Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Traveling South from Whitsunday


Our first day of travel got us to Scawfell Island around 2:30pm. Pulling up to the lee side of an island with a sandy beach is not a Canadian West Coaster's idea of "gunk holeing" (terminology used to describe hopping from anchorage to anchorage on the west coast - I don't know where the saying comes from, but this is what it means), but it is a brilliant day with no wind and smooth water so other than being exposed on three sides we can't tell the difference. In short, it is a story book place to be. We drop down the rubber dingy and scoot in to shore for a walk on the beach. The island is a National Park and nobody lives here. There are three sailing boats in the anchorage, but nobody on shore, so the beach is ours to explore. We enjoyed ourselves a bit too long though. The tide was ebbing (going out) so not only did we have to drag the dingy down the beach to float it, we also had to drag it about 1/2 a mile (exaggeration - just seemed like it) along the ocean floor, now high and dry, to reach the water. Who needs a gym! Nobody is whining though, because this is a "perfect day". Our reward is the viewing of a splendid sun set from our own back yard. I'm telling you, it just doesn't get any better.

 

It doesn't get any better unless,….. your next day of travel (like ours) brings you to Middle Percy Island after "another" stunning day of bright sun, calm blue ocean and whales performing like they know you are watching. We stopped at Middle Percy on our way north, so even though we were anchored up by 1:00 pm, today we decide to stay on the boat and just soak the "best of Australia" up (I think maybe we are remembering all of our hard work from yesterday too!) A group of humpbacks cruises right up to the anchorage and we have front row seats. We've seen turtles today too. It is a rule now, I can't start dinner until I've watched the sunset. It would be ungrateful and wasteful not to appreciate God's finest works.



 

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