The wind pinned us down in Gove harbour for 4 days until we could set
off for the last leg of our Australian journey to Darwin. On our way
out of Gove we passed a ship being loaded with bauxite and two more
further out waiting their turn.
Robert put up the main sail and foresail. The wind was still strong
and the foresail twisted in the wind, got caught on a rope and
wrapped itself haphazardly with madly flapping bits. Robert tried
unsuccessfully to unwrap it manually and resorted to turning the boat
in a tight circle until the wind unwrapped the sail. Quite hectic in
the bouncy swells. The sea was still rough from the previous days of
strong winds. Luckily we were going in the same direction as the big
swells, occasionally surfing along at more than 11 knots as we passed
Cape Wilberforce.
It was trickier as we adjusted our course to take the narrow gap
between Point William and the south west corner of Bromby Islet. The
swells now came from more than one direction and we got the washing
machine effect as we pushed through with the engine going strongly.
We turned the corner and as soon as we were behind the peninsula, the
sea smoothed and we had a pleasant sail past Elizabeth Bay to Astelle
Island. All in all it was 7 hours.
We anchored in the westernmost bay of Astelle Island in the early
afternoon and went ashore. Unexpectedly, it was a really super beach.
Soft powdery sand, lots of shells and calm warm water. We didn't swim
as it's not clear enough to spot crocs. They really spoil a swim at
the beach in these parts.
At the one end of the beach were many large boulders weathered into
fascinating shapes, almost outworldly in appearance.
We had a good night's sleep in the calm anchorage and set off the
next morning to Alger Island. Unfortunately Alger's anchorage is not
calm at all and the boat bounced all night as there is no protection
from swells coming around the island. We had to anchor far off the
beach to avoid the rocks that become apparent at low tide.
Our next leg was the tricky Cadell Strait which requires entry in the
eastern side on a rising tide as it is very shallow. We are fortunate
that Pegasos has shallow draught so we can go over shallow areas that
most keel boats can't navigate. Also extremely fortunate to have the
waypoints kindly given to us by Mel who we came across at Lizard
Island. He had navigated Cadell Strait several times and had barge
waypoints which Robert noted on our charts.
We moved along slowly and carefully for most part of the strait. The
water was calm but there was a strong current against us for the
first half. The strait is like a wide river with impenetrable
mangroves lining both sides.
Coming out of the western side of the strait is a short distance to
the small town of Galiwinku on Elcho Island. It is privately owned
Aboriginal land as is most of the Arnhem land. We were the only boat
there. We went ashore the next morning and immediately saw we were no
longer in Queensland. There is litter everywhere - on the beach,
around the houses. Council bins lined the
streets but seem to be of little use. The smell of bushfire lingered
over the burnt patches of ground between some of the houses and
streets. Some friendly locals directed us to the supermarket which is
well stocked, quite pricey but we needed fresh fruit and eggs. We
were surprised to see that the eggs come from Adelaide - over 2500
kms as the crow flies! I guess no one keeps hens in Galiwinku.
Thousands of little white crabs on the beach:
Vast muddy beach:
The next morning we set sail for the short hop to Langarra on Howard
Island, passing a barge emerging from Cadell Strait.
We had seen the Flying Doctor in the Galiwinku supermarket and saw
his little plane go overhead and land at the airstrip near Langarra.
The airstrip seems to be cut out of the thickets of eucalyptus trees
from the edge of the sea.
We anchored in the calm bay and took the dinghy to the beach. If we
were taken aback by Galiwinku, it's nothing compared to what we saw
at Langarra. The beach had several abandoned tinnies on it in various
state of falling apart, beyond being functional. There were signs of discarded broken trailers and
engines mostly covered by mud in the falling tide.
This abandoned but new-looking Yamaha 4-stroke 50-hp outboard motor would be worth about
R50000 if it was fixed up.
We aimed for the most plastic littered spot and found the track
leading into the hamlet of Langarra which is behind a slight rise
from the beach. There seemed to be not more than 10 houses. I had the
eerie sensation of arriving at one of those places one sees in a
movie after some catastrophic event had taken place. There was no
sign of life, broken vehicles abandoned with doors hanging open and
burnt patches of ground.
Walking further in we saw a figure coming out of a house and waved. A
young Aboriginal man came over to us and we said we had arrived in a
boat and asked if we could walk along the beach (private land). He
said yes and asked if we had fuel with us. Robert said only diesel on
the boat. He lost interest in us and we went back to the beach and
walked a good distance.
