Exploring the Mangroves chased out by bees
Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima
Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex
Sat 17 Apr 2010 02:00
we need to introduce them to the game before they get back to Australia, and
they really enjoyed it, showing good co-ordination.
The pool was under maintenance a major clean, and I had completed my
assigned jobs for the day.
We gathered 4 dinghies and headed out with coolers on a mangrove discovery
trip, as the tide was coming in, we were able to ride the incoming currents
gliding under miles of mangroves. Some very narrow others wide open, the
fish jump up as they negotiated the incoming food stream with the tide. We
saw snowy egrids (wrong spelling) in the trees, and read crabs on the
mangrove roots.
But it is the ability glide down the estuary, with engines off, beer in one
hand and just in silence the incoming tide pushing us along. You hear the
gurgling of water as it winds through the mangrove root system, the breeze
fills in. It is a so peaceful and we are so at one with the environment. I
could spend days out here, we will come back out with canoes as well, but
the dinghy does well.
We went a bit far down one thread of the estuary and disturbed a hive of
beers, which became angry and chased us, 3 of us were stung a number of
times. As I write this I can feel the effects of my 5 bites in the head, but
another cruiser got 15 and nearly passed out. We had to transfer him to a
fast dinghy and fly back to dock to treat him, he is fine now just feeling
the effects.
We gathered afterwards in the pool to discuss and it adds to the stories,
but I was amazed at how fat, and how aggressive they were, I had 10 in my
hair and I was moving with full throttle on the outboard. Lucky we did not
have the kids at this stage.
You live and learn.