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Thursday Island, TI to the locals, is at the end of the Torres Strait when westbound and is on the very top of Australia a bare 120 NM from Papua New Guinea. It is approximately 2 miles long by 1 mile wide. It is one of a group of islands, namely, Hammond, Horn, and of course Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. I don’t know what happened to Monday or the weekend. While the others are physically larger, TI is the center where most business, shopping and the education of the children happen. It has 4 phones, at least 3 work, one E-mail facility with 2 terminals (1 works) but no laundry. People commute via ferries and the children use them as a school bus. The town is quite small and I have walked from one end to the other several times. It’s slightly more cosmopolitan than Walkabout Creek in Crocodile Dundee but has a similar flavor. Although most of the roads are paved and it rains almost daily, it still seems dusty. The blokes wear flop hats, raggy T-shirts, shorts and work boots and of course they drive trucks, not cars. Beer is consumed in staggering quantities but I have never seen anyone drunk. The population is a mix of European Australian, native Aborigines and Aboriginal mix. I found everyone to be very friendly and helpful. The town has a few stand up fast food type restaurants in addition to the several bars. The only things that approach the number of bars per capita are the churches which seem to be everywhere, I am sorry that I will not be here on Sunday. Several clothing, general stores and a supermarket complete with dogs sleeping all over make up the rest. This town, like most of the others we have visited, has become more endearing the longer we stay. The main reason is that one gets to know several of the people in everyday dealings and most important gets to know where everything is and how it works. For the cruiser this means the Post Office, telephones (that work), some place to do E-mail, a supermarket and most important a laundry. Once this is mastered life becomes much easier and less frustrating.
We moved across the harbor to Horn Island to escape some of the constant wind and find a more sheltered anchorage. There was a restaurant/bar there and the biggest draw, a laundry. The shore is lined with Mangroves and the banks muddy giving the water a murky appearance. The current flows through at 4-6 knots and reverses every tide change so proper anchoring must be done. The current is strong enough that the boat lines up with the water flow rather than the strong wind, which is at right angles to the current. We have been longing to go swimming ever since leaving New Zealand but the weather has always been terrible until now. Paul got in first and was scrubbing the waterline when a neighboring local fisherman came over in his dinghy advising Paul that the several saltwater crocodiles in this bay were quite capable of eating him in just 2-3 bites. Paul listened carefully and then scrambled out of the water leaving the boat waterline unfinished. I saw a very sobering picture of a very large croc lying cut open on the town dock with the complete head and torso of a man inside. I guess that is the end of swimming on this leg.
The people seem happy although there are quite a few sitting around doing little and there are several social service agencies, government built housing and lots of junk cars, motorcycles and boats turning into large rusted hulks in yards everywhere.
Unfortunately due to our short stay, most of which was spent preparing for the next leg, we didn’t get to know the area or the people very well. I wouldn’t want to live here but it was a nice place to visit. Next stop is Coccos (Keeling) Island approximately 2600NM away and in the heart of the Indian Ocean. We have decided to skip Christmas Island since its anchorage is very rough in the reinforced trade wind (25-35 knots) that we have been experiencing and the subsequent trip to Coccos is then southerly against the large swell making a very uncomfortable trip. It will be easier to go direct and it should help make up some of the 7-10 days we’ve lost due to bad weather. If possible we will stop at Ashmore Reef which is noted for its pristine beauty and sea snakes, oh well it’s always something. There is nothing there but the reef, in the middle of nowhere; there is an occasional presence by the Australian Navy because there is a lot of Indonesian smuggling going on in the area. Just some snorkeling if possible and a good nights sleep at anchor before resuming the trip. More from Cocos/Keeling.
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