My Last Days on Evening Star !

Hi all. Yes it's true that I lost interest in the blog and was face booking, but I find blogging on the IPad too hard. I will have to master the IPad before I leave port for our next trip. Yes, I am planning our next trip. I have absolutely loved sailing on our beautiful boat Evening Star. She has looked after us the whole way from Sydney, and even survived Hammo Race week.

Today was my lAst day of sailing and it brings a tear to my eye wrtiting this. I felt so sad sailing past our last Whitsunday island. We left Goldsmith Island at 6 this morning to get the the northerly wind to arrive into Mackay. We were only out for about an hour and the fishing line told us we had a fish. Yum I thought. Fish for our last night! We were under full sail and a bit hard to slow the boat down, so our little fishie was lost (or very large fishie) taking our prized Louis Vuiton lure (ask Ben Lillyman what we're talking about).

Here in Mackay now so the boys can watch the rugby and I can have a haircut and colour to look Sydney presentable.

This being my last blog I thought I would share with you my top 3 spots and my top 3 moments on this Crazy Gap term. It's sort of been a thing that I have asked Mark and Alastair since we've been cruising. I always ask them to tell me their top 2 spots and moments. I am changing it to be 3 as I cannot choose. Here goes:

Top Spots:
1. Platypus Bay on Frazer Island. Long white beach with absolutely no boats or people about.
2. Cape Upstart, south of Magnetic Island. Spent 4 days there getting out of the wind and met some lovely lovely people. Just what was needed after our sad time on Magnetic Island.
3. Bait Reef - 15 nautical miles from Hook island. Mark had wanted to go there when we first arrived but I was too scared. We waited until the McKeiths came Onboard and then a second time
with the Turners and the Hunter teenagers. Amazing spot snorkeling on the reef in the middle
of nowhere.
4. Can't stop at 3 spots, so sneaking in a 4th: all of the beaches/bays at the top of Hook Island particularly the Pinnacles. The best snorkeling and beaches. Divine !!!!!

My top 3 moments:
1. Sailing into Brampton Island, officially the first Whitsunday island. I couldn't believe I had sailed from Southport, me who gets sea sick and won't sail between the Sydney Heads and Pittwater.
2. Snorkeling out on the reef. Why have we been going overseas for the last 5 years scuba diving when we have the best reef here ?
3. Ali telling me he couldn't concentrate doing his schoolwork as he was distracted with dolphins jumping around the boat.

So that's it for me. Ali and I leave on Tuesday to return to Sydney and our busy life. I am letting Ali go to school for one day with his long blond hair and then he has to have a haircut. Mark Hunter has about another month before he gets back to Sydney and he visits a hairdresser. I made him have a shower and take of the blood stained fishing shirt he had on before he went to the Tavern to watch the rugby this afternoon. He walks around in these horrible thongs of his because he says he cannot fit into shoes !!!! It will be difficult for all three of us to get back to our Sydney lives.

I hope the boy followers of this blog are not too bored with this latest post! I know all you boy followers are loving Marks talk about heads, showers, sumps etc. Don't be disappointed, he has another few weeks left delivering Evening Star back to Sydney and I am sure he will share with you all that boring stuff..

Love Kirsty xxx