Heading to Indonesia!

Young Endeavor

Leaving Darwin, AU was an interesting experience. First, the WARC had to get all of the boats out of the marina and through the lock one at a time while the tide was high. We were scheduled to be in the lock at 0800 and we were. Once out of the lock and across the mud flats into the channel, we anchored to wait for the 1100 WARC Rally Start.

There was no wind for the Start. Gennakers collapsed

shortly after this shot was taken. Slowest Start ever!

The Start was at Stokes Hill Wharf, with the training ship Young Endeavor as the offshore mark. There was no wind – as in zero! We all tried to sail out of the harbor to give on onlookers a sight to behold, but it was painfully slow. Boats were changing sail plans on the fly. Even the lightest genakers would not stand. And so the motoring began…

We motored, we motor-sailed, and we sailed some. It was very slow 920 nm passage! It took us six days and we motored 44 hours of it. Needless to say, the Rally ordered extra fuel for delivery to all boats. While pleasant without any mal de mare for me, it was boring. I read three books and did a lot of cooking en route since it was nearly like being at anchor.

There was a nasty current against us most of the way!

Trillium’s great fishing team of Dennis and Sheila did not provide any food for the table either! I couldn’t understand why they kept using the same lures every day when nothing was biting them. What is the definition of insanity? At least no one had to clean a fish! We saw a couple of whales and a few dolphins came alongside to swim with Trillium.

On our last night at sea, a large web-footed bird with a long blue beak landed on the dorade on our aft deck.  It looked like some type of Booby.  He stayed quite a while until we invited him to move because he was crapping all over the teak. He flew around us several times and landed on the grill on the aft rail. Since we did not want that whitewashed, Dennis shooed him away again.

This time he took up residency on top of the MOM-8 and hid behind the antennae pole. I think he thought we couldn’t see him. Since his tail was pointed in the right direction, we let him stay there. He rode along until about 0300 the next day. Obviously, the bird was tired or not feeling well. Apparently, when it felt well enough, it took flight.

We did get to fly Big Blue some.

There is not much in the way of marine services there at the southwest end of Lombok. We are anchored off Gili Gebe and have to take water taxis to the mainland. Our feed water pump melted a capacitor and stopped working so we had to carefully manage our water usage en route. Everyone was happy to dive in the water once we anchored! It is a little $4 part, but it can sure shut you down fast. We found one in town and also bought a spare. All is well now.

You can see there is little wind so motor sailing was the way!

Now for the island fun to begin…

Jumping Crocodiles and More!

The wetlands of the Adelaide River.

The World ARC offered a trip to see the Jumping Crocodiles on the Adelaide River. Dennis stayed behind as a tradesman was coming on board to look at something. This had been a tour that we passed on when we were here before. It was so hot in Darwin that I figured a ride in an air conditioned bus was a good idea.

The wetlands extend for miles. When flooded, the crocs

and other animals take up residency.

First we stopped at a Window on the Wetlands Nature Reserve to see the exhibits and learn about the importance of the wetlands. In this area, the tides can be up to 8 meters high which floods inland for miles. Then in the rainy season, the wetlands also flood. Wetlands are essential in the scheme of nature and they are diminishing on earth as man fills them in to build! We all need to be aware of their importance to the whole ecosystem and protect them.

Stuart and Pat on Brizo

The wetlands in this area are inhabited by crocodiles, wild buffalo and many species of birds and fish. The crocodiles are actually protected here. I figured they were a nuisance and could be hunter like we hunt the Michigan White Tailed Deer. Apparently, the rivers and surrounding wetlands depend on the coexistence with the crocs. The Park Ranger gave a very detail description of how it all works.

See the black earth in a distance. The natives knew to burn

the lower under bush and sometimes lightening starts the burn.

Then we were off to see the jumping crocodiles! The group boarded a double decker tourist boat for a trip up and down the Adelaide River, home to over 1600 crocodiles. The tour guide said the better views were inside the lower level, but everyone raced to get up to the open top deck. I headed down and got a window seat. Not only was it air conditioned, but I also got a close up view of the crocodiles right outside my window.

More than 30 years ago, the Australian Saltwater Crocodile was protected as they were believed to be facing extinction. Today there are more than 80,000 Saltwater Crocodiles roaming the waterways for Northern Australia. However, it is relatively rare to see one even though you hear of the rare incident of one killing a human.

Since they are cold blooded animals, they bask in the sun during the cooler months of June, July and early August. Most of the time they are buried in the mud, under the trees in the shade. They like to hang out in the mangroves along the beaches so it is unwise to go ashore or swimming there.

Wild buffalo along the road.

