We were so excited when Che Figata was liberated from the jackstands at Mackay Marina and we were finally on our way. With the loss of 2 weeks, and still some distance to cover, we put together an abbreviated but still awesome itinerary that would allow us to enjoy a few of the beautiful islands in the Whitsundays before arriving in Cairns. Once, again, our plan somewhat quickly dissolved as we were forced to revise our itinerary to accelerate our Cairns arrival. Important point of reference: Cairns is the home of the only major marina where boat work could get reliably done between Mackay and our ultimate destination, Darwin.
It is often said that bad things happen in 3s. While, in reality, we don’t place much stock in that superstition, we found ourselves hoping that there was some truth to the saying. This is because we had three mechanical failures within the first 24 hours of our departure from Mackay. We were keeping our fingers tightly crossed that now that we hit three we’d reach the automatic “off” button and stasis would set in. With two of the three failures not inconsequential (on the heels of a rough May) we weren’t sure there was enough gas in our tank to handle more.
What were the three issues? So glad you asked! The first was that the connection between our auto pilot and the computer which tells it what to do started to cut out intermittently but on an increasingly more frequent basis. Aside from the piercing and highly annoying alarm that went off every time the connection was lost, the lack of connectivity caused our auto pilot to stop working on occasion. Anyone who has ever tried to hand steer a 30 ton sailboat through sizable waves knows how exhausting that is. As you might imagine, our big heavy boat responds slowly to the manual adjustments required as waves toss it about. This often results in over corrections that then have to be corrected, leading to more over corrections. So hand steering becomes a process of making continual adjustments — there is no rest for the person at the helm. Our auto pilot, on the other hand, allows us to set a course (either in a specific direction or so many degrees off the wind) and then, with the touch of a finger, modify that course 1 or 10 degrees at a time. Our Auto pilot faithfully carries out our instructions with precision!
The second issue was that our refrigerator/freezer 2 drawer unit suddenly stopped working. We have another, refrigeration only, unit that still worked but the death (or, as we were hoping, the reversible coma) of our fridge/freezer unit meant transferring everything from the one fridge to the other now overstuffed one. It also meant that the 6 meals Jill had pre-made and froze for our passage from Cairns to Darwin (when we expected to do 24/7 passages) were now thawed and would have to be eaten. Finally, our chart plotter was continuing to freeze and lose its data. This wasn’t the biggest issue. In our last blog entry we explained that we had a back up chart plotter plus digital charts on our iPad. Still it meant that our temporary fix (switching around units) was not successful and were we’re likely looking at having to buy a new unit. Nothing $3,500 USD couldn’t cure. Ugh. So, with a very finicky auto pilot, a non working fridge/freezer unit and a prima donna chart plotter we needed to get to Cairns as quickly as possible. We were most concerned that the auto pilot would stop working completely at some point — just like our inverter did. We were concerned about the fridge/freezer too though. When it was only the two of us on board we could limp along with just our one fridge (though gin & tonics without ice did feel like a crisis — just saying) but we would need every inch of our refrigeration capacity once we had our strapping, 6’2”, 18 year old nephew aboard. (He’s joining as crew in Darwin for the second half of our circumnavigation.) If the refrigerator needed new parts or (gulp) needed to be replaced ($$$$!) we’d need some lead time. If that was the case there wouldn’t be enough time to execute the work in Cairns but if we diagnosed the problem there we could order what we needed and have it shipped to our final destination in Australia, Darwin.
Though we did play around with tightening the wires on the auto pilot computer (which may have helped????) and we also turned the fridge/freezer unit on and off in an attempt to reset it (not so successful), there was little else we could do the troubleshoot or temporarily fix these issues. As a result our primary job was to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible and, importantly, to continue to find joy along the way. We are glad to report that there were many lovely moments — the kind that remind you why you chose this lifestyle and to sail around the world. One of our first stops post Mackay was South Mole Island. This secluded, uninhabited, island is only accessible by boat and is mostly comprised of national park land. It was known for its hiking trails and they didn’t disappoint. We spent 4 hours hiking around the island, exploring every trail except one. These trails took us along gorgeous untouched beaches and up through forests and grassy meadows to lookouts with panoramic views of the Whitsundays. We were particularly delighted that as we ascended through the dense trees on our way to ridge it was like walking through a butterfly garden with a kaleidoscope of butterflies fluttering all about us. Literally dozens of butterflies flitting back and forth across the path to the trees on either side. Such a treat! We also enjoyed our stop in Gloucester with is long deep beach and a sleepy very casual resort where we enjoyed a few drinks — a G&T (with ice!) for Jill and a beer for Zack — before returning to Che Figata for dinner.
As we continued up the coast we had a delightful stay in Townsville where we actually spent 2 nights at the marina — rewarding ourselves for getting there a day earlier than we planned with the help of an incredible beam reach sail. By far our best sail since we began the sail up the coast. As we have said, Che Figata loves a beam reach and delights us with a smooth and fast sail that powerfully cuts through the waves and makes us feel like we are flying (even if we are really only moving at about 9 miles per hour). That full day in Townsville was a nice treat. It gave us an opportunity to do laundry in a real washer and dryer and take a break from eating Jill’s defrosted meals with a delicious dinner at A Touch of Salt. But even better was that we ran into British friends, Gill and John on SV Mehala at the marina — just a few berths up the dock from us. We met them at Scarborough Marina and got together with them for dinner and drinks a few times while there. It’s always a delight when you unexpectedly run into other sailing friends. And it turned out that we were both headed to Magnetic island and then Orpheus Island following our Townsville departure. They would be accompanied by their buddy boat, SV Meraki 2, crewed by Shawna and Kevin.
