Sunday 20 July 2014

FROM A NUCLEAR PARADISE TO ‘SALT OF THE EARTH’

Montebellos to Dampier
8 July -  13 July 2014

by Margie

We really like Dampier!!.... I am not sure why -  the port is busy, it takes a long time to get into the harbor through the Mermaid Sound or Strait, there are tankers and tugs by the ‘harbor-loads’ to contend with, and there is of course the red dust from the ore stacks and the white dust from the salt stacks that add a layer of coloured dust to your deck and all spaces inbetwee- but it offers everything that I believe a yachtie needs and is looking for after days at sea.

It offers friendliness, cleanliness, a dinghy dock, restaurant and bar close by with huge television screens, café for the most tastiest cappuccinos, (next to the Mill Bakehouse in Freo of course), there are showers, toilets and laundry facilities, there is a small supermarket with all necessities within a short walk, there is an almost free bus service to Karratha, should you wish to go, and if you don’t get the bus there is always someone to give you a lift. 

At the Dampier dinghy dock there is a double boat ramp with floating docks.
One of them a dinghies dock for dinghies less than 3.5 meters.  Opposite this dock is another that some of the smaller working boats use, very large tinnies that ferry workers to the larger working boats.  This dock has a water tap and hose it also has a petrol fuel bowser. These docks are well protected with a rock wall surrounding them.  Outside this rock wall is a much larger fuelling jetty. However this must booked and details for this are at the yacht club reception or in the cruising guide.

Yacht Club and floating small dinghy dock
Anchoring in Hampton Harbour is not a problem and there are plenty of moorings to pick up in case of an emergency  – all privately owned but available if in need - which was our case the night of our arrival.
 
The fuel jetty in Hampton Harbour
We had had a great bumpy sea- sickening motor sail from the Montebello’s to Dampier.   Staysail only was up and the winds were beating  directly at us from the east – again – but it was manageable.   We pointed Moonshadow on a direct course for Endeby Island, planning to enter Dampier harbor via Mermaid Strait, which runs a course west and then south around the Island. 

The exit from the Montebello’s was beautiful, pain free and the scenery was stunning.  I am not sure how to describe these islands except that from a bird’s eye view they would seem like bits of land scattered in close proximity with no rhyme or reason as to their shapes or positions.  From space they the islands and their surrounding reefs take the form of a whale ready to breach.   From our point of view, though, the magnificence never ceased.  Around every bend and bay there was another bend and bay and lagoon and channel.  One could easily get lost in this maze and I must admit, it seemed inviting at times.  

The waters were reasonably calm, the spinifex covered hills, the rocky outcrops and the sandy beaches that intersperse the rock faced cliffs all added to the sheer charm and beauty of these serene and isolated islands – and not a tree insight.   We tried desperately to capture the mood and image on camera – but not sure how successful Jeremy was.   The photos are fabulous but you would have to be there to absorb the history and the serenity and the spirit of the place.

We exited the islands through Dot and Daisy Islands, with Dahlia, Dandelion and Aster Islands to port and Marigold, Foxglove and Buttercup Islands well to our starboard.

The names of these islands and bays are intriguing.  It seems that most of the islands have floral names and the bays have alcoholic names!  Hmmmm – wonder what that says about the people who park in these bays – or who named them.

We arrived with Pansy Island on our port and Drambuie Bay on our starboard.  We sailed past Primrose, Carnation and Gardenia and Rose Islands to get to our anchorage in Chianti Bay, which we bypassed to get to the mooring in Chartreuse Bay.  At anchorage we had Alpha Island behind us and Bluebell and Jonquil Islands opposite. And Crocus Island was situated behind Alpha Island.  The bays are not to be outdone, however, and we managed to visit Burgundy Bay, but missed out on Champagne, Cider and Brandy Bays.  Stout and Whisky Bays were also out of our reach.  We did get to see Turtle lagoon, however, which had lots of turtles in it J - but missed out on Vermouth Lagoon  – and that was just the beginning.  