There on the Adelaide River, the crocs know the tour boats and that they will be fed so they come out of their hiding spots to the boat to vie for a piece of meat. The tour guide fed meat hanging on a line from a pole to the crocodiles. The guide splashed the meat in the water to entice these prehistoric creatures to leap out of the water. It is carefully monitored so the crocs don't become dependent on the meat as their main source of food.

This big guy is swimming around waiting to pounce.

I am glad I went on the tour as I learned a lot and it was relatively entertaining. Plus I was in air conditioning all day! Actually, we have been running the two air conditioners on the boat most of the day and night. We only switch it off when we have to move to charging the batteries.


It is extremely hot here in Darwin. We are near a latitude of 12 degrees south of the equator so we are in the tropics! It is going to get worse as we head to Indonesia and get closer to it. I don't love the heat so I am not looking forward to being away from shore power and air conditioning for the next few months! With a new crew guy on board, I will have to dress appropriately, instead of comfortably!

Note: this female has no forearms.

The water is deep here, but they lift themselves up out of

the water. Quite amazing in strength.

Winding our way down the Adelaide River

Soon we will be heading out through the lock of the marina, crossing the reefs at high tide and heading to the Start Line for the leg to Indonesia. It should take 5-6 days to get to Lombok, but there is no wind predicted so it may take longer. We can't use up a lot of fuel this early in the trip as we have thousands of miles to go and not many places to refuel. This may become the slow boat to China.

We are at the blue dot in the lower right corner.

This year I got to celebrate my birthday in Australia. Last year it was in Vanuatu and in Fiji the year before. What a lucky lady I am! Dennis and I had a date night with dinner in the city away from the sailing gang.

Sheila surprised me by decorating the boat for my birthday.

Note: I have scheduled these posts to come out while we are at sea and without Internet. I may not be posting live again for a couple of months.

On Top of Oz!

So happy to see the Darwin skyline!

Well, here we are finally at the top of Australia in the capital of the Northern Territory: Darwin. We had been here back in April when we took the Ghan train to Alice Springs for our outback experience. Since we have visited most of the national parks in this area, we did not book any tours over the free weekend like many others who are here for the first time.

The chart makes it look impossible to get into the marina.

You must enter when the tide is at least 4 meters to get across

the mudflats and reefs and into the marina. Challenging!

Darwin is a small but relatively new city. It was completely leveled in 1974 by a cyclone. The entire downtown was rebuild and the roads were laid out so they could be widened for future growth. You can get to everything within 20 minutes as it is build along the waterfront of several bays and peninsulas.

Upon arrival in Darwin, we refueled in Cullen Bay Marina. I almost ran aground as I got confused with the marks in the water that were not on the chart. All is well. We were able to go directly to our slip in Tipperary Waters Marina since we arrived at high tide. That was an experience! When you look at the chart, there is no passage from the channel across the reef or mud flats to the entrance to the marina. It is all land!

Google Earth view of Tipperary Waters Marina at high tide.

Since you have to pass though a lock to get into the marina, we had to enter and leave when the tide was at a minimum of four meters. This is a small window for getting everyone in and out one boat at a time. The approach to the lock was tricky and the lock is very narrow with concrete sides and steel gates at each end.

The aft gate is closing before the water level can be raised.

Inside the lock with both gates closed. Up we go!

Jeff, the lockmaster and marina manager, is

giving us instructions. I felt so nervous.

Once inside the lock, we tied up port side to the wall and waited until the water filled and raised us up to the water level inside the marina. If there wasn't a lock, all of the water in the marina would drain out with the falling tide and boats would be on their sides! We were sitting in high water in the marina, overlooking mud flats that we had come across to get inside!

We were raised up to the level of the water

in the marina; then the forward gate opened

so I could drive us out and to the slip.

Forward gate closed; Dennis checking things.

The World ARC always has a number of social events including a Welcome Party. This was a good time to meet everyone again and connect names and faces. We were also invited to the Dinah Beach Yacht Club for an evening of cocktails and dinner. This is a very old establishment in Darwin. Actually, it is one of the few remaining buildings that survived the big cyclone that wiped out the entire city in 1974.

Sherry and Dennis with Hugh, our WARC leader.

This is a sailors' club. No dress code! Open air clubhouse. Good bar and a food truck type kitchen on the premises. We didn't need to worry about not being "dressed" for a yacht club. We met some very nice locals and shared cruising stories. Apparently, some of our gang had a good night on the dance floor, but we missed it. A good time was had by all!

We also attended a wine tasting event on the dock where we could order duty free wine to be delivered to the boat on our day of departure. It saved about 30% on taxes. Our next wine tasting with be in South Africa.

Anticipating the Challenge of the Torres Straits

Spinnaker pole rigged and ready to use as

we are expecting wind on the stern that will

die out on the westward part of the passage

There are several passages that we look forward to with trepidation. The Straits of Torres between Australia and Papua New Guinea is known for wild currents and tides and often heavy winds. It is also a main shipping channel with huge cargo ships to avoid. Stories have been told about the terrors of the Torres Strait.

