Sailing day 2

Monday, August 03, 2009
First let me say that I believe that I come from a long line of landlubbers. I do not have great sea-legs by any stretch. I seem to be able to handle what moderately sized lakes have to offer, but this application of medium-sized vessels (in this case a 32’, 250 ton ship, technically speaking) on open water is beyond the abilities of my middle ears. The trip out to Hook Island from Airlie Beach was over rough water with fairly strong winds. I fortunately did not have too full a stomach, and all stayed within the GI tract, but the impulse was there. At one point I felt the masseter muscles start to tighten up. That was my first clue to get above board and affix my eyes on the horizon. I also consumed a couple of lollies of crystallized ginger, these chewable, sugar-coated candies. I can see why they may not be the most desired sweets in the candy store, but they undoubtedly helped.
Today was a little bit better. Perhaps due to prophylactic ginger; perhaps by staying on the upper decks with large views, near the midportion of the boat; I managed to stay a touch more in control of the nausea. Much of the time we were working with the wind, so that the chop was less. Even though we were working against the tide, the pitching and yawing were less.
Unbelievable that many a person was at work today. Amongst our activities was, with Hudon at the helm, a trip into Tongue Bay, folowed by a dinghy ride to shore and a hike over to Whitehaven Beach. Apparently a fixture among these tours, it is a well known beach, and rightfully so. First are the spectacular views from the beach, and even moreso from the lookout points along the ridge halfway along the hike. The inlet has beautiful blue water streaking back and forth along the inlet amongst white sand. And that sand is just as wonderful tactilely as visually. It turns out that is because it has very fine grains and minimal organic pollutants. It is 98% silica, the highest in the world. As is everything along the Great Barrier Reef, it is illegal to take any of this sand, but the one exception has been the donation of some for the creation of the lens in the Hubble Telescope. Interesting stuff.
Down in the pools that form with the changes in the tide, there are multitudes of manta rays. It is rumored to also have plenty of baby sharks, though none of these materialized to anyone in our group of eighteen during our visit. The rays were abundant however, and in the warm shallow water, it was a delight to walk among them and see them glide slowly away, like gently repelled magnets. You could also see them well, numbering a couple of dozens, from the lookout points high above.
We had our first snorkeling experience after lunch, on the edge of Border Island. The current was running strongly out to sea along the steep shore, but if we continued to swim toward shore at a good clip, we could slowly make our way along the reef that snuggled the rock wall. The water was a bit clouded due to the turbulence, but I reckon we could see a good ten meters below in spots, enough that I could make out the four divers and two instructors from our boat. I saw a loggerhead turtle, a school of Dori fish (Funny how a cartoon can change their perception.), but otherwise only the occasional loner fish feeding on a relatively grey reef.
We are currently parked in a bay on the northwest end of Hook Island. We got a spot at one of only a handful of moorings that have been placed in the region. They are posts that the government has placed in inlets layered with thick coral. It was a surprise to the captain to find one free, so there was a change of plans, resulting in an extra site for us to dive. So tomorrow we just plunge off the ship itself and take in the sites before proceeding around to Butterfly Bay, our intended endpoint for today. I have high expectations, having seen a batfish just while we were mooring, and having heard the description of fish in this cove with “laborador-like” behavior, calleed hump-headed Maori wrasse. Sounded cute until the captain described their 60 kg stature. Sweet dreams tonight…

Photos by Joey:

1. We stopped to watch some harvesting of sugar cane, transported into town in the bins shown on small rails.
2. One of the best shots of the Whitehaven Beach
3. Hud at the helm
4. Joey and I go diving
5. Down time out on the back deck
   

The Vacation Part

We are now back from vacation. The Munns having been here for two great weeks, they have recently returned stateside. We all traveled to the islands of Queensland and then to "the Red Centre" over the first week, then I returned to work while they saw Sydney for a week. It was great.

Somehow I lost internet service on the open water and amongst the islands. Who knew? The blogs have had to be stored until we got back on land, and when I had time to catch my breath. Those Munns ran like mad. I hope they got to sleep on the plane!

I have a few entries, entered while holed up in my below-deck cabin, listening to the waves gently slosh against the boat. I will spread them out over a couple of days.

Sunday, August 02, 2009

It is the end of the first day of our three-day, three-night sailing adventure amongst the Whitsundays, and by we I mean Amenia, Joey, Hudson, and myself.

Yesterday we caught an early flight out of Sydney to Townsville then drove down to Airlie Beach, where we stayed at the Whitsunday Lodge Bed and Breakfast. After a little shopping, returning the rental car, and providing some medical care to a trauma patient, we hiked over to Abell Point to ship out for an evening sail out to Hook Island, where we are currently anchored and bobbing, much to the chagrin of my inner ear.

The trauma patient was an interesting one. You just never know when these moments will arise. I was milling about the central shopping area of Airlie Beach, buying some swimming shorts, checking out T-shirts as the Munns were returning from Abell Point when, as I crossed the street and stepped onto the sidewalk, I heard a rather large thud, as though someone had dropped something onto the concrete. In actuality, they had, but what this 17 year-old had dropped was his head! He had fallen from standing height off the curb into the street, striking the back of his head with significant force. He then seized for about 30 seconds, was out of it for about another 90, then gradually came around while brewing a fair subdermal hematoma, though he did donate a bit to his hair and forehead. The ambulance pulled up quickly enough, and he was off, though I was concerned for the level of care provided in these parts.

It turns out that he had a vasovagal response about 5 minutes after having his tongue pierced.

As for the trip, I think we have been really fortunate, for the most part. The B&B was in itself nothing spectacular, breakfast mediocre, but the people were great, the setting was nice, quite green, and well off the beaten path. Furthermore, Mother Nature has played along well, and the weather here in Queensland quite agreeable to both the Texans in their reprieve from summer and myself enjoying a bit of warmth.

The boat has been a good find, though this seems to have been due to luck. The husband of the woman who runs the B&B is a city manager and thereby indirectly oversees the health department, so he spoke with knowledge when he confirmed that we had chosen one of the better boats, and more importantly, one of the more reliable crews. On the flip side however, somewhere along the line some errors were made in the choosing of the cabins. I had intended for us to have the nicest cabin for Amenia and Joey, and a pair of bunkbeds for Hud and myself. Instead, we got the second best cabin, then the tiniest of double beds—better dubbed a generous single—down in the tail end of the bottom deck of the boat. Now the first I can live with, but the second was a rather poor result. Bed is fair sized, bathroom just next door and for only this cabin, though the entry is out in the hall. But we are here for the adventures, not as much for the sleeping arrangements, so I expect that this will still be a great trip. Hudson is currently collapsed upstairs with his parents, barely able to make it through the main course of dinner. Nothing to do witht he cabins, mind you, just that the time change still has him by the pituitary. For a single person, this cabin is not too bad.

Explanation of photos:

1. Boarding the Pacific Sunrise, the largest wooden vessel built in the southern hemisphere, they say. Darn good food and a fun crew.

2. The four of us above Whitehaven Beach, a gorgeous and large bunch of sand with the purest concentration of silica, 98%. Hence the only permitted removal has been for the construction of the Hubble telescope's lens.

3. Abandonment or a Jimmy Buffett album cover? Actually, Tim was leaving us at the shore for the above hike to Whitehaven Beach.

4. These crew members get to seet this stuff on a regular basis! Unfortunately this stuff includes gulls, Tim's nemesis, as their loitering results in dinghy dung.

5. Best three sunsets I can recall: off the shore of Baja California on the bike ride, bridge climb this week (saved for a later blog), and this photo.