Wind SE 20 – 25 knts

John and I had a leisurely breakfast of bacon and eggs before heading off to Cairns at about 11 am.

Deb and Wayne and Geoff had left Fitzroy about an hour before us so we were aiming to get to Cairns around the same time. As we came out of the bay we found the wind stronger than forecast so we unfurled the jib and sailed with one sail. We reached speeds of ten knots with the wind unexpectedly reaching over 35 knts resulting in a quick trip to the shipping channel that leads into Trinity inlet, the shipping hub of Cairns.

 The Entrance Channel has a length of 5.3 nautical miles with a depth of 9 metres however, is subject to high siltation. Trade winds during the dry season and cyclones during the wet combine with ocean currents to deposit, stir up and resuspend sediment in the water making it constantly murky. Annual maintenance dredging remedies the siltation to create a safe passage for vessels into the port. I was surprised to find out  that  dredging has been undertaken since 1876 when the Port was first declared.

The Port of Cairns plays a vital role in Australia’s defence, border and security operations in the Indo-Pacific region as home for the Royal Australian Navy base of HMAS Cairns, the second largest naval base on the east coast of Australia. We were to explore the fascinating port in the weeks to follow.

Back to the drama.

As we turned into the channel close to marker C12 we lost our steering. The hydraulic steering system had run out of oil. There was no way we could negotiate the busy channel and into the marina without steering. When this has happened before we have been able to add oil to the system, bleed it and get going. Today it didn’t seem to want to work.  On top of that the wind wasn’t helping, it was blowing us out of the channel into the shallow water on the western side. There is minimal depth outside the channel, in fact it dries for quite a way at low tide. After several attempts where John has to get down into the back hatch and I  try pouring oil into the lines  then turning the helm to allow it to move along the lines, in between trying to keep the boat in the channel with the motors, we decided we needed to get out of the busy channel ,anchor then concentrate on the task.

We dropped the anchor with about a metre under our keel on the eastern side of the channel. The anchor didn’t seem to hold well and kept dragging. The problem was we were heading back to the channel and an extremely large, barnacle encrusted channel marker.

I alternated between revving the motors to keep us away from the marker and filling the oil reservoir while John was in the back hatch bleeding it. On top of that the wind was howling and it was difficult to hear instructions.

The system didn’t want to bleed and we were getting closer to that dammed post, conditions were very nasty.

By this time, Nyeki and Beach Bum had caught up with us and anchored a way off us to offer support if needed. We were swinging around in the wind with the wind and tide and I could hear a horrible grating sound under the starboard keel.

We were frantically trying to bleed the system all the time keeping ourselves off the post which we had come within two metres of.

Deb and Wayne launched their dinghy, picked up Geoff and motored over to us. Launching the dinghy in these windy conditions was a feat in itself. As luck would have it , just as they arrived, the system started taking oil and the helm began to respond with some pressure in the lines. What a relief!

Now to get the anchor up. We seem to have ridden over the anchor as it was behind us due to wind and current. We were anchored in such shallow water we think the anchor chain had been catching on the keel. We were also on a falling tide which meant we would  be aground if we didn’t get away soon.

I wish I’d got more photos , I didnt have time and the time we had was very stressful.

Finally we pulled the anchor up and were able to motor back into the channel. Steering seemed good and engines were working, we did wonder if the chain had caused any damage to the propellers as well. There was no water coming inside the boat around the keel or engine bay so that was a good sign.

Later underwater examination by Wayne revealed the mess the chain had made on the keel as it wrapped around the back of the keel and rasped and chewed into the fibreglass.

We followed Nyeki up the channel and  motored into our marina berth where a lovely fellow from the marina met us, took our lines and tied us up. What service! It was such a relief to be out of the wind and tied up safe.

Nyeki and Beach Bum anchored in the inlet opposite the marina as they weren’t booked in until the next night.

We were berthed on E finger not far from the amenities and a plethora of restaurants. At $171 per night I thought it was quite reasonable, for the heart of Cairns.

John, Morgan and I took a load of garbage and the laundry up, and while the clothes washed in a laundramat of 6 machines we headed to Salt House for a well earned beer and Kaluha. Salt is Cairns most iconic waterfront venue with views over the marina with an open relaxed atmosphere and only 60 metres walk from Ovive.

You could have a main meal  or just a light bite. The light bites were to become a regular item for us when we visited Salt (which was fairly often). This evening we ordered tempura  fried barramundi wings with a spicy dipping suace for $18. They were huge and so tasty, with so much fish on them it was ample for us.

We retired early and slept the best night we’d had for a while not having to worry about winds, tides or anchor alarms.

The view of Salt from Ovive.