Passage Report No. 8

Townsville to Cairns

May 2008

It's been a marvelous ten days in Townsville, seeing friends, tying up all those realities that connect the land to the sailor. These "realities" include such things as ensuring the drivers licence is extended, arranging retiree's tax return exemption, ensuring management and return of the superannuation investment and that there are enough passport photos for numerous visa applications, having dental and medical checks, buying numerous national flags, to name a few. Saying goodbye to friends and
family is the hardest as it was in Sydney and Brisbane.

An earnest attempt has been made to reduce the To Do list. "The list" is the cruiser's bugbear. It never seems to shorten. As soon as it is compiled, work done, items spent, it illogically grows, seemingly inexhaustible. In the end, the cruiser realises it is an impossible task and enough is enough, it is time to go.

Now it is time to leave more mundane things need attention, tidying the mess, storing food, fuel and water, preparing space for the crew's imminent arrival. The saving grace is it all heralding the soon to be adventure. There is a tingle of excitement about the imminent voyage.

Yet it is excitement not about a global voyage but about sailing to Cairns. The wider voyage seems for now to be in some unreal realm, almost too much for the human psyche to accommodate. Perhaps a reason maybe the slow pace of life on the sea. It's a slow moving feast. There is adequate adventure in store in the two months before Sahula departs Darwin for Indonesia. However, a reminder of the future voyage was our meeting Ozkan of Izmir, a Turkish solo sailor, aboard 25 foot, Kayitsiz III on a circum-navigation
from Turkey. Sahula will be voyaging the same route to the Aegean via the Red Sea.

Sahula's crew, David, arrived from Canberra and is ensconced aboard. We sailed to West Point on Magnetic Island and across the Paddock to the Palm Islands and Juno Bay, Fantome Island. David was seasick and needs time out in a calm anchorage. Ginger tablets appear to be his salvation. We'd planned a day in Juno Bay, but the South Easterly made it uncomfortable so we sailed onto Dungeness to enter the placid, Hinchinbrook Channel. On the way we paused in Pioneer Bay, Orpheus Island, to assist Ozkan
to free his anchor trapped around a coral bommie. Perhaps the strongest bond is that between sailors in distress or in need of help.

Now we're anchored near Haycock Island in the Hinchinbrook Channel. We're had "Sundowners" aboard Sahula. She's one of the four yachts anchored here. We'll share the sandflies. It's now a beautiful starry evening. Three of these yachts are also bound for Cairns and Darwin for the Indonesian Yacht Rally commencing in July. A typical "yachties" conversation traversed topics as diverse as the European Union visa restrictions, marinas in Turkey, pirates, the Indonesian Rally and champagne flowed to celebrate
the birth of Mike and Roses first grandchild, born thirty minutes earlier in Brisbane. Older adventurers toast the new.

It's a spectacular view, the Hinchinbrook Island peaks to port, Mount Bishop and the coastal ranges, to starboard, memories flow. Climbs up Mt Bishop, a decade of conservation battles. This is memory country, next stop is Cardwell. Sahula anchors off Scraggy Point, which aptly describes her crew who have a freshwater swim before heading over to Cardwell. The anchorage of Cardwell is so shallow as to be unusable, so after much heartburn we enter the devils lair, Port Hinchinbrook Marina. Collar up,
hat down, we go ashore to meet Ken Parker and attend the conservation groups meeting and the inestimable, Margaret Thorsborne. I'm in memory overdrive.

On a magnificent day, Sahula heads north to Dunk Island. It a one day in a million weather so we set sail with the full Hinchinbrook spectacle rearing astern, next stop Dunk Island. There we climb the highest peak in record time and celebrate aboard with a well earned "sundowners" against a glorious sunset. Life is good.

David proves to be a competent cook perhaps to avoid the skippers lack thereof. The skipper swears to improve his skills. It is noticed however that the culinary competence is measured by the size of the subsequent cleanup. A maritime one pot cook has his advantages.

Weather forecasts always proclaim the legal nonsense that forecasts may be another 40% more. The entire voyage to Cairns is to prove that forecasts should be 40% less. Sahula wanders along, proclaiming it is the journey not the destination. Sails poled out or Bluey the MPS (spinnaker) set or both. It is a magnificent journey, sparkling flat seas, shade cool, warm days. Tropical sailing at its best, passing jungle drenched islands against a backdrop of spectacular mountains including Bellenden Ker
and Mt Bartle Frere, Queensland's highest. Tanya (engine), the temptress, remains silent, maintaining the reverie. We anchored for lunch off one of these islands (Dent).

We stopped over at Fitzroy Island before heading into Cairns. It is the end of another passage. It's a culture shock to again be in a marina busselling with tourist boats and a city swarming with tourists and backpackers. Sahula will be here a ten days. She's being slipped to have repairs to her propeller skeg. David, the crew is leaving. There are friends to see and a new crew, Lorraine, to be signed up before setting sail to Cape York and Darwin. The next four weeks has the added adventure of being
into unexplored territory for Sahula.

Best
David
Sv Sahula
May, 2008