Besieged in Carnarvon

We've wished for wind before on many occasions,but this is ridiculous-strong wind warning for this whole section of the West coast have been in place for five days! At least Carnarvon is a very pleasant and convenient town to be,after a nightmare overnighter from Coral Bay-nowhere to stop,wind against us,steep waves close together,motoring most of the way.
Broome,now 1300 miles behind us,provided avery enjoyable break,although busy with repairs and reprovisioning,and ruled by tide for trips ashore.As well as being an historic,multicultural town for pearling,it is also a thriving tourist centre,laid -back and beautiful,set off by red cliffs,yellow sand beaches and bright turquoise water.Most of our Kimberley cruising companions caught up with us,also preparing for the trip south.
From there on the coast is less hospitable,anchorages few and not very comfortable,sometimes anchoring in the shallow ocean for a break.However we had good winds and flew down Eighty Mile Beach averaging 8-9 knots,the water less than 3metres deep for miles out.Within 5 days we reached Port Hedland,an iron ore and salt exporting centre,the anchorage right beside the shipping channel,but a friendly yacht club nearby.The town consists mainly of accommodation for mine workers,to be flown in and out of the Pilbara.Two XS was covered with red dust by the time we set out 2 days later for Depuch Is.There we climbed Anchor Hill to check out aboriginal rock carvings,discovered by the crew of HMS Beagle in 1840, mostly turtles and fish on the large boulders which covered the island.
Next on to Dolphin Is. where we navigated slowly over the rocky shallows of Searipple Passage,saving many miles around on our way to Dampier.Avoiding huge bulk iron ore carriers and container ships,we eventually reached the sheltered bay anchorage,to find a yacht club with a floating pontoon jetty.Also we met Darwin boatie friends,Kylie,Mick and dog,Gypsy(joyful reunion for Bodi),staying and working in the area for a while,and we were grateful for being driven around sightseeing as well as shopping in Karratha.Although Karratha is a busily expanding iron ore and gas centre-the scale of the industry is amazing,Dampier is a quiet backwater.
More of our fellow cruisers arrived there,making quite a fleet heading for Perth and beyond-Wendera,Quoll 11,Othello and Pretty Woman(2);more socialising and catching up.
Good winds helped us past Cape Preston,where a monstrous bulkloading facility is being constructed,an uncomfortable,rolly night at Great Sandy Is.anchored next to reef,then on to Onslow.Here we caught up with Fortuna,another cat en route to Perth,and our present sailing companions.We were able to refuel up the shallow creek in Onslow,thanks to our Bailey card,and wash Two XS,but it is only a very small town with a salt loader,pub,supermarket and a flourishing community garden.But there was tv,phone and internet access so Bill and Damien were able to watch the footie Grand Final.
Next stopover was Serrurier Is.,a lovely spot,white sand beach,clear aqua water,whales frolicking just outside the bay.We decided to miss Exmouth and head around the corner-North West Cape,through Ningaloo Reef to Tantabiddi,where we unfortunately caught up a 30m mooring buoy rope on a rudder,spending an uncomfortable bumpy slappy night,stern on to the wind and waves.
All the anchorages in this stretch were inside Ningaloo Reef,with swell ,shallows and lurking reef to contend with during entry and not much shelter inside,including Norwegian Bay(former whaling station) and Maud Point,near Coral Bay.We had to dinghy around,over reef and shallows,to visit Coral Bay;a beautiful unspoilt little tourist town,pub lunch at the Reef Resort,then a very wet ride back as the wind had come up,with Bodi sheltering under the dinghy cover.
Carnarvon was once a main shipping port,so we have checked out the Historic Precinct near the One Mile Jetty with the lighthouse keepers'cottage museum,railway and shearers museum.Maybe we'll be able to leave for Shark Bay by the weekend?
PS. It's getting colder so we now have to wear clothes instead of our swimmers 'uniform'.
Photos for this post can be found on http://picasaweb.google.com/crewsers3

