Passion for Cruising

This morning saw us into Margaret Bay by lunch time after another brisk sail through the reefs from Forbes Island through "Uncharted - Many Coral Patches" according to the chart. However we had seen the cray boat leave in this direction so we plotted his course using radar. We then just sailed exactly the same course.
Our friends Paul and Marlene on "Thirsty Dog" are here so before we knew it our freezer was stuffed with crayfish tails and fillets and coral trout as well as fresh paw paw and limes from the neighbouring island.
Friday 6 June 2008
Scrubbed around waterline of hulls to check if we needed to careen on the beach as it is lovely hard sand here, but it was just lots of green algae for the first 6" especially on the starboard side which always gets the afternoon sun when we are at anchor.
We tried setting crab pots in the deep narrow creek which runs back through the mangroves behind the beach - but the crocs ripped the bait (on the 6" steel bait hook) out of the pot and dragged the pot into the mangroves - all in the 90 minutes we left it unattended! However I did manage to pick up a mud crab just sitting half buried in the sand on the beach ( which extends west as far as the eye can see) - delicious lunch for two.
There are three plane wrecks on the beaches here, American Cobra's that ran out of fuel during WW2.
Saturday 7 June 2008
We walked over to Indian Bay which is famous for beach-combing - hundreds of fishing floats, mooring buoys etc millions of thongs and plastic bottles. We picked up a size 4 wet suit (Nanette's size) in perfect condition printed with "Passions of Paradise" which is a sailing catamaran dive boat operating out of Cairns some 350 Nm SE from here! This seemed very appropriate to have aboard "Truest Passion" as was the lovely Nautilus shell found near the waters edge - and of course large coconuts galore - how to carry it all back through the bush across the peninsula to the boat.
Sunday 8 June 2008
We are sitting out a 30 knot blow which is expected to last a few days then we will head north to Cape York anchoring overnight at either Escape River or Mount Adolphus Island.
The problem is that we must go up Albany Passage in daylight hours on a flood tide as the tidal flow is 5 knots either direction - this limits the days we can transit this area as there are no anchorages within 20 miles.
All the usual chores - get the weather forecast on the radio then listen to the Shiela net. After bacon and eggs for breakfast wash dishes - laundry, make water, heat water - baked bread yesterday so that's OK - might get time for a game of scrabble - then it's sundowners with the crews of the other yachts. Another hard days work.
Monday 9 June 2008
Another 30kt day spent waiting for a break.