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  • Escape River Pearls & Rounding \”The Top\”…..

    23 June 2012 (Eastern Hemisphere)

    Dear F&F,

    Today was quite a day for the crew of good ship \”Beach House\”. We were hailed and invited by Bronwyn and Rusty of \”Torres Strait Pearls\” off their residence at the Escape River. After a coffee and some chat, Nikki and I took a serious look at some lovely pearls. Nuff said on that for now.

    We also got a few photos of the two 8 foot crocodiles that live RIGHT NEXT TO THEIR HOUSE! They further told us there is a 13 footer around the corner and that we shouldn\’t hang anything important over the side of the boat….Like our feet!

    A late start with the morning excitement got us off toward Cape York, the very tippy top of \”OZ\”. We rounded late in the day and anchored with \”Obsession\”, \”Tin Tin\” and \”Delight\”. We also sailed by old friend \”Mr. John VI\” and radioed our hellos.

    Tomorrow, we will try and go ashore and literally stand at the very tip of Australia. It\’s a beautiful setting. Like always, \”photos someday\”…:-)

    KIT, Scott and Nikki

  • Escape River Pearls & Rounding \”The Top\”…..

    23 June 2012 (Eastern Hemisphere)

    Dear F&F,

    Today was quite a day for the crew of good ship \”Beach House\”. We were hailed and invited by Bronwyn and Rusty of \”Torres Strait Pearls\” off their residence at the Escape River. After a coffee and some chat, Nikki and I took a serious look at some lovely pearls. Nuff said on that for now.

    We also got a few photos of the two 8 foot crocodiles that live RIGHT NEXT TO THEIR HOUSE! They further told us there is a 13 footer around the corner and that we shouldn\’t hang anything important over the side of the boat….Like our feet!

    A late start with the morning excitement got us off toward Cape York, the very tippy top of \”OZ\”. We rounded late in the day and anchored with \”Obsession\”, \”Tin Tin\” and \”Delight\”. We also sailed by old friend \”Mr. John VI\” and radioed our hellos.

    Tomorrow, we will try and go ashore and literally stand at the very tip of Australia. It\’s a beautiful setting. Like always, \”photos someday\”…:-)

    KIT, Scott and Nikki

  • POSITION REPORT

    YOTREPS: YES TIME: 2012/06/23 07:30 LATITUDE: 10-41.29S LONGITUDE: 142-31.54E COURSE: 276T SPEED: 0.8 MARINE: NO WIND_SPEED: 19 WIND_DIR: SE CLOUDS: 35% VISIBILITY: 20 BARO: 1014.1 AIR_TEMP: 25.6C COMMENT: Beach House – ANCHORED – Cape York, \”The Top of OZ\”….

  • POSITION REPORT

    YOTREPS: YES TIME: 2012/06/23 07:07 LATITUDE: 10-40.65S LONGITUDE: 142-31.92E COURSE: 310T SPEED: 8.4 MARINE: NO WIND_SPEED: 19 WIND_DIR: SE CLOUDS: 35% VISIBILITY: 20 BARO: 1014.2 AIR_TEMP: 25.6C COMMENT: Beach House – ROUNDING & ABEAM – Cape York, \”The Top of OZ\”….

  • POSITION REPORT

    YOTREPS: YES TIME: 2012/06/22 06:52 LATITUDE: 10-58.04S LONGITUDE: 142-40.82E MARINE: NO WIND_SPEED: 15 WIND_DIR: SE CLOUDS: 20% VISIBILITY: 20 BARO: 1012.9 AIR_TEMP: 28.9C COMMENT: Beach House -ANCHORED – Escape River, lots of pearl farms…

  • Escape River……

    22 June 2012 (Eastern Hemisphere)

    Dear F&F,

    We traveled 71 miles today having left Cape Grenville at 0645 local time. The first 15 miles we motor sailed in what was the lightest wind day we\’ve seen. After that, we had a brilliant 40 mile spinnaker run with 13-19 knots of wind almost directly astern. When hoisting the spinnaker, Nikki had a quick time out to take the cake she was baking out of the oven!… We had 6 boats in our little flotilla today stretched out over 10 miles. New friends Zulu and Miri on s/v \”Shapirit\”, \”Kakadu\”, \”Obsession\”, \”Tin Tin\” and one other whose name we haven\’t yet heard.

    We sighted Adolphus Island as we entered the Escape River (where we may head tomorrow?) and it is north of \”The Top\”.

