AHOY! Sailing Australia & The South Pacific - November 2022

When the forecast suggests that we may experience a storm at sea or whilst at anchor, we prepare for the worst and then hope for the best but as we learned back in 2017, you also need to be well prepared if your vessel happens to be in a marina at the time...

It was during the Down Under Rally Welcome Week back in 2017 when the participants of the Go West Rally were gathered at the Lighthouse Hotel, Burnett Heads, attending the first of the East Coast Cruising Seminars that are part of the rally Welcome Week Events a warning was issued for a "rapidly developing severe thunderstorm" to effect the Bundaberg & South Burnett Area in the next hour.

After viewing the forecast, it was agreed that we would end the seminar and immediately return to the marina before the storm hit.

Despite the marina being only a five-minute drive from the hotel, it would be about 30 minutes before we were all aboard the courtesy buses supplied by the hotel & marina and on our way back to our boats that were berthed in the Bundaberg Port Marina. It was during the ride to the marina that we were confronted by one of the most ominous cloud formations I have ever seen.

Image Credit @Down Under Rally 2017

Within minutes of arriving at the marina, the temperature plummeted, the thunder & lightning began, and the first drops of rain began to fall as the cloud bank continued its rapid approach.

By the time we had made it to our boats, the wind had arrived, and the storm began to unleash its fury. I turned on the VHF radio and set the volume too high and the frequency to VHF 16, just in case someone got in trouble and called for assistance.

Our catamaran Songlines was berthed close to the end of the marina, one berth in from the t-head. When we arrived, we had reversed her into the berth, which meant she was positioned with her stern to the direction the storm was now coming from. Subsequently, the wind was blowing into the cockpit from behind, causing our cockpit clears to be blown outwards. I tried in vain to hold onto them, but one by one, the toggle twist clips that were screwed into the fibreglass pulled out, and the clears began violently flapping around. The zippers had also now been damaged, making it impossible to remove them at the time. The rain was being driven by the wind and falling almost horizontally, visibility was next to nothing and the large raindrops stung as they hit my face and other exposed skin areas. I decided to retreat inside the boat, and as I did, I glanced at the anemometer and saw it was recording 58kts (it would peak at just over 70kts). Just then, the VHF came to life...

The two catamarans, Felix & Wind Of Change, who were berthed on the t-head one finger upstream from us, were in trouble. Felix had broken the aft mooring line, and her stern was now being blown away from the dock as the remaining lines struggled to hold. Wind Of Change was downwind of Felix, and the skipper of Wind Of Change was on the VHF to advise of the situation and that he had made the call to leave the berth. To do this, he had to cut the mooring lines before escaping the marina to weather the storm in the river. His actions allowed Felix to now do the same as there was no way she was going to be able to be resecured to the marina in the conditions, and with added strain on the remaining lines they were not expected to hold as the fetch in the river was now significant, and the waves were now tossing her around.

Unfortunately, as Felix was leaving the dock, she heavily impacted the corner of the marina before making her way out into the river where she anchored. I managed to raise the crew of the Felix on the radio, who advised that she was taking on water fast. The impact with the marina had holed her below the waterline. The hole in her hull was difficult to reach, and the amount of water coming in was so great that her bilge pumps could not keep up. She was sinking fast. A PAN PAN was issued, and her tender deployed before the efforts to stem the flow of water continued, but they were in vain. Ben & Helen ultimately had to abandon the ship by boarding their tender.

As the storm raged, staff from Bundaberg Port Marina had gone to the aid of Felix in the marina workboat. The goal was to tow the Felix to the shore before she sank completely, but first, her anchor had to be retrieved, which was no easy task given that the anchor winch was not operational due to the water damage to the electrical systems.

Under Rally 2017

The storm had now begun to abate. More tenders were launched by boats in the marina to assist, her anchor was retrieved, and the Felix could now be slowly towed to shore as night fell. The task of retrieving some personal items from her would begin the next day.

