May 2010 Port Douglas to Cooktown

Our fuel and water tanks are topped up in Port Douglas and we head for the Low Isles to anchor for a few nights and meet up with Sunray II.  Low Isles is very popular with the charter boat companies and their passengers enjoy snorkelling and the short historic walk around the island.  The island was apparently denuded of foliage in a cyclone in 1911 but it is now rich and lush in vegetation and the huts for the various lighthouse keepers in the past have been restored.   Black tip reef sharks welcome us scrutinising the hull (around and around – note to self:  don’t fall overboard!) and fish abound looking for food which some will take out of your hand (if you let them).  We are able to get a close look at the reefs from the dinghy with the help of Sunray II’s bathyscope (got to get one of those!) we could drift over the reef all day just exploring.  In fact, when the wind drops a bathyscope is unnecessary as the water is very clear and many reefs are in shallow water.  Just wonderful.

 Low Island

 Welcoming committee

Coral through the Bathyscope

  

We spend two nights at Low Island and early in the morning head for Hope Islands.  Hope Island East is the most beautiful yet.  Surrounded by shoals and reefs we need to keep watch from a high vantage point as we wind our way through the reefs into the anchorage.  As with Low Island there are National Parks moorings which we can pick up and therefore not disturb the seabed with the anchor.  There are also picnic tables here and plenty of bird life.  A sign warning of crocodiles is prominent however, after walking around the entire island we cannot find any signs of them.  We will give swimming a miss however.  We will spend the weekend at Hope Island and then make our way into Cooktown to check for some mail we are expecting and have a look there.

Another piece of paradise 

Other cruisers join us one afternoon and various discussions ensue about ‘boaty things’ anchoring, toilets, water, dinghies etc., etc.  Beach games were also enjoyed on this idyllic isle.

 Marking the court

 A rest after the games

Cooktown is as delightful as we have been told.  The local supermarket is very well stocked, the gardens well cared for and the people extremely friendly.  Cooktown, it is said, was where Captain James Cook first sighted and named the Kangaroo and first had contact with Aboriginals.  His ship, the Endeavour was brought into this bay for repairs after damaging her on a Reef (Endeavour Reef).  The town has taken care to educate the visitor about Capt Cook and also the strong Aboriginal links to the area.  Well worth a visit.  

We discuss our next move with our cruising buddies and decide that Cape Bedford will be explored in the morning.  We need to watch the tides very carefully as the entrance to Cooktown is very shallow at low water and we need a rising tide to exit.  So it is here we say goodbye to normal phone and internet signal and rely on our satellite phone contact for the next few weeks as we traverse the coast and round the tip of Cape York. 

Northern Australia from the water is spectacularly lovely.  Cloud tipped mountains line the coast for many miles their slopes reaching to the edge of the water to be skirted with mangroves and the occasional sandy beach.  Several people we have met have said the best is yet to come and we very much look forward to this leg of the cruise.  So we sign off at Cooktown and promise to update as soon as we can.