Sunday 19th February
If we thought it was all GO in Bathurst Waters…well it is trebly so here in Middle Harbour…
It took about three hours to cruise down from Lion Island, and it was an absolutely sensational day – clear blue sky, warm sunshine, a flat, calm sea. So flat and calm, in fact, that I was able to spot a small black fin, just near the boat. No not a dolphin – a shark, about as long as my leg! Pete’s face lit up. “I think I’ll turn the boat around!” he said, joyfully. "I have found a lovely place for you to have a swim!”
We came in through the Heads alongside a huge great cruise ship, Something Delicioza (Princess Delicioza??? Maybe not…) and were then immediately in a flurry of boats, big and small, all making the most of this beautiful Sydney Harbour day.
Middle Harbour Yacht Club was as welcoming as always. We have a place to tie up on the outside of C Pontoon, where we have been before. Tonight we are going to dinner at Cala Luna, which we know to be a most lovely restaurant. It has now moved from ultra-busy Spit Road to the upstairs balcony of the yacht club and it all looks very swish. It is only open Weds-Sun so this is my only opportunity to take Pete there for dinner to celebrate the safe return of 2XS from and to Sydney – a big achievement, I think.
Pete has skippered the boat to four different countries – New Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea, and all the way back to Townsville and down the coast to Sydney. He has been vigilant and careful all the way. Most of the time, he has only had me for crew – I had never sailed out of sight of land before, and am still not the most proficient of sailors. We have had the odd bit of engine trouble, but Pete and 2XS have been a safe and reliable team. I have never felt in the least bit frightened – and yes this is a question everyone always asks me. “Sometimes sick but never scared,” I always reply. And that is because Pete has been so careful and sensible, spending hours poring over charts, weather forecasts, books, Google Earth, the whole kit and caboodle. He has also been patient and kind with me, putting up with me never really knowing my right from my left let alone my port from my starboard… (There is always a moment or two of hesitation, which must be very annoying to someone with such a good sense of direction.)
Our journey is not over yet – we still have to get back to Tasmania – but I am going home from Wednesday 22nd until Saturday 10th March to help with a new baby girl, due any day now. I will catch up with 2XS in Melbourne so I am only missing a bit of the return adventure. But I do want to acknowledge and congratulate Pete on his magnificent effort; I have had a most fabulous and unforgettable ten months. And – even more remarkable – I have never once got sick of Pete’s company; he always makes me laugh, makes me feel safe, makes me feel happy, keeps me supplied with G & T. (And especially…makes me laugh!!)
Awww, that's so sweet. Well done you two.
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