Cruising Australia
02/10/10 23:37
It has been some time since my last Captain’s Log due to a combination of laziness, poor internet connections and various other factors that have kept us occupied and/or too tired to make the effort. My apologies.
Cairns
So this Captain’s Log starts way back in Cairns where we spent 15 days from the 18th September 2010. We loved Cairns despite the unseasonal heavy rain and spending the first week or so sorting out boat issues. (Those not interested in boat issues should now jump ahead by one paragraph.)
We had the backstay replaced with new insulators for the HF radio aerial. The riggers also replaced the running backstays and gave us instructions on how to fix some other minor rigging niggles. We bought a new microwave and had a carpenter come in to enlarge the panel into which the microwave is positioned. We removed all the sails (an ordeal in its own right) and sent them to a sail loft for repair. A radio guru came in to sort out VHF aerial connections but he failed to resolve our weak transmissions on HF radio. Our dinghy had some serious leaks despite my efforts to mend them so we had these fixed professionally. The outboard was still suffering from its dunking in Panama so we had it properly serviced at long last. Our numerous poopings in large following seas prompted us to commission canvas, side splash guards alongside the cockpit and what a blessing they have proved to be. We also had an engineer to come and look at changing the brushes on our anchor windlass and the bad news was that, due to the way the windlass had been installed, the brushes cannot be replaced without ripping the whole installation out. This is now a problem waiting for a totally inconvenient time to happen after which I will need to lift the 25kg anchor and chain manually – ugh!
We teamed up in Cairns with John and Gillian from Spirit of Nina, the only other BWR yacht to head there straight from Vanuatu (the rest of the BWR fleet went to Mackay). Somewhat tragically they were heading back to the UK where John’s daughter is seriously ill. John hired a car and we toured the chandleries and other suppliers to catch up on buying all the yachting paraphernalia we had not been able to buy since Panama. After John and Gillian left Carol and I took up tourism and went by steam train up to quaint Koranda before returning by cable car. We then hired a car to tour round the Atherton highlands behind Cairns and later checked out the coastline both north and south. Most of the flat coastal plain has been given over to monotonous sugar cane farming. Somewhat surprisingly, after rainforest on the hillsides the highlands comprise a relatively cool plateau with extensive grasslands and cattle farming.
Meanwhile back in Cairns it was festival time and the whole place was throbbing with music, dancing, parades, firework displays and outdoors living. Cairns is a young, vibrant, clean town where Australians enjoy life to the full, 24/7. The downside was that the Ozzie dollar was strong and consequently the cost of living hurt e.g. a bottle of vodka costs around £30 Sterling. The boat maintenance and our own living expenses left us with a big hole in our cash flow so it was time to move on from this oasis of Ozzie civilization and head upcountry.
Port Douglas and Cooktown
On the 3rd September we sadly left Cairns for the 35 odd mile sail to Port Douglas. In one sense Port Douglas is a miniature Cairns. The marina and associated shopping mall is virtually in the centre of town (alright, just outside) and a short walk took us to a twee high street full of tourist shops, bars and restaurants. Sunday saw us visiting the market where, should the mood take you, everything from boomerangs to a Chinese massage can be bought. Just before leaving Port Douglas we met up with the crew from Fai Tira who has rushed up from Mackay to visit friends. But we were leading the BWR pack by a long way and on the 9th September we left Port Douglas for Cooktown.
Unsurprisingly, Cooktown was named after Captain Cook and this is where he beached Endeavour after running aground on the Great Barrier Reef. We anchored in the narrow river estuary and soon realized that we were at last moving into the Australian outback. To say Cooktown is a one horse town would be an exaggeration by one horse. It is the last serious habitation before rounding Cape York hundreds of miles to the north. It has the air of a wild west town with a small number of shops, bars and restaurant spread along the main road in a ribbon like development. We took time out to visit various museums dedicated to Captain Cook and the town’s later 19th century development and collapse as a mining entrepot.