It should be said that Felix was home to her owners, who had spent the months prior to the incident sailing from New Zealand to Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu & New Caledonia before coming to Australia, where they had planned to spend time cruising the east coast. In the hours immediately after the incident, they had nothing but the clothes on their backs; everything else was aboard the now waterlogged Felix. Ben and Helen, owners of the Felix, later provided a summary of the events that followed:

"It all happened so quickly. It is hard to believe that a broken mooring line would see us lose our boat after all the ocean miles we had done."

"Thanks to the efforts of Bundaberg Port Marina staff, fellow Go West Rally participants and two men on a tender from Lady Musgrave Experience, Felix was towed to a little beach while 90% submerged. Efforts by countless kind and supportive people over the ensuing 24 hours meant that she was secured on the beach; a temporary repair was made, and much of the water was pumped out. She was later re-floated and towed up the river to Bundaberg Slipway.

At the time of the incident, we were provided dry and warm clothes, cups of tea, places to eat and sleep, and lots of emotional support by fellow cruisers and people from the local community, many of whom did not know us personally. This immediate support meant a great deal to us.

In the aftermath, we continued to receive the most exceptional care, support and help from fellow international cruisers, local boaties, the Bundaberg Port Marina, Burnett Heads communities, and the Down Under Rally organisers In particular, a number of the Bundaberg based Down Under Rally partner businesses, including Bundaberg Port Marina, and Baltimore Restaurant, demonstrated the true partnership that exists with the Down Under Rally and the rally participants with the very tangible support they provided. For example, the Lighthouse Hotel/Motel provided a week of free accommodation We were given pamper vouchers from a local business, and Baltimore's told us to pop in for a coffee or food anytime. We also received support from other Burnett Heads businesses, including Boast Hair and Beauty, Seashore Nails, Deeper Essentials, Hendo's Sand and Gravel, Gladstone Ports Corporation and Port Sail and Canvas

Down Under Rally Members Prize

PREPARING FOR DENTAL EMERGENCIES AT SEA

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PREPARING

MAKE PREVENTION A PRIORITY

A major cause of dental emergencies at sea stems from the fact that most people fail to receive proper dental care before setting off. In fact, most dental problems could be avoided by a pre-trip checkup with your dentist.

Divers can avoid jaw pain by not biting down on the mouth piece with force during the dive. Putting excessive force on your teeth and jaw for an extended period will cause pain, and the only way to prevent it is to loosen up.

PACK AN EMERGENCY DENTAL FIRST AID KIT

Even after taking the proper precautions by visiting your dentist pre-departure, you may still experience a dental emergency on board.

All yachties should have an easily-accessible first aid kit but should also include a dental emergency kit.

Remember to carry your dentist’s contact information in case you need advice or a referral.

PRACTICE GOOD ORAL HYGIENE WHILE ON BOARD

Just because you’re sailing or cruising doesn’t mean you get a break from your oral hygiene routine.

To avoid potential problems, be sure to: Brush and floss regularly to reduce your risk for gum disease and decay while at sea.

WATCH YOUR DIET

Cavities don’t form from bacteria eating your teeth; they form from bacteria eating the food you eat and producing lactic acid as a byproduct of their metabolism.

Stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Limiting sugar in your diet. Staying away from excessively hard and crunchy foods—like popcorn, nuts, ice, and hard candy.

DON’T USE YOUR TEETH AS TOOLS!

LEARN BASIC FIRST AID FOR COMMON DENTAL EMERGENCIES

From a throbbing toothache or lost filling or crown to a chipped tooth or an accident that knocks

tooth out, learn how to handle the most common dental dilemmas

may encounter at sea:

Toothache, broken or cracked tooth, knocked out tooth, tooth abscess, lost crown, bit tongue or

Learn the basics and know when to seek prompt and professional

care by taking a marine first aid course with Heart Training

CREATE A PLAN FOR DENTAL EMERGENCY SITUATIONS

When do it yourself measures aren’t

don’t feel

A

Australian owned

Class

At

Hardly The Hard Life!

