Fai Tira blog Wednesday 22nd September

On the way to Portland Roads 13:29.60S 143:43.21E

Our journey North continued, starting with us leaving our tranquil overnight stop at Bathhurst bay and the staggering landscape of piled up gigantic boulders at 8.30am on Monday, but this time not very far. Our original intention had been to travel direct to Morris Island, entailing a long daylight passage of about 70 miles, a tall order at anytime, However, a review of our timeframes and perhaps also a desire to look at the Flinders Group of islands, caused us to reconsider and provoke a change of ideas. So a new plan was devised. A short hop today, about 15 miles, relax a bit and tomorrow make the now more manageable trip to Morris.

As we left the 15 knot, South Easterly was almost directly behind us and with a predicted journey time of only 3 hours, we made the decision to opt just for the genoa as a means of propulsion, knowing that even at a snail’s pace we would still arrive with plenty of the day left. It was a leisurely sail, but not withstanding, for the most part we still maintained a healthy4 ½ - 5 knots.

The 10am net call had the effect of revealing the position of the other BWR boats that left Cook Town around our time. It also revealed that Chisel had spent the night on anchor between the islands at Flinders and weren’t proposing to move until the following day. So we had a readymade welcoming party.

The approach to the island passage was just brilliant. The day was hot and brightly lit with sunshine. The sea a sparkling turquoise blue with just beyond a spectacular rock shoreline that looked as though nature had used some magic force to slice through and reveal a shear face that looked as though it had been scoured by a giant cheese grater loaded with colours, and all this to the backdrop of steep sparsely wooded slopes, spattered with huge naturally sculptured boulders with faces streaked in subtle shades of red of iron oxide.

As we turned the corner and the channel opened up before us we were greeted by a calm and sheltered expanse of water enclosed by craggy rock faces that looked as though they’d just heaved themselves from the depths. Then just emerging from beyond a distant headland, and sitting off a yellow sand spit fringed with mangroves, was the shape of yacht Chisle and two other boats.

This felt like crocodile country, not least because of the communication we’d had from previous fellow travellers, who’d reported hearing strange night time sounds on their visit!!!

Anyhow us brave intrepid (or should that be daft English) adventurers had soon launched the dinghy, collected Jane from Chisle, and were standing in the scorching heat on the gleaming expanse of beach and shells.

Examination of the two fairly prominent beach signs provided some reassurance. There was a croc warning (really getting the hang of this language now!) but so small  it almost looked like an afterthought. The other, further along and a bit inland, gave some history of the island. It told how the sand spit had been an important gathering point for the early tribe’s people. It also told about the British involvement with H.M.S Dart playing a prominent part, and also of a short walk to the location of ancient wells and stone inscriptions. Trouble was it didn’t give any directions. So after tramping through a tangle of long grass riddled with venomous snakes, battling with branches laced with the webs of poisonous spiders, struggling with hoards of biting ants, and wading through crocodile infested swamps.

We still couldn’t find it, got fed up and went back to Chisle for a beer (ok I exaggerated a bit, there weren’t any ants).

Just when we thought that the sailing couldn’t get any better, the next day it did.

We left the beautiful Flinders before day light and set our sights on Morris Island, having, tentatively, already laid down similar travel plans with Jeremy from Chisle that would take us through to Cape York..

Although, initially, the conditions didn’t seem great the main was up early, closely followed by the genoa. After a bit of confusion, whilst the boat and wind settled into a pattern, we were goose winging and making good speed. As  we changed direction and the wind increased up to 20 knots we set Fai Tira up on a broad reach and were really starting to move well, Then as we turned further into wind, with the boat taking on a more Northerly heading and the wind  now at a constant 20 knots plus. We found ourselves waltzing along on a beam reach, on benign crystal seas, in brilliant sunshine at 7-8 knots, and that’s exactly how it stayed. The journey of 58 miles that we’d anticipated would take almost 12 hours actually took 9. What a great introduction to Australian sailing for Dee, being able to sit on the foredeck reading for much of the time , while the sea whizzed by!. And what a treat when we arrived. It wasn’t the most spectacular outline that emerged on the horizon to greet you. In fact the highest thing above sea level were the only two mature coconut trees that it possesses. The bizarre history relating to this is that this was one of the islands selected by the British Admiralty for inhabitation by goats to provide food for distressed seaman,,,, guess what they did. However, the effect of those two prominent trees combined with weird low vegetation with what looked like triffid imitation sticks growing from it, the delightful narrow beaches( even with the washed up rubbish) extending at low tide for what seemed like miles and the delightful bird life, gave this place a unique charm that just couldn’t be ignored.

Now comes the excitement. There was one other boat here when we arrived, and by the time we’d anchored, had a beer, launched the dinghy, collected Jane from Chisle, and reached the beach, the other guys were already here. There was a young boy fishing off the beach and one guy snorkelling in the shallows and the lads father sat on the beach near the water’s edge. We obviously had a chat and almost the first thing they said was that they’d seen a 4 metre crocodile in the sea just that morning and that he was probably laying around sleeping somewhere!!!.....What were they doing that close to the water???.... Brave these Ausies!!

Needless to say we didn’t see him on our stroll, or when we left early in the morning, but for some perverse reason, it was exciting just knowing he was there!!

Next stop Portland Road....Might see one then!