13.34S 143.40E Wednesday 11TH September We are
now just an hour away from Morris
Island – the sun
has risen and the wind is brisk.
We sailed overnight to Lizard and were thrilled to find Stargazer, Big
Blue, Marianne, Miss Styx and Shaula III all nestled in Watsons Bay!
We were pretty tired on arrival so our intention was to have a sleep, step
ashore and then carry on but Marianne invited us for a delicious pasta and we
were very pleased to accept and then enjoy a good eight hours slumber. It
was blowing an absolute ‘hooley’ in the bay with catabatic winds
off the mountains but the anchorage had very good holding and we all remained
safe.
Stunning anchorage with azure seas….
Anahi in the sunset…..
A quick venture ashore
White sands
Each of these islands seems to have a morbid story attached to it and
Lizard is no exception……..
One hundred and ten years after Captain James Cook landed and named the
Island, Mary Watson and her husband decided to
make it their base whilst fishing for beche-de-mer (sea slugs) which were
becoming very popular with the Chinese. Unbeknown to them the Island was considered a sacred ceremonial site to the
Aborigines. With her husband away in the north fishing, Mary, now with a baby,
and her Chinese servants were ambushed. First one servant disappeared
(although his pigtail was later found on the mainland) and then the second was
stabbed twice with a spear. Still alive he fled back into the house under the
cover of Mrs Watson’s gun and managed to launch a beche-de-mer boiling
tub into the sea in which they managed to escape although still pursued by
Aborigines…. (can you imagine??). The trade winds eventually blew
them some considerable distance to a little island near Howick (now named Watson Island)
where after nine days Mrs Watson, her baby and the Chinese servant all perished
of thirst. How tragic is that?
Paul beside the remains of the granite rock house
And a line drawing of how it would have looked
Mary with her baby and Chinese servant in the getaway tub
The ruins of her little house remain and we went ashore and photographed
them before we left yesterday morning. You could just imagine their joy when
they found that beautiful bay, with its glorious backdrop of mountains, fresh
water running straight into the sea and the beautiful view……..it
remains as remote as it was the day she died.
We have had a blistering 24 hours sail since leaving Lizard Island
and with a current of up to 2 knots in our favour have often sustained 9 knots
over the ground. It is a very bleak coastline up here and it seemed a
very long night with more activity in the way of ships and fishing vessels and
beacons. Morris
Island is in sight
– there is just one coconut palm remaining. The British Admiralty
policy during the last century was to provide many of the Great
Barrier Reef islands with goats and coconuts to support
shipwrecked crew! We will pass her by and press on to Darwin…
