The Blue Nomads Reach Cape York

After several long sailing days from Airlie Beach, with favourable SE winds, we stocked up in Townsville then took another short break at Port Douglas, also to find some spare parts (always something breaking!). 

Next stop Hope Island, where we met SV Cool Change, Matt and Lisa, and MV Sealeaf, Brian and Sandra, who are also planning a Kimberley trip this year.

Beyond Cape Flattery, we were into new territory, as far north as we had ever sailed Heatwave.  The shipping lane is very close to the coast here and small islets, surrounded by large reefs and rocks, dot the whole region, so constant lookout was necessary. Ninian Bay offered a safe anchorage, but wake from the passing ships did make it a bit lumpy at times.  

Next morning we had a perfect downwind run along the edge of the shipping channel to The Flinders Islands, where we hoped to stay a few days.  Rounding Cape Melville, with its rugged, rocky headlands, it was difficult to see Channel Rocks at high tide, so the starboard marker on it was welcomed.   Further in, Bathurst Bay was the scene of Queensland’s worst cyclone, Mahina in March 1899, which destroyed 50 pearl luggers and their mother ships, killing about 300 people.  The official number was not known as many of the divers and ship hands were from Torres Strait and Pacific Islands, referred to on the memorial as “over 300 coloured men”.  Very sad.

Sailing into the Owen Channel between Flinders Island and Stanley is like a bar crossing as the waves surge through the narrow channel.  Castle Peaks, at the entrance, create a dramatic sight, at first you see one peak, then it becomes two.  

The first anchorage is tricky to negotiate, with fringing reefs and bommies to dodge.  Along the campground beach masses of soft coral float near the surface resembling a giant kelp garden.  

There are ancient artworks in caves on Stanley Island, but with winds increasing it was too rough to attempt to dinghy in to the start of the walk.  Have to leave that one for next time...

Leaving Flinders we sailed past even smaller islands with even littler lights, most surrounded by massive reefs and long sand spits.

Wharton Reef

On our walk around Morris Island we had our first croc encounter:  fresh tracks from the beach across to the water at the western end of the island.  Nigel and Kerry had also seen fresh tracks on the southern side, so it was back to the boat quick smart, it was already getting late.  

Alan Lucas described Morris Island as having one significant coconut palm, but since then it has had babies, now 5 palms, and the introduction of agave plants, a dreadful weed, has impacted severely on the vegetation, leaving the thousands of black noddies to roost on the few remaining trees.  

Black Noddies

On top of that, rubbish litters the shores around most of the island: plastic water bottles, thongs, fishing nets and assorted plastics .  One intriguing piece of flotsam resembled a spaceship.

Birds on Morris Island:  greater frigatebird, thousands of black noddies, silver gulls, pied oystercatchers, reef egrets (white morph), and a small flock of shorebirds, possibly sand plovers.

Duet and Nomad Davina opted to push on to Portland Roads while we decided to check out Night Island, also as an anchorage for the return journey.  We were on our own again... with just the cheerful calls of the varied honeyeaters and pied oystercatchers.  Around sunset hundreds of lorikeets flew in to roost for the night. 

Night Island gave us a pleasant anchorage and as I was about to take photos of the shores when our second croc encounter occurred.  A 3 metre croc swam along our port side and eyeballed me (shiver!!).  He then dived at our stern but came back to have another look at us.  We decided not to check out this beach, but stay aboard.

Smile Crocodile!