CYCLONES, BEACHCOMBERS , THIRSTY PARROTS IN GREAT ESCAPE TO THE TROPICS



Australia's chief  Parrot Head  aboard  the  Nyeki .

 

Attracted   by   the   warmth  and  the  lush  tropical  growth , a  teenage  girl  left  cold   Melbourne   and   headed  for   North  Queensland .  Over   the  decades    the   North  has   provided   Jenn   Payne ,  above ,  in  the main  cabin  of the 43ft      catamaran,  Nyeki,  with   rare  adventures   and   experiences. 

 

 It   has  even  led to  her  being  named  the  number one  Parrot Head in  Australia  by  American  singer, songwriter , author  and actor , Jimmy Buffett , whose  music   extols   a relaxed island lifestyle.  Buffett   made    the   declaration    himself   on stage during  a   Brisbane    concert  at   which   Jenn  presented  him  with  a  painted   coconut.   She   reportedly  stole  the  show  when she turned up  in a hand- painted  outfit , including  the special  Parrot Head  hat ,  below,  which  has  flashing  lights .

At a Buffett   concert in Sydney  two years previously , Jenn  presented Buffett with a  copy  of Confessions   of  a   Beachcomber , by  E. J.  Banfield , the   writer and  naturalist , buried  on  Dunk  Island.   Buffett  responded   by  presenting  her  with  an autographed   flip flop , now  one   of   her  treasured  possessions .    She attended  the gathering of wildly enthusiastic   fans    carrying  a  helium filled  balloon  in  the shape  of  a  Margarita  glass . 

 

 



Frequently pouring  a  Margarita  cocktail  down  the   hatch   after   sunset  is  espoused  by   Buffett in  song  and  books.  

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After Jenn  left Melbourne  for  the  alluring  North , she  eventually lobbed  in  Mission  Beach , near  Cairns ,    and   got  a  job on  nearby   Dunk Island , where she  lived , serving  coffee ,  waitressing. Later on , she commuted   from   Mission  Beach to  Dunk in a  tinny .  On  the  way  to  the island each  morning  she  saw  flocks of  Torres  Strait  Pigeons  heading  for  the  mainland  to  feed  ;  as she returned in  the  afternoon, the  birds  were  seen  streaming  back  to   the  island  to  roost .

Her enthusiasm for sailing about the Barrier Reef  was such that  she  obtained  a coxswain's  licence  and  later   a  commercial   Skipper's  Master  Class  5  qualification  which enabled her to command  boats up to  24 metres in length and  take  up  to  200 miles out  to  sea.  A  charter sail boat she  ran  was  the  52ft monohull, Neptunius .
   

BATTLING  FEROCIOUS   CYCLONES

With  Cyclone  Rona  bearing  down  in  February 1999,  she was at  the helm of  the  23 metre  catamaran , MV Quick Cat  ,  with    93  petrified , worried   passengers aboard  ,  taking  them  to  safety   from  Dunk Island .   There  was  an  eight    metre   swell   as   they  entered   Mourilyan  Harbour .

“ It  was  a   character  building experience, ”  said  Jenn ,  during  a  recent  interview in  the  Magnetic  Island  marina .The cyclone  made landfall near the mouth of the Daintree  River , caused  $150million   in  damages  , later reformed  into  Cyclone  Frank  and   impacted   New   Caledonia .

In  2006 ,  Cyclone  Larry  battered  her   dwelling , Coconut Cottage , at Wongaling  , Mission Beach , and   she ended up  with  an  unusual  souvenir   of   the  blow... an injured Lorikeet  named   after   the  cyclone . Involved with wildife carers , she was  asked to  look after the  Lorikeet  which , because  of  injuries  to  a  leg and wing , could not fly. Thus  Jenn  became  known  as  “ Larry  the  Lorikeet’s  mother.  ” 

Jenn and  husband  John  had  spent  much  time  cruising  the  Pacific in Nyeki  when  it was  owned  by their  best  friend , John Harry , of  Rockhampton.   When he  developed  an   incurable disease, he  sold  them  the   catamaran  in  2010.   

As category  5 Cyclone Yasi swept in from the Coral Sea   in  2011 , Jenn was  deeply concerned about   the safety  of  the catamaran on a  shared  mooring with  a  yacht  on a floating  pontoon in the duck pond  behind   Port  Hinchinbrook marina.   With the  cyclone  hurtling  towards  the mainland,  Jennie  telephoned   her husband , who was  in Darwin working  on  barges ,  and  discussed  what  action  should  be  taken to  try  and  save  their   cottage   and  Nyeki   from destruction .