Assomeonewhohascalledaboathomeformany years,theprospectoftheannualhauloutandliving aboardduringtheprocesswasneversomethingthatI lookedforwardto. TheteamatTheBoatWorksunderstoodthechallenges oflivinginwhatcanoftenfeellikeaworkshopratherthan ahomeanddecidedtodosomethingaboutmakingthe experiencealittlelessuncomfortableand,dareIsay, evenenjoyablebyaddingadedicated5,000-squaremetresofadditionalhardstand,especiallyforthe liveaboardcruisingcommunity.

Welcome to 'Cruisers HQ! '

“It’s the ideal ‘Cruising

who can meet others from around the region and the world, take advantage of the fresh produce growing on-site, bathrooms, laundry, recycled water plus access to the Super Chandlery and access to all the trades and resources in the Marine Precinct,” Shane Subichin GM

SAILING TO AUSTRALIA INFO SESSION WELL ATTENDED

In October, the owners of 28 vessels from 14 different countries joined The Down Under Rally for our Sailing To Australia Information Session in Noumea, New Caledonia.

During the 2 hour session, we shared a ton of information about Sailing To & Cruising the East Coast of Australia & Tasmania.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a few drinks together thanks to the event sponsor Scarborough Marina Queensland Australia and received plenty of positive feedback from those who attended, saying how much they enjoyed the presentation and appreciated the opportunity to learn about Australia as a sailing destination.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone when they arrive at Bundaberg Port Marina and join the other Go West Rally Particpants for our Welcome Week from the 9th - 15th of November

SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND CRUISING YACHT HAVEN

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are only 40mins away, with Public

home to families and

Cafes, Clubs &

&

who form part

plus

markets,

when

9

RUISING THE CASSOWARY, CAIRNS & COOKTOWN OASTS

ThisisPart9oftheAhoymagazineseriesofarticles based on information contained in Cruising the Queensland Coast, the eBook by Greg Luck. In Part 8, we cruised the Bowen and Townsville coasts. In this part, we cruise the Cairns and Cooktown Coasts. In this part, we finish our journey to Lizard Island, passing through the Cassowary, Cairns and Cooktown coasts.

On the Cassowary and Cooktown coasts, fuel and facilities are harder to come by. Fuel can be supplied by truck at the new Clump Point public pontoon and in Cooktown, the Cooks Landing Kiosk and Marina, a 70m long pontoon on the Endeavour River.

Cairns and Port Douglas have three full marinas with fuel: the Cairns Marlin Marina, the Half Moon Bay Marina at Yorkey's Knob and the Crystalbrook Super Yacht Marina at Port Douglas.

In the last several years, many public moorings have been installed at reefs along these coasts, which are detailed in the book, and more are planned. There are well placed coastal anchorages providing protection from the trade winds. See the maps below for the ones in the book.

The reef gets closer to shore as you go north, so these coasts are about the rainforest meeting the reef

ClimateandWeather

Like much of north Queensland, these coasts have hot, humid and wet summers, while avoiding the extreme heat of the inland and warm, dry winters - a wet season and a dry season. November to May is cyclone season.

The dry season from May to October is the best time of the year to cruise. The charts for Cairns are shown to the right.

The key wind issue along this coast is the extremely consistent trade wind. In the dry season, there is only south to southeast. The wind roses for Cairns are shown to the left. The Cooktown coast is even more so with almost 100% southeast winds.

So if you venture up north of Cairns plan to wait for the November northerlies, or pound your way back, ensuring you are carrying enough fuel to do so, and refuelling in Cooktown

The other thing is that the trade winds are strong, averaging around 20 knots. Many cruisers wait these out at Lizard Island for extended periods of weeks to months.

OASTS

Passages

Cruising the Queensland Coast includes passage plans for each coast.

The key decision for the Cassowary Coast is whether to go around Hinchinbrook Island or cruise up the Hinchinbrook Channel There are good trade wind anchorages in the channel and at Cape Richard if going around the outside. From there it is island hopping with comfortable day passages all the way to Cairns.