Kimberley cruisers emerge

After nearly two months of communication blackout,we're in Broome,and have phone ,internet and tv. access again after cruising the Kimberley wilderness.
We sailed out of Darwin on 18th July, reaching the Berkeley River a few days later.From here on we explored it and the navigable reaches of the King George,Drysdale, Mitchell and Prince Regent Rivers,and many bays,inlets and islands.Most of the rivers were huge gorges,with amazing rock formations, pools and waterfalls behind rugged rockbars, requiring strenuous climbing-We couldn't believe how well Bodi managed to stay up with us and avoid the crocs!
The beauty of the Kimberley and its variety of land and seascapes has to be seen to be appreciated.We had the most wonderful time experiencing it as well as the fun and camaraderie with other boaties.We have selected a sample of our hundreds of photos, to give you an idea of what we've seen and done and you can view them by going to- http://picasaweb.google.com/crewsers3

Departing Darwin

Bodi looking for mate Bob
Low tide at Port Keats
Busy turtle
Bare Sand Is.
Brave Bodi with Mimis,Barunga
Gunlom.pool above falls
Rock painting
View from Ubirr,nth.Kakadu
DEPARTING DARWIN !

The saga continues-after a nine-month stay in Darwin we’re on our way again.Bill’s six month employment with Nautical Supplies spun out to nearly eight.The Wet and its almost intolerable humidity is over and the Dry-one perfect day after another,and no rain at all has arrived.We enjoyed our time there, met many new friends, and got to know The Top End and experience its unique character-to say nothing of the many unique characters we lived amongst at the anchorage at Sadgrove’s Creek and Dinah Beach Yacht Club.
Main highlights of our season in Darwin were:
Our frequent visits with Ben &Bianca- a Barunga Xmas, Barunga Sporting and Cultural Festival in June,following our tour of Kakadu in B&B’s 4wd camper,including a flight over the most interesting areas.
Bought our car in November, which made activities and exploring Darwin much easier-and Bodi could visit the beach-if not for a swim.Sold it to other ‘boaties’ two days before leaving.
We bought a new autopilot and chartplotter-now appreciating the new technology.As well other equipment was installed-the cockpit seats were recovered; a new boomtent and outside window covers were designed and made with the help of friends.The long-suffering headsail was professionally renovated and Bill spent most of his weekends improving Two XS.Our ‘ducky’ has a new owner, and we are now equipped with a tinny,called Rudolph for the red nose we installed to avoid damage,and a new 9.8 Tohatsu. Apparently,crocs don’t take bites out of aluminum as readily as rubber.
TwoXS, laden with supplies, finally set sail for the Kimberley and beyond on June 24.A wonderful first night out was spent at Bare Sand Is.,a tiny islet with only one tree but heaps of sand-a mecca for egg-laying turtles at this time of the year.We followed one lady up the beach watching her lengthy nest-digging,laying and cover-up-it takes 50 days for their hatching.
After anchorages at Point Jenny-beautiful beach,then Cape Scott,we made Port Keats-not a port at all,just an inlet.On the beach here we found a tidal pool for a long-awaited swim.Next morning we found that the compressor on our freezer had died,and although we had another electrical system for backup,and no food was spoilt,we decided to return to Darwin for repairs,as we had a freezer expert to help us there.In fact, he generously lent us his spare vehicle during our stay.However, freezer fixed, we were ready to leave again,and the generator which we use for 240volt power failed-new alternator needed-a week’s wait for it to arrive from Adelaide.Bill is at present finishing off the installation,and we hope to leave tomorrow.
Maybe as we are setting out so late in the season we will have the wind against us further down the coast and will have to return to Darwin for another Wet season!!

