From Cooktown to Lizard Island

9 July

Set off before 7.00 at first light. The forecast has been a bit gloomy for both wave size and wind, we hadn’t looked at whether it would rain or not but today it did, mainly in the afternoon as we approached our destination. Otherwise both the winds and waves were moderate, Anyway averaging about 6.5 knots so we arrived mid afternoon and navigated our way through a reef to the smaller of the two cays which make up Hope Islands. The reef surrounding the cay is extensive. Water temperature is 21 degrees, the water is flat in this anchorage, sheltered by the reef.

10 July

Sunshine breaking through this morning, we set off for the beach with snorkeling gear at the ready. This is the Eastern Hope Island, the Cay probably built up from sand that has piled up on the reef and vegetation has managed to take hold. Frigates gliding overhead, stationary against the wind. Somewhat evil looking birds with disgusting eating habits I’m told. Basically frighten other birds and make them regurgitate their food which the frigates then pick up. A strange evolutionary niche.

Walked around the Island, large reef heading South and around most of it, would have been good snorkeling but a conservation sign, warning us of crocodiles put me off a bit and decided to wait for Lizard Island instead. 




I did see a croc as we headed back to Anyway in our dinghy. Head and back just out of the water for a few seconds.

So decided to head back to the mainland and to Cooktown, 20 nms to the North and slightly West and the last sizable town before Cape York. 



 


Only used the Genoa most of the way and reached 6.5 knots with a following wind of 12 to15 knots. Cooktown was “discovered” by James Cook in 1770 and was another thriving gold rush town at that time in the second half of the 19 Century when gold mining was exploding in many parts of the World. The entrance to the harbour is tricky because the channel is shallow but we got in easily on a low tide. Anchored close to a jetty and set off to see the town at about 5.00. Many references to James Cook in the street, plaques, statues etc. Had a drink in one pub and then headed to another for dinner. The cook turned out to be Oscar, somebody Gavin knew from Darwin many years ago so a bit of catching up was had.

The real surprise that evening was that during the evening he winds built and the rain lashed down. We got a lift from Oscar back to the dinghy and back to the boat fairly dry. About 1.00 we woke to howling winds and the boat being tossed and turned on anchor. Spent the rest of the night barely sleeping, Gavin up on deck much of the time to check the boat and make sure the anchor was holding as we were close to another boat called “Jono’s”. Winds whipped over the hills and gusted to 45 knots.

11 July

Not much better at daybreak but at least you could see how close/far you were from hazards. So we may or may not get on shore today, the winds are supposed to be easing but not a lot yet. If we do get ashore the main attractions are the museum, post office and shop.

About 10am a mighty crash and Gavin went to see what was happening, returned a while later to say that the anchor system was broken and one of the rollers in the water. The forecastle, with a lovely wooden lattice over the bowsprit, had been broken by the constant gusting across the bow and pulling the anchor sideways. A bit of a predicament and thoughts of maybe needing to get back to Cairns for repairs. More immediate was how were we going to get the anchor in with no pulley system, one of two rollers lost and a very bent stainless steel rod, and meantime easing closer to “Jono’s” all the time, the anchor probably slowly slipping. We had learnt the hard way that although close to shore which was handy, we were probably right on target to get the strongest wind gusts funneling through the hills and with the added wind against tide, the boat was very unhappy where it was anchored.

Spent an hour getting up the anchor with the help of the engine, and a tie to a buoy and then were thankfully allowed to go alongside the fuel dock for the night outside a very lovely restaurant.

Things weren’t as bad as first thought; so after a siesta




Gavin improvised so that the second anchor was operable as we have managed to get a new rod for the remaining roller so we can rig one anchor to get us the rest of the way to Darwin and then Gavin will probably make a new forecastle. 



I think Greg had cleaned up the old one ready for varnishing, so sorry about that Greg.

12 July

The harbour is like a millpond, we should have been heading out at dawn but need to do the repair and will then go to the museum, shops and pub, probably in that order.

The museum is well worth the visit. 

Much of the history is of the time in 1770 when Cook’s boat The Endeavour, was nearly wrecked on a nearby reef. Came close to sinking but repaired it enough to limp into what is now the estuary of the Endeavour River and Cooktown. Stayed long enough to repair the boat and then headed home, arriving back in the UK nearly 2 years later. Then there was the gold rush in the 1880s and dreams of glory that account for the very wide streets, long main road through town and some impressive large buildings. They thought the town was to be the territories capital but population peaked at 5000 and then decreased rapidly. So it looks a bit odd, but an interesting place to visit.

The next day to Lizard Island has to make the most of all the light, the distance being about 60nm.