Back to Moonshadow pointed at Dampier!  Halfway across the pond between the departure and destination, Moonshadow’s engine suddenly shuts down and there we were.  Bobbing up and down in very square seas, staysail was up so we were able to keep direction and Jeremy was head down, butt up in the engine room sorting out a blocked fuel filter.   Filter replaced, fuel now looking a lot cleaner and engine purring nicely, off we set again, staying well clear of exclusion zones surrounding the gas well heads gracing this area of ocean.  This little exercise, however, did set us back an hour or three, and planned arrival in Hampton Harbour for daylight ended up being a dark 2030hrs.

Enderby Island passing through the Mermaid Strait 
The journey in via the strait was eventless, very easy to follow – even in the dark – this being due to our very careful route planning and chart mapping.  And despite the myriad of red and yellow and green flashing markers and buoys beckoning the mariner to head in all sorts of directed channels, we found our way in, no trouble at all.   What we were not prepared for were the enormous mooring buoys that were scattered within the anchorage area  itsef, situated in front of the yacht club rooms.   Coming in  in the dark, and not having our bearings, we had initially planned to drop anchor and then, as a last minute decision, we elected to pick up the closest mooring to us, just for the night.   So boat hook at the ready we slow Moonshadow down and we are suddenly at a stand still.  Tinnie’s rope has caught around the prop.  We were motionless, except for the drift, and then we drifted over the mooring lines, which also caught around the prop and possibly the rudder – and there we were.  9.30pm at night in the dark. 

So what do you do?  We brought Tinnie around to the ladder, hopped in and moved her towards the stern of Moonshadow trying desperately to grab the mooring line to see where it went.  We were not happy to leave it till morning, as all we could envisage was the current pushing and Moonshadow tugging at the prop and rudder.  So there was nothing for it except for Jeremy to don the wetsuit and have a look. 

On climbing his way up from Tinnie to Moonshadow, via porthole and footing rail, a little wave suddenly hit us and sent both Jeremy and I flying to the far side of Tinnie.  There we were – perched on her starboard side and Tinnie leaning at a very dangerous almost 90 degree angle to the harbor waters.  For a split second we could see ourselves swimming in Hampton Harbor at some ridiculous hour at night.  However, sanity took control and Tinnie righted herself, and Jeremy continued on his merry way up the side of Moonshadow to don the gear.  Gear on, waterproof torch and goggles in hand and he was ready.  He handed me the torch, which completely missed my hand and is now resident on the ocean floor of Hampton Harbor. 

That was three out of three!!  That was it we decided – all would be well from here on in.  Which it was?  We attached a second loop from the mooring to the amidships cleat to ensure Moonshadow was attached to the mooring should we break it free, Jeremy dived and found the mooring line caught around the prop as was the rope from Tinnie.  He freed them both and we were now freely tethered to a secure mooring, as any normal boat should be.  We moved the loop from the amidships cleat to the bow cleat - it was  now 2330hrs.  So on the mooring we stayed and next morning we did the right thing, once again said a silent thank you to an unidentified boat owner, and moved to drop the anchor.

After a very welcome but quick hot shower we had a hot coffee, a giggle and a laugh about what we had learned that day and then off to a comfortable cozy bed it was.

On waking, I put my head up in the cockpit and for the first time, noticed the trees on the shore.  How strange that one can miss them if you haven’t seen them for a while.

Dampier's Hampton Harbour with dinghy dock and yacht club in the distance
We dressed had breakfast and decided to explore the town for the obligatory cappuccino outlets.  We introduced ourselves at the club, gained free membership on the spot and headed off to the little shopping center and café, where we had a fabulous, tasty and hot cappa.  In the days to follow we were to find another café outlet called the Road Runner Café, with a 1 million dollar view over the harbor, fabulous service and friendly staff, not to mention one of the best cappuccinos I have ever tasted. (Again - only second to Mill Bake house in Fremantle).  We frequented the restaurant at the Yacht Club, and on advice from some friends, also had a great meal at the Chinese Restaurant – all within walking distance.
On the dinghy Jetty 
Whilst at the club we also introduced ourselves as members of the Moonshadow band, and were immediately asked to play the coming Friday.  We, however, had not thought out the logistics of getting thousands of dollars worth of equipment off a yacht on anchor, and we passed up the opportunity.   We do, however, have an invitation to return once we are in Darwin.  How good is that!!

