Our passage to the Port Douglas area, just a little less than 40NM from Marlin Marina, was a cruisey and enjoyable run. We opted to follow the Navionics recommended 21M track, which took us out past Double Island, Unity and Egmont Reefs before we passed by sections of the outer Great Barrier Reef. It's been a surreal experience sailing these waters and knowing we are following in HMS Endeavours wake - irrespective of the controversy that now shrouds Cooks legacy, his seamanship was exceptional and deserves a continued place in our naval history.

Our original plan was to head to the Low Isles for a couple of days where we had the option of utilising one of several courtesy moorings provided by the QLD Department of Parks and Wildlife. As we approached the three small islands, we could see there was a significant swell cutting through the gap, making the conditions in the bay less than favourable. Having become very fond of lagoon conditions, we decided not to risk a rolly anchorage and called Wayne, the marina manager at Port Douglas to amend our booking.The channel into Port Douglas is quite shallow - 2.5M at low water- so we took our time crossing from the islands to ensure we entered the inlet on the PM rising tide. We were happily tied up alongside by late afternoon and after our obligatory wash down and chamois routine, we were free to explore our new "neighbourhood".

Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina was one of the many projects of the Skase era, when Port Douglas was transformed from a quiet, almost forgotten FNQ hamlet to a must do destination for the states glitterati. It's home to the Great Barrier Reef tourist fleet, to local tour boats and fishing charter vessels as well as a number of super yachts and private recreational craft. Even John Farnham keeps his big Precision powerboat here! It has an accompanying retail space that houses restaurants, bars and a few touristy stores and each Wednesday afternoon a small artisan craft market is set up on the boardwalk. It's centrally located between the old sugar wharf and the Port Douglas Yacht Club and it's an easy, picturesque walk into the heart of town.

Each Sunday, a large community market is held in the local park where arts and crafts, unique clothing, and fresh produce can be purchased. There's also an array of street food vans, freshly squeezed sugar cane juice and of course, coffee. We spent some of our morning checking out the various stalls then meandered on into town in order to locate the local Tommy Bahamas store which was being managed by Chrissy, a mate from back in WA. We love hanging out with locals and it was lovely to both host Chrissy and her hubby Sean onboard Elevation for sundowners as well as share a delicious tapas meal at the well loved Seabean restaurant with them both. Chrissy also very kindly donated a much needed bag of potting mix to Paul - our little herb garden was getting very overcrowded and required a serious makeover. It's so nice to have good friends in all manner of locations!

We spent days exploring the local area on foot as there are some terrific walking trails to follow ie out through the heritage precinct to Flagstaff Hill Lighthouse; to the Trinity Beach lookout and to the much loved Four Mile Beach., all offering stunning views out over the Coral Sea. The ANZAC and Rex Smeal parklands are planted with several curtain fig trees as well as masses of huge mango trees, all currently budding. We're pretty sure the local fruit bats are going to be very happy with the seasonal bounty soon to be available. Big, gnarled frangapani trees are scattered all across town, laden with blossom and filling the air with their intoxicating, tropical perfume - just divine!

Our friend Margie, who for me has become "better than a Sista", happened to be in Queensland and we were delighted to be able to share our second weekend in PD with her. Arriving on Friday via the Spirit of Queensland train service, we celebrated with a fabulous long lunch at the newish Melaleuca restaurant- amazing food, great service and a gorgeous setting made it easy to see how they have won both an AGFG award and Best New Regional Restaurant for FNQ and the NT. We then did a sunset cruise onboard the 'Lady Douglas' a faux paddle steamer which specialises in mangrove and wildlife spotting tours. We hunted for salties and other mangrove dwellers, including the very hard to spot tawny frogmouth, all whilst enjoying the very entertaining commentary by Captain Lucas.It was then back to Elevation for a delicious dinner of tiger prawns sourced straight from a local trawler. On Saturday, we day sailed out to the Low Isles, where we tied up one of the DPAW moorings and stopped for lunch. Immediately we were surrounded by curious white tip sharks, followed by several massive bat fish. We returned to the marina in the late afternoon, just in time to head downtown for Margie to pick up a few gifts for family. Then it was back onboard for a BBQ dinner washed down with some lovely wines Margie had tucked away in her luggage. We did the Sunday market together, then Margie headed off back to Cairns to catch up with another friend there.

