MV Dirona travel digest for Darwin 2015


Show Darwin 2015 travel log map Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise.

On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at //mvdirona.com/maps/LocationCurrent.html.


   

7/6/2015: Flaring
We're back in Darwin after a reasonably smooth overnight run from Koolama Bay. This is looking south to Whickham Point and the huge flare at the Darwin LNG facility there.
7/6/2015: Fisherman's Wharf
At Fisherman's Wharf taking on 1,420 gallons of diesel to fill up both our tanks. We barely slipped in on a 7.8ft tide through what is nearly a drying area, and you can see the wharf top towering above us.
7/6/2015: Oil
We also got rid of some waste oil and picked up two 20L pails of Caltex Delo 15W40 oil to top up our supply. With what we store on board, we can go almost a year without having to pickup oil or dump it.
7/7/2015: Approaching lock
All four Darwin marinas are behind locks due to the 25.6 ft (7.8m) tidal range. Here we are nearing the lock for the Tipperary Waters marina. The marina approach dries to nearly two meters at zero tide, so we can only transit the lock on a 13ft (4m) tide or better. This isn't quite as restrictive as it sounds, as even a neap high tide is above 16ft (5m). So there'd typically be some point during the day, if only for an hour or two around high tide, where we could come through.
7/7/2015: Current
We're entering with about 22 ft (6.7m) of tide near the top of a 21ft (6.4m) exchange. The size of the exchange is generating a significant cross-current near the lock entry. We were on a bit of an angle fighting it until we got into the lee of the rock wall outside the lock.
7/7/2015: Locking through
To fit in the lock, a boat can have a maximum 70.5ft (21.5m) length, 9.8ft (3.0m) draft and 19.7ft (6m) beam. It felt pretty tight on the beam going in, but wasn't quite as bad as we were expecting. We had a good couple of feet to spare on each side as we passed through the entry.
7/7/2015: Garbage run
We got out the folding cart and dumped our five weeks of garbage. The marina also has an oil disposal facility.
7/8/2015: Tipperary Waters Marina
Moored at Tipperary Waters Marina, our new home for the next few weeks. Beside us is Akitushima III of Japan. The marina is at least half-full with international boats from all over the world. Many will be departing with the Sail Indonesia rally later in the month.
7/9/2015: Superted V
Superted V arrived this morning. We've not seen Matt and Jean since a brief visit at the Gold Coast.
7/9/2015: Fishing boat harbour
Darwin has a fair-sized commercial-fishing fleet that moors in the Frances Bay Fishing Boat Harbour. In addition to the fishing fleet are some charter boats and a number of commercial vessels, such as tugs, with a few pleasure craft mixed among them.
7/9/2015: Lock
The Frances Bay Fishing Boat Harbour lock is 35m by 15m. We could almost fit in sideways.
7/9/2015: Guru
Guru is a rather unusual-looking member of the Broadsword Marine fleet. The aluminum catamaran was built in New Zealand, by Profab Marine just north of Wellington, and launched in January 2014. We saw it on sea trails in Wellington shortly before we departed for Fiordland.
7/9/2015: Commercial fishing boats
A row of commercial fishing boats were backed in at the south end of the harbour.
7/9/2015: Town Hall ruins
You don't see a lot of old buildings in Darwin. On Christmas Eve of 1974, Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin with 10-minute sustained winds of 175 km/h (110 mph), 1-minute sustained winds of 205 km/h (125 mph) and gusts to 240 km/h (150 mph). 71 people died, and most of the city was destroyed and had to be rebuilt. This is what was left of the original town hall, built in 1883.
7/9/2015: The Deck Bar
We had a delicious lunch streetside at the Deck Bar.
7/9/2015: Smith Street mall
Darwin has a nice pedestrian mall along Smith Street, with plenty of places to grab a bite to eat or a coffee.
7/9/2015: Projector
This massive movie projector survived Cyclone Tracy. Most of the movie theater, shown in the photo behind, was destroyed.
