2nd May - Cairns to Yorkey's Knob - HF radio - Blue Waters marina - mangroves - Cyclone Zane

Thursday 2^nd May

The marina in Cairns was very nice.  Lovely showers, for example… And a slightly terrifying compacter arrangement for the rubbish, where you have to walk into a big metal cage and open a clanging hatch thingy to deposit your pathetic little bag of crapola.  The marina office was very shyly hidden away, upstairs in a building at the far end.  Sue, the manager, was a very pleasant woman. We commented on the remoteness of the office – usually marina offices are in the very thick of things - and she said, “Yes, indeed!  I work in one of the most beautiful marinas in Australia, and look at my view!  A large concrete wall a few metres away…”

She could have been looking at one of these arty-farty palm tree sculptures – I was very taken with these.  

Or at one of these beautiful tropical trees – I was actually taking a photo of a little dove-like bird perched on one of the thicker branches but I am not sure if it is at all visible…

This morning Pete spent some productive hours with a radio expert Yoji Hashimoto.  It is worth recording this with a photo because – calloo callay o frabjous day – we now have a HF radio which works. After several years of struggle, with many men scratching their heads and trying to get it all up and running.  This will make 2XS MUCH safer!

There is an enormous and very beautiful luxury yacht just inside the marina, Ethereal.  I googled it and found it is a charter yacht, high end of the market.  And it has enough room aboard for…ten paying guests… We can fit eight on 2XS… They must have huge state rooms, and en suite bathrooms with spa baths.  I think we are quite happy enough with the space we have on this solid little cat…(Not sure if you can see how very TALL and impressive it is, surrounded by their normal-sized boats…)

We left Cairns, surrounded by mystical misty hills (proof that is is not ALWAYS sunny in Queensland...):

and headed for Yorkey’s Knob, with only a slight mishap (I will draw a veil…) along the way.

There was no room at the inn at the main marina, but we were able to get a berth at another one, “up the creek.”  Literally!  We made our way through the wilderness, and I felt very much as if we were on the set of African Queen.  Nothing but mangroves, and an atmospheric wreck, and, presumably, many MANY crocodiles.  (And no I was not in the least tempted to set so much as a toe in this water.)

 

And then, around a few twists and turns, a Gold Coast-y suburb and a sparkly little marina!!

PS Cyclone Zane has dissipated!