Lat:   16 25.886′ S
Lon:  145 59.209′ E

Our first full day on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) started with something new — sunny skies.  There was still plenty of wind, but at least it was pleasant and warm outside with the colors of the reef much more visible than the day before.

We’d planned to start the day with an early dive, but decided instead to try to fix the windlass, which would be pretty useful if we needed to leave the public mooring and anchor (our allowed time on the public mooring was up at 9am, but nobody had come to claim it).  This type of problem is usually wiring, but after all the wiring and the remote checked out, I had a bit of a sinking feeling; the problem was the windlass itself.  The windlass didn’t do anything at all, so it had to be some sort of electrical or motor problem.  I’d never worked on a windlass or electric motor before, but the windlass is a really useful piece of gear (without it we’d have to pull the chain and anchor in by hand), so I thought I’d give it a shot.  With the help of the windlass manual and of course Nigel Calder’s book I was able to get the motor removed and disassembled and determine that two of the four brushes were stuck in their guides.  Watching the autopilot servicing the other day was actually pretty useful, as many of the steps were similar.  After removing the armature, cleaning the commutator, and freeing the stuck brushes the motor seemed to be working just fine.  It took about 5 hours, but by 2pm everything was back together and seemed to be working just fine.

Four hours later it’s almost all back together. Now if I could just get a haircut…

Next it was time to actually enjoy the reef. Norman Reef is a heavily visited tourist destination.  There are numerous dive sites and moorings and there’s even a large pontoon, a two-story covered platform roughly 50′ wide and 250′ long.  There’s also a floating helicopter pad and a boat with a 10′ deep glass-walled underwater reef-viewing chamber.  We headed over to the pontoon where we’d read there was a large Maori wrasse named Wally that was friendly with the divers who feed him.  Unfortunately the day boat that brings 200-300 people at a time to the pontoon was there and they asked us to come back later when they’d left, so we dinghied over to a nearby mooring and snorkeled a couple of large reef structures.

(L-R) Sub/boat, helicopter pad, ferry to the chopper pad, and day-boat tied to the large pontoon

The fish here are the most amazing we’ve seen.  Most of the species are the same, but they’re much larger and much less afraid of people. I don’t know how long this particular reef has been protected, but it’s in pretty good shape, especially considering the number of tourists that visit on a daily basis.  There was no shortage of fish to try and photograph, including one fish that was working on a crab dinner.  Several crab limbs were jutting out of his mouth and he was trying to work them all in without losing any to the quite interested fish swimming around him.

Lots of colorful fish and nice coral

This guy was trying to munch down the rest of the crab before it got stolen right out of his mouth

Beautiful soft coral

Once the tour boat had left, we made our way over to the pontoon and met Wilson.  Wilson is from the Solomon Islands and spends four nights a week on the pontoon by himself. It’s his own little island.  He showed us around and told us to make ourselves at home, gave us a few tips on where to dive and snorkel, and even told us to grab a couple of cold drinks from the cooler in the restaurant area.  We asked if he liked lasanga (there’s still more left) and agreed on a lasagna dinner on the pontoon. The pontoon is set up for all sorts of diving activities and also includes a restaurant area with tables and a sun deck.  We walked down into the underwater fish-viewing portion of the pontoon and saw Wally resting under the pontoon, so we lowered one of the diving ladders and walked in to have a closer look.  He wasn’t quite as friendly as we’d hoped, but we did get a nice shot of Lauren chasing him.  He’s about the size of her torso.

After checking out Wally, we dove out from under the pontoon and headed for the main snorkeling area. Wow!  It was easily the best snorkeling we’ve ever seen.  The coral was varied and healthy, the water was shallow enough that the visibility and light were good, and there were lots of large, colorful fish, as well as giant clams.  The first large creature we saw was a white-tipped reef shark about four feet long.  I followed him for a while to video him swimming along, but he seemed to be more interested in getting away from me than in helping me out with a nice video.  Next, a really big humphead parrotfish came swimming right toward us.  It was at least 3 times the size of the largest parrotfish we’d seen.  It’s jaws of fused teeth, looking like the beak of a parrot were open and clearly visible as he swam by.  I was following him with the camera taking video when he made a sharp turn and took a such a big bite of coral that you can even here the crunching sound in the video that our low-end underwater camera made.