View of the Yacht Club entry over Hampton Harbour
 I find that there is an amazing complimenting of facilities in Dampier.  For instance the Seafarers Club lease their kitchen and balcony to the Roadrunner Café and in the meantime offer Internet and telephone services as well as a gift shop with lots of second hand books for next to nothing.

View from the Roadrunner Cafe
And the Chinese Restaurant is resident at the local lawn bowling club, leasing their kitchen and hall and the club providing the alcohol.   There seems to be this sense of camaraderie here.  

We hitched a ride into Karratha and spent some money, as you do, at the huge shopping center there, walked for miles and miles looking for some noodles to act as fenders for Tinnie and then found a little coffee shop which offered reasonably tasty coffee, but did not allow patrons with Hi-vis work wear to enter their café.  A little strange – me thinks – as the uniform of the Pilbara region is a Hi-vis shirt with blue cargoes!


Scenery on the road to Karratha 
Scenery on the road to Karratha 
Our biggest and most successful acquisition in Karratha was a new rubbish bin.  We have managed to hold on to the white relic left to us by Steve and Jackie – it just didn’t seem right to dispose of it – it was after all heritage pieceJ  But alas, cracked and smelly it had to go.  So we now own a beautiful stainless steel Tinnie number 2.  And I must admit it looks well at home.

Out with old...
In with the new!
We also managed to find the Red Dog statue – and having seen the film twice I couldn’t help myself, but give it a huge hug.  Must have seemed a little odd to the passing traffic on the main Dampier/Karratha road where the statue is located.  But – hey- who cares – really!

Woof!
Woof woof!
All in all our time in Dampier was great, relaxed and friendly.   We managed to get our washing and shopping done, have plenty of hot showers, have some great cheap meals and even managed a day of doing nothing.  Now it was time to plan for the long journey ahead to Broome.  

On Sunday morning, 13th July 9am, cupboards stocked, washing folded, food ready for the day, we lifted the anchor, motored across the harbor towards Mermaid Sound and into Flying Foam Passage on the first leg of our journey to Broome.

We have some great memories of our stopover In Dampier, the people we met, the boaties who motored up in their dinghies to say hello, the staff at the restaurants and bars,  the kind gentleman who responded to Jeremy’s thumb, giving us a lift into Karratha and the very interesting Somalian taxi driver who drove us back.  People we will never forget and experiences that we will always remember.

Moonrise on our last night in Dampier 
Thank you and goodbye Dampier.

Life is so good.


THE MONTEBELLOS - NUCLEAR PARADISE

One of natures most breathtaking comebacks.

On 8am October 3, 1952, an atomic bomb as big as the one that had destroyed the Japanese city of Nagasaki seven years earlier was detonated about 130km off the WA Pilbara Coast.  The mushroom cloud from the detonation rose 4.5km from a bay in the middle of the isolated and uninhabited Montebello Islands

This incident gave Britain the notoriety of becoming the third country to test a nuclear weapon after the US and USSR.  It would go on to detonate another 12 bombs on Australian soil over the next five years

 Three nuclear weapons tests were carried out on the Montebelos during the 1950’s. The first on Trimouille Island in 1952, and then again in late 1956.  The second test was on Alpha Island in early 1956.  

Immediately aft WW2 the newly elected Labour government, led by Mr Clement Attlee,  secretly decided to proceed with the development and acquisition weapons.  Because of it’s size, and high population density Britain could not find any suitable sites for testing on home ground.  They looked further afield and finally settled on the Montebello Islands.
Our Prime Minister Menzies, also concerned about communist expansion felt Australia needed to cultivate its ‘great and powerful friends” and agreed to host the tests in the interests of National Security
There is no evidence to suggest that Mr Menzies consulted his cabinet about this decision.  The successive prime Minister of Britain, Sir Winston Churchill also sanction the testing.

