Tuesday 7th October - Lizard Island
Work and school.
Kriste had called up and organised a tour of the Lizard Island Research Station this afternoon.
We’d be heading over after lunch and then hang out there for a bit.
The girls helped me bake some brownies that we could take across with us.
Lunch.
We all got in the tender to head over to the Marlin Bar where we’d get a lift across.
Emily and Kaia (8yr old girl) turned up in their Troopie just after 1:30pm and gave us a lift to research station.
The girls loved sitting in the back of the troopie across the sandy bumpy track, and I’m glad we didn’t have to walk!
Emily and David are the current directors of the station, having taken over from the previous couple at the start of the year.
We got a tour from David. Watched a video in the aircon (we haven’t had that for a while!).
Walking around outside Kaia went to talk to Alan, one of the researchers based there at the moment.
He came over and talked us through what he’s doing: studying the effects on survivability of fish when releasing them back to the coral after a few days.
He’d collect the eggs, hatch them, and then inject the fish with a fluorescent dye before releasing them back to a little isolated bommie.
He could then go back later at night and easily identify / count.
After the tour, Kylie (she’s here as a Governess to Kaia) took us to the beach hut and the girls all made loom bands.
And we ate some brownies :)
With the crafting done it was time for some fun on the beach. The girls all did some handstands and cartwheels, and then a game of red-rover.
Emily dropped us back off at the Marlin Bar at 5pm, so we had a few drinks with the other yachties.
We waited for the research station crew to turn at 7pm before we had our dinner.
Tuesday night is Burger night. You can have whatever you want for dinner, as long as it was a burger.
They were tasty though.
But too spicy, for Emma, too big for Kristina to finish, and too gluten’y for Kristie to have the bun.
I enjoyed mine :)
Wednesday 8th
Work and School.
Lunch.
Kristie had organised another play date with Kaia (and Kylie).
It was a wet tender all the way around to research station.
We got to see “The House” on the point. You can stay here for a little over $20,000 per night.
I dropped Kristie and Emma at the end of the beach so they could have a dry walk the rest of the way there.
Kristina and I got there a bit quicker with the lighter load.
Kylie and Kaia were already in the water, so we got changed and jumped in for a nice swim with them.
We walked back to Kaia’s house via the dive shed, and we all enjoyed a warm shower in the open :)
The girls enjoyed some fresh orange ice blocks, and I had a lovely fresh brewed coffee.
The girls played in her bedroom while we chatted outside.
At 5pm we walked down to where the caretakers live, and watched him water the Sunbirds.
The trees are full of them, and they fly down to enjoy a good shower/sprinkle from the hose.
Back to the tender for the slow trip back to Lazuli.
Earlier in the day, one of the boats had come around to us and mentioned they were doing a movie night on the beach.
Quick dinner onboard, then left the girls behind and managed to get there just as the movie was starting.
They’d set up a air mattress against the shrubs, with a white sheet over it. They then had their Starlink, a projector and battery box to complete the setup.
They played “Don’t Look Up”. I hadn’t seen it, quite enjoyable.
There were probably only about 8 of us that stayed for the entire movie.
Kristina’s recount about the trip to the Research Station
We finally made it to Lizard Island which has been out destination all year.
Mum organised a trip to the research station where we met some new friends.
Emily and her daughter Kaia came to pick us up in their big troopie.
It was lots of fun sitting in the back because the sandy road had lots of small bumps and we didn’t have to wear seatbelts.
When we arrived Kaia’s dad (the CEO) showed us a quick video with information about the station and the scientific research that they do.
Our new friend Kaia had a toy alpaca named Alpe. So we enjoyed throwing him up in the air then trying to not let him hit the ground.
It was the funnest tour we have ever been to, as for once we had some friends doing it with us.
After the tour we walked to the beach hut and made necklaces/collars for Alpe, and some matching friendship bracelets out of loom bands.
Emma’s recount about the trip to the Research Station
We finally reached our destination Lizard Island, so of course we had to get off and do something!