It was in Cooktown where we first saw evidence of what can euphemistically be called the Aboriginal issue. The Aboriginal population is a disenfranchised sector of the Australian population without seeming purpose or direction. Much of their history, culture, knowledge and wisdom has been lost as elders have died off. In the past they were treated barbarically by the white settlers but efforts to right a long series of wrongs have proved disastrous even up until modern times. The fundamental ongoing problem is a lack of awareness and understanding on both sides of the divide. The net result is an Aboriginal population that is economically inactive and highly dependent on welfare. They suffer from high crime rates, high suicide rates, poor health and medication, and consequently low life expectancy. Alcohol provides an escape and because of its byproduct of violence it is now highly regulated by the State Government. It’s all very sad with no easy short or long term fixes and this all became increasingly apparent as we headed further into Aboriginal Queensland (another oxymoron that perhaps says more than anything else to encapsulate the issue).
And on to Darwin
On the 9th September we left Cooktown for a day’s sail to Lizard Island where Captain Cook climbed to the highest point to look for a passage out through the Great Barrier Reef. After entering a difficult Watson’s Bay anchorage surrounded by reefs we dropped the hook amongst various, mainly Ozzie boats that we later discovered had been there for weeks if not months (no where else within easy sailing to go). David and Allison from Kalida were the first couple we met after their children had come alongside to greet us and sell some homemade stone paintings. Sundowner drinks on the beach every evening provided an opportunity to meet other yachties including Rob and Gay from Dancing Dolfin who later came on board for a meal and drinks.
The day after our arrival we took a walk to the beautiful Blue Lagoon on the windward side of the island. This took us over a freshwater lagoon and past some noisy fruit bats roosting in the mangroves. On day two we followed in the footsteps of Captain Cook and undertook the testing hike up to the very top of the island where we gazed over to the fringing Great Barrier Reef and signed a visitor’s book kept in waterproof containers.
We were now firmly into day sailing mode so the next leg of our journey north took us to Howick Island on the 12th September and, after abandoning Bathhurst Bay due to strong winds across an exposed anchorage, on to Flinders Island on the 13th where we spent two nights anchored in the total isolation of the Owen Channel. Sailing conditions were virtually perfect all the way up the northern Queensland coast and we usually sailed fast and comfortably with good winds abaft the beam and the Great Barrier protecting us from the Pacific swell.
The 15th September saw us heading for Morris Island where only one coconut tree survives after many were planted in the 19th century by the British Admiralty in an effort to provide sustenance for shipwrecked sailors. They even planted sisal trees for string to help get the coconuts down and put goats ashore for meat. Apart from numerous birds, the only meat nowadays is a 4 meter crocodile that we didn’t see but later BWR yachts did observe lurking on the beach.
To our total surprise we were joined in the Morris Island anchorage by Colin on board Moonbeam. He was on his way to join his wife and the BWR in Darwin. We thought we were taking pity on his temporary bachelor status by inviting him onboard to join us for a meal but two nights later, after a night stop in Portland Roads, he reciprocated at Cape Grenville and gave us an outstanding meal proving that even ex-BA 747 captains can cook well despite years of being serviced by stewardesses, so to speak.
From Cape Grenville we sailed to Escape River on the 18th September. This was a long day sail in some strong winds. Just prior to our arrival at the estuary bar we were hit by a very strong squall after the wind had suddenly dropped to well below 10 kts and we had put the engine on. The gust was so strong and sudden that we had our port gunwales, boom and genoa in the water as we veered uncontrollably to windward. After a long 30 seconds the blast disappeared and we took time to access the damage. The most significant was the bursting open of a tin of varnish purchased in Cairns that for some unknown reason Carol had stowed in the aft cabin. Fortunately, most of the varnish was absorbed by one of my lightweight fleeces and after Trojan efforts by Carol most of the mess was cleared up. Two broken sail battens seemed insignificant after the varnish scare.
We arrived in Escape River just before dusk and motored into the estuary to find it littered with oyster buoys associated with pearl farming. While we weaved our way upriver, Colin on Moonbeam got caught in another squall just off the bar and his genoa ended up in shreds. He later motored in to join us feeling just a little bit sorry for himself as we shared stories of our misfortunes. Plans for a meal together got shelved and we all took to our beds exhausted to catch up on some sleep.
We set off from Escape River on the 19th September having had a close look at the tides so as to make our transit through the narrow Albany Channel as easy as possible. We ended up doing over 10 kts SOG and later rounded Cape York to head down to anchor off of Seisa in the lee of Red Island.
