Coasts of Cape York (44 page)

After that the only things of interest were a passing rain shower, changing course to round Cape Flattery, and watching the lights of a south bound cargo ship. When Willy commented that this was the first ship they had seen all day Capt Kirk answered, “I call this the empty ocean. Sometimes we go all day and see only one or two vessels.”

Willy thought about that and realized that after leaving the Port Douglas area with its cluster of yachts and tourist launches he had not seen a single small craft, not even a trawler. He commented on this and Capt Kirk nodded. “Yes, once you get up along this part of the coast you only see big, ocean going freighters that have come through Torres Strait from Asia, a few fishing boats and the odd navy ship or government vessel.”

After rounding Cape Flattery the
Wewak
had the South East Trade Winds almost directly astern. With a following sea of about 2 metres in height the LCT rode easily, sometimes yawing a little but otherwise riding quite smoothly. Carmen came on duty and relieved Graham at the wheel and Willy went below with him to have supper.

Willy, Graham and Andrew talked about the expedition over cups of hot, sweet cocoa. Then it was bed for Willy. He stretched out on the cross bench at the aft end of the saloon. Kylie took the long bench near his head. It took Willy a while to get comfortable. His main concern was rolling off the bench when the stern was lifted by a larger than normal wave. He decided that he had been more comfortable on the folding stretcher. Despite that he drifted into a deep sleep, free of dreams.

Daylight found them just north of Barrow Island. Willy woke to find that Kylie was on duty at the wheel. He looked out, then had a shower and shave before changing into clean clothes. By then they were off Cape Melville. Breakfast was cereal, bacon, fried eggs, toast and fruit juice. Willy found he felt much refreshed and he cheerfully looked forward to the day.

By 0830 the
Wewak
was coasting across Bathurst Bay. The course was directly across the bay, heading for the Flinders Island Group. That meant that they got further and further from the coast and Willy was only just able to see the beach where they had landed on the first expedition. Looking at the scrub-lined shore and remembering those awful minutes when they had come upon Mr Jemmerling's party hoisting the ‘Kittyhwak' wreck onto their truck caused Willy a spurt of anger and anxiety.

This anxiety received another boost when a twin-engine aircraft appeared astern. Willy stared at it with concern but it was only the ‘Coastwatch' plane again. He relaxed and went up to the wheelhouse to ask about the course they were following. His air chart showed that the main navigation route for ships was north of the islands but the most direct route was through the Flinders Island group. However he saw that the bows were pointing between the mainland and Denham Island, the most southerly of the group.

When he commented on this Capt Kirk shook his head. “Yes,” he said. “Going north of the islands is more direct but it is also more exposed water and I prefer to stay in sheltered waters as much as possible. Easier on the ship and her cargo usually. We could go through the Fly Channel between Denham Island and Flinders Island but you will see on the naval chart that there is a small island in that channel and also a blasted rock, Sentry Rock, which may or may not be visible depending on the tide.”

“Why is it called the Fly Channel? Are there lots of flies there?” Willy asked.

Capt Kirk laughed and shook his head. “No. It was named after a British gunboat that surveyed the area in the 19
^th
Century, the HMS
Fly
. Her captain was Captain Moresby RN and he also explored the Fly River in New Guinea.”

Willy studied the chart and nodded. “So we are going through the Rattlesnake Channel? I didn't know there are rattlesnakes in Australia.”

 Once again Capt Kirk laughed. “There aren't. Once again it was named after a British navy ship, the gunboat HMS
Rattlesnake
. If you study the chart you will find that almost every cape, bay, island and reef on the east coast of Australia was named by British sailors, either after famous people or ships or members of their crew.”

That was something Willy had never thought about but now he more fully appreciated just how skilled those early navigators must have been to explore the maze of reefs, rocks and islands that studded the entire east coast of Cape York.

It took nearly two hours to cross Bathurst Bay. As the
Wewak
entered the Rattlesnake Channel Willy heard another aeroplane. He at once went out to the starboard bridge wing and looked up. The plane was high up and tracking fast to the North West. Borrowing binoculars from the mate he managed at last to locate it and then focused.

