Hello All
I've just returned from an 11 day trip on the barquentine, Leeuwin around
the coast of Arnhemland to the Wessels and am glad to report I and
everybody else survived intact.
We sailed from Darwin, past the Vernon Islands, moored at Port Essington.
We motored through the Hole in the Wall at the Wessels and then turned
around and sailed through, a first I'm told and a feat which probably
took years off the Captain's life!
We then anchored in a bay overnight. Unfortunately I only got to spend a
few hours ashore and then in the company of about fifty people all
looking to me to advise them on keeping kids and crocodiles separatem,
conditions not conducive to birding!
We then sailed to Popham Bay near Cape Don on Coburg Peninsula.
While Crested Tern was the most common bird at sea, Wilson's Storm-petrel
were often in the wake behind the ship. A female Brown Booby certainly
heightened the interest of the participants when she decided to land on
the charthouse where she spent some hours! Lesser Frigatebirds were
relatively common.
Most interesting birds - a Streaked Shearwater and a strange gull (or
gulls) both seen between the Wessels and Croker Island. The gull had a
black head without obvious white marks around the eye, mid-grey wings and
back, dark wingtips, pale trailing edge and white rump and tail. There
was no no other white on the upper wing. Bill dark without obvious red
and more obvious than Silver Gull's. There may have been two as the lad
on the helm reported a black-headed gull flying from port bow to stern
seconds before I saw one flying from starboard to port stern. I think
Laughing Gull but I'd be interested in other opinions.
Other good birds - Little Kingfisher and White-breasted Whistler at
Popham Bay. This is a stunning area if anyone ever gets the chance to
visit, and one of only two places in the world I'm told, where coral
grows in an estuary.
We set out with forty individual young landlubbers but by halfway through
the trip most were over their seasickness and actually working in teams
to sail the ship, scaling the masts to furl and unfurl the sails some
despite a terror of heights that left them in tears. I'll never forget
one young lass hanging over a yardarm several metres up sobbing her heart
out while doing up a knot. Yet she refused to come down till the job was
complete. And feedback from the kids? One lad spoke for many when he
said he was lonely before he boarded but now he felt he had a family he
trusted with his life.
Incidentally the Captain said the kids broke records for setting sail
when we left the Wessels. Not bad for a gang of landlubbers considering
that over 11 0000 trainees have gone before them.
Denise
Denise Goodfellow (Lawungkurr Maralngurra)
Specialist Guide
Ph/fax 08 89818492
PO Box 39373
WINNELLIE NT 0821, AUSTRALIA
www.earthfoot.org
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08 89813922
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