Coming from South Africa, we are used to seeing litter and squalor in
many places. We always associate this with poverty - most of the
people are unemployed and receive little in the way of social grants,
housing or basic municipal services. However, it doesn't seem to us
that Aboriginals are poor. Certainly no unemployed rural African
could afford those vehicles or houses. Puzzling way of life.
The next morning we got going early. Robert set the sails, got the
watermaker going, caught a mackerel and cleaned it for supper - all
before 9.00 am! There was very little wind and it was a long and
tedious motor sail along a flat and featureless coastline.
We anchored at Cape Stewart, described as an unprotected anchorage
but we were lucky to have no wind and hardly any swell. Since the
area is uncharted we anchored far from the shore but could still
dinghy to the beach and enjoyed the chance to stretch our legs and
admire the plentiful shells, collecting a few for my home made
bracelets. Things to do aboard when there's no internet...
The next leg to Entrance Island was another almost windless day.
Robert put up the spinnaker and we got between 5 to 6 knots. Better
than the noisy engine.
All along the coastline we noticed smoke from bushfires and a brown
smoky haze stretched across the horizon. The bushfires on the
mainland across from Entrance Island even burned down to the
shoreline. Good thing the breeze was blowing away from us, otherwise
it would have been a smoky, smelly anchorage.
Entrance Island has a short beach and since it's at the mouth of the
Liverpool River we kept a look out for crocodiles but didn't see any.
As the saying goes, the crocodiles see us... No matter how far or
how remote an island, we always see signs of plastic pollution on the
beaches and this small beach was no exception. Amongst the usual
plastic containers and flip-flops, we found a child's push-bike, a
toy Tonka truck and two balls. I carried them above the high tide
mark and set them in a visible place. Perhaps a child on a passing
boat will be delighted by the kid-friendly beach.
We also came across a hand-made traditional fishing spear, the design
hasn't changed for centuries.
Another comfortable night at a calm anchorage and the next morning we
motor sailed to Cuthbert Point in rather swelly seas. It's not well
chartered so we anchored quite far back in the bay but still went
ashore for our walk. The beach is long and disappears out of sight -
one can walk along it for days, probably without seeing another
person. The water next to the beach was calm and we watched small
fish leaping in the shallows as they were chased by bigger fish.
The next day's leg to South Goulburn Island required an early start
at 6.30 am to take advantage of the flood tide through Macquarie
Strait which can run up to 2 knots. Definitely didn't want to be
against that current.
We sailed all the way in near perfect conditions and anchored near
the barge ramp. We didn't see anyone but some horses grazed close to
the shore.
It was a super calm anchorage but the next day's sail to Valencia
Island was anything but calm. Shortly after we left, the sea swells
built up and soon became huge waves churning around the boat as it
dipped and rose up each wave. At some point we were doing a heady 11
knots down a wave. After about 3 hours of wildness Robert dropped the
main sail. This required turning the boat into the wind and facing
the oncoming wind and waves. My job was to turn the boat and hang on
to the wheel while Robert loosened ropes around the mast. Sliding
down a large trough of water bow first is really an eeek! moment.
Having the main sail down helped a bit with just the front sail out
but the waves coming from behind were still higher than the boat.
Robert felt sea sick and the rest of the journey to Valencia Island
was a rough ride. So much for the Australian MetEye weather forecasts
- completely wrong although we had checked again early in the
morning.
We anchored on the lee side of Valencia Island sheltered from the
wind and swells in a pretty bay. The mainland in the far distance had
the usual plumes of smoke billowing into the air.
We arrived at high tide so there was not much beach to explore as
it's just a narrow strip mostly covered at high tide. We had a short
walk and my sundowner on deck looking at the picturesque setting.
Shortly after going to bed, the swell into the bay picked up and
coupled with the outgoing tide it made the boat ride up on its anchor
chain - very noisy when we are just a few feet away inside. Sounds
seem amplified through the hull so we didn't get much sleep.
We got up groggily at 5.30 am to catch the ebb tide westwards through
Bowen Strait. The moon looked large and golden pink on the horizon as
we headed off in its direction - apparently it was the Strawberry
Moon - the full moon at solstice.
The Bowen Strait is another flat and featureless landscape and very
shallow in parts. Coming out the west end we passed a tug boat towing
a large load along. They must know their way through the strait
really well.
Soon after leaving the strait Robert caught a very large mackerel,
easily more than 20 kgs. Too big for us to eat - it's a week's worth
of dinners and we don't have a freezer. It seemed wasteful to kill it
for a couple of fillets so reluctantly Robert threw it back and off
it shot to live another day.