Mum ad organised a tour at the research station. Emily had a kid so she thought it was a good idea to have a play.
She picked us up and let me and Kristina go for free!
We hopped in the troopie with Kaia and her alpaca plushie, Alpe! When we got to the station we let Alpe fly and walk on the ceiling.
They gave us a tour of the research station and showed us what they did.
After the tour we walked to the beach hut to do loom bands.
We spent almost 2 hours doing loom bands!
We all made friendship bracelets together!
Thursday 9th
Quick breakfast, no school today as we’re off to climb up to Cook’s Lookout.
Tender in and shoes on.
The first section is reasonably steep, and we stopped often for the great views back over Watsons Bay and all the yachts.
There are plenty of Kapok trees around, and many had seed pods.
Kristie and Kristina tried the flowers, apparently they are edible!
At one point during one of our rests (when Kristina and I were waiting for Kristie and Emma to catch up) Kristina spotted some interesting wildlife:
There was also plenty of Sunbirds flying around.
We got to the top and had no view at all as it was completely covered by clouds. Made for an interesting experience, but not what we’d walked up for!
Cook climbed the peak on Lizard Island to chart a course out to sea through the maze of reefs which confronted him and the island’s summit has since been called ‘Cook’s Look’
The girls both added a rock to the top.
Sadly not much of a view.
There’s a visitor book up there as well (in an old army ammo box). I wrote in the book, and then Emma decided she needed to document a different opinion of the walk to what I’d written.
We came across a yellow spotted monitor lizard on the way back down.
The walk ended up taking us 4hrs all up, though we did have quite a few stops. Ended up being close to 5km return by my watch.
We jumped straight in to swim in our clothes as it was so hot.
Back to Lazuli for a late lunch.
Work, and downtime for the girls.
Sunset drinks on the beach.
Emma’s recount about the walk to Cook’s Lookout
The walk up to Cook’s Look was hot, on a steep and rocky track.
We made it up with some help of skittles from dads backpack.
The view up top would have been great, if the grey clouds weren’t so thick.
It seemed so slow and we were right, it was the oposit of quick.
Along the way we saw some lizards, basking in the sun.
We at some flowers, collected plants, this walk so much fun (NOT!).
In 1770 Captain Cook climbed to the top of the highest hill to look for all the reefs so the H.M.S Endeavour could find a safe passage through.
The walk and the lookout became famous so mum and dad dragged me on the steep, 5km walk.
After about 500m we started to see a lot of kapok trees scattered around.
On the trees there was lots of seedpods full of a material like cotton.
The open seedpods had spongy cotton because they weren’t ripe, but the cream and brown ones were.
Mum searched and the kapok flowers are edible! Mum enjoyed them but I didn’t.
At the top me and Kristina looked for two rocks to put on the pile!
It was a great view.
Kristina’s recount about the walk to Cook’s Lookout
Last week, we did the steep walk up to Cook’s Look.
This walk is named that because in the year of 1770 when Captain Cook anchored at Lizard Island, he made his way up to the top of the mountain to see all of the reefs and plot a way out.
After about 500meters of walking we spotted some Kapok trees. They were covered in green seedpods full of sticky fluff.
Later on we saw some different coloured seedpods and Mum said it was because they were ripe!
So I got one then smashed it against a rock and out came a cotton like material.
Another thing on the trees were some yellow flowers.
We searched them up and found out they were edible!
Of course Mum, Dad, and I tried them right away after taking a photo.
Later on I was looking at the yellow orchids and spied two tiny yellow beetles that looked like they were mating.
As it turns out, they were!
Friday 10th
Work and School.
Kristie had a nap during school time, which didn’t bother the girls too much.
Lunch.
Afternoon client meeting for me, then Kristie and I jumped in to snorkel the Clam Garden.
In addition to all the usual suspects, we saw an eel, octopus, black tip reef shark, and epaulette shark.
Off to the Marlin Bar for Pizza night!
