Our 2016 northern journey is coming to an end.
Like last year, we’ve had the most fantastic time and also like last year, we are actually ready to return to our lovely home, family and friends.
Here’s a few favourite memories …
We have met so many great people this year. It has been very social and some great friendships have been formed. A big thank you to Gary and Annie on Chances. We have shared many happy 2016 cruising memories!
We also had a few visitors on board … Tim and Abbey, Andree and Steve and then unexpectedly Teryle and Steve met us on their way south in their van. Six months away is a long time, so seeing familiar faces is great.
It is our second year cruising the east coast so familiarity has meant more knowledge and with knowledge comes confidence. Planning our passages and interpreting the weather, distances and tides, have all become second nature. We have come to know our boat so well (so we should since we built it) and working together to reach destinations has become very comfortable.
While revisiting familiar destinations is rewarding, it’s discovering the new destinations that’s really exciting. There have many great places both new and old. A few favourites … Bait and Hardy Reefs were new and Lady Musgrave old, all were brilliant. So far out at sea, anchored in coral lagoons with clear vibrant underwater life all around us, we love it. Yellow Patch, with its stunning yellow sandhill and endless white sand flats was new and well worth waiting for the right weather.
This year I wanted to spend more time with my cameras. I bought an underwater camera at home, an Olympus TG4 and I unexpectedly upgraded my DSLR in Townsville buying an Olympus OMD E 10 Mk11 with a 75-300mm zoom (a big zoom is a must on a boat). Both have been great buys. I have used my underwater camera endlessly making my snorkelling more rewarding and my new zoom has been fantastic for the whales and wildlife. Both are WiFi cameras so photos can be linked to my iphone and ipad via an app instantly. This means my Instagram photos are not just from my iphone and I can upload photos to my blog posts easily and quickly.
The snorkelling has been so exciting this year. Being a bit more adventurous by seeing more of the outer reef, along with my new underwater camera, have added so much more enjoyment to my snorkelling. Spending more time in the water, taking it slow and really looking at the detail means you get to see so much more, like my clown fish! Thankyou Gary.
The turtles and whales have very much taken centre stage during this trip. There were an abundance of turtles all up the coast but it was our time at Lady Musgrave where our turtle watching became a highlight. What a special memory we will have watching our turtle nest right next to us and my chair. The number of whales we have seen all up the coast has far exceeded last year. Many were close to us, some quite unexpected.
So while we do know where The Bossa will live for the next six months, who knows where we will cruise next year? The east coast, venturing a bit further north, or maybe off shore … there is a rally to New Caledonia in 2017 (and it happens to start at The Boatworks). Hmmm …
We haul out Bossa Nova for a six month rest in a few days and then flying home. We are looking forward to seeing our new home, family and our friends … and some of the comforts home offers … like real toilet paper (and lots of it), dark mornings, fast travel, long showers, better coffee, my own washing machine … and NO weather forecasts!
Nearly forgot … some of my fishing conquests! With my new rig, no lost fish. (A big thank you Gary for your advice and help setting up my rig.)
