Passage across the Arafura Sea – July 2015

Day 2

Thankfully there were no more squalls through the night but plenty of wind to give us a decent speed (8 – 10 knots) to stop us lolling about in the swell.  The seas for the whole trip were somewhere between 2 to 2.5 metres but reasonably comfortable most of the time.  There was a veil of cloud cover but some light from the full moon meant it was never completely black.  We kept the pole out until around 4am then a 2 sail reach for a couple of hours before poling out the genoa again a few hours later.

We arrived at our destination well ahead of schedule and in sunshine – another wild remote anchorage on the Cobourg Peninsular at Black Point, Post Essington, which is where the British first tried to make a settlement (Victoria) hoping to use it as a base for trade between Australia and Asia.  At one time around 300 people lived there but only for around 10 years.  We hope to get down to Victoria to visit the ruins.

Total Miles 289

Total time: 36.5 hours

Average speed: 7.91 knots

Position at 12.30 local time, 3^rd July: S10.52.617 E133.36.667