The Notorious Malacca Straits

Pirates everywhere! Well OK, maybe not anymore, but it's been an adventure dodging fishing boats and drift nets. We did one over night passage up to Port Dickson from Singapore with a few thumps in the night on the hull, but no big dramas thankfully. Lots of stuff floating around in these waters, from coconuts to trees to very large tankers and freighters. And very hot with little to no wind.

Singapore was a lovely city and we enjoyed spending time with friends and, oh yes, more boat projects. Got the injectors cleaned and engine tuned up, so now she's humming along. :) We put into the Admiral Marina for a month to leave EQ on her own while we travelled back to see the MomCat for Thanksgiving and a few friends in SF. Other than being cold and Roger having a very nasty eye injection, it was wonderful to see everyone, albeit too short a time. We did manage to spend a couple of days being tourists in the old town of Malacca, the original pirate capital. Lots of history here. Did we mention it's hot?

We then did a few long day sails (or motor-sails) up through the rest of the Malacca Straits, finally arriving at Penang. We pulled into a quiet little anchorage behind Jerejak Island which turned out to be right in front of Sherry's old employer, Agilent Technologies. How funny is that! We did get a spot in the Straits Quay Marina for a couple of days so we could get our Thai visas and tour the city of old Georgetown. Incredible Buddhist temples here and a lovely island. Lots of history here too. And did we mention it's hot?

We then set off for Langkawi, a destination we've been looking forward too. It's really quite lovely here, but most of all the NE monsoon has set in and we now have a breeze everyday. Yippy!!!! We can even sleep at night without sweating and the fans blasting away. :) We're going to just sit for a few days behind this lovely wall of mountains with Princess Lake hidden just beyond view before we head into the Rebak Marina on Christmas Eve. Life is good!

OK, that's the news from EQ, where the winds are fair (finally), the seas following (almost), and the crew content (and not sweating anymore, at least at the moment).

With Equanimity and Joy

Off to Singapore

The Kumai River and Tanjung Putimg NP was certainly a highlight of Indonesia, but our cruising permit was coming to an end and we still had 650 miles to go to Singapore and only a couple of weeks to get there so that we didn't overstay the permit (with very steep fines), so we set forth, stopping at several islands along the way. We had a couple of over-nighters, but it was all fairly easy, though we did a bunch of motoring as the winds were light. We also crossed the Equator, back into the Northern hemisphere, on 17 October @ 05:12 am (local time). It's been over 9 years since EQ has done that. Hope she doesn't get confused. :) We do miss seeing the Southern cross at night though.

We finally did make it to Nongsa Point, our first (and last) marina in Indonesia to check out of the country and say good bye to a wonder-filled 3 months, the "Magical Mystery Tour" coming to an end, but also the start of another adventure up the Malacca Straits to Singapore, Malaysia & Thailand. And this new adventure started with crossing the shipping lanes in the Singapore Straits, an adventure in itself, literally a 1000 ships toing and froing, our chart plotter getting overwhelmed with AIS targets pasted all over the chart. We stopped at the "Western Quarantine" anchorage to check into Singapore with Immigrations, customs, etc. We never even dropped the anchor, the officials came over to us, we passed our papers via a fishing net, they processed us in and we were on our way. Singapore is very efficient! They'd have to be, being the largest container port on the planet. So, having caught the tides right (for a change) we headed around the back western side of S'pore to Raffles marina, were we will sit for a few weeks, resting, exploring this lovely city (a very big city when you consider where we've been), visiting friends that live here, and of course attending to those boat projects that have been accumulating (the ever present and growing "List").

SO, that's the news from EQ, where the winds are fair (if at all), the seas calm (flat as), and the crew content (and well dressed with new Bali shirts). Ta, ta...

With Equanimity and Joy

Kumai River Cruise and Orangutans!

Monday morning found us waiting for our pick up... and waiting, and waiting. This operation was definitely working on Indonesian "rubber time". We finally got everyone collected onto our large river cruise boat... well-used “rustic” would describe the boat best. Although we had three boats for sleeping (16 of us in our group) on the 3-day/2-night cruise in the Tanjung Puting National Park, we all traveled and ate together on one boat.

We visited three orangutan feeding stations, one each day of the trip. Many of the orangs are totally wild, but some are semi-wild, having been orphans released back into the forest after rehabilitation. They are still somewhat dependent on the daily feedings. Those feedings also help the tourism, as many of us were there watching and snapping photos. Below are two of the MomOrangs… the babies will hold on and travel with their moms for about the first 4-5 years and then they will start venturing on their own, but still stay close to mom.

