# Life in Australia.



## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

Début lay at anchor on the south-eastern side of the entrance to the harbour of Cairns by Beacon No 4 in 18 feet of water, with three shackles of chain. I'd taken her as far into Sandy Bay as I could, to escape the swell coming into the anchorage around False Cape from Cape Grafton. At low tide there was little more than a foot of water between the keel and the muddy bottom, but at least we were under the lee of the land without the risk of being ripped off again.
Début had already been taken into the harbour by the pilot five days before, after arriving from sailing 2,600 miles under jury-rig from Tuvalu, with only myself and my young Samoan wife on board. We had already sailed 2,000 miles before that from Vila, in Vanuatu, to Honiara, in the Solomon Islands, then to Tuvalu Atoll. We had been royally ripped off by the harbour authorities, then kicked back out to sea again. That's how they treat visiting foreign ships in Queensland, Australia.
Life settled down for me and Mariana, with us running ashore into Cairns with the Rabalo twice a week to do our shopping and visit the vegetable market. As it was such a long way, and used so much petrol with the outboard motor, we started sleeping over on Friday nights with John and Meredith, who we'd met in Honiara. They couldn't put us up on their own yacht, Patricia, as they hadn't enough room, so we made up a bed on the old B class Fairmile that they were moored up to.
The gaff yawl, Amulet... a Bristol Channel pilot cutter converted into a yacht... moored on the port side of the Fairmile, was owned by Vincent Bonnet. He was the mad Frenchman, who'd been shipwrecked in Suvorov Atoll in 1981, and had lived there several months as a castaway with his girlfriend, Nadine, until they could repair their yacht.
One evening, after a pleasant drinking party between a group of yachties, Mariana and I suggested we make up a foursome together for the night, but Nadine didn't want to know. Vince and I cuddled Mariana in his double bunk, giving her much pleasure throughout the night.
When we first arrived in Cairns, Mariana had asked me if she could invite Steve to come up from Sydney for a visit. She wrote him a letter, suggesting he come up to Queensland for a while to join us on the ship for a ménage a trios. He was quite surprised when he did arrive to find that he was making up a foursome with me and Vince, sharing Mariana's favours between us.
I had to look after the ship while we were anchored at sea, so Steve took Mariana exploring all around the area. They spent a day playing tourists together out at Green Island, then he took her on the train to Karanda, up on the Tableland. For another outing, they caught the bus to Port Douglas, and skinny-dipped at Crystal Cascade on their way home.
Mariana was a happy little girl, the month he stayed with us on board Début, having the three of us to satisfy all her carnal needs. After spending so long cooped up on the ship at sea, with only me as her sexual partner, she really ran wild in Cairns... hungry to try out new men.
Just after New Year, at the start of 1986, we were running into the inlet on our way into Cairns, when I recognised the slender little man coming towards us in a Dolphin hire-boat as my old friend Bo. Once he climbed on board our launch, we went into town to the Marlin Bar to work up a glow and reminisce about old times.
He'd been the skipper of a 3,000 ton landing barge, working out of Port Moresby, in New Guinea. When he arrived at Cairns Harbour with a cargo for the town, he'd seen Début anchored off the coast in the outer anchorage. He'd quit his job on the ship, and was on his way out to stay with us.
When we got back on board Début, we got in some serious drinking with my home-made rice wine. He told me he'd show me how to make home-brew beer, the way he was taught by a Catholic priest in Penrhyn Island, in the Cook Islands. The holy father was forbidden to enjoy the favours of the young native girls by his vows, so he pleasure himself making home-brewed beer. When I was able to acquire half a ton of sugar from the local factory, my production increased no end.
After making love with Mariana in our bunk that night, she asked me if she could go down to Bo's cabin and welcome him to the ship. I took her naked to meet him, and said for them to enjoy each other during the rest of the night. From then on, we would take turns with her every evening, and I would hold her in my arms as they made love after breakfast.
During the day... on my 40th birthday, 20th January... we held a riotous party on board Début. At breakfast, Mariana was full of mischief, and held me down as she shaved off my pubic hair. Bo was laughing his head off while she trimmed me, but wasn't laughing so much when she turned her attention to him. We both ganged up on her once she'd shaved him clean, and gave her a lovely bald pubis herself. When we were satisfied with our handiwork, we took turns with her, back and forwards between us.