Mossman Gorge is still closed; a biosecurity zone remains in place for FNQ between Cooktown and Cape York however we've discovered that Lizard Island National Park is open. The NT is also welcoming travellers from Qld .... guess it's "watch this space" !!

All well onboard.

We've had the most amazing time here in Cairns, aka the "Jewel of The North". It's a vibrant tropical city and even in the midst of CV19, has plenty to offer. Marlin Marina, brilliantly located in the heart of town, has been the perfect base for us. It's within easy walking distance to shopping, the few restaurants and pubs currently open, the amazing Cairns Lagoon and the Art Gallery. We absolutely adore the iconic Rusty's Market - open from Friday to Sunday each week, it is overflowing with fabulous, super fresh produce and we've been able to stock up on all manner of favourite tropical fruits and grower direct vegetables. We've even discovered new delights thanks to interesting conversations with stall holders - who knew that you could eat pumpkin leaves? They are great either raw in salads, stir fried or as a soup ingredient. It's an easy crop we will now grow onboard as part of our little herb patch.

We've filled part of our time here exploring around town and learning some of the history of this unofficial capital of FNQ. Known as Gimuy in the local Yidiny language, Cairns initially came to the attention of European beche de mer fishermen in the mid 1800's - to them, the location was Trinity Bay as named by Cook in June 1770. The fishermen competed with indigenous owners for the use of a natural well, unfortunately culminating in a violent confrontation and resulting in the area then being named "Battle Camp". Gold was discovered in the nearby Hodgkinson River area in the 1870's; the goldrush attracting itinerant miners from across Europe and southern China. A town, and then a port, were quickly developed and the growing metropolis was named in honour of the incumbent Governor. Railway services were constructed, with the land then opened up for agriculture - sugar cane, corn, rice, bananas and pineapples in the lowlands, orchards and dairy farming in the cooler Atherton Tableland. Even today, the region is renown as a significant FNQ food bowl.

During WWII, Cairns was a staging base for allied operations in the Pacific; in fact, the modern international airport was initially the operational base for both the RAAF and the USAAF. Post war, there was a shift to tourism - the town is effectively the gateway to the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef; the oldest rainforest in the world, the Daintree and the fabulous waterfalls trail of the Tableland.

One of our must do activities for Cairns was to take a trip on the Kuranda Scenic Railway, famous across the globe for its stunning, winding route through tropical rainforest. It's a two-hour train experience that takes you out to the picturesque mountain retreat of Kuranda and a sensational day with views out across the ocean, glorious waterfalls and lush bushland as far as the eye can see. After a brief stop at Barron Falls Station for a waterfall photo opportunity, we disembarked at Kuranda and set out on foot to explore this avant-garde town. Extremely popular with hippies in the 60s and 70s, it retains a free spirit vibe; in fact, walking through the original Rainforest Market, we felt like we had literally fallen through the rabbit hole and into a mystical world of lost hippy souls. The Rainforest Market was filled with amazing art stalls and we picked up a couple of stunning prints by Francis Nakachi, a local indigenous, contemporary and very detailed artist. We took a Barron River trip with Melissa; a lovely, leisurely cruise with so many opportunities to see freshwater crocs, local bird species and even a rare juvenile male cassowary. We walked the river trail to return to the centre of town, lunched at a small café and then spent a couple of hours meandering through the many arts and craft stores that line the main street. Heading back to the station for a delicious local "Cream Tea", we then took the return journey on the train.

In order to see further afield, we hired a car from a small local company, A1 Car Rental - fantastic service from Rosa and highly recommended. We spent a full day exploring the Daintree and Cape Tribulation; how truly special to be able to explore what's estimated to be a 180-million-year-old region filled with unique flora and fauna species. Surprisingly on the day of our visit, the ferry service was free to day trippers - making us very happy BTYs indeed! The cable driven ferry transports you across the Daintree River, the trip taking around five minutes and usually costing $31 for a return private vehicle fare. We were keen to see cassowaries in the wild and whilst there were signs everywhere advising that sightings had been made, we failed to find any of these massive bright blue, flightless birds. Paul was excited to discover breadfruit growing in the sleepy, bohemian settlement of Myall Beach and we actually managed to score some spicy breadfruit balls as part of a delicious share platter lunch at Mason's Café at Cape Trib. The 140KM drive along Captain Cook Highway is astonishingly picturesque, winding along the coast and offering glorious views out over the Coral Sea, replaced by vast fields of cane as you approach the town of Mossman. The custodians of Mossman Gorge, the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people, had closed access to the area at the outset of Covid-19 in order to keep their population safe; it just means we will save a visit there for another time.

