Rain! Lots of rain overnight and into the morning. And cold. It is got down to 12 degrees (well 52 Fahrenheit) overnight and this morning it was hats, jeans, and sweatshirts for everyone. Clearly we are no longer in the tropics. A relaxing morning gave me a chance to call home and just as important have a call with a long-time internet friend Dave.
Dave owned a Seawind 1160 (Nimrod) and has a blog (like most of us), I reached out to him back in 2015(?) about his lithium battery installation. Over the years we’d ping each other about various issues, upgrades, and most importantly sailing adventures. Well finally approaching his cruising grounds I reached out from Vanuatu. He gave us a ton of suggestions and information about places to visit there based on his trip from Tonga to Fiji to Vanuatu and home. Since arriving in OZ we had been trying to arrange a visit. He also was passing along lots of helpful information about cruising the area plus helping research marinas and other logistics for us. Just an amazing bloke!
Our haul out had been pushed back from Monday to Thursday which screwed up my get together with Dave. And our anchoring spots in the mean time were up in the air too. But he and I tossed around the idea of my taking a ferry to land but scheduling conflicts blocked that attempt too. We’d have to wait and see.
With a break on the heavy rain we dinghied to shore for a bit of exploration. First stop was the postal store where Carl was able to purchase a cell phone SIM card. A quick review of the grocery store and our walk continued. Russell island is getting more expensive but for a long time was an affordable place to live for people commuting to Brisbane or who were retired. Like so many places, people have been moving here since Covid with prices increasing rapidly. Still as a visitor it has maintained its charm with very little retail, just the essentials.
Oh, and they have a very nice looking aquatic center and a small library too. I was leading us to “The Farm” which is a small art gallery. Along the way we found a lunch spot for afterwards – a dim sum shop only open Friday and Saturday. The art gallery turned out to be a place where local artists and aspiring artist work together and collaborate. The walls and galleries were adorned with various pieces (for sale) that were locally produced. One of the instructors was working on a woven piece and took a break to give us a tour and feed our inquisitive quest for knowledge on the gallery and the community. It was a fun stop that really helped give us an idea of island life for the locals.
Back to the dim sum, we loaded up on a couple combination plates. There were all the classics which were quickly devoured. Worrying that more rain was coming we began our return making one more stop at Aunty Alice’s Café – truth be told I was still hungry. A fish burger ordered for me and a couple flat whites for Carl and Roxy. Admittedly once my “burger” was dropped off I questions myself. Way too much food but after yesterday’s fasting I enjoyed it without guilt.
we were still exhausted from the passage and last twenty-four hours, I retired to my cabin and had a very long nap. It felt so good to wake up refreshed. The wind was blowing the hardest since we arrived (20+ knots) making grilling not an option. Blerg. So it was a slow, one at a time process to whip up mashed potatoes, pork chops, sautéed green beans, and a salad. A bit of a late dinner but bellies full there was just enough time for a shower and a movie before bed.
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