7/9/2015: Bicentennial Park
After walking around downtown Darwin a bit more, we took the long set of stairs down through leafy vegetation into Darwin's waterfont Bicentennial Park.
7/9/2015: Waterfront Precint
The city of Darwin has done a fabulous job of revitalizing it's waterfront with hotels, condos, restaurant and swimming areas. A wide pedestrian pathway runs waterside the length of the complex. Plans also are in place to build a lock and marina there.
7/9/2015: Recreation Lagoon
The saltwater Recreation Lagoon in the Waterfront Precint provides swimming safe from crocodiles and marine stingers (jellyfish).
7/9/2015: Wave Lagoon
The Wave Lagoon was popular on this mid-week afternoon. Here's a 13-second video of the action: https://youtu.be/LSKvoGvaz-Y.
7/9/2015: Caterpillar
A Caterpillar service truck was parked by one of the fish boats as we returned back through the Fishing Boat Harbour. Those big boxes are a set of eight replacement piston and cylinder assemblies.
7/9/2015: Phantom
On our overnight return from Koolama Bay to Darwin, the only traffic we saw was Phantom. The vessel passed us in the early evening on a similar course, and likely came from inside the King George River.
7/9/2015: Frying Nemo
Dinner at the Frying Nemo with friends old and new. In the background are Jean and Matt Findlay from Superted V. Closest to the camera are Sue and Andy of the Hallberg Rassy 42 Spruce. We'd actually shared anchorages with them in Eden before our Tasmania trip, and a few other places, but hadn't met in person until here.
7/12/2015: Beer Can Regatta
Darwin's annual Beer Can Regatta at Mindil Beach. The event drew thousands of spectators and some pretty unusual craft built from beer cans.
7/12/2015: Zebra rock
Zebra Rock for sale at the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets. The sedimentary rock, with its distinctive red-brown and white coloring, is found only in the east Kimberley of Western Australia.
7/12/2015: Sunset Markets
The Mindil Beach Sunset Markets run every Thursday and Sunday evenings. Food stalls of wide ethnic varieties are the main draw, along with craft stalls and live performances. Despite the frequency, the event seems to attract all of Darwin. The parking lot was jammed and the area was incredibly busy.
7/14/2015: Take 2
Take 2 entering the locks at Tipperary Waters marina. That sure looks like a tight fit.
7/15/2015: Darwin My Vet Service
Some countries we'll be visiting over the next year require a health certificate showing proof of continuous rabies vaccinations. Because Australia is rabies-free, rabies vaccine is a controlled substance that requires government approval to bring into the country. Darwin My Vet Service ordered the vaccine for us a few months back and arranged a mobile appointment to give Spitfire a checkup plus the rabies and other vaccinations. Spitfire got a three-year rabies vaccination in Hawaii, and isn't actually due until January 2016, but we wanted to have the shots done here so he'll have a respected Australian health certificate.
7/15/2015: Fisheries
To prevent the outbreak of aquatic pests, the Northern Territory Department of Fisheries screens all vessels for their biosecurity risk before allowing them into a Darwin marina. Depending on the vessel's history, a free inspection and/or treatment for marine pests might be required. Here the the Department of Fisheries is performing their monthly marina inspection for possible outbreaks. The small tupperware containers each contain a sponge that was suspended in the water so they can monitor what is growing at different levels. They've not had an outbreak for quite some time, but if they do discover one, they'll dose the whole marina with a copper-based treatment.
7/15/2015: Woolies
A small grocery run to Woolworths. It's great to be out on the bike again--we haven't had them down since nearly four months ago on the Gold Coast.
7/15/2015: Tipperary Waters Marina
Looking west across Tipperary Waters Marina from beside the lock. Dirona is at the right of the photo, just behind the yellow boat Tientos, and Superted V is on the left, with the second tallest mast.
7/16/2015: Window cleaning
Cleaning the windows as part of getting the boat cleaned up and ready for the big run across the Indian Ocean.
7/16/2015: Cattlest
Cattlest (pronounced catalyst) was an even tighter fit into the locks than Take 2.
