The next few days we need to get a few miles under the keels so off we push in to the yonder after deciding to leave late morning in a convoy of boats we wake to an empty bay and a horizon of other boaties.
Up and atom, atom ant and we are off, we caught all off the monohull boats up by lunch time and left the behind into the afternoon. All the other boats stopped at Morris Island, it’s a small island with a single coconut tree and a few grave sites of pearl divers which came from Thursday Island up the line a bit. They used to be away for months on end pearl diving, any deaths were dealt with and graves dug where ever necessary.
There were of Japanese people among the pearl divers back in the day, they make up a few of the graves further around through the Albany passage to Cape York. I’m not sure of the island or where but during the bombings of WW2 apparently the Japanese wouldn’t bomb a certain island because a descendant of Japanese royalty was buried there. So I hear.
Most of the islands we have passed including Morris have at least one coconut tree, back in the day they outer islands where all planted with coconuts by British Admiralty so that in the case of shipwreck the crew could survive until rescue. The Australians have removed them from a few places where they compete with the natives plants.
We continued on through to the evening arriving under the cover of darkness to Portland Roads and shared an anchorage with a big motorboat and a fishing boat. We set off early to Margaret Bay / Cape Grenville, as we arrived and snooped on a conversation on the VHF Radio (Its like porn for boaties) we learnt that the fishing boat in the bay was a prawn trawler and sold them over the side. Say hello to a freezer full of 7.5 kg of green prawns for $60. Throw another shrimp on the barbie maaaate.
We invited another boat over for sun downers when we arrived in the bay, as they had a couple of small children we went and met them on theirs, they had caught a Tuna on the way into the bay and offered us some. Off course I was glad to help out by taking a couple of Tuna steaks of their hands for them. Oh and some interesting photos of sand pooing crabs in crocodile country.
I thought of a new invention today, a full body hair net for the man with a high count of hair producing follicles because shit I am a hairy man. Being a white boat let’s just say I leave my calling card in every little nook and cranny.
Just caught another fish to fill up the freezer and I smell like fish, another good size Spanish mackerel, such a delicious eating fish. Now we have a freezer full of Tuna, Spanish mackerel and Tuna. It’s eating time.
We have just been over flown by the Australian Coast Guard to make sure we are not boat people fleeing to the Promised Land. “Because there are no cats in America.” As part of entry into Australia, Daryl and Laryl have to notify Customs every 3 months of their planned itinerary, apparently there is a higher customs presence the further around the top we get. They are all business though, one Australian boat asked about the result between Richmond and Perth to no avail.
As we head up the coast towards Escape River it’s not been uncommon to see dolphins, turtles and buckets of fish. I want to make it a task to get a good picture of a Turtle before I leave, bloody little things are fairly nimble in the water though.
Motoring into Escape River you can see the commercial reality of Pearl Farming in the present time compared to previously mentioned graves of divers from decompression and crocodiles. Hundreds of lines of pearls are strung across the river and only leaving enough space each side for boats to come in, the decompression issue has been removed but crocs are still in force.
So I have been on the boat for a couple of weeks now and I think I have cracked to unspoken secret to a Cruisers life style and day to day comings and goings. Although if I tell you may be sworn to secrecy or be killed by some unique boatie guild headed up by Gilligan and Popeye and silent partner Neptune. No undies, simple as that, saves on water and everything else can be re-used. Commando sailors cruising the seas, there could be a definite tangent here about the governator and how he would feel about this but will leave that alone. Kindergarten Cop on the high seas?
I have probably said too much now and have to keep it clean, may regret writing that if my Nana get’s a copy somehow. It’s all opinion no facts or confirmed sightings. Shudder.
Through Albany Passage we sail, a few more graves and Pearl farms and around Cape York to start a new light house tour, I learnt that the Australian dream is now not only to own a house with a backyard and a lemon tree but also to catch a fish at the northern part of Australia. After letting a tour bus load of people waltz around the cape ashore I went for a look around, there are huge termite nests, like literally (and actually) higher than me. They look to be made of sand but are hard.
Oh the sailing all up this part of the coast has been amazing, flat seas from the shielding from the reef and anywhere between 10~15 knots mainly from behind to over the side. Great spinnaker weather. Can’t remember if I already said that though.
No comments:
Post a Comment