Saturday 17^th March

We are in range after all, because we are anchored off Lorne, which looks like a nice little place.  The sea is too choppy to get into the tender so we are just admiring the town from the deck.  Our plan to get to Apollo Bay didn’t come to fruition; we were bashing into the wind and it really wasn’t very comfortable. 

Tomorrow we might get all the way to King Island in one fell swoop, but once again it depends on that pesky old wind.

It has been quite cold out on the sea, but the compensation was – albatross!  And a few speedy dolphins, which didn’t hang around 2XS at all.  They just dived underneath and vanished, but we were very happy to see them.

Michael, James and Jabba got up briefly at 5.00, did a few useful things and then disappeared back into their cabins until much later in the morning – very sensible!  I sat outside with Pete until he insisted that I go back into the cabin.  It was very dark and chilly so I lay on the couch with my audiobook and…fell asleep…

We had a lovely time at Minh Minh in Victoria Street last night.  It was Jabba’s suggestion to go there and it was indeed a delicious meal and a lively, chaotic evening.  Jabba’s sisters, Emma and Maddie, and Maddie’s boyfriend Liam, joined us so we added to the noise and the chaos.  It ended up being a late night and an early start today so I imagine everyone is going to bed early tonight.

Pete invited a bloke of a catamaran near us at YE Marina for a drink.  Darren and his wife operate their cat as an adventure sailing boat.  I gather they are very successful; they have been doing it for five years.  But they want to sell their business.  It all sounds very exhausting.  They take 30 people out at a time, and give them lunch, or a light dinner, and drinks.  Darren is a bit disillusioned - he thought people would come on their lovely boat because they want to go for a sail but no, they want to DRINK.  So they only go down to Williamstown, which is about 45 minutes away, and people are perfectly satisfied that they have really seen Port Philip Bay.

Snapshot:  Pete is pouring gin for him and me.  Michael is fishing for flathead and expressing some disappointment that the reel doesn’t work on the rod he unearthed from the aft locker.  “That would be right,” said Pete, cheerily.  “Probably the only reason anyone left it on the boat is because it doesn’t work.”  James and Jabba are pumping some nasty oily substances from the front hold. 

And all is well!