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Smoke and Roses - Christmas in September



Log 1489 Nautical Miles, 8 Days, 21.5 Hours

113.25 Hours Motoring 100.25 Hours Sailing

September 12 -23

Darwin to Australia

Christmas Island was named by Captain William Mynors when he sighted it on December 25th.It is a dormant volcano that rose from the depths of the Java Sea and was abundant in pure phosphate. The island is full of natural wonders including; rare and unusual birds, the annual red crab mass migration to the sea, glorious deserted beaches, caves, coral reefs and drop off.

Although Darwin, Australia is a lovely place, we are excited to leave and have high hopes of catching the fleet at Christmas Island, 1489 nautical miles to the west. The fleet leaves Lombok in 4 days with 620 nautical miles to get to Christmas Island and will only stay there for two days. We put the new engine to work as the , just under nine day passage started with four to five days of glassy, flat seas and no wind. We motored the longest of any passage 113.25 hours. On the second day we caught five tuna and on the third day we caught nine tuna, it is not our favorite fish to eat so we put most of them back. Finally we got wind and sailed fast with a couple days of lumpy seas and a few dolphins swimming in our bow. Our new crew member, Sean, is working out well; he is very polite willing to help and knows how to sail. This makes things easier for us. We arrived at Christmas Islands less than one day after the last boat in the World ARC fleet. Some boats left shortly after we arrived as they were the first boats in and had already been there for two days. Approaching the anchorage, we got a terrific welcome when Helen and Martin (the crew on “Misto”) did circles around Smoke and Roses in their dinghy. They were carrying a large World ARC flag and blowing a horn, while they escorted us to our mooring. We rafted with “Spirit of Catherine” in Flying Fish Cove. Other boats came by in their dinghy’s’ to greet us. It was a heartwarming welcome.

Our short stop at Christmas Island was very busy. Shortly after clearances in and out, we took an island tour organized by World ARC. The half day tour stopped at a lookout with views of Flying Fish Cove. Some rare bird species were seen here, including the Golden Bosun, an agile flier with long tail feathers that is found only on Christmas Island. Next was a 30 minute track through a majestic rainforest and wetland habitat called “The Dales”. Our walk brought us to the spring fed Hugh’s Dale Waterfall with unusual rock formations created by the minerals in the water. During the walk our guides pointed out several types of crabs living in the wetland. The uniquely colored Robber Crab is the largest living arthropod, the endemic Blue Crab that thrives in moist habitats like the Dales and the Red Crab that live in Christmas Islands’ rainforest; this is the only place in the world they are found. There are tens of millions of Red Crabs and the island goes to extreme measures to protect them including grids and bridges on the roads for the crabs. There was a stop at the rugged coast that was full of booming blowholes and Margaret Knoll with some rare seabirds including the Brown Boobies. I had no idea how unique Christmas Island was, it is a very special place. That evening “Mischief” made reservation for us to eat out and we enjoyed catching up with several friends in the fleet, as well as celebrating Brita’s (crew on “Blue Pearl”) birthday.

Business’s closed at noon the next day and we needed to buy diesel, provisions and internet codes for use later on. Fortunately there was a courtesy van available as it was a fifteen minute walk up hill to the shops. It took three trips with the jerry cans to buy 105 gallons of diesel at nearly $1,000 AU. Groceries were also very expensive and the selection was limited, I was not able to get what I wanted. After lunch we cleaned the boat and Dan went for a swim. There was a massive natural coral reef that filled the entire anchorage and a swarm of 1,000 small striped fish, silver, yellow and black, feeding on the seabed and reef. Sean went to a museum and for a hike. After a couples hours on the internet and dinner, it was late, I was very tired.

Our next stop at Cocos Keeling Island, 524 nautical miles to the west, requires a daytime arrival due to the complexity of the entrance. Therefore Dan planned a 6:00 am departure. There is so much more to explore on this enchanting island but it is time to go. We are leaving 13 hours behind the last boat in the fleet and our two days have past.

Agnes Long

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