 

There were times past when people bought and sold orangs, not caring for them properly, etc. Thankfully, the Indonesian government has outlawed this and the orangs seem to be holding their own in the national park. They are still threatened elsewhere, as rainforest and jungle are being cut down and replaced with palm oil plantations. I recently learned that it is less the palm oil in foods we eat, and more as a supplement for fuel... or maybe they can use it as fuel on its own... not sure about that. But what I am sure about is that only 37% of the rainforest remains in Borneo and the animals are losing their habitat. This, along with the pervasive trash problem all over Indonesia, makes me terribly sad.

On day 2 while several boats were rafted up and waiting to hike into the feeding station, we watched a mischievous orang sneak on board the boat next to us and steal a can of condensed milk from the table. Other cruisers who had done the tour just before us reported the same event, so I somehow suspect that this was part of the routine show. The orang knew just what to grab and the boat operators knew exactly when to look the other way and leave the table unattended! :-) Here is the thief with loot in hand…

 

 

  On the way to the orang feeding, an Orang walked along the path with us. Then she reached up and took the arm of one of the cruisers, who I’m sure was in a state of shock and fright. Then she walked on and let others on the tour hold her (or she them). Eventually she got smart and put hands and feet up so that some of the folks were carrying her most of the way.  Now that’s a good example of how intelligent the Orangs are… they are fed daily and somehow arrange to be carried to the feeding area as well! Yep, I’m on the left (below) walking with a new friend.

That same day, on the way back from the orang feeding, we had a very close encounter with a male orang. I was walking along the path ahead of Roger and we were both back a bit from the rest of our group. I heard a rustling to my right and stopped to look. There, larger than life, was a big male orang. We looked at each other and then I saw Roger heading right for him. I yelled for him to stop, but he kept on until I repeated it more urgently. He said, "whaaaat?" and when I told him to look to his right, he saw him. He put out his hand, which might have been interpreted as a somewhat aggressive gesture, and the orang made threatening noises and postures, so Roger decided to head back up the path in the direction we came from... the orang followed him. Luckily there was another tour group and the guide told Roger just to move off the path... the orang just wanted to get by him and get to the food. Whew!... what a scare!

On the last day of the tour we saw the big king below left... what an impressive creature he is.

We feel so fortunate to have been able to do this trip and visit with the Orangs (as well as our friends traveling with us!

with Equanimity and Joy (and Orangs)

Beautiful Bali, part II... Monkey Business!

 

 

 

 

 

We travelled to Ubud with our friends Neal and Ruthie from s/v Rutea and enjoyed their company immensely, as always. One of the highlights of the trip was our visit to the Sacred Monkey Forest. Words simple couldn't tell the story as well as these photos do! What a wonderful encounter! The monkeys will go digging in your pockets or bags and they will find food and water if you have any on you. Roger was trying to teach one of the little monkeys how to open a pocket with a zipper... thankfully he was not successful. Can you imagine all the havoc that would cause if the monkeys started unzipping zippers? :)

 

With Equanimity and Joy



Beautiful Bali, part I

We are enchanted with Bali… the architecture, the landscape, the many temples, the warm smiling people, contributing to a wonderful energy. We are anchored in Lovina Beach on the north side of Bali... quieter than the partying, shopping, and beaching down south where most tourists go. Sail Indonesia festivities were rolled into the Lovina festival "Lovina with Love" and we enjoyed some lovely dancing at the welcome ceremony.

We hired a car and driver to take us to the town of Ubud, which started as an artist community and has grown to be the cultural center (and a tourist center) of Bali. It is a few hours south and over the mountains, and we stopped at a strawberry farm then a lovely temple by a lake on the way.

In Ubud, we enjoyed some wonderful restaurants and two dance performances. The first was the "Legong" dance which took place at the Ubud Palace. It was wonderful despite the fact that we weren't really sure what the story was all about. The second performance we saw on the following evening in a small village a ways out of town. It was the "Monkey Chant Dance" and instead of instruments a chorus chanted. They did in fact sound like monkeys chattering at times, which was the desired effect.

and speaking of monkeys... stay tuned for Beautiful Bali, part II... monkey business!

Lombok

We arrived at the Medana Marina on the north west side of Lombok Island and anchored. Lombok is just east of Bali. It is a lovely little spot and we made ourselves at home, booked a city tour, brought laundry in to be done (very inexpensive and much easier than trying to hand wash and line dry sheets, towels and everything else that gets dirty and salty). The city tour was fun... A long and full day with many stops including temples, ATM, monkeys, supermarket at the mall (provisioning at a "real" supermarket is a highlight for sure!), beach resort, hand-made pottery shop, traditional weaving village, and pearl shop. We were taken by bus all over and it was a little like a grade-school field trip including box lunch sammies and soda.

