"2 For 1" or Better "4 For 1"? [pics] (eng)
Andromeda
Michael
Thu 24 Aug 2017 17:00
20:41.155S 149:8.600E Goldsmith Island, Coral Coast/Whitsundays, Australia 24. August 2017 Our second anchorage in the Whitsunday area is Goldsmith Island, just 12nm from Brampton I. which we had to motor, but we really wanted to move on after 3 nights. Like many islands here the bay has a fringing reef which falls dry with the 3-4m tide and boats must anchor rather far away from the beach. However, when we pulled into the most Southern bay, we saw a catamaran 'parked' right on the beach on the dry. It really is convenient you can do that with a cat do to some repairs on the hull for example. But this case is somewhat different. When we took kayak ashore, we met Steve, an interesting and somewhat peculiar fellow who likes to park on the beach - for weeks! - and just hang out there. He enjoys being able to leave the boat and stroll ashore or burn drift wood and under brush (and there’s a lot after cyclone Debbie) whenever he likes, not having to depend on the tides.  His cat is also a bit unusual. Apart from the powerful loudspeakers blasting country music, it is also equipped with 520hp (!) and can go up to 23kn - much more like a motor boat. But it also has sails - not sure how often he uses them, but hence the name 2 for 1: a motor boat and a sail boat combined into one craft! We sat chatting a bit by the fire and learned a few more intriguing facts. Originally from the UK, he’s been living in Melbourne for a long time. He doesn’t have a partner cruising with him, but one of his 4 girlfriends sometimes comes out to visit. Right. I thought it was kind of a macho showing off thing, but turns out, he’s been dating them for 14-20 years! And they do know about each other, too. So he’s very clear and honest, which I believe is a great trait. As long as it works for everyone, better happy alone - or for short terms with one of the four - than in an unhappy partnership, right? Michael thought he should rename his boat more aptly to “4 for 1”.  Cute little visitors this morning.  And off we go the next morning - this time with some good wind. The south easterly is blowing for a few days, so we’ll make our way further up north. |