Carsten's time on board Calliope - 28th June to 27th July 2018

Carsten sailed across the Atlantic with us on Gwylan in 2009, so when Nicky needed to go back to the UK/Switzerland in July, we knew he would be a great and fun crew member for Charles to share the trip north from Cairns to Thursday Island and the crossing to Kupang in Indonesia. His daughter Lara also sailed the Atlantic with us and was able to join at short notice. Here's Carsten's entry in our visitors' book, which gives an idea of his month aboard.

I feel as though I've been sailing for months, which is what happens when good friends just plainly get along well and enjoy each other's company. Despite being badly exploited on the last day polishing all the stainless steel until there was no toothbrush left to use, shining neglected metal on
Calliope until you needed polarised glasses to look at her, I have to admit I've been on worse journeys. First, there was the completely shuttered down Calliope I found when I sleepwalked after my sleepless 32 hour journey to the marina in Cairns, trying to guess which of the 12 Oysters flying flags on 12 different pontoons was to be my home for the next 3000 miles or so. No note and not

Aboriginal paintings 

having yet collected my wits, I failed to find the key which had been hidden for me. As it turned out, I had showed up 24 hours too early. As a result, I took out my Dutch anger biking across the hills of Cairns. What a treat cycling along the waterfront with so many special birds! Descending from the mountains I astounded Aussie drivers who couldn't believe this crazy Dutchman going down a semi-highway on an antiquated mom & pop bike. They were right, it was utterly crazy.
Another highlight: Lizard Island where Charles and I arrived after an overnight sail and went up the mountain (375m) early in the morning to Cook's Lookout, named after the then simply Lieutenant Cook who climbed up there to find a way out of the myriad reefs which had almost cost him his
vessel on the way in to shore. The lighter coloration of the reef when seen from above revealed a darker shadow showing a small exit channel. What a lovely way to start a morning, especially when at the top, neatly tucked away under a big stone there was a plastic box containing a guestbook and a
pen. Not many people had reached this spot: only the odd yachtsman and staff at the nearby marine research station, as the nearest port was 120 miles away (apart from an odd resort with 12 huts and an airstrip...) There were many other moments where we just enjoyed what we were doing without thinking about it too much - like going ashore with Mariusz and Paulina on Stanley Island at Flinders, an extraordinary place with beautiful beaches, a landing with only four metres of sand between spread out mangroves where cunning sea crocodiles were salivating, waiting for would-be explorers to land. Just 200 metres inland in a semi-circle of mangroves were rock caves with paintings by Yirrawarra, a tribe who lived on the island until 50 years ago. Nature here was rich and diverse and seemed to offer everything one needed to live off it. I won't forget Stanley Island
easily.

Charles had more in store for me, however. After we noticed a tugboat following us at about our speed (8.5 knots), one of the very few ships we

Sunset in the Torres Sea

encountered on our way up to Cape York, Charles decided to play hide and seek in the maze of huge reef systems that is the Great Barrier Reef. We deviated from the designated waterways of the inner shipping channel and
found a shorter route between reefs that were 3-15 km long, some of them atolls with just one entrance. After minimal advice from Charles ('don't take that one'), I would find myself on a night shift almost touching the ridge of the left hand side reef to avoid hitting the right hand side! Fortunately Australian charts are very accurate, which can't be said for Indonesian ones which you can't rely on: one chart reads "updated with the latest information available to Dutch Authorities in 1909". What an
adventure, which we relished despite the relatively cold weather. And Thursday Island was a treat too, with our personal sea croc guarding his territory just 200 metres from our mooring and with the larger-than-life characters Rob and Janette who ran a betting parlour disguised as a neat B&B and told fantastic stories about other business ventures in earthmoving equipment and trailer parks, as well as his regular visits to the
Netherlands. I'm thankful for the opportunity to indulge in these types of adventures and

The Kingdom of Boti

it's a tribute to Charles and Nicky's extraordinary ability to share and enjoy sharing. What a rich life for me!

Lara added:

Fotemnasi traditional dancing

Unfortunately, that crocodile prevented us from jumping into the bright blue
water that looked so tempting! We had expected a few days of motoring on our crossing and lots of Indonesian fishing boats, but we ended up with really lovely fast sailing with quiet nights and speed records - 13.5 knots was the top, steering off a wave on genoa and full main. Most of the trip was goose-winged but we did have the kite up for almost two days. Even a tuna was caught - we thought
at first it was a Spanish mackerel. We overtook all the other boats and found an anchorage in front of the town of Kupang. When Nicky came back on board it was time to explore inland on Timor.

Washing up in Boti

Fotemnasi was our first stop after an exciting 5 hour car drive (lots of overtaking on blind corners!). We enjoyed traditional dancing and stunning hilly landscapes. The next stop was the remote village of Boti where we joined the villagers' minimalistic way of living -- and sleeping! All the Oyster boats were so nice and welcoming. Special thanks to the crewies Harry, Henry, Josh, Stephan, Tom, Calum and Pedro. It's time to go home, but I wish I could stay!