I filled up 3x jerry of water and took them straight back to Lazuli and emptied them before coming back to join the others at the Marlin Bar.
Enjoyed a good social time with the other yachties.
Pizza was delicious. Took some home for leftovers.
We did a 2nd water fill up before getting in the tender to come home.
Kristina’s wanted to write about Whale Sharks as part of her daily writing
Title: Save the Whale Sharks.
Whale Sharks are one of the coolest and most unique species that swim in our tropical oceans.
Imagine a world where these gentle giants didn’t exist.
If Whale Sharks went extinct it would have a big impact on the stability of the food chain.
Being filter feeders, they feed on small organisms, contributing to the balance of the marine ecosystem.
So with out Whale Sharks this balance would be destroyed.
Which means if you don’t help the whale sharks you can say goodbye to fish and chips.
Many travellers from all over the world (including my Mom) spend thousands of dollars to see these majestic fish.
This is important because it raises awareness for environmental conservation and creates jobs for local businesses.
By paying to go snorkeling with these amazing creatures, you get a once in a lifetime experience and help many people in need of some cash.
Over the years illegal hunting has happened causing whale sharks to become endangered (* this hunting is still happening in some places today).
We are on our last chance before whale sharks become extinct and are no longer alive for future generations to see.
Even though these giant fish are a great attraction and thousands of people every year are lucky enough to experience swimming with them, it is important to remember that these wonderful creatures are a treasure that must be valued and respected.
We need to act now so that they don’t become extinct!
Saturday 11th
We sewed/glued up the patch on the bimini. The starboard side had a decent rip in it where the infill joins the zip.
We need to get it replaced, but time has prevented that so far.
Lazy morning on devices.
Lunch.
Kristie geared up for a dive. We took the tender around to North Point and tied on to the yellow mooring there.
She got out to the end of the reef, and then turned around and came back quite quickly!
Got to the surface and was super keen to get out of the water ASAP after spotting a 3m+ tiger shark.
(The researchers later assured her it’d be there for ages, and as she wasn’t a turtle she’d be fine! Kristie didn’t feel like testing that theory)
Family snorkel back at the Clam Gardens. The girls loved the clams, and we saw a school of bump head parrot fish.
Sunset drinks on the beach. We hadn’t planned to go to the Marlin Bar, but then a bunch of others all went so we decided to join them.
We had to go back via Lazuli and get the girls first!
Kristie enjoyed her steak, the girls shared a seafood basket, and I enjoyed my schnitty.
Filled up water on the way back.
Sunday 12th
Pancakes for breakfast.
We got geared up for a little walk; up to Chinaman’s Ridge and the lookout there.
Good views back over the resort and Watsons Bay.
Emma found a survey mark at the top and took a photo for Uncle Scott.
It was hot, not much breeze on the walk.
Girls had a quick swim in their clothes when back on the beach.
Back to Lazuli for Lunch.
We ended up with a bit of a rainy afternoon. We didn’t go into the beach (only a few of the hard-core went in to the beach for drinks), just had sip’s and dips by ourselves on Lazuli.
A bit more rain during the night.
Monday 13th
We’ve been away from shops for over two weeks now, so I could reorganise the frozen food and put it all in our main freezer and turn off the 2nd freezer we have (a 40L Engel).
Work and School.
A bit more rain.
Lunch.
We all got togs on and took the swim mat into the beach.
Kristie had organised for Kylie and Kaia to join us on our beach for a swim.
We were all in the water for about 3 hours.
Said goodbye to Kylie and Kaia and went back to Lazuli for a very speedy change (the others were already heading into the beach for sunset drinks!)
Left the girls on board and went to have drinks on the beach.
Andrea offered around some free bars and cookies that they’d got from a friend staying at the resort. Thanks, they were yummy!
Back onto Lazuli, and tender up just as it started to rain.
Mackerel and chips for dinner. Also Yum. We now only have one bag left, and the Mackerel season doesn’t open until the 9th of Nov!
Tuesday 14th
Work and School. Very hot.
