Snapper Island to Hope Islands
Gaviota
Wed 15 Jun 2016 01:55
15:43.540S 145:27.257E
Next day
it was an early start on a hot windless day, the stunning mountainous coastline
looking it’s best with a topping of early morning cloud. After a couple of hours of motoring the wind
started to pick up and Syd set about creating his complicated sets of ropes,
poles and pulleys (remember them
Paul?????) Out came the 2 genoas and off
went the engine, the wind picked up to a more respectable 10-15 knots and we
were comfortably sailing downwind at 6-7 knots.
We passed Cape Tribulation and headed out to avoid the large reefs
around the Hope Islands (Captain Cook came to grief close to this spot when he
hit the now named Endeavour Reef and had to haul Endeavour into the safety of
Weary Bay (clues in the name!) to make repairs, speculation has it that had
Endeavour not been saved and Cooks discoveries had been lost that the French
could have claimed Australia (formidable!!!!).
Once clear of the dangerous reefs we got the sails in and yet another
disaster – the bolt holding the spinnaker pole on had bent and the pole was in
danger of crashing down. Syd did battle
with the pole, lasooed it and tied it down and we headed in to pick up a
mooring ball – next problem, I could not pick it up with the boat hook as the
string that pulls the hugely heavy rope up was too short . . . . . so down came
the dinghy and I got in it clinging on to the side of the boat as Syd
manoeuvred Gaviota to have another go, success this time and we were
attached. The cockpit was once again
turned into a workshop as vices and God knows what appeared and repairs began
again. It’s all fun in paradise!!!!!!