Seisa makes Cooktown look like Manhattan but it did have some horses, a petrol station, a campsite and a supermarket. Its main raison d’étre is as the end destination of a 4WD trail that goes all the way up Queensland from Cairns. Dust covered 4WD vehicles arrive looking as if they have been in the Paris Dakar Rally. Drivers have the option of loading their wagons on to a large boat that docks alongside a jetty from where they are taken back to Cairns. Also alongside the jetty were dozens of Aboriginal children swimming off a lovely beach behind which is a memorial to someone snatched by a crocodile in 1982. We were paranoid even to step briefly in the water after going ashore by dinghy.
One of my enduring memories of northern Queensland will be the endless miles of deserted coastline comprising beaches, dunes, mangroves and cliffs, all backed by rainforest. It really is a wilderness and I presume that the principal reasons it has not been invaded by intensive tourism are the dangers associated with crocodiles, box jelly fish and numerous other forms of Australian wildlife that will bite and/or sting and/or eat you. Long may it be so.
Colin did not stop at Red Island and sailed straight on for Darwin while we took 3 days out to relax. Compared to other BWR yachts we had been taking our time sailing since Cairns and had stayed well ahead of the others but they were rapidly catching up and we now found ourselves being joined by some of them from Red Island onwards. It was good to socialize and catch up with them after having not having seen them since Vanuatu.
We left Seisa on the 22nd September for a 3½ day crossing of the Gulf of Carpentaria to Gove. Gove is not the prettiest place in Australia by a long way. It is a loading port for bauxite and the huge processing and docking facilities blight what would otherwise be a lovely bay. We anchored off Gove Yacht Club and a trip ashore soon proved that most members of Gove YC appeared to be Aborigines who didn’t know one end of a yacht from the other. We were warned not to go there on Friday night and sure enough, the following day we were told that there had been several fights, the most serious of which was amongst the crew of a shrimper that had been out at sea for 4 months.
On Saturday we managed to borrow a car from the women who ran a small provisions store inside the YC and we drove to Gove town for provisions from a Woolworths supermarket. A huge newsagents/bookshop also allowed us to top up on reading material, some aimed at helping us to learn more about the Aboriginal issue of which Gove YC proved to be a microcosm. Believe it or not, we could not buy carry-out alcohol in Gove without a license and this restriction applies to everyone in or around the Aboriginal homelands of Arnhem where special permission is required for a visit whether by yacht or overland.
After rounding Cape York and heading across the Gulf of Carpentaria navigation had gotten easier without the ongoing threat of uncharted reefs or commercial shipping going up and down the narrow channels inside the Great Barrier Reef. While commercial shipping was evident in Gove it did not pose a threat. But the next legs of our journey to Darwin required careful planning with respect to tides and the first test was going through the Hole in the Wall, a very narrow, mile long channel between the Wessel Islands. Tides rip through here at up to 10 kts and the trick is to ensure you run with the tide and not against it. We left Gove on the 26th September at 06.00 and that afternoon found ourselves hurtling through the Hole in the Wall at an eye-watering 14+ kts SOG. We turned sharply to port after exiting and anchored in a stunningly beautiful bay. But as with everywhere else since leaving Cairns, a bay made dangerous by the potential for crocodiles, so no swimming, snorkeling or hanging around close to the shore.
On the 27th September we left this idyllic anchorage without venturing ashore and started a two day sail to Port Essington, a large bay just short of Darwin where we arrived in the dark to anchor off Black Point on the 29th. Here we were joined by Enchantress, Lucy Alice, Aspen and Miss Tippy. Yet again, tidal planning was critical and we left the anchorage at midnight after one day spent catching up with the Miss Tippy family. At long last the 30th September saw us at anchor in Fannie Bay (no jokes please) Darwin. We arrived in the middle of a huge storm that featured an “end of the world” thunder and lightning show together with torrential rain. Miss Tippy was hit by a 40 kt squall. Other BWR yachts that had not stopped en route from Cape York were already in Fannie Bay or in the process of arriving and there was much ensuing radio chat and exchange of greetings after not having seen most of them since Vanuatu.
The main reason for stopping in Fannie bay was to be de-musseled. The morning after our arrival a diver went down and squirted a chemical in our raw water inlets to stop the importation of unwanted mussels into NT waters. That afternoon I took the opportunity to service the engine and change the genset oil. With temperatures up to 37C I was sweating so much I nearly had to turn the bilge pump on. Early on the 2nd October we eventually motored past the Darwin big boat terminal round to Tipperary Marina where we entered through a lock to relax at long last in a secure berth and enjoy another outpost of Australian civilization for a while.