7/17/2015: Froggies Detailing
Our last wax was in the Gold Coast less than five months ago, so we weren't quite due. But the UV rays here are harsh, and we won't have another opportunity until much later in the year when we reach South Africa. Froggies is doing a great job and the boat is back to shining again.
7/18/2015: Neighbours
Keith Pennicott, the Tipperary Waters Marina manager, asked as we arrived if we had any dogs on board. James said no and Keith said "Good. Do you have any cats on board?" "Uh-oh", James thought as he responded "Yes, we do have a cat on board." Keith again responded "Good." Keith and his spouse Lea live on board Tientos across the walkway from ours. Their three cats and Spitfire spend a lot of time eyeing each other.
7/20/2015: Akitsushima III
Dinner on Akitsushima III with Norio and Jo-Anne Matsushita. Norio has circumnavigated seven times, and they've completed one circumnavigation together. They'll be heading to Indonesia with the Sail Indonesia rally in a few days. Norio is from Japan, and Jo-Anne is from Richmond, BC near Vancouver. They lived aboard in Vancouver for a number of years and cruised the Puget Sound extensively. It's surprising to be so far from home and end up moored right beside people from our area. The Pacific Northwest does seem to be a base for a lot of world cruisers.
7/21/2015: Fuse
Jennifer's first haircut in a year. It had gotten really long--this is after it was cut. Lisa at Fuse did a great job. It's nice to have the fringe (as they call bangs here) and the ends all even and cleaned up again.
7/22/2015: Dawn
An early-morning departure. Generally only locals can lock through outside daylights hours.
7/22/2015: Defrosting
Defrosting the lazarette freezer and cleaning it before the big trip across the Indian Ocean. The freezer, a Dometic RPF 50, has run without issue since the modifications we made in Fiji.
7/22/2015: Sub-Zero
Besides the lazarette freezer, we also cleaned out the Sub Zero. In this photo you can see the design change we made at the yard to replace the teak grill with a teak piece that extends from the bottom freezer drawer to partially cover the equipment. This improves airflow and allows easy cleaning of dust buildup.
7/22/2015: Sail Indonesia
At the "everyone welcome" Sail Indonesia barbecue. Standing near the marine office giving an orientation are our neighbours Keith Pennicott, the marina manager, and his spouse Lea. They've spent much time in Indonesia and will be retiring there next year. Lea has just published a cruising guide on the area.
7/22/2015: Woolies
Stocking up for the big trip--we don't plan to buy much except fresh produce until we reach South Africa in the October timeframe.
7/23/2015: Fried rice
Making a batch of Teriyaki chicken fried rice to portion and freeze for the Indian Ocean trip. We generally cook regular meals while at sea, but when conditions are rough or we've gotten busy with something, it's nice to have a quick and hearty meal available.
7/24/2015: Spruce
The Sail Indonesia boats are all starting to depart. This is Andy and Sue from Spruce in the lock.
7/24/2015: Spaghetti sauce
And also making a batch of spaghetti sauce to portion and freeze.
7/25/2015: Akitsushima III
Our next-door neighbours Norio and Jo-Anne Matsushita on Akitsushima III also heading out with the Sail Indonesia rally. It already feels kind of lonely here without them beside us.
7/27/2015: Deckchair Cinema
At the Deckchair Cinema in downtown Darwin with Jean and Matt from Superted V. The popular outdoor theatre has nightly screenings and is a bit like a drive-in movie theater, except with deck chairs.
7/28/2015: Superted V
Jean and Matt from Superted V heading out through the lock. This is the last time we will see them for quite a few months--the next time probably won't be until South Africa. They'll be spending five weeks in the Kimberley before crossing the Indian Ocean. We'll be leaving Darwin in a couple of weeks and likely will be ahead of them most of the way across.