‘Only a ‘Metroliner' going to Bamaga or Horn Island,' he decided. He lowered the binoculars and went back into the wheelhouse. No sooner had he returned the binoculars than he heard another aircraft. This was lower and coming from astern. Hurrying quickly back out to the bridge wing he looked up. Then his heart skipped. It was the
Pterodactyl
!

The black-painted ‘Catalina' flew past at about 2,000 feet, going west. ‘Damn!' Wily thought. ‘Now we have competition again. Oh, I hope Jemmerling doesn't know where to look!'

With a growing sense of unease and impatience Willy watched the flying boat fly on to the west, vanishing behind the rugged bulk of Bathurst Head. He at once went in to discuss the situation with the others. This time Willy felt he just had to know. Turning to Capt Kirk he said, “Excuse me sir, but has Mr Jemmerling hired the
Wewak
?”

Capt Kirk turned from studying the compass. Then he said, “I am not at liberty to divulge whom I may have entered into a commercial contract with, but I can tell you that he has not.”

Willy felt some relief. ‘If he hasn't hired a ship then he can't know exactly where the ‘Beaufighter is,' he mused.

But for the rest of the day he was tense. Just knowing that the opposition were in the area added to the anxiety. Willy was very thoughtful and moody as the
Wewak
transited the Rattlesnake Channel and entered the even larger Princess Charlotte Bay. As they slid past Denham Island and Blackwood Island Willy stared at the rugged islands but barely noticed them.

Course was altered to North West. This soon took them out of sight of land to the south and west as the very low lying shores of the big bay trended away from them. Willy went to study the chart. ‘We are going to pass close to the area where we rescued Jacob from the sea,' he thought.

The sea looked almost identical to that awful day. The waves were two or three metres high and sparkled in the sun. Far off to starboard was a long line of huge cumulonimbus clouds but they were over the horizon. Along the track the LCT was following was only clear blue sky. It was all very pretty but to Willy it continually conjured up images of the mangled corpse and the sharks and of fear during the take-off. The memories made him shudder.

They also made him wonder about the search that Jacob had been on. ‘Is still on,' he corrected. ‘I wonder what he is looking for?'

That thought got him looking around for signs of the van der Heyden's yacht. To get a clearer view he made his way up to the starboard bridge wing. A check of the chart showed that Corbett Reef was about five miles away. Nearer to them three automatic lights were marked on the chart. Looking out Willy saw them, their location marked by distant black masts sticking out of the sea.

A large bulk carrier came into view, heading south. From astern came a container ship, It looked like a huge block, climbing up over the horizon. The container ship steadily overhauled them.

“Be doing twenty knots to our twelve,” Capt Kirk explained as the big ship slowly drew level with them about a mile to starboard. Then it began to draw ahead. Capt Kirk called the ship on his radio and was told she was heading for Singapore.

As the container ship began to sink below the horizon ahead of them a fleck of grey and white appeared, coming rapidly from the other direction. “Warship,” said Andrew. He picked up binoculars and went out to study the approaching naval vessel.

Ten minutes later it was abeam, a mile off. Willy saw that it was a frigate or destroyer type, hurrying south and punching through the waves in showers of white spray. To him it looked very businesslike, the grey shape bristling with guns and radars. Andrew studied her through his binoculars and then said, “HMAS
Arunta
, one of out newest frigates.”

Carmen turned to Capt Kirk and said, “Sir, may we render passing honours?”

“Certainly,” Capt Kirk replied, adding, “Though I suspect that lordly fellow is too busy to notice such old-fashioned courtesies from small fry like us.”

Andrew and Carmen hurried aft. Willy went to watch. The two navy cadets untied the halliards of the faded and grimy red ensign fluttering on the staff and lowered the flag to deck level, then hauled it back up again. Then they stood with hands shielding their eyes from the glare to stare at the passing frigate. Willy watched as well, faintly amused at the navy's quaint customs. Suddenly he saw the tiny white ensign fluttering from the gaff on the frigate's mast go sliding down.  A few seconds later it was hauled up again.

Andrew was jubilant. “He dipped to us!” he cried happily. He and Carmen both waved their caps.