Our next day trip was a "reccie" to Port Douglas to check out both the marina and the town, stopping along the way for morning coffee at Palm Beach. We spent the day exploring this iconic holiday destination, a favourite of so many since it was developed by the infamous Christopher Skase in the late 1980's. Had the best burgers ever at N17 Burger Bar and checked out the menus of several restaurants ... some great future foodie opportunities here for sure!

For our last day on the road, we headed out on the Gillies Highway, famed for its 263 switchbacks, and an 800 m elevation change in only 19 km of road. Not quite as difficult as the roads on Reunion, although we could have done without the psychotic truck driver who sat in each overtaking lane, making it impossible to pass him. At one bend, he actually started to veer across from right to left, seemingly to run us off the edge of a cliff - Paul certainly made him aware of his anger and he finally sat in the slow lane and allowed us to get in front of him. We spent much of the day exploring the "Waterfall Circuit" - our first stop being The Teahouse at Lake Barrine. From there we headed to the Peterson Creek Wildlife & Botanical Walking Track, our aim being to see wild platypus, before hitting the waterfall trail. Starting with the Insta famous Millaa Millaa Falls, we checked out Malanda, Zillie. Millstream and Mungalli as well as the stunning, heritage listed Curtain Fig Tree, a massive strangler fig said to be well over 500 years old. We returned to Cairns via Tully, famed for being the wettest town in Australia and home of the Golden Gumboot, followed by a walk on Mission Beach and then coffee at the funky Mission Beach Blues Bar.

The remainder of our Cairns visit has been spent exploring around town and completing obligatory boat provisioning, made super easy with that amazing market. We were lucky enough to be able to see the Sidney Nolan Ned Kelly exhibition at the Art Gallery, considered to be one of the greatest series of Australian paintings of the 20th century. Laden with fresh supplies, restocked with beverages and filled with the beauty of the region, it's time to drop the lines and set sail for Port Douglas.

All well onboard.

Our passage further north was a cruisy, comfortable, and classic trade winds experience, spread out over several days. Our first stop was Orpheus Island, part of the Palm Island group and home to an amazing giant clam garden. Planted in the 1980's at Pioneer Bay, the garden is home to over 300 molluscs, each weighing between 150-200 kilos. As you glide above them, either snorkelling or drifting along in a tender, their ruffled chinchilla lips offer up a spectacular rainbow of colours to snorkellers. The fringing reef system is inhabited by over 1100 fish species and 340 varieties of hard corals, making it a mecca for scuba enthusiasts. In the southern corner of Pioneer, the James Cook University operate a research centre and in "normal" times, are happy to welcome visitors; sadly, that's not the case at the moment. Nearby Hazard Bay is the location of the very upmarket Orpheus Island Lodge; it too was closed but ramping up to reopen as Queensland eases Covid19 restrictions.

We took advantage of one of the moorings that are provided by QLD Parks and Wildlife and spent a comfortable night in the quiet, sheltered anchorage. The next morning, we opted to sail on to Dunk Island, bypassing Hinchinbrook. With neap low tides at less than 1M, we felt that we would struggle to enter the channel at Lucinda - as always, our decision being "safety first".

The run through to Dunk was a dream and we arrived at the Brammo Bay anchorage by mid afternoon. This is an immensely popular location, both for resting prawn trawlers and cruisers. With all the moorings already taken, we dropped our anchor in 3.5M over the sand/mud bottom, immediately achieving a good bite. Known as Coonanglebah by the traditional owners, it was named by Cook in 1770 in honour of a former First Lord of the Admiralty, George Montague-Dunk. The Bandjin and Djiru people saw this place as "the island of peace and plenty" and in season, would visit in bark canoes to harvest seafood and bush tucker. The first European settlers on Dunk were writer Edmund Banfield and his wife Bertha who arrived in 1897. Previously a journalist and senior editor for a Townsville newspaper, Banfield lived out the next 26 years in his tropical island paradise, writing both articles (using the pen name Rob Krusoe) and a series of books (in his own name) covering the flora and fauna of the island and the customs and history of the First Nations peoples. After he passed away in 1923, he was buried on the trail to Mt Kootaloo, the island's highest point. Bertha remained at Dunk for a further year, before relocating to family in Brisbane. Upon her death some ten years later, she was reunited with Edmund, together forever back at their special place.