We anchored at Danger Point around lunchtime, caught up on some sleep
and went ashore for a walk. We saw turtle tracks in the sand and came
across two turtle nests where the nests had been dug open and the
eggshells broken and empty. There were lots of dog prints around the
nests so perhaps a dog had eaten the eggs. Rather sad. Later that
evening I read that leatherback turtles have very few nesting sites
in Australia and the main site is Danger Point. Even more sad if it
was leatherback turtles as they are endangered.
While having our sundowner on deck gazing at the shore we saw two
cows almost on the beach. Looking through binoculars (not our beer
glasses) Robert said they are banteng - a breed that is almost
extinct in its native Indonesia. They were brought to the Arnhem
Coast in mid 1800's for a colonial settlement at Port Essington which
did not flourish. The few cattle were released into the wild where
they flourished very well and are now rather too many feral banteng
for their adopted environment.
The next morning we had a leisurely breakfast and set off for the
short hop to Smith Point which has a National Park Rangers office and
cultural centre and prescribed walks. We hadn't seen anyone in five
days, a ranger would have to do. We went ashore and found the Rangers
houses, but no sign of life. There was a lovely view spot.
Nearby there is a marked walk around a billabong (swampy area) so we
started off but I'm not really a swamp enthusiast and the heat,
biting midges and wearing open sandals through the insect-infested
undergrowth soon got the better of me.
We headed back to the cultural centre, met the ranger and toured the
small centre. A walk along the beach was nicer and we came across
more turtle tracks and the sand hump seemed undisturbed. Hope this
one lasts the 80 - 90 day incubation period.
We planned to leave Smith Point in time to make the rising tide at
Dundas Strait. In this part of the world, the tidal flows are very
strong and can work in our favour by a couple of knots. Or against by
the same margin. Robert tried to lift the anchor but it seemed stuck.
It took 20 minutes of putting the engine into gear, reversing,
turning and eventually the anchor came up with a big chunk of dead
coral embedded on it! So far in our travels last year and this year,
we have been very fortunate in picking the right anchor spot - one of
the trickiest aspects in muddy water. Luckily Robert didn't have to
dive down to fix the problem as the ranger had said crocs were in
area.
There was very little wind on the way to Alcaro Bay and Robert put up
the spinnaker. It was a lovely sail into a beautiful bay. So calm and
still, fringed with trees, a creek off to one side, it looked more
like a picturesque lake.
The next leg was a long one from north to south across Van Diemens
Gulf and we had to get going at 3.30 am to make the distance with the
tricky tides. It was the second day without internet and we were
hoping the previous weather forecast was still valid. Oh how wrong we
were! We set off in the dark wee hours of the morning gliding in the
protected bay on water that was mirror smooth. As soon as we left the
bay, we were smacked with steep swells and a strong current gripped
us pushing us along at 10 knots! The swells got rougher, initially
from every direction and then a barrage of thumping waves from the
side. We hoped daybreak would bring some relief. It didn't really,
just that we could now see what was going to hit us. Robert was sea
sick and took to standing at the mast in the cockpit gazing at the
horizon, unfortunately getting sprayed too. The strong tide fell away
and there was a marginal improvement so we could turn more southwards
heading towards Beatrice Bay. Going all the way to Darwin was too
daunting for us in these conditions.
Over 10 hours later, we dropped anchor in Beatrice Bay with huge
relief. The engine had run constantly at 3000 rpm using 35 litres of
diesel. With two front sails out we covered 66.6 n.miles in 10 and a
half hours bouncing all the way. Perhaps we are no longer just
novices - hardy novices sounds better.
The wind and swells died down in Beatrice Bay as soon as we arrived.
We were too tired to launch the dinghy to go ashore and opted for a
nap instead.
The tricky tides and currents were not over yet and the next morning
required a later start at noon. Robert was spot on with the timing
and we had a strong current pushing us through the south channel of
the Vernon Islands at 8 knots in only 11 knot wind. Unlike the
previous day the sea was calm and smooth and we really enjoyed being
pushed along without a swell.
The wind died away and we motored the last few hours into Darwin
dropping anchor in the early evening in Fannie Bay.
I read in a cruising guide that sailing along the poorly chartered
Arnhem Coast was "only for the adventurous" - well, we did
it! It's certainly remote with poor to non-existent internet and no
VHF radio reception. For much of the time we did not see any other
boat, except for the occasional trawler or barge. The feeling of
being alone in a remote area was either challenging or exhilarating,
depending on how kind the weather was on that day.
So ends our Australian journey. It's been quite an experience for 2
middle aged novices from far away Cape Town. We have met the warmest,
most gregarious people and seen amazing scenery, especially along the
Coral Coast and Barrier Reef islands. Looking forward to our next
adventure with Pegasos.
