Cairns to Darwin passage

From leaving Cairns, Queensland to Darwin, Northern Territory it has been a varied trip and as I type this about 50 nautical miles out from Darwin we are sat in 2 knots of wind, flat seas, amazing sunshine without a cloud in the sky but it hasn't always been like this. Initially for the first couple of days out of Cairns it was very lumpy, cold and windy, a complete contrast to now. For the first few hundred miles coming up the coast from Cairns pilotage is good fun and keeps you on your toes as it is necessary to weave through channels in the reef some of which are shared with cargo ships and fishing boats which at times can get quite skinny with breaking waves over a reef a few metres out to one side and a 290 metre ship to the other. Further up the coast towards the most northern point of Australia the earth starts to change into a more deep red colour, there are a lot more aboriginal settlements and 4x4s along tracks and beaches for the experience. We have caught a massive fish that was about 5ft6 and over 50kgs with big teeth and generally dangerous looking but we have no idea what it is! Also reeled in has been a blue tuna which we consumed in no time at all. There have been many sightings of giant sea turtles and also some very big sea snakes out in the Torres Straits and Van Dieman Gulf, where we are now. We have gone past about four other Oysters now that the wind has dropped out through are careful selection of sails (the big cruising chute) and now the wind has gone almost altogether being on a larger boat pays dividends by having a higher cruising speed and range under motor. This is now the final stint into Darwin and we are hot on the heels of Babe. Lets see who gets in first.