From Cairns, there are many close-in reefs and cays, and the iconic Low Islets, a bucket list destination. The passages for the Cooktown Coast. Here you can expect strong trade winds. The usual route is to hop from one protected anchorage to the next along the coast. These are all short hops, with the longest being Low Islets to Hope Island at 43nm.

1 Low Islets to Hope Islands

2 Hope Islands to Cooktown

Runs parallel, to the west of the shipping channel and crosses it west of Hope Islands, then runs up the channel between East and West Hope Island. Keep a watch on shipping. Watch out for rocks and bommies near to the island.

Leaving East Hope Island to the north, passes between Ottaway Patch and Stonor Patch. Crosses the shipping channel west of Bee Reef then runs up the coast passing to the east of Rocky Island, Draper Patch and Blackbird Patches.

3 Cooktown to Cape Bedford

Straight shot to Cape Bedford staying outside the shipping channel. Passes around the headland just to the east of Petty Patch.

Caution: See the Cape Bedford anchorage for details on two wrecks close to the anchorage.

4 Cape Bedford to Cape Flattery

Passes to the east of Conical Rock and west of Low Wooded Island then around Cape Flattery keeping east and north of the shoals that extend from the cape.

Caution: See the Cape Bedford anchorage for details on two wrecks close to the anchorage.

Caution: See the Cape Flattery anchorage for details on a dangerous wreck close to and on approach to the anchorage.

5 Cape Flattery to Lizard Island

Passes west of the shoal extending out from the cape then passes across a shipping channel. Passes to the east of Linnet and Martin reefs, then crosses another shipping channel before running to the east of the channel and approaching Lizard island on its western shore. Passes west of Palfrey Island and Prince Charles(Osprey) Island.

Caution: Bommies extend out to the northeast of Palfrey Island northeast and south of Prince Charles Island.

6 Lizard Island to Cod Hole Passes north of the fringing reef extending from North Point on Lizard Island, then between Petricola Shoal and MacGillivray Reef, then south around Unnamed Reef into Cormorant Pass, north of Ribbon No 10 Reef.

Warning. These are illustrative routes only. Not to be used for navigation. Click ⎈ for a GPX file to import the route as a starting point for your route planning, or ⎈ for a Navionics boating link

Highlights

I was fortunate enough to work for Australian Resorts, a Qantas subsidiary that ran Queensland resort islands back in the 1980s. I visited Lizard and Dunk and Bedarra Islands many times. On Dunk, the husband of our front office manager ran a sailing charter yacht there, which must have planted a seed in my mind to act on decades later.

Here are some highlights from these coasts.

ZoeBay,HinchinbrookIsland

Zoe Bay provides access to Zoe Falls, considered by many, myself included, as a highlight on the east coast of Australia. The walk follows the creek 900m up to the lower swimming pool. There are more pools and a great view from the top of the falls.

Hinchinbrook Island is a stunning mountainous island coming out of the sea. It reminds me of the island in the King King movies. You can also do a five-day walk from north to south across the island taking in Zoe Falls. I have done that. Sailing into Zoe Bay is a lot easier!

This anchorage is fully exposed to easterly winds which are common, so you might need to wait for the opportunity from nearby Orpheus Island. Waves and swell are also easterly. So this is a rolly anchorage

VlassoffCay

Vlassoff Cay is a small Cay 17nm northeast of Cairns. It is part of the Michaelmas and Upolu Cays National Park. This is a great snorkelling location, with lots of bommies. You should approach in daylight in good conditions

There are three mooring buoys for yachts over 10m plus one with a 10m limit, not shown.

This is a popular day trip for tourists out of Cairns, and a popular first stop for cruisers heading north out of Cairns in good weather and is usually very busy.

Vlassoff Cay, with moorings shown

OASTS

Port Douglas is a compact, resort town with many restaurants, bars, groceries and car hire all within 500m walking distance of the Crystalbrook Super Yacht Marina. After some serious reef exploring, it is nice to come in for a few days and get pampered.

