February 26 - Airlie Beach, Australia

Why is that days at sea seem to fly by much faster than when I’m home in Williamsburg?  Since I last wrote we had a stop in Moreton Island and a day at sea.  I had booked a tour in Moreton but I decided to skip it.  There were intermittent showers and the tour was on a glass bottom boat to see fish.  When I thought back on previous trips like that, I couldn’t ever remember seeing lots of wonderful fish and I figured on a cloudy day I wouldn’t have any better luck.  Instead I worked on sorting pictures and writing about Brisbane.

Yesterday was a sea day and besides trivia I went to two art classes and tried my hand at watercolors for the first time ever.  It was fun even though I’m not going to be a Grandma Moses anytime soon.  I painted one of those tropical fish that I probably wouldn’t have seen yesterday had I gone on my tour.  I liked painting so much that when I get home I may have to pull out my pastels and try using them again.

Last night I sat at the captain’s table for the second time and I learned some nautical and weather-related things that seem obvious now but I just never thought about.  We’ve been traveling inside the Great Barrier Reef which runs a very long way along the coast of Australia, not just in one little place.  The water here is relatively shallow and so there is no cold layer of water to upwell in the sea. Upwelling is an oceanographic process in which wind blows across the surface pushing water away and creating a vacuum into which the cold, nutrient rich water rises to the surface.  As a result of the depth here  the water temperature is actually warmer than the air temperature (which is very hot) and so it follows that it feels positively steamy.  I hope that I’ve explained it correctly and maybe only I found it fascinating but I did.

The other thing I learned which makes perfect sense is why the tender rides sometimes seem so rough.  Another person at the table commented on even little waves making the ride seem bumpy.  The captain told us that the tenders are built to be lifeboats which in the case of an emergency would carry lots of people (153 to be exact).  In that case they would ride lower in the water, be more maneuverable and wouldn’t bob around quite so much. As it is, sometimes there are only a few of us riding to or from the ship and the tender sits higher in the water and bangs around more and can be trickier to handle.  So there were my nautical lessons for today which maybe no one cares about but I did and want to remember.

Today we anchored off Airlie Beach which is in the Whitsunday region of Queensland.  It’s one of several departure points to the Great Barrier Reef.  I didn’t have a tour booked but I decided I should go ashore so I could say I’d been here.  It was a long tender ride (30 minutes) and not particularly rough.  We traveled through a little squall as we rode along.  Like in the Caribbean I think passing rain showers are not unusual and it’s interesting to watch them coming across the water toward you. The water here is very blue and inviting but I’m not big on sandy beaches.  At one of the talks onboard they also talked about some kind of stinging jellyfish around here and that’s not my cup of tea either.

Look at that beautiful water

This house must have a view to die for

Once ashore I took a cab for the short ride into the little town center.  It wasn’t far but the walk was in the sun and with a temperature that felt like 92° with the humidity, I just wasn’t up for that.  I looked in some of the shops and walked to the waterfront where there was a lagoon.  In the distance I could see the Odyssey riding at anchor.  I passed a dress shop and continued my quest for some flowy, cool dresses.  I actually found a couple that I liked.  (At this rate I’ll probably have to get another suitcase.)  I’m learning some lessons about clothing in these tropical areas.  What works in summer at home doesn’t work here because at home I don’t really stay outside for any length of time. I go from A/C to A/C with only brief ventures out.   I now have a couple of very loose-fitting things I can wear that allow air to circulate.  That’s my fashion lesson for myself today.

Look at how lush everything is

My home anchored out in the bay

The quiet little main street

After my shopping I headed back to the tender and the ship.  My cabin feels like a refrigerator- it’s wonderful!  This evening I’m eating at the alternative restaurant with friends and then there’s a nice show with a great singer and her fiancé who also sings.

This hasn’t been a very exciting post but I wanted to let you know I’m alive and I want to remember the things I’ve learned for the next time I travel this way. I’ve been trying to figure out what was in my head when I packed to come here.  My brain was stuck on cold and much of what I brought reflects that. 

Sorry I don't have anything more exciting to write about. I suppose I could have made up a chance encounter with a great white but I doubt anyone would believe it.  So, bye for now.

Oh one more thing.  I ran into my friend who saw platypuses the other day and she air-dropped a photo and some videos to me so here they are.

That's a platypus. Ugly critter isn't he?

Oops! I still can't figure out how I've added videos in the past so that one shot will have to do.