Saturday, May 17, 2008

Townsville to Cairns


Wednesday 14 May

Finally everything seems to be ok. The mechanic worked until 7pm last night, and the fridge is cooling again. The Admiral did the shopping while he worked, and we are ready for the trip to Cairns. At first light (5:30 am) we left Townsville for Hinchinbrook, and made it to Haycock Island in the channel by 5pm. This is a very nice and calm anchorage, like being on a lake.

At 4:37 pm on that day, Alex (third grandchild, first grandson) was born. A good reason to invite the other boats in the anchorage (Mishiwa, Sahula, Kayitsiz) over for drinks and nibblies. Nice to celebrate in such an impressive environment.

Thursday 15 May

A short trip got us through the channel to Dunk Island. The clouds over Hinchinbrook were below the peaks, it was like a different world. We should have more time, maybe on our next trip. We walked around Dunk Island to find the Artists Gallery, but all appeared to be gone after cyclone Larry. No artists, nothing on display. We walked on to Coconut Beach, and we really found coconuts. We took one back to the boat, it seemed ok. The proof will be later when we open it completely.

There were two other boats at Dunk, from Sweden and Norway. The first one is going via Broome to South Africa, the other one to Indonesia.

Friday 16 May

A long trip from Dunk Island to Fitzroy Island. We used the MPS all the way, but if there is not enough wind, we are slow. The two other boats were rather fast, about a knot more than us. We found our way into the anchorage just after dark without problems, there was also a nice moon to help us. It was good to have leftovers from the previous day for dinner, that made the cooking fast and easy.

Saturday 17 May

As there is no wind, we have to motor into Cairns. We decided after much deliberation and consultation to go into Marlin Marina in Cairns, and that was a good thing. The marina charged $37.52 for the night (cheaper than all the others so far), and is right in the heart of the city. On our first shopping expedition we found Rusty’s Market, with lots of fruit and vegie stalls. All fresh and cheap, it was unbelievable. There is no such market in Brisbane. We will live very healthy for the next month if we eat all that. On top of that, we found a Woolies for the rest of the provisions. We again bought lots.

On board, we tried to stow it all away. We definitely would be lost without the second fridge, everything is packed to the rim. A second walk got us some beer and wine. Then, after a refreshing shower, we went out to sample the city nightlife. Who knows when we can do that again. We found a nice Thai restaurant, which claimed to have the best Thai food in town. We believe anything when we are hungry. The food was very nice, and we then walked through the night markets for a Sarong and ice cream.

We heard on the news about violent storms and strong winds in Brisbane. Well, we have about 5-10 knots here, and the same change is predicted at 15-20 knots here. Things are a bit slower up here.

We enjoyed our stay in Cairns. The marina is close to everything, lots of things to see and do. It has a touch of Gold Coast with everything for the tourist, but much nicer than Airlie. Probably worth another two days if we had the time.

The next weeks will take us away from civilisation. We plan to give Port Douglas and Cooktown a miss, so the next town may be Bamaga, Gove, or Darwin. There will be some phone coverage, but I have my doubts about internet. Our next entry may be a while.

Take Care

Rosi & Mike
JEMIMAH

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hi Rosi & Mike, just read your Blog.
Boy you are having fun, you guys really have planed a fun trip away.
The old mast is now a vertical flag pole looking
good.