Manly is a little coastal community and distant suburb of
Brisbane, but has a huge boat harbour, maybe 2000+ boats here in 4 marinas.
It’s well protected from most nasty natural events; tsunamis, cyclones, etc.
with a significant surrounding rock breakwater and barrier islands that form
the Moreton Bay. The village reminds me of Mission Bay in Auckland with its
long coastal walkway looking out into the Gulf and nice restaurants, boutiques,
etc. We found a good Thai eatery tonight. The surrounding Moreton Bay has lots
of sailing, some attractive islands and a large estuary system for exploring
similar to the Great Sandy Straights up north behind Fraser Island. The little
village has frequent train service to Brisbane so should be easy as for
commuting (god forbid I actually go back to work).
So, we are here, safe and sound, but knackered after a long
day of ‘paying attention’ and actively sailing, navigating, negotiating with
cargo ship captains, watching for whales, the wind in our hair, etc, etc. All
up, it’s been about 4500 nautical miles since leaving New Zealand. So, it’s
time to sit out the cyclone season here and take a break to do some land stuff
for awhile. Not to mention a few boat projects, restock the cruising kitty,
etc. It’s been a good journey, not too much drama or sleepless nights (only a
few), and many lovely places visited and people met.
So, that’s the news from Equanimity, where the winds are fair,
the seas following and the crew content to be here. (and just in time for Julie
to catch a plane tomorrow). Be well all. Until next year... Great Barrier Reef,
Darwin, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand...
J
