On to Horn and Thursday Islands

It took us days of pretty much constant sailing throughout the day to make it to Horn Island which is opposite Thursday Island. We only got to go ashore on the way after dropping anchor for an hour or so before it got dark. Fitzroy Island was one of these stops a nice little Island in a group of Islands one of which has aboriginal paints in a ave that we plan to check out on the way home. Daniel caught a shark off the beach, which was released.

Daniel catching bait fish.

Over looking the bay.



Daniel with his black tip reef shark

Ian, Daniel and Amy returning from the beach in time for dinner.
 

On to Morris Island which only took about 15minutes to walk around. Daniel wanted to fish. Daniel cast the net and caught heaps of bait fish with one throw, most of which we threw bak there was way to many.

We had already thrown heaps back and put some in the bucket

We left Daniel to it while we stretched our legs and went to check out the old grave under a coconut palm.

The really old grave.



Saltheart at anchor at Morris Island.

On we sail with very little use of the motor which has been great. On the way to Portland Heads we had a tear in the sail which Ian and I had to repair on the go. Luckily it was light winds and the tear was low enough to reach it took a few hours but we got the job done, great team work one on each side of the sail.


Repairs underway.

Gettting there slowly and having fun.

 We finally saw some dolphins on the way to Shelburne Bay the first since pretty muh leaving NSW. We saw them on 2 different days one day they only stayed for a few minutes the next day there were around 20 in the pod a few older ones with younger smaller ones coping the adults and they stayed for about 30-45minutes which was so muh fun and then they came back a short time later.

Amy enjoying the dolphins

Playing and having fun

Up to Cape York and over to Horn and Thursday Islands.

Cape York!! Made it this far.

We dropped anchor at Horn Island after making some great time. We were doing 7-8 knots making 9knots at times with the current pushing us along. A huge difference to our 5knots which we are happy to be doing. We went ashore there is not muh at all on Horn Island a shop and pub but this is where the airport for Thursday Island is where Kathleen is flying to on the 25th June very soon to meet us. We moved to Thursday Island the following day which is the main spot for this area.

Waterfront at Thursday Island

Amy with her adventure school teddy Flynn. She gets to keep him for a week then sends him back after writing about her adventures with him.

Thursday Island isn't huge but does seem to have most things. There are 2 slipways here that we were going to pull Saltheart out and give her a coat of anti-foul on her bum while waiting for Kathleen but no one will pull her out, so it looks like a Darwin job. We went up to Green Hill Fort for a walk from the top there are great views over the other islands and you an even see the mainland. The fort was used during the war but now has a museum inside but it was closed with no opening hours posted so we won't be going through the underground.

Look out Amy it ould be loaded!!!!!

From the top of Green Hill Fort with the mainland in the background

Amy taking a rest

Up date of Cooktown

Amy coming third in the fun run before she found the last bit of energy to come first.
 

Daniel and Ian having a run off at the very end after Ian has already run an extra 2km but Daniel doesn't want Ian to win.

After a hard race trying to catch a breathe. Ian really isn't going to cry after being beaten to the finish line.

A very proud little girl who won $35 for the extra energy she found at the last minute.

Next came the pie eating contest.

Amy trying hard to beat the big boys in the pie eating contest, what hope would she have against Daniel who took out first place.

Myself going hard at devouring the pie.



No surprises for who took out first in the men's round easily

Daniel getting ready to dive face first into the pasta eating competition.

And he's off. A lose second place and the winner of 2 pizzas.



Cook's landing re-enactment.



The Indigenous actors in the re-enactment

Amy and Daniel with some of the cast

Part of the parade

Amy even happier with the 3rd place encouragement award in the busking competition.

Cooktown and Lizard Island

The Internet is not liking us very much here so I have only put a few photos in which took forever. I will update this entry when I can probably Thursday Island in week or so. Thought I better put something up so I don't get in trouble form anyone. There will more photos to follow.

We arrived at Cooktown after a uncomfortable trip due to the 30knot winds. After arriving we found a brochure which told us that the Captain Cook Re-enactment Festival was on this weekend, there are lots of actives on for the weekend and the kids are looking forward to the the fun run, pie eating and pasta eating contest, along with the busking and fireworks. Cooktown is a small town but has everything here. We walked along the foreshore and found a monument to Captain Cook and a musical ship park which was on of Amy's favourite parks.


Captain Cooks Monument

 

Amy playing on the musical ship.

We arrived early in the week so it gave us a few days to look around and check the place out. We visited the Museum and the Cemetery where there are many really old graves that date back to the 1800's when the gold rush was on, there is a monument to all the Chinese who died here also.

The weekend arrived and the fun run started the weekend off for us Amy had to run 1.5km, Daniel had to run 4km and Ian ran 6km. Amy came first and won herself $35 which she was really happy about, it was very close with Amy only just in front at the end after a big effort sprint. Daniel walked a lot of the way, Ian and Daniel had the same course most of the way with a added on bit for Ian. Ian met up with Daniel after running an extra 2km where Daniel started to run again as he wasn’t going to let Ian beat him. It was a close finish with Daniel only slightly in front. After all that effort Amy came 1^st, Daniel came 5^th and last in the boys of his age group, while Ian did an impressive 3^rd in the 17yrs and over. Both Ian and Amy were buggered after their races and red in the face for ages afterward. Daniel was still in shock from getting up early. We had breakfast in the market but Daniel didn’t want to eat as he was saving himself for the pie eating contest later at lunchtime at one of the pubs and the pasta eating competition an hour later at a different pub. if he can fit it in. We had heard that last year the pasta eating competition was eating a kilo of pasta.

