Boobies by the thousands.
14 December 2019 | South China Sea
Ginni
Pos 1600, 14/12/19. 10 14'S, 140 00'E. There are booby birds by the thousands out in this part. Many of them still have baby feathers so this may be some of the first times out hunting with parents. They are sitting on the surface in rafts of hundreds, while some are
circling and diving on schools of fish. There are a few mighty splashes so I expect that there are some bigger fish, sharks and dolphins as well under the surface. I have seen a number of dolphins throughout the day calmly going about their business and not interested in
playing on Shonandra's bow.
We have made better progress than expected and our current ETA at Thursday Island will be about 1600 tomorrow, Sun 15/12/19. - we hope, as of course it is all up to the winds and currents and the motor. Just about a 1/2hr ago we turned the motor off and are
currently under sail, the first time in two days. Hopefully the small breesze we have will be consistent in direction and speed for a few hours to come. The silence will be welcome.
John continues to suffer from a bad cold but did manage a couple of hours in the night. There is so little traffic that I have slept too and checked outside about every 50 minutes or so. I never sleep soundly between getting up to check. John might be up to doing some
watch tonight with hope!
Going to sit up near the mast now on the deck, my afternoon contemplation and observation spot. The setting sun and twilight a wonderful time of day. If we are under sail then made more special by the gentle lapping of water under Shonandra and the silent tractor in the
living room.
News tomorrow, we trust from Thursday island, at the very top of Oz! John and Ginni