Cairns Marlin Marina
Vega
Hugh and Annie
Mon 8 Jul 2019 09:11
As the Indonesia Rally yachts make their way up the Australian east coast Cairns is a focal point where participants gather to pick up their Indonesia visitor visas. These will have been posted from the consulate in Sydney to the Cairns Yacht Squadron from where they can be picked up along with a rally pack that includes a large rally pennant to be flown when in port. As a result the rally yachts can be easily recognised and introductions made if necessary. This is the first time we have joined a rally, previously not wishing to become part of a large organised group piling into pre-arranged locations for the locals to put on “traditional” cultural activities. However, as our circumnavigation has progressed we have made good friends along the way and appreciated the company of other boats whilst still maintaining an independent feel to our sailing and interactions with local communities.
Of all the places we have visited, this part of Australia somehow seems the most remote, inhospitable and uncomfortable to sail along of anywhere we have been. The trade wind rarely blows at less than 20 knots and the Torres straight is the windiest tradewind area in the world. I fret about things that we have previously taken in our stride and am therefore grateful to be in company with other rally boats, even though we haven’t formally congregated or even set off yet! Annie is being wonderfully stoical and enthusiastic but really the skipper should be leading by example. The more I learn of the travails faced by Cook and his tenacity in dealing with them more I am in awe of his achievements and those of others such as Shackleton.
Cairns we found to be one of the livelier and enjoyable cities to visit beyond the large metropolitan cities such as Sydney and Brisbane. Outside the big cities it soon becomes very remote and provincial by comparison. Cairns is heavily reliant upon tourism and this gives it a more interesting and cosmopolitan aspect. It was good to be able to take our minds off sailing for a while and enjoy the comforts and familiarity of urban life - albeit with one trip up into the rainforest on the wonderfully scenic Kuranga railway with a boat trip to see freshwater crocodiles and return over the forest canopy in a ski style gondola.