We will take advantage of it on Friday to stock up before our trip to Port Douglas on Saturday - weather permitting.

Sunbuses make hourly trips to James Cook Uni or the Smithfield Shopping Centre and from there a change of bus takes you into Cairns or to the Northern Beaches. On Tuesday we went into Cairns for the morning and that was enough as we are not into the full on touristy thing. Having mastered the bus timetable we decided to take a trip to Palm Cove (Northern Beaches) on Wednesday. This is also very touristy, but the beach is beautiful as is the beach front walk and jetty. Behind the road is crowded with apartments, multi-story holiday accommodation, cafes and restaurants. We were impressed though as the huge old melaleuca's have been retained, in some cases within the buildings, and the gardens are beautiful.

Trees inside the buildings at Palm Cove

We are thoroughly enjoying Yorkey's Knob. The yacht club is popular and we have had to wait for a table to become available for an evening meal on the veranda. The beach is lovely, the suburban gardens jungly and interesting and there is a very nice coffee shop at the small shopping centre down the road.



Holloways Beach

 



We have now entered new sailing grounds for us. In the next few weeks we intend to sail as far as Lizard Island where we hope to stay for a while before making our way south back to Townsville.



Some beautiful flowering trees in Cairns city

 

How clever is this? I still don't know how I did it!!!!