You'll Never Never Know If You Never Never Go

We are just so lucky! Ben & Bianca gave us a hire car so we could visit them in Arnhem Land for a wonderful week,staying at Barunga,an aboriginal community 100km SE of Katherine,where Bianca is a remote area nurse. Special visitor permits had to be obtained,and we were very impressed with the tidy,well kept community,its friendly people and gorgeous kids.
On the roadtrip south made a break at historic Adelaide River,with its old tavern and railway station,showing many reminders of the important role this area played during WWII.The trip seemed quite quick as the speed limit is 130kph,the road mostly straight,and there is interesting country along the way.Bodi loved his airconditioned backseat lounge and was quite reluctant to get out,even for comfort stops.
As B&B have now lived in the Never Never area for over 12 months they knew all the best places to take us.Ben took us 4wheel bush driving showing us the beautiful country and wildlife-we saw brumbies,buffaloes,donkeys,kangaroos and vivid parrots.We visited one of the old mining sites near Maranboy,once very populated but now consisting of only a police station,lockup and derelict hospital.Having obtained permission from the traditional owners,and being a coordinator for the local Emergency Service,Ben took the ES boat,after a quick motor service by Bill,for a test run along the Roper River.It was amazing to see the river surrounded by tall dense tropical growth,huge palms and ferns,just a fertile channel in the dry,arid landscape.
We swam and snorkelled at Bitter Springs, visited bat-infested hot springs at nearby Mataranka and wondered at the spartan homestead conditions endured by the Gunn family of "We of the Never Never " fame.Then it was a great lunch at The Stockman's Gallery' opposite the huge old banyan tree.
Wugularr(Beswick)Falls was a highlight,with cool streams,a large sandy pool,with obvious croc tracks all over the shore, and the sheer dark red cliffs surrounding the waterfall.In Beswick, another aboriginal community we visited the Cultural Gallery,full of vibrant local works.We even managed a trip to Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge)and in the heat climbed the steep track to the top of the escarpment,for a spectacular overview of the gorge and miles of surrounding country,then enjoyed a lunch of Barra burgers and iced coffee,both local favorites at the cafe.Just outside Katherine we visited the original 1879 Springvale Homestead,surrounded by huge rain trees,where a pioneering family unsuccessfully attempted to farm in the extremely harsh conditions.
Almost reluctantly we returned to Darwin.Bill has started work and is finding his job full of variety; from helping the sailmaker to set up sails at various marinas,to restocking liferafts for the Navy,as well as serving in the chandlery-no mechanical work at all!
We now have a car,a necessity here,so we can go sightseeing as well as attend the great local weekend markets,and conveniently do our shopping.We have joined the nearby Dinah Beach(there is no beach!)Yacht Club and use their floating jetty(tide permitting)as well as socialise in the open air club breezeway,with live music several nights a week,and great reasonably priced meals.We're enjoying living in Darwin and getting used to NT time-not Today,not Tomorrow,not Tuesday,not Thursday, Not This week...just take your time!The Wet has not arrived yet-we've heard lots of stories-so we'll let you know !PS. It has just now started to rain!!

Up the creek in Darwin

Yes-we made it to Darwin,but it's been too hot to type out the blog!
Even Bodi has had a radical trim.