The Montebello Islands, also known as the Montebello Islands Marine Park are an archipelago of around 174 small islands – of which only 92+/-are named.  They are situated about 20 Km north of Barrow Island and 120Km west of Dampier and protect one of the most beautiful and important marine areas along the West Australian coast.

The name, Monte Bello, means beautiful mountain.  It is unsure as to who gave the island group this name.  They were originally named by the French explorer Nicolas Baudin as the Tryall Rocks  The two largest islands, Trimouille and Hermite island were also named by Baudin after French Admiral Jean L’Hermite and a French Aristocratic Family, the Trimouille Family.

The island group stretch 10m north to south, and consist mainly of islands composed of limestone and coral cliffs, some up to up to 12metere high, interspersed with white sandy beaches.  They have well protected bays and channels and lagoons, barrier and fringing coral reefs, which offer a rich variety of wild life and rich maritime heritage, appealing to divers, snorkeler’s fishers and kayakers.
Dolphins, rays and turtles abound.

From a satellite image, these islands and their surrounding reefs give the form of a large whale preparing to breach.

Access to the islands may be made through three entrances –North Passage between North West Island and Pansy Island  and through the Bunsen Channel adjacent to Trimouille Island and on to Main Bay

Entrance via the Southeast can be made via a heading for Flag Island and then a bearing to Southeast Island and through the South Channel.  Entrance can also be made directly through South Channel in between Dot and Daisy Islands. 

Entry from the west is possible through a break in the outer reef and heading towards Hermite Island.

The Montebello Islands  are so far flung off the beaten track that most of us have no idea they are even part of Australia

Which is exactly why the British chose them as a site to detonate the three massive atomic bombs and in the process obliterated a marine paradise.  Eye witness accounts report a  “ Scene of utter devastation.  There were hundreds and hundreds of dead turtles on the beach.  The beach was littered from one end to the other.

More than 60 years later you’d expect to find a scorched waste land.

Instead it is one of nature’s most breathtaking comebacks.






Interesting ABC report can be seen here:
www.abc.net.au/archives/80days/stories/2012/01/19/3411273.htm

Courtesy ABC news and Wikipedia.


MENZIES MONTEBELLO MADNESS

The Monte Bello Islands
5 July - 8 July

by Jeremy

The Monte Bello Islands, so we were told, is a must see destination on any cruise to the north of Australia.

We had a quiet layover in a protected bay on the south western tip of Serrurier Island and set off on a track to take us around the top of Serrurier and set a course north east towards the west coast of Barrow Island. It was a very pleasant overnight sail and as dawn broke we saw the west coast of the Monte Bellos looming in the distance.

Rather than risk the perilous western entrance through the reef, we decided to sail around the top and approach from the northern entrance between North West Island and Pansy Island. The waters were calm and the views spectacular. Low lying islands with rocks tumbling down to the sea and every minute a changing perspective of these ancient islands.

The lighthouse on North West Island
Passing Pansy Island
All I had ever heard about the Monte Bellos was the nuclear test stories and I was expecting a barren and forbidding landscape. I was unprepared for the subtle beauty of the ever-changing vistas.

We had planned to follow the anchoring recommendations in The Cruising Guide and headed for Main Bay on Trimouille Island. It looked the least scary of the anchorage points given that Moonshadow has a 1.8m draft. When we arrived it seemed rather exposed and rolly so we decided to go to Chianti Bay on Alpha Island. While we were in Exmouth we had met Terry who was a veteran of these parts and had assured us that Chianti was the place to be! He had allowed us to take some photos of his tracks on his chart-plotter through the channels into the bay so we were pretty confident to take the (slight) risk and follow the photo!

It was, as Terry had assured us, easy to navigate although we did take the precaution of ensuring we approached on a high tide just to avoid the numerous ‘bombies’.

Chianti Bay was beautiful! The water was like glass and the bay embraced Moonshadow in its gentle curves. It was like some kind of pirate’s retreat with a little feature called Aden Cove that at any minute I expected a Captain Jack Sparrow on the Black Pearl to emerge from.

