Australia – North Bound 2022

Every Voyage Starts Somewhere… This is where our long distance adventures really started. Tan wasn’t onboard for the trip between Airlie Beach and Cairns due to work commitments, so these… Read more: E11 – AIRLIE BEACH TO CAPE GLOUCESTER

Starlight has never landed a Marlin before… The fishing north of Cape Gloucester has always been productive for me as I cruised the North Queensland coast, but I have never… Read more: E12 – CAPE GLOUCESTER TO MAGNETIC ISLAND

Catching fish and Making water… With no wind, but beautiful flat seas and perfect blue skies, we head further north from Magnetic Island. Unfortunately, due to the lack of wind,… Read more: E13 – MAGNETIC ISLAND TO ORPHEUS ISLAND

Overcast and light winds… Letting go the mooring at Orpheus Island into a calm but overcast sky we were forced to motor for the first hour or so. Not too… Read more: E14 – ORPHEUS ISLAND TO DUNK ISLAND

Another overcast day… Heading off from Dunk Island on another overcast day with little wind, we motor sailed north to the picturesque harbor of Mourilyan. It’s an incredibly narrow entrance… Read more: E15 – DUNK ISLAND TO MOURILYAN HARBOUR

Overcast and raining… We woke to a beautifully calm morning in Mourilyan Harbor and got the pick up at first light. Motoring out of the narrow Mourilyan Harbor entrance, we… Read more: E16 – MOURILYAN HARBOUR TO CAIRNS

Rolly night at Low Isles… Arriving late in the day to the nearest anchorage to Port Douglas is probably not a great plan! We arrived and found ourselves the 15th… Read more: E17 – LOW ISLES TO HOPE ISLAND

That damn Diesel Generator! The diesel generator is again causing issues with overheating as we departed Hope Island. We are relying on the generator to power our water maker which… Read more: E18 – HOPE ISLAND TO LIZARD ISLAND

Lizard Island and lots to fix. At Lizard Island, I got a last chance to do some maintenance at a place where obtaining parts might actually be possible through the… Read more: E19 – LIAZARD ISLAND

Fast trade wind sailing from Lizard Island. We left Lizard Island with a 20 – 25kt SE trade wind allowing Starlight to really get moving and we pumped along at… Read more: E20 – LIZARD ISLAND TO STANLEY ISLAND

Departing Stanley Island. I checked the rudder post which I figured was the cause of the loud noise that had developed the day before after leaving Lizard Island and found… Read more: E21 – STANLEY ISLAND TO ADOLPHUS ISLAND

Rolling at Adolphus Island. The anchorage at Adolphus island offered safe protection from the SE 20-25kt trade winds, but when the tide turned, an uncomfortable and downright annoying swell wrapped… Read more: E22 – ADOLPHUS ISLAND TO HORN ISLAND

Waiting at Horn Island. Our agent in Indonesia had let us down big time and we were now back and forth between us and them to get our Indonesian Visa’s… Read more: E23 – HORN ISLAND

Eating Tropical Lobster! Before heading out from Horn Island, after giving up waiting for our Indonesian agent to obtain our Indonesian Visa’s, it was time to cook up the awesome… Read more: E24 – HORN ISLAND TO FRIDAY ISLAND

Stepping off! We stepped off for the crossing of the Gulf of Carpentaria along with another sailing boat we had met in the previous couple of days called ‘Lady Dee’.… Read more: E25 – THE GULF OF CARPENTARIA (1/2)

Morning of Day 2 see’s us having made about 140nm after the first 24 hour run, so even though the Gulf was living up to it’s reputation of having a… Read more: E26 – THE GULF OF CARPENTARIA (2/2)

We departed Two Islands Bay, Manchinbar Island in the Wessel Group with our buddy boat ‘Lady D’ who had stepped off from Torres Strait with us. Two old mates, Gary… Read more: E27 – TWO ISLANDS BAY TO REFUGE BAY

This passage would be about 80nm as we couldn’t make a direct course for Cape Stewart due to uncharted waters and needed to go north around the top of the… Read more: E28 – REFUGE BAY TO CAPE STEWART