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Mischief - Yet more Mischief : Log 73 Further adventures of S/Y Mischief through the eyes and ears of Chas Baynes



Friday, 17th August 2018 - Passage to Flinders Island

We were up at 4am, lifted the anchor ten minutes later and we were off towards Flinders. At 4.30 am Dave suggested that anyone who wanted to go below could so Neen said, "Come on Charlie, let's go to bed", which was the best offer I had had all day even at this early hour, even though it may have been unfortunately phrased.

There is absolutely nothing along this coastline; it is all low rock formations and hills with a few sandy beaches. We had a lovely sail with the wind behind, following the shipping lane. We were doing 6-7 knots, it was hot and the wind was behind - perfect. We gybed around Cape Melville and headed across Bathurst Bay with Flinders and its close neighbor Stanley, 12 miles across the bay. We were planning to anchor between the two in the Owen Channel which we sailed down and dropped anchor off the Aisha Spit at 4.30 pm. A great days' sail.

It all quietened down in the evening and Dave made his chicken curry for tea whilst we awaited the arrival of the Dugong, or Seacows (the monstrous sized seagrass eating mammals), but no joy this evening. Maybe tomorrow?

Saturday, 18th August 2018 - Flinders Island

The wind eventually dropped completely last night, and the anchorage became dead calm; so quiet and comfortable.
I woke to a turtle swimming about but still no trace of the Seacows so far. As we were to leave here after lunch we had another look at the planned route through the Charlotte's Bay and into the Inner Passage shipping lane. We were considering going up the 'Lads Passage', a more recently surveyed shipping lane further east inside the reef which was slightly shorter but the thought of going up the Lads Passage didn't sound quite right, so we opted to stay with the Inner Passage, which itself didn't sound right either.

I rowed ashore with Neen and Dave, my morning exercise, and we startled a giant leather back turtle lying in the shallows - it was the largest I have ever seen, nearly the size of our dinghy. It took off at speed leaving a huge wake behind it. We walked along the shore taking heed of the warning signs regarding crocodiles and Neen spotted some tracks in the sand clearly made by a duck with one leg, believing it to be a croc. Just had to do a jig standing on one leg on a stone singing 'Crocodile Rock' - so appropriate, so now I know where Elton got his inspiration!

Further along the shore we saw old names and drawings on the rocks left by sailors, some from the Royal Naval ship HMS Dart, the latest being 1982 when the island gained National Park status and 'graffiti' was outlawed - there was nothing offensive just names and dates, just not in keeping with an Aboriginal ceremonial ground. However, I found a couple of gorgeous seashells for Wendy's collection, having checked first for little inhabitants (some of which can be very nasty indeed, being Australia!)

Back on board the boat for a barbeque of steak and sausage and we were off on our next passage, this time north to Seisha 272 miles around the tip of Cape York at the end of the Great Barrier Reef which we expect to take about 48 hours i.e two days two nights. So, we ought to arrive on the morning of Monday 20th.

We soon saw a gaggle of sea birds, mostly pairs of Boobies, so I suggested that a collective noun for such a gathering would be a 'Bra'. Amongst others, Dave came up with a 'Grope' - any advance on this let me know before we contact the Oxford English Dictionary to stake our claim!

Another perfect sailing day: flat water, sun and wind on the beam all day. The shoreline though is utterly barren and is akin to a rocky desert. Our route north through the inner passage winds around untold numbers of rocks, numerous small islands and reefs some lit and some not. Sailing through this lot in the dark is a bit nerve wracking at times as perception of distances at night is difficult - all the lights seem too close in the narrow channel! We were lucky though in the all the shipping was taking the more recent lane nearer to the outside of the reef as we saw no ships all night.

For a night sail it was again perfect weather as the wind came forward of the beam and reduced to about 8 knots giving us 12 knots apparent wind and 5-6 knots speed over the ground. With half a moon and a sky full of stars it really was great. Long may it continue to Seisha.

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