Suddenly, Margie spotted a large orange buoy on the adjoining Chartreuse Bay and as we love to use a mooring instead of the anchor, we went to investigate. It was certainly solid and heavy duty so we eagerly picked up the lines and secured ourselves to the buoy.



Time to relax! We spent a restful Saturday recovering from the night sail and just enjoying the calm and the scenery. On Sunday, I was cleaning up on deck, just doing the routine maintenance and contemplating a swim in the tranquil water when I looked over the side of Moonshadow into the clear water. I could hardly believe my eyes when this ten-foot monster fish emerged from under our hull and circled the boat with a malevolent eye. He was huge and I thought it must be a whale shark. I urged Margie to come and have a look at ‘the monster’ and skeptically she climbed the companionway thinking, I am sure, that I had lost my mind!
 
The lurking monster
Emerging on deck she was astonished to see this huge fish lazily swimming under the boat from one side to the other. I went to the bookshelf and consulted our ‘What Fish Is That’ manual to try to identify the nature of this beast. It looked nothing like a whale shark or any kind of whale or shark as illustrated in the book so we were flummoxed! We were sure that he didn’t seem the least bit aggressive and he even had an entourage of brightly coloured small companion fish swimming with him. Margie got in the dinghy to have a closer look at him and the ‘monster’ approached Margie for a closer look at her. Brave, she was, even putting her arm in the water to try and stroke him! Meanwhile I had a brilliant idea! I would get out the GoPro and mount it on a pole so that I could get some video of him swimming underwater. This all went well except he kept swimming in the shadowed side of Moonshadow, lurking in the semi dark. At one point he swam towards the GoPro and went to bite it and I was lucky to pull up the pole complete with camera in the nick of time.

He really seemed quite friendly and every time we looked over the side, there he was, lazily hiding in the shadows. We thought that he would soon get bored and seek pastures new.

It was time to explore our desert island so we courageously loaded our equipment into the tinny and headed inshore to Alpha. Landing on the beach we set an anchor in the sand and took a hike up the hill through the sweeping treeless landscape. The rocky outcrops we had seen from Moonshadow turned out to be huge anthills and when we reached the top of the hill we found a cairn that had obviously been built by previous visitors to Alpha Island. We added our own stone to the very top as we admired the 180 degree views of these spectacular islands and bays that looked like something out of “Boys Own Stories’ (for those of a similar vintage to ourselves!)
 
Arriving at the beach to explore Alpha Island
The cairn at the pinnacle of Alpha Island
Sweeping spinnefex covering dried coral
Views across to Crocus and Hermite Islands
View of Moonshadow comfortable in Chartreuse Bay
One of the many anthills
We returned to the dinghy and set off to explore the passageways between the archipelago headed for a bay called Turtle Lagoon on Hermite Island, an almost circular bay with a very narrow entrance. Once through the entrance the bay was a perfect paradise of mangrove lined banks and crystal clear water. We turned off the outboard and let the dinghy drift in the silence, enjoying the peace and tranquility.
 
Beautiful Turtle Lagoon
Wildlife was surrounding us; birds and flying fish were all over the place. Huge turtles came for a look at these strange intruders to their sanctuary and raised an inquisitive eye before hurrying away on their urgent business. Margie had the foresight to prepare a picnic and there we sat, drifting in the dinghy in this tropical paradise enjoying a feast fit for a king. (Neptune?)
 
The wildlife displaying for us
We reluctantly restarted the motor and found our way out of the lagoon heading to the east side of Crocus and Alpha Islands passing the pretty Burgundy Bay on the east of Alpha Island. This was one of the sites of the nuclear tests and we resolved to explore this bay the following day. We arrived back at Moonshadow and had a peaceful night, totally isolated with no other company except of course for the continuing presence of ‘the monster’ still lurking under Moonshadow.