Kristie jumped off Lazuli and swam over to have a long snorkel along the wall. It was about 150m from Lazuli to the wall.
Lunch.
Time for a family walk to Blue Lagoon. We took togs so we could have a swim on the other side.
It was a hot walk. You end up walking down the side of the runway, and the breeze was very intermittent.
Once down on the beach there was a good breeze. The tide was down so it wasn’t too choppy.
The swim was lovely, but the sand wasn’t as nice as over at “our beach”.
Got changed and explored the beach.
Headed back up the track and timed the walk back so we were at the top of the runway when the plane took off.
It was burger night at the Marlin Bar, and as Emma wasn’t a fan I ended up cooking sausages and pasta on Lazuli and took them in with us for her to eat.
Enjoyed a few drinks with the yachties, then caught up with Research station people.
Got a bag of carrots and an apple from Kylie. Thanks!
Filled up our 3 water jerry cans and got back to Lazuli to have the girls in bed by 9:30pm!
We had a spot of heavy rain at midnight which woke us up (had the windows open to cools us down.)
Wednesday 15th
It’s been windy, but today was more windy; the wind generator has been working overtime.
Kristie decanted the water from the jerry cans into the boat tanks.
Work and School.
Kristina finally woke up at 9am (we’ve been having a few late nights).
I emptied and cleaned our composting toilet. Wanted to make sure that was done before we left and headed down the reefs.
Lunch.
Tender to Marlin Bar at 1:30pm. Kristie and the girls got a lift over to the research station to spend the afternoon hanging out with Kylie and Kaia.
While I did work, they all had a good time:
- They made kapok squish balloons - we had a few that had opened up and they stuffed the fluff into some balloons.
- Had a swim
- Enjoyed a bath in the dive tubs.
- Played lego in Kaia’s bedroom
The girls got a lift back to Marlin Bar and I picked them up. Took the opportunity to fill up more water.
Strong wind and a bit more rain overnight.
Thursday 16th
Work and School.
Kristie snorkeled along the wall again and saw 4 reef sharks cruising around. She also spotted a blue spotted ray hiding under some coral.
It started raining while she was snorkeling. But had cleared up by the time she got back to Lazuli.
Lunch
More work.
After work was finished, Kristie and I jumped in the tender and headed around the corner to turtle beach.
We anchored the tender on the beach and jumped in for a snorkel. There was better coral cover than our previous snorkel sites, a couple of white tip reef sharks, an octopus and plenty of fish.
Sunset drinks on the beach with the usual crowd.
Friday 17th
Work and school.
Lunch.
After lunch, I dropped Kristie off at the Clam Gardens for a quick snorkel and then headed back to Lazuli to jump on some work meetings.
I ran the girls and Kristie to the Marlin Bar at 3pm for one last play with Kylie and Kaia (Kaia and her parents were flying to Sydney on Sunday so we won’t see them again).
They set up on one of the tables and spent two hours crafting (necklaces) and having run on the lawn.
Took the opportunity to drop off more rubbish, filled up water and headed back to Lazuli to work a bit more.
I came back in at 5pm for drinks and pizza.
It was another fun night mixing with the yachties and research peeps.
The night concluded with a skipping show from the 3 girls; and then a few of us adults they roped into having a turn.
Lots of laughs.
We missed some action with a boat dragging out the front. One of the cats ended up having to drop anchor and move out the back as another boat was drifting on to it (and the owners were at the bar!).
In bed by 9:30
Saturday 18th
At some point during the night (about 3am) Emma got a bit scared and came to sleep in my room. She didn’t bring her pillow :(
Decanted water from the 3 jerrys we’d filled up last night.
I’d always said I’d do Cook’s Lookout again when the weather was good and we’d get a view.
Kristie and I set off (the girls we most adamant they would not do the walk again!) and we did Cook’s Look walk again.
We made better time, and ended up with good views out to the reefs.
We knew Vellamo were due into Lizard Island sometime today. We could see a yacht approaching and a quick check of AIS (Marine Traffic) confirmed it was Vellamo.
