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American Spirit II - Day 223; A Fantastic Day on Lizard Island; Saturday, August 16, 2014



At 4:11 AM Joel turned the boat engine back on. He did this by turning the ignition key far enough to the right to activate the blower and prime the fuel pump, but not so far as to start the engine. The high pitched wine that I head below in the aft cabin was so loud it almost made my ears bleed. I'd never been in my cabin before when the engine was in the process of being turned on, since we got our new tachometer in MacKay Bay. It was so loud I thought the boat was going to explode. I rushed up on deck (in the middle of my night I might add as I was off watch and 'sleeping' until 6:00 AM), to see that Joel was struggling with the helm. He had engages the auto pilot in the 'track' mode and the boat was doing a 180 unanticipated turn. It had done that for me twice during my watch just hours earlier but I had thought that I had just done something stupid by mistake. We finally figured out that we may have programmed a route wrong, so that when we hit the 'track' button so the boat would follow a line on the chart plotter, it did, it just did it in the wrong direction. Probably a simple fix, but a dramatic lesson. Its quite exhilarating when the boat makes a 180 degree turn that is unanticipated. How to stop it? Just hit the 'standby' button on the auto pilot. That give you control back at once without the auto pilot engaged.

At 4:30 AM I rolled the mainsail back up as the wind had died again and turned the engine back on. At 5:00 AM I could see the dark outline of Lizard Island on our starboard bow, still 10 to 15 miles away.

The sun rose above the clouds at 6:53 AM.

At 8:03 AM we anchored in Watson's Bay on the northwest side of Lizard Island. There were about 11 boats already anchored there. A sand bottom, so holding should be good. Lizard Island got its name (I believe) from the Thagaay Gould Goanna, which grows to 5 feet or so. The Dingaal aborigines would spear the lizard and then roast it over a fire. It was large enough to feed several families. It was also called a 'sand monitor.' Lizard Island was discovered by Captain Cook while on the Endeavor (not sure when, my book forgot to list the date). Watson's Bay was named after Mary Watson whose claim to fame was escaping Lizard Island with the Aborigines in close pursuit, only to die of thirst on Watson Island. Her body and that of her servant were found a few months later.

For breakfast we had scrambled eggs; chilled fruit cocktail and raisin bread. I'm going to have to start rationing the bread as we only have one loaf left. I can always make another loaf, but I'd rather not as that requires 'work.'

We got the dingy from the V-Berth area, inflated it and took off. From 10:30 AM to 2:15 PM we explored the island on foot, walking up to the top of a small mountain (really a big hill or bluff) to look at the destroyed resort beneath us. The resort, which has accommodation for 40 couples or 80 people, with the most expensive room costing $3,000 per night, was destroyed in a cyclone last April of this year and is being repaired.

Jeanine saw a 4 foot Mahi Mahi jump out of the water near the boat just before we left to tour the island.

Along the trial were many signs describing the animal and plant life on the island, including descriptions about the Bu-thu Paperbark tree (the bark is used to build houses and ground cover, sleeping mats and baskets and is harvested without killing the tree); Gundaar Tucheroo (its sap is used to cure sickness, asthma, and upset stomachs; and a bat called a 'noisy camper.' This bat is BIG and referred to as a 'black flying fox.' It must be mating time because these bats are very noisy. Sounds like we're in a jungle even though we're on an arid island. These bats hand upside down in mangroves during the daytime. The Bhin-thin Moreton Bay ash has a sap that can cure a tooth ache for up to 6 months.

After looking over the destroyed resort from above, we walked down the 1 kilometer air strip to a sandy area, where we followed signage to the 'Blue Lagoon.' The walk was worth it. The waters in the lagoon were crystal clear and the color contrasts in the water,with islands and reefs surrounding the lagoon, were magnificent. The type of picture you put on a travel brochure. As we stood on the beach, where the high tide mark had a plethora of pumice rocks (volcanic rocks that float), Joel saw and pointed out a sea turtle swimming under water by us. About 2 feet in diameter.

We then took a different trail thru the 'outback' on the way back to our dingy. This was a long and hot walk.

Once at the dingy, we donned our snorkel gear and headed into the water out to th coral. The coral was very good, with some types I hadn't seen before, though we've been in other locales where we've seen many more fish. However, we came upon GIGANTIC clams that were 4-5 feet wide, with open mouths and some sort of aperture where the clam 'breathed in' water. Jeanine got in the dingy and we hauled her out to the reef. Unlike Joel and I, she had worked in
the Marshall Islands and had seen clams this size before. We then headed back to the boat for lunch.

For lunch at 2:30 PM we had Kangaroo (hamburger) patties and home made french fries. I had to defrost the Kangaroo patties before Joel cooked them on the grill, and as a result some blood ended up going down the drain and into the water surrounding the boat. That drew tuna and a couple of back-tipped sharks to investigate. The Kangaroo was quite good, a cross between hamburger and a steak, and a little gamy. But good.

After lunch Joel took a nap while I went back to the reef to take some underwater pictures of the giant clams. On the way back to the boat I held my Go Pro camera under water as I drove across the reef. That should give me some interesting pictures.

At around 4:00 PM Nexus picked us up in their dingy and we headed off to climb Cooks Lookout. It got its name because Captain Cook climbed up there looking for a way out of the reef for his ship. It was a very arduous climb, with Russ, Laurie, Brian and Lauren from Nexus; and Joel, Jeanine and I from American Spirit II making the attempt. Only 3 made it to the top: Brian and Lauren; and Joel. It took them 3 hours to do so, arriving back at the beach just after sunset.

Though the sunset was above average, there was no green flash due to clouds on the horizon. We celebrated sunset with a beer, kindly provided by Russ from Nexus.

Once back at the boat, we relaxed in the cockpit after a spectacular day of sightseeing. We took over the canvas insert connecting the dodger and bimini so we could see the Milky Way and other stars. Joel saw a shooting star at 7:12 PM.

Dinner at 7:50 PM was freeze dried Lamb and Mashed Potatoes; along with our first corn on the cob in 7 months; and raisin bread.

From 9:30 PM to 11:30 PM we watched the movie Prometheus. A good science fiction 'pre-quell' to the Alien series.

Lights out at 11:30 PM.

At 12:41 AM I was awakened by a cramp in my right thigh that was the worst one I've ever had in my life. I need to drink more water to stop these. Dehydration causes them. It took 30 minutes for the cramp to go away. It was on, then off then on, then off... Not pleasant.

Brian Fox

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