Passage Report #9

Cairns to Cape York.

If yacht cruising is a reaction against some less attractive incentive, then being too long in Cairns is a good example. It's the quintessential tourist city. A place whose great tropical beauty attracts human nature like flies. The world's travelers "own" the city. Sahula was in the central Marlin Marina home to dozens of tour boats that each day swarmed, in sun or rain, to the offshore reef delights. It is not a place Sahula would chose to linger. However, the skipper met good friends, had repairs

done and awaited, patiently, Lorraine, the Melbourne crew.

Sahula was slipped at Norship shipyards for three days. The propeller skeg welds had cracked and required strengthening and then "Tanya" (the engine) required realignment and more as the propeller shaft rattled happily. One job leads to another. It was frustrating (not least because of regular tropical showers) as it was hoped that such troubles were no more. Of course, there are experts, but welcome though advice is, it invariably varies rather than confirms. Such are boats, Challenges abound and

not all pleasant.

The pleasant aspect can now commence, heading off to parts, for Sahula, are unexplored; the wild remote coasts of Cape York, Torres Strait, the Gulf and the Northern Territory.

Departure day loomed fine, sunny and no wind. Sahula motored to Double Island off Palm Beach north of Cairns. A lovely spot but in the Cairns airport flight path. Sahula was not yet free. Next day she motored initially then sailed in light winds to Port Douglas to visit friends. Fed and topped up, Sahula left, two nights later, in light winds for Lizard Island.

Initial frustrations at the light winds soon dissipated as the South East Trades gradually increased to 20 knots and above. They sustained their force throughout the night. Sahula romped towards the calm and calming Lizard Island anchorage. Frequent sail changes were required, Mollie, the MPS (spinnaker) to yankee poled out, to furled yankee, two reefs in the mainsail, as the wind changed from light to strong, SW to SE to more easterly. At times curling wind driven wave tops arched into the cockpit.

Iron mammoths being piloted through the Reef squeezed past in the channeled narrowness between reefs and guiding buoys. Sahula often seemed to look steeply up to the ships bridge.

As if these challenges weren't enough, in their midst, a large mackerel was caught with the silver spinner. Luring the fish is the easy part, hauling its reluctance in, ensuring no life giving slack, gaffing its thrashing form aboard, taking its life force in a bloodbath, filleting, all underway on a moving deck, is challenging. The reward is fish, fish and more fish for dinner, lunch and tea.

Steep, jungle clad, cloud topped peaks provided a superb backdrop... They were just as sighted by Captain Cook and his crew. These gentlemen gained our respect as we navigated between reefs that in their day where uncharted and ever threatening. Even the considerable distance from historic Endeavour Reef and their careening in Cooktown was reef strewn.

These thoughts were highlighted by Sahula passing at sunset, the historic replica of the 15th Century, square rigged, Dutch ship, "Duyfken" under full sail. This ship recalled the first recorded visit by Europeans to the Australian coast.

At night Sahula romped on into the inky, pitch black of a moonless starry sky. It made for cautious if not slightly fatalistic, tense sailing. Unseen reefs lurked on all sides. The radar highlighted the islands. Lorraine took half hourly GPS (satellite navigation) fixes and the course hitchhiked the iron mammoths from guiding beacon to beacon. It was not for the faint hearted. .

Sahula seemed driven to seek a calm anchorage. Too driven perhaps as she arrived pre-dusk and hove to till first light. It was a relieved, exhausted but happy crew that joined the cruising fleet anchored in Watson's Bay, Lizard Island.

It is a place of historical tragedy. In the mid 1800's, Mrs. Watson, her baby son and two Chinese servants were left at home alone on the Island by her husband, a bech de mere fisherman. Aboriginals objected to the intrusion. After one servant was killed Mrs. Watson, her baby son and the remaining servant launched a large iron bech de mer boiling pot and drifted to a nearby island (now called Watson Island) where thirst claimed them. The decaying walls of the Watson residence are the sole reminder.

Daybreak revealed an international fleet of 15 yachts. Most are enroute to Darwin to join the Indonesian Rally.

The day passed in sleep, food, rest and recuperation. The overnight coastal sailing had drained Sahula's crew. We planned on staying a day to climb Mt Cook and snorkel.

Next day dawned fine with strong 30 knot trade winds. We traced Captain Cook's ascent of his mountain namesake for fabulous views to the outer ribbon reefs and surrounding islands. A wonder view of mirror clear, azure blue seas, islands and reefs. After a snorkel on the reef a few meters from the boat, we joined our neighbours on the beach for a sunset get together. Conversation on their respective adventures peppered general discussion of boat technics. Politics and suburbia did not enter the reverie.

Does Rudd or Obana exist?

Sahula stayed three days in the delights of Lizard Is. Cook only saw lizard inhabitants, hence the name. He was inured after so long an exploration to the beauty of their habit.

On departure day, Sahula left with 10 white triangles all dotting the horizon on their trek north. It dawned a fine day with now standard, strong trade winds. The lone yankee headsail raced Sahula along the shipping route precariously slotted between the grasping reefs. It was fine sailing.

To starboard the World Heritage Great Barrier Reef, to port the wild vastness of Cape York. Mountains, plains, rivers and beaches only lightly touched. It is amazing in today's crowded world that there exists such a vast wildness. It has the mystique and deserves the reverence of a last frontier.

Soon, Sahula's first wildness anchorage loomed ahead. The high mountainous, midden like, black boulder piles of Cape Melville formed a perfect bay. Sahula was here with the fleet. She churned at the anchor under the wind gusts catapulting across the bay. We watched the sunset over sundowners and sought the warmth of Sahula's saloon. Tonight's dinner expended the last of the hapless mackerel.