 

The evening before we left to head to Bali, there was a buffet dinner and blues band. This local group from Lombok did a wonderful job with blues and then all the classic rock and roll tunes. The lead singer did a great Mick Jagger imitation (strange, but true). We danced every dance and had a great time. The band played until about 11pm and then we headed back to the boat, showered and danced some more, then slept for 4 hours before getting up at 3:30am to catch the tide to Bali.

with Equanimity and Joy

 

 

Dragons or bust!

We set out for Rinca and our much-anticipated dragon encounter. We anchored mid-afternoon and walked to the ranger station with a guide (you most definitely need to have a guide carrying a dragon stick) to see about booking a dragon trek the following morning. We were told that they are active in the morning and then find a place to snooze in the shade when it gets hot later in the day (the dragons, not the rangers! :) ). Still, I couldn't wait another day before seeing a dragon, so the guide took us to see what I now call the "kitchen dragons". These are the ones that smell the food in the kitchen building for the rangers and hang out below the building in the shade. The rangers say they don't feed them, so you think that eventually they would get the idea and give up on the kitchen, but there they were.

The following day at 7am we made our way to the ranger station and started our long trek (only 5km). On the way to the ranger station we saw our first dragon, and then many more followed. We saw one walking through the compound, flicking his tongue along the way. They have only a fair sense of smell through their noses, but excellent sense of smell using their tongues. Their noses are particularly sensitive however, so the sticks the rangers carry are forked at the end. If a dragon starts getting too close, they poke it in the nose and apparently that diverts them. We walked by the dragon nest where one female was sitting. Dragons mate in July and August then lay eggs in September. It takes 8 - 9 months for a baby dragon to hatch out of its egg, and then the hatchlings go immediately up into the trees. The adult dragons, and even the parents, will eat the baby dragons... how's that for bad parenting? MomCat, I have an even greater appreciation for having you rather than a Komodo dragon as my mother... and you are a lot prettier. :)

We continued along the way and saw other dragons walking around. Then we headed back to the riverbed and saw one of the wild water buffalo in a water pool. Later on in the trek we saw another one, likely injured, sitting in a mud pool and we watched as a dragon slid over to the area and perched on the side of the mud hole above the buffalo... waiting for his opportunity to strike (we didn't need to hang around for that particular event). Dragon bites are filled with 65 types of bacteria and so the large animals once bitten will become infected and/or bleed to death. Then it's feast for the dragons. The rest of the hike was uneventful, but wonderfully enjoyable if a tad hot.

Back on board EQ, we decided not to spend another night in the small anchorage with all the other dragon-fanciers and headed out towards the west coast of Rinca and Komodo Island. We were against the current all the way, which slowed us to just about a standstill. The following day we headed to the Komodo ranger station late because of the strong currents, so we didn't see any dragons along the hike... just a few "kitchen dragons" at the end.

Sailing south across the Flores Sea to Labuan Bajo

We had the most magnificent overnight passage from Tanajampea to Labuan Bajo across the Flores Sea. 10 - 15 knot winds on our beam and calm seas along with a blanket of stars above and what looked like a mirror image of phosphorescence in our wake below. We arrived at the first outer islands just at daybreak and saw how different the terrain and vegetation was from just 100 miles to the north, dryer and much more sparse. After anchoring in Labuan Bajo, we set out to take care of our first priority... getting our internet topped up.

We caught a local "Bemo" (bus) to the "Pasar Besar" (big market) on the hill. The buses are actually little mini-vans with benches along the sides and are painted with a variety of interesting patterns and colors. They all have a variety of stuffed animals on the front dashboard, often including a large rainbow-colored fuzzy stuffed caterpillar... not sure of the significance, but there were more than a few of these. For about $1.50 we both were transported about 3 miles out to the market where we bought fruits, veggies, eggs, nuts and then went out on a limb and bought local tofu from a bucket and a chicken, likewise from a bucket. I can feel my Mom gasping at the thought of buying a raw chicken from a market the likes of this one, but I cooked it then ate it up and survive the experience to write about it. :)

After returning to the boat and puzzling all the market purchases together into our fridge (always a challenging task) we went back into town to arrange diving and pick up the loaf of bread we ordered from the bakery. Along the way, we stopped by a little t-shirt shop and bought our must-have Komodo Dragon shirts for about $5 - 6 each. That evening we joined our friends from s/v Rutea for a lovely dinner at an Italian restaurant called "Made in Italy" and it was superb! I wasn't sure whether that was because we hadn't had a fine dining experience out  in so long or if it was actually that good, but in the end I decided it was great by any standards. We both ordered pizza and ate way too much of it (enjoying every bite!)

