The Adventures of Captain Ray Penson
Sailing Yacht Truce
It’s been a while since I posted a log. I have been working hard for not much gain and not been inclined to socialize much. I have entered a depressed state due high temperatures and lack of wind, frustration has set in. Being hot and frustrated is Aaaagh! I need something to jolt me back into full mojo mode.
The trip from Gove to Saumlaki was a slow affair, taking a full day longer than I expected. However, once I overcame the sheer frustration of being becalmed at one point, the voyage progressed at a constant slow speed with favourable winds and a calm sea. Sailing wing on wing it turned out to be a very pleasant trip .
It's time to move onto new adventures. My visa for Indonesia arrived yesterday, I can get going again to continue my journey, visit new places and meet different people.
Gove anchorage in Inverell Bay is mostly a peaceful place. With the easterly and southeasterly winds there is no sea or swell intrusion. The wind when it gets up is only a minor disturbance. So that’s good. The downside is that Truce is becoming a dirty red colour, the same as everything around here. It’s the windborne bauxite dust that settles everywhere.
I have sailed the seven seas. But, never before have I sailed on the Arafura Sea or crossed the Gulf of Carpentaria. Now I have. My stop in Seisia was excellent apart from a couple of days when the wind blew too hard for me to get ashore in the little rubber duck dinghy, at least not without a soaking or risk of being blown to Timbuctu.
Truce is once again the only boat in the anchorage and its quite a remote and dark place at night. The second night was too much, I decided to get around Cape York in the morning no matter what the weather was doing.
Portland Roads was a bit of a disappointment for me. The weather was a bit windy for my small dinghy and there was nothing tempting me to go ashore. After an average comfort night at anchor I decided on an early morning start north again.
Another early morning start, we departed from Stokes Bay before six, the sky was just starting to lighten in the east but in the anchorage it was still dark. We arrived and departed from Stokes Bay without seeing the shore. The reason for an early start today is that the run up to Morris Island is around sixty miles and I do like to get anchored and settled down if possible before sunset.
The sail to Lizard Island is a far less strenuous undertaking, just 36 miles and with the perfect wind of around 10 knots it was a very relaxing ride. We saw dolphins and whales on the way, arriving at the Lizard Island anchorage early in the afternoon. The anchorage is very scenic and the water crystal clear with fish swimming all around.
Finally, at last, by the 29th August the trades had moderated and I let go from the mooring as the tide turned to ebb and headed out from Cairns. Truce had been tied up there for nearly a month and developed a nasty scummy slime around the waterline. Time to sail it off.
The Adventures of Captain Ray Penson 