Large humphead parrotfish about to take a big bite of coral

Lauren with a giant clam (they can get to be twice that size)

We’d really enjoyed snorkeling, but we wanted to try a dive, so we motored over to the spot Wilson had pointed out.  I didn’t want to try tying off to dead coral on the top of the “bommie” (giant coral head), so we tied off to a nearby mooring and swam over through the open water.  When we got there and dropped down, there were six large barracuda and a fair amount of current waiting for us.  By time we reached 20′ or so, two 5-6′ sharks swam by.  One was a white-tip and the other was one we haven’t seen before.  He was a bit more active and aggressive-looking, with a smaller blue fish that seemed to be stuck to his tail and hitching a ride.  Visibility wasn’t great and it was getting near dusk, but we still saw plenty of large fish in the 25-minute trip around the giant head.  One of my favorites was a group of fairly large ones that were black with white fan-tails and a growth above their mouth that stuck out like a Pinocchio nose.  After seeing the same two sharks again, and completing our trip around, we headed back for the dinghy.

If these aren’t called Pinocchio fish, someone screwed up

It was a wet ride back to the boat, but we changed, rinsed the gear, and headed over to see Wilson for dinner, which was really nice.  He brought out some cold drinks and we had a nice conversation.  Apparently they only take him off the pontoon if it’s going to get a direct hit from a hurricane.  He’s stayed on through a couple of hurricanes, but the last one was strong enough that they decided to pull him off.  By time the boat was there to get him, though, the waves were breaking onto the second story of the pontoon and the best the boat could do was to wait nearby while Wilson swam out to them through the wind and waves.  After dinner we enjoyed a little American television thanks to the magic of satellites and electric generators.  It was the first time in over a year that Lauren and I had watched American television together.

Our gracious host Wilson aboard “his own island”

Lat:      16 25.886′ S
Long:  145 59.209′ E

We spent longer than we’d planned in Cairns due to bad weather and didn’t get to take friends for a day-sail out to the Reef, but it was good for Dallas and I to have a couple of rainy days to get the boat and ourselves back in order now that the crew has deboarded. It was also really good to catch up with family via Skype. I wish we could have had more time to catch up with friends, but thanks to Facebook, I have a pretty good idea of what they’re up to. Tis the season for weddings back home, and I want to say congrats to our friend and pseudo-sister A.P. for getting hitched (wish we could have been there!) and to the Uden family for the marriage of their daughter, Jenny. A lot has happened in the year and a half that we’ve been away, but technology and solid relationships make it possible for me to feel connected and continue the journey.

As Colin was collecting his things to move ashore on Saturday, an Aussie couple in a dinghy stopped by to let us know that a large (10′?) croc was hanging out on the mudbank beside the nearby mangrove trees. Colin, Dallas, and I thanked them and immediately dropped what we were doing and jumped in our dinghy to take a look. At first we were convinced that what we were seeing was an overturned boat with its long, steely appearance, but then we saw movement of the head. Dallas brought us within 100′ or so, and we could make out every little detail, from the wide, vicious but smiling jaw to the spiky tail. It seemed like it was looking right at us, and indeed, Colin has a photo that shows it looking right at the camera. It was awesome to see but definitely as close as I ever want to get. I’m not one to shy away from scary experiences, but my imagination started to play up when I thought about what that croc could do to our dinghy. I made the mistake of saying my concerns out loud, and Dallas felt compelled to grab my leg when I was looking the other way and make me jump. Maybe I have him to blame for my scary crocodile dream that night!

Close enough (Photograph by Colin Murphey – http://www.deadreckoningreports.com)

Gotta love the zoom lens (Photograph by Colin Murphey – http://www.deadreckoningreports.com)

Cruisers on our route often go straight to Darwin from the Pacific Islands or stop in Papua New Guinea or the Solomon Islands, but I was really excited about the prospect of diving the Great Barrier Reef and voted to add Cairns to the list of stops. We weren’t sure if it was the best option since we’ve done quite a bit of diving already, but after my first experience checking out the Reef, I think we made a good choice….

We pulled the anchor out of the thick mud early this morning and managed to break the windlass. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious. We then sailed in 25-30 knots of wind to Norman Reef. As the Great Barrier Reef as a whole is massive, bigger than Kansas in fact, it is hard to know where to go for the best diving, but Norman was recommended by some Aussies at the marina. Also, Dallas was able to find GPS coordinates and descriptions of all of the Barrier Reef dive sites online, so we are using those to inform our decisions about where to go.