The island was sold to the Brassey family by the Qld Government in 1934 and the first resort opened two years later. During WW2, the island was seconded for the exclusive use of the RAAF, who added an airstrip. The Brasseys returned in late 1945 then onsold the property a year later. It changed hands several times, eventually being taken up by Gordon and Kathleen Stynes, who upgraded the facilities and really promoted it as an exclusive tourist destination. It became extremely popular with the "jet set" and guests includes movie stars, prominent politicians, and business tycoons. It was then owned by Avis founder Eric McIlree, TAA, Qantas, P&O and Hideaway Resorts. Cyclone Yasi devastated the region in 2011 and the resort is now derelict. New owners, Mayfair 101, took control in 2019 and a full planned redevelopment has been approved by the local council.

Dunk hosts over 100 species of birds, and each summer is the breeding ground for terns and noddies. The fringing reefs and surrounding waters are home to sea turtles, dugongs, dolphins and a plethora of fish and shellfish. There's good walking; there are National Park camping facilities (for those not as lucky as us sea gypsies); there's both sandy beaches and rocky shores. It's a place well worth exploring.

Our Dunk experience concluded, we set sail again, aiming to spend a night at Fitzroy Island, some 56NM further north. It was another good SE day, however as we approached the anchorage, the wind swung to the west and we were buffeted by 25-30 knots, gusting to over 40 with the intermittent "bullets" off the mainland. Agreeing that the anchorage was too exposed, we opted to carry on to Cairns. From Cape Grafton through to False Cape, the waters are very shallow (2-12 metres) and the westerly threw up short, sharp sea making the next 10NM extremely uncomfortable and very wet. We arrived at the shipping channel around 1630 and by 1715, we were happily tied up at Cairns Marlin Marina where we will stay awhile to enjoy another new location.

All well onboard.

Early morning Airlie was gloomy and overcast, the weather a precursor to another southerly buster brewing down the coast. Out to the east, Whitsunday Island was completely shrouded in raincloud, invisible and hidden from view.We had hoped to visit stunning, iconic Whitehaven and Betty's beaches just one more time before we departed from this amazing cruising ground but with the forecast indicating more of the same drizzly weather, we turned our gaze northwards. Guess we will just have to come back again sometime in the future!!

With a 15-20 SE breeze hitting our sweet spot, our passage up and around Gloucester Island was both quick and effortless. We arrived in the anchorage mid afternoon, passing Shag Islet as we headed into the nearby Cape Gloucester Resort mooring field. We'd been turned on to the "Shaggers" by Leonie at Gladstone Marina - it's a revered, exclusively non exclusive cruising group where everyone is a member for life, and every member is a Vice Commodore of somewhere (Paul is now the very proud VC of Maupihaa). Membership fees are donated to charity; the major beneficiary being the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, a cause close to our hearts. Once a year, Shaggers from everywhere migrate to this little dot in the Whitsundays for the SICYC Rendezvous; hundreds of them arriving for a late August gathering at their "spiritual home" ... but not this year. In this time of COVID-19, the 2020 event has been cancelled as we all continue to follow sensible health advice.

We had hoped to check out the resort ashore but again, current CV19 restrictions has made it unviable for them to operate and instead, they are busy renovating and revamping their pool area. A quiet evening onboard for us, perfect for a first light departure the following day. During the night the wind had shifted to the NW; this wind change meant our next chosen anchorage would be very exposed so we opted to sail straight through to Horseshoe Bay at Magnetic Island, a passage of just over 110NM. Paul bagged a beautiful Spanish Mackerel along the way which was quickly dispatched, filleted and vacuum packed for the freezer. As we made landfall, we were encompassed by the unmistakable fragrance of eucalyptus, such a unique and distinctive Aussie aroma, and one that we have found in several unlikely places across the globe. We arrived at Horseshoe just after 2100, and under a dark, moonless sky, picked our way in slowly, anchoring out approximately 0.5NM from shore.

