Beware the circling Booby
28 October 2017 | Somewhere in the Coral Sea
The day after we arrived in Noumea the wind it with a vengeance so we were very happy indeed with our decision. But our stay in Noumea was only very brief a few days and then Frances caught the flu which put her out of action for a week or so and then it was time for the final 700 mile leg back to Brisbane, Australia. For reasons unfathomable, I managed to avoid catching the same lurgy which I was very grateful for. We have learned the hard way that it is a recipe for misery to take to sea when someone is not well.
A couple of days out we were joined by our old adversaries - Boobies, i this case Red-Footed Boobies. 99% of the time it's wonderful to see them skimming over the waves but, in some places, when dusk arrives, some recalcitrant beasts circle your boat, staring longingly at that wonderful perch atop of the mast. Short of shooting them I don't think it's possible to stop them landing and usually if there's one there then others have an insatiable desire to join them. Then, not to put too fine a point on it, the shitting begins.... down the sails and on the instruments atop the mast. One bird tried to land on the solar panels and collided with the wind generator and as you can imagine came off second best. Not much we can do about them but they do make for good photographic subjects.