Great Sandy Strait
Fleck
Wed 16 Sep 2009 05:20
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Position: 25:49S 153:02E Pelican Bay, Wide Bar
Harbour, Great Sany Strait
Wednesday, 16th Sept. 15.00 hours
We continue to enjoy wonderful weather and scenary
as we travel slowly South. For the last couple of nights we have been in Great
Sandy Strait: it looks a bit tortuous on the map, but in reality is an almost
wide open space. Only problem for us navigators is that it is also very shallow.
The tide runs up from both ends and meets in the middle, and you have to cross
the middle at high tide to avoid running aground and getting stranded. We timed
the tides ok, but forgot that it would get dark! A bit of an adventure then
until we found our way into a safe deep inlet for the night. Mark has learned
that elderly surgeons swear just as much as anyone else when the chips are down,
and the depth guage is running on zero. Last night we anchored off the
settlement of Tin Can Harbour. Good to get ashore for our first Australian pub
experience, MKDons playing the Canaries (Norwich City) on Fox TV! They said the
dolphins would come to the town quay to be fed at 08.00 hours next moring.
Thought for a while I had consumed too much of the Tooheys, but they were not
kidding, and we left Tin Can Harbour after a huge shoreside breakfast ourselves.
Now we are waiting for the tide before running out over the bar and wind
permiting, turning south. The stretch of water over the bar is called the 'mad
mile'. Charlie has taken her sea sick pill, and we are all keeping our fingers
crossed.
Richard, Charlie and Mark
PS Are our coordinates showing on the Mailasail
map? I'm not sure if we are putting them in
right?
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