We snapped a quick photo to send through to Traci.
2:38hr and 4.6km for the walk up to the top and back.
We had taken togs, so had a quick swim to cool off before heading back to Lazuli.
Late Lunch.
Kristie and I jumped in to go snorkel along the wall. We saw a flat worm, a pair of octopus, and a stingray.
Back for 5pm Sunset drinks on the beach.
Sunday 19th
Time to go exploring, without the girls.
Tender into the beach, and saw a turtle swimming around (we haven’t seen many - and some have suggested the local tiger shark could be the reason ;)
We planned to get to Coconut Beach. Bowen had said the other night that he found a bunch of Nautilus shells on the beach when he was there a year or so ago.
We hiked down the runway, around Blue Lagoon. We saw a decent sized shark swimming around in the shallows.
The track up is quite overgrown, but well signed with thongs up the hill.
Got to the top and saw the steep walk down the other side.
There was a trail of thongs up and down.
There’s a rope that’s been set up to help get up and down the rock face.
It was a little dicy getting down.
Once we were down the was lots of rubbish on the beach. We walked the entire length and only found one Nautilus shell.
Getting back up was ok, my watch reckoned it was about 20m from the sand to the top of the rope.
Walked back down and checked out the other beach before Blue Lagoon.
Decided to take the sneaky/scenic/forbidden track back to the beach rather than walking down the runway. It’s a much nicer walk!
(We’d seen one of the resort staff walk it, but apparently it’s closed to the public!)
There is a freshwater bore pump at the end of the track.
All up the walk took us 3:43hr, and 9.7km.
Made it back to Lazuli for a very late lunch.
Hoot turned up.
We’d last seen Bride and Andrew in Gladstone, and after that they spent more time in Bundy with Andrews Mum.
They finally got their boat ready and came up, express!
They took about 7 or 8 weeks to get from Brisbane up to Lizard - top effort.
We didn’t think we’d see them, and they didn’t think they’d make it this far north after leaving so late.
They invited us over for quick ‘anchor drinks’ on their boat. So good to see them up here!
We didn’t stay too long, as Kristie wanted to snorkel the Clam Gardens again (I could have kept going with the anchor drinks ;)
They had also brought some supplies - fresh food for us - from Port Douglas. Much appreciated!
Back to Lazuli to get the snorkel gear on, and went to the Clam Gardens.
We were a bit late for Sundowners on the beach.
Probably the biggest gathering we’d had since we got here.
Jan had set up some night lights, music.
Lots of good chatting and drinks. One of the tenders floated off when the tide came in; there were plenty of helpful comments from everyone ;)
Made it back to Lazuli (and the girls) at 7:50pm to start cooking dinner.
The girls complained it was a bit late for them!
Monday 20th
Work and School.
Lunch.
Kristie filled the dive tanks now so we didn’t have to do it at the Cod Hole.
I did more work.
Kristie snorkeled the Clam Gardens again. Such an easy snorkel with something new to see each time. She saw a white tip reef shark, maori wrasse, moray eel (along with everything else that’s usually there).
5pm Sundowners on the beach.
Back to lazuli at 6:30 (which is still probably too late for the girls)
Kristina’s continued to write about Whale Sharks as part of her daily writing
Information Report: Whale Sharks
Appearance:
A Whale Shark is the worlds biggest species of fish. They can grow up to 14m long.
They have a broad, flat head with a mouth that can be 1.5m wide.
Like most species of sharks the females grow bigger than the males.
Each one is born with individual spots and strips making it easier for marine biologists to keep track of them.
Habitat:
Whale Sharks are most often found around the equator.
They live in warm tropical oceans and can be found in both deep and shallow waters.
Diet:
Despite having 4000 tiny teeth these creatures are filter feeders.
Their diet mainly relies on plankton, tiny crustaceans and small fish.
Threats:
Whale Sharks are an endangered species meaning they’re one step from becoming extinct.