“She,” Carmen corrected. “Ships are always she.”

The trio happily made their way back to the wheelhouse. Graham gave them a grin but Willy was very aware that he was looking a bit left out. That reminded him that Graham had first joined the navy cadets; that his life's ambition had been to be a naval officer. Because his eyes weren't good enough that ambition had been dashed and Graham had gone through a very difficult few years while he re-adjusted to that bitter reality. That was when the possibility of suicide had been very real.

‘I hope I can get to be a pilot and don't get disappointed like Graham,' Willy thought, suddenly very aware that life could be a chancy business.

The voyage continued, on past Corbett Reef, Grub Reef and tiny Fahey Reef with its beacon. Ahead were more small reefs and a couple of tiny islands. A trawler was passed, heading south. Mrs Kirk called them down to lunch. This was sandwiches. Willy opted for peanut butter and honey.

When he went back up to the wheelhouse the islands were much closer. They were widely scattered and quite varied. A couple were just sand cays which barely showed at high tide. Burkett Island was a flat patch of mangroves and others were just bare rock sticking out of the water. Then a patch of white near Burkett Island caught Willy's eye. He looked and saw that it was a small sail yacht.

Capt Kirk had seen it too. He lifted his binoculars and stared, then muttered, “That fellow looks like he is in trouble.”

The course was changed and the
Wewak
headed for the tiny vessel. As they drew closer Willy became suspicious. Then he gasped as he recognized the yacht. “That is Jacob van der Heyden's boat,” he commented.

It was.
Wewak
hove-to a hundred metres upwind of the bobbing, rolling yacht. Her name was now clear:
Dyfken
. Then, to Willy's amazement, a black head appeared in the water near the stern of the yacht. “There's someone in the water!” he cried.

Andrew stared and then said, “A diver.”

Capt Kirk used the loudhailer to bellow, “Ahoy
Dyfken
! Are you alright?”

In reply came a faint hail as the tiny, black clad figure was helped back aboard the yacht. Capt Kirk studied the rolling yacht and then said, “Something wrong alright. Let's send the boat over to check.”

He then gave a string of orders and the LCT turned into the wind and was allowed to drift. The rigid semi-inflatable was lowered and Graham clambered aboard. He started the engine. Capt Kirk climbed aboard, with Graham as his crewman, and the small boat went bouncing off across the waves.

Willy badly wanted to go, to talk to Jacob, but this was clearly a nautical operation so he kept out of the way. He saw the boat pull alongside the yacht and then watched impatiently as a long conversation take place. After ten minutes the boat came back, punching across the waves. During this time the mate kept manoeuvring
Wewak
to keep her upwind of the yacht. Capt Kirk climbed back aboard.

“They have wrapped a rope around their propeller,” he explained. “And the young fellow over there is trying to unravel it but he isn't a qualified diver so he can't use the gear properly.” He then looked at Carmen and Andrew. “Aren't you two divers?” he asked.

Carmen nodded. “Yes sir. We are both qualified Advanced Open Water Divers,” she replied. Willy was watching Andrew at that moment and saw his face go pale and drawn. Through his memory flitted pieces of the story of how Andrew and Carman had discovered their grandfather's remains in a shipwreck- and nearly died in the process. ‘I think Andrew said he was never going diving again?' he thought.

Capt Kirk then said, “Would you mind helping these people? If you can't we will have to tow them to the nearest port.”

Carmen at once said, “Of course we will sir, won't we Andrew?”

Andrew nodded, but he did not seem keen. Carmen then asked, “Have they got the right gear sir?”

Capt Kirk shook his head. “I'm not sure. You'd better come over and have a look.”

At that Andrew swallowed but he followed Carmen and Capt Kirk down to the boat. ‘Poor Andrew,' Willy thought. ‘He isn't game to say no!'

Andrew and Carmen joined Capt Kirk and Graham in the boat and they motored across to the yacht. Twenty minutes later Capt Kirk and Graham came back. “We need to tow the yacht into calmer water,” Capt Kirk explained. “It is too dangerous for them to dive with the yacht moving about like that.”