Wednesday 3 June 2015

For those of you who were saddened by wanton slaughter engaged in by the Casy Isle dog on Monday, here's some information you didn't know you didn't want to know. Sea cucumbers have no brain and no sensory organs although possessed of very limited senses of touch and of the presence of light. They have only one outbound oriface for intestinal, reproductive, and urinary tracts and the incongruously named pearl fish lives inside that, although some genera have teeth in their butts to prevent it. They are considered a luxury seafood in Asia, fetching up to $300 US for a pound (less than half a kilo), and so are under population pressure in some places, although at depths greater than about 9 km, sea cucumbers comprise 90% of the total biomass of animals larger than .3 mm. Go amaze your friends.

Although the assembled complement awoke early, listened to all the SSB nets, walked into the island for baguettes and donuts and then hiked around the almost island we're anchored by (see Google Earth map on Windows or OSX only), it has been a relatively relaxed day. Too cold to swim (it's winter, you know) and nothing much to do ashore (although a 961 foot cruise ship, Carnival Spirit, was here when we arrived - no idea what the pax did except wander around the temporary tourist trinket tents) we hung out aboat and played with computers (an exclusive hotel, i.e. no cruiser trash, nearby has iNet wifi).

Thursday

With a large west swell coming into the Bay and little wind, ambulation around boat was becoming a chore so out we headed toward Uamoe Bay (there are at least 5 different spellings on charts) to the north. There is reported to be, by 2 different guides, a shorter route through the reef that doesn't take half the day as would be required by Navionics. Does anybody remember the comment "if you don't run aground occasionally, you aren't trying hard enough"? We tried a smidge too hard today. Finally, after some ugly encounters, found a route through the prickly bits with dinghy and handheld depth sounder. Churning swell was seemingly main culprit as water visibility was insufficient to see some reef shallower than keel. Newly operative and overly regarded Google Earth overlay was significantly lacking. Have been thoroughly chastened... until the next opportunity anyway.

Wait, is it 5 O'Clock? Getting happy.

Jack