Day 25- 10 June - MV Trinity Bay

Finally the boat that will take us back to Cairns arrived about 4.00 am. I heard it from my tent.

We got up, about 7:00 am packed our bikes and had breakfast with the kayak guys. A couple of them lifted our bikes to test the weight and were surprised how heavy they were.  We headed down the jetty at 8.00 am despite not boarding until 10.00 am and watched them unload.

 Lots of containers and cars on board.  This is primarily a cargo vessel, so cargo operations come first, passengers last.
 Unloading was fascinating, the way they manage the crane and the limited space on the jetty to get containers and cars off.

We waited for a while and wandered down to the supermarket. Not because we really needed anything but because we were bored. After that we went back to Simone's shop to say goodbye and thanks.  Simone has been great in letting us sit in her shop and use her power while we were accessing the internet and doing the blog.

Finally back at the jetty Jude the Purser came down to escort us on board the Trinity Bay. We left the bikes on the jetty so they could be loaded and carried most of our panniers on board. 

 We received an induction briefing for about an hour, were allocated our cabin and given a tour. Being a cargo ship there aren't many areas to see.

Stairs are steep and narrow.

 No carpet on the floors here.

Our cabin is small but comes with its own male model.

 While all this was happening, loading and unloading of freight had commenced. We were keen to see the kayaks the guys were using for their trip to Saibai being unloaded so we could check out their configuration but unfortunately that happened during the induction. While freight loading is going on passengers are confined to the ship.

They left our bikes on the jetty until everything else was loaded and we were keen to see how they would manage the bikes.  As it turned out they just passed them across to the boat.  you could tell as they did it that they weren't expecting the weight and we were a little concerned as we were watching them that we might have to pull them out of the water, but all went OK.






Freight was completed about 4.00 pm. The ship had to wait until high tide about 8.00 pm before departure so we were free to wander about Seisia. Given we had already spent too long there we only wandered as far as the freight yard but the kayaks were already gone. A short turn along the beach and then back on board.

 Most of the passengers on board seem to be in their 60's.  Here is a picture of a few of them.

 We had been been told the meals were very good on board.  Lee from the Croc Tent had described it as the "5 kg trip". Certainly the meals come around rapidly .  Cooked breakfast, morning tea, cooked lunch, afternoon tea and dinner...it all revolves around mealtimes.

I would describe them as good cafeteria food, good variety with a good mix of protein and vegetables. It would be easy to eat too much. We are having to be disciplined. 

I didn't request vegetarian food in my booking so I am eating everything but I am looking forward to getting home and cooking my own meals.

Once the ship is underway it is noisy!!!  There is constant engine noise and vibration and a slight vibration.  Most of the times the seas are small and the ride is smooth, but occasionally there is a bit of movement, but not much. Jude gave us ear plugs to help with the noise, but we didn't need them.  The noise and vibration was quite rhythmic and rocked us to sleep.