We assumed that the wind would ease after a day or two in the Trinity Inlet and I suppose that it did a little after we saw almost 30 knots on Thursday (5th August). But looking at the weather forecasts to see if there would be another opportunity to go snorkeling on the local reefs soon was not encouraging. The southeasterly trade-winds were predicted to keep blowing around 15-20 knots for at least 10 days, with rain for much of that time. Hmmmm...

Still, we had plenty to do aboard Tregoning and various shopping goals around Cairns. Randall enjoyed a heart-healthy walk and I ran on Friday morning, hoping to get back into a more regular routine for aerobic exercise. We enjoyed music and snacks aboard Symphony II on Friday evening, and dinner at Anita and Mike's favorite Indian Restaurant on Saturday. It looked as though we would get into a merry little routine...until we heard the news on Sunday morning. From 4pm that day, Cairns would enter a snap 3-day full Covid lockdown.

This was due to a positive test to the delta variant from a symptomatic taxi-driver. Disturbingly, he had been in the community for 10 days after he had transported an infected shipping pilot who had caught the virus from the crew on a foreign ship. Since mask-wearing had been almost completely absent in Cairns, the prospect of this taxi driver infecting his many fares over 10 days was alarming. So, we entered the lockdown, fairly convinced that it would have to be extended beyond three days once other cases were detected. At the same time, a relatively manageable outbreak of the delta variant was being addressed in parts of southeast Queensland, around Brisbane, but an outbreak in Sydney had got out of control, leading to several deaths and weeks of lockdowns in progressively larger areas of New South Wales.

Thankful that we had already done a bit of grocery shopping for fresh produce, Randall and I settled down for three days of projects aboard Tregoning. No recreational boating was allowed during the lockdown, so I was quite relieved that it was windy and we did not feel that we were missing out on an opportunity to get out to the reefs. The wind also allowed us to generate plenty of electricity despite the clouds reducing the output from our solar panels. By Wednesday morning, after much contact-tracing and many thousands of Covid tests, there was no sign of further spread in Cairns, so the three-day lockdown ended that afternoon.

This seemed quite amazing. There is still the chance that late-developing cases may emerge, especially as there was a long lag time between the taxi driver being infected by the pilot, and becoming ill enough to get tested. Thus, masks and limitations on the size of gatherings are mandatory for the next 11 days. The situation in southeast Queensland has also improved and the vaccination program is being expanded, but the outbreak in New South Wales continues to grow. The QLD border is now firmly closed to NSW. Compared to the rest of the world, these short lockdowns and mask-wearing requirements are mild, but as we try to plan a little inland travel from Cairns, we have to keep an eye on the daily reports. Cairns has clearly been badly affected by the lack of overseas visitors and now by the confinement of many national travelers. Although the fleet of tour-boats for visiting the Reef is still present, they do not seem to go out very often (and not at all during the lockdown) and there are far more vacant store-fronts in the city center than we remember from last year.



The entrance to Marlin Marina (left) seen from our anchorage with the masts of several superyachts visible and MV Mischief at right (there was some confusion about this vessel and SV Mischief who arrived at the Marina just a day apart...)

During our local lockdown, Randall and I received news of a longer-term clipping of our wings...or at least Tregoning's.

In July, we applied for new "Covid" visas, to extend our stay in Australia and we are now on bridging visas. After we applied for our first "Covid" visas in December, we were on bridging visas for five months before we received the full visas that were valid until 31st July. Thus, while we do not yet know how long our next visas will last, we are not surprised to be on extended bridging visas. It is a slightly uncomfortable position of uncertainty, but, so far, the Australian Immigration Service seems to be generously accommodating of our position in these unusual pandemic circumstances.

The Control Permit for Tregoning is like a visa for our boat. If you plan to sell your boat in Australia, you must immediately pay an Importation Tax (5% of its value) plus GST (Goods and Services Tax of 10% of its value). Otherwise, you receive a one-year exemption in the form of a Control Permit. This can be extended two times for 12-months each time. Under normal circumstances, after three years, the boat would have to leave Australia for at least three years or you would have to pay the taxes to import it. If there are extenuating circumstances (e.g., the boat is inoperable or you are too ill to operate it), it is required that the boat be brought to one of the Ports of Entry and remain there until you are able to leave or pay the tax.

