CAPE YORK FINALLY INSIGHT!

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PARADIZE FOUND!

 G'day All,
                  We have emerged from our second large technology void area and can now C Cape York infront of the Yot!
There are "SO" many tales and fotoz of the past 10 days that it wood take several blog entries to show them all. 
Just Simply Amazing!
But first and foremost to Mum, I hope your recovering well and a heartfelt  thank you!
This trip would simply not of happened, if not for your support and love.
Speedy recovery and I hope 2C you once we arrive at Groote in the next week or so.
We will arrive at Cape York (very top of Oz) around lunch thyme 2day. I'm thinking Bourbon o'clock might be just a little early today!
Years of work and sweat have gone into this journey and I'm finally within sight of a major goal.
I'm blessed to have a gr8 crew for this important section of the trip, not 2 mention the hundreds of crew along the way! some good, some not so much. But everyone haz contributed in their own way. Even Honey is now a true "salty seadog".
This truly iz  paradise, we left Escape River an hour ago after catching a 12kg yellowfin tuna in the river. (sashimi 4 lunch).
My life is changed fore-eva with a journey that began years earlier.
We will take the obligatory fotoz on Cape York today, B4 sailing the final 20 nm to Thursday Island, half way between Australia and Papua New Guinea. Once there I should have fone and better internet 2B able to contact friends and family.
The strange sitez we've been privliged 2C along the way have made for sum great future stories and tales. Such things as "The Blue Mile" and "Outrigger Island" are just a couple of an ever building collection.
As usual itz the food thatz taken centre stage with our resident vegetarian sending our usual meals in a slightly different direction.
I swear if I never see another coconut it'll be 2 soon. But a diet of fresh oysterz, tuna and mackerel has been supplemented with the occasional fillet steak or roast.
We have no LP Gas left (thanx to a leak) so most of the meals for the last week have been cooked over open fire on absolutely stunning beaches.
Still we are all looking 4ward to this weekends landfall on TI.
Gus has run out of beer and smokes while Destiny is out of sago and Quinoa and my bourbon stockz are at a dismal level.
Our crab traps have more holes than trap with the local lizzards (crocs) liking a feed of crab more than us.
This delightful "Temple" opposite was found at the end of an amazing mile of bush track marked by only blue itemz such as floats, ropes and thongs. Many yachtz have been here B4 us and we left our own special offering before departure.
The obvious item not mentioned yet is the  FISHING!
Our lives have been ruled by Green, Blue and Yellow zones with the fishing and diving controlled  by these Govt zones. As we turn the corner into Albany Passage all those regulations (wkoa) disappear.
Still we have caught so many trophy fish plus heaps of the food versions as well.
Tuna, Spanish Mackerel and even a couple of Blue Marlin have joined us as well as the standard bottom species of Coral Trout, Emporor and Cod. My lure stocks have dwindled to just a few halco's and a couple of chrome spoons and popperz. We normally run a full spread of deep divers, chrome spoons and poppers with different area's yielding different favourites.
This trip waz based of food fishing and friends and itz delivered on all fronts.
The amazing places we've discovered and visited has just been a bonus.
The yot has "bumped" into many coral bommes and reef edges along the way .Like this amazing reef channel. But thatz where we find these amazing fish. So gr8 is the supply that Destiny is producing a "fish leather" skirt. Only god knowz why as clothing is not her strongest attribute!
As you can C we have made it!
At 2pm on the 23rd of Oct we passed Cape York and anchored in the bay just to the West.
Then it waz a mad scramble to get drinks and camera's prepared for what has been a trip ashore thatz a long thyme in the making!
With flat calm conditions and a low tide on the beach, we took the dinghy right up to the base of the Cape.
After a round of cheerz and the standard foto'z we noticed that there waz actually a rock just North of the sign post, so Gus being Gus ventured out for a swim and foto op on the aforementioned rock, the true Northernmost tip of the Australian continent.
Gus decided to leave the Yot as being 15 miles from the Bamaga pub waz close enuf.
This left Destiny, Honey and Myself to head out 2 Thursday Island.
We arrived safely on Saturday morning with just enough thyme to do resupply run B4 the V8's started on the Gold Coast (It seems we all have our demons)
The supermarket here is "amazing" so much so that I'm sure the residents of Lockhart River should rise up in civil unrest until their situation (wkoa) improves.
What iz taking some getting used 2 is the prices one must pay for goods here. Even with the Gov't transport subsidies.
A 9 kg gas refill $80."wow"
A 250g pack of bacon $9.50
200ml of cream $6.30
and $65 for a 700ml bottle of beam.
Still essentials are essentials and money is cre8ed 2B spent.
"But Damn"
We will spent most of this week exploring and visiting the many Islandz that make up this group B4 setting off once again 2 find a much talked about "Gr8 Southern Land" that iz around here somewhere
The Yot has passed this major section of the journey with flying colors. Only minor maintenance tasks needing attention each day. As long as I stay on top of these issues rather than let them mount up. Simple items such as bilge pump repairs and rust staining from dodgy stainless steel now make up my daily routine.
The Gold Coast V8's are over and I can once more concentrate on the task of touring instead of touring cars.
Some gr8 news that Mum is out of hospital, came through on Friday which can only be a good thing.
I'll update again within the next few dayz but 4 now this is farewell from Thursday Island.

Captain Felix