Thursday, July 18, 2013

Note to self. Boats float. That means that when you are suited up with boots face mask, snorkel and new super sized flippers when you come up for air, it isn't the current that has run off with you. Instead the boat has moved and you need to go over to the ladder. No, not panic and lunge for the dingy as you imagine being swept out to sea. Meanwhile, where is Captain Frank? Out of sight putting the camera away. Just before I entered the water May the loggerhead turtle welcomed us back by coming the closest to the boat she has ever come. Only thing was I had taken my glasses off in order to swim so missed it all except for a vague blob as she did her dive. We left May's Bay late morning after watching a sea eagle eat his breakfast on nearby rocks and a sea gull who had adopted the dingy dive in and retrieve a fish to eat. More like a minnow, but he seemed proud of his achievements. We headed over to Cid Harbour to explore, then with the weather improving substantially decided to return to May's to anchor overnight rather than return to the marina a night early. So after lunch we headed back, this time me taking the wheel and having my first lesson in handling the yacht. Not dissimilar to a car, but with a much larger wheel. Actually, on this yacht we have a choice of wheels. So, I started getting my head around the depth of water, working out how to steer straight and when to veer. The wheel is large and as such takes longer to respond, but once it does, she responds quickly. Takes a little getting used to, but I enjoyed it immensely. Others have found our bay so we took a different mooring on our return, hopped into the dingy then went across the bay and up an inlet to a pirate beach. Coming back we went to look at the coral bommies under high tide. A totally different experience to this morning. Heading back to the yacht we saw May and were able to cut the engine and head across to where she was swimming. Seeing this gentle creature so close was incredible. Her head seems so small in comparison to her shell mass, but she looked happy, smiling at us before she dived and went down into the water and out of sight. 14.7.13

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