RJP BOF: To Darwin

2^nd September 2013

Coral Bay to Alcaro Bay 11^o 17.400S 131^o 48.099E

Bit rough getting out of Port Essington. The first time I’ve ever had a wave break in the cockpit and I was soaked. The Mustang was not looking too good and had to have a lie down. I could tell she was breathing because of the snoring. I think she has gone soft after her day at the resort.

A tired Mustang doing the cockpit crash… snoring like a V8 chain saw…

We’ll get up early and nip through Dundas Straight if the wind drops off. Quite an interesting little bay and creek…

Alcaro bay

3^rd and 4^th September 2013

Alcaro Bay to Darwin – Fannie Bay 12^o 26.585S 130^o 49.520E

Knight’s Cruising Guide isn’t much help with most of the currents and tide references. Most of them are well out of date and just can’t be relied on at all. In reference to Dundas Straight he says that “… it is a treacherous channel which should not be attempted by small boats”. After discussing it all with another cruiser we decided it would actually probably be “a doddle”.

Following Knight’s instructions we entered the channel four and a half hours after high tide at Darwin at three am, but we were actually two hours too late. We pushed on, and were almost through the channel when the current changed. By six AM we were going backwards at half a knot, and attempting to punch into a 30 knot wind. While we were drifting backwards towards Melville Island, we knew we must have mistimed it as the tankers were all coming the other way with the current.

Passing tanker while we drift off the channel

The Mustang was not happy (although I wasn’t very impressed either) and I almost turned around and went back out the other way. We slowed our drift until about 9 o’clock when we were finally able to pinch some wind and point in the right direction, albeit at two knots. This was going to take longer than we anticipated! By midday the current had turned with us again, and we were finally making good headway and heading in the right direction both at the same time. We would have arrived where we were heading at night, so I decided that we should push on through the night and just get to Darwin where it would be easier to find a reasonable anchorage. It was actually quite a pleasant sail from then on.

Calmer sailing into the night…

It took us 22 hours to do 100 nautical miles, so overall not that bad, but I wouldn’t recommend following Knight’s instructions if you want to get through this passage. Navionics gave us a better prediction, but was still not really ideal – it was about an hour behind. If we were to do it again we would probably go around Melville Island instead of attempting the passage, but we’re sure it can be done if you can time the currents to go with you correctly. You probably need a boat that can sit comfortably at about eight knots minimum to get through without too much hassle and get through in one tide. Ten knots or more would be ideal. We arrived at Darwin and anchored at Fannie Bay just after one o’clock AM. As an anchorage location it’s not the smoothest, but everything you need is there including full facilities at the Darwin Sailing Club. There are shops up the road (walking distance) and you’re only a $2 bus ride from town.

Sunset at Fannie Bay

Low tide at Fannie Bay means a long walk to the dinghy

We hired a car and spent the first day checking out where to put Charisma for six months. There are very limited (and very expensive) berths available at this time of year, and very few moorings. Obviously you have to book in early to get somewhere here, and have to budget for it as well. We got lucky while walking the docks and met a local shipwright called James. He told us we’d be buggered to find anything suitable, but he got on his phone and rang a mate called Tony at Global Marine. They had been thinking of offering a dry stand service. We made a beeline for his office and convinced him that this was a good business idea. We even offered to be guinea pigs for him. He was as excited as we were. Charisma will be locked up behind gates and safe for the cyclone season. Tony even lives on site, although I’m not sure if we’re supposed to tell anyone that bit.

After solving all our problems in the first day we searched for the highlights of Darwin. Their signwriters must have a sense of humour…

Yes that is the prison in the background

Pull the chain and you’ll be flush with attention

NT Newspaper headlines are a laugh a day… and we thought The West was bad…

I’ve seen some strange names for boats. I don’t get this one.

Unfortunately we’re going to miss the Booty Shakin' Competition – I think I would have done well

Monday 9^th September 2013

Time to put the boat away for the season – time to take a sabbatical from our sabbatical. I’ll have for the next six months now to pay for next year’s sabbatical.

Things didn’t go exactly as planned today. Got up at sunrise for a quick coffee and then to drop the Mustang at the boat ramp where we’d left the hire car. Pulling away from the boat ramp I hit a rock and couldn’t get any drive from Merv’s motor. The Mustang had already left and I was stranded a good kilometer away from where I was supposed to be putting the boat up on the wharf. Spent about 20 minutes trying to fix it, but Merv’s donk now has a fatal flaw inside the gearbox. Started to row – what else could I do? Meanwhile at Global Marine the crane had turned up and was waiting with engines running. Six workers were waiting plus the owner and the Mustang, who eventually arranged for the guys to rescue me. Something had to go wrong, it would have been too easy otherwise.

Merv being towed back to Global marine. An ignominious end to the cruise for “Mr Reliable” Merv.

Finally got Charisma aside the wharf and the debate about how to lift him up commenced. The crane driver wasn’t happy – he had been given to understand he would be lifting a twelve foot boat that weighed nine tonnes. We wonder what that sort of boat would look like – mostly concrete we reckon… Tim, the leading hand from Global Marine took charge and had the slings arranged before the crane drivers could change their minds and leave.

Tony, Tim and I put on the slings…

Once convinced that it would work … it did! All went relatively smoothly – actually, really smoothly considering we were really a new experiment for the company’s owners. So now they have a new business pulling boats out and storing them for the wet for others who need such a service. At about half the price of a mooring or a marina – we can really recommend them to anyone needing to get their craft out of the wet for the season.

… out of the water…

…across the wharf…

…the first yacht parked in the yard.

Merv’s donk was diagnosed with a blown gearbox, so it was donated to one of the workers there, and now we have a great reason to get the ten HP we always wanted. Then it was time to prepare for an extended stay on the hard. The Mustang took control of trying to deal with moisture build up inside the boat. She has buckets of cat litter throughout the boat as well as open boxes of bi-carb for the cupboards.