Author: Ulrich Fingscheidt

Too much wind in the forcast for tomorrow. I decided to stay at anchor on Lizard Island. Getting there is a nice race with a speed of 8-9 kn. The large ocean surf is stopped by the outer reef. The wave height between the islands is only 1,5 m at winds of 25 kn.

This is the reef Captain Cook ran into 253 years ago. His ship Endeavour was badly damaged. No, you can’t see the reef under the surface of the sea. That makes reef navigation so difficult. I am fine …

Navigation is different from the open ocean. I would not get enough sleep here, between the islands of the Great Barrier Reef. I am anchored north of the Flat Islands to get some shut-eye. The anchorage is uncomfortably rolly in 20 kn of wind. I have planned an early departure at sunrise. Let’s see who will be awake at that time of the day … The photo shows my departure from Cairns.

I arrived in Cairns in 11 days. Wow! It’s Sunday and there are people everywhere. I am waiting for a pizza, then back to the boat and sleepsleepsleep.

When I retrieved the propeller of the hydrogererator I could not trust my eyes: Strong teeth marks on the shaft. Looks like a shark gave it a try before realising it’s no food.

I heard a loud bang tonight. This was followed by a strong vibration. I jumped out of my bed in the aft cabin and switched on the break of the windgenerator. One of the blades was cracked. I don’t know what happened to the poor bird that collided with the generator. Later that night a boobie was sitting on my solarpanel and making funny noises. Het had covered the whole cockpit and the companionway with tons of stinking poop. Hosing it all down with seawater took me quite a while. The solar panels will need another thorough cleaning in Australia. Luckily one store in AUS had the blades for the windgenerator in stock. I have already ordered them so the windgenerator will be up and running soon again.

The cargo ships follow four major shipping routes in this part of the world. I have been busy watching all these ships crossing my track. The closest point of approach to one container vessel today has been 1.4 nm. Many days at sea you don’t see anything at all. Then, all of a sudden there is a 300 m long cargo ship directly in front of you. Theoretically I have the right of way, being a sailing vessel. I don’t fully rely on that and make sure that I can stop the boat should the approach be closer than 0.5 nm.

Venus dominates the early evening sky. I ‘m expecting the new crescent moon, I think on June 20th. The sighting of the new crescent moon marks the beginning of a new month in the Islamic calendar. For me, it’s more of a pretty sight. Yesterday was full moon which means sailing into a pitch black hole.

The line on the photo is not a fishing line. It is connected to my hydrogenerator at the stern of Easy. It tows a propeller through the water, generating 50W of electrical energy. Then I have solar panels and a windgenerator. The propulsion of Easy is by the wind. I only burn diesel to run the engine when there is no wind, when docking or during difficult reef passages. When at anchor, we use our dinghy to get to shore. This dinghy has a petrol outboard engine. I will miss this green lifestyle when back at home.

Perfect sailing conditions. I am ready for the night. Time to pour some boiling water on one of those excellent dessicated meals from New Zealand and enjoy dinner.