What an amazingly beautiful, majestic and lush place Maggie is. This little jewel of an island, just 20 minutes away from Townsville by ferry, is a 52km2 mix of National Park and residential property. It's home to around 800 koalas, the original group being relocated there from the mainland in the 1930s. It has soaring peaks, amazing rock formations, stunning beaches, turquoise waters, and an abundance of flora and fauna. During WWII, the Magnetic Battery was installed along the high cliff tops, with searchlights in Horseshoe and Florence Bays, a radar screen at Arthur Bay, and a Command Post, Observation Post and 2 gun emplacements above Cleveland Bay and the Coral Sea.


We spent our time exploring on foot; searching for koalas on the must do "Forts Walk", feeding carrots to the large family of rock wallabies at Geoffrey Bay, observing potaroos just north of Horseshoe and tramping along beautiful coastal boardwalks enjoying view after stunning view. We listened to the twice daily concert of both kookaburras and currawongs; we walked along secluded beaches; we made new friends of some very special locals, including the very lovable marina dog "Chewie", and each day we fell a little bit more in love with Maggie. So much so, we even started looking at real estate and planning a winter holiday house here for life after sailing!

In the meantime, there is still a lot of FNQ to explore, so we've weighed anchor again and are continuing north for the Cassowary Coast and beyond.

All well onboard.

We've been loving our time in the Whitsundays, a magical region filled with 74 tropical islands nestled inside the Great Barrier Reef. Named by Cook in June 1770, it's a premier Queensland destination that we've enjoyed visiting for more than 20 years on and off. With border closures in place, both for Australia and Queensland, this usually bustling region is eerily quiet - great for us as we enjoy empty anchorages, quiet beaches and coastal walks, but devastating for all the local tourism operators. The charter fleet lies idle with hundreds of vessels securely tied to docks; most non-essential retail outlets remain firmly closed and a tiny smattering of cafes and restaurants offer limited opening hours and dining options. When we've needed to, berthing has been readily available at Coral Sea Marina. This state of the art boating facility, revamped and upgraded from the old Abel Point Marina, offers free courtesy cars to guests, has an amazing boaters "Ocean Club", is within easy walking distance of both downtown Airlie and Cannonvale and provides fantastic client service. Our thanks to all the team, especially Heike, Robyn and Jacqui for your hospitality during our short stays with you.

We've been able to revisit some of our most favourite locations, although Hamilton Island - one of our usual must do places - is still in lockdown and we've had to sadly sail by. May and June's weather has been a little haphazard with a run of brilliant, tropical days and nights then followed by days of super strong SE winds and overcast and rainy conditions. Enticingly, further north seems to be offering better conditions, so we've pulled out our Alan Lucas "Cruising the Coral Coast" guide and made a plan to venture off to new locations. We've never sailed north of Bowen, so now we've completed our "Reminiscence Tour" of the Whitsundays, we are venturing off into uncharted to us waters. Stand by for our adventures in northern Queensland.

All well onboard.

There's an old saying about sailors making plans in the sand at low tide - it's an easy, philosophical way to cover off the very real unpredictability of cruising life. Usually, these changes are driven by the seasons, by weather windows, by lunar phases, by the tide and sometimes even by timetables -although we assiduously look to avoid deadlines when sailing. Right now, it's a terrible pandemic that is ravaging the human race, with more than five million people across the planet diagnosed with Covid-19. As I write, this virus has claimed 334,662 souls, mostly in the USA, UK, France, Spain, Italy and Brazil. Economies across the globe have been crushed as countries implemented lockdowns in order to contain the spread of infection. There is mass unemployment, the likes of which have not been seen since the Great Depression. There is volatility across stock markets, which in turn has impacted on share and currency prices. Self-funded retirees have seen their superannuation balances plummet and governments have been required to initiate emergency fiscal schemes in order to support their citizens. Here in Australia, the actions taken have ensured that localised infection numbers have been contained, with the majority of cases being diagnosed in returning travellers. Our external border was closed on 20 March and hard internal borders have been implemented by WA, NT, QLD. SA and TAS, ensuring that all non-essential travel ceases. Compared to other countries, and with the strong leadership of individual state Premiers, Australia has done well to manage this pandemic, with the current growth factor at 0.99% - the "Lucky Country" has a lot to be grateful for.

