So much is happening, it's time for a News Update, so here are the headlines:

- Fly Aweigh an Ozzie Girl Now!
- Moving to Sanctuary Cove!
- Gabels Returning to Sea!
- Allan Old!

Yes, Fly Aweigh is now officially imported to Australia, and back on the world market on multiple websites. The process took about 2 weeks longer than we thought but so goes governmental bureaucracy, and overall it went well, although it was an expensive endeavor and had a few ridiculous edges to it. But I must keep this blurb concise because there isn't much time.

We're moving the boat from the delightful marina and town of Scarborough, which we've loved, down to Sanctuary Cove, an upscale golf courses-expensive shops-fancy restaurants world on Australia's Gold Coast, 50nm south of here. We have a good opportunity there and can't pass it up. Cheaper rent and better exposure, we hope. The trip involves a 10-hour trip down the inland waterway and is fraught with shoals and muddy areas, but we've been briefed on the bad spots and are told it's all well-marked. Norm, the Catalina dealer in Sanctuary Cove, loaned us his very cool Beacon to Beacon guide, a spiral-bound maritime map that's reminiscent of the Thomas Brothers guides I grew up with, only this relates to waterways instead of paved streets with names.

And here's some fun news: Norm (the Catalina dealer) asked us to assist in delivering a Catalina 42 from Sanctuary Cove to Sydney next week. We're very happy to get a chance to sail along the coastline and most of all, to sail into Sydney Harbor, which was one of our dreams for the end of this trip. Our decision to sell on the Gold Coast rather than Sydney shortchanged that dream, and now, a new chance. We'll be aboard for about 80 continuous hours, roughly 3 days, with 3 other men, including the owner. Spirit 7 is a lovely boat, and we'll be well-equipped for the journey. We won't however, have HF radio, so no daily updates. We leave from Sanctuary Cove Tuesday, weather permitting, and arrive Sydney Friday. We'll stay in town a few days to catch up with our friends on Totem, and maybe see if anyone I know from United Airlines is in town. We might also try to get up to the Blue Mountains on the train, and will definitely make it to the fabulous Taraunga Zoo.

And speaking of zoo's, yesterday we celebrated Allan's 50th birthday with a bunch of kangaroos and koalas and snakes at the Australia Zoo here in Queensland. It was a great day, starting with pancakes, then off in our little egg-shaped (and colored) rental car through the beautiful green countryside, past all the tempting fruit stands to Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo, a beautifully landscaped and maintained property that we were quite impressed with. They allow a huge number of kangaroos to roam freely through, and we were able to feed them and pet them and take close-up pictures of one mama with a little Joey peeking out of the pouch and joining her for a grassy lunch. We got to pet koalas, and saw a lot of crocodiles and alligators, a Steve Irwin fav, of course. For those of you unfamiliar, Steve gained his fame as "The Crocodile Hunter" on TV, and ultimately met his demise while playing with a sting ray a few years ago. He left behind quite a world-wide legacy, and the zoo's focus is to educate the public about wildlife and bring attention to endangered species and what can be done. The staff is delightful, the place has a welcoming feel and seems to be full of happy people. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit, and Allan had a great 50th which culminated in a delicious Thai dinner with our friends Mark and Laura from Sabbatical III. (Who, ironically, leave for Thailand today.)

So, there are the highlights. The rain, that poured incessantly for almost 10 days, seems to have stopped and left us with a normal Queensland spring -- hot and muggy but clear and beautiful, so we're getting caught up on our work on the boat. We hope to pull the docklines today and head down coast, but if our tasks build up too much we'll leave tomorrow.

I'll put out a quick update before we leave.