We had been dreading this area. There is no avoiding it as it is the middle of the 2000 nm trip. Winds are often gale force strength, the currents are fast and changing in direction irregularly; and when the wind and currents are opposing one another, it can be a wild ride. If you hit the current at the wrong time, it can be a very slow ride. Once again, timing is everything!

Approaching the Albany Pass with Brizo ahead of us.

Well, lucky us! There was no wind and no waves and we got the current timing through the Albany Passage perfectly with the tide. We motored through a beautiful area where there were a number of bays that looked like lovely anchorages. Of course, I didn't check the chart for bottom conditions a we passed by. It was one of the prettiest place we have passed.

Calm conditions (actually flat water) continued all day and we entered the Torres Strait for our transit west. The large cargo ships use the "preferred route" on the chart that was several miles north of us. There is a southern passage called the Endeavor Strait. By taking the Endeavor Strait, we avoided the big ships. This passage has areas too shallow for the freighters. It took us on the south side of Prince of Wales Island. We were out of the strait and crossing the Gulf of Carpentaria, which is about 325 miles wide, before midnight.

Fears unfounded! No wind in the Torres Strait! Woo Hoo!

We did not stop at any of the islands in the strait as the bio security forces require you to check into Australia again. And that is a pain and you can't be sure they won't take all of your meats, fruits and vegetables away from you. Apparently, there is a problem with people bringing such items across the strait from Papua New Guinea to the islands. As long as we did not stop in that area, we were considered to still be in Australian waters.

Once we entered the Torres Straits we had to  continue motoring as there was no wind. So much for that worry! Actually, the passage was like a walk in the park. The WARC boats that went through last week had a different story.

We did a little wing and wing sailing, some motor sailing and some Iron Jenny sailing (just motor) for several days. The wind would pick up enough to sail from time to time, but when it died down, we fired up the engine. Again, timing the entrance into the Dundas Strait at the western end of the passage was important.

During the second afternoon, the dolphins came to play.

One relaxing afternoon - actually a boring afternoon of not moving too fast - we were invaded by dolphins! The came from both stern quarters of the boat for about 20 minutes straight! You could see them coming from a distance. It was like someone rang the dinner bell!

What a sight! They just kept coming like we were

having a dolphin convention or giving away a prize!

They were swimming and jumping out of the water in groups of 3-6 at a time. And they were really big ones. There could have been 150-200 of them. What I found interesting was that they didn't swim back and forth under the bow like most pods who come to play with the bow. These kept coming from the stern, swam next to us and went on ahead. They didn't chris-cross and play.

The show was spectacular and I got some video, put don't know how to put it into the blog. Maybe I can get it up on FaceBook.

Very stealth! This military ship did not appear on my

screen until he was practically on top of me. And note

the direction of his path line: 90 degrees to the boat!

During my night watch, Pat on Brizo called me on the radio and asked if I saw the warship following me. Apparently, it showed up on her screen at least 15 minutes before it showed on mine. She was a couple of miles to my port. I looked behind and I could see the lights in a distance. Shortly, it popped up on my chart plotter and there it was - very close! It made no radio contact with me and just went along at my speed for a while. Finally, it moved on ahead. Thankfully, they did not decide to board us in the dark!

Four of us found a nice anchorage in Alcaro Bay near Cape

Don to wait for the right current in the Dundas Strait.

The following day, we had a Border Patrol plane buzz so close it could have taken the wind instruments off the top of the mast if it had been overhead instead of off the starboard side. They were checking out our flag. Then it went ahead to the other three boats and called the one with the Australia flag. Katarina identified the four boats and said we were with the World ARC. Then they call us, but no one else. Later we heard them demanding another boat, not in our group, to respond. Well, if they didn't have their radio on, they were not going to be responding. The authorities got somewhat aggressive over the air, but we don't know what happened after that.

We saw this anchored near us in the morning

Traveling on these long passages with another boat is more enjoyable. We actually had a group of four as we caught up to Katarina and Into the Blue. Together, the skippers worked out a passage plan for the Dundas Strait and Howard Channel. The plan was to stop for some sleep at Smith Point just north of Port Essington. The first two boats would get there just at sunset. Brizo would arrive around 2300 and we would arrive at 0500 the following morning. The plan was to stay there until time to head to Dundas Strait.

Of course, this meant anchoring in the dark for us. Thankfully, the others were kind enough to leave their AIS on while they slept so we could find the anchorage and not get too close to them.

Timing the currents through the Dundas Strait and

Howard Channel are essential so as not to have a

strong current against you. And of course, we made

the passage in the dark in order to arrive in daylight.

