Raw

Mid-morning the Jacksters picked us up in their dinghy and we all went ashore. The four of us made an easy job of hauling the dinghy up the beach. We walked along the beach to the nearby Tangalooma Resort. I came over all needful for a plate of chips so we hung around for half an hour for the cafe to open. When we finally got them my taste buds didn’t appreciate the chips as much as my imagination had. Oh well.

A short while after returning to the boat, David and Jacquie returned to take us out snorkeling on the wrecks. The visibility wasn’t good but we saw plenty of fish of all sizes. It was nice being back in the water as in some ways, all the cares in the world were forgotten. I didn’t wear my normal weight belt so found myself incredibly buoyant which took any nerves away of perhaps running into trouble. David stayed in the dinghy acting as surface watch but went back to their boat when the heavens opened We were all right in the water though and kept on exploring the wrecks.

Back on the boat we showered and rested feeling quite well exercised. We performed a couple of small maintenance tasks on the boat. Nothing special, just usual boat stuff. I decided to do another data test on the SSB, this time sending an image. It should have gone on the blog but I’ve been unable to test as yet. The test was yet another surprise. The Pactor modem reached the baud rate of 3600. If it’s ever gone this high before I’ve never noticed. The highest I recall is 3200. Not only that, it was hitting almost every packet without failure towards the end. I think I mentioned this once before but the whole setup seems to be running better since we left the yard in New Zealand. The best hypothesis I can come up with is we perhaps used to have some passive interference from the electric system.

Later in the afternoon the Jacksters came back one final time to pick up the dive gear we no longer have any use for. It can’t be easily (or hardly) sold here so it has no value for us. This is better and if they run into someone who wants to give a buck or two for some of it, all the better. In the meantime, it has a good home.

Once alone for the rest of the evening Helen and I had dinner and listened to music. The skies were clear and the evening pleasant. We sat in the back listening to music we’d played during our cruise looking out into the universe. Jupiter and Sirius sat either side of Orion as the turning Earth brought them above the land to our East. The Magellanic Clouds were up too. It soon turned into raw emotion. We both cried a lot. We were taken back to some of the magical moments on crossings when over a thousand miles from the nearest spec of land, one’s sense of position in the universe becomes such a profound experience.

For me everything past, present and future boiled down to the love I have for Helen. She’s been my soul companion through all our experiences and that is priceless beyond measure. We cried some more.

We’re heading back to Manly Harbour later today. Wind warnings of 25-30 knots are being announced so it could end up being a wild ride. We’ve been in worse many times and Dignity will handle it for sure. I’m a bit excited.