Their main threats as adults are humans. Humans are destroying the Whale Sharks habitats by polluting the ocean with rubbish.
Illegal hunting is another problem edging this species closer to the extinct mark.
Breeding:
Whale Sharks can live up to 150 years of age. Their life begins as a small pup approximately 60cm long.
It takes 25-30 years for them to reach adulthood.
Female Whale Sharks then give birth to up to 300 live pups!
She will then leave them to fend for themselves and the cycle will start again.
Interesting facts:
One of the bonuses of being a Whale Shark is that their skin is 30cm thick, making it hard for foes to bite them.
They are also one of the 15 species of fish knowing to give live birth.
Emma also did an information report as part daily writing
Information Report: Dog face pufferfish
Appearance:
The dog face pufferfish are oval shaped and can grow up to 33cm.
They have two small dorsal fins and a small tail.
These pufferfish have four strong teeth that from a beak.
Their body’s are covered in small black blotches, and they have dark patches around their mouth and eyes.
Habitat:
Dog face pufferfish live in tropical waters at coral reefs.
They don’t live anywhere under twenty-five metres deep.
Diet:
The dog face pufferfish is an omnivore. Most of their food is on the sea floor. They eat plants such as alges and sponges.
They also eat animals like mollusks, invertebrates, coral and crustaceans.
Threats:
Dog face pufferfish are slow which means their predators can catch them easily.
Their predators are tiger sharks, octopuses and sea snakes.
Climate change can also hurt the pufferfish by destroying the coral reefs.
Life Cycle:
Dog face pufferfish start their life as an egg.
After four to five days they hatch and continue growing as a juvenile fish.
Adult dog face pufferfish grow up to thirty centimeters and can live to ten years of age.
Interesting Facts:
The dog face puffer can repel predators by inflating itself with air or water to look big and hard to chew.
Something else used to repel enemies is their TTX poison and if swallowed injects the deadly poison into the predators.
Dog face pufferfish are territorial and like to live by themselves.
Tuesday 21st
Work and School.
Lunch.
Time for a family snorkel at the Clam Gardens. The girls and I jumped off the front of Lazuli to cool off as soon as we had our wetsuits on.
Traci and Matt had just seen a Cuttlefish so they pointed us to where it was. We found it and had fun swimming down and watching it change colours.
The girls also enjoyed the numerous clown fish.
Eventually they both got a bit cold, so I dropped them back to Lazuli and then come back with Kristie to continue snorkeling.
Back to Lazuli to tidy up as we were expecting guests.
Kristie picked up Kylie and her husband Chris to come back for sip’s ‘n dips on Lazuli.
We gave them a tour, then enjoyed a good catch up over drinks and cheese.
Kristie dropped them off to the Marlin Bar then came and got the girls and I.
It wasn’t Burger Night tonight, there were wings :) Nice spicy wings that both Kristie and I ordered, and she couldn’t eat.
I was full by the time I’d had half of hers as well - Andrew got the other half.
A few more drinks, then filled water and headed home at 8pm.
Wednesday 22nd
Work and school.
Baked damper scones, went well with butter and jam.
Kristie decanted water.
Hoot had gone off exploring around the coner and came back via us to arrange the afternoon exploring with us.
On the way back they were flagged down by Gary and Fiona as they were rowing their tender back to their boat.
Andrew towed them back to their boat… He stripped the carby and then realised the breather had been shut! Doh.
Lunch.
Set off with Andrew and Bride to go snorkeling at Palfrey Island. Kristie and Kristina in their tender, Emma and I in Lapis with the swim mat.
Emma had a quick snorkel and then a long play on the mat. Kristina stayed dry on the tender. We enjoyed the snorkel.
Not amazing, but something different.
Over to the beach to climb the rocks and get warm.
The two girls got a quick lift home with Bride and Andrew. Quite a bit slower for Kristie and I!
Got back to Lazuli and unpacked. Took a while to realise the girls were still on Hoot (I just assumed they’d been dropped off on Lazuli!).
