On Thursday, November 23, the vessel of the circumnavigation expedition of the Tomsk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society left the anchorage on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. The Great Barrier Reef, stretching along the northeast coast of Australia, was left behind. Stanislav Berezkin and Evgeny Kovalevsky set a course for the city of Darwin: the last Australian port they will enter during the trip.
Sailing along the Great Barrier Reef, according to Evgeny Kovalevsky, turned out to be a difficult task. There are many small islands in these waters, the passages between them are narrow, and shipping is very active there.
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest natural object on Earth created by living organisms. These are more than 2,900 individual coral reefs and 900 islands in the Coral Sea, the chain of which stretches for 2,500 km. In 1981, the Great Barrier Reef was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“Most of the reefs are under water and pose a high danger to navigation on any vessels. It was especially difficult for Stanislav and me at night. Sometimes, in the narrow passages between the reefs, in addition to our vessel, other ships would be passing: bulk carriers, tankers. Several times we barely escaped a collision with a huge machine that goes at high speed and does not have the ability to maneuver quickly," Kovalevsky said.
In the Coral Sea. Photos of the expedition participants
The circumnavigators had to keep watch for four hours around the clock. This was a serious test for the nervous system.
“It is necessary to monitor the fairway, mark navigation signs, monitor passing vessels, adjust the autopilot course every 10 minutes, adjust the sails. You also need to change the points on the chartplotter course, because our movement is very winding between numerous islands and reefs. Sometimes, when we feel the danger of a collision with an unknown object on the course, we turn on the bow searchlight. Visibility is about 50-70 m . At a speed of three knots, you can have time to turn off the autopilot and manually roll away from a possible obstacle," explained Evgeny Kovalevsky.
When the reefs cover the sailboat from the open sea, the ship moves steadily. However, as soon as a new passage between the islands opens, the wind begins to blow through it, the waves turn short and harsh.
In the cabin of the sailboat. Photos of the expedition participants
“The sailboat is falling on the port side. It’s rocking backwards and forwards. This is all new to me. I hope to get used to it; I still feel uncomfortable from such ‘see-sawing’. Sometimes it feels like the ship might capsize. Sometimes a wave sweeps over the starboard side. Inside the boat, everything knocks and rumbles. Loose things fall to the floor," Kovalevsky added.
One day, about one o'clock in the morning, when the sides of the ship were alternately touching water, rapidly approaching lights appeared ahead. In a narrow channel between the reefs, two ships can hardly pass clear of each other.
“I'm waking Stas. We're trying to figure out where to turn. Finally, we decide to take the right. At this moment, a deafening beep is heard. From an oncoming vessel, an invisible sailor gives two series of four flashing lights. This is a signal: ‘take to the left’. We manage to take to the left – a giant cargo ship passes 20 m to the right, dousing us with a wave. We did it,” Evgeny Kovalevsky describes one of the night adventures.
At the exit from the Great Barrier Reef in front of Thursday Island, the sailboat suddenly got into the oncoming current. Together with a passing two-meter wave, this created the danger of capsizing.
“Stas is doing his magic with autopilot, barely coping with the elements. Just in case, I'm preparing a life raft. Valuables get put in boxes and on a rope,” Kovalevsky remembered.
But despite all the difficulties, the circumnavigators will have pleasant memories of the Great Barrier Reef. There is very beautiful water and a night sky full of stars, across which bright shooting stars streak from time to time.
Thursday Island is 740 miles from Port Darwin. Evgeny Kovalevsky and Stanislav Berezkin intend to cover this distance in about a week. We wish them a happy voyage.
Along the coast of Australia. Photos of the expedition participants
On July 1, 2021, Siberian travelers Evgeny Kovalevsky and Stanislav Berezkin set off along the route of the first Russian round-the-world expeditions of the 19th century: Ivan Kruzenshtern’s (1803-1806), Yuri Lisyansky’s (1803-1806), Otto Kotzebue’s (1815-1818, 1823-1826), Vasily Golovnin’s (1817-1819), Fedor Litke’s (1826-1829), Faddey Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev’s (1819-1921). The international project of the Tomsk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society "Following the paths of Russian explorers" is dedicated to the 250th birthday anniversary of Krusenstern and the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica by Russian sailors. These events for a long time determined Russia's leadership in the development of the oceans and the discovery of new lands. You can learn more about the project and provide all possible assistance in its implementation on the website of the expedition.
Alexander Zhirnov