Position - 14:39.9S 145:27.0 E
We dropped anchor in a beautiful cove with white sandy beaches and
magnificent reefs where Peter and David snorkeled the next day.
On the approach Paul hooked a good sized fish which he got to the side
of the boat and which was then attacked by two sharks who quickly won
the battle for lunch and broke one of Paul's rods in the process.
We went ashore in the evening to celebrate the birthday of one of the
cruiser's children on the beach - with cake, candles and drinks too!
John prepared a beautiful Co Au Vin dinner for us that night and
received a standing ovation from the Captain and crew.
We all took a hike the next morning to the top of a hill where Captain
Cook had climbed to spot a way out of the Barrier Reef as he headed
north. He was concerned about embayment if he journeyed farther north.
It was a strenuous hike for us of three hours round trip rising 1,000
ft. The vistas were amazing and we were in clouds at the top. Met some
folks who were staying at the resort on Lizard - an American couple who
were celebrating their honeymoon. We snorkeled after the hike and saw
giant clams and colonies of giant clams among the reefs. David spotted
a huge Parrot fish about 4-5 feet long on the reef.
That evening we were repairing a leaky gasket on the watermaker filters
and Paul noticed the main water pump leaking badly. Peter fortunately
had spares aboard so David and Paul rebuilt the pump to perfect
performance. We watched "Band of Brothers" before bedtime and enjoyed
some red wine and port.
On the morning of the 22nd the wind was gusting to 30+ knots so we
chose to not launch the dinghy for snorkeling or going ashore. The wind
hadn't slacked by 11:30 so we hauled the anchor and headed north to
Morris Island, a sail of about 170 miles. We had 2 meter seas at times
and the wind was 20-25 knots with gusts up to about 35 giving us about
7-7.5 of boat speed.
David hooked and landed a 12 pound Tuna and Paul showed him how to
fillet the fish, which yielded enough for the four of us to have a
wonderful meal with rice prepared by Paul while underway the next
night.
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