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American Spirit II - Day 222; Departed Port Douglas for Lizard Island; Friday, August 15, 2014



Up at 8:00 AM. Coffee and tea and then breakfast at 9:00 AM: 6 scrambled eggs; cut up potato and raisin bread.

Went to marina office to get OK to stay past check out time (10:00 AM); then dropped off garbage by shower area.

Walked by Nexus on a different dock and talked to Russ about our next destination - Lizard Bay. He said he'd talked to a 'local' who recommended Watson's Bay as an anchorage there, not inside of the lagoon. Valuable information as I was considering anchoring in the lagoon if other sail boats were already in there.

We all showered after breakfast and then went to Target for one last internet (Jeanine and Joel), while I went to the Post Office to drop off some post cards. Stamps were $2.60 each. I then bought some more eggs and bread. I meant to buy 1 dozen eggs and 2 loafs of bread, but ended up buying 2 dozen eggs and 1 loaf of bread. Go figure.

Back at the boat at 1:19 PM. After collecting the electrical shore power cord and putting away the transformer and getting the boat ready to leave, we shoved off at 1:40 PM.

One out of the channel, we put out the mainsail and jib and motor sailed. There was 5 knots of wind. Not good. We mot buored at 1,600 RPM's to conserve fuel. Our fuel consumption at that RPM level is .6 gallons of diesel per hour, versus 1.2 gallons per hour at 2,300 RPM's, our normal cruising speed when conserving fuel is not a consideration. At 1,600 RPM's we'll make 5.5 knots with no helping from the wind; and at 2,300 we cruise at 7.0+ knots. Our boat speed is 6.8 knots due to a helping current of 1.3 knots. It's overcast, cool but at least its not raining...yet. The weather forecast is for the clouds and rain and high winds to disappear; and that it should be sunny when we get to Lizard Island Saturday morning. We're actually timing our departure so that we get to Lizard Island just after sunrise. A hundred mile overnighter.

The water temperature upon departure was 77.5, so as we go further north towards the equator, it will continue to get warmer. That in itself will heat up the air, getting rid of the cool and cold days and nights we've had for the last two months.

At 4::02 PM Polaris, a 47 foot Hanse in our Rally, popped up on the boat AIS on our starboard a mile away.

Nexus called at 4:24 PM announcing that they'd just departed Port Douglas. They are also going to Lizard Island but because they're faster than we are they're leaving later to time their arrival for just after sunrise, also.

The first ship of the day passed by going the other way at 4:25 PM. The Ocean Sapphire, a 751 foot cargo ship. I suspect most of these ships were seeing are 'bulk' cargo, carrying coal or sugar from the sugar cane fields. It passed port abeam at 1.6 miles.

Rolled the mainsail up at 4:30 PM. No wind and the sail was flogging. We'd previously rolled the jib up because it was blanketed by the mainsail.

At 4:37 PM the Jewel of Sohar, 623 feet long, passed on our port beam two miles away going the other way, 2 miles away.

At 4:55 PM the CMA CGM Rose, 728 feet, passed port abeam at 2 miles away. Its no coincidence that all of these ships are passing to our port. We're on the far right side of the shipping channel trying to stay away from the traffic. The ships going against us are on the left side of the channel away from the current that is helping propel us north.

At 5:00 PM the Coast Guard announced on channel 16 VHF that they're were shutting down until 7:00 AM the next day.

I rolled the mainsail out at 5:50 PM as the wind picked up to 10 knots. Our speed was 6.9 knots. Rain showers were visible along the shore line as the wind hit the mountains there.

Dinner at 6:30 PM was freeze dried Beef Teriyaki along with canned corn and fruit cocktail.

At 7:22 PM I tried to send and receive emails and a log on the SSB, but kept getting disconnected. Sorry about that. I occassionally get emails from people who 'complain' that I've been remiss in sending a log or two 'on time.' When under sail, if I don't send a log its either because the boat is rocking so much in high seas that I can't get a 'straight' signal out; or because the station I'm sending to isn't being nice to me. In today's case it was the latter. I got disconnected 4 times by the receiving station in Australia, so I finally stopped trying after a half hour.

I napped from 7:45 PM to 9:00 PM while Joel stood watch. Jeanine went to sleep after I started my nap. What's the difference between a 'nap' and 'sleep?' A nap is of short duration, usually less than 3 hours; and a sleep is of longer duration, usually (with 3 watches on the boat) as long as 6 hours.

Joel play 'tag' with a commercial fishing vessel before I came on watch at 9:00 PM. When I came on watch it was raining lightly. There was a flashing light port abeam and another one on the port bow. We were surrounded by reefs and islands and these lights were markers on them. Some of these lights you could see over 10 miles away. Our electronic charts and paper charts will tell you how often a light flashes and how far away at sea level you can see it.

At 9:19 PM I took my thermal long sleeve underwear off because it was making me too warm. I was sweating. Something I haven't done for 2 months due to the 'cold' Australian winter.

I noticed on the AIS that Rally boat Festina Lente and Polaris were both off to our port a few miles. The wind was 12 knots and our boat speed 7.0 knots. Because the wind was behind us on the port side we couldn't sail unless we went pole-on-pole. Didn't want to do that because we have to make many course changes as we move inside the reef.

At 9:26 PM the RTM Flanders, 771 feet, passed port abeam going the same direction as us; .8 of a mile away.

A large commercial fishing boat 'lit me ' at 9:45 PM with their spot light two times as they passed port side going the other way about 200 yards away. Like most vessels in Australian waters, they did not have an AIS. Primarily only the big ships have AIS in Australia.

By 10:00 PM the sky was clearing of clouds and stars were starting to become visible. At 10:47 PM the moon was visible in the clouds on the starboard beam, 10 degrees above the horizon. Ten minutes later it 'exploded' out of the clouds and lit up the sea around us.

We passed Egret Reef at 11:07 PM, starboard beam. The light house or light tower on it was so bright that you think its right next to the boat and that you're going to crash into the reef. I love sailing thru treacherous reefs at night! Don't believe that. One mistake and the trip is over.

The New Castle Bay, 272 feet long, tried to call another Rally boat at 11:14 PM which was in the middle of the shipping channel (not a good idea), and unfortunately this Rally boat had an inoperative VHF radio so they didn't know a ship was trying to call them to discuss their passing (port to port or starboard to starboard). Probably would have been a better idea to be along the outer edges of the shipping channel, with or without a functioning radio.

At 11:17 PM we were still moving fast thru the water with a helping current of 1.3 knots, doing 6.89 knots across the bottom.

At 11:30 PM the Ocean Dragon, the biggest ship we've seen all night at 896 feet in length, passed port abeam .8 of a mile away, heading the other way. The New Castle Bay passed us along our port side going the same direction as we were, at 12:00 AM.

As Joel got up to relieve me, we put turned the motor off and started sailing. With 12 to 14 knots of wind we were making 5.6 knots. Not great, but better than motoring.

Brian Fox

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