We took off for Magnetic Island after our second night at the Townsville marina. Because it was just a short hop from Townsville we were securely anchored by 10:30 AM and by 11:30 AM we were hitting the trails in the Magnetic Island National Park. We spent late morning through late afternoon walking the trail that took us to the ruins of a WWII military fort. The hike was the typical volcanic island affair — across glorious bays and up (up, up) through dense woods to spectacular lookouts with breathtaking views. We enjoyed exploring the fort ruins — strategically positioned on the highest points of the island. We got great exercise and the fort and views made every pant worth it. (We should also note that it was Jill’s favorite hike since we resumed our cruising though the fact that she was stopped along the trail by a young and attractive French woman who randomly told Jill that she had a beautiful face may have had something to do with her perception.) After our day of exploration, the crews of SV Mehala and SV Meraki joined us on Che Figata for sundowners which naturally included Jill’s G&Ts. Shawna donated the ice! There were lots of laughs. We so enjoyed our bonus day with Gill & John and getting to know Shawna and Kevin better.
The following day we were all headed to Orpheus island. On the way Mehala caught a large Spanish mackerel which resulted in an impromptu pot luck dinner party on their sailboat. Fabulous food and very lively conversation. After 2 great days together with sailing friends we said our sad farewells (thinking we would not see them again until possibly Indonesia in September) and headed to Brammo Bay on Dunk Island — another island with great hiking. We left Orpheus Island by 7 AM to make sure we arrived at Dunk Island early enough to get a good hike in. And that we did! Naturally we followed the trail that took us up to the highest peak, Mount Kootaloo. For about 2 miles we walked through dense rainforest up a steady but gentle slope to the scenic lookout which was positioned 900 feet above sea level. We enjoyed unparalleled panoramic views of the surrounding small islands. As always, the views were worth the price of admission.
Our final stop on the way to Cairns was Fitzroy Island. We had intended to have another stop between Dunk Island and Fitzroy Island — Camp Point on the mainland— but we were not keen on the anchorage because it didn’t really offer anything other than a place to anchor for the night. Fitzroy Island, on the other hand, was known for great hiking and snorkeling. When we realized we were making great time on our way to Camp Point and could reach Fitzroy Island in daylight if we just kept going another few hours we decided to sail on. This would give us 2 nights and one full day to explore the island. The added bonus was that June 10 (the day after our arrival) was Zack’s birthday and there was a nice, albeit low key, resort on the island with a good restaurant. Our early arrival would allow us to get in a full day of hiking on Zack’s birthday and still have time to “clean up” for a nice dinner ashore.
What a great day we had! It started with birthday breakfast burritos. These guys were packed with onions, mushroom, black beans, tofu and cheese. Seasoned with all the usual suspects (cumin, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, chili powder and turmeric), they were delicious and hardy! With our bellies full and our bodies fortified we headed to shore late morning to hike up to the lighthouse via the trail to the summit. It was another climb to the highest point on the island (900 feet) up a rocky path through a forest to a boulder strewn peak. Once at the top there were several lookouts that gave us commanding views of the surrounding forest littered with these massive rocks (it was spectacular), the coastline and nearby islands (including a glimpse of Green Island) and even the Coral Sea! Following the hike the birthday boy was treated to a few beers at the resort bar, Foxy’s, and (after a brief return to the boat which included much needed showers), a delicious 3 course dinner at Zephyrs. It was an active as well as indulgent day but our captain deserved it and, like our not quite name sake nursery rhyme, Jill is always happy to climb any hill with Zack. ❤️
Because we were trying to cover a lot of ground quickly we didn’t have the opportunity to go ashore at all our stops. Often we had a late afternoon arrival giving us just enough time to anchor in the light and enjoyed a quiet evening. Still, we had million dollar views of Goldsmith Island and Shark Bay. Enjoying a cocktail while anchored off a palm tree dotted island with a sugar sand beach surrounded by crystal clear blue water and just a small handful of other boats never gets old. Despite the issues with our auto pilot, chart plotter and fridge/freezer which led to the condensed itinerary, the sail up the coast was really magical. How fortunate we are to visit beautiful undeveloped islands off the beaten path, be immersed in nature (on both land and sea) and meet fun and interesting people from across the world that quickly become dear friends.
We arrived in Cairns on June 11. As we get ready to post this entry we are being visited by the marine refrigeration mechanic. (No prognosis yet). Later today we receive our new chart plotter that will get installed on Friday (June 13) or over the weekend. (It was another heroic tooth and nail effort by Zack to get the new chart plotter to us in Cairns during our visit. After considerable sleuthing he did it with the help of an express pack and ship outfit. It wasn’t cheap — hey, it’s only money! — but it got us the unit before we left for Darwin!) Unfortunately, we were not so successful with the our new auto pilot computer. There was no way to get that to Cairns before we continued our sail up the coast. As you know, that one was a big concern because it controls a pretty crucial piece of equipment. That said, we didn’t have any further issues after we lightened the wires so we were cautiously optimistic we could make it to Darwin. (We have to be because we have no alternative at this point!)
Between working with local marine tradesmen on our boat projects, cleaning, laundry and provisioning we will be busy in Cairns. But we got a nice surprise during our sail to Fitzroy island: our friends on Mehala and Meraki had a change in plans. They were on a tight schedule because Gill and John had visas that were expiring towards the end of June. As a result they were high tailing it to Cairns with an overnight sail after our last evening together and would be gone from there before we arrived. After reflection they decided to apply for visa extensions so they could slow down. We could not be happier that we would be able to spend time with them in Cairns.
We will write all about our time in Cairns and sail to Darwin in our next blog post. That will be right before we hop on a plane to the USA for a brief visit where we will see many of you. We can’t wait but, in the meantime, fair winds to us!
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