Year 2 18 July 2025 –Great Barrier Reef – Indonesia – up the inside shipping lane channels

Adam and I were on at 5.00am to 8.00am slot and we were motoring due to lack of wind. It was not until about 6.30am did it become light. It was a rather grey and cloudy day.

The wind began to increase and we came to an area where we could sail so up went the sails. We were soon whizzing along at 7-8 kts and it was relatively calm. We passed many coral cays and islands most of which were uninhabited. In fact, it looked quite wild up here with little signs off habitation. The route we were taking was like a thread meandering through the reefs. It was beautiful but a little bleak when grey and yet when the sun shone you could see the blue water of the shallow patches near the reefs and the yellow, green and brown of the reefs themselves.

We found a few flying fish on the deck and William and Nicola saw Dolphins but otherwise we remarked how little wildlife we had seen since leaving Cairns and very little birdlife. We handed over to Nicola and William at 8.00am and I then made some bacon and egg. We were able to eat at the cockpit table as it was calm. The daily jobs went on of the engine room and other daily checks. I did my usual hour or so of admin and the day warmed up with increasing sunshine.

The day went on and we were able to sail well and fast. We had winds up to 24 kts but mostly around the 16-20. We were sailing along when we had to go through quite a narrow gap. Sods law we had one cargo ship arriving from the North and one from the South and all three of us had to fit through the narrow gap. Please see the picture of the day showing a picture of the plotter at one point. We managed to go behind the North bound tanker and sail over to the right-hand side of the channel near the reefs. The Southbound tanker came through the gap just before us and we all manged to squeeze through.

We sailed on and did our best to maintain course and speed. We managed 168nm for the 24 hours to 12.00noon. We had lunch and enjoyed the gentle sail passing Cape Grenville admiring the beauty of the sandy shoreline.

Cape Grenville (11°58′S 143°15′E), is a small, east-facing promontory along the Queensland, Australia coast of Cape York Peninsula. It lies between Shelburne Bay to the north and Temple Bay to the south. The nearest significant settlement is Weipa, along the western coast of Cape York. The northern part of this cape forms the southern face of Margaret Bay, to the west of Shelburne Bay. Several small islands (known as the Home Islands) lie off the eastern coast, including Orton Island, Gore Island and Hicks Island. Along the southern side of the cape is Indian Bay. About 90 kilometres (56 mi) to the east and northeast of Cape Grenville is the far northern management area of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Persistent winds have blown sand onshore and inland for up to 29 kilometres (18 mi) at the cape. These parabolic dunes form Queensland's most extensive mainland transgressive dune system, slightly larger than those found at Cape Flattery. Cape Grenville was named after George Grenville, who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1763 to 1765. The naming likely occurred during the time of a survey. 

 This Cape is the last Cape before Cape York – which is the most Northern Cape of Australia. We sailed on until about 5.30pm and then had to motor to get through another narrow point. By this time, it was beginning to get dark. We motored on and once through the gap we put up the sails again and continued. We were therefore able to have supper cooked by William (chilli and noodles with broccoli) in relatively flat conditions as the sails tend to flatten the swell.

This is our third night and by tomorrow morning we hope to be up to Cape York and entering the Torres Strait. We hope we have a good night but we may have to motor some more due to the angle.

Need/Opportunity Year Three

In year three I will be going from Thailand to Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and then on to Chagos, Mauritius, Reunion, Cape Town, St Helena, Azores and back to the UK.  I am looking for crew from Mauritius/ Reunion Island to Cape Town and from Cape Town to the UK. If of any interest do email me.

The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com