Of course, we've all been impacted in some way - for us, Covid-19 has swept our cruising intentions out to sea, a small issue really given the devastation of this pandemic. Our goal for 2020 was to head to the Whitsundays, where we'd then spend the Queensland winter exploring the "100 Magic Miles" of the islands. We've done several bareboat charters with friends over the last 20+ years and we were really excited to be now in a position to sail the area onboard Elevation, and to enjoy this year's Hamilton Island Race Week festivities. We were extremely lucky to have crossed into Queensland well before their border was closed on 11/04, and we've been blessed to have been able to continue making our way north, albeit subject to a number of stringent conditions being met.

After completing all our onboard tasks at RQYS, we departed from Manly on 14 April , our intention being to sail to Gladstone to catch up with friends and to tick off a couple of appointments. Queensland Health had gazetted a Covid-19 Hotspot region south of Noosa through to the NSW border and accordingly, we were required to self-quarantine for 14 days onboard prior to arriving at Gladstone Marina. We'd selected Pancake Creek as our isolation anchorage; a two day passage of some 280NM. The forecast was initially for light SE wind, then increasing to a steady 10-15 knots. As it turned out, we had a complete glass out from Moreton Bay through to Bribie meaning the iron sail got a thorough workout for several hours. We watched the sun rise over Fraser Island; and in view of the perfect sea state and weather conditions, we opted to sail around the top of the island rather than cross the Wide Bay Bar. It's rare to be able to do this - in fact, a couple of Qld based cruisers had shared several horror stories filled with standing waves, ferocious current and truly scary sailing outcomes. In view of this, locals generally opt to traverse the Great Sandy Strait. We're not fans of bar crossings and our one experience of GSS and WBB did not inspire us to do it again if there was an alternative. Huey, for once, must have been feeling very benevolent and delivered an impeccable day, allowing us to skip around the eastern shore seamlessly, our passage beautifully enhanced by the companionship of large pods of frolicking dolphins along the way. Arriving at Clewes Point early the following morning, our timing was perfect for a rising tide transit into the anchorage. Once inside, we navigated down the creek, picking up one of several available National Park public moorings, our "iso-home" for the next two weeks.

So - what did we do in this picturesque, uninhabited location as we 'sheltered at home in place'? We studied cruising guides, navigation apps and other reference sources, all as part of our planning processes for continued sailing along the coast. We marvelled at the annual migration of blue tiger butterflies; each day being cocooned in clouds of these stunning black and azure speckled flyers as they, like us, headed north for winter. We enjoyed two weeks of amazing sunsets, each evening marvelling at the magnificent and vivid colours of both sky and sea as the golden orb slipped down below the horizon. There was very little company in the anchorage other than a couple of short stay boats and a few guys camping on the shore; in fact as we very conscientiously remained onboard the entire time, our only human interaction was when the local Water Police/Border Force vessel "W Conroy" came alongside to complete a maritime safety check. With our quarantine period complete, we dropped the mooring lines and headed back out to sea and on to the marina at Gladstone.

So great to see our 2007 crew member Dale as we arrived at the dock; with Qld Health announcing changes to Covid-19 restrictions just as we hit town, we were able to enjoy time with both he and his lovely wife Kellie during our stay in Gladstone. They very kindly gave us the use of a car, entertained us magnificently at their home and Dale provided a really welcome helping pair of hands as we swapped out our Miele washer (it had become very 'sick' at Pancake) for an upgraded Electrolux - a seriously challenging and difficult task. As part of our "Regional Qld Economic Stimulus Plan" we also arranged for a refrigeration techie to come onboard to effect a repair to our freezer; Paul spun him out a little when he chatted about being in Gladstone back in the 80's helping to dredge the shipping channel as it was "before he was born".

On our last weekend in Gladdie, we shared a delicious fish supper with Dale and Kellie onboard Elevation as well as a final morning tea with them. Cruising is truly all the more pleasurable when you get to visit the neighbourhoods and ports of mates! Fully stocked, full of (as the Trinis say) joyous bacchanal and with all our boat jobs ticked off, it was time to say farewell. Next stop, the wonderful Whitsundays!

All well onboard. Stay safe, stay well, stay 1.5M apart.