The boat is still and silent. The sailing adventure is over. At times over the last week this was the moment I looked toward. Now that it’s here, I question why. The sea has a conflicting magnetism: when you’re on water you look to be on land; and when you’re on land you once again wish for the solitude of sea life.
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| Passing Isle du Golfe, on the way to Port Davey and the South West Wilderness. |
After six months of being locked in Fortress
Queensland, we were looking forward to a reunion with Delvy, and with my mum.
It was convenient that they were both in the same place.
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| A return to NSW at last. Thanks Mum for looking after our second home. |
I often have to pinch myself. My life has many extraordinary moments. It takes awhile to come back down to earth and I ask myself, “Did that really happen?”
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| No sight of land for 36 hours |
With our motorhome stuck in NSW, I thought I would try a different kind of adventure on a different type of transport, just for a change. After working 12-hour days for 31 days straight in Bowen, I was looking forward to a long sit down. Gazing out the big windows of the Spirit of Queensland as it trundled down the east coast tracks sounded like an ideal way to wind down. It turned out I got a lot longer sit down than anticipated.
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| Hot and sunny in the Whitsundays - time to head south for the summer |
Bushfire smoke encased the air as we turned off the Pacific Highway towards Maclean in our motorhome, and crossed the single lane timber and wrought iron bridge that spans South Arm of the Clarence River. “We’re going to sail this river one day”, my husband announced as we followed this enormous waterway alongside Woodford Island. Fast forward 18 months and on a clear morning last July we arrived at the Clarence River entrance in a 43-foot sailing yacht, named Jobey-Doh. You know the saying, “There are those who make things happen….”
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| McFarlane Bridge, crossing the South Arm near Maclean. Summer 2019
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A post-apocalyptic silence looms over the bay; a distant siren adds weight to the scenario. Well, that’s a slight exaggeration but there is a noticeable difference of activity for a weekend day. A COVID-19 lockdown has finally caught up with us, but instead of being in the thick of it we are floating around on the peripheral, literally.
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| A glass out, until the wind changes. |
Someone wise once said, “Minutes are worth more than money. Spend them wisely." ¹ I think I can safely say I have done that over the last six months. With a combination of land and sea adventures it really has been Carpe Diem at its best.