Cairns
So this Captain’s Log starts way back in Cairns where we spent 15 days from the 18th September 2010. We loved Cairns despite the unseasonal heavy rain and spending the first week or so sorting out boat issues. (Those not interested in boat issues should now jump ahead by one paragraph.)
We had the backstay replaced with new insulators for the HF radio aerial. The riggers also replaced the running backstays and gave us instructions on how to fix some other minor rigging niggles. We bought a new microwave and had a carpenter come in to enlarge the panel into which the microwave is positioned. We removed all the sails (an ordeal in its own right) and sent them to a sail loft for repair. A radio guru came in to sort out VHF aerial connections but he failed to resolve our weak transmissions on HF radio. Our dinghy had some serious leaks despite my efforts to mend them so we had these fixed professionally. The outboard was still suffering from its dunking in Panama so we had it properly serviced at long last. Our numerous poopings in large following seas prompted us to commission canvas, side splash guards alongside the cockpit and what a blessing they have proved to be. We also had an engineer to come and look at changing the brushes on our anchor windlass and the bad news was that, due to the way the windlass had been installed, the brushes cannot be replaced without ripping the whole installation out. This is now a problem waiting for a totally inconvenient time to happen after which I will need to lift the 25kg anchor and chain manually – ugh!
We teamed up in Cairns with John and Gillian from Spirit of Nina, the only other BWR yacht to head there straight from Vanuatu (the rest of the BWR fleet went to Mackay). Somewhat tragically they were heading back to the UK where John’s daughter is seriously ill. John hired a car and we toured the chandleries and other suppliers to catch up on buying all the yachting paraphernalia we had not been able to buy since Panama. After John and Gillian left Carol and I took up tourism and went by steam train up to quaint Koranda before returning by cable car. We then hired a car to tour round the Atherton highlands behind Cairns and later checked out the coastline both north and south. Most of the flat coastal plain has been given over to monotonous sugar cane farming. Somewhat surprisingly, after rainforest on the hillsides the highlands comprise a relatively cool plateau with extensive grasslands and cattle farming.
Meanwhile back in Cairns it was festival time and the whole place was throbbing with music, dancing, parades, firework displays and outdoors living. Cairns is a young, vibrant, clean town where Australians enjoy life to the full, 24/7. The downside was that the Ozzie dollar was strong and consequently the cost of living hurt e.g. a bottle of vodka costs around £30 Sterling. The boat maintenance and our own living expenses left us with a big hole in our cash flow so it was time to move on from this oasis of Ozzie civilization and head upcountry.
Port Douglas and Cooktown
On the 3rd September we sadly left Cairns for the 35 odd mile sail to Port Douglas. In one sense Port Douglas is a miniature Cairns. The marina and associated shopping mall is virtually in the centre of town (alright, just outside) and a short walk took us to a twee high street full of tourist shops, bars and restaurants. Sunday saw us visiting the market where, should the mood take you, everything from boomerangs to a Chinese massage can be bought. Just before leaving Port Douglas we met up with the crew from Fai Tira who has rushed up from Mackay to visit friends. But we were leading the BWR pack by a long way and on the 9th September we left Port Douglas for Cooktown.
Unsurprisingly, Cooktown was named after Captain Cook and this is where he beached Endeavour after running aground on the Great Barrier Reef. We anchored in the narrow river estuary and soon realized that we were at last moving into the Australian outback. To say Cooktown is a one horse town would be an exaggeration by one horse. It is the last serious habitation before rounding Cape York hundreds of miles to the north. It has the air of a wild west town with a small number of shops, bars and restaurant spread along the main road in a ribbon like development. We took time out to visit various museums dedicated to Captain Cook and the town’s later 19th century development and collapse as a mining entrepot.
It was in Cooktown where we first saw evidence of what can euphemistically be called the Aboriginal issue. The Aboriginal population is a disenfranchised sector of the Australian population without seeming purpose or direction. Much of their history, culture, knowledge and wisdom has been lost as elders have died off. In the past they were treated barbarically by the white settlers but efforts to right a long series of wrongs have proved disastrous even up until modern times. The fundamental ongoing problem is a lack of awareness and understanding on both sides of the divide. The net result is an Aboriginal population that is economically inactive and highly dependent on welfare. They suffer from high crime rates, high suicide rates, poor health and medication, and consequently low life expectancy. Alcohol provides an escape and because of its byproduct of violence it is now highly regulated by the State Government. It’s all very sad with no easy short or long term fixes and this all became increasingly apparent as we headed further into Aboriginal Queensland (another oxymoron that perhaps says more than anything else to encapsulate the issue).