Some seventy adults came out to our party, bringing along with them some thirty young children. Both Meredith and Nadine had new-born babies, and they brought them out to the ship as well.
There was dancing and partying all over the deck, and the lower cabins were in continuous use. Once all the children returned to the shore, or to the many yachts anchored nearby, our clothes came off in record time. Mariana danced the Siva... the Samoan version of the Hula... and soon all the other girls wanted a turn. There were bare boobs and buttocks wherever you looked, and coupling all over the mess-room. One of our guests was also celebrating his 20th birthday, and Mariana invited him to spend the night with us, so she could give him her own special birthday present.
Not long after my birthday party on board Debut, the eastern coastline of Far North Queensland was struck by Cyclone Winifred. It approached the land from the Coral Sea, then made its way down the coast to Cairns.
Bo had stayed ashore that week, taking a room at the Big O public house, to try and arrange for his next job. Mariana and I were stuck on the ship, thinking we wouldn't be able to pick him up at the pre-arranged time. As luck would have it, the cyclone passed on its way south offshore, so we could run ashore in the Rabalo to meet him. While we were listening to the band at Rustie's Pub, getting in some serious drinking together, Cyclone Winifred turned towards the coast and moved inland, just south of Cairns.
The wind was howling about the town, and trees came crashing down across the roads. We had to get back to the ship to let out more anchor chain, or she would end up on the rocks at False Cape. It was far too rough to even think of taking Mariana with us, so she agreed to stay at Woree Caravan Park with Mark... a guy she'd met in the pub and taken a fancy to. I arranged to meet her in the Marlin Bar during the week, and set off with Bo for the boat-ramp.
Clutching a gallon wine cask apiece, and six-packs of beer... apart from all the other food shopping... we waved at the Coastguard officers, lined up outside their boat-house with their high-speed Shark-Cat, ready to put to sea for the first rescue of the day. We saluted them with our open cans of beer, and walked down the slipway to our waiting launch.
The sea was calm when Cyclone Winifred had passed down the coast, as the wind was coming off the land. Now the cyclone was behind the town, and the wind was onshore, bringing large breakers crashing into Trinity Inlet. I punched the Rabalo into it, on our way out to the ship, and many times thought she was going right over. It was the roughest ride I'd ever had in my launch.
When we got out to Debut in the outer anchorage, she was straining on her anchor chain like a highly strung colt on its halter. There was no way I could lay the launch alongside her, so Bo had to take his chance and jump for it as I ran past.
At the start of the cyclone season, I'd rigged a two inch diameter nylon rope at the stern, ready to pay off the Rabalo in the event of a storm. Bo lowered it from the boat-deck, enabling me to hang on while I passed up our groceries on a length of rope. The lid of the cooler went spinning off like a leaf in the wind, and most of it ended up in the sea, anyway. I took special care of the booze, and not one can was lost. After securing the heavy painter of the launch to the thick rope, I ran past the ship, pulling off the fuel-line on the outboard motor as I jumped for the bulwarks.
We'd hardly got things squared away on board the ship, when the anchor broke out of the muddy bottom and Debut started dragging downwind towards the rocks at False Cape. I let out another three shackles of chain, but she wouldn't stop dragging until I let out three more. It was with a sigh of relief when the anchor held in the soft mud, the stern of Debut no more than 200 feet from the breakers. I was soaked to the skin, after being up on the fore-deck in the storm, and found Bo sound asleep in his cabin.
Two weeks later, Bo flew down to New Zealand, on his was out to Florida, in the United States. He'd got himself a job, re-rigging and fitting out the sails on a 70 foot luxury sailing yacht. She was the Cariba... a classic Camper and Nicholson Bermuda-rigged yawl... and the wealthy American owner wanted her overhauled from top to bottom.
To be continued. All the best, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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## Frank P (Mar 13, 2005)

Another interesting story Dick........


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*For Frank P.*

Hi, Frank, good to hear from you. I'm glad you enjoyed my story of the account of my arrival in Australia. There's more to come. All the best, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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