The next day we took a dive trip out to the northern islands of Komodo National Park. We did three dives... Castle Rock, Crystal Rock and one other they call the "slingshot". The dives were very nice... one of them was a fast current dive which was a new experience for me. Roger said it was an advanced dive and that I did great! On the first dive we saw a pair of white-tip sharks (Mom doesn't want to hear about sharks either and probably can't decide whether the sharks or the market chickens pose the greater threat!) and one of them was very pregnant. That was cool to see. The dives were great and the boat trip to and from the sites (about 1 1/2 hours each way) were also very pleasant. So glad we did the dives here.

 

After yet another "gala" (not really what you think of when you hear this term) dinner, with buses transporting us and tons of people we headed out the following day for Rinca and Komodo Islands... Dragons or bust!

Taka Bonerate

Taka Bonerate rocks! Some of the best diving I've ever done. The diversity of coral and fish was amazing. The reef system sits right in the middle of the Flores Sea with only small sand cays for islands and a couple of small villages, so the water is crystal clear (no run-off) like in the middle of the ocean. The constant current provides much nutrients, so the coral and fish thrive without any manmade or natural pollution to disturb it. Hence, very dense coral growth of everything you could imagine. Spectacular wall dives!!! And the water is so clear, floating along in the current next to bottomless walls is like floating in space. Imagine being absolutely still, no swimming or paddling, just hanging in space using your buoyancy compensator to control your ascent/descent and letting the current swept you along the vertical wall, around heaps of colourful coral and through big schools of fish. Spectacular is an understatement for sure!

It's a hard place to get to for most people, so very little tourists go there, which also means there is little damage to the reefs. But we did meet a lovely gentleman from Jakarta who was there to film some of the reef, so we got to go diving with him, and make a new friend, Mr Muis. My GoPro case leaked in Banda, so I lost much footage and the camera. Major bugger! :(. But Mr Muis was so kind to give me his footage of which I will put together a film when I get a chance. Terimekasi Mr Muis! :)

The weather started to change and we needed to get south and keep moving to get to Labuan Bajo for the next set of events (and more diving), so we sadly had to depart. But we are off to see some dragons! We are having such a great time, Sherry is now talking about spending another year here in SE Asia, as there just isn't enough time in a day to see and do it all. But that's another day, so we'll see :).

So that's the news from EQ, where the winds are fair, the seas following, and the crew content. :) Cheers, with Equanimity and Joy

Buton Island

We are certainly falling in Love with Indonesia! We even adopted two lovely university students that were our guides for a day while in Baubau city. Baubau has one of the largest old forts in the world, Keraton Fortress, built by the locals several centuries ago to fight off the Dutch and other invaders. Our girls lead us all around that and through the maze of markets, negotiating the best deals and finest produce. We love you, Pipin and Inang.

A handshake in Indonesia is gentle, followed by raising your right hand to touch your chest. It means I welcome and greet you today, may not remember your name, but will keep your face in my heart always. I think that says it all, not to mention all the smiling faces and everyone wants to have a picture with you. “Mister, one more picture please”. :) Indonesia is chaotic at best, everything is done by consensus, and of course everyone wants to be involved, so the result is that any agenda is constantly changing, right up until it actually unfolds. But it is done with such great heart, so a little patience goes a long way. In that light, it truly is a “Magical Mystery Tour”.

 

The relatively small village of Pasarwajo put on the “Colossal dance” performance like nothing we’ve ever seen. Can you imagine 12,500 dancers (we kid you not), mostly all students, all at the same time, performing traditional dances? We were completely awestruck! Then try to imagine what it must have took to pull this together, all in two months, on a large island that is geographically dispersed. Unbelievable, particularly when you know that it was done just for us, 11 boats, ~26 people, not to mention the wonderful ceremonies, dinners, a personal guide for each person, transport, a diving trip to see Mandarin fish, etc, etc. And that’s just the “planned” activities. Then there’s all the little things, the friendly fisherman everywhere, the boys that paddle out to visit with you to practice their English, the yummy food, the beautifully designed fishing boats and homes, the diverse culture from island to island, even the mosque loud speaker chanting (calls to pray) at 4:30 in the morning. And the mountainous, jungle clad, tropical islands themselves are beautiful and the seas crystal clear.

