West to east through the Cadell Straits
AS boaties we listen, we read, we discuss various passages. Who made the passages, what were the conditions like? We know that every passage is different, no two journeys will ever be the same.
So it was, after much in-depth analysis of predicted weather conditions and armed with information from those who had made the journey before, we located a suitable weather window and a tide time to head off from Darwin and make our way across the top of Arnhem Land to Gove.
Our first perceived obstacle would be getting away from Darwin on the right tide. Quite a few cruisers do not like going to Darwin because they see the return to the east coast as difficult, due mainly to the strong tides and current flows around the Darwin area.
So, bearing everyone’s concerns in mind, it was decided to head for Cape Hotham. The tide was right for a shortish day sail where we would then anchor. From Cape Hotham we would make our run across Van Diemans Gulf to Alcaro Bay, but we had to get there first.
The tides across this section can be up to five knots to six knots so it is crucial to get them right and have the tides going in the same direction. Once we reached Cape Hotham it was decided that, to get the most of the