The marina is host to yachts competing in the annual Port Douglas Race Week, held in May each year, and run by the Port Douglas Yacht Club. The club, located on the south side of the harbour, operates the Yachty, a restaurant and bar, 650m walk around the harbour.

While you are there, it is a good idea to refuel. Diesel is available at the marina and unleaded fuel from Maranos Fuel Dock, 500m further up the inlet.

LizardIsland

Lizard Island is the ultimate, iconic destination on the North Queensland coast. It is as far north as most cruisers go.

The island has a luxury resort in the western part of Watsons Bay and a Lizard Island Research Station(LIRS) run by the Australian Museum at Research Point, on the west side of the island. If you would like to use the resort arriving by yacht, you are welcome, but you must be an in house guest during your stay. LIRS occasionally gives tours. Contact them on VHF16 to find out when the next tour is scheduled.

Watsons Bay provides good protection from the prevailing southeasterlies. The two public moorings are Class A, limited to 10m vessels.

Port Douglas, Queensland

The 50m anchoring restriction around public moorings in the Cairns Planning Area does not apply in this location.

Anchorage is restricted in the areas designated by the reef protection markers but also within Lizard Island Locality 1, the area encompassed by the dashed blue line in the chartlet.

You can anchor between these two areas, taking care to avoid damaging the reef by anchoring on patches of sand.

While visiting Lizard Island, head out for a day trip to the famous Cod Hole, climb Cooks Look, where Captain Cook spied an escape from the reef, or snorkel the Blue Lagoon on the southwest side of the island.

Calm Waters in Anchorage 1, Pearl BayTheReefs&Cays

While on these coasts there are many reefs and cays to visit Close to Cairns and near Vlasoff Cay mentioned above you also have Upolu Cay, Michaelmas Cay and Green Island. These are easy to get out to and back on a day trip. All of these moorings have a 4 hour time limit during the day, or if you arrive after 3 pm, you can stay overnight.

First Place

On the Cooktown coast, you have the Ribbon Reefs, with moorings on No 3 and No 5 reefs and, most well known of all, the Cod Hole on the northern end of No 10, known for giant Potato Cod. Mooring buoys make life easier and reduce reef damage.

One experience to seek out up here is to snorkel or dive with some of the large, gentle fish. Here is Maria diving with a Maori Wrasse.

My wife Maria, with a Maori Wrasse off Cairns

EAST

Once the above events have concluded, participants will begin their time Cruising New Caledonia.

2023 GO EAST UPDATE

Participants in the NC2V Rally will rendezvous in Lifou 80 days after the date they arrive in New Caledonia. For example: Arrive in New Caledonia May 16th - Depart Lifou for Vanuatu 8th August. Further details about the NC2V Rally will be made available in February 2023.

GO EAST UPDATE

If you are interested in joining us and you have not yet submitted an expression of interest, you should do so now via the following page of the Down Under Rally website as participant numbers will be limited. downunderrally.com/register interest goeast

Warm Welcome To Indonesia

My partner Andrew and I had been planning to sail out of our home port of Fremantle, Western Australia, to Indonesia three years ago, but then COVID happened.

After having our plans quashed a couple of times due to travel restrictions, this year we finally began to fulfil our dreams and, in March, sailed out of Fremantle, up the vast WA coast to the Kimberley, where we spent ten amazing weeks, and then on to Darwin.

Upon arrival in Darwin, we discovered the Darwin Sailing Club was running the Darwin to Saumlaki (Tanimbar Islands) Rally, leaving at about the same time as we had been hoping to sail to Indonesia

We decided this was a great opportunity to join in and enjoy the benefits of sailing with others to make the 300nm crossing

Thefewweeksleading uptoourdeparture werebusy.Andrewwas,asalways,meticulous inhisplanning toensurethatourbeautiful Jeanneau SunOdyssey 49,Infinity Australis, wasready andthatall repairsand maintenancewereontrack. HehadarrangedforInfinity tobeliftedout foraninsurancesurvey forournewinsurer. Wehadanewchartplotterinstalledand minorrepairstothesailsandourcockpit shade.