Indonesians like to tell stories through dance, there’s a dance for everything. One particular one was lovely on Buton, which every Butonese knows, the story of the mermaid. The short version is that the children were misbehaving playing in the water where they weren’t supposed to, they got into trouble, swallowed up by the sea and became fish. The mother, heart stricken, jumped into the sea to search for them, became a mermaid, forever searching for her children. And so it goes, that children should always obey their mother. :)

When we first arrived, we had to dress in their traditional costumes which included sarongs, tops, jackets and belt. We thought this was solely for the ceremonies, but they insisted we keep them for when we come back. One ceremony was called the “Doli Doli” to strengthen the immune system of babies. There were about 1000 babies all being rubbed in coconut oil and rolled in banana leaves, all crying and making a fuss. :) Then after the welcome ceremony, there was the “1000 trays” where we were fed lovely morsels. After the feast, we were shown to other tents highlighting local handcrafts, eg, weaving baskets, mats and cloths. They insisted Sherry get in front of a weaving loom to learn how it was done. Once strapped in, there were about 75 people all trying to give her instructions (in Indonesian) and showing by example. Great fun, though not sure she wants to be a weaver!

After a car trip across the mountains to Baubau, for another ceremony with the Sultans and King, a lunch, the tour of the Keraton Fortress and then another lovely dinner overlooking the bay, we were whisked (wild one hour ride) back across the mountains to Pasarwajo. We were exhausted and ready to climb into bed, only to find the mayor of Pasarwajo had ALSO planned another dinner , music and dancing. After midnight, we slipped away to the dingy and back to the boat to FINALLY climb into bed. Phew! And so it goes, another lovely day in Indonesia. :)

With Equanimity and Joy

Wakatobi Indonesia

After the lovely Spice Islands, we did a 3-day/3-night passage to Wakatobi in Sulawesi. Lots of great ceremonies and a wonderful warm reception from all. There was a welcome barge with dancing and they encouraged the Sail Indonesia folks to participate. We got up there with them (no one else was having any part of that) and danced around... great fun! :)

We enjoyed a few days there and then headed out yesterday to anchor and spend some time diving. Wakatobi area and then Taka Bone Rate, just south of Sulawesi are supposed to be some of the best diving spots in the world with the most diversity in coral types. I think they have over 700 of the world's 850 varieties. We did a wall dive yesterday and are planning 2 dives for today.

Last evening a tiny local fishing boat pulled up to our yacht and we bought some little local lobsters from them for dinner... don't think maine lobster... not even close, but still a nice treat. We enjoyed a walk on the small Hoga Island followed by some Mie Goreng (fried noodles) on the beach with our friends Ruthie and Neal from Rutea.

with Equanimity and Joy

Indonesia, finally!

Well, it's been a whirlwind of activity, no rest for the wicked... we finally did leave Darwin, with good feelings in our hearts and adventure in our smiles. We checked into Saumlaki a couple of days later after a good passage. The people in Saumlaki were incredibly friendly and welcoming, with a big welcoming ceremony, dinners, a tour about the island, fishing competition, dancing competition, cooking fesitival, etc. all ending with a big "Gala" farewell dinner. Everyone in our gaggle of about 14 boats was awestruck at how well we were treated and made to feel welcome, literally treated like royalty.

Then we were off again to the "Spice Islands" of Banda, with big smiles, adventure again, finally getting to these remote islands dreamed of for many years. And arrive we did, some rain just before landing, but cleared out to reveal stunning beautiful islands. The harbor is very deep so we all dropped our hooks on the steeply sloping bank and backed to the wall in front of a hotel, where again we were greeted by friendly faces and guides of all types (diving, mountain climbing, plantation tours, city walks, etc.) to help us enjoy our time here. And that we did!

The nutmeg plantation and village on the southern island was a real treat. Nutmeg is grown in the shade of banda almond trees, as big as the towering redwoods or firs of the pacific NW in America. We learned all about how it was processed and the different parts of the nutmeg nut (all used!) We did some dives and snorkeling in stunningly clear water, climbed to the top of the volcano "Gunug Api" (Fire Mountain - 600 meters) with very sore legs the next day. We had a "city" tour today and got lots more info on the history, including a tour of the old Dutch fort. The European world fought fiercely over these little islands in the middle of nowhere for several centuries.

Internet has been dismal so far, but we haven't had time for that anyway, having too much fun being in these lovely islands with happy friendly people. But we are off again tomorrow headed for Wakatobi, in Sulawesi, for more diving, some of the best in the world, friendly faces and wonderfully yummy food.

Pictures coming soon (when we have a better internet connection!)

With Equanimity and Joy

Heading to Indonesia!

