We have been working hard here in Scarborough, not far north of Brisbane, getting Namani looking good and finally getting around to the little things - a new light, a new faucet, little touch ups. Until recently, we've been in good company with our friends from Victoria just down the dock, as well as a Swiss couple we know. Both families have gone off on land travel, however, so we're back to just the three of us. A sailor's social life definitely comes in spurts! We enjoy it when we have it, but also enjoy balancing it with family time.

With boat projects almost wrapped up, we can devote more time to our own projects. Nana finally got a full draft of her novel, The Silver Spider, done and off to an editor. Nicky is currently making a 3D model of Namani (we'll post it here soon), and Markus is working on a piece of weather software to add to Navigatrix, a great (and free) software platform for sailors. Meanwhile, we got a taste of Australia Day celebrations, and the heat wave of our first week here has given way to more bearable summer temperatures. We learned a new term today too: "Perigean moon" - when the moon is closest to earth along its elliptical orbit. This perigean moon coinciding with a new moon a few days ago is responsible for the current extreme spring tides. And yes, the beautiful crescent we see does look a bit on the big side. Have a look from your part of the world!