Now back in Australia, based in Bundaberg and preparing for the next leg of our circumnavigation, we are finding the world a very uncertain place. It is autumn here but daily temperatures are over 30 degrees, sea temperatures are still high, the second cyclone in a week is battering north Australia. We are told that the weather now being experienced is what you might normally expect on a handful of days only at the height of summer. Of course seasonal variations in the weather are to be expected but what is striking now is the regularity of severe weather events linked to the warming of the climate. The hottest summer on record in south Australia, major bush and forest fires in America and Australia, the strongest cyclone ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere that has just hit Mozambique, rising sea level in the Bay of Bengal due to the sheer volume of glacial meltwater coming down from the Himalayas and the prevalence of stronger and wetter cyclones and hurricanes than previously recorded. I imagine you might expect greater extreme climate events as the earth warms but the real danger signs are those that suggest more fundamental change is occurring that could make life for human beings untenable. We have been shown the impact of rising sea level in the South Pacific. We have seen the retreating glaciers in New Zealand. Summer storms are now a regular feature of the UK summer and there is the loss of both arctic and Antarctic ice. Water shortages are leading towards conflict and population migration; this is a pressing issue for the UK with its hotter summers and lack of water storage. Now what has this got to do with sailing around the world? Well, for a start yachties are acutely aware of weather patterns as we monitor them the whole time, both for immediate purposes and also to get a feel for what the longer term may hold in store. Getting your boat around the world is one thing but it also raises awareness of how fast things are changing and how dangerous the outlook for the world as a whole is. It really is serious and if we continue to ignore or downplay the direct link between rising greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere and global warming we have a very bleak future ahead of us. Only the general public can raise enough pressure to force corporations and politicians to act. I can only go on what I read, see and experience and in my view we have to de-carbonise the world economy really quickly.

For the time being Annie and I cannot head north but sitting around in a boat, out of the water and in a yard in this heat is not an option either. So we are back on the water and have sailed over to Fraser Island with friend Stan from Bristol on board. Stan has wilted in the heat and is heading back to the UK but Annie and I did manage a couple of days at the island which is now managed for eco-tourism. Through a combination of reading the book “Sapiens” (very depressing if you are concerned about the impact of human beings on the world) and learning about the past on Fraser Island we have learned that, far from living in perfect harmony with the natural world, the aboriginal people over 45,000 years completely changed much of the environment of Australia, albeit more sustainably than we are doing today. The reason there are so many eucalyptus trees in Australia is because they were best able to survive the burning down of the forests by our ancestors. Dingoes are descended from the hunting dogs brought into Australia thousands of years ago, in turn descended from the Asian Wolf. Until the arrival of humans there were thriving populations of mega fauna in Australia, soon to be wiped out due to hunting, habitat loss and competition for resources. It seems that throughout our history our impact upon the the world has been profound.

Well, such a cheery return to the blog! And I haven’t even mentioned Brexit yet! On that topic I will say nothing about the complete subjugation of democracy in the UK but can only hope that the second march of a million people and the more than five million signature petition will remind Teresa May that she leads a minority government and has a duty to lead and listen to more than just the hard line Tory Party. 

It seems that sailing north will not be viable until at least mid April and so, whilst over here, we should take advantage of the opportunity to visit a couple of iconic places - Tasmania and Uluru. Doing our bit for global warming we fly down to Tasmania on Saturday. I have little faith in the airlines’ carbon offset schemes and so will try and come up with some alternative ways of atoning for the damage done..............