7/29/2015: Health certificate
Caitlin Holley of the Australian Department of Agriculture examining Spitfire for his health certificate. Unlike the US, where the health certificate is generic and just lists vaccination history and test results, the Australian health certificate is tailored to the country of destination. And you must meet all that countries import requirement's for the health certificate to be issued. Caitlin also endorsed Spitfire's rabies vaccination certificate. We now have sufficient paperwork to get him all the way to the US eastern seaboard. And finally, Caitlin issued the export certificate required to take any live animal out of Australia.
7/30/2015: Customs
At Australia Customs to pickup export paperwork for our temporary imports. With appropriate import paperwork in advance, goods can be brought into Australia duty- and tax-free temporarily for up to a year. The goods we brought in by pallet and on our return trips to the US came in this way. On leaving, export paperwork is required to document that the goods did leave the country. We needed to use a broker for the import paperwork, but did the export paperwork ourselves.
7/30/2015: Vacuum sealing
Vacuum sealing dry goods into storage cannisters to reduce size and better preserve them. For the Indian Ocean run, we're doing similar preparation as when we left Hawaii. Other than fresh produce, we don't plan to buy anything between Australia and South Africa, about two months apart. We have a new vacuum-sealer, a FoodSaver V2244. Our previous sealer, a FoodSaver Professional II, eventually died after about 15 years and a couple of "rebuilds". The new one is more compact, and still is compatible with our storage canisters. We have four canisters and use them to store dry goods such as sugar, salt, flour, rice and pasta. They have been very useful on this trip, particularly in the humid tropics. We also seal some dry and frozen goods in storage bags.
7/30/2015: Chicken with red peppers
Making a batch of stir-fried chicken with dried red peppers to have on hand for the Indian Ocean crossing.
7/31/2015: Bottom clean
With the crocodile threat, we've not been able to dive the boat outside the lock since leaving Lizard Island. We don't like diving the boat in marinas, and won't have an opportunity before the Indian Ocean crossing. So Froggies Detailing, who waxed the boat earlier, cleaned the bottom as well.
8/1/2015: Zinc
Froggies took a GoPro down with them and sent us some pictures. The bottom looks clean and barnacle-free now. Our zincs were in surprisingly good shape given we've not changed them since the New Zealand haulout nearly two years ago, but the main prop zinc was totally missing. Froggies put this new one on for us.
7/31/2015: Blue moon
When two full moons occur in the same calender month, the second is called a blue moon. This happens about once every two years, and we had one last night.
8/2/2015: Seacret
Seacret entering the lock with hardly an inch to spare on either side.
8/4/2015: Back from Seattle
James returned to Dirona today after three action-packed weeks back at work in Seattle. Pictured are some of the parts and supplies he brought back with him, including a new Tilley hat for Jennifer, courtesy flags for the next set of countries we'll be visiting, a swack of DVDs, and some litter pads for Spitfire.
8/5/2015: Road train
We rented a car for a few days and are on a road trip to Litchfield National Park. Three-trailer "road trains" are common on Northern Territory highways. We even saw one truck with four trailers.
8/5/2015: Hurtling
After travelling so many miles at 7-8 knots, hurtling is the word that comes to mind as we accelerate up to the 80 mph (130 kph) speed limit.
8/5/2015: Litchfield National Park
The Litchfield National Park boundary is about 70 miles (114km) from Darwin and takes just over an hour to reach.
8/5/2015: Wheels
We normally rent some form of compact car, but this is the high season and many car rental agencies were sold out. We were lucky not to wind up in a Hummer or something really large.
8/5/2015: Magnetic termite mounds
Our first stop in Litchfield was to visit the "magnetic termite mounds". These look like grave stones, but are actually narrow termite mounds aligned north-south to minimize exposure to the sun.
8/5/2015: Cathedral termite mound
Australia certainly does have some unusual wildlife. This is a cathedral termite mound nearing 20 feet high that we're told is about 60 years old.
8/5/2015: Shady Creek Walk
Crossing one of the footbridges on the half-mile (1km) Shady Creek Walk to Florence Falls.
8/5/2015: Florence Falls
The pool in front of beautiful Florence Falls is a popular swimming hole.
8/5/2015: Above the falls
A short track leads up a staircase back up to the parking lot with great views from a viewing platform above Florence Falls.