The following morning was bright, clear and peaceful and we set out for Burgundy Bay, landing the dinghy on the beach of Chianti Bay. A large sign is on the beach warning visitors of the dangers of continuing radiation being bad for the health and advising that we avoid camping or extended visits. We hiked up the hill to the highest point and again were impressed by the vistas of all the surrounding islands. In the distance we could see another yacht anchored in Main Bay where we first passed on our entrance. The peace and tranquility were broken by the sudden appearance of a helicopter, buzzing overhead and hovering over Campbell Island for twenty minutes. We walked over the hills towards Burgundy Bay and discovered a pyramid shaped concrete monolith that marked the site of one of the British nuclear blasts in the 1950’s. It was a strange ambience, standing looking at this thing that marks a time in history where governments cared more about the cold war than the environment. Has anything changed I ask myself! Sadly not it seems.
 
Landing the dinghy on the beach of Chianti Bay
The radiation hazard warning sign

Exploring this bay further, the obvious man made cutting through hillside from Burgundy Bay to the site of the explosion was the only evidence of the desecration of this land. It must have been where the supplies and equipment were hauled up the hill to build the tower for the bomb. This, for me, was a sad and poignant moment that caused me to reflect for a while on man’s capacity for destruction.
 
Burgundy Bay, site of the second nuclear test
No words needed!
We walked slowly and silently back to the beach, both of us lost in our thoughts.

It was comforting to see our beautiful yacht bobbing patiently on the other side of the bay as we crested the hill and our dinghy safe on the pure soft white sand on the little beach with only our footprints for company. It was time to head back and prepare for our departure on the mornings high tide.
 
Heading back to Tinnie
Just as we settled back on Moonshadow we could hear the unusual sound of an engine in the distance and coming into our tranquil bay were two large motor boats headed straight for us. One of them dropped his anchor not 50 metres away and the other motored up right next to us. They were charter fishing vessels with paying passengers. The skipper called out to us from his flybridge and was really friendly, asking us if we had been here long. Margie told him that we were leaving in the morning and that they were welcome to use our mooring after we had gone. He replied that it was actually his mooring but we were welcome to stay on it tonight and he would anchor overnight. Hmmm. Margie apologized with effusive thanks for the ‘loan’ of the mooring!

While looking down from his flybridge he said,
“I see that you have been adopted by Kodak.”

This then was the name of our ‘monster’. Kodak.

“Why Kodak?” we asked.
“Someone was filming him and he swallowed the camera.” He replied.
“He’s a giant Queensland Groper and he always hangs around the visiting boats hoping for a feed.”

And with that mystery solved he bid us goodnight and headed off to rattle his chain.
 
Our last evening in the Monte Bellos
Tomorrow we leave this paradise for the excitement and adventure of Dampier.

Life is good!



OUR ARCHIPELAGO ADVENTURE

Exmouth to the Montebellos
3 July – 5 July

by Margie

There is a little archipelago of islands lying just north east of the Exmouth gulf comprising of Serrurier  (a.k.a. Long Island), Round, Flat, Table and Anchor Islands, to name just a few. What a spectacular little group.  They appear as little oases offering a reprieve from the meeting of the stark blueness of the skies and the ocean.

Exmouth Marina the evening before our departure
We have had a non-eventful – well – nearly non-eventful motor from Exmouth northeastward across the gulf.   They say complacency is a mariner’s worst nightmare.  And it almost became ours, comprising of a near miss with a tug towing a barge as we both have our heads down concentrating on our scrabble game.  It is a last minute veer to port as we see the tug bearing down on us.  Ooops – out of the door are all the rules I learnt for my Skippers ticket the ‘right/starboard rule!.  The tug is, however, only travelling at 1.4knots and we are speeding along at 6knots – so once again I may be exaggerating the obvious.  But make a mental note to self – keep eyes on the water at all times. 

The waters of the Exmouth Gulf are calm, and the breeze and ocean surface are mesmerizing.  The breeze is a very very gentle 7 – 8 knot east/north east.   We manage to hoist Genny for a little freedom but compensate with motoring.  I end up nodding off for a closed eyewink or two and wake up to find us almost at Serrurier Island.  Round Island has been passed on our starboard aft quarter and Flat Island was already well behind us on our port aft quarter
 
Flat Island
Round Island
Serrurier Island (Long Island)
We inch our way slowly into the bay west of the neck.   Anchorage is in 5m and sandy – and very very calm.  The sands of these almost non-existent hills reach down to the ocean and the green mound covering it, looking like icing dripping down the sides of a cake, gives a sense of a very peaceful, long, stretching, gentle Island - not a tree or rock in sight.  Although there is reef indicated on the charts – the tell tale breaking of waves over them is non-existent – in these weather conditions anyway.

