Leaving Seishia tomorrow

The plan is to weigh anchor at 0930 (low tide here) to catch the start of the flood tide to the Endeavour Straits entrance. There are several routes through there but we have chosen the central one starting at Lat. 10 degrees 55.6" S Long. 142 degrees 05.0" E as it seems to offer the easiest way through the shoals. Navigation needs to be fairly precise because there are extensive areas with only a metre over them at low tide. Still, the RAN charts together with the chartplotter will see us through. The Great Navigator had no advance knowledge, much less the aids available to us, and yet he made it outbound to Batavia so we should have no problem.
The plan then is to sail south along the eastern shore of the Gulf of Carpentaria until Lat. 12 degrees south from where we will leave on an easterly heading direct for Gove 300 miles away. The rationale for this is that the winds are lighter further south in the Gulf and also we should be free of the competing tidal influences further north which by all accounts can throw up some nasty seas. These tides are largely unpredictable, such are the complexities surrounding the movements between the Arafura and Coral Seas.
It will take us 2-3 days to get south and then we should be heading east about Wed/Thurs providing the weather is still looking OK.
We had lunch on board "Settlement" today with Andrew and Sue (another Kiwi!) and Irvin (also a Kiwi) and Jenny off "Backchat". Before that we went ashore and Jean did some more washing (sheets this time) and we hung it all out to dry. There was intermittent drizzly rain but we rigged our plastic poncho raincoats over most of it and that did the trick. Had a meat pie and a cup of tea and then lunch.
Later getting the dinghy on board and all lashed down and generally getting ready for sea. We are sailing in company with a German boat - "Mohea" - which is also in the rally. They are Helmut and Ho Ying - she is Korean. Hope we've got the name correct! We will anchor tomorrow night at Vrilya Point but they will be carrying on south during the night - we will see them in Gove.
We'll let you know how we get on with our first foray into the Gulf. It is supposed to be very good sailing because it's all flat water with the wind offshore. It will make a welcome change from the passage up the Coral Coast.
Cheers and lots of love from us.......
Jim and Jean xoxoxoxoxoxo

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