Mike turns the generator off at 10.20 am and there are still people who manage to miss their breakfast toast and arrive at The Baths, hungry!
Mike takes everyone (including me for a change) over in the dinghy so that we can ‘do the walk’ through the granite boulders to Devil’s Bay. It is nearly two years since I have done this, with my sister and her family, and I am looking forward to seeing it, probably for the last time.
Unfortunately the day is overcast in patches, not the bright blue skies that I would have liked for creating the pools of light in the caves, but although there are quite a lot of boats in the bay, the rocks are not very crowded.
We walk though to the large, vaulted cave and pose for pictures – quite the tourists, then start the climb through the rocks and up the ladders. Allison is a little claustrophobic and a couple of places cause her to shudder a little but she is fine.
We stop at the rock pools but no one can entice Rachel to snorkel. To be fair, you can see almost as well without a snorkel as the water is clear and shallow. We stand a watch a beautiful bright blue fish swimming around just below us then laugh as a little fat grouper has to swim sideways in order to get over the rocks.
Photo: Huge granite boulders balance precariously on top of each other
The path opens out into Devil’s Bay, and the sun decides to come out for a short while. Rachel decides to snorkel and actually likes it. Two white angel fish swim around our feet, causing the females amongst us to shriek and get out of their way as they get too close, brushing against our legs. I decide to be brave and stand still, looking down and watching them approach my feet. They are all of six inches long but still one of the little buggers bites me. It doesn’t hurt, but that little nibble sends me shrieking and running away out of the water.
We decide we have had enough and call on the VHF for Mike to collect us. Some of the younger contingent don’t have the energy to walk back so he picks us up from Devil’s Bay.
We have lunch then sail over to Cooper Island, where we intend to have a relaxing afternoon (meaning a sleep!) and a nice meal at the Beach Club. We sail with the gennaker up, the waves pushing us along at a comfortable 6 to 7 knots. I even do a little sunbathing on the bow, with the gennaker providing intermittent shade, in an attempt to get rid of the strap marks that I seem to have gained in the morning.
As we enter Manchioneel Bay, I notice (and hear) that there is some sort of construction work going on. We pick up a mooring ball and Mike phones ashore to see what is going on. Sure enough, they are extending the restaurant, and can, for the time being, only offer a reduced menu at tables on the beach. After some discussion, it is decided that Rachel and Simon will go ashore alone to eat and the rest of us will eat on the boat, saving a meal out for another night.
Mike and I have our afternoon kip, mine ending up being rather longer than his. After taking Rachel and Simon ashore and buying Adam some take away chips (to go with his Bubba beefburgers which turn out to be disgusting) Allison and I make angel hair spaghetti with crab, garlic, chilli and lime. Although we don’t have some of the ingredients (so overdo some of the others – notably – surprise, surprise, the garlic) and the crab is imitation crab, it is delicious.
It’s a late night to bed – after 10 before we head down!
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