Australia - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 446

So Close Yet So Far
We'd spent so long sailing wide open swaths of ocean that traveling along an extended
coastline felt strange. On one hand, we felt very much in blue water mode, with the open
ocean on our right and a four-hour schedule of watch-keeping day and night. To port,
however, lay the slumbering coast, and the depth sounder never dropped below one hun-
dred feet. It was a confusing, “so close yet so far” sensation. At one point thirteen miles
offshore, Namani was overwhelmed by the scent of eucalyptus wafting offshore like the
mother of all throat remedies - a special memory to add to a collection rich in sights,
sounds, and experiences.
With sunny skies, balmy temperatures, and good wind, our final voyage was off to a good
start. The only disappointment was having to bypass Lady Musgrave Island, an enticing
coral cay with a navigable lagoon. That is, it would have been navigable if the sun had
been overhead, but not at sunset, when we sailed past. The good news was that we had
reached an important milestone: the southernmost end of the Great Barrier Reef, which be-
gins far offshore and squeezes closer to the coast farther north.
The bad news was the latest forecast. Less than a week after weather authorities like Bob
McDavitt declared a definitive end to cyclone season, a low built over the Solomon Islands
that would eventually spawn Cyclone Ita and hurl it right at the Queensland coast. Al-
though the storm's development was still uncertain at that time, we went on red alert. With
a period of strong southerlies forecast to blow in the intervening time, our best chance to
seek shelter would be over the next couple of days while pleasant conditions prevailed.
By the time we anchored off Great Keppel Island the next morning, we knew we wouldn't
be settling in for long. That was a pity, given the island's gorgeous beach, green hills, and
quiet anchorage. A massive eagle's nest in a treetop near the beach was the only sign of
habitation in this echo of Eden. We spent two nights in this lovely location, playing on the
beach but keeping our dips in the water brief. That's the agony of cruising in Australia: the
ever-present threat of sharks, crocodiles, and deadly jellyfish tends to spoil the attraction of
the sparkling tropical waters. We settled for beach combing instead - between downloading
weather reports, that is.
The only thing the various forecast models agreed on was that a cyclone would develop
and strike the north/central Queensland coast - somewhere. Some models had the cyclone
dissipating over land, while others had it bouncing down the coast, right at Namani . In any