Monday 5th October 2009…this will be the Mother of all blogs

so get a tea or a coffee, sit and relax and enjoy the adventures….

This is the outpost where Sara works and lives for 2 months at a time.

Thursday night after supper we went for a sunset and moon rise paddle…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This part is so eerie…Sara had just finished telling me about the male humpback whales that at time they sing and the sound is like a roaring elephant…minutes later as we are paddling in the glass like water with the moon shining its way for us we heard the roar of the humpback, it was a breath taking event.  This is what the Fisheries department say about this phenomena…”Only the males sing and usually whilst hanging head down some 20 metres below the surface. Why he sings is a mystery and how he knows what to sing is even a bigger puzzle.  The song changes from season to season but all males sing the same song!!!!!

The sun setting on one horizon and the moon coming up on the other, incredible evening!!!!

Friday morning Sara had arranged to go to the local school

where she was giving a talk to some of the senior girls and she had planned for me to take four of the older boys for soccer practice… I enjoyed this experience and we had some fun.

In the evening it was time for another evening paddle.  The scenery out here is just spectacular and so very remote and desolate…sit back and enjoy these photos!!

 

So there we were sitting on the bluff and to our complete surprise and amazement the whales came…

I know it is very small in the above photo but to the right if you can enlarge it is the tail of a humpback whale!!

Sara holding the moon!!!!

Yesterday was the big ADVENTURE….we had arranged to pick another couple up, Margo and Tony and go to Rugged point for the day.

On the way the whales came again, as yesterday a distance away but enlarged is a breaching whale in front of the pointy rock towards the right…we were all so taken by these whales and then they came to visit US!!!

Our first glimpse of Rugged Point, very remote and spectacular.

We moored the boat and set the anchor and went on a beach walk that was so amazing, no people and just enjoy!!!

Evidence of bears

BIG BEARS!!

 

 

 

 

 

When we came back to the boat we realized the error of our ways we were about 30 minutes too late and the receding tide had left us….

We all were quite perturbed about our situation but I admired how the 4 of us sat and talked about our options and Sara I have to admit was so calm.  We knew the tide tables and that the tide would start to come back in around 9pm so we decided to build a fire on the rocks about 50 feet from the boat and wait for the tide to come try and free the boat and get in the boat and slowly with the light from the full moon do the 90 minute trip back home.  If we realized that this was not going to be possible we we prepared to spend the night on the island and come back at first light.

Tony built a great fire and we had some food and water and talked and watched the amazing sunset

It was now dark and cold but the moon came up to give us light and Sara gave me my first dance lesson, there we were in this predicament doing jive and waltz numbers.

By 10pm the tide came in and we all braved the cold water got the boat of the rock, were able to get in with out getting too wet, this was my biggest fear, and we were out into the open water.

Tony and I sat up front and looked out for looming logs and Margo was in the back telling Sara what various headlands were.  Our Captain Sara was magnificent guiding us through the small swells and rocks.  She did have a radio and had radioed one of her friends to tell them what we doing and when we had travelled over one hour her friend had come out in his boat to guide us the rest of the way in to the safety of the harbour.

It was an ordeal that I believe we handled in an adult and safe way I give credit to my travelling friends they were awesome.  We arrived home at midnight and a cup of tea never tasted so good!!!