Serrurier Island from our anchorage
Serrurier Island, along with its surrounding companions, is a nature reserve – Serrurier especially for turtles and the wedge-tailed shearwater (a bird).   I believe it has a very bountiful marine life – which unfortunately we do not experience or see, as we do not fish. 

We spend a very gentle evening on anchor – interrupted every now and then with the sound of a turtle surfacing.  We also have a dolphin visit us.  In the stillness and darkness of the night – the silence is deafening and the auditory nerves become super sensitive. 
 
Sunset over Flat Island
We have crossed our 1000nm mark and we celebrate with an Indian meal and some Baileys and G and T.  Not a good idea!!  We send the many messages home to let our loved ones and friends know where we have arrived safely and then it is off to rest our weary bones – we have had such a busy day!!

Next morning we wake to much of the same…warm sands, blue skies and gentle breezes.   We relax, decide that it is just too much effort to take the outboard motor off its rack and put it on to Tinnie.  Rowing is a possibility but, we decided, not really a safe option  - there would be no one to rescue us if we overshot Moonshadow!   A good excuse anyway.  But we need to get away to reach the Montebello Islands at the right time and be in Broome by 21st July. 


At 1400hrs after deciding which entry we would attempt into the Montebello Islands, we secure everything and sundry on board, lift the anchor once more and ‘motor’ Moonshadow out of her little bay anchorage, up the west coast of the Island and prepare for a 20hr journey towards Barrow Island and the islands beyond. 

Farewell to Serrurier Island
The seas remain calm and other than the odd little fishing boat, gas well head, barge and tugboat – we see nothing.  The weather is magnificent, we lose sight of land and all we have for company is the hum of the engine, the sound of the sea parting as Moonshadow slices through the very low gentle swell.

We settle in, play our scrabble (remembering to keep one eye on the surrounds) and have lunch and smoothies and Jeremy digs into his book.  I keep watch and learn more about the electronics on Moonshadow, the chart plotter, the radar and the various maps we have. 

Sunset falls at 1745hrs and we prepare ourselves for the night motor.  Wind is still head on and ranging between 3 – 7 knots.  At this stage one might be thinking – ‘what are they doing?  Do they not know that there are fish in the ocean?  Should they not be trawling for fish? ‘ Well - the confession to be made is that neither of us fish and to add insult to injury – not only does Jeremy not eat fish, but we have a fishing rod on board, complete with fully stocked tackle box still wrapped in plastic! .  So – we have, in essence, really become a floating photographic studio - And, because of this we have cameras and videos on standby ready for that extra special shot – and we have had lots of them I might add.

Back to our cruising – Jeremy reads and sleeps and eats and reads some more.  Yours truly watches and learns and marvels at the darkness, the silence and the night sky. At 2100 hrs Jeremy decides it’s time for his night sleep and heads down stairs while I watch for any oncoming traffic and relish the peace, studying the cruising guide and maps for advice re entry into the islands and, beyond, into Dampier.  The motor is humming but I am hardly aware of it as I sit on the edge of the cockpit and hypnotically watch the dark waters pass us by.

At 0100 I wake Jeremy for his turn at the watch and I lay my head down in the cockpit.  Somewhere in my stupor I hear Genny being pulled out and then somewhat later the motor being turned off.  The silence is beautiful.   I wake to find us almost side on to one of the massive gas well heads that grace this part of the coast line, and Barrow Island behind us.  The Montebello’s are within sight and excitement once again sets in.   We have sailed past the west coast of Barrow and now heading towards the north west entrance to the Montebello’s – but first we must clear the reef and then find the entrance. 
 
