Decisions, decisions, decisions.......

Yes, it was one of those days when important decisions had to be made.

Port Douglas twilight 1 - Image by Navman

The first decision, when to arise.

This was not hard to make because Captain Bligh had to be up, breakfasted and ready to be picked up by 0800hrs.

We bade him farewell for his trip back to Tin Can Bay. Today will be a long day for him.

He has to fly to Brisbane, then get a train back up the coast to Nambour where his good wife Pacifica will pick him up.

 His journey will be full of promise. The promise of sleeping in his own bed, the promise of returning to his loving family, and the promise of a long weekend away on his magnificent yacht Liberator. I am sure that these things will help him through the long day.

The Sugar Wharf  - Image by Navman

Sea-Dog and I decided to spend some time getting Endless Summer back to her pre-voyage state of cleanliness. We attacked this task with some vigour, and by 1030hrs, Endless Summer was looking quite sparkling except for a couple of small sections which we plan to attack tomorrow.

River boat - Image by Navman

Then it was time for a coffee, followed by a walk around the marina precinct to check out the refuelling facilities because the fuel tanks on Endless Summer are quite low.

Before we knew it was lunchtime, and we savoured a quiet beer in the cockpit whilst enjoying the passing parade of the marina.

Big decisions had to be made after lunch......should we do some washing, go for a swim, or in Sea-Dog's case, have a snooze. In the end we were able to fit it all in. The water was a cheery 23 degrees, though I did miss the fact that there is no surf up here. Still, you can't have everything.

Port Douglas twilight 2 - Image by Navman

We did a few tiny maintenance jobs after this. After a final twilight walk for photos, I cooked a chicken, basil and tomato dish on a bed of spicy brown rice for dinner.

Yes, it has been a tough day at the office, but you know that someone has to do it....

Goodnight from paradise,

Navman

We have arrived............

Yes, after sixteen days, 1450nm (2700km) steaming, and many adventures, we arrived this morning in beautiful Port Douglas.

Sea birds at Yorkey's Knob

The day began magnificently, with cloudless cerulean skies and the comforting warmth that FNQ provides so well.

We had a magnificent run up from Yorkey's Knob. The sea was calm and the (light) wind was behind us. The coastline between Cairns and Port Douglas is very pretty, with a large mountain range not far from the water.

Sea-Dog and Captain Bligh check the channel into Port Douglas

After so many long days, it was kind of strange to be stopping before lunch. Going into Dickson Inlet at Port Douglas, a restrained hush fell over us all as we each realised what we had achieved. For Sea-Dog, this was the culmination of twenty years of dreams. For Captain Bligh it was the end of yet another successful boat delivery. For me it was something to cross off my bucket list, for I have long wanted to go on a journey such as this.

And we did it well. Endless Summer performed almost perfectly, with only very minor issues that we had to sort out. Mostly it was also a very comfortable trip. The ocean managed to put us out of our comfort zone a few times, but not at any stage did I feel that we were in mortal peril.

 We have spent the rest of the day relaxing in the sun, and chasing up some issues with the raw water strainers and the battery charger. But now is not the time to be discussing such arcane matters.

Beneath the palms at Nautilus - Image by Navman

Sea-Dog took Captain Bligh and I to dinner at the Nautilus, a very fine restaurant in Port Douglas.

Here we dined on delicious tuna tataki, whole coral trout and tropical fruit sorbets. It was a wonderful celebration of a fantastic trip.

I can think of no finer way to celebrate the occasion.

As I write this I am sitting quietly in the dark on the rear deck of Endless Summer. The marina is still and there are few sounds except for a recording of  jazz piano playing on a boat somewhere.

We have arrived. I have arrived.

Bonne Nuit,

Navman

Flying towards the finish

Moonset over Mt Townsend - Image by Navman

It was another high speed day today. It was also our last full day of travel, as we only have 25nm to go to reach Port Douglas.

We were up before dawn to do our vessel prechecks and have a quick coffee before setting off.

Sunrise over Cleveland Bay - Image by Navman

By sunrise we were out in Cleveland Bay and heading north at our customary 20knots. It was an incredible site with the moon setting to the west and the sun rising in the east.

The sea was calm again and I was able to prepare breakfast for Sea-Dog and Captain Bligh whilst steaming along at "full noise".

This has always been a fun challenge, to prepare and serve nutritious and tasty meals, with limited ingredients, basic facilities, and boat conditions. It is one of my favorite boating pleasures.