We have a Darwin Port Authority mooring in Sadgrove's Creek close to Dinah Beach Yacht Club and Nautical Supplies,a large shipschandlery,where Bill now has a job for 6 months.After The Wet we will continue our travels down the West Coast with a new autopilot.
Our trip from Gove to Darwin,which took 11 days,was interesting,beautiful and isolated -we were out of phone and internet range for most of it,and met or sighted only several other people.The most exciting event was forcing our way through the "Hole in the wall"Gugari Rip,a 65m wide channel between Guluwuru and Raragala Is. in the Wessel group.Against the incoming tide we were gaining only 2knots at 3000rpm.,zigzagging to avoid shallow patches and rocky outcrops.Just after we emerged shakily at the western end we were hailed by radio from a Customs vessel,lurking around the next bay, checking our id. and movements.
Further west we overnighted at Refuge Bay,Elcho Is,then decide to head straight across towards the Goulburn Is. Passing close to the picturesque Crocodile Islands, we thought we'd stop off for a beach walk and swim,but just after anchoring we were greeted by a 4m."lizard",and then we noticed many slide marks and tracks into the water from the sandy beach!
Other stopovers were in a sheltered bay near Braithwaite Point where all the water drained away during the night,returning with the morning tide;Sims Is.in a bay full of coral heads,but we did manage to swim in the sandy shore.Heading north in Bowen Straits we were accompanied for miles by a school of mini-dolphins,playing and diving underneath,ignoring Bodi's excited barking.
At Port Essington-no port just a large body of water-we met Peter,the ranger at Black Point,viewed the info and cultural display,and decided to visit the ruins of the Victoria Settlement(1836-1849) further down the bay,another futile and tragic British settlement disaster.
At Cape Don we were hoping to visit the historic lighthouse,but after trudging for miles along the red dirt road,we were picked up by a Cape Don Experience 4wd troupie,told that we were trespassing as it was now all private property,an exclusive fishing lodge,and dumped back at the jetty.
Tidal flow determined our next few early mornings(3 or4 am.)to enable us to get the right currents through the Vernon Is.in darkness,anchoring at reef-fringed Cape Hotham,then through the Beagle Gulf and Timor Sea,reaching Fannie Bay,Darwin, about 11am. 23rdSept.We moved around and up the creek a couple of days later as it is very shallow,wind-prone and bumpy at Fannie Bay.
Ben and Bianca drove up from Barunga,400kms south in Arnhem land,where Bianca is a remote area nurse,to welcome us.It was a great reunion as we hadn't seen them since Townsville ,12 months previously.Next post will be about our visit to Barunga!

Over the Top!

We finally left Cooktown about 2 weeks ago, provisioned, laundered and our ripped foresail robustly repaired by "Shakey Pete" using a maxiyacht sail offcut. Strong wind warnings were still current with gusts up to 35 knots, bufetting us as we made our way for Cape Bedford, a very shallow, sandy bay, surrounded by silica sandhills. On our beach walk we met Terrence, an artist who lived in a beach shack, his self-made 'twocanoes' catamaran with hand painted sails out front.

Next stopover Cape  Flattery, another beautiful bay complete with indigenous 

people spearing fish in the shallows. After a rough trip north-east, Lizard Island was interesting and exhausting, as we trekked all over, checking out Mrs Watson's house, over Chinaman's Ridge to the resort and tiny airport, the blue lagoon and other inviting bays, but as it was very overcast and very windy we didn't climb Cook's Lookout Hill.

Our Flinders Island stopover was eventful, having to dinghy ashore at low tide through coral, rocks and mud, Bill having to drag it through the shallows, watching for crocs, beating off with a paddle dozens of small stingrays darting about. But it was worth it to see the magnificent paintings of early ships, animals and fish in the caves in an area inhabited up until only 60 years ago.

Morris Island, a long days sail on, was a tiny coral fringed sand spit with several coconut palms and overrun with spiky succulents with tall central spears apparently planted by admirality to save shipwrecked sailors by providing coconuts and poles to harvest them! We were not alone...A fishing trawler spawning 4 small

 runabouts taking off in all directions towards the horizon. Fish kept us company here until dawn. Bodi was delighted to have unexpectedly startled some pelicans into flight.

Now we have really experienced the trade winds. Making the most of them, we were using only sails to reach our destinations speedily, with little use of fuel. We progressed up the coast, passing many reefs to Portland Roads, a strategic base during WWII, now inhabited by about a

 dozen people. 

The Cape Grenville stopover was memorable, we found the largest and tastiest oysters and a small barracuda leapt up onto

 our side deck. Bodi thought he'd caught it and guarded it all night! We had our first aerial surveillance check by Coastwatch and watched a 'mothership' providing supplies and fuel for th

e gathering fishing fleet. Via radio we witnessed an efficient rescue drama with a helicopter eventually plucking 3 'english challenged' people in strong winds and darkness from a yacht whihc had collided with a small reef near the outer fringe. Thank goodness for EPIRB's!