8/5/2015: Tolmer Falls Walk
The Tolmer Falls Walk is just under a mile (1.6km) through scenic sandstone country to the Tolmer Falls lookout. This is the view looking west through an arch above the Tolmer Gorge.
8/5/2015: Tolmer Falls
The Tolmer Gorge and falls are closed to the public to protect the resident Orange Horseshoe and Ghost bats. But you can get a good look at the falls and sweeping views of the area from a viewing platform just east of the falls.
8/5/2015: Wangi Falls Visitor Center
We had a simple, but tasty lunch on the deck at the Wangi Falls Visitor Center cafe.
8/5/2015: Crocs
The sign on the left says that the pool at Wangi Falls is open for swimming. The sign on the right says that freshwater crocodiles inhabit the area and can cause injury, and that fearsome saltwater crocodiles also can reach the pool and people should not swim when the pool is closed. The parks department searches the waters for "salties" before opening the pool for swimming in the dry season. We weren't planning to swim, but if we were, the signs would have slowed us down a bit.
8/5/2015: Wangi Falls
Beautiful Wangi Falls are a major attraction at Litchfield.
8/5/2015: Treetop lookout
We followed the Wangi Falls walk from the lookout at the base of the falls up a set of stairs to this lookout through the treetops.
8/5/2015: View
The Wangi Falls track had a sweeping view southwest across the park. This was our last stop before heading back to Darwin. We'd had a great time visiting Litchfield--the scenery was beautiful, the falls were more active than we were expecting and the walks were easy and enjoyable.
8/6/2015: Patch burning
We're nearing our first stop at World Heritage Listed Kakadu National Park, about a 3-hour drive from Darwin. Traditional patch burning is common in all the areas we've visited in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. In the Kimberley, we spoke with a crew that were patch burning by helicopter. Patch burning prevents wildfires, cleans the land, and encourages the growth of natural flora and fauna. However, it's not pretty.
8/6/2015: Ubirr
Jennifer is standing in front of the extensive rock art gallery at Ubirr. Rock paintings cover the entire wall and even parts of the overhang. Aboriginals sheltered under outcroppings such as these and painted on the walls to depict events in their daily lives.
8/6/2015: Rock art
A close-up of the rock art at Ubirr. The paintings are many layers deep. The act of painting was more important than the result, and newer paintings were made over top of older ones.
8/6/2015: Nadab Lookout
The Nadab Lookout is a short climb from the rock art gallery at Ubirr and has sweeping views over the Nadab floodplain.
8/6/2015: Bardedjilidji Walk
At the start of the 1.5-mile (2.5km) Bardedjilidji Sandstone Walk. Kakadu is full of walking tracks that would take several days to cover. Since we only had a day, we picked the ones with the most interesting scenery and views.
8/6/2015: Rock painting
The Bardedjilidji Walk is notable for it's sandstone scenery, but has rock art as well.
8/6/2015: On the track
The track wound through sandstone pillars and outcroppings with superb scenery throughout.
8/6/2015: Cave
This large cave had several cracks in the ceiling where tree roots, visible right of Jennifer, had worked their way down from way above.
8/6/2015: Arch
This was the most dramatic of several arches the track passed through.
8/6/2015: East Alligator River
Near the end of the walk, the track ran close to East Alligator River. Several tour boats passed by in the few minutes we watched. Signs warned of crocodiles in the river, and we saw a large one farther upstream.
8/6/2015: Escarpment
We had a great meal poolside at the Escarpment Restaurant in Jabiru's Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel. Jabiru is the main town in Kakadu and has a permanent population of 700 that can rise to 3,000 daily during the height of the tourist season.
8/6/2015: Namarrgon
The Angbangbang Gallery in the Nourlangie Region is another impressive rock art site in Kakadu. This painting depicts Namarrgon, the Lightning Man, who broke the incest laws and became Ginga, the great saltwater crocodile.
8/6/2015: Nourlangie Lookout
The Nourlangie Lookout track leads a short distance from the Angbangbang Gallery for a view to the south side of imposing Nourlangie Rock.
