Mourilyan Harbour
Where Next?
Bob Williams
Fri 4 Oct 2013 12:41
Position: 17 36. 18 S 146 07.40 E
At anchor Mourilyan Harbour
Wind: East nor’ east, F3 light breeze
Sea: slight Swell: nil
Weather: sunny, warm.
Day’s run: 24 Nm
We are gradually working our way up the coast towards our destination of
Cairns. Once again the morning dawned calm so I took the opportunity to
row over to pay a social call on the ‘Claire de Lune’, a lovely timber boat with
whom ‘Sylph’ had the pleasure of meeting back in the vicinity of Green Island a
couple of weeks back. I enjoyed a good gam with her owner, Ken, while his
partner, Guo Hua, quietly and patiently listened to us talk about all things
nautical. A light breeze started to fill in around ten, so I thanked my
hosts for their hospitality, rowed back to Sylph and soon had her sailing away
making close to six knots close reaching to the light breeze.
The twenty miles up the coast to Mourilyan Harbour, a tidal estuary guarded
by two towering headlands making it difficult to spot, was a very easy sail, and
at three in the afternoon we all but drifted through the heads and dropped the
anchor in its well sheltered waters.
I took the opportunity to row ashore for a good leg stretch and to give
Peter the opportunity for some solitude. As I was hiking away from the
harbour, looking back I noticed that our neighbour from this morning had decided
to follow our lead and was also to be our neighbour for this evening. So
after my little hike I rowed over to welcome them and was invited to dinner that
night. Guo Hua is a beautiful Chinese lady from Beijing who, it turns out,
was also a great cook. Peter and I enjoyed some very interesting
conversation, predominantly with Ken, and Guo Hua’s Chinese cuisine spiced with
wild chillies from Dunk Island. It was truly an unexpected treat.
We have just returned and not it is time to turn in. Tomorrow we will
continue another step closer to Cairns.
All is well.
Mound Island, next to Dunk Island:
Peter in his favourite spot:
Yacht heading south:
Claire de Lune entering Mourilyan Harbour:
Exporting timber – Mourilyan Harbour is a commercial port:
Mourilyan locals:
The recent is a very rare bird indeed:
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