Hauling your boat out of the water for some
tender (loving) care—fiberglass touch-ups and application of antifoul—is one of
the many delights of boat life. On this occasion the floorboards and table also
received some love from the sander and a new matt varnish. Exterior and
interior now look much happier, particularly once they emerged from beneath the
layer of red dust applied by each 4WD that drove past.
Hauling out has become a job we prefer to
do in Cooktown, where the cost is reasonable and the view
from the slipway quite acceptable. Positioning the boat on the trolley is a
little anxiety-inducing though as it requires getting into the water and
arranging sand bags between trolley and hulls. While nothing compares to the awe and elation of living
in nature, with so much beauty to be found, and though sometimes we have to
hide from her fury, there’s also nothing quite like being reminded of your
place in nature’s hierarchy. Getting into croc-infested water provides such a reminder.
Nervous jokes precede the haul-out and sighs of relief can be heard once the
boat is safely on the trolley and all limbs can be accounted for.
Nature has also reminded us of her power since Ebb Tide has been back in the water by blasting us with volleys of wind bullets. Like micro-cyclones, the sound whistles towards you and you see them travelling across the surface of the water before they hit at up to 40 knots. Hmmm. A wee bit frightening one night when the genoa (headsail) partially unravelled. Weird unseasonal rain has also filled the dinghy on several nights.
We enjoy catching up with our Cooktown
friends. One such friend was kind enough to drive us to Laura to see some
Aboriginal rock art at a spectacular gallery. He entertained us with tales of exploring this site
when he was just 16. Then there were no tourists and there was no road in, so
the artwork was much clearer. The road has recently been sealed, but it’s too
late for these paintings, which sadly are partially obscured by years of dust
from thousands of vehicles. Despite this, when we had a few quiet moments with the paintings
between busloads of tourists it was moving to be there.
As Cooktown is the most northerly town on
the east coast with a supermarket, long-term provisioning via the 'grandma trolley' has been in process.
North of Cooktown expensive barge deliveries are the only source of food
beyond what we can catch, collect or grow (some recently potted herbs have
survived so far and sprouts will be on the menu too). Thankfully coconuts keep well and there is a good source across the inlet at Cooktown. Hello potatoes, onions, pumpkins, garlic, cabbage and dried, frozen and
canned food. Luckily Matey likes rice
and dahl but the likely lack of fresh fruit is a source of angst already. Captain may have to discover new favourite foods ...
2 comments:
Great read! So glad Matey and the Captain didn't lose any limbs during the haul-out! The rock-art looks amazing. Pity such beautiful paintings aren't better protected. And looking goody Ms C. in the old Lara jail :) Love to you both from Singapore. Xx
Hey Felicity - so nice to hear from you! Hope all well there. Love back from Cape York. xx
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