Mad dogs and Englishmen. And sailors. Not just crazy to go out in the tropical noonday sun, but also the strong winds and high seas.
If ever there was a fitting expression it's this one. With 25 - 30 knots blowing and a 2 metre swell hitting us side on, we were in for a rough 58 nautical mile journey.
There were 3 other boats travelling with us from Cooktown to Lizard island so we were in the good company of other mad sailors. One boat broke a batten on their mainsail when they were trying to put it up so they decided to hug the coastline and find a calm anchorage to do repairs.
Then there were three.
goodbye Cooktown
and goodbye sheltered waters
Unfortunately for us, our autopilot system doesn't take kindly to this kind of weather. What that means for us, or should I say for Hubby, is a long hard day on the helm. And it was. With the direction of the wind combined with the swell, Watusi wanted to turn away from our set course. This meant a constant fight on the wheel to maintain the correct heading.
I jumped on the helm for a couple of short stints to give Hubby a break and, boy, did my arms and shoulders get a workout. I don't want to wish for these kind of conditions but it's a great way to get fit. No wonder Hubby has lost so much weight!
In nine hours we covered the 58 miles. Pretty good going. We actually had wind speeds of 35 knots so it made for some fast miles. We brought up the rear of our procession of three and I'm happy to report we all anchored safely at Watson's Bay on Lizard Island.
So many yachties we've met over the last year have raved about Lizard Island, and what we saw from our anchorage was definitely worthy of exploration. The bay we were in had awesome coral reefs fringeing it and a white sand beach lining it. That's me sorted right there. There is also a mountain to climb and a blue lagoon to find so tomorrow the exploring begins.
Until next time, Watusi Woman - island explorer, out.
