Sailing Diary Week 10 – Port Douglas and the Low Isles

Sailing Diary Week 10 – Port Douglas and the Low Isles

After spending a few days on land in Cairns, we were ready to set sail again towards the Low Isles and Port Douglas.

Some highlights from this week's sailing log included exploring the Low Isles, spotting our first wild saltwater crocodile in Port Douglas and swimming with reef sharks!

North to the Low Isles

The Low Isles are approximately 35 nautical miles north of Cairns. It is a popular spot for snorkeling and exploring as it is just a short boat ride from Port Douglas.

We left Cairns Harbor at daybreak and enjoyed light to fresh winds from the south gently pushing Malaika north towards the tropical islands.
alt="Sailing Malaika, Young Rig Sailing">

Exploring the Low Isles

The Low Isles are a small pair of islands consisting of the smaller Low Island and a larger adjacent island called Woody Island. In between there is a shallow reef, some of which even dries out above sea level at low tide.

Low Island has a famous lighthouse where some opportunistic eagles have built a large nest. There are also several buildings that house permanent caretakers who are paid by Queensland Parks to live on the island.

In fact, Low Islands recently advertised this dream janitorial job in news outlets across Australia. It definitely wouldn't be a bad gig!
alt="Low Isles, Snorkeling in the Low Isles">

READ THE FULL BLOG POST: Snorkelling and Exploring the Tropical Low Isles, Port Douglas

Low Isles anchorage information

For sailors, there are at least three blue Queensland Parks buoys available 24 hours a day for cruisers and sailors. We found that the southwest buoys were the best as they offered the best protection from incoming swells that seem to find their way through the middle of the two islands at high tide.
alt=“Low Isles, Low Islets Port Douglas Drone Photography”>

Snorkeling with reef sharks

The Low Isles were our real first taste of the real Great Barrier Reef experience. The entire island is covered in reefs, most of which are very healthy. There were huge groups of mackerel, thousands of schools of fish and large, healthy coral heads.

However, we did notice that there was some bleaching, a sad sight and a reminder of the terrible effects of climate change.

We were also lucky enough to see several blacktip reef sharks that decided to circle Malaika at our mooring for several hours.
alt="Blacktip Reef Sharks, Low Isles Sharks">

Feeding batfish

Sailors and even tourists visiting the Low Isles via an organized boat transfer are likely to notice the local batfish approaching boats in the hope of getting food.

We had the same two around our aft dive platform throughout our stay in the Low Isles. Below are some shots I took of them feeding on the surface.
alt="Feeding Batfish in the Low Isles">
alt="Batfish feeding, Batfish on the Low Isles">

Port Douglas border

Of course, the trade winds in late July began to rage towards the end of the week, forcing us to head back ashore towards Port Douglas a day or two earlier than planned.

Nevertheless, entering Port Douglas was a rewarding and special moment for the crew, who knew they had come as far north as planned for this journey.
alt="Port Douglas Sunset, Port Dougas Pier">

Port Douglas harbor

We were told of several council piling moorings available along the canal to Port Douglas for as little as $20 per week. However, as we entered we knew it was going to be a little tight trying to fit our 15 meter steel motor glider into this tight space.

Instead, we drove past the marina and sailing club and looked for an anchorage at the end of the canal, deeper into the bay.

Here we met a lively character who lived from his “drinking ship” and at 11am, beer in hand, helped us choose the cheapest anchorage.
alt="Port Douglas Harbor">

First wild crocodile!

Our first wild crocodile sighting, in Port Douglas of all places! Less than 50 meters from our boat, on the bank of the mangroves, a 1.5 meter long crocodile was basking in the sun.

We were pretty excited, so we took a closer look at the tender in hopes of taking some photos.
alt="Crocodile in Port Douglas">

alt="Crocodile in Port Douglas">
alt="Crocodile in Port Douglas">

Exploring Port Douglas

We had plenty of time to explore Port Douglas, including some short hikes and checking out the 4 mile beach.

It's a crazy place and it's easy to see why they chose it for the set of one of my favorite films; Fools gold.

• alt=“Port Douglas-Sonnenuntergang“>
• alt=“Port Douglas Pier-Sonnenuntergang“>
• alt=“Aussichtspunkt von Port Douglas“>
• alt=“4-Meilen-Strand Port Douglas“>

Working in the mangroves

Since the trades were stubborn, we decided that heading to the reef and outer islands wouldn't be the best idea. Instead we took the opportunity to spend a few days exploring Port Douglas and working in the mangroves.

After just half a week, we were covered in sandfly bites, constantly on the lookout for crocodiles, and more than ready to head back to bluer water. I don't know how the boys live in the creeks on boats, but I'm sure the beer helps a bunch.
alt=“Training Spanish Mackerel”>
alt="Sailing from Malaika to Port Douglas">
alt="Blacktip Reef Shark in the Low Isles">
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alt="Port Douglas River Drone">
alt="Sunset in Port Douglas">
alt="Sailing in Malaika in Port Douglas">
alt=“Malaika Junk Rig Sail”>
alt="Malaika Sunset near Cairns">
alt="Cairns sunset on the water">

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