    We had a bit of a tricky time finding a good anchorage in here and the local pearl farmer and his wife came on the radio and gave us some nice advice. They also told us that there are two 12 foot crocodiles that live on the sand bar right in front of the boat!…

    We asked the locals over the radio why this is the Escape River? They told us the famous cartographer, Matthew Flinders was stuck on a sand bank in the river and was glad to \”escape\” without much problem. Hence the name.

    Jeanne Socrates aboard s/v \”Nerieda\” (single handed sailor) sent an email recommending we go to Adolphus Island and we\’re ahead of schedule, so we may do just that tomorrow which will be our shortest sail since we left Brisbane. \”Shapirit\” and \”Kakadu\” kept going to get there by dark, but I like to start dropping the anchor around 3:30-4pm in case of difficulties finding a nice spot. It took us till almost 5 pm today to get settled.

    So KIT, Escaping the river tomorrow…:-)…. Scott and Nikki

  • Cape Grenville…Margaret Bay……

    21 June 2012

    Welcome to the shortest day of the year here in the Southern Hemisphere! We got off a bit later than usual, but today\’s journey was only 45 miles. The sail was yet again brilliant. That\’s 4 out of the last 5 days. We had 22-30 knots mostly from 150 degrees aft on the starboard side and with initially a single reefed main and genoa out to weather on the pole, we were clipping along at 9-10 knots consistently. Sailing again in tandem with \”Kakadu\”, we started 3.5 miles behind them and got here 3 miles ahead of them. (I was trying, they weren\’t!).

    Including \”Kakadu\”, there are 4 other boats generally with us. All of them chose to anchor today in Shelbourne Bay which will make tomorrow\’s sail to Escape River 5 miles shorter. We\’ll have 70 miles, they only 65. As we\’ve done at least a half dozen days that length or longer, we\’re not concerned about getting in too late in the day. There are no navigation aids or lights at Escape River. That will put us only 30 miles from the very TOP of Australia. We may then head over the top into Seisia (Town is Bamaga). We\’ve been told that going into the Thursday Island Group (despite it\’s being Australian), requires an entire new quarantine procedure which we\’d just as soon avoid. We can take a ferry from Seisia, less than 1/2 an hour from the anchorage. KIT, Scott and Nikki, snug in Margaret Bay, Cape Grenville.

  • POSITION REPORT

    YOTREPS: YES TIME: 2012/06/21 04:20 LATITUDE: 11-57.42S LONGITUDE: 143-12.53E MARINE: NO WIND_SPEED: 12 WIND_DIR: SE CLOUDS: 60% VISIBILITY: 15 BARO: 1013.7 AIR_TEMP: 28.9C COMMENT: Beach House – ANCHORED – Margaret Bay, Cape Grenville….

    I\’m going to start putting these notes on the home page at: www.svbeachhouse.com They will be the new \”blog of the day\” and become archived in the \”ship\’s log\” section. KIT, Scott and Nikki

  • POSITION REPORT

    YOTREPS: YES TIME: 2012/06/21 04:20 LATITUDE: 11-57.42S LONGITUDE: 143-12.53E MARINE: NO WIND_SPEED: 12 WIND_DIR: SE CLOUDS: 60% VISIBILITY: 15 BARO: 1013.7 AIR_TEMP: 28.9C COMMENT: Beach House – ANCHORED – Margaret Bay, Cape Grenville….

    I\’m going to start putting these notes on the home page at: www.svbeachhouse.com They will be the new \”blog of the day\” and become archived in the \”ship\’s log\” section. KIT, Scott and Nikki

  • Portland Roads….

    20 June 2012 (Eastern Hemisphere)

    Dear F&F,

    We found the \”divers grave\” on Morris Island. Unfortunately in great disrepair. As there was apparently once a crocodile sighted here, we did not venture into the scrub. Unfortunately, an incredible amount of plastic flip flops and bottles are littered everywhere on these otherwise pristine sand islets throughout the Great Barrier Reef.

    We had 33 knot gust last night at Morris, but were very protected behind the small sand island and it\’s very large reef system. When the tide was high, we \”rocked and rolled\”! Otherwise, a comfy evening.

    Today was a windy then gray and drizzly day. But 25 knots right on the stern all the way from Morris Island to Portland Roads. Last night after dark, s/v \”Kakadu\” pulled into Morris Island and we sailed up here today with them. Anchored now at Portland Roads, Cape Grenville tomorrow….

    KIT, Scott and Nikki