I watch as six, sinister-looking figures in full-body, black stockinged suits and hoods, reminiscent of a James Bond movie, stalk with flippers into the sea from Watson’s Bay on beautiful Lizard Island, 57 miles northeast of Cooktown, on the Great Barrier Reef.
For my wife Marianne (nee Watson) the island brings other eerie images: of her great-great uncle Robert Watson, a former Scottish sea captain from Aberdeen, who by October 1881 had established a beche-de-mer (sea cucumber) enterprise on the island, leaving his wife Mary and their four-month-old son to search for new fishing grounds.
Aborigines, to whom the island was sacred, attacked; Mary with her baby and Chinese servant escaped to sea in a cut-down ship’s tank, dying of thirst and exposure after 10 days – and becoming part of Australian history. The remains of the Watson cottage are a short walk from the beach in what is now part of the Barrier Reef Marine National Park.
Those black-clad figures – in sea stinger protective suits for summer – are our fellow passengers from around the world on the seven-night Coral Expeditions 11 cruise through the Barrier Reef from Cairns to Cooktown, the visit to Lizard Island one of many highlights.
Another is the 35-metre ship itself, a 22-cabin catamaran, in reality a mini-liner, offering all the comforts of its bigger sisters, but with a unique personal touch from its highly attentive Australian and New Zealand crew, and laidback approach. There are no lifts nor television in the polished wood-panelled cabins which, like the ship, are compact with all amenities, including picture windows.
Coral Expeditions 11, refurbished in 2015, was purpose-built to access the Barrier Reef, a hydraulic platform allowing snorkelling directly from the ship. There’s no dress code, an emphasis on casual attire, no assigned seating – encouraging passengers to mingle – and an open bridge policy, giving the opportunity to observe the ship’s operations.
When we join the ship in Cairns, my wife and I are the only Australians in a complement of 10 and 12 crew, our fellow passengers from Britain, France and America. That increases by 15, including a Scots couple from Edinburgh, when we return to Cairns to head onto the southern Reef segment, but we remain the only Australians.
For dinner that first night we’re greeted with a breathtaking seafood buffet prepared by German chef Roberto: a mountain of king prawns, pile of bugs (a type of lobster), whole snapper and array of salads. It’s indicative of the quality fare to come in the ensuing days.
On Australia Day, tables are decorated with Australian themes, the French/Russian couple sitting opposite proudly sporting ‘Australia’ T-shirts; the ship’s master Kent Reynolds cooks on the deck a barbecue of marinated kangaroo, steaks and sausages. Drinks are complimentary as part of the celebration.
(Drinks on the ship are reasonably priced, we pay about £14 each for excellent Adelaide Hills sauvignon blanc and Clare Valley merlot. Soft drinks and water are free).
We view through glass bottom boats the astonishing coral wonderland and stunning variety of fish at several reefs, guided by Bec Finlayson, 23, who has a masters in marine biology from Townsville’s James Cook University; she also gives authoritative talks on the Barrier Reef.
Nothing equals the snorkelling experience; my wife and I buy the high-tech fibre sea stinger suits (about £13), are given snorkels and masks, and not being strong swimmers opt also for flotation jackets.
We’re rewarded with smooth, temperate seas and each reef brings a new, breathtaking experience of coral and a myriad array of colourful fish. On the deck, crew members never lose sight of the snorkellers. A few passengers dive under the guidance of an expert instructor.
Snorkelling apart, other highlights include a visit to Cooktown’s James Cook Museum where exhibits include Cook’s ship Endeavour’s anchor and other artefacts; during a Cairns stopover for the southern cruise segment complimentary visit to impressive Tjapkai Aboriginal Cultural Park, featuring the indigenous Creation story; complimentary champagne at dusk on a sand cay; cruising by tender the placid waters of Hinchinbrook Channel; watching big dolphins playfully racing our ship.
We’re seasoned cruisers, and are struck by the warm relationship between Coral Expeditions 11’s passengers and crew. “We connect with them and they connect us,” a senior crew member says. Forty-six year old Captain Kent Reynolds’ approach, like his ship, is informal; he helps the crew with chores, whether lowering the hydraulic platform for snorkellers or giving passengers their first snorkel experience, joining them at dinner and cooking barbecues.
“I love the [Barrier] Reef and so do the crew,” Reynolds, who has worked in its region for 20 years, tells me. What makes Coral Expeditions 11 special, he says, is its ability to access remote ribbon reefs and allowing passengers to see the Barrier Reef at its best. That and the ship’s “personal touch.”
Cairns-based Coral Expeditions was developed by former fisherman Tony Briggs in Townsville in 1983 from a converted World War 11 submarine chaser and pioneered expedition cruises in the Asia-Pacific. The company’s two other small ships, Coral Expeditions 1 and Coral Discoverer, cruise the Kimberley, Tasmania and Asia-Pacific.
Coral Expeditions 11’s seven-night, Cairns to Cairns, Barrier Reef itinerary includes Thetford Reef, Hinchinbrook Channel, Pelorus, Dunk, Fitzroy and Lizard Islands, and Ribbon Reefs (weather conditions can affect itinerary). Three and four-night itineraries are also available. More information: www.coralexpeditions.com
WHERE TO STAY
Webster’s Dictionary defines Shangri-la as “a remote, beautiful, imaginary place where life approaches perfection… Utopia.”
So much of that applies to the five-star Shangri-La Hotel in Cairns – but it’s neither remote nor imaginary being superbly located in the heart of Cairns on the marina, crowded with yachts, and stepping off point for the Barrier Reef. It was an ideal location for our Coral Expeditions pre- and post-cruise stopover, just minutes from embarkation on Trinity Wharf.
Our second floor, superior king room, with balcony overlooking the palm-fringed Olympic-sized pool, was spacious with contemporary, Asian-influenced decor, the luxurious bathroom with black marbled floor and rich wood-panelling, complete with big tub and shower.
The hotel foyer, like the rest of the hotel, was wide and spacious, staff welcoming, shorts and sandals reflecting laidback, multicultural Cairns – an impressively clean city in shimmering white – the norm. The buffet breakfast was served in the North restaurant overlooking the marina, the choice of the same vista for dinner or a wide range of other esplanade restaurants.
Shangri-La Hotel, Pierpoint Road, Cairns. The hotel has a range of packages, including for families. See www.shangri-la.com/cairns