After a wonderful year and a half "down under" in the land of Oz, we are sailing out of Darwin today headed for Indonesia with the Sail Indonesia rally. We are so excited to be starting the next chapter of our journey and are looking forward to all the lovely and remote locations along the way. Our planned trip takes us up to Banda (the Spice Islands), over to Sulawesi for some of the best diving in the world, Komodo to tickle a dragon, then over to Bali. We then continue on to Borneo and will visit the orangutan santuary. There are many more stops and we'll update the blog whenever we have internet connectivity.

with Equanimity and Joy!

A Celebration, Two-for-One

So, leaving Cape York and heading across the Gulf of Carpentaria was done with a bit of trepidation. We heard many stories about how rough it can be, so we closely watched the weather, talked to locals, state of the tide (springs and neaps), etc. Boats queued up waiting for the right "weather window", which came on the 26th of June with a mass exodus from Seisia of about a dozen boats for the big dash across "the Gulf". It turned out to be a great trip... no worries mate, not sure what all the fuss was about. J We also knew that a new high pressure system was moving in down south and it would get windy again in a couple of days up here, so were thinking about continuing on to Cape Don, another 2 days. But since it was Sherry's birthday the next day and a rest sounded good after 345 miles, 3 days and 2 nights at sea, we put into a small bay. Two Island Bay is located just under Cape Wessel, which is at the top of a long line of thin low lying islands about 75 miles from the mainland. Basically, we were out in the middle of nowhere. But we weren't alone as 7 other boats stopped there as well. The boat 'Rutea' offered to host a celebration cocktail party... How convenient is that with Sherry's birthday the same day! It was great fun and a wonderful day. Here's a little video clip to record the extravaganza.

 

 

We stayed here a few more days waiting for the high to move on and let the winds settle down a bit. We decided to put to sea somewhat early as it was still a bit blustery, but we knew we wouldn't make it sailing all the way if we waited another day as the winds were expected to die before we got to the other side. So we put up with strong winds and big seas (3-4 meter waves) for 24+ hours that rolled EQ around quite a bit. But she’s a good sailor and the autopilot didn't miss a beat, so all we had to do was hang on. 405 miles, another 3 days and 2 nights later, we were motor-sailing into Darwin with light winds and a lovely sunset, happy to be in one place for a few weeks. J

Now, that's 2214 nautical miles from Brisbane and the RQYS, where 1464 of those miles was up the coast of Queensland and 750 miles across the top of Oz. All in less than 2 months. Certainly not enough time, but we're on a mission to head into SE Asia and the "Orient". J

So, that's the news from EQ, where the winds a fair, the seas following, and the crew content.  J
with Equanimity and Joy

Farewell to the Pacific Ocean!

Traveling the Queensland coast and the inside of the Great Barrier Reef has just been plain awesome! Many beautiful reefs, islands, sandy cays, and capes to tuck in behind. Very windy this time of year, continuous 15-25 knot SE trade winds, but good weather. The winds are from a consistent direction so we could sleep at night. We had it all behind us traveling up the coast (wouldn't want to be going the other way or we'd be pounding into it). And finally reaching Cape York was a monumental event, where EQ has finally left the Pacific Ocean behind after 12 years of wandering about. It was also a bit sad to say goodbye as it feels so much like home. So I know we'll be back in a few years, the long way about. :) But we are also enjoying our adventure with so much to look forward to. Here's a little video to give you a taste of this beautiful area of Australia.

with Equanimity and Joy

The Wonderful Lizard of "Oz"!

A highlight destination on our travels along the Queensland coast was the visit to Lizard Island, named by Capt. Cook for the only land critters he spotted there. Capt. Cook visited the island and climbed up to the summit with its 360 degree views (about 1000 ft.) to try to assess the possible passage for Endeavour along the coast. He saw nothing but a maze of reefs for as far as the eye could see and decided to head out to sea instead. The photo shows the anchorage below. EQ is one of the little specs down there in the anchorage. The dark area close to shore in the middle is a reef we snorkelled in and around after hiking the island.



View from near the top of Lizard (Cook's Lookout)

with Equanimity and Joy


Cairns and Diving Courses




We weren't sure whether there was anything we really wanted to do in Cairns, but once we arrived we were full-on busy for the entire week we were there! We decided to take the dive course there because we wanted to do a 5-day program which included 3 days and 2 nights on a boat at the outer reefs with a very good dive company. The first two days were in the classroom and the pool. The trip and the training were both great but a LOT packed into a short period of time. Sher got her basic PADI Open Water certification and then continued on for the Adventure Diver's course which certifies her to dive up to 30 meters. Roger already had his basic training and so he did the Advanced PADI course. The reef was beautiful... turtles, reef sharks (not dangerous), a rainbow of colorful fishies and beautiful coral. We did a night dive (scary and awesome) and a deep dive to almost 30 meters.10 dives in the 3 days was a lot, especially climbing into and out of our wetsuits which was a total workout in and of itself! After it was all over we needed 2 days just to rest, whew!

