We arrived at Fannie Bay, Darwin around 1.30am on the 24th August having lost the wind by noon the previous day and finally resorting to using the iron sail at 5pm. We took the rib ashore mid morning and tied it to a huge metal structure some 40metres up the beach then went to town. Here we were rather fortunate as 2 chaps arrived as we left the yacht club and offered us a lift. They didn't actually know Darwin, being here only to attend a court appearance as one of the chaps was seeking a divorce.
When we returned to the beach around 4pm, our rib was 30metres out at sea so Dick had to forget about the crocodiles and sharks and swim for it, bringing it back to the beach from where I passed him the shopping bags and then, wading deeper into the water, jumped into the dinghy and made for our boat. Coming ashore was fine as we had the tide with us but now we had a lot of chop as we made our way out to the anchorage.
Next morning about 10am the inner skin of the boat was pumped full of chemical to kill the green muscles and the striped muscles and any other untoward marine life. This had to be left for 14 hours before we were permitted to switch on the engines so we spent a second night at Fannie Bay and rising early on the morrow, left the anchorage at 7am to make our way to the marina.
Because the boat had been anti-fouled while we were at Mackay, there was no need for the hulls to be inspected but the young lady diver, who was undertaking the chemical treatment noticed that the rudder on one of the monohulls had a loose bolt.
All except one of the monohulls will be berthed at Tipperary marina. The catamarans and the 75foot Swan are to be berthed at Francis marina, known locally as the Duck Pond. This is where the fishing boats are moored as well as a couple of large motor cruisers. Both marinas are entered via a lock and are only accessible at high tide.
The precautions taken by us, regarding quarantine of fresh produce, rather like Thursday Island, need not have been as rigid as in both cases there was no check. I guess this was probably because of the delay moving from the anchorage to a marina and no facility for the quarantine officers to visit the anchored boats. By the time we had reached a marina, we had already been ashore and replenished fresh fruit, vegetables and meat sufficiently to keep us going for a few days. We have done a big re-provisioning here as most of the basic items, many initially brought from Spain, have now run out. Fortunately, the pontoon against which we are tied is very wide and the taxi's can deliver us and our produce right up to the boat.
We went to a national park about 150kilometers from Darwin and saw emus, rock wallabies and flying foxes. One of the rock wallabies even had a baby in its pouch. We didn't see any crocodiles though the fresh water variety do inhabit the last pool we visited, which is fed by waterfalls and is a popular swimming hole. In fact, during the wet season when the water is running high, salt water crocodiles can also be found there.
The termite mounds were pretty spectacular. We saw two sorts, one which was a called cathedral mound. You can see from the photo why. Two thirds of it is underground and that is where the termites live. The bit above ground acts as some sort of air conditioning unit and helps to keep the critters cool. The second type is known as magnetic and this is because they are built on the north-south meridian to protect them from the sun and help to keep the termites, which live in the section above ground, cool. The design and the quantity resemble a huge graveyard.
On Saturday morning I had a hair cut and highlights. This time I have not highlighted my hair to be blond, just a more varied selection of grey. Not certain that I really like the colour but at least it is tidier and will suffice for the present.
Sreco and Olga, our Slovenian friends, the couple we met with in Croatia last May, are leaving the rally. They have decided that they want to spend more time in the pacific islands as well as Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. I understand completely why they have made the decision.