TROPICAL AUSTRALIA VOYAGE
Setting off from the tranquil cruising grounds of the Whitsunday Islands, we hoisted the sails on a 1500 nautical mile odyssey along the tropical east coast of Australia.
Our island-hopping route took us through the myriad channels of the Great Barrier Reef, calling in at places made famous by early explorers including Cook, Dampier, Flinders, Torres and Bligh. Eventually, we turned our Seawind 1250 catamaran west, just south of Indonesia, skirting Australia’s most northerly point, Cape York, and then across the remote northern coastline of our island continent towards Darwin.
Our crew – skipper Royce and myself as mate – hosts four guests, who are sorted into groups for night watches.
The 41-foot Seawind with its four cabins, two bathrooms and large downstairs galley is an ideal catamaran for our large group.
REMOTE LANDS
Heralded by a 6am sunrise, the peaks of Magnetic Island, our first stop, appear on the horizon.
A trip ashore for a swim in the 20C waters is our respite before a sail in light breezes past the Aboriginal settlement on the Palm Islands for a night approach to Hinchinbrook Island, part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
As I study the plotter while steering towards Zoe Bay