We arrived at the one public mooring near the reef around 3:00 p.m. and were happy to find that it was available. (Anchoring at Norman isn’t feasible, so if someone had been on the mooring, we’d have had to just keep sailing, possibly through the night.) It was windy and overcast, but I wanted to get some snorkeling in before the day was done. (Meanwhile Dallas started making some yummy lasagna, his new specialty.) The current wasn’t too bad despite the strong winds, and I swam over to some large, colorful coral heads a quarter mile or so from the boat. I was immediately impressed by the number of large fish. The parrot fish were about 3x bigger than the ones I’m used to seeing, and there were plenty of other large fish as well. I watched a small sea turtle make a nose dive and paddle itself right by me. Just as I started to head back to the boat after realizing that it was getting to be dusk, not a time that I want to be alone in the water, I realized that I was swimming directly over a gray-tipped reef shark. He was probably 4′ long but a good distance away and not the least bit interested in me. Nevertheless, I quickened my pace and looked over my shoulder a couple of times on my way back to the boat. I’m looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings. We’re planning to get at least two dives in here at Norman and, with any luck, see the huge (6′ long?) Maori Wrasse named Wally that hangs out and is fed nearby.

Ready to check out the Reef!

We’ve had the usual first-day fatigue today but are experiencing lots of motion while moored here just behind the reef, so we should have our sealegs by tomorrow (knock on wood). In the meantime, it is rocking us to sl-e-e–p…

It has been an eventful week in Oz, and I’m not sure where to start. I guess I’ll start with an update on the crew members that you have been reading about.

Shiroma reunited with her boyfriend Mishka, a gentle and very laid back massage therapist. They are now living in a 4×4 and looking for work as fruit pickers here in the Cairns area. After living aboard Pura Vida for 3 months, she is well accustomed to confined spaces and seems to be quite comfortable in the truck. I have to admit that after watching how sick she was on the passage from NZ to Fiji, I was skeptical about her decision to continue sailing, but she was bound and determined to overcome it and have an enjoyable experience at sea, and that she did. The "princess" and I have learned a lot from each other.

Reunited

Ash was on a mission to find work on the day that we disembarked and managed to find a job almost immediately as a shuttle driver for a backpacker’s hostel, for which he gets a decent salary and accommodation. I guess the Kiwi passport makes working in Oz quite easy.

Colin is still on board and has been going back and forth about whether or not to stick around and continue having "the time of his life" or return home to finish his degree in photojournalism at MU (one of the best schools in the country for such a degree). Just today he decided to return home, and although Dallas and I will undoubtedly miss his enthusiasm, curiosity, and sense of humor, it is fun to imagine him sharing the brilliant photos and blogs that he has created since arriving in Fiji 2 1/2 months ago with his family, friends, professors, and colleagues.

That leaves Dallas and I without crew for the first time since we sailed down the east coast of the North Island of NZ in November of last year. Although there are many backpackers who seem keen to come aboard, we are going to opt for some time alone on the boat for the next leg to Darwin, and possibly on to Bali. Beyond that, we’ll need to find someone to join us for the long stretch across the Indian Ocean (any takers??). Dallas has been on a mission to get charts for the eastern coast of Africa before we leave Oz, and I think it’s safe to say that we have finally committed to that route (rather than the Suez Canal).

Being in Oz is pretty exciting after 2 1/2 months away from 1st world conveniences and a lifetime of hearing about Aussie culture. Between the outstanding land and marine wildlife, the friendly and fun people, and the prosperity (no recession here), I think it definitely lives up to all the hype. We haven’t seen much in terms of wildlife yet except for the fruit bats flying overhead and nearly dropping some guano shampoo onto Dallas (it’s good luck apparently). It is really remarkable to watch them climb around the banyon tree branches as if they were miniature monkeys. Tomorrow we are going for a day sail to check out the wildlife around the Great Barrier Reef! We are taking a few friends along, and they are excited about the opportunity, as I am.

Cairns is a town that seems to have as many transient backpackers as locals and caters to the travelers extremely well. There’s an esplanade in the center of town with a pool, showers, and barbecue facilities, all of which are free. The pubs are full every night with people from countries all over the world but mostly from Oz and Europe. It is always interesting to hear their perceptions of the States. In general, people tell me that they believe our government and economy has been addicted to war for the last 60 years but that they love traveling in our country and think Americans are very friendly. Oh, and apparently we eat a lot more cheese than they do in the rest of the world. I’d never thought about this, but I suppose we do put cheese on just about everything. 

Cairns Esplanade

The cuisine here is more or less like that of NZ except that one can find such delectable treats as crocodile, emu, and kangaroo on the menu. Colin tried all three. He said crocodile tastes like chicken. The emu and kangaroo were pretty forgettable but had potential if prepared in such a way that they didn’t turn out so tough and gamey.

Prior to coming here I had read about the unfortunate plight of the Aborigines since the arrival of the Europeans and their continued disenfranchisement in society (e.g., they finally got the right to vote in the 1960’s), but I wasn’t prepared for the blatant segregation. Each night that we have been out on the town we have seen groups of intoxicated aborigines (“abbys”) gathered in the center of the main street in the middle of the tourist district asking those who leave the pub for money or drinks, and I haven’t seen any black Australians anywhere else in town such as working in stores or restaurants. Of course many white Australians denigrate the abbys as a group since many just collect their government money (“the dole”) and go straight to the liquor store, but I would be interested to see where they are living, what their schools are like, what kind of opportunities they have relative to whites, etc.