There was also a multitude of paperwork to complete, including our vessel declaration, visa applications, Australian Border Force export procedures, COVID vaccination certificates and ensuring that the Darwin Sailing Club had our details for the rally.

After completing the boat maintenance and paperwork, and a quick trip back to both the east and west coasts of Australia to say our goodbyes to family and friends, we embarked on the final provisioning tasks before departure. Infinity was already well stocked with long-range dry food, but we topped up with many items we are unlikely to be able to get in Indonesia – a range of different cheeses, favourite breakfast cereals, bread mix and beer and wine.

A few days before we were due to leave, ABC TV Darwin contacted us for an interview.

Andrew and I, our sailing mates Andy and Tess from another Fremantle boat, Sandgroper and representatives from the Darwin Sailing Club told the rally story, which aired on the NT news and nationally.

The journalist was very interested in the fact that Andrew and I are planning to elope on a beach at Raja Ampat after the rally!

FINALLY UNDERWAY

On Saturday, September 24, we finally escaped the Cullen Bay Marina into Fannie Bay, outside the Darwin Sailing Club, waiting for the start gun to fire for the Darwin to Saumlaki Rally!

All 15 boats circled around the start boat, and under a clear blue sky, with very little wind and main sails up, we mostly motored out of Darwin Harbour.

THE PASSAGE

The first 24 hours were almost all motoring, but as we approached the Tiwi Islands and the NT’s most northerly point – Cape Don, the wind picked up, and we were thrilled to turn the engine off and cruise along at between eight and nine knots for a few hours!

Andrew and I shared three-hour night watches, and it was an uneventful night, with calm seas and mostly motor sailing. Fortunately, it cooled off a little during the evening, and we were able to enjoy a bit of sleep.

WE MADE IT!

We arrived safely at Saumlaki late Monday morning, just 48 hours after departing from Darwin, coming in 3rd out of the 15 boats in the rally!

Clearing in with the relevant authorities was incredibly easy and efficient, with all agencies’ boarding our boat together, smiling and polite and completed within an hour.

We were very grateful to the Darwin Sailing Club darwinsailingclub.com.au for pre-arranging this before our arrival.

It was great to meet the crew from other boats, and the reception we received from the locals in Saumlaki was amazing. We were made to feel very welcome when we visited several villages and were regarded as somewhat of a novelty by many, most of whom wanted to have photos taken with us The special village visits and reception arranged by Darwin Sailing Club, the City of Saumlaki and its tourism officials were fantastic with local dancers, musicians and talented wood carvers. We had an incredible time and felt very welcomed by the Indonesian people.

As we depart Saumlaki to explore the Tanimbar Islands and beyond, Andrew and I are already feeling incredibly fortunate to be living this amazing sailing life and excited about what new adventures are ahead.You can continue to follow our adventures on Instagram at #chasing._.horizons

The great thing about cruising is that something memorable usually happens."

CRUISING THE KIMBERLEY

After exploring the 3 creeks and swimming holes at Freshwater Bay, we set sail, rounding Cape Bougainville and making our way to Parry Harbour. With the typical very light winds, it is an easy sail, but with still many miles to go before any refuelling opportunity, we continue to limit our engine use even though pushing into a 1 knot head current. We still had hundreds of miles to go until Broome, where we planned to refuel Therefore conservation of our fuel was imperative, especially with so many places to explore, many still up rivers where sailing was not possible.

As we neared Hat Point, we find the wind on our nose and a current pushing against us, and after repeated tacks and only making a little distance, it was the engine on as the charts showed possible strong currents of up to 3 knots that flow around Hat Point. In our catamaran, we find that we comfortably motor with one engine at 5.5 to 6.5 knots, and the second engine only really gives us an additional 1 knot, but we are burning twice as much fuel. Unless we are really needing to make speed, we use a single motor and in the Kimberley, where fuel conservation is very important, this greatly improves our motoring range.