8/6/2015: Kapok Bush
The solitary Kapok Bush is found in Kakadu and adjacent Arnhem Land, and has a lovely yellow flower. This one was growing at the Nourlangie Lookout
8/6/2015: Anbangbang Gallery
We visited the rest of the Angbangbang Gallery on the way back from the Nourlangie Lookout. The extensive site runs along the cliff edge along the southern top of Nourlangie Rock.
8/6/2015: Shelter
This massive natural shelter must have been a wonderful escape from the sun's heat in the dry season and the relentless rain in the wet season.
8/6/2015: Nawurlandja Lookout
Our final stop for the day was up the short Nawurlandja Lookout Walk. This is the view southeast from the lookout. Nourlangie Rock is slightly left of center and the Kakadu escarpment is center in the distance.
8/7/2015: HVAC drain line
The HVAC drains on Dirona all run into the central gray water tank. Unfortunately some of the hose runs are not ideal, with almost no fall over substantial horizontal distances. Consequently, they plug easily. The worst offender is the salon system, which has two multi-foot sections with no fall at all. We redesigned the host run to minimize the top flat section, to put a slope into the lower section and to use much larger diameter 22mm rigid hose in the lower section that's less prone to plugging.
8/8/2015: Happy Birthday James!
A birthday breakfast of strawberries and whipped cream over freshly-made waffles.
8/8/2015: Bunkering
Fisherman's Wharf, where we purchased our diesel, does not have gasoline. We were almost empty from the Kimberley trip, so we dropped one of the portable deck tanks and took it out in our rental car to a filling station. When designing the boat, we were initially planning to have a fixed gasoline storage area built-in along with one for new and waste oil. We're really glad we couldn't find a solution to locating those, as having portable containers is much more convenient. Being able to get oil, gasoline and diesel all in the same place has been rare on this trip and we're often having to transport oil and gas a fair distance from where the boat is moored.
8/8/2015: Northline Speedway
Northline Speedway signs advertising Saturday night racing caught our attention as we returned into Darwin from our two road trips. Here's the main attraction, 360 Sprintcars, lining up four-wide "World of Outlaws"-style on the clay oval. The speedway put on a great show and we had a super-fun evening there.
8/9/2015: Produce
This morning we made a final grocery run for fresh produce to last us through to our first stop in the Indian Ocean at Rodrigues, Mauritius.
8/9/2015: Fridge
The fridge now is looking pretty full.
8/10/2015: Locking through
We had an excellent five-week stay in Tipperary Waters Marina, but it's past time that we return to the wilds. Here we are pulling into the lock that maintains the sufficient depth in the marina while the tide swings through its 25.6 ft (7.8m) range.
8/10/2015: Grey water pump
After pumping out the gray water tank at anchor, we found a wet carpet at the foot of the master stateroom stairs and discovered that the gray water had mostly pumped into the bilge rather than overboard. The through-hull outlet had plugged and the pump built up so much head pressure that it actually sprayed water out of the emergency hand pump that's in series with it. This unfortunately sprayed gray water throughout the area under the stairs where both pumps are mounted. The area was packed with spares, but fortunately none suffered any water damage as they were all in plastic boxes. Getting everything out and drying the area was a bit of a chore though.
8/10/2015: Plugged through-hull
The plugged gray water through-hull is well below the water line, so we couldn't remove the hose to clear it. And we couldn't dive the boat to due to the crocodile risk. James came up with a solution of closing the through-hull, removing the hose, and installing a temporary hose that extends above the waterline. He then opened the through-hull and used a vacuum in pressure mode to force the obstruction (probably marine growth) out of the through-hull entrance. This successfully cleared the obstruction.
8/11/2015: Fannie Bay
The view to downtown Darwin from Fannie Bay. This was a great anchorage and we spent an enjoyable few days here.
8/11/2015: Sunset
Fannie Bay has spectacular sunsets.
8/13/2015: Aground
A catamaran perched on the drying shallows during the outgoing tide.