highplanesdrifters

Ashmore Reef, Australia Part One Timor sea and Indian Ocean disputed fishing grounds. Ashmore Reef is 90 miles from Indonesia and they are claiming it as their traditional fishing grounds. Indonesian fisherman now focus heavily on the sea cucumber for the Chinese market. Throw in a little Timor participation for fun. Australia is having none of this and has declared Ashmore a Sanctuary Zone, providing its highest level of protection. There are some areas under current treaty but itnappears to be a constant peaceful battle. On our way to Ashmore we were buzzed by a plane, as in I could see the pilot buzzed. Captain speculated it was military. It was so low and slow many thought it was in trouble, including the Captian. A military ship passed us near the reef and there was another military ship parked outside the reef. We are told that they confiscate any fishing boats and burn them, kindly returning the fisherman to Indonesia or Timor sans boat. No sea cucumber appetizers for us tonight. For those wondering cabotage is similar to the Jones Act. Both protectionist with pluses and minuses. It does beg the question.....How is Ashmore considered an International Port for Cabotage purposes? Not really sure what these Popeye boats are. Someone suggested they were meant for chasing the alleged illegal fishing boats.🤔 Military Meet Up

No! I just pulled that off the internet.

Super savey seasoned travel @Port Power is right. It was worth it. Full report tomorrow. In the meantime Captain says to batten doen the hatches. We're going to get tossed.

As always your are the best! Thanks for clarification. 👍👍👍

Let's stir the pot! A case for this: Not this: For me this transcends the environmental debate. It is the practical debate. Without my reading glasses it is impossible to tell the Shampoo from the Gel and the lotion from the conditioner. I do not wear my reading glasses in the shower. One can arrange the bottles beforehand to tell them apart, but they are always being tidied by the butler. Then there is the caps which must be taken on and off each time lest the ships rocking and rolling send them spilling. And the caps are always jumping about, getting underfoot. If I gel with shampoo or shampoo with gel, things do seem to work out OK..... I think. But condition with lotion or lotion with conditioner, catastrophic. A First World Problem worth debating? 😁 Large flocks of birds appearing. Hope for the day?

Snow was a major problem.🤣

UP NEXT Ashmore Reef, Australia Lots of grumbling about this stop. No snorkeling or landing, just a Zodiac ride. A rather long way to go, day and a half just to get there. We then backtrack with another sea day to our next port. Reminiscent of the three day journey to the mediocre Mornington Island stop. One feels for the expedition leader who has to deal with all the poor planning by corporate and unexpected cancelations this leg has experienced so far. I hope my next report declares that it was worth the time to get there. Fortunately we like sea days. Lost in the immensity of Indian Ocean and situated 630 km of Broome, Ashmore Reef Marine Park is an Australian External Territory that covers 583 square km. With its diverse shades of blue, its underwater wonders and feathery friends, this protected area is one of Australia’s most beautiful natural treasures. The three tiny islands and their surrounding waters are home to an oasis of flourishing wildlife. Ashmore Reef is known to be the favourite place of more than 40 bird species. 100,000 seabirds breed there every year, including crested terns, white-tailed tropicbirds and greater frigatebirds. The islands are also a haven for thousands of migratory shorebirds like curlew sandpipers, bar-tailed godwits and great knots – some of them coming from very far places like Siberia! On the ocean side, the colourful reef is home to around 500 species of fish but also marine turtles, dugongs and many playful dolphins. Given the rich and fragile environment, Ashmore Reef has been declared a Sanctuary zone, providing the highest level of protection for the wildlife and minimising disturbance from human activities. Only scientific research is permitted but the visitors can access to the Recreational Use Zone, which includes a small area of the West Island, and thus discover this unique place.

Daily Food Porn and Sunset Lunch Buffet Cherry Clafouti - dangerous Attempt at turkey and stuffing. Tuna steak - not bad Our favorite included wine And another ever changing amazing sunset. The colors last for a good hour. Even staff is out there taking pictures every night.

Victoria Settlement, Australia If you build it they will come.....or not. With the Dutch East Indies Company breathing down their necks, the British Government hoping to create another Singapore established Victoria Settlement in 1838. It was their third attempt. Due to a lack of fresh water, malaria, the oppressive climate, and, go figure - no trade it was abandoned after 11 years. SS offered a long and short hike to the Settlement. Easy path and cool ocean breezes made for a pleasant day.

I would happily do the sea transfer for the Eagle Ray spotting. And I'm sure you were the picture of grace!😃

We depart the ship on June 1 in Broome. We are headed into the heart of the Kimberlys. I dare not say what I'm looking forward to because it will get canceled. It's been one of those trips. So you'll just have to cross your fingers and wait for details!😃 As for what the future holds.....Summer at home! I know, a shocker. A good monsoon season has been promised, which is a show stopper. We have taken 4 expedition trips in under a year and spent 3 weeks in Tahiti. The house needs some care and we are hoping to find someone to work. The building boom in our area has created a scarcity of contractors. So who knows! The future does have 3 on the books. This fall Eastern Med on Seabourn Encore. Feb of 24, return to Antarctica [while the body still works], b2b Cape to Cape on SS Cloud. September of 24 Guam to Valparaiso on Seabourn Pursuit. Would love to slip in a Ponant trip and give them a try. It's all about options.