Everyone is heading north - Image by Navman

The original plan was to head north for a bit, then slow to trolling speed for an hour or so. After this we were to  follow up with a snorkel between Fantome and Orpheus Islands. This is a fantastic snorkelling spot, with magnificent coral, giant clams and an amazing array of fish of all sizes, colours and descriptions. Today was not our day for this activity however, as there was a southwesterly breeze blowing at a steady 10-15 knots.

With no fish on the troll, and our snorkelling plans scuttled, a change in plan was the order of the day. We decided that instead of overnighting at Dunk Island anchorage, we would push on to Yorky's Knob marina, about 10nm north of Cairns. This we did, and by 1700hrs we were tied up in Yorky's with our customary beer in hand.

Marina neighbours  - Image by Navman

Tomorrow will be the last day of our journey. Already we have travelled over 1400nm (2700km) in the fifteen days since we left. Like the Tour de France, our last day will be largely ceremonial. We will leave here at a leisurely hour and plan to be tied up at our berth in Port Douglas marina by midday. Doubtless I shall have further reflections upon that tomorrow.

That's all for today,

Happy Boating,

Navman

FNQ we love you.........

Marina neighbour - Image by Navman

A day hanging about in Townsville has reminded me why I am doing this trip. The temperature is a very pleasant 28 degrees, with a light zephyr of breeze wafting over the water every now and then. I am writing this sitting on one of the fingers in the marina, it the shade of a big game boat.

There are plate-sized bat fish lying under and around the pontoons, and a couple of trevally playing jumping games from time to time.

The shags are having a break from fishing and are sitting in the sun drying their wings. I am showered and shaved and it will soon be beer o'clock. If only SasSea were here, everything would be perfect.

Marina lifestyle

Speaking of SasSea, she is still at home. The temperature there is only in the low teens and cold gale force winds are predicted. The good news is that she has now booked her ticket north, and will be joining me in Port Douglas in the middle of next week.

My brother lives in Townsville with his wife and kids, and we are all meeting up tonight on the boat for drinks and dinner. It will be a great opportunity to catch up with everyone.

It's time now to go for a beer and get a few things ready.

Till tomorrow,

Navman

A Perfect Day

Foggy morning at Mackay - Image by Navman

Today was the perfect Queensland day……absolutely everything you could wish for in boating. 

It was foggy early and we were up early so that we could be at the fuel jetty when it opened.  

We set off from Mackay in brilliant sunshine and no wind. Endless Summer was loping along at a steady 20knots cruising speed.

By lunchtime we were at Hamilton Island to refuel both boat and bodies. It was but a short stop and we were soon off again at quite a pace.

The forecast for the next couple of days is for increasing wind, so we wanted to make the most of today's good condtions by reaching Townsville this evening. 

And perfect it was. It was so flat that Captain Bligh could have skied behind Endless Summer. 


There were fish, birds, sea snakes and dolphins to observe, and plenty of lively conversations and funny stories that were told.

Hamilton Island Yacht Club - Image by Navman

Sea-Dog at the helm on a perfect Whitsunday Sunday.

The Whitsunday Islands came and went, then our course took us away from the coast and we cruised all alone out on the open ocean until dusk. 

 At this stage we still had nearly 40nm to go to reach Townsville and we thought it would be necessary to reduce speed so that we could maintain good visibility.

The wind was on our side today though, and as the sun fell into the water ahead, conditions improved even further.

The full moon rose astern of  us to light our way. The surface of the water was so glassy that we could see every tiny thing breaking the surface. 

This enabled us to maintain our 20knot speed right up to Cape Cleveland on the outskirts of Townsville, even though the last light of day was long gone.


Once inside Cleveland Bay, Sea-Dog and I came down off the flybridge to have a beer and prepare dinner.

Captain Bligh stayed on the flybridge to guide us to our anchorage, albeit at only 10 knots as the visibility was now reduced. 

It was not all bad news for him though because when we dropped anchor he was able to have a beer, then sit down to dinner straight away.

It was a night for two bottles of red. For the day we covered just under 200 nautical miles (360km) in 11 hours including fuel stops. 

Endless Summer chases the sunset - Image by Navman

The moon rose to light our way- Image by Navman

We are now anchored in Townsville’s answer to Bum’s Bay. It is a well sheltered anchorage just outside the Townsville Marina. The marina will be our destination for our lay day tomorrow. 


We have a couple of issues to address with Endless Summer. One is a persistent high oil pressure gearbox alarm on the starboard engine at idle speed, and the other is a leak n the stern compartment of the boat when we are moving at high speed.

We will need to address these issues (and do some washing) before we leave Townsville early on Tuesdy morning.