Shiroma, Mishka, and I had a close encounter with an abby man when we were using the public barbecue. He must have been in his 50s or 60s, had few clothes and no shoes on, and was carrying a large, nearly-empty bottle of liquor. He approached and told us that he was hungry and cold. We had finished eating and cooking and had nothing to offer except an eggplant, which he gave back. The Korean family next to us had just finished cooking and gave him a plate of very spicy food…he ate it without hesitation but probably wasn’t feeling very good later on!

The boat seems to be in pretty good shape and just about ready for the upcoming passages. I cleaned out the water tanks and although it was a bit disgusting to see the small piles of rusty sediment in there, I think we’ll be in good shape for a little while. Dallas got the autopilot serviced and biked all over town getting required supplies (e.g., a new wifi antenna, hardware for the bimini). These tasks are always a little more complicated without wheels, as I can attest. On Tuesday I went ashore with our two propane tanks, our large spinnaker in a bag, and two spearguns, all of which needed to be taken to shops at least a mile away. I stuck them all in a grocery cart and set off to find Shiroma to borrow her truck, but after half and hour I got bored with searching and just hoofed it to the shops with the overloaded cart. It must have been a funny sight to see! As I walked I realized that David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid of Americans” was going through my head, probably because the spearguns were sticking spearhead-up out of the cart! Don’t mess with this bag lady!

Except for a few hours one morning when we motorsailed in light winds, our last couple of days sailing in to Cairns were more of the same great trade wind conditions and good speeds.  I got up at about 2 am on the last night to keep and eye on our course as we wound our way in through a shortcut in the Great Barrier Reef.

Our arrival was well timed.  There was no night traffic to contend with and the sun was coming up as we neared land.  As we neared the quarantine line, an Australian warship came out of the harbor and started maneuvers in the bay, offloading a couple large RIBs that started racing back and forth as well.

Warship

Almost there!

We made our way up the river to Marlin Marina where we cleared customs and quarantine. Customs/immigration was quick and easy, but quarantine is a bit of a nightmare here.  The quarantine charge is $330 (without overtime) and includes two hours of inspecting interior wood for termites (the new big deal here), taking down history on bottom painting, checking engine water strainers for mussels, confiscating all our popcorn, fruit, and veggies, etc., etc.  In the end, because we’re from the US (which is apparently a high-risk area for termites) and have a fair amount of wood in the interior we were given only a limited pratique instead of a full pratique.  The limited pratique is good for a year, so it shouldn’t matter for us.

At least the Quarantine officials were really nice

The most comical part of the whole experience was Shiroma and her boyfriend Mishka.  They haven’t seen each other for 6 months and he was there on the dock to meet us.  Because of the strict quarantine rules and the quarantine team being a bit late in showing up due to another job, they just had to stand and look at and talk to each other from a few feet away for 2 hours or so until the quarantine team gave the nod for us to take down the yellow “Q” flag and step ashore freely.

Mishka waiting patiently

The first order of business was showers, and the Marlin Marina has hot showers like no other.  They’re hands-down the finest showers we’ve ever had ashore since we started sailing.  There must be eight of them in each bathroom, with a modern interior design and a giant overhead showerhead that rains down all the warm water you want.  After a 9-day passage, showers were definitely the topic of conversation for a while with terms like “life-changing” and “spiritual experience” being tossed around.  I do remember thinking to myself after the first hot shower I had when we arrived in New Zealand (after months without a modern hot shower) that people who are accustomed to one every day (myself included) really do forget what an incredibly great experience it is.

Happily contemplating a shower

Cairns itself is a cute town with a bustling tourist industry.  We were shocked by the number of large tourist vessels that streamed out of the marina entrance one after the other as we waited for the quarantine berth to open up. The marina is right next to the touristy, youthful downtown area, and Lauren and the crew have had a good go at the western-style nightlife over the weekend.  So far my clock is still set to go to bed early and wake up when it gets light out.

This morning we moved out of the marina to the anchorage on the other side of the river and have already had to move once after swinging too close to another boat in the current and wind.  Boats on moorings (with short scope) and boat at anchor with a longer swing radius are interspersed, so it’s a bit more difficult than it looks to pick a good spot, especially in the murky river water.  We may touch bottom at low tide in the spot we picked today.  It’s just soft mud though, so it shouldn’t be a big deal if we do.