And on to Darwin
On the 9th September we left Cooktown for a day’s sail to Lizard Island where Captain Cook climbed to the highest point to look for a passage out through the Great Barrier Reef. After entering a difficult Watson’s Bay anchorage surrounded by reefs we dropped the hook amongst various, mainly Ozzie boats that we later discovered had been there for weeks if not months (no where else within easy sailing to go). David and Allison from Kalida were the first couple we met after their children had come alongside to greet us and sell some homemade stone paintings. Sundowner drinks on the beach every evening provided an opportunity to meet other yachties including Rob and Gay from Dancing Dolfin who later came on board for a meal and drinks.
The day after our arrival we took a walk to the beautiful Blue Lagoon on the windward side of the island. This took us over a freshwater lagoon and past some noisy fruit bats roosting in the mangroves. On day two we followed in the footsteps of Captain Cook and undertook the testing hike up to the very top of the island where we gazed over to the fringing Great Barrier Reef and signed a visitor’s book kept in waterproof containers.
We were now firmly into day sailing mode so the next leg of our journey north took us to Howick Island on the 12th September and, after abandoning Bathhurst Bay due to strong winds across an exposed anchorage, on to Flinders Island on the 13th where we spent two nights anchored in the total isolation of the Owen Channel. Sailing conditions were virtually perfect all the way up the northern Queensland coast and we usually sailed fast and comfortably with good winds abaft the beam and the Great Barrier protecting us from the Pacific swell.
The 15th September saw us heading for Morris Island where only one coconut tree survives after many were planted in the 19th century by the British Admiralty in an effort to provide sustenance for shipwrecked sailors. They even planted sisal trees for string to help get the coconuts down and put goats ashore for meat. Apart from numerous birds, the only meat nowadays is a 4 meter crocodile that we didn’t see but later BWR yachts did observe lurking on the beach.
To our total surprise we were joined in the Morris Island anchorage by Colin on board Moonbeam. He was on his way to join his wife and the BWR in Darwin. We thought we were taking pity on his temporary bachelor status by inviting him onboard to join us for a meal but two nights later, after a night stop in Portland Roads, he reciprocated at Cape Grenville and gave us an outstanding meal proving that even ex-BA 747 captains can cook well despite years of being serviced by stewardesses, so to speak.
From Cape Grenville we sailed to Escape River on the 18th September. This was a long day sail in some strong winds. Just prior to our arrival at the estuary bar we were hit by a very strong squall after the wind had suddenly dropped to well below 10 kts and we had put the engine on. The gust was so strong and sudden that we had our port gunwales, boom and genoa in the water as we veered uncontrollably to windward. After a long 30 seconds the blast disappeared and we took time to access the damage. The most significant was the bursting open of a tin of varnish purchased in Cairns that for some unknown reason Carol had stowed in the aft cabin. Fortunately, most of the varnish was absorbed by one of my lightweight fleeces and after Trojan efforts by Carol most of the mess was cleared up. Two broken sail battens seemed insignificant after the varnish scare.
We arrived in Escape River just before dusk and motored into the estuary to find it littered with oyster buoys associated with pearl farming. While we weaved our way upriver, Colin on Moonbeam got caught in another squall just off the bar and his genoa ended up in shreds. He later motored in to join us feeling just a little bit sorry for himself as we shared stories of our misfortunes. Plans for a meal together got shelved and we all took to our beds exhausted to catch up on some sleep.
We set off from Escape River on the 19th September having had a close look at the tides so as to make our transit through the narrow Albany Channel as easy as possible. We ended up doing over 10 kts SOG and later rounded Cape York to head down to anchor off of Seisa in the lee of Red Island.
