16:55.23S 14:46.91W Sunday 3rd August Cairns Marlin Marina
Yesterday was a bit tedious. We crept along through the Barrier Reef all day
in sunshine and very light winds at 1-2 knots. There was barely a ripple. We
knew the fuel situation was bad and had no choice but to turn the engine off
and drift along under sail. For a while we watched a big whale waving its
tail about in the air.
By late evening we were in sight of the bright lights of Cairns and anchored
in the estuary until daylight. This morning we upped anchor and motored for
all of five minutes before the diesel ran out completely. As there was no
chance of sailing against the tide and headwind, the Coastguard kindly
loaned us a jerry-can of fuel and we completed the last mile or two of the
Pacific crossing before lunch.
The news this evening of Asolare going to Davy Jones' Locker has made our
problems seem not quite so bad.
M