All five BPO boats are underway to cover the 450 nm from Cairns to Thurs Island at the very north end of Australia. Ideally we should be leaving there Fri so most boats are not stopping along the way. Rob and I left early Mon morning and it is Wed now. The forecast has been for winds 20 to 25 knots all week. Tues and Wed have been fine with that, but on Mon we had one squall after another that increased those winds. We have had to work harder than usual at the sailing. The reefs in the sails are put in and then out often. We need to gybe the boat more often to stay in a narrower channel between islands and reefs. This involves centering the main, taking in the genoa, and putting it out the other side. There has been a lot of freighter dodging as well. We are trying to take naps in the day to make up for those nights.
We are missing Bill's help on this passage! His passport and Indonesian visa had not yet arrived in Cairns when we got there Fri. Tim's had arrived that day even though they had both been sent to Darwin on the same day. Unfortunately, it is a 3 day long weekend here with the post office closed. He has the package tracked to the post office in Darwin but it won't leave there until Tues. He has taken a hotel room in Cairns and will fly up to meet us on Thursday Island. This is more expensive and less fun than he had hoped! Hopefully all this can happen this week before we get caught with another weekend making it difficult to check out of the country.
The weather was even windier on Sat and Sun so everyone stayed in Cairns for the weekend. It was around 35 knots as we arrived Fri. It was great to have another place to see some of Australia. Cairns is a huge tourist destination for the whole of the northeast coast. It is a beautiful city center on the water with lots of services. It is a shorter boat ride out to the Great Barrier Reef than further south and the rainforest is closer to the coast.
We were anchored across the river right off town-a bit wet in the dinghy but worth it. On Sat we took the public bus an hour drive out of town to visit the zoo. That way we could see some of Australia's well known animals in a short time. Saw the dingo, platypus, wombat, cassowary, monkeys, and many huge bird species. It was a small place, but intimate and unique. You could pat the koalas, feed the kangaroos, hold the pythons, or a baby crocodile. There were specific shows for the crocs, koalas, and birds. Dan, you would enjoy the large collection of highly venomous snakes.
On Sun the Australian rugby finals were taking place in Brisbane. The Brisbane Bronchos were playing the Townsville Cowboys. Of course, Cairns supports the Queensland team. They must be huge sports fans looking at all the hype and venues for watching the game. We had it on the radio on the boat. The Cowboys tied it up with seconds left to play, and then scored first in overtime.
We are enjoying the great sail today. By tomorrow we will be in an area known for its high winds and currents. We'll see how that goes!
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