Greg and Olivia both sail, and Greg is actually certified for a number of different boats. (In fact, they just finished a long vacation where they were helping crew boats in several regattas.) Sunday is sailing day, and we were excited to join in.
Mooloolaba has quite a large marina. It actually is a natural harbor with direct access to the sea.
There's always a race on, and Greg's friend Dave was willing to take all four of us about his boat, Zulu Chief. We thought we'd have to split up, actually, as most of the boats are too small to accommodate this many extras. But this boat is a 50-footer, so had plenty of room.
This photo was taken a few days later, but you can see Zulu Chief in its berth. Its the boat toward the back, with the mast furled inside the black covering.
Boat starts are staggered based on their size and speed, so we were the last to start. We had to go some ways out, clear the buoy marker, head back to the island and around, then back over toward the marina areas. We started well, and were cruising in the wind before long. It was fun, because there was nothing to do at that point but sit low along the side and enjoy the breeze and the company. As we all turned the marker, however, that's where we hit trouble.
I'd never really understood the stories of the big yacht races before, where they have to cancel the race because there is no wind and everyone sounds really sad and despondent. Well, now I understand.
There we are, sails unfurled, on a beautiful boat, in the sun, on the Pacific Ocean, and we're just sitting there. No wind, no where to go. We'd brought lunch, and that was tasty, but it didn't help us to win the race. Eventually, Captain Dave (and the day's race director was on our boat too) decided to back out. At that point, there was no way for us to finish the course and get the boat back to the marina before the tide came out and stranded the boat outside the entry channel -- Zulu Chief is big enough that it requires more clearance than the other boats and so the time was an additional key concern for us.
Turning back meant bringing in the sails and getting the motor going. (Which, by the way, was an adventure before we even started. The battery on the boat would not work that morning, and an emergency trip to get a back-up battery had to be made. As it turns out, we slid right out at our start time, leading to jokes about it being the best start the boat had ever had. At least, I hope it was a joke.)
So we did get to "crew" a bit, as bringing the sails in is a huge effort that has to be done very very quickly, so requires a number of hands. Greg was pulling one of the ropes with Greg, and Olivia and I were pulling in the mast sail with a few others. Sounds exciting, and it was, but it was also easy because we had good directions, lots of help, and there was no overlying stress on the process. It was also over very quickly. We did bring beer for the captain, along with lunch for everyone, but it hardly seemed like we'd earned our keep for a fabulous day of adventure. Well Greg (Olivia's) did, but not me and Greg.
That evening we'd decided to have a seafood feast for dinner, so went down to the fish house on the wharf. Nearly all the fish sold here is caught locally. As you know, I'm not a big fan of anything fried, but that was about the only option for most of the dishes. We got a heap of steamed local prawns, and Greg (mine) hadn't yet had bugs, so we got one of those for us too. I don't remember the fish that Olivia and Greg ordered, but we ordered the day specials, which turned out to be iron jaw snapper and barramundi. I'd had barra already, but again, Greg hadn't. OMG, it was the most amazing meal I'd had in quite some time, fried and all. I don't think we left anything behind.
Mud crabs. Actually, that's one I missed this trip. Next time....
Moreton Bay bugs. They are something between prawn and lobster, sweet but not cloying, tender, juicy, super tasty. But in small doses.
Aussie prawns really are prawns and really are all like this. They are big and succulent. Not like shrimp in the U.S. We do have prawns, but you really have to get prawns to get the same thing, and they're not common like in Australia.
Sand crabs. These were the steamed options available that evening at the fish house.
On Monday, we had a special outing to the Caloundra Regional Art Gallery. Olivia knows the director, and he and another staff member came to my talk at the State Library in Brisbane, then invited Olivia and me to come visit, because they had an indigenous fiber art exhibition on at the moment. They're closed on Monday, but opened especially for us. We thought we'd stop by, have a look around, and an hour later, head off to do something else. Well, we were there for about three and a half hours! The exhibition, Re-Coil, was absolutely amazing and fantastic. We had lunch together, and great conversation. It was a wonderful afternoon.
The rest of the day was lazy. We did laundry (well, it involves water, doesn't it?), and Olivia's sister and niece came for dinner. A nice domestic afternoon and evening, which I great appreciated, having been away from home for more than three weeks at this point. Both Olivia and Greg had to work the next day, so it was an early night too.
But Greg and I had plans for our last day on the Sunshine Coast. Our back-up plan was the Australia Zoo, of Steve Irwin fame. There is a free bus that picks up just a few blocks from Olivia and Greg's, and they had gone not long ago and had had a great day. But the zoo also runs a whale watching boat, from one of the docks also just a few blocks from their place, and that was our plan.
The boat, Whale One.
It was a beautiful day! About 75 people boarded, and the jovial crew thought it hysterical that the couple boarding ahead of us, going to see the whales, were from Wales. Then they got us, and that was fun too, but clearly not as fun. It couldn't be.
The boat has coffee and cookies to start with, and then you cruise out for a while. They'd been seeing a number of whales recently, so they had several places to look.
Mooloolaba from the ocean.
You've heard of shipping container ships, and you've seen the containers, either on the docks or in parking lots or on train beds. Well, we spied this ship while heading out to our whale spots. Yes, it is HUGE. And I don't think that this one was considered especially large.
Turns out, we didn't have a great whale sighting day. We did catch a mama and calf not far from that container ship, but lost them. A little further on we caught this group of three, one of which did give a tail, one of which breached nearly right in front of us (yes, there was a lot of roll from that), and then, gone. The captain made a joke about how 75 people could lose three mega-ton creatures.... It's hard to photograph them, because you don't know exactly where they are going to come up, and there are people everywhere. So unless you're the naturalist, and you're way up top with a near panoramic view and no one in your sites, it's more a matter of luck. I'm excited that I got these two, a dorsal, and just before the tail emerged. I did see the breach, and it was spectacular.
(In case you don't know, whales are my favorite. I was so excited that Greg chose this as our activity! I hope he did it not just for me.) They kept looking, and brought out lunch. I actually was feeling a bit unwell, which is very unusual for me on a boat. It started when the boat rocked while I was in the loo, but by keeping my focus on the horizon, I was able keep it in check. The seas weren't rough, but there were swells of several meters, and as a result, many ill people aboard. But food helps me, and I felt great as soon as I started to eat lunch. Even though we didn't get more whales, we did enjoy the ride back. And, they showed Steve Irwin shows on the TVs too, so that was fun. All in all, a highly enjoyable day. We finished off with dinner with Olivia and Greg at a Moroccan restaurant on the Esplanade. Next day, back to Brisbane.
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