I went over to Hoot but couldn’t see them there either… turns out they were hiding from me!
Kristie cleaned the clears.
5pm Sundowners on the beach. Opened the coconut I’d carried back from Coconut Beach the other day.
It had a bit of milk in it that tasted ok. Bride and Andrew also opened one of theirs, and the flesh on theirs was better.
Back on Lazuli it was time to tidy up to get ready to leave for the Cod Hole tomorrow.
We have really enjoyed our time at Lizard Island. It’s such an amazing place, and we haven’t come across anything like it in our travels.
There is so much to explore, and you can understand why everyone (with a yacht/boat) tries to get up here.
- You could snorkel at the Clam Gardens every day and not get bored with it.
- The sand and water at Watsons Bay is better than anywhere else we’ve been!
- The water is warm ~ 27C
- There’s a lot of the island to explore and walk around.
- There are numerous beaches to explore.
- The Marlin Bar is fun and a good excuse to get off the boat and have someone else make your dinner.
- Even though it is pretty much windy all day and all night, the bay is supper protected and comfortable in 25kts!
- Even when it’s 25kts it is still lovely in at the beach (Watsons Bay).
- The sunset drinks every afternoon with the other yachties is a great tradition that must be kept!
- The research station is worth a visit (bonus play dates with Kaia 8yrs old)
Anchoring at Lizard:
- There’s lots of room - but the further out you go the more wind/chop you get!
- Good depth - we in the 2nd row of boats and never saw less than 3.2m at the lowest tide we had for the 2+ weeks there
- Hoot got in close (in front of the 1st row ;) when they turned up and had ~2.2m at low tide (too shallow for us)
Internet at Lizard:
- Starlink works perfectly out here.
- If you have an antenna at the top of your mast you’ll get a 4G, but you probably need to be out a bit and not tucked in close to the beach.
- Climb the hill and you’ll get 4G
- Go to the Marlin Bar and use their free Wi-Fi
- Use your boat friends Starlink (thanks for the drinks Traci :)
We enjoyed hanging out with all the other boats here.
We probably had 25+ boats in the bay one night while we were there.
Some had been there for 3 months, some got there after us.
Some had been coming here every year for 20+ years, and some like us were first-timers.
Thanks to all the yachties that made our time there memorable.
- Wyworrie - Glen - who was our closest boat neighbour and his flashing strobe guided us home from the bar at night!
- Samantha - Shawn and Andrea - they were there for 3 months! (thanks for the resort bars & cookies)
- Nohea - Jim and Jude
- Vellamo - Traci and Matt
- SeaRaz - Steph and Chris
- Kaimana - Linda and Nate - thanks for the medical review of Kristina’s foot!
- Loukia - Gary and Fiona
- Hoot - Bride and Andrew - thanks for brining us food and fuel!
- Amazing Grace - Lorraine and Brent
- Alexandra - Jan and Mark
- Joy and Anastasia (on a Ketch we can’t remember the name of)
- Bowen and his dad on a Lagoon - thanks for the tip about finding Nautilus Shells at Coconut Beach!
Tomorrow we (and also Hoot + Vellamo) are off to Ribbon Reef #10 and the Cod Hole.
Lizard Island - we will miss you.
Kristina’s Poem about Lizard Island
All year we have been coming
To this Island big and grand.
With clear and pretty water,
And warm and lovely sand.
We walked up to Cooks Look,
It was very steep and hot.
We went up for a view,
But clouds were all we got.
We’ve been for many snorkels,
With fish and clams galore.
Coral and a cuttlefish,
We hope there will be more.
Twice a week we went,
Over to the Marlin Bar.
They had great food and great drinks,
And it wasn’t very far.
We went to the research station,
And got a tour around.
We saw the research they had done,
And some of the things they found.
We met a new friend Kaia,
And played with her so much.
Such good friends is what we are now,
I hope to keep in touch.
Now down the Ribbon reefs we go,
We’re sailing happily.
It won’t be long till we get home,
And see our family.