Australia, cruise 2015

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Australia. Wonderful people.  Departing Darwin heading west for Madagascar. 
The croc story ...

LONESOME cruising

Off the beaten track? No. Just going around the northern point of Australia, westward. Just a route. 
Dangerous? Not any more than the normal. 

Weather's absolutely perfect - warm days, cool evenings, wind and seas from behind. 
How many marina's or ports for convenience are there from Cooktown in the northeast to Darwin in the north? 
None. 
How many other cruising boats did we see over this 1100 nautical mile distance? 
Three. 
It is just a surprise for us both to experience so few cruising boats. Somehow I thought being in a developed country with such a big yachting industry, and the Indonesian cruising grounds just above Australia in a hop, skip and jump distance, that one would see a yacht from time to time. Clearly we were completely wrong.
    Fortunately we are a happy two-some that don't mind our lonesome (note: not lonely) exploring of new shores and its secrets and showcases. We always enjoy the natural life. Sometimes we even feel special apart from privileged - being at, or part of, creation's beauty and wonders. Every day there is something new to learn.  And we have not even been at five percent of the possible anchorages. Yet there were many places I wished to stay longer. A place worth returning to - the north coast of Australia. Mi sa le (I shall return). Read more...

CRUISING wEATHER along the sunshine Queensland coast.

The High pressure systems rolling across Australia to the east are regular and we get the associated SE tradewinds with it. The perfect direction to take us to the north of OZ. In general we have 3 or 4 or 5 days strong south easterlies then two days of light winds. Our cruising schedule is thus accordingly. A few days sailing from break-of-day till the next overnight spot (sometimes short-, other times long hops). Then a couple of days resting and catching up with home chores and exploring. We've had fair weather mostly. Not enough rain to catch water but getting miserably wet seems to be a constant. The 'Sunshine Coast' we've only occationally experienced with glimpses. It is warm temperatures and that we like. The sun shone, the trades blew, and the current raged as we rounded the top of Australia leaving the Pacific Ocean after eleven years. Read more