Darwin to Cocos Keeling

Millie and David

The passage from Darwin to Cocos and Keeling was a highlight of ours on our round the word journey. With some great sailing and spectacular wildlife making the passage quick and interesting. We were spoilt with dolphins and whales throughout the journey, each day we would have a different species darting around the bow, playing in the waves. The start of the passage through the Arafura Sea was pleasant however it lacked wind, as a result we had to motor almost all the way to Indonesia. The calm conditions made for perfect animal spotting, we saw sea snakes slithering along the surface and a highlight was a pod of pygmy killer whales. They were dark grey with curved nose, moving slower than a pod of dolphins they swam effortlessly through the brilliant blue water. Another memorable moment was a fly by from the Australian board force. As we sailed out of Australian waters the plane flew passed over head, it then made a quick turn, flying low and directly at us. We had a call on the radio and we informed them of our intentions for our onwards passage. To our surprise, this happened again on the following day whilst we were showering up on deck, a shock for both us and them! Once clear of Australia, we entered the Indian Ocean which as expected was tough. The sea state increasing to 3-4ms and the wind picking up to a force 4/5, Penny was flying. The conditions didn’t stop us from keeping busy, during the passage we brushed up on our celestial navigation and even caught a dorado. The dorado was enjoyed as fillets with roasted vegetables, which was a nice treat. After 17 days at sea, we arrived outside the reef of Cocos and Keeling. We slowed the boat down over night to ensure we arrived at first light, this was because the anchorage is challenging to navigate in the dark. As we got closer there was a strange light on the horizon. At first it looked as if it was onshore however it rapidly got closer. We quickly realised it was a vessel with a huge spot light, there was nothing on AIS but we received a radio call from the vessel, who turned out to be the Australian Boarder Force. They were very welcoming however the did a drive by of Penny which felt very close and intimidating in the darkness. We entered the lagoon just after sun rise, being one of two boats in the anchorage we had arrived in paradise. The water a crystal blue that made the sky look dull. Palm trees on the surrounding islands, gently swaying in the breeze we could not wait to get off the boat and explore.