She  decided  to  first   move  the vessel   from  Hinchinbrook  to  a  place south of  Dunk  Island  where  she  spent  the  wild  night .  Then she  motored   across  to  the Hull River, behind South Mission Beach ,   dropped anchor  and   tied  up  in mangroves. Then she went to  her residence ,  one street back from the beach, which had to be evacuated because of  the possibility of it  being swept away  by  a  tidal surge , and   packed  a  bag .

 

The tense night was spent with  friends in  a house which  threatened  to  blow  apart  .  In  the  morning , Jenn  saw ,  in  the distance , through   stripped  trees ,  the  mast of  Nyeki, but did not know how it had  faired   .  Coconut Cottage   had   survived , though surrounded by  a tangle of  trees  . A   friend  took  her  in  a  runabout and  they found  Nyeki was stranded  on  a bank with  her port   hull high and dry .

 Fortunately , there was  no major  structural damage , no water inside ,  although  it  required $100,000  worth of repairs to  externals . Cyclone Yasi  caused  millions  of  dollars worth of   damage at  Port  Hinchinbrook, throwing   scores of   yachts  about  like  toys;  the  yacht  which  had  shared  the  buoy  that   Nyeki  vacated  was  upside  down .  The cyclone caused damage estimated  at  $3.5 billion .  Even today, Hinchinbrook  is   a  tragic economic  and  legal  mess  . 

Jenn , who  works for  Pacific Marine , regularly  takes  work  boats   to  distant  parts -  200 miles  south  of  New   zealand  ,  Port  Hedland ,  WA ,   near  Christmas Island -   with   teams    that   insert / repair  buoys    for    shipping    and    for   tsunami   warning . 

 

 Apart from  having her own outrigger ,  Jenn is  also  an artist, with her work  featuring  on the cover  and in  the  Artist’s  Palette  magazine ,  sold in galleries, billed as the Cruising  Yachty  Artist  .  The above painting shows  her  in  the outrigger  , against   Dunk Island,  with  a famous  Buffett  song title on  a  painted  and  mounted  coconut  nearby. Some of her artistic output reflects the Jimmy Buffett lifestyle message .

See her  website www. coconutcottage .com.au.

In the  studio situated in  the cockpit  of  Nyeki  is  the  special  coconut  portrait ,  below ,   of  Larry  the  Lorikeet  sipping  a  Margarita , with   the  message   to  wind  and   wine  down ,  enjoy  life .

 

Seagoing  artist's model ,  Larry , captured saying cheers.

Talkative Larry is holiday on Magnetic Island  with a wildlife carer  known as  The Queen of the Jungle  and  his nose is slightly  out of  joint  because of   the arrival  of  an  injured Torres Strait Pigeon,  subsequently  named  Miss  Wong.  On a recent  visit  back  to  the  island from working in  Western Australia ,  Jenn  was  snapped, below,  with  Larry  and  Miss Wong.

When Larry  is one of the crew aboard Nyeki , he likes  joining in  when  the boat  comes  into  range of  other vessels  to   participate in  a  smart  phone  squawk  session  to get the latest  news and  gossip.  He runs  his beak around the phone  , repeatedly says  hello  , uses his wide vocabulary  and , probably ,  invites everybody  in  the  armada  over for  a  Margarita , Jenn and John  to  pick up  the  tab.

During an appearance  on Channel 7   after Cyclone Larry, Larry   bit  the  hostess . During  his  stay on  Magnetic Island  he has developed a taste for yoghurt , likes  Vita Brits , sips coffee , not  infrequently  mutters  a  salty  bugger , bugger, bugger!

One  day  he  and  Miss  Wong  will  sail  into a  romantic  sunset aboard  Nyeki  and she  will be free to join the  flocks  of  Torres Strait  Pigeons  heading  towards   Papua New Guinea .  It  is Jenn's  intention  to  eventually turn  Nyeki  into  a  floating  art  gallery and  sail  the  Pacific .

WHAT'S IN A NAME ? :  Nyeki had once been known as  Champagne Charlie  ;  another   owner, whose wife   disliked  sailing ,  played   Africa   drums   and   selected  a new name ,   Nyeki - African for  Second  Wife , which she  said  aptly  explained  her  status .