Position: 32 43.04 S 152 10.23 E
At anchor Shoal Bay, Port Stephens
Wind: SE Force 4, moderate breeze
Sea; rippled Swell: nil
Weather: thunderstorms, showers
Day's run: 2 nm

This morning, after a short beach run (the long white beach of Winda Woppa could not be denied), and quick dip, Marandina and Sylph moved to the southern side of Port Stephens in anticipation of a shift in the breeze into the S'ly quadrant later in the day. Before moving, however, a highlight of our short stay in Winda Woppa has to be mentioned.

Chris, Marrie, and I went for a leg stretch along the beach yesterday evening and were treated to a display from some dolphins feeding very close in to the beach. There are two small rocky reefs about 300 meters apart that project about a hundred meters out into the bay. The dolphins, maybe six of them working in pairs, were rounding up the school of fish in between the reefs towards the beach where they became trapped. The dolphins would then chase them right up to the water's edge, a rooster tail flying up from their dorsal fin, and their tails stirring up the sand as they suddenly turned away from a certain grounding, breaking surface as they did so, invariably with a fish in their jaws. Standing on the beach we were often only meters away from them as they drove straight towards the beach. The spectacle went on for some thirty minutes when the team headed back to deep water, presumably sated and/or the school of fish broken up.

And over this side of the bay we have been treated to another spectacle of nature, though one not so enjoyable, in the way of some thunderstorms passing over, with heavy rain, short bursts of strong gusty wind, and bolts of lightning and loud peels of thunder cracking the sky apart. The worst of it would appear to have passed and now all is calm.

Tonight I have been invited yet again to enjoy a meal on board Marandina.

All is well.