And off we go

 After a comfortable night and welcome dinner at  Shangri-La The Marina, Cairns. we set off  off on our outback adventure this morning.

Here I am boarding our 4WD bus/truck

 This is the route we'll be following from Cairns to Darwin.

Itinerary for our trip

A Missed Port

Unfortunately the sea was too rough for us to visit Cooktown today but the bonus is that we will have more time in Darwin tomorrow.

Meanwhile here are a few snaps from our sail out of Cairns on a balmy evening yesterday. Many Americans sailing with us were impressed by the quality of the infrastructure and the cleanliness of the Cairns area. Our chests swelled with Aussie pride.

The Pilot's boat joins us

The Pilot's boat

Goodbye to the pilot

Lush and Lovely

Our first stop this morning was at the sensational, spectacular Botanical Gardens in Cairns. Wish we could have had more time there.

These images tell the story of our visit.