We got a great little underwater video camera, a Go Pro, and Roger took some first shots during these dives. Here's his first attempt on video editing! Sher really wanted to see a turtle, so check this out. :)

with Equanimity and Joy

Magnetic Island - koalas and wallabies and reptiles, oh my!

koala cuddles

We spent four lovely days at Magnetic Island, off the coast of Townsville. A beautiful small island with Horseshoe Bay on the north side, it was a great place to anchor for a little protection from the SE prevailing winds and swells. We arrived at 5AM following an overnight passage from the Whitsundays and after napping a few hours we set out for the Bungalow Bay Koala Village, 10 minutes from where we brought Joy (our dinghy) ashore. Needless to say, cuddling a koala was top of the list. However the other local residents, including Shadow the red-tailed black cockatoo, Harry the southern hairy-nosed wombat, Eddie the Echidna, and an assortment of lizards, crocs and snakes, were fun to learn about, hold and interact with.

The following day we took a hike to the old Fort, with splendid views in every direction. THE highlight of the walk wasn't the fort itself, but seeing a wild koala. Magnetic Island has the largest and healthiest population of wild koalas in all of Australia, with 900 on the island.

We met some new cruising friends and were invited to join them at their bungalow for a barbecue and to do laundry... always a challenge for live-aboard cruisers.

All in all we had a wonderful stay here and would recommend a visit to Magnetic Island for anyone coming to the central Queensland coast.

Roger and the snake. The snake and Roger.

A fashionable hat is always in good taste!

Wild koala on Forts Walk!

View of Horseshoe Bay from Forts Walk

with Equanimity and Joy

The Whitsunday Islands

We've been making good steady progress, including our first overnight, and we are now at the Whitsunday Island group. We haven't stopped at Hamilton Island marina, preferring to anchor out at Whitehaven Beach and then on the south side of Hook Island, protected from a bit of weather today. It is simply beautiful here, lovely small islands that we could take weeks to explore if we didn't have to make it to Darwin by early July to join the "Sail Indonesia" rally.

We've seen lots of small dolphins around the islands and turtle heads popping up here and there. We even saw a small little white-tip reef shark speeding through the water in pursuit of something. While anchored at Whitehaven Beach, a gigantic (we're talking huge and ancient) turtle surfaced. We were captivated by his proximity, size and beauty... and simply couldn't take our eyes off of him to go grab for the camera.



Great Keppel Island Beach Walk

 



Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island

 

 

Over the Bar

We left Double Island Point mid-afternoon yesterday and headed for the bar, a tricky entrance to the estuaries behind Fraser Island. Equanimity and her crew handled the turbulence with, well, equanimity... of course. We anchored in Pelican Bay just as the last light of day disappeared and were glad to be in calmer waters for a nice dinner and a hot shower. Today we meander up through the estuaries at high tide and navigate through quite shallow waters.

With Equanimity and Joy

The Journey Begins up the Queensland Coast

Day 1 - We finally made it out of Moreton Bay, with a few squally showers and several of the most beautiful rainbows. Grandma and Grandpa must be smiling down on us. It got a bit blustry with a wild sea at the top of the bay, as we exited into blue water.... cruising and surfing at 9.5 knots on an ebbing tide and broad-reaching at 25-30 knots of wind. We were rewarded shortly after that with a dolphin escort. One playful fellow sprang completely out of the water only about 5 feet away from the boat, then belly-flopped back in after waving a welcoming flipper at us. We pulled into Mooloolaba late in the afternoon in time to anchor and enjoy a lovely sunset. All in all a very happy first day in cruise mode.

With Equanimity and Joy

P.S. we celebrate this wonderful day with a homemade yummy pizza for the very hungry crew!

Bye Bye to Moreton Bay

We're finally ready. We're heading out to explore the world beyond Moreton Bay! We sail out at first light tomorrow morning headed north up the east coast of Australia.



The view to Moreton Bay from the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron
 

Big Storm... ex-cyclone Oswald hits QLD

SYNOPSIS: big storm... high (storm category) winds, buckets of rain, king-tide surges and lots of extra dock lines and fenders. EQ and her crew are fine now, rested and dry.

