Saturday 3 August 2013, Hamilton Island, Whitsunday Group, Qld  20:20.8S  148:57.0E  

Today's Blog by David (Time zone BST +9.00; UTC +10.00)

From Butterfly Cove we sailed to Blue Lagoon Bay on Hayman Island, one of the best diving and snorkelling spots in the Whitsundays, it is said.  We snorkelled along the shore – staying in for as long as the water temperature would allow. The coral was good but the visibility was again only 3-5 metres – save for the occasional patch were it might have been more – it was cold,  there weren’t many fish, but we were not alone!

Back to Airlie Beach the following day to give Simone a chance to gather her thoughts before her long slog back to the UK. Airlie Beach rather than Hamilton Island (where Simone’s plane left from) because i) The “Squeeze”  continued and so the winds  were still SE 20-25 knots and ii) because there was a man there who I hoped was going to – and actually did – fix the battery charging /regulator /alternator problem.  HOORAY.

Tuesday saw Simone’s departure. The ferry terminal being 15 mins walk with luggage by land,  or 2 minutes in the dinghy.  Simone  reflected her estimation  of my seamanship by deciding to walk. Too much could go wrong in the dinghy and she or her bags (or both) risked being wet all the way home.  It was perhaps fitting then, as we were having coffee watching the ferry berthing  and unloading the passengers’ luggage into a trolley that we watched someone’s ‘wheelie bin’ trolley bag sailing gracefully over the trolley , off the pontoon and into the water where it bobbed around – evidently filling with water -  for fully 5 minutes while the crew tried to recover it without themselves getting wet!  The professional and practiced way they dealt with the owner of the bag suggested that this was not the first time it had happened. However, it left Simone wondering  whether her luggage would still be dry by the time it  got onto the plane!  

Well, it was and Simone is now safely at home. Meanwhile we have moved on to Hamilton Island where we have now met up with the Oyster Rally. Last night, was a splendid cocktail party at the Hamilton Island Yacht Club.  Looks promising!

David Caukill

Yacht Serendipity

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