Saturday, 7th August 2010
You know something. Everywhere we go and each destination has its very own identifiable features. Australia is certainly well known as having the best collection of the worlds most venomous creatures, but the Jelly fish now these are something else. There is the well known "Box Jelly Fish" and a host of others. Tiny little buggers, but deadly, they are so small that you can hardly see them, but one sting from these things, and you are history.. ohhhhhhh my gawd!
The net result is, NO SWIMMING, unless you are wearing an anti jelly fish suit. Even though Mary and the Skipper went for a dip a few days ago. However, there are not so many of them around at this time of the year, as its winter. Still, frightening stuff.
It was a very windy night last night, and we were happy enough to be on the Marina.
07.00hrs Skipper did the emails and the blog. As we said before, the blog is like being married or having dogs, you always have to keep them in mind and they need attention every day. Still, it could be worse, we could be at home with nothing to say............
09.00hrs Phil, the local Raymarine agent called to us at the request of Chris from Mackay. He said he would take away the E120 and have a look at it in his workshop and let us know what the problem was... Hope is eternal and would return on Monday with his advice. He will also connect up the new SSB radio, which Chris brought up from Mackay, but did not fit it as it would not fit into the space that the old one lived in. So, Skipper and Niall said they would fit the thing in somehow and all Phil will have to do is connect the wires.
In the meantime, Niall and Skipper fiddled with the old chart plotter in the Navigation station, and low and behold got it working, so now at least we have a chart plotter that works with a GPS, and (as we said in an earlier blog) it can be used as a backup in the event of any more trouble with the expensive, latest technology, E120 thing. Actually, the E120 is fantastic, it just got screwed up by Raymarine appointed technicians.
The SSB, would you believe, the new unit that Chris brought up from Mackay and did not install, only works in Australia, and needs a new programme for anywhere beyond the Australian territorial waters, Christ! and he knows only full well that we are sailing around the world. Everything seems to be 2 steps forward, and then 1 back. Lets be positive. Never a dull moment.
10.30hrs We all rambled up to the hotel and had a coffee, before returning to the boat and setting sail to Hook Island, about 14 miles away to the east. The weather was beautiful, and we had a spanking breeze on the starboard beam, 25/30 knots, and a fairly flat sea. That beautiful turquoise water and only a few whales to be seen. Still we were sailing along with 2 reefs in, at 9 knots, great sailing, and we were like a bunch of happy bunnies!
We passed an ARC Amel heading north, obviously heading for Cairns. It looks if we may not get there now, as time is running out over the snags. We also met the Ruud's ashore, they are from Ronja and are always pleasant company. They are not going any further, when they have sailed the Whitsundays, they intend to take their boat to Sidney and have her shipped home to Norway, while they do a bit of touring of Australia, before returning home at the end of the year.
14.30hrs We picked up a public mooring in Stenohaline Bay on Hook Island. There was no way that the mooring line was ever going to break, it was at least 4" thick, which made it difficult to attach to the boat, but we were secure, and especially as the notes in the book says "do not peg anything onto the side of the boat, as the wind whips down so hard from the mountains, it sucks all loose items overboard including cushions, sunglasses, books, etc.........". We all took naps for a while, even though it was chilly.
16.00hrs Skipper, set about installing the SSB radio, this entailed a lot of timber surgery, but after 2 hours, it was securely bolted in place. It took all the skippers architectural skill to figure out how to get it into the space. but succeeded eventually. We so love boats.
Niall did the dinner. An Indian Fish dish with rice and chicken for Aileen. When he was finished cooking, he went on and on about the whole thing. You would think he had just cooked dinner for the Taj Mahal, but that's our Niall. Its probably the legal background. However, it was all wonderful food.
Later, we watched "Andrew LLoyd Webber" in Beijing. A DVD of a live performance in the "Great Hall of the People". A fantastic show, and we thoroughly enjoyed the performance. It was a really starry night, with all those millions of dancing stars winking at us down below on our lovely A Lady. Boy, it was cold, ohhhh my, it was really chilly! So eventually, after a dry night (Water night only) we hit the scratchers.
ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
That's it for now.
Signed :- Stephen Hyde (Skipper)