13 July

So 6.00am and we were up and away by 7.00. Noticed it was Friday 13^th but chose to ignore it, except that water started to come into the bilges, water siphoning up the outflow pipe and the bilge ump started screaming at having to work hard to remove it. Some exploration and Gavin managed to break the siphon but lost a small rubber valve in the process, later retrieved from the cavernous depths of the lazarette. “Such things cause ships to sink”, he announced victoriously as he replaced the valve.

Then it turned out to be a great sail, mainly 12 to 15 knot winds, Anyway averaging 6.4 knots but peaked at 8.4. All sails out for a while and were anchored at Lizard Island by 4.00. Caught a fish, a Wahoo, which is providing meals for about 3 days.

Lizard Island is a tourist spot, there is a resort for up to 80 guests, with 65 staff, which indicates what the price of accommodation may be. There is a well-maintained airstrip and anchorage for tourist dives and pleasure boats as well as itinerant yachties. The Island is close to the outer reef but has its own reefs which are teeming with life. In the early seventies a research station was set up here, well there was a rudimentary station before that but then some serious money was put into it. Just a core group to manage the station but lots of visiting researchers from all over.

14 July

Our first snorkeling experience, just off the boat and over 50meters to the reef. A realization that I am indeed in the tropics with beautiful abundant aquatic life, seemingly quite unperturbed by our presence; a shoal of fish even keeping us company as we went along the reef. Wished that I had an underwater camera but my I-phone would object to that. So the only fish photo is of some angel fish (I think), taken from the boat that we shared our paw paw breakfast with.

Ventured ashore later and walked through the mangrove swamp to the airstrip and then down to the Blue Lagoon across the Island. Met Alan who invited us to 5.00 drinks on the beach, a regular if not daily occurrence, for the boat people in the bay. He and his wife Dot were on one of a number of boats that cruise up and done the coast, staying at Lizard Island for months at a time, they had been living on board since the late 1990s.

15 July

The wind is rising but the day is clearer. The reefs very obvious in the sunshine just below the water. I’m engrossed in the book E=mc²  my second time of reading. Fascinating book, the title capturing the theme but the detail being more of the people, their thinking, personality clashes and what drove them to great discoveries and how society has used or misused them. Gavin has been cleaning the boat and is making me feel guilty so I need to put the book down, he needs to stop fettling and we should get on with being on a tropical island.

(Gavin)…Guilt? Whats that? I’m the one being neurotic, in fact cleaning the deck with a toothbrush! When Koel and Greg and I were in New Caledonia and had to shelter from the bad weather I chose to amend the anchor systems. Good job that I did, as we now have an anchor system despite the fact that half of the forecastle is now missing. The boat is still beautiful but she does look as if she has a tooth missing. Part of the anchor amendment that Koel and I did involved sawing through a chain link. Despite all the care we took it seems that about 1000 tiny shards of steel flew all over the deck and we have been looking increasingly speckled ever since. Nothing that 500mils of phosphoric acid cannot fix (plus six hours with a toothbrush!!). 

Spent some time with Paul and Barbara looking at the potential anchorages as we go North. Good to get recent first hand experience.

Sunday evening is open house at the staff bar, the Marlin Bar, on the Island. Met up with Gerry and Susanne at dinner time. Food wasn’t fanastic but good to get shore and not eat Wahoo even if I did have fsh and chips, note the newly acquired Aussie accent!

16 July

Coffee and cake on Suzanne and Gerry’s Cat. They have an automatic washing machine, dishwasher, desalinator, couple of flat screen TV’s, a vegetable garden; yes it is a boat but very much their home. Got a 10 day weather forecast from them.

Decided to walk up to “Cook’s Lookout”, the highest point on the Island, about 1000 ft above boat level. Great walk and fantastic views although the mist came in as we had lunch. Cook was looking for a passage through the outer Great Barrier Reef when he climbed that hill.

Passed a camp site just back from the beach with an old barrel with emergency provisions and an old ledger front eh 1920s, bound in a hide cover, now being used as an Island guest book, nice idea.

Managed to get sufficient signal 1000ft up to ring each of my children and my Mum; had to leave a message for Katrine but otherwise all good. Gavin continued to seek retribution with the youth in New Zealand who had sold him a smart phone that seems to receive no signal now.

Decided to try the beach water supply for a shower but not very successful!

The weather closed in so happy hour on the beach was not entirely happy. Gerry was kept busy helping people whose dinghys were misbehaving, us included. Marion and Connor joined us, having set sail from the UK a couple of years ago and also heading up to Darwin.

17 July

Waiting another day to allow the weather to settle down. Visited the Island Marine Research Station. 




Mainly a place for people to come and collect, sort and send back specimens to labs on the mainland. A really nice establishment and probably a good training ground for young scientists. There wasn’t a lot of activity when we were there and the one experiment we were told about seemed a bit simplistic but a couple of good videos on the reef were interesting. A 7 km round trip so our main exercise for the day. A last drink with new found friends, a DVD and turned in for a good nights sleep.