Thursday, May 8, 2008

Australia - Whitsundays - Cataran Bay and Turtles





A bit easier night was had by all, but we wake up to all 3 of our toilets being out of commission. Good thing we are from the country and a little expedition to shore is in order. On our way back, we see all kinds of flying fish. they are the coolest things with little "wings" on the side. We had seen them last night in the fading light, but up close they are about 8 inches long and clear about 8-10 feet in a leap.

We pull out of the Bay and motor over to the next moorage at Cataran Bay. It is across a large open patch of sea and with this our toilets work again. Cataran is another exposed moorage, but is supposed to be the most spectacular snorkelling in the area. The Whitsundays are just inside the Great Barrier Reef, but if you can get there by boat, it is just as spectacular. As we pull into Cataran, we manage t grab one of only 3 mooring buoys. Unlike in the Gulf Islands which is the only other place we've sailed, there aren't any marinas. This means you have to take all of your own food and you must moor or anchor every night.

We plunge off the boat and over to the beach from where we can access the snorkelling. Anna and Paul and I are just heading back in after some fabulous coral sighting when I hear Anna barking into her snorkel! Has Elvis followed us? No, but there is a turtle - a huge 4 foot wide turtle looking right at us! It is more curious about us than we are of him, but he stays very still and we back up and swim around him so as not to frighten him (or have some part of us bitten off is all I'm thinking!)

We spend a verrry rocky night after our evening Scrabble game and head out the next day to see Whitehaven Beach.

Holly

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