Oz - Scotland - Oz
Rhiann Marie - Round the World
Stewart Graham
Sat 13 Nov 2010 06:52
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Saturday 13th November 1611 Local 0611
UTC
14:39.56S 145:27.07E
Aye aye! Caimar a tha sibh?
When we left you last we were in Cairns and about
to head back to Scotland for a flying visit to see the children and to catch up
with business. Craig and Rhiann are doing well and Rhiann settled into a new
riverside apartment which made her very happy. That in turn made Trish happy and
with her happy and The Gael Force flying, it made for a very satisfactory
visit.
On the way back from Scotland we spent a few days
in Sidney which is a really great city. We went to the opera at the
house which was great but the highlight for me was the fish market! I know
what you are thinking but Sidney fish market (I know how to show a girl a good
time - eh?) is not like any other I have visited before. All around the auction
floor are fish counters most of which cook fish and shellfish right there and
then and serve you up a lunch or snack or whatever you wish. I think it was
one of the best lunches I ever had, we had a mountain of fish and shellfish
for AUD 60 and we had brought a bottle of chilled bubbly to have with it! I
can't quite put my finger on it but is probably not the first time I have had a
wee dram at the fish market .....
The show then trundled on up to the glitz and
glamour of the Gold Coast to visit family and we spent a fantastic weekend
together. We are hoping to see more of our Australian relatives as we go through
Asia and tentative plans are being made. Brisbane was the last stop to see
Trish's nephew and what a great guy he was. We really enjoyed
meeting him and perhaps recruited an additional future crew
member.
Finally back to Cairns on late on Monday 8th. First
thing in the morning on the 9th we got stuck into the long list of jobs we had
stacked up for Cairns and by close of play Thursday we had the majority ticked
off the list.
On Friday the 12th we set off North to Darwin via
Lizard Island. It was a gorgeous day but no wind so we spent 12 hours
motoring until finally a little breeze showed. we ghosted through the night
under a starry sky and flat seas until we reached Lizard ahead of schedule
at 0330. I got Trish up to use the spot light on the foredeck which along
with the radar allowed us to pick our way into the busy and very shallow
bay. We grabbed a few hours kip and I got up to scrape and scrub the bottom
of the boat - again. The anti fouling is well and truly gone now and desparately
needs done.
I was barely into the water and two large fish came
along - only one left ....
Then it was the fishes turn to stalk me. There were
rays and large grouper around and then my old friends the sharks started
appearing. Perhaps the blood of the my first catch or the stoor being scraped
off the bottom of the boat. Somehow they seemed a bit more sinister and a bit
more sneaky than back in the pacific and they were slightly unnerving. First
one, then Trish came in to "watch my back". Then the second shark started
circling, then the third. When the fourth one came Trish disappeared, so it was
a difficult job to stay under the water for long periods scraping and scrubbing
while still trying to keep an eye on them. I must be getting soft or something.
Perhaps it's the regular news reports of shark attacks in
Australia.
The thing is the sharks are not so bad, but I can
tell you I will not be swimming any further north now as the "salties" run the
show along the northern Australian coast. I do not fancy taking them on so I
have rebuilt one of my reels and set up a rod on one side of the boat
and the heavy trolling line on the other. We will do the rest of our fishing
from the safety of the deck for the next
while!
Tonight as it is Saturday night we are off to the
beach in the anchorage to have sundowners with the rest of the fleet in the
anchorage. We will have to take it easy though as we are heading off to Darwin
1000 miles away tomorrow.
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