Hi from Clare, Sunday 27th January 2013
HOW QUICKLY WE CHANGE
A few weeks ago we were looking forward to returning to George Town. We passed through here pretty quickly last June on our way to Maine. Now after being stuck here for three week waiting, waiting, we are now looking forward to leaving. We received our Navionics chart on Wednesday. It actually arrived early Tuesday morning but it took all day to travel the five miles from the airport into George Town. As you can imagine Andrew was not impressed.
So we missed the weather window for leaving and since Wednesday we have experienced strong wind, heaps of white caps and a large swell. We are well protected inside the bay but since the wind has picked up, traveling across the bay to town in the dinghy is a wash out.
ALL IN TOGETHER
We have spent most of our time socializing. Steve and Carol on "Innamorata" have caught up with us and also a Swiss couple Thierry and Claudia on "Vanupieds" who we shared the Hurricane Sandy experience with in Portsmouth. We have also met many other cruisers who like ourselves are waiting on the weather. There are approximately two hundred boats here now.
AUSTRALIA DAY
Yesterday we had a very social Australia Day. There are three Aussie boats here at present and so we gathered for morning coffee and vegemite sandwiches. Dave and Martha on "Antigone" were the hosts. Another Dave, a delivery skipper, from "Mist" and American Ed from "Imagine" also attended. Andrew and I were the only ones drinking coffee; the others in true Aussie style were drinking beer at 10am. We all brought multiple Aussie flags and decorated "Antigone" for the occasion.
We got back to our boat in the afternoon and received an invitation to drinks by an English couple Geoff and Bunkie on "Party of Two" at 5pm. They spent a year in Australia and loved every minute of the experience. For Australia Day they dressed in their Aussie T-shirts and we shared an enjoyable evening with them and four of their friends from the anchorage. We have never done this much celebrating for Australia Day; I think we better come home - it's much easier.
SO WHAT'S NEXT
I guess this afternoon we will walk across the island and frighten ourselves looking out to sea. It's very good therapy, in no time we agree we don't want to be out there.
Love Candy xx
At 3:04 PM6/01/2013 (utc) our position was 23°31.46'N 075°45.86'W
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