We made the short 8 nm sail from Port Douglas to Low Is. This is a popular destination for the Pt Douglas tourist boats so it was busy during the day but as the sun went down there were only a few boats keeping us company there. The next morning we up anchored and headed north, but the wind was light so we had to motor till about noon when the breeze freshened enough to hoist the sails. Once sailing in the 15knot breeze we made good speed and continued past Cooktown into an anchorage tucked around Cape Bedford. It was a very open anchorage and we had to anchor about a mile offshore to get sufficient depth, so it felt very exposed and windy, but we did get shelter from the waves generated by the SE trade wind. We departed Cape Bedford and had a brisk sail the 35nm to Lizard Is arriving there at 13:00. Lizard Is has a high granite peak 358 meters high that is called Cooks lookout. It is where Cpt James Cook climbed in 1770 to see if there was a break in the Great Barrier Reef for them to escape through. They were anxious times for the famous explorer trying to navigate through the maze of uncharted reefs and islands, particularly as his ship the Endeavour had been badly damaged after hitting a nearby reef. We are anxious enough navigating through these waters and we have the benefits of accurate charts and modern navigation equipment. Lizard Is has an airstrip and a very exclusive resort (apparently over $2000 a room/night). We have met up with a few other cruising yachts also sailing to Darwin and then on to Indonesia and hope to keep company with some of them around to Darwin.

Cheers Bernie & Di