Year 2 -6 July 2025–Hinchinbrook Channel –-Caldwell- Scraggy Point Medical
I need two extra crew members from Cairns to Indonesia leaving about the 14/15 July 2025. If anyone is interested please contact me as soon as possible.
It was a grey day when we woke and there were spots of rain. There was a little swell or small wavelets and the sky was dark and potentially menacing. I had heard from Darrel who had been diagnosed with a urinary tract infection and who had been on a drip all night. He was on the mend and I thought it was good that we had got him to get medical attention as if he stayed on board no doubt his condition would have got worse.
Mark decided to cook a proper cooked breakfast. We therefore had sausages, bacon, toast and scrambled eggs. It was delicious and a great start to the day. There was little wind and I thought we should go back to Scraggy Point to explore ashore. However, I wanted to clear the engine inlet basket as it seemed to have some bits in it. This is where the sea water comes in from outside the boat and is pumped round the engine. I undid it and took the basket it out and it is surprising how much muck was in it including bits of rubber all of which has come from the sea. We got the fire hose out to wash the deck and clear the muck from the anchor. However, it was not working properly. We experimented and realised this was due to a kink in the pipe which had been fixed in a different place as a result of the new pipe. Once resolved it worked as normal. Something to change in Cairns. We also noticed that there was debris in one of the baskets so we cleared that as well and I cleaned the engine room and got rid of any oil stains etc.
Once the fire hose was working there was a good clean of the deck and then we did the mats inside. We then upped anchor and went back to Scraggy Point and anchored. We then relaxed a bit but before long we headed ashore and to the beach at Scraggy Point. There was some quite soft mud as we approached before we could tread on the sand. We pulled the dinghy ashore and carried it as little up the beach before we could explore. I looked around for crocodiles bit luckily I did not see any. We went up the beach and it was called Haven Beach and there was a sign warning of crocodiles who inhabit the area. Luckily they had gone away!! There was a little camping area, a sort of ecological loo and a barbecue and bench area. It was a pretty beach and you could walk along and you felt amongst the mangroves.
William and Nicola went on a hike like excited kids enjoying the beauty and remoteness of the place. There was no one here and it was very raw and unique. The mountains rise steeply up above us shrouded in cloud and there was a pleasant and constant breeze. We enjoyed a good hour or so exploring and any moment I thought a crocodile would climb out the water and prevent us getting back to the dinghy. Once we had enough we headed back to Stormbird and put the dinghy back on the davits.
I then decided to make some bread and so we all joined in and made a good loaf which we will enjoy tomorrow. We chilled and had a drink. We could not call it a sundowner as we could not see the sun!!
William and Nicola made supper – essentially using the rest of the chicken curry with rice and broccoli. We enjoyed all of this listening to the Kinks and Bob Dylan. It had been a great day pottering which for those who like being on boats of quite fun. We will move on tomorrow out of the channel on to some of the islands on our way North to Cairns.
The picture of the day is the view from Haven Beach with the dinghy on the beach.
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