Further north we entered Escape River guided by a 

fishing boat through the sand banks to an anchorage amongst pearl rafts and croc swamps. The next day we were propelled through Albany Passage then over the top to round Cape York, anchoring alone in the bay beneath with camera clicking land tourists silhouetted on the rocky track leading to the tip. Of course we headed up there and found ourselves alone for a short while sipping chardy to celebrate, a great thrill but very windy.

For the next few days recovery time, we anchored further south 50 metres off the beach at Seisia, the delightful little port for inland Bamaga community and took a ferry day tour to Thursday Island as quarantine restrictions would've made it too difficult in our boat, 

while Bodi was minded by a new fan

who ran the ferry office and

 caravan park. It was a great experience, like a remote island. Most of the population being of islander heritage were very friendly and the historic fort and cultural centre were fascinating.  Seisia was also mainly populated by islanders, the arrival, loading and unloading of of the cargo ships from Cairns the main activity. The fishing club on the foreshore provided delightful live island style music nearly every night.

After extra safety lines and equipment and weather checks, we set off across the gulf on the Friday the 5th of September without much help from the wind. All was going well until later that evening when Fred, our autopilot had an electronic malfunction, and despite Bill's efforts (he does fix mostly anything!), we were forced to manually steer the rest of the way - 320 nautical miles, taking turns at the wheel, compass steering for the next 50 hours with only short breaks. Finally we land ahoyed about 6:30pm Sunday evening but by the time we entered Gove Harbour it was 8:30pm so we anchored well out in the harbour, full of boats, mostly unlit, dazzled by the huge alumina plant and wharf lights.

We have been lucky in Gove, where there is nothingat all but a sadly declining yacht club, with Nhulunby, 12 kms away and no public transport. By chance Bill made the acquaintance of the

 Commodore, Roger, seeking help with the autopilot repair. He suggested a few possibilities and took us on a tour of the town and shops. An ex Port Mac boatie Greg, a customer in our marine business days, then lent us a vehicle for the duration of our stay. As this entire area is Aboriginal land, there are many limitations and issues (we had to go to the court house to acquire liquor permits to buy supplies) of which we have learnt about from Roger, married to the daughter of the traditional aboriginal owner.

Well this has been a huge post which I have forced my daughter to type out for me...ggggrrrrr...but much has happened and once we leave here there will probably be no more internet or phone until Darwin which is 1-2 weeks away. We will have to do without Fred but Bill has rigged up a joystick which will make steering much easier and as there are plenty of anchorages along the way, we will only be doing day-hops.  

In the wake of James Cook

We are in Cooktown-stuck here for 3-4 days of strong winds which blew us
into harbour last Sunday, after a very exciting turbulent sail from
Bloomfield River. It's a very small town but interesting-we'll be experts on
Capt. Cook by the time we leave,having checked out all the historic sites
and the excellent James Cook Museum and climbed to the top of Grassy Hill to
check out the Reef as Cook did.
We've had a great time passing through new territory,seeing places we've
been to 30 years ago -hasn't Port Douglas grown up beautifully? except for
the crocs beside the creek where we had to anchor! We were disappointed with
Cairns-very poor boatie facilities and a rough wet ride across from the
draggy river anchorages.Mostly we've overnighted at remote places which are
beautiful-like the uninhabited end of Palm Is.,up a creek off the
Hinchinbrook Channel, and just inside the Bloomfield River-but we had to
wait for an hour for enough tide to enter the sandbanked entrance,while some
locals duckied out to advise us of the whereabouts of the 'channel' as there
were no nav aids.
We'll be here a couple more days then head north again-Cape Flattery then
Lizard Is.
We're all well and Bodi is getting spoilt by people wanting to pat and talk
to him!