Men at work all at sea on the way to Barrow Island!
Gas well head between Barrow and Monte Bello Islands
First glimpse of the Monte Bello Islands
As I head towards the bowsprit to take some video of our first peek at the islands, I notice some ‘blowholes’ happening in the distance, and am aware that there are a just a few whales around.   I aim my video camera ready to take some footage of this phenomenon of these great creatures.   Suddenly, without any warning, two of them decide to surface within touch distance of Moonshadow…they are so close that the water that they blow out reaches us and the accompanying groan that it makes sounds like snorting horses in very close proximity.   I nearly drop the camera, forget to press the ‘record’ button and yell out to Jeremy to ‘stop the boat’.  He is standing in the cockpit with his camera to the ready – having a great giggle – as if he could ‘stop the boat’!!  

Whales toying with us
A whale of a splash
These magnificent giants were so close – I could see the markings on their gray gleaming wet skin and their eyes as they fixed our position and took another sedate slide back into the dark water below.  A huge sigh of relief and very loud ‘thank you’ from me, as they decide not to breach or give us their flipper flap.  From that moment on we have a spectacular show of whale antics, they continue to surface and play, and finally as we near the entrance to the Islands, they breach for us.  They are everywhere.   There are ‘blowholes’ and whale surfacing’s happening 360 degrees.  We have our still cameras and video cameras ready and manage to catch some magic images – but we don’t know where to look to catch the next shot.  
 
Triple backward sommersault with pike!
I can fly too!
Finally, at 10am we take Moonshadow past the reef separating us from North West Island of the Montebello’s and turn to starboard to negotiate the passage through the North Entrance.  We pass Drambuie Bay – and I silently wish we had planned this better and stocked our cocktail cabinet with a few more choices.  A Drambuie toast would have been great.  

 
Drambuie Bay with North West Island behind
Preparing to go past Pansy Island and in through the North Channel
Heading down Bunsen Channel past Trimouille Island
Trimouille Island on way to Main Bay
We have plotted the course very carefully, taking heed of the many warnings of ‘bombies’ and low depths.   We have no problems at all navigating our way through the Bunsen Channel and very soon we are at our chosen anchorage on Trimouille Island in Main Bay.  Once there, though, we realize that it is quite uncomfortable and rolly, so we elect to take Moonshadow further through the shallows and the ‘bombies’ and find anchorage and protection in Chianti Bay on Alpha Island.  I hand over the helm to Jeremy, who I know can navigate us through the obstacle course – the truth of the matter is I didn’t want the responsibility if the off chance of running Moonshadow aground – again!  My running aground tally is mounting very fast!

Jeremy takes her very carefully across the ‘pond’ separating Trimouille Island from the western group, navigating around rocks underwater and above.  We pass Burgundy Bay on Alpha Island and make a mental note to come and revisit this.  We pass Mushroom Rock and turn to port and pass ‘Man on a Rock’ rock, and finally at 1300hrs  we find a very unexpected and very welcome and very large orange mooring at Chartreuse Bay – neighbor of Chianti Bay.   We pull up the encrusted loop-less rope, tie it around the cleat – and we are secure – in the Montebello Islands.
 
Moonshadow in Chartreuse Bay with Alpha Island in the background
On our way in we have videoed and photographed extensively, and can’t help thinking that this should have been the parting point for us with for Divided Sky and Aqua Vitae – whose goal it had been to reach these islands before heading back to Fremantle.

Jeremy and I make comment that the mooring we picked up is big enough for all three of us – so we pour a drink and toast absent but ‘present in spirit friends’ – Karen, Mike and Aqua Vitae and Robyn and Nick and Divided Sky – this is for you! 

What a welcome sight this is. Moonshadow safely attached
I also make mention to Jeremy that this last 20hr sail in my opinion has been the highlight of our travels thus far, all made perfect by the gentle breezes, gentle seas and swells, sails filling with the breeze and doing their job, Moonshadow silently slicing effortlessly through the water,  the clear crisp skies and last but not least the free and at times, very close, extravaganza  given us by these beautiful gentle giants of the sea.


Life is fabulous.