Position 22 17.66S  166 17.42E

 

2nd October 2012

 

Checked out of marina (boo hoo) and sailed to I’lot Signal (Signal Island) all of 7 or 8 miles away.  About 12 mooring buoys there and both Karacool and ourselves picked up buoys.  We were the only boats here, in fact nearly the only people there.  There appeared to be at least two other people but one of those was collected later in the day and the other was a warden.  Again walked around the island – and again it didn’t take long.  The island must be a popular weekend spots, lots of buoys, BBQs and picnic tables – chained to trees, we assume so that not blown away rather than pinched, you’d have to be desperate to try to get one of those on a boat.  Big signs all over the place about invasive species and various piles of greenery in places where they have started to chop it down.  there is a big lagoon on one side of the island that you can get into with a dingy.  Saw another coral snake as we walking on one of the footpaths.  Lots of bird life including a sea osprey – which we saw.  Also spotted two osprey nests and watched it later in the day fishing near the boats.  We went for an early BBQ dinner on the beach – seemed a shame not to.  Whilst eating we had a coral snake approach from the land, Paul broke off a tree branch – there’s a fine for that as we were on a nature research - and waved it around a bit.  On the seaward side we had a shark cruising up and down.

 

During the night, well early morning really, wind got up and we had 30+ knots.  On the positive side, mooring buoys held.

 

I’lot Signal from boat.  That’s a kiln on the island,built on the spot of a former lighthouse.

 

Oyster Moon and Karacool on mooring buoys.

 

What a beach, just look at the colour of the water.

 

 

Another snake goes crawling by.

 

The osprey and it’ nest.

Annie having an alien moment.