Eh yes, we were very envious of some other crews that sighted a lot of whales, while we never saw one, even when we were in the same area of the lucky ones! Then, few days ago while we were sailing in the narrow passages around the Whitsunday islands, we sighted one which surfaced just beside us, with the regulatory … Continua a leggere
Along the Australian eastern coastline, winds blow most of the time between East and South-East with brief exceptions usually lasting only 2 or 3 days; only in Spring, between October and December, the wind may blow from the North for sustained periods of time. The Australian yachtsman who decides to venture north from Sidney or Brisbane may therefore have to … Continua a leggere
Not all Australian animals are either venomous or aggressive, but seeing one is tough! Once past the thorough immigration and quarantine procedures and well settled in the huge Mackay Marina, it was time to start exploring the neighborhood. First visit, the Cape Hillsborough National Park: here Kangaroos use to descend onto the beach, but they were informed of our arrival … Continua a leggere
We have reached Mackay, Australia. Here they still take quarantine very seriously, like in the old days of sailing ships! Upon arrival, one has to moor at a dedicated berth, from where you cannot go ashore until after the quarantine people has checked all food stores and other things like craftwork purchased around the islands, to make sure we are … Continua a leggere
TWO Boobies, to be precise: this time they smartened up and landed on the forward pulpit, one on each side. They spent the night there, sleeping precariously and taking no care of our maneuvres. Alas, when they left at first-light this morning, the left the bows, shall we say,….dirty!! Better than what happened yesterday to “Baccus”, whose rudder has been … Continua a leggere
Also in Australia they have their share of Boobies, although not as brightly-colored like the ones so common in Galapagos; these birds fly far out at sea and are great fishers, but they have a somewhat dumb look that inspires sympathy. Yesterday evening, a booby tried for some time to land on Shaula, first aiming at the crosstrees and later … Continua a leggere
“What are we going to do during our stay in Australia?” “We may visit the interior, to see the Kangaroos”. “Eeeeck, are you crazy? There are CROCODILES in the rivers, and deadly SNAKES hiding in the bushes, waiting for the unsuspecting passer-by, and PYTHONS, and DINGOs….” “We will sail along the islands of the Great Barrier reef then, diving on … Continua a leggere
Thinking back to the trip to Tanna island, we should have guessed what was waiting for us already since when the Travel Agency booked our flights with Air Vanuatu under bogus names (I was “Paul” and Baby was “Alan”….) and even before departure they told us that the return flight did not exist and they were going to send us … Continua a leggere