Sunday 16th December

Sunday 16^th December

Sunday 16th December

And yes – more accolades!  This time Nicole Headlam Darcey deserves our admiration and appreciation.  She rang yesterday to tell us that she had just been contacted by the National Breast Cancer Research council (not sure of the actual title).  She is the winner, nationally, as the biggest fundraiser.  In February she and James are invited to Government House in Sydney to receive an award.  Pete is so proud of his Number #2 daughter he can barely speak, and I am so very impressed with her wonderful achievement.

Well just for once we are actually sailing 2XS.  Right this moment we are anchored in Snug Bay, rocking gently within a hundred or so metres of the beach.  It is a bit cool and drizzly, but all very peaceful and beautiful.

Why Snug? I hear you cry.  Well we are killing two birds with one stone.  Or something much more pleasant than killing any birds with any stones.    There was a lunch party in Snug, and we had been invited.  Pete didn’t think we could go, because we had planned to sail2XS – this darling boat has been rather neglected since our return in April.  I had a brainwave – we could do both!  We could sail to Snug and unfurl the (darling neglected) bikes and ride to Robbie and Dennis’s house, a metre kilometer from the beach.  (Up hill all the way…some of us found this very challenging…)

And indeed all of this went to plan, although we were still snoring peacefully until 9am on Saturday when the plan was to leave Prince of Wales Bay at 8.00.  In our defence, it was POURING and did not look promising.  But at nine the weather perked up, we perked up (or woke up; I was just a bit sluggish on Saturday, for no discernible reason.)

We had such a nice time at the “lunch” party.  Inverted commas because in fact I had to drag Pete, volubly protesting, from the house at 9pm… I was worried that we wouldn’t be back at the beach before dark; did NOT fancy going out to 2XS in the tiny, faithful dinghy laden with two adults and two bikes with no lights in the dark.

No Attenborough moments just yet.  We came upon a small flock of penguins bobbing on the surface, but they plunged away as we approached.  No whales or dolphins, just one lone sea eagle welcoming us to Snug Tiers Road.