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Misto - August 17-22 2018: Lizard Island and around Cape York



A 24 hour sail away from Cairns is pretty Lizard Island. There are two anchoring options - a Lagoon on the south east and a bay on the north west. We sailed past the lagoon and decided that with the strong trade winds forecast that this would not be a good option. Rounding the north of the island we found Mrs Watson’s Bay. The reefs were well marked with no-anchoring bouys and we made our way through the 6-8 ancored vessels to a spot close to the beach. Although bullets of wind come through the hills and across the anchorage it is a calm and safe option even in strong winds.

The resort in the next bay is not terribly boat-friendly. There is a bar which serves pizza a few times per week but visitors are not welcome in the resort restaurant. However the bar made for a pleasant evening drink with the crews of Madrigal and Aurora Polaris.

We decided to take Misto to the outer barrier reef again for a day and made for Cormorant Passage with its two visitors moorings. They were breathtakingly close to the reef but we picked one up without issues. Howard, Martin and Helen enjoyed a little snorkeling but it was too rough for Ros’ liking. The reef was again disappointing but the fish were huge.

Back on Lizard Island we stayed an extra day waiting for suitable weather conditions to go north and enjoyed an energetic climb up to the top of Cook’s peak, with its amazing view out over the Great Barrier Reef. Cook reputedly climbed up here when he was looking for a way out of the reef and this peak would have afforded him a view of several options.

We decided to make our way north in some fairly boisterous conditions and so for 24 hours we had 25-30 knots of wind and girly large swells as we made our way toward Cape York. The second day the wind dropped a little and we made our way around the Cape in the early hours of the morning in lighter winds and calmer seas. It feels like a real achievement to have made our way around the most northerly point of the continent of Australia. We are currently anchored off the small settlement of Seisia and will depart for Darwin at first light tomorrow.

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