We had a walk around the market stall and Amy was over the moon to find some baby joeys that she could cuddle. The joeys are wallabies that are 7months old but only small and very cute. Daniel and Amy had a go at Gold Panning for a bit of fun and both found a flake each.

The pie eating contest was the quickest to eat 1 pie was the winner. The junior section which Daniel and Amy were in had to eat half a pie and was very neat in eating it. People in the audience were cheering on Amy, she was the only girl and the youngest person in the competition.

Daniel was still hungry after his half a pie as he hasn’t eaten anything else yet. The pasta competition involves eating a plate of pasta with sauce without touching the plate and no utensils, face down and start chomping first one to finish wins. Thankfully it wasn't the kilo of pasta. Daniel came second but a real close to the first place taker. He missed out on the $50 but won 2 pizzas.

The grand parade starting with the town crier, Captain James Cook with his soldiers at arms. Then other items walking and on the back of a semi trailer and the variety clubs 4X4’s. Some were throwing out lollies which all the kids ran out to get.

After the parade it was time to watch Amy perform at the busking tent. She did a good job but is very quiet and needs to learn to sing louder. Part of the rules is no amplification so she wasn’t allowed to use the microphones unless they were battery powered. There are only 4 acts in the junior section. She had fun which was great  to watch and got to carry a puppy around when she wasn’t singing. Amy won the encouragement award of $150 coming 3rd. Amy was really happy with her win and was so excited to have $150. She reckons she is coming back next year as she cleaned up winning a total of $185 this year.

Lizard Island is where many boaties call it a day and spend weeks to months here before turning around and heading back south. Not us from here we go to on to Thursday Island where Kathleen will meet up with us.

Lizard is a pretty spot with some great snorkeling in the small bit we have seen in our few days here. It would be nice to spend some more time here maybe another time and hopefully we spend another few days here on our way back home with Kathleen who loves to snorkel.

We went for a walk up to Cook Lookout which was a long way up over 300metres. The view from the top was amazing. We signed our names in the book kept at the top in a box. We aren't sore at the moment but I am sure I will be tomorrow, I dare say Ian will be to.

 

 

 

 

 

Cairns to Cooktown

Cairns is such a beautiful city and we found it very hard to leave. Rainforest surrounds the hills behind and reef a 2 hour sail away. In the city close to the marina is The Lagoon, a large public pool which is a draw card for tourists, backpackers and a favorite of the Saltheart crew.

Amy happy to go swimming

Our next favorite would probably be Rusty's Markets. Great value fruit, veges and herbs that were longed for by us folk that had been at sea away from fresh food for a few weeks. It's amazing how good fresh food tastes when you have been deprived for a while.



Rusty's Markets

We eventually sailed away from Cairns to Low Island. This tiny coral cay, which is about 150m in diameter, has a large fringing reef that provides a good anchorage in trade winds. The reef has very good soft corals and as it is a green zone there is a variety of fish to see.

Low Isle

Still taller than Daniel

Chasing turtles on Low Isle



One of many Monopoly nights

Our next stop was Hope Island not far from Endeavour Reef where Captain Cook came to grief before careening his boat, The Endeavour, on the banks of the Endeavour River, Cooktown(that's a lot of Endeavours). No green zone exists here so Daniel and Amy had fun netting the bait fish that colour the water black and surround the calm side of the island. We used these as bait and were pulling in these fish one after the other off the beach. Good fun and not bad eating.

Hope Island

Big game fisherman

Dark patches are bait fish

The anchorage

Snorkeling Hope Island

Warm water swimming

Turrum

She doesn't like to eat them, doesn't mind catching them though

From there we went to Cooktown. As previously stated Cook established the first White settlement here in 1770 when his ship hit the reef 20 miles from here. He and his crew spent 48 days making repairs here. 




The man himself

The first thing that struck us is the wind. In fact it has been windy every since we left Cairns but more so now. We are anchored in the river and the tide has us side on to the wind. When the gusts start howling we heel over and in the lulls we come back upright, all the time dancing around the anchor. To make things worse the river is a little congested and we a close to other boats. Our only savior and our greatest investment is our new Rocna Anchor. She is holding us fast. Our old plough would have had us dragging and not sleeping for fear of dragging up on the beach. I had read that the area north of Cairns had the strongest trade winds in the world so I was  expecting it, but wasn't expecting how relentless they are, day and night, day after day. 

Endeavour River anchorage

 

We were originally going to bypass Cooktown but we discovered one of the brackets on our duckboard had broken when we were at Hope Island. Since we have been ashore we have learnt of the Cooktown Festival this weekend that has a Cook reenactment along with heaps of other fun things that are on. Now we are thinking we will hang around until then and hopefully the wind might drop below 25-30 knots. Lets hope our stay doesn't match that of Cook's.

Next stop lizard Island.