The third year of our Control Permit expires on 25th October. Given the extenuating circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, we had asked a few months ago what would happen after our permit expires. At that time, the response from the Border Force Office in Bundaberg (where we entered the country) was that there might be the possibility of short-term extensions until the circumstances changed. This sounded reasonable and encouraging. Other foreign cruisers, however, had been told that they would be confined to a Port of Entry. Thus, at the end of last week, with under three months until our permit expires, we asked for clarification. We explained that if we were to be confined, we would need to know soon, so that we could get out of the cyclone zone (south of Mooloolaba for our insurance) before 25th October.

On Monday, we received news from the Border Force Office that we will have to either: remain in a specified port after 25th October; pay taxes to import the boat; or have it exported. We would be able to travel but the boat could not move. If we had to change Port (e.g., for specific boat repairs or on our way to leave Australia), we would have to apply to Border Force for permission to move the boat. The Port of Brisbane is our closest option outside the cyclone zone and, looking at the official map for it, we were alarmed to find that it only included the Brisbane River and approaching shipping channels. The River did not seem like a tolerable place to be trapped for what may be six months or more. Thus, we started to consider the other options.

Sailing to Indonesia and beyond does not look tenable before the coming cyclone season (November) because their hospitals are currently overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients. Even though we are vaccinated, going to a country a struggling health system seems unsafe and selfish. If we leave Australia we will not be able to return until the international border opens (and we will not be eligible for a Control Permit so would have to import the boat), so going to a nearby country in the cyclone zone such as Fiji is not an option. New Zealand would be a good option but currently only allows boats that pledge to spend NZ$50,000 (typically superyachts). Putting Tregoning on a ship to the USA or, say, the Mediterranean, would cost at least US$20-30,000 and is unlikely to be something we can arrange very quickly. Depending upon how low an evaluation we could get on Tregoning, it would cost around A$10-12,000 to import her. All in all, we felt thoroughly depressed as we considered our options, all of which looked expensive or unpleasant.



Rain clouds hang low over the Yarrabah Mountains as seen from Tregoning's anchorage at dawn

In the meantime, Randall had asked for clarification of the area covered by the Port of Brisbane. The following day, we were much relieved to learn that for these situations the Border Force considers the Port of Brisbane to include all of Moreton Bay and the waterways connecting it to Southport. This would include all the marinas, boatyards, and anchoring areas that we had used during the summer. That was much more palatable and was what we had been anticipating if the permits were not simply extended.

Although, we briefly considered whether Sydney would be a more interesting place, it would be much more expensive if we wanted to leave Tregoning in a marina while we did land-travel (or if we unexpectedly had to leave the country). Also with the current Covid outbreak in NSW potentially lasting into September or October, we are inclined to stay in Queensland.

Thus, after we had received this clarification on Tuesday, we felt much more cheerful than we had on Monday. However, assuming that we do not change our minds and decide to import the boat, there are two disappointing aspects of this reality. One is that once we return to Moreton Bay, we will not be able to snorkel again on the Great Barrier Reef from Tregoning. When we are finally able to sail away from Australia, our departure will be tracked by Border Force as we apply for permission to sail from Port to Port before finally leaving the country. Stopping to snorkel is probably not something that they would consider vital to maintaining the boat's well-being. To keep me happy, we may have to become very familiar with the Tangalooma Wrecks in Moreton Bay, or travel by other modes of transportation to other reefs around the continent.

The other rather sad feature of this situation is that we will have to return to Moreton Bay by 25th October, a month earlier than we had hoped. This means that we will almost immediately have to start looking for suitable weather-windows to head south, when the southeasterly trade-winds are not blowing. Usually, consistent northerly winds do not develop until October but we cannot assume that would happen in adequate time. Sailing or motoring into headwinds and waves is not much fun, so we must leave Cairns soon and move when we can, leaving our sailing companions behind to enjoy a more leisurely exploration of the local reefs and to return southward later in the year.

With all this in mind, we are planning to move Tregoning into the Marlin Marina on Sunday, and several of us will rent cars and head inland for a few days of sightseeing. Stiff southeasterly winds are forecast for at least another week, so we might as well see if the recent rains have filled the local waterfalls!