We round Hat Point to begin heading south into Parry Harbour and begin to notice small whirlpools going past No Regrets and can see white water ahead of us. At the tip of Hat Point, the currents converge, producing turbulent waters and strong currents. We soon found ourselves in 2 knots of head current and large whirlpools spinning around us. As we push through, No Regrets is being lunged sideways while the autopilot tried to maintain our course. The whirlpools going past were incredible to see, spinning around with a very noticeable centre sucking down into the depths, visibly drawing the froth and bubbles.

"As we push through, No Regrets is being lunged sideways while the autopilot tried to maintain our course"

Some of these whirlpools had downward centre draws of 30 to 40 centimetres. It was like pulling the plug on a huge bath and the water being sucked down the drain. As we continued, the current increased to about 5kts slowing our speed over the ground to around 1 knot.

This turbulent stretch ran for approximately half a nautical mile with the very strong current in short bursts, so whilst our progress was slow, we only had to get through and into the beginning of Parry Harbour for the waters to settle rapidly. It was an incredible sight to see and caused by the increasing tidal ranges found as you head further west and deeper into the Kimberley.

"The current increased to about 5kts slowing our speed over the ground to around 1 knot."

Once safely into Parry Harbour, we approached our selected anchorage for the night on the western side of the Parry Harbour arm, behind the peninsula, which would give us complete protection from the westerly winds

On our way into the anchorage, we noticed a white sandy beach we were keen to explore. Once the anchor was safely down and bedded into the muddy bottom, we dropped the tender and trolled a lure unsuccessfully as we motored towards what was a lovely beach Isolated, pure white sand with the Kimberley red sandstone rock and the peninsula hills behind it, it was a truly iconic Aussie landscape.

As we approached in the tender, we were reminded just how iconic the landscape was when we spotted what appeared to be a crocodile sunning itself on the beach. When the two-and-a-half to three-metre reptile saw us land and start walking its way, it decided to retreat to the safety of the sea and dashed into the cloudy water, thankfully leaving us the explore the beach alone but alert.

Waking the following morning ready to leave Parry Harbour and make our way into the Admiralty Gulf towards the Osborne Islands, we found ourselves in a thick fog with heavy humidity that thankfully cleared rapidly, leaving us with yet another beautiful sunny day

There are a significant number of pearl farms located around the Osborne Islands and you must keep clear. Thankfully, they are very well maintained and there are yellow boundary markers that show up very well on the radar, with them also very closely positioned to the Navionics charts. These pearl farms do, however, take up a significant portion of the waterway, and you skirt around the edges of them.

We considered anchoring in Cyclone Cove as it is very well protected and used as a refuge by the pearl operations during cyclone season for their vessels. Entry to the cove is quite deep however, this shallows rapidly, and we soon found ourselves with insufficient water to allow for the low tide and we would be very close to touching bottom, even with a shallow draft of only 1.16 metres.

Heading on, we dropped anchor out front of Careening or also known as Crystal Beach, to have a look at the crystals found at this location. Taking our tender into shore on a near full tide, there was no shallow beach visible, only a small gap between the mangroves.

Our Kimberley Coast Cruising Guide informed us that the crystals were behind these trees. However, Joanne was not willing to drive between them to the shore that was visible behind for fear of trapping a crocodile and subsequently forcing it to come towards us to get away. No amount of convincing was going to change her mind, so still wanting to see the crystals, we checked out the rocky headlands on either side of the bay. Finding a very challenging path, we anchored our tender and quickly made our way over the large boulders, through the vegetation, complete with defending green ants biting us, to find the crystals.

After some searching, we found the crystals, and It was interesting to see how they had formed on the rocks.

I did point out that there was no crocodile on the nearby beach, and our difficult path had been unnecessary, but the flipside was there may have been one and it had quietly slipped away before our arrival.

Returning to the tender no more than 30 minutes later, it was found high and dry, perched precariously on the rocks, which demonstrated just how significant the tides were becoming and the associated challenges we would face ahead.

