Crasara Cruizin 4

2^nd June 2008

Well should we stay another day or should we go??? Everyone else seems to be meandering north, so let’s wait and see.

By 8am, 3 boats have left in 4kns of wind, reports coming back is that they were motor sailing, arrr lets just go and see what happens, it being the first of the month and all. So we motored off anchor with the Grainger “Nemo” out front, up goes our spinnaker and away we go. We set a course to the SW corner of Waining Reef doing between 3.5 and 6kn. Most of the trip was a green zone, so no fishing. El Misti decided to follow us and left about an hour later which allowed us to take some good photo’s of their new Kite when they were approaching the reef.

Along the way when we were in a fishing zone, my reel went of with a zing zing and what ever was on it kept running. I gently applied the clutch, with line still going out at 10 to the dozen I gave Sara the rod, I then raced up and dropped the spinnaker in seconds to take over the fight. We nearly had all the line out, but both the fish and I were getting tired. I gradually won over and fought the fish for 25minutes.

As it got close to the steps I could see it was a 4ft shark. With no way of letting it go and my arms being sore Sara took the rod while I gaffed it and tied off the tail loop.We left the lure in its mouth until all was over. When we gutted the fish she had 2 shark baby’s in a sack attached with an umbilical cord, a squid and a smaller fish. We shared our catch with Ralph and Jen then went for a snorkel on the inner tip of the reef. Looking at the beautiful stag and plate coral.We next headed for Howick Island where we anchored for the night.

3^rd June 2008

With very light winds both El misti and Crasara left Howick under spinnaker. We sailed east of Bewick Island close to shore ( within metres) hoping to get a fish. We had one bite at our lure but the drag was too tight and it let it go, soon after along the edge of a green zone we hooked a good size Spaniah Makerel about 1m, winds had picked up by this stage and we were doing 6-7kn on a reach. El Misti called us up on the radio with their first fish ever, a 750mm spotted mackerel.

4^th June

With Gentle winds we departed Barrow Island sailing N/NW across Ninian Bay, it was here on the edge of a green zone that I lost my new favourate lure in shallow waters, lucky it caught 2 fish the previous day. We sailed close to the shore along the coast just under genoa doing 4kn heading for Pipin Island at the top of Cape Melville.

Winds were increasing and El Misti were catching up under Spinnaker and Genoa wing to wing.

Crasara headed for the Island and El Misti for the Flinders Group. On our arrival we anchored in the small channel with make shift leads on star pickets.

Most of the islands around here are just low mangrove covered sand cays with fringing exposed coral, nothing pretty, so not much to say about them. We headed towards Ninian Bay sailing through “the Pass” between mainland and Barrow Island, to meet up with Terry on Janet, who had a good catch of crabs to share.

Sara and I walked around Barrow Island which has the last bits of 2 wrecks on either side. We invited all on board Crasara for sundowners and dinner, to share in oysters, crab, shark, spannish and spotted mackerel and vegetables and salad. A good time was had by all andEl Misti had put their dinghy motor on for the first time instead of Jen rowing. (to many Crocks up here).

On the Island their were 2 large floats that had drifted which we grabbed and we continued to walk around to view the retaining walls and steps that remain form the old light house keepers cottages. There was a steel peg embedded in the coral where they used a pully system to go between light and Shore on a high tide. Conditions must have been harsh in the early days.

We had a beam reach to sail into the Flinders Group through the channel another perfect sail. Anchoring down by the spit and then walking ashore to see the rock with the name of the surveying ship the Dart 1899. Deciding to stay the night we had drinks and light snacks onboard of El Misti with a full house.

5^th June

7:30am saw us down a San E T listening to HF weather then off to the Aboriginal Rock Paintings. Terry guided us through theIsland where we met up with everyone from the other boats. Some of the Art is shown below, for your opinion.

I tried a bit of cast fishing along the mangroves but with no luck, then a chat on DestinyIII, while Sara baked Cakes, Bread and Pizza.