S/V Kilkea, David and Marian, pulled into our anchorage here at Possession Island just before dusk this evening and as they sailed close by Sea Mist to drop their anchor, they drew my attention to their boat flag/ensign that flies from the stern of their vessel as with all sailboats.  I could see that the Canadian Flag was missing its outer red vertical bar….only the white center/Maple Leaf portion and the inner end red vertical bar remained. They had me guess how that might have happened as they moved slowly past Sea Mist…….???

I said to them: “You don’t mean a crocodile got it”…..to which they nodded…”Yes” >    Now that is one heck of an experience!!!!!!

I had to have them tell me more>>>>>>>>>>>>this is what happened:

At 1 am this morning, while they were sleeping at anchor at Escape River (from where we came yesterday), they were awakened to a bone chilling crash (or quick series of crashes)…they first thought they had been hit by a boat….then they thought of a piece of mast rigging breaking…and then as they were closing any large opening into the boat (the hatch by their aft cabin where they were asleep and the main companionway entrance) they came to realize that it might have been a crocodile. They did not venture out on deck to see what they might see….wise move….particularly since the croc had come out of the water so high as to reach and tear away a third of their Canadian Flag.  At daylight this morning, they found that the big croc had taken out chips in their fiberglass/gelcoat at the stern and had almost pulled out the corner of the permanently installed stern fended with which Amel vessels are built.

Now there is, as David and Marian would put it, one whale of a tale….oops….no….”one crocodile of a tale!!”

A week ago we were told by some Aussie boaters that they knew of a crocodile that tore apart an inflatable dinghy that had been left in the water by a catamaran overnite right beside the cat’s swim platform…..and along came a croc and tore up the dinghy seemingly just for something to do.

It makes us more and more nervous plying these waters of Oz….time to head north to Indonesia…>SOON!!!