Seisa makes Cooktown look like Manhattan but it did have some horses, a petrol station, a campsite and a supermarket. Its main raison d’étre is as the end destination of a 4WD trail that goes all the way up Queensland from Cairns. Dust covered 4WD vehicles arrive looking as if they have been in the Paris Dakar Rally. Drivers have the option of loading their wagons on to a large boat that docks alongside a jetty from where they are taken back to Cairns. Also alongside the jetty were dozens of Aboriginal children swimming off a lovely beach behind which is a memorial to someone snatched by a crocodile in 1982. We were paranoid even to step briefly in the water after going ashore by dinghy.
One of my enduring memories of northern Queensland will be the endless miles of deserted coastline comprising beaches, dunes, mangroves and cliffs, all backed by rainforest. It really is a wilderness and I presume that the principal reasons it has not been invaded by intensive tourism are the dangers associated with crocodiles, box jelly fish and numerous other forms of Australian wildlife that will bite and/or sting and/or eat you. Long may it be so.
Colin did not stop at Red Island and sailed straight on for Darwin while we took 3 days out to relax. Compared to other BWR yachts we had been taking our time sailing since Cairns and had stayed well ahead of the others but they were rapidly catching up and we now found ourselves being joined by some of them from Red Island onwards. It was good to socialize and catch up with them after having not having seen them since Vanuatu.
We left Seisa on the 22nd September for a 3½ day crossing of the Gulf of Carpentaria to Gove. Gove is not the prettiest place in Australia by a long way. It is a loading port for bauxite and the huge processing and docking facilities blight what would otherwise be a lovely bay. We anchored off Gove Yacht Club and a trip ashore soon proved that most members of Gove YC appeared to be Aborigines who didn’t know one end of a yacht from the other. We were warned not to go there on Friday night and sure enough, the following day we were told that there had been several fights, the most serious of which was amongst the crew of a shrimper that had been out at sea for 4 months.
On Saturday we managed to borrow a car from the women who ran a small provisions store inside the YC and we drove to Gove town for provisions from a Woolworths supermarket. A huge newsagents/bookshop also allowed us to top up on reading material, some aimed at helping us to learn more about the Aboriginal issue of which Gove YC proved to be a microcosm. Believe it or not, we could not buy carry-out alcohol in Gove without a license and this restriction applies to everyone in or around the Aboriginal homelands of Arnhem where special permission is required for a visit whether by yacht or overland.
After rounding Cape York and heading across the Gulf of Carpentaria navigation had gotten easier without the ongoing threat of uncharted reefs or commercial shipping going up and down the narrow channels inside the Great Barrier Reef. While commercial shipping was evident in Gove it did not pose a threat. But the next legs of our journey to Darwin required careful planning with respect to tides and the first test was going through the Hole in the Wall, a very narrow, mile long channel between the Wessel Islands. Tides rip through here at up to 10 kts and the trick is to ensure you run with the tide and not against it. We left Gove on the 26th September at 06.00 and that afternoon found ourselves hurtling through the Hole in the Wall at an eye-watering 14+ kts SOG. We turned sharply to port after exiting and anchored in a stunningly beautiful bay. But as with everywhere else since leaving Cairns, a bay made dangerous by the potential for crocodiles, so no swimming, snorkeling or hanging around close to the shore.
On the 27th September we left this idyllic anchorage without venturing ashore and started a two day sail to Port Essington, a large bay just short of Darwin where we arrived in the dark to anchor off Black Point on the 29th. Here we were joined by Enchantress, Lucy Alice, Aspen and Miss Tippy. Yet again, tidal planning was critical and we left the anchorage at midnight after one day spent catching up with the Miss Tippy family. At long last the 30th September saw us at anchor in Fannie Bay (no jokes please) Darwin. We arrived in the middle of a huge storm that featured an “end of the world” thunder and lightning show together with torrential rain. Miss Tippy was hit by a 40 kt squall. Other BWR yachts that had not stopped en route from Cape York were already in Fannie Bay or in the process of arriving and there was much ensuing radio chat and exchange of greetings after not having seen most of them since Vanuatu.
The main reason for stopping in Fannie bay was to be de-musseled. The morning after our arrival a diver went down and squirted a chemical in our raw water inlets to stop the importation of unwanted mussels into NT waters. That afternoon I took the opportunity to service the engine and change the genset oil. With temperatures up to 37C I was sweating so much I nearly had to turn the bilge pump on. Early on the 2nd October we eventually motored past the Darwin big boat terminal round to Tipperary Marina where we entered through a lock to relax at long last in a secure berth and enjoy another outpost of Australian civilization for a while.