Over the top of the land down under
From Cairns we set off for Darwin just a mere 1200 nm away. After one week of long days, and several overnight passages we are still about 200 nautical miles from Darwin. We now have come to realize the enormity of Australia the country/continent. We've passed a thousand miles of lowland shores with small trees, brush, mixed with amazing white sand beaches and rolling sand dunes.
We've meandered through the great barrier reef -- but saw very little of it. From the cockpit, it just looks like a big ocean. Its only our charts that tell us that there are dangers that lurk below. The water has now become a few degrees warmer, and we've put our winter jackets back in the closet. We did pass through a very squally area for a day or two with gusty winds but that has now given way to warm pleasant tradewinds and some of the best champagne sailing days we've had since we left Panama. The wildlife is back thanks to the excellent protection provided by Australia to preserve their environment. Dolphins, so many whales, large turtles and FISH! We've caught fish!
For the first time in months, we've found ourselves again, off the beaten track, the lone boat in anchorages with only the panoramic backdrop of the great outback.
This week we also passed through the historically infamous Torres Strait, strewn with reefs and rocks and fast currents. Before modern navigation I'm sure it would have been terrifying. We passed several markers of wrecks --always a good reminder to remain diligent. For us though, it was a breeze on a spectacular day. We flew through the strait at 13 knots.
While the last week or so has been delightful, it has not been without a few bits of drama here and there. When we left Mackay, we had some pretty square big seas when we left the harbor, while crashing through the waves we popped the top cover of our forward sail's furling gear mechanism. This was not a big deal...until a few days ago when our drifter sail got tangled up and snagged the front of the furler (since the protective case was missing) ripping a 6 inch hole in the bottom. Oops. It is at the end of its useful life, but still not something we wanted to deal with just now. We have several more lines that need replacing again, just wear, tear and lots of UV. And there was the time we had an accidental gybe and ripped a hole in our vinyl window at the back of the cockpit. Oh, and the time we backwinded the staysail while furling and during the flapping around ripped off some of the UV canvas protection. All of these things are just par for the course with long miles and lots of continuous use. The list for repairs and parts in Darwin is once again long.
After completing the 2.5 day leg across the Gulf of Capentaria, we anchored in a remote unsurveyed (no published chart depths) harbor on the island of Wigram. The land we are told is privately owned by the local aboriginal tribe so we couldn't go ashore without their permission. There didn't appear to be anyone on the island. It was very windy, the landscape wild and low lying (and supposedly also home to "salties" saltwater crocodiles). We had to leave in the morning at 4:30 am to make the pass to the "Hole in the Wall" or the "Rip". This particular night, we didn't have any motivation to get off the boat. So we settled in, watched the replay of the Seahawks football game, took hot showers and made hamburgers. Sometimes even in the middle of an epic circumnavigation it feels good to just hang out and do 'nothing'.
The Gugari Rip is about 150m wide and about 2 nautical miles long. Depth is about 20-50 feet. The side walls look like large slabs of limestone that have just broken off and fallinto the sea. The geology was fascinating. We had planned to go in at slack to ebb, but in typical Blair fashion we were an hour early. So, after assessing the situation at the entrance we decided to go for it. We were going against the current but it allowed us to spend more time studying the walls of the canal. If we'd waited for the current to go with us it probably would have only taken a few minutes! After passing the "Rip" we set out on another 36 hour sail to Alcaro Bay where we will wait for the first tide 'gate' to open so we can complete the final 100 nm run flushing us through the Dundas Strait, into the Gulf of Van Deimen, and meet the second tide 'gate', where we will be flushed out of Howard Channel and pop right into the city of Darwin. Onward.
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