lady musgrave island

There has to be a last snorkel so the Southern Reef is always on our list travelling south.  Fortunately, the weather finally obliged for a visit out to Lady Musgrave.

It was a long motor from Pancake Creek but as always, no wind means calm waters out on the reef.  Perfect for snorkeling and also for capturing the lagoon from the air with my drone, unlike our visit earlier this season.

The entrance … from The Bossa and the air …

We all felt the fish life this visit was even better. Not sure why. It was like swimming in an aquarium in some spots on the northern ledge of the lagoon.  So many varieties of fish, and big ones too.  Lots of photos!  But no Nudis unfortunately.  I’m always on the lookout for these amazing little critters.

Here’s a few fish I caught on camera and identified …

We caught up with Waterfront, Bushytales and Chances.  Guitars and fish tacos on The Bossa!  Unfortunately our fishing efforts this season have been frustrating.  Too many tunas. Waterfront provided their catch, while The Bossa prepared “Luke’s Tacos’, a secret recipe from a fellow sailor whose name is … Luke!

It’s turtle time!

The Anenomefish this season have been a treat.  There have been so many.  I haven’t seen a great variety of species but I have enjoyed the numerous opportunities I’ve had to sneak in close for some close-up pics.

The Sea Anenomes the Anenomefish inhabit have also been fascinating. I have seen so many different colours, even at Lady Musgrave alone. The Sea Anemone and Anenomefish coexist, they have a mutually beneficial relationship. One provides shelter, a safe and protected home and the other, providing nutrients, cleaning and scaring away predatory fish, like the Butterflyfish. The stinging tentacles of the Sea Anemone capture prey but the Anenomefish is not interested in attacking the Sea Anemone’s tentacles and the Anenomefish are protected by a thick mucus layer.

A walk around the island this time of year is a must.  As well as seeing the turtle nesting tracks, the birdlife is prolific.

One island in the Southern Reef I’ve wanted to visit for a long time is Lady Elliot. It’s 22 miles south of Lady Musgrave. It has no protection as an anchorage bar the island, so it’s a calm weather anchorage.  It’s known for its low key eco resort and but more so for its amazing fringing reef, including the resident manta rays. Another last snorkel perhaps?! We dropped by there on the way south to Bundy, but unfortunately the very sloppy seas meant we didn’t stop.  Next time!

But we did finally score a Spanish Mackerel … yay!!!!  After three Mac Tunas (yuk) that were promptly returned to the deep, we finally caught something we wanted.  Reeling in four big fish was exhausting, along with our 12 hour sail to Bundy, so we were in bed by 8.30 that night!

I’ll just sneak in these photos of the blood moon taken on November 8. We were anchored in a mangrove creek near Gladstone, hiding from the never-ending strong southerly winds after leaving Yellow Patch. I set up a small tripod with my digital SLR and zoom lens. We had a clear sky with no buildings or lights as far as we could see.  Perfect.  As the moon came up, I was set to go. But it didn’t occur to me … I was on a boat and yes, I was still, but the boat was not. There was no wave action (well, until a tinnie went speeding by), but the boat was slowly moving from side to side at anchor. I ended up ‘chasing’ the moon with my tripod.  I was surprisingly happy with my efforts.  Mind you I took plenty of photos, knowing the boat movement probably meant blurry images.

We are now en route to Boatworks after a few nights in the Sandy Straits.