We finally have some sunshine back, we got a nap in, EQ is sitting upright in her slip again, and the wind warnings have backed off to just Gale levels! J But it was a long night for sure, and a full-on day before struggling with wildly surging docks and boats all about. The long-timers around here say they haven’t seen anything like this here before. Tropical Cyclone ‘Oswald’ developing up in Indonesia, came ashore in Oz up north (being normal familiar territory), but then hung a right and marched down the coast, wreaking havoc along the way. No one thought it’d make it this far south (normally doesn’t) until a couple of days ago. The forecasts called for gale warnings, winds E to 50 knots in Moreton Bay. Ok, so it’s going to blow, but not that big a deal. But then they changed it yesterday morning to storm force just offshore, with gusts to 65 knots in Moreton Bay. Hmm, now it’s starting to be a big deal. So we set about making sure the boat next door (being directly up wind) was tied on well, extra well, as those dock lines he had looked a bit dodgy.

And that was just the beginning, as it started to blow, 30 knots, 40 knots… When it hit 50 knots and our deck was even with the dock from heeling over so much, it started to be a worry. But then the real action started as the tide came high that morning, backed by the storm surge. And it wasn’t just any high tide, but a ‘King Spring’ tide (full moon tide), about a meter higher than a normal high tide. The entrance to the marina points to the NE, about the same direction as these massive winds and waves. Bugger, as they didn’t build the break-water tall enough to stand this situation, we had a very large swell rolling through the marina. Double bugger! This coupled with storm force winds and torrential rains, created an eventful day and night, to say the least! The docks were undulating wildly, boats surging back-and-forth on their dock lines like wild demons, (some lines exploding and boats coming loose), a bunch of blokes running around like mad-men throwing more lines on boats, yelling over the shriek of the wind.

Then the forecast changed again, this time they were expecting gusts to 75 knots!!!! Now it’s looking like we are going to get blasted by a true cyclone (hurricane), which never happens this far south. Triple bugger. By now, it’s too late to even think about alternatives, like getting out of this marina and finding a hole in the estuaries down south to hold up in without anybody around to wack us. Just EQ and the mangroves. But it was not to be, so we had to stick it out, pay attention to the details around us, deal with whatever comes up and hope for the best. We did trade more dock lines for extra fenders with our other (downwind) neighbour as we were slamming up hard against the dock and our two little fenders weren’t cutting it. It took a while with a surging dock and boat, being careful not to get our fingers caught between the two. We took turns shoving against the boat being pinned against the dock by 45 knot winds and coaxing more fenders in for a better air cushion. That made a big difference.

One boats’ rolled-up spinnaker (why they didn’t take that down way before hand is a mystery) popped loose in 50 knots of wind. This is normally a light wind sail, so you can imagine a huge sail starting to open in these winds, sounded like a cannon blast at first, sending me on deck in a second at 1:30 am. It took what seemed like forever for them to cut the halyard and let it fall in the water (luckily they were downwind of other boats or it would have been a major mess). I thought the whole rig would come down if they didn’t get it done fast. But it didn’t, so I went back to my sailing EQ at the dock, checking the dock lines for chafe, looking at the weather forecasts, rain radar, weather monitoring station data, etc. The station out at Cape Moreton was recording 69 knots! Why they called it "ex-cyclone" is a mystery to me. Sherry of course was sound asleep (she always sleeps really well on EQ J), turned sideways in the berth, feet down hill (downwind), while I paced back-and-forth, jumping out on deck at the slightest unusual noise. I’m so glad she could relax and rest so she could take over when I collapsed when the major part of the ordeal was over. J
 
But just as we thought it was all settling down this morning, the wind kicks back in, just before the morning high tide, even higher than the night before. It looked like the entire break-water surrounding the rest of the marina was going to breech. Now real BIG bugger. And just about then I discovered my neighbour’s boat had severed a dock line and was getting dangerously close. Luckily, I had added two backup lines the night before which was now taking the massive surging loads. So, on go two more even bigger lines as backups to the backups. Phew, that would have been a big mess. So, now we wait it out for a couple of more hours until the high tide backs off and the forecast winds to settle down. And it did finally, even the sky’s turned blue and the sun came out for a bit to warm our weary souls, glad to still be here in one bit and no damage, just a bit soggy. J We did just hear though (haven’t ventured afield yet) that we can’t get in or out of here as the cops have the roads closed for downed trees and power lines. So, I think we’ll stay put for now in our safe little floating home and get some rest.

So, that’s the news from EQ, were the winds are fair (finally), the following seas settling down (in the marina), and the crew content (to sleep through the day AND night). J

with Equanimity and Joy (the dinghy)

EQ stripped down, but finally sitting upright. Imagine being healed over with the deck even with the dock!!!



There’s my honey dew, my sparkly one. The sea wall behind us is normally a meter higher at high tide with the bird sanctuary completely under water (they were the smart ones, flying to higher ground long ago). The winds just backed-off, so life is looking promising again.



can I get a nap now?