You will recall we left our NSW South Coast base two weeks ago. We have travelled over 1250nm and now have only 200nm to go.  

The water temperature is ideal for swimming so we might take a few hours to enjoy the delights of Far North Queensland before we arrive in Port Douglas later this week. The dark times that we experienced late last week are now firmly behind us.

Late afternoon in the Whitsundays - Image by Navman

It has been a perfect day, but it is now well past midnight and I need to sleep.


Sweet dreams,


Navman

From the ridiculous to the sublime....

Port Clinton morning - Image by Navman

Today was a much better day. We had rain overnight, but there were glimpses of sunshine when we rose. 

Nobody was in a hurry to get going this morning, so I put a line out over the back during breakfast. As you can see from the accompanying photo, the results were not spectacular.

The fishing hasn't been a highlight of this trip! - Image by Sea-Dog

Not long after, we weighed anchor and proceeded to sea. This was a tentative exploration, because no-one was in the mood for more of the seas that we went through yesterday. 

Because we had dallied for an hour or so, the tide had started to ebb and the conditions on the Port Clinton bar were far from ideal. This again was not an auspicious start. Nonetheless we carried on, hoping at least to get to Island Head Creek, some 13nm north. 

Once we freed ourselves from the outgoing Port Clinton flow, the sea conditions improved somewhat, and we were confident that it would not be necessary to go back. 

There was a yacht entering Island Head Creek just as we arrived outside, and as it seemed to be making heavy going of it, we thought we would see what the sea conditions were like north of the Island Creek entrance. 

There were plenty of these off Mackay - Image by Navman

This turned out to be a good decision as sea conditions began to markedly improve. Whereas we had been struggling to maintain 9 knots, a short time later we were averaging 15knots. We maintained this speed until we slowed to have lunch in the lee of Hexham Island, about 30nm north.


During the afternoon sea conditions improved further and we decided to run for Mackay, about 75nm north. This we did in fine style, with Endless Summer cruising effortlessly at a very creditable 18knots average on the open sea.

Just before Mackay we went through a flotilla of ships waiting to load coal at Hay Point. Once again the AIS proved its worth and we navigated through the fleet with ease.

By 1730hrs we were tied up in the marina at Mackay with a beer in hand celebrating a great day’s adventure. 

We also celebrated the fact that we have now travelled more than 1000nm (1850km) since we left home.

Sea-Dog bought us some delicious Thai takeaway for dinner so I had a night off cooking.

Endless Summer at Mackay Marina - Image by Navman

All in all, it was a great day.

And so to bed, sweet dreams all….

Navman  

Not the best of days..........

Ken & Sue - friends of Captain Bligh we met in The Narrows

The day started off well, as we had a pleasant night’s sleep at the Mosquito Creek anchorage.  We weighed anchor a little after 0700hrs and proceeded north out of the narrows.

Once outside, the sea conditions were better than we thought they would be, and we made 18knots for most of the 30nm run to Yeppoon.

 Here we had morning tea, and topped up the fuel tanks in anticipation of the long run up to Mackay.

Rosslyn Bay (Yeppoon) Marina - Image by Navman 2008

Captain Bligh and I were in high hopes of a similarly speedy and comfortable run up to  Port Clinton, but it was not to be.

About half an hour out of Rosslyn Bay we were overtaken by a series of rain squalls and high wind. 

The seas rose alarmingly, and we were forced to repeatedly deviate from our course and nose up into the waves. 

We also were forced to steer by hand as the autopilot could not manage the confused sea and swell. 

Sets of 4m waves would appear out of the gloom and rain and we zigzagged our way north around them.

Stormy sea - Image by Navman

The situation was far from comfortable, but we came through it safely. Endless Summer handled it well on most occasions, except for a few rogue waves that had us a little concerned.

Just after 1500hrs we entered the shelter of Port Clinton and dropped anchor. We were all very glad it was over. 

Port Clinton is not really a port at all, just a big natural harbour in a very remote place. We have the place completely to ourselves.

Everyone is very subdued this evening. Even the dinner of lamb and vegetable stew failed to brighten the spirits onboard.

Captain Bligh and Sea-Dog have now gone to bed and I am sitting alone with my reflections. I hope tomorrow brings renewed spirit to us all, or I fear that our journey together will be over once we get back to civilisation.

Isolated pinnacles - the calm before the storm - Image by Navman

Tomorrow the weather is predicted to be better, and if not, we will probably stay here. We have food for a week and the water will last a similar time if we are careful.

Time for me to sleep now,

Navman