We're being plagued by heavy weather: we left Cape Flattery at 8am yesterday and had steady 30-35 knot winds, gusting up to 40+ knots, for our entire passage. We're now anchored in Watson's Bay on Lizard Island (named Jiigurru by the Dingaal Aboriginal people), one of the most sheltered and secure anchorages in Queensland. We have regular blasts of over 35 kn over the mast, and the wind is screaming in the rigging all the time.We have 80m of chain and 15m of 16mm anchorplait rope on the Delta anchor and we seem to be holding okay, although night is an anxious time (ie we don't sleep).

Despite the wind it's sunny, and we have had some great walks. We followed the path taken by Cook and Joseph Banks to the top of Grassy Hill and could identify the same gap in the reef that they did, the one that eventually freed them from the reef. We had a real sense of history. We also saw a large sand goanna, about 3-4 ft long, it was these creatures that led to Banks calling this Lizard Island.

When the wind moderates a bit (we will cope with 30 knots but don't like 40!) we'll head off to the Flinders Is, about 85 miles distant, and are then well on our way to Thursday Island in the Torres Strait when we'll set off for Darwin.

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