Torres Strait - Seisia - 10 50.889S 142 21.774E
Aurora_b
Mike and Liz Downing
Wed 14 Aug 2013 13:22
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Left Portland Road's anchorage yesterday morning and by the
state of the foredeck, brought most of its mud with us! It was great
holding, the anchor didn't budge an inch, but it went everywhere and by the
time the anchor was secured and ready to go to sea, the skipper wasn't
and had to have a change of clothes! To get through the Albany Passage that
leads to the Adolphus Channel and on to the top of Cape
York, it was necessary to get there with the tide running north, i.e.
have it with us. It's a bit like the Alderney Race (but much smaller) where
you can't go against the tide, it just runs too fast. To get their at the right
time and in daylight meant we had to sail through the night and adjust our speed
so we arrived at just the right time. Sailing overnight meant we had plenty of
time and could have a leisurely sail, and this was made even better by
light winds (10-15kts), a lovely moon and a sky full of stars (including a
falling star). Add to that some of our favorite music, and it was
quite a magical experience. (When listening to music when on watch, we
only use one earpiece - one ear for us and one ear for the boat!). Saw
quite a few ships during the night, some going to New Zealand and using the
passage within the reef as a short cut, or at least and easier route. We covered
160.4 miles and are now anchored at Seisia, which is in the Endeavour Strait,
part of the Torres Strait, the main channel through the reefs between Australia
and Papua New Guinea. Seisia is a very small port (just one
small jetty) bringing in goods for one of the
aboriginal settlements in this part of Australia. We arrived in daylight,
but late afternoon and also had a problem with the anchor windlass that
needed looking at so didn't get a chance to go ashore. Hope to do that
tomorrow.
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