A short fast sail to the Flinders Group, through the Owen Channel between these islands and the anchorage in Stokes Bay on Stanley Island. All was calm but for the trade wind bullets rattling the rigging.

Time to build the skipper's technical abilities. The GPS (satellite location) was successfully introduced to the computer's digital chart systems; "Captain Voyager" and "Tsunami." (Sahula has four like systems including C Map and Maxsea.) Capt. Voyager has the advantage of using digitalized naval charts. "This "major" skills advance (its relative) meant that navigation could now be also by digital chart adding the GPS info and position. "Stress" dropped further into the negative.

"Technical" also takes in culinary skills. Sahula's oven produced the first Cape York bread and a cake. Steve (catamaran skipper here) offloaded excess fillets of yellow tuna he caught enroute. Fresh fish again.

>From Flinders continental island, 12 hours away to Morris Islands, a sand, one palm tree, cay, and in between a sail beginning in calms, ending in 25 knot trade winds and the final anchorage in relative calmness. On this remote cay ( to humans only, birds abound), another sad end is evidenced by a lone unmarked grave under a sole coconut tree of a long past trepang diver. Sahula is here with five other yachts. She seems to have joined a fleet to Cape York and to Darwin.

When Sahula anchored next day at Portland Roads settlement, the Danish crew said they'd never sailed for so long in such trade winds. Their wind generator had collapsed from the stress. They and we, logged an averaged of 6.5 knots. Amazing sailing in the relatively calm inner reef seas. Sahula has the bit in her teeth.

Sadly, Portland Roads introduced expensive headland "shacks," giving some sense of the potential Cape York "Gold Coast". To cap it all a big white luxury motor yacht anchored nearby, home port "Southport." At the same time, solo sailor, adventurer, Steve on his Wharram (very basic) catamaran, "Cool Change", came in. A nice contrast. He dropped off another offering of yellow tuna caught today. We are growing "fat" on fresh fish dinners.

Amazing, here in Margaret Bay, Cape Grenville, is Kayitsiz III. We met Oskan and Yilmuz in Cairns. They left a week ahead of Sahula. So we departed the "fleet" for Turkish coffee. As well tonight Sahula hosts our friends and the crew off "Carronade for oysters and tuna. A nice touch to a great days sailing in light Trades while dodging iron mammoths hogging their shipping channel.

Another nice touch is we "risked" the Paluma Passage through the Home Islands. "Risked" is due to the Lucas guidebook highlighting its challenges. These were minor. Fishing sea birds crowded over the mackerel cutting into minnow schools. Sadly, again expensive "shacks" and an airport protruded from a bordering Hicks Island.

The "fleet" moved to nearby Shellburne Bay and drinks on "Carronade" and dinner on Kayitsiz III. "Carronade," presently owned by Neil and Anne, is a wooden Swanson 30 foot Carmen design. In the 70's, she was the first Australian yacht to round Cape Horn. An inspiration to Sahula.

A feature of this far northern seascape is the prevalence of copious wildlife. Dolphin swim alongside, sharks sun in the passing waters, mass flocks of wheeling, diving terns and seagulls. Conversation is only in passing on these graceful creatures. It is crocodiles that take pole position. These lizards dominate through fear. Tales abound of their leaping into dinghies, sweeping children off yacht decks, extracting errant swimmers. It is confirmation of the human willingness to create mythology

out of potential threats. "Potential" was confirmed by our sighting crocodile track above tide at Margaret Bay. No brave sailor wasted anytime when subsequently

, we boarded the dinghies.

Nevertheless, "mythology" reined when Sahula set off to fulfill the skipper's long held wish to climb and see Shellburne Bay's spectacular sand hills. Lorraine remained aboard while the skipper motored ashore to tempt the crocs. The effort was rewarded with views inland across the many high pure white, silica sand hills, perched swamps and the bay. A place well saved from sand mining by a strong conservation effort in the 1980's.

A fast sail next day had Sahula enjoying the release of her first completely calm (wind and water) anchorage since Port Douglas, deep in the Escape River estuary. Navigation here is challenged by the estuary being dotted with pearl farm racks. This was the last anchorage before Cape York.

Certain evidence that Cape York was nigh came overhead when "Coast watch's" red and white plane buzzed low overhead asking Sahula's details and later, similarly, the Customs Patrol vessel.

Tides can be a contrary concept. Sahula escaped the River calmness to strike for the fabled Cape York. Her course took her through the historic Albany Passage. Sahula expected to be flushed through by a 6 knot flood tide. It was not to be, the flood turned into an ebb. A passing trawler advised of the unpredictability of Cape tides. The Passage passed in slow motion. Anchorage was found in Shallow Bay just outside the Passage. The Cape would keep till tomorrow after a visit to Somerset Bay.

Somerset Bay is in the Albany Passage. It was there the Jardine family homestead attracted mail steamers enroute to Sydney from India and Britain. Homestead dinner parties for first class passengers were held with all the "...elegance and dignity.." of an English stately mansion (including tiaras!) (Toghill). Sahula found that only a few "domestic" trees, palms, graves and three amazing old cannons, provide an eerie reminder.

It was onto the Cape. Sahula triumphantly, almost touched it, passing into the anchorage via the narrow boiling tidal passage between the Cape and Eborac Island. Unexpectedly, the Cape was "Pitt Street." Helicopters flew low overhead, crowds of tourists tramped for the lifetime photograph. We did the same. The mystery is where they all came from to reach this seemingly remote place?

Sahula's adventure along the Australian East Coast was over. It has been a marvelous experience. The crew and the ship are more in synch with the task. The task has become more realistic. Sahula now turns west to continue to Darwin and eventually to the Red Sea and Europe.

Readers wishing to enjoy more technical information about sailing this coast should call up the "Sailing Notes - Cairns to Cape York" on this blog site.