Finally out of the Escape river

It was starting to feel like the 'No Escape' river. The lousy conditions I encountered on the way in reinforced my patience and I have sat in here for ten days waiting for the weather to improve. Finally it's arrived and this morning I made the break and am now about ten miles south and so far have a light sea and moderate winds.

The forecast is for several days of these conditions so now the job is to get as far south as possible while the break in the south east trade winds last. The further south the lighter the trade wind is.

My time in the Escape river was broken up by visits from a couple of boats heading north who were both very welcoming and allowed me to 'talk the their heads off'. The last two days have seen three other southbound boats arrive and three of us are now out here,

I did a bit of fishing to break the monotony up and had a bit of luck one day, landing a large queenfish. It was very pleasant in the early morning motoring along the mangroves. Mind you the thought of crocodiles is ever present, and I must say I felt quite vulnerable in my little soft dinghy.

If the weather stays calm I will aim for Cape Grenville today with an arrival in the evening which will be OK as it is an open bay with no reefs. Due to the shipping traffic and tighter waterway I won't be doing any overnight trips for a while.