The great minds of the skippers worked on Plans A, B and C. I think they all finally agreed on C, but two hours before departure, it was aborted and they moved to Plan D! Calculating tides and currents along with arrival times based on various boat speeds is not easy. New plan: have a day sail to Alcaro Bay near Cape Don, catch a meal and a nap before heading into Dundas Strait at 2000. So we had a very short sleep at Smith Point, but a beautiful day sail without engine to Alcaro Bay.

We are the smallest boat in the group at 48.5 feet! That means we are the slowest as well as we have a shorter waterline compared to the 52 and 55 foot boats. We announced that we would leave 30 minutes before the others and they could pass us later.

That never happened! We hit all of the currents exactly right and just flew threw the straits and channels at speeds of 8-10 knots. Later our sailing partners wondered what we were doing to stay so far ahead! Nothing, except getting it right! They never caught us and we were the first into Cullen Bay Marina for fuel.

As the Aussies say: Done and Dusted! Here is the path

we took. Trillium is the lighter blue track line.

So nice to have this passage behind us.

Cullen Bay is also the marina where boats go for the bio security sanitation process where they put a chemical in all of the raw water through holes. Brizo kindly tipped us off that they did not have to do that process because they had been on the hard in Mackay. Well, so had we! So I called bio security and got clearance straight into Tipperary Waters Marina. No bio security decontamination needed.

Because the tides can be 8 meters (over 24') here, the marinas have locks through which you enter. The bio security measure is to keep certain critters out of the marina waters since the only water movement is when the lock is opened to let a boat in and out. There is no regular tidal flushing in the marinas.

Next stop: Lombok, Indonesia next door to Bali. Then

to Christmas Island, Cocos Keeling, Mauritius,  Le Reunion

and South Africa by Thanksgiving. Cape Town for Christmas.

So Many Islands; So Little Time

Thigh burn!

As we left Cairns, we knew we only had two more rest stops before the infamous Strait of Torres. Timing our arrival at the Albany Passage to connect with the westward current in the strait was essential for a good passage. A couple of WARC boats had gone ahead of us by a week or so and had high winds and a rough passage. I was not looking forward to testing my new mal de mare preventative here!

Our British friends on Brizo left Cairns just as we were entering the harbor. They were headed to Cooktown which was not on our list. Our plan was to sail straight to Lizard Island. As a result, we caught up to Brizo there.

Mother Nature's stairway!

Lizard Island has one resort and a research center. The beach is beautiful and was free of crocodiles so there was the opportunity to snorkel. Sometimes I think Australia would be the best place to live for a number of reasons, but then I remember they are home to the ten most deadly creatures on the planet. So much beautiful water and so dangerous for swimming!

Sheila, Stuart and Rory climbed to the top of the hill where Captain Cook stood searching for a way out of the Great Barrier Reef. It was quite a challenging climb and Dennis, Pat and I declined the invitation to join them. While the view was beautiful from the top, they agreed it was not something for my hip to endure. Sheila took some spectacular photos that I am sharing here.

I am in awe of the sailing done by Captain Cook and others in this region of the world. And they didn't have the cartography we have. Actually, they we drawing charts as they explored! And those charts are amazingly accurate.

But I also cannot imagine standing in a crow's next on the mast of a tall ship trying to guide the helmsman through the few openings in the reefs. It is no wonder there were so many shipwrecks!

After a quick lunch on board, they all went snorkeling on the reef next to our boat. The reef was very healthy and they saw some giant clams.

We were invited for Sundowners on Brizo! Dennis and I took a dinghy ride over, but Sheila passed. Sheila is full of energy, but the climb took her down early! The good ole thigh burn got her! It is fun to sail with another boat. And Rory and Sheila could explore places we didn't care to go.

From Lizard Island on was mostly sailing with some motor sailing when the wind dropped too low to keep our minimum speed required to get to the Escape River before sundown. The Escape River on the south side of Turtle Head Island was a good resting point, except for trying to find a place to anchor that wasn't reef or pearl farm platforms. Even though the anchorage is in the wide open mouth of a river, it was quite comfortable.

Giant clams are hard to find. There were several here.

Apparently, a couple of earlier years' WARC boats had challenges going aground there. I could see why. In one moment we were in 9 meters of water and suddenly it was 2.2 meters of water and we had only moved a few feet. One must watch the swing of the boat when the tides turn to make sure you don't end up sitting (or laying on your side) on a reef at low tide. Not good for the boat or the reef!

After a good night's sleep, we were up and waiting for the tide to rise so we could cross the sandbar at the mouth of the river. As soon as we could clear the bar, we would continue straight to the Albany Passage to catch the northbound tide and hopefully arrive at the Torres Strait with the tide and wind in our favor. Any place where the water narrows, you will need to make sure you go with the flow. Otherwise, it can be very slow motoring against the tide. And a very bumpy ride!