PORT DOUGLAS TO COOKTOWN

S 15^o46’67’’, E 145^o28’33’’

  Port Douglas to Cooktown

After friends from ol’ blighty David and Priscilla came aboard, we stocked up at the Port Douglas (PD)  market on fresh foods and comestibles, and sampled the delights of PD’s restaurants. 

Weren't we pleased to depart the marina and PD, two weeks is plenty long enough in one place, and then a short motor-sail out to the Low Isles. Even though these islands get a lot of day-tripper tourist traffic from PD, it really remains a nice place – reasonable coral reef and a lovely island to walk around with a post-card type lighthouse. Saw an enormous painted cray there on the reef – but alas no picture, as my Olympus Tough underwater camera ain't so tough, and has given up after many years’ service.

The following 4-5 days were very calm weather, unusual for up here around PD and Cooktown.

Upside: we took advantage of that calm weather and stopped over at a couple of isolated reefs. Great snorkelling and exploring.

Downside: Had to motor all the way, winds 5Kts and less.

We stopped O/N at Undine Cay /Reef, 

Stripey snapper of keeping size

Light at Pickersgill Cay - low tide. Note reef in foreground

The girls during rough weather (not) - Coral Sea

Getting ready for a snorkel - Undine Cay. Note water clarity

Then on to Pickersgill Cay/Reef for a swim and on to Hope Island. Perfect weather so we stayed a couple of nights at Hope Is. 

On beach - Hope Island

On Hope Island beach- Kirra Kirra in the background

Hope Island beach - Kirra Kirra in the background

Water nymphs

Singular nymph

Bloody Remora again - not a keeper
Remora  = sucker fish, cruise with sharks

Dinner on its way.

Another blow of 25Kts predicted and with little protection we headed into Cooktown - we had a calm sail into that historic town and dropped the pick in the Endeavour River, right in town. It’s the last town at the end of the sealed road going north into Cape York peninsula.

A plethora of monuments marking the spots where Cook’s party landed, brought the  Endeavour ashore to repair the damage sustained from hitting the reef, and the exact spot (presumably) where he had a look out to sea.  Of course we had to do the walk up that hill. The James Cook museum have some excellent stuff from the Endeavour, plus aboriginal weapons and weaving - certainly worth a visit.

The Saturday market at Cooktown was a very low key affair.

Capt Cook - dressed for the tropics?

Old bank building Cooktown.
Some clowns out the front trying to auction it or something. It is for sale!

Ginger flower - not a plastic one

Endeavours anchor - jettisoned to get off the reef. Massive

Canon from the Endeavour - also jettisoned. Recently recovered.

Who says the bride and groom always scrub up well.

Impressive aboriginal spears - Cooktown and Cape York

Boomerangs and woomera - Cooktown museum

After the walk up Grassy Hill and around some croc infested beaches,
a well earned glass.

Yachts on the Endeavour River, Cooktown

Kirra Kirra under Cpt Cook's skirts

The girls were addicted to smelling the frangipani 

Cooktown market - very relaxed just like the town

Cooktown Kiosk - one of the best views in town.
Taken from Kirra Kirra  - to me, on the water is a better view all round

Our big disappointment at Cooktown was missing the weigh-in for the weekend hog-shoot competition. Well say the locals, it makes a change from fishing and drinking the weekend away!! For overseas readers: Feral pigs a huge problem up here in FNQ.

The winners shot 92 pigs on a nearby cattle property. Some saw shooting the pigs as cheating and preferred to use dogs to pull down the pig before it was despatched with a knife. The “Shootin’ and Fishin’ Are Us” shop in town  sold an elegant line in protective armor for the pig-dogs (protects the throat and chest of the pigdogs that hunt down their tusked quarry in scrub). A beautiful example of form and function design coming together in FNQ.

Top event for September in Cooktown

Jabiru stork - Endeavour River shallows. Largest stork in Australia - up to 1.5 metres tall

The recent croc sighting signs in town at the launching ramp and pier made fishing, the crab-pot setting and even just dingying into shore more interesting. Funny how everyone wanted to sit in the centre of the dinghy.

Caught a couple of Mud Crabs in Cooktown along the mangroves - all
females like this one and a bit small so went back.

The log shows that Kirra Kirra has had no signs of scurvy (too many limes in the evening G&T’s), nor of mal-de-mer (too calm), nor of mutiny (crew too well oiled).

We sadly waved au-revoir to Priscilla and David on the bus back to PD, and watered Kirra Kirra and shopped for an extended stay at Lizard Is. 
Next blog from there probably.

Highlights of the past 2 weeks:

·        Having Priscilla and David aboard – witty repartee aplenty (and no it wasn’t the wine talking)

·        Anchoring on several cays – idyllic and isolated places at any time, especially at night. Not much sand above high water, but the reef provides a reasonably protected anchorage in 10-12 Kts wind

·         Snorkelling the isolated reefs

·        Cooktown –   interesting place with lots to see, and croc spotting