Ready to move on & continue to explore our new surroundings we moved into the bay opposite Cliffy Point on Middle Osborne Island, behind the rocky outcrop which offered to get great protection.

Soon after dropping the anchor, a large lemon shark came to visit, patrolling around our boats. These sharks are very friendly, and feeding them is not encouraged. It was like your pet dog sitting alongside you, waiting for some sort of tiny scrap to be supplied. This graceful creature was lovely to witness at such close proximity and are regularly found in many anchorages throughout the Kimberly.

Sharing A Passion

Five years into cruising life, I had a new curiosity, a yearning to know more which, in turn, led me on another voyage to broaden my understanding of what I brought along for the ride, Yoga.

I then returned to the pacific island of Fiji with my newly acquired knowledge. There is a quote from that time that resonates with me to this day and one I have shared countless times over the years.

“Yoga is more about touching your heart than touching your toes.”

Blissology

When I returned from my voyage of learning, I had no intention of teaching yoga, but I was asked to share a practice with some of those in our community. This was a great opportunity for me to add to the sharing pool in the cruising community, with many who joined me acknowledging the benefits of flexibility, strength and clarity of mind, all of which are so very relevant & important to the cruising lifestyle.

During this time, I witnessed spouses encouraging each other to join, children with grandparents, business owners, surfers and resort guests experience Yoga for the first time.

across the

Sharing A Passion

subject. There you will find some how-to videos and a list of items to have in your sail repair kit. Remember, repairs don`t have to be pretty. They have to do the job in the short term until you can get the sail to your sailmaker.

BEFORE

SET

GET YOUR SAILS INSPECTED & MEASURED.

Sometimes the sail has passed its used-by date, or the damage is too severe to repair and will need to be replaced. It is better to know this before you go, so you should get your sailmaker to inspect all your sails.

If you do find yourself in one of those idyllic cruising locations with no sail loft of repute around, and your most important sail is beyond repair, it's best to have a loft (preferably us, of course) who has your sail measurements on file back in Australia – and all the information that is needed to push the go button on making a new one.

Measuring the sail properly can be tricky to get right by yourself, so you need the advice or the expertise of a sailmaker. This is something that can be done when you have your sails inspected. This way, if the need arises, a new sail can be made and shipped to you by a sailmaker you have built a relationship with and that you know you can trust.

If a new sail has to be ordered, we’re happy to freight directly to your sailmaker in whichever part of the world you find yourself, who can then fit your existing luff hardware and battens to your new sail.

This substantially reduces the cost of the new sail as it does not include any luff hardware or battens, and it makes freighting more affordable as its a smaller parcel.

It is also worth remembering that the estimated turnaround time on a new sail is normally 3 to 4 weeks

A blue water ocean cruiser sail is very different to a Wednesday night round the cans racing sail.

For the blue water sail, we recommend upgrading to Dyneema (Spectra) webbing on the clew, head and tack for added strength. Triple sewing and Twin Ply areas between Leach Reefs to handle the high head and clew loading are also recommended.

Hopefully, you will be enjoying plenty of downwind sailing, but to enjoy downwind sailing, you will need a suitable downwind sail plan.

Remember, if you are headed offshore, you will likley be sailing for several days & nights and as such, your sails will likely get more use in a few months than they have has in the last few years, so get in touch with your sailmaker sooner rather than later to find out if your sails are ready for your adventures.

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BOAT INSURANCE CAN BE OVERWHELMING!

Understanding what insurance cover, you need for your Boat can be complex, particularly as boats generally are very diverse assets, largely dependent upon the individual owner. It can be devastating if you get it wrong, so it does pay to have an Insurance Broker on your side who knows Boats and Boat Insurance.

As your Insurance Broker, I work for you, not the Insurers. Utilising my 25 years of Marine Underwriting experience in Boat Insurance, I’ll take the hard work out of getting the right cover for you, arrange the policy and manage the administration of any claims if and when you need to claim

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