Wildflag said..Thanks Ramona, boat is very well known up here (Cairns) thanks to its colourful previous owner. Will check them out.
Taking her over to Fitzroy island or one of the cays for the long weekend, new deck paint & cockpit cushions to christen
Seventeen miles straight out the Cairns Inlet is Upolo Reef and Cay. There is a marked channel on the south side through which the Diakyo cats used to roar at 20 kts in the morning out and afternoon back from Michaelmas Cay. Step out of the channel at Upolo Reef and do a bit of snorkelling there. It is fabulous. Then mosey on down to the cay end later in the day. You could pick up one of the charter operator's moorings for overnight or go in closer to the cay and anchor in good sand holding.
Be careful swimming there as tides can be strong. They are what have formed the cay.
If you are going out to Fitzroy Island be sure to have a Makka Spoon out on a trolling line. In a sou'easter which you will have, you are near guaranteed to pull a good sized mackerel which will BBQ up real nice at the National Park BBQ area. When you catch it, kill it , bleed it and gut it, then stuff it with something interesting. Bananas and onions are a suggestion and sprinkle it with some sesame oil, wrap it in alfoil and cook it on the BBQ plate about 15 to 20 mins a side, unwrap and gobble. I am drooling already.
On Sunday you should have a nice sou'easter blowing and what better opportunity to slip out to Thetford Reef, a magical spot. With a bow lookout wend your way right into the inner basin and drop your pick or you might even pick up my old mooring. The snorkelling there is as good as it gets. Spend the night there and on Monday with that sou'easter still blowing you will have a beautiful run home to Cairns.
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