I covered our Svalbard Experience on this thread. FYI, We didn't have the best weather. Hope this helps.

I was thinking the same thing. It's hard enough when they create a snorkel platform of zodiacs to transfer to in calm seas. Expedition team are really top knotch. They got it all done safely.

Food Porn & Sunset Citrus spare ribs with Cumin potatoes and Caribbean slaw Coconut Fried Chicken leg with Fried rice. Banana Bread pudding and Carmel sauce. I could have taken the entire dish back to my suite. Sunset....yes it really is this color.

UP NEXT VICTORIA SETTLEMENT, AUSTRALIA Nestled into the highly indented and rainforest-cloaked coastline of the Cobourg Peninsula, about as far north as you can go in the Northern Territory, lie the historic ruins of Victoria Settlement. At first glance the remains of weathered brick chimneys suggest a civilisation hewed out of the wilderness, but as the story unfolds, they become a monument to the folly of colonial expansion in a remote and unforgiving setting. The outpost was founded in 1838 to serve as a re-supply post for ships passing through the Torres Strait, and to strengthen British territorial claims. Now, as you walk around the various crumbling structures, it’s difficult not to appreciate the vibrant jungle enclosing the site, yet this same beautiful environment must have been viewed differently by the pioneers. The suffocating climate and fever gradually weakened and whittled down the population. Isolation and infrequent visits from ships eroded the spirits of the survivors. Unappealing to reinforcements, Victoria was abandoned after 11 years. The Cobourg Peninsula has since returned to its former glory under the alias Garig Gunak Barlu National Park. Its diverse wildlife list includes 6 species of marine turtle, dugong and wild banteng cattle (threatened in their native Indonesia). Even more notable is its recognition as an internationally important wetland habitat (under the Ramsar Convention). The park is administered jointly by the Parks and Wildlife Service and the traditional landowners, the Iwaidja speaking peoples. A group of British soldiers arrived with their families in 1838 and spent 11 years establishing the settlement. They built a Governor's residence, which was one of the first elevated houses ever built, a hospital, church, military and married quarters with distinctive round Cornish chimneys. The settlement was abandoned in 1849 and all that remains today are the ruins of the settlement.

Gugari Rip, Hole in the Wall Australia Rescue at sea! One of the zodiac engines went kaput and guests needed to be transfered to other zodiacs. This happened at the gap opening in bumpy seas. No one lost, yay. The tow of shame. The tide rushing through the hole in the wall gave us another wet and wild ride. Great limestone formations. We ducked into calm tributaries. Some saw Eagle Rays. We saw turtles. Massive chunks erroded into the sea. 20230520_093911.mp4

Gugari Rip, Hole in the Wall Australia Rescue at sea! One of the zodiac engines went kaput and guests needed to be transfered to other zodiacs. This happened at the gap opening in bumpy seas. No one lost, yay. The tow of shame. The tide rushing through the hole in the wall gave us another wet and wild ride. Great limestone formations. We ducked into calm tributaries. Some saw Eagle Rays. We saw turtles. Massive chunks erroded into the sea. 20230520_093911.mp4

We've been trying to loose the paparazzi since Cairns. Tough with the famous @Port Power and @FauxNom on board. 🤣 Seriously, nice to get some positive press. Thanks for sharing the link.😃

Not the most exciting critter. He, Was there all day swinging that pendulum. Hoping for more sea snakes and turtles today. 20230519_151002.mp4

This leg of the trip has had a quite few misses, due to weather, crocs, and ports not letting us in. We've gotten to the point where we are just happy to do something. There are still covid fears amongst many of the Aboriginal tribes, especially where cruise ships are concerned. Hence the cancels. We are still having a fantastic time although not as power packed and instagramable as the PNG leg. Last night we anchored ourselves on the veranda, watched sunset switch to the Milky Way and shooting stars. We put a dent in the Blue Turtle Gin. Maybe best that I don't Instagram that. 🤣 I can assure you it was sheer perfection. Off to a Zodiac thriller ride in the Hole in the wall. MTC

Way to go cowboy. Love that story! Maybe Mornington has tourism potential. They were very keen to find a way to get things going there. Asked us a lot of questions about what we liked and wanted to do. Perhaps they need to bring you back as a consultant! Now that's an excursion I would have liked.😃

Rally......denied......for now. So bizarre to go to sleep to opening bell and wake up with closing bell.

UP NEXT Gugari Rip, Hole in the Wall Australia In between Guluwuru and Raragala Island, the Gugari Rip is also know as The Hole in the Wall. A notorious narrow passage in the Wessell Islands. Slabs of rock remain from when the two islands ripped in half to create this natural beauty, a passage through the channel. Strong currents from the Coral and Arafura Seas meet here as water from the Pacific and Indian Oceans flow in opposing directions over the relatively shallow continental shelf. The wind and tide are often at cross purposes, often called the washing machine effect. We will attempt zodiac rides.

Ahhh ....you got your Aussie ringers. Go get em!

Well kids...who's paying attention? Breakout follow through or back in the range?