Heading off from Magnetic early (Wednesday 27th) we had been charged with local knowledge for our onwards journey. Taking the inside route between magnetic and Townsville, we were headed for Havannah Island for a quick swim and snorkel before reaching Great Palm Island for our first nights stay. Without hesitation it was an exploration of our surrounds that instinctively took hold of the afternoon. Deckhand Chaney scoured the land and came upon hundreds of goat skulls scattered across the hills and foreshore. From the cptn’s explorations he eagerly uncovered these to be the result of the deserted leper colony found just around the corner from the anchorage. With 2 on land, Sir Kosterlitz and Watson Jnr made it 2 in the water. The plethora of coral bombes breeding an abundance of sea life was meticulously explored for the afternoon. Exhausted and complete with contentment we were glad to be on the move again.
With a gusty night sweeping over the Forte, it was a begrudgingly early move on from this anchorage around to the the eastern side of the island. After only an hour and barely 3km, a small oasis (just off from the deserted colony) was found. The crew split. Chaney fished from the stand up, Cptn Watson took to land, Kosterlitz snorkelled and dove, while Watson Jnr stalked the reef with a spear. 2hrs and 2 good size bait fish later, one spear one line, we took to land to search and rummage around the deserted colony. An eerie feel around the place had everyone creeped but left us all revelling in the awe of the places and discoveries that keep happening along this trip.
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| The view from the leper colony on Fantome Island |
Motoring to Orpheus Island and being greeted by a mother and calf humpback feeding not 20m from shore was to forebode the days to come. Over 2 days and 2 nights we were able to experience this national park and research station in all its uncrowded glory. The photos below can explain more than my haphazard word jumbling. A celebration of Deckhand Chaney’s day of birth came on day 2 at this heavenly location and loaded with 19 years of intelligence and self discovery he seemed like a new man.
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| Snorkelling at Orpheus Island |
Transitioning from the crystal clear to the murky brown we made our way in behind Hinchinbrook Inland. A change of opacity and scenery brought us in to a new realm of awe as thoughts moved from coral magnificence to muddy mangroves. The realisation that a morning wake-up swim was no longer on the cards was difficult to bear but it would be a fair trade to be able to keep all of our limbs in tact. Nestled within the humbling mountainous backdrop of Hinchinbrook the anchor sunk in to the silty sludge and we were off. Armed with fishing rods and crab traps we took to the estuaries to snag some monsters with aims of feeding the crew for years. Reading the water, tides and nature we scored a few under-sized beasts, 2 female crabs and more than our fare share of sandfly bites. Labelled a trivial success the crew headed home with fulfilled happiness and incredibly itchy bodies.  |
| Deckhand Chaney going in for the kill |
Waking up to the new environment brought mixed feelings on day 2 at Hinchinbrook. A surreal view from the breakfast table had us stunned however it was the 3-4m crocodile maybe 15m away from us that put the thrill in check. Happy to be safe on Le Vessel during the morning hunt, we stared dazed at the beast and waited for it to make its way to a safe/unknown location before round 2 of our hopeful haul ensued. Again using our tuned senses and learned skills the crew reeled in a whole 1 fish (again undersized) and racked up just a few more fly bites before heading home, still more than happy with the days work.
Being Australia’s largest island national park and the largest island of the Great Barrier Reef we made our way to the most Northern tip of the island for 1 night in preparation for our next journey to the awaiting paradise, Dunk Island. After dropping the Cptn off at Mission Beach to go see a mate of his (Peg Leg Greg), the crew took hold of the ship and brought her safely to anchor at Dunk Island. This idyllic island was one of the unfortunate victims in the 2011 Cyclone Yasi and now bares a large uninhabited resort that is undergoing repairs. Still incredibly popular with day trippers and boaties the island has a number of incredible beaches and walking tracks. Adding to the charm is an island kiosk which is straight off a postcard. The shipping container hut dished up incredible food and beverage delights in the sun while a local musician serenaded the crowd throughout the afternoon. Retrieving the captain in conditions a little larger than the tinny is made for the two Watson had a large buzz that was soon overcome with a beer at the kiosk on sunset.
The final stop before Cairns was to be Mourilyan Harbour. A large sugar port squeezed in to a tiny harbour just south of Innisfail was another first in sceneries for the boat adventure. Bounded by more mud and mangroves, the afternoon was occupied with more attempts at landing a monstrous fish and some intense scrabble. The last night at anchor for more than 2 months left feelings of euphoria and uneasiness as we prepared to reach Cairns. After an incredible time and such a long distance over the last 3 months making our way to Cairns, the nomadic boat life had become our home and a new challenge of assimilating to town life was both daunting and exciting. The return to relative normality is aimed at preparing ourselves and organising the team before we are fully immersed in the isolation and adventures of boating in Papua New Guinea. ETA: Early November.
2 weeks have now been conquered in Cairns life and it is ‘tres good’. The creators of deckhand Chaney graced the boat adventure for 3.5 days and gave their offspring some decent TLC. One of our regular fishing consultants ‘Papa Chaney’, was able to share his desperately needed wealth of knowledge first-hand. A day trip to Fitzroy Island saw everyone enjoy some snorkelling, a few tricks on the floating trampoline and the fishing haul we had all been waiting for. With the guru’s instruction, the captain, deckhand Kosterlitz and the guru himself snagged some winning catches and enough food for a massive feast (and then leftovers).
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| The haul - From left: Jackass, Flathead and Coral Trout |
Le Vessel has been receiving some well needed love and care during the stay in Cairns so far and the crew have been also working very hard on their tans at the lagoon purely as a sun safety precaution for PNG. As another precaution we have also been practicing our tribal dancing at a number of places around Cairns so we will be accepted by the locals. We are happy to report that it is going well however we feel some more practice is required.
The adventure is almost half way and we cannot fathom the things to come if these have been the experiences so far.
Aurevoir
