End of Season

We were very surprised when Captain Phil announced that today’s whale trip was the final one of this season for the Boat Club boat!

We had no idea!

There were only seventeen of us on board.

On the way out he also announced that we had perfect conditions for the trip.

As we left the marina, the sky was grey and gloomy but the water was still and calm and it looked like he might be right … until 20 minutes later when we were heading straight towards this …

Storms surrounded us …

… making the water rough and choppy and the wind positively gale force!

I’m so grateful that I took half a travelcalm! BGWLBH and I even sat downstairs and indoors for some of the trip.

For the first 2.5 hours we chased whales that didn’t want to be caught. We barely caught glimpses of them as they moved as far away from us as they could.

Just as we were considering turning back (because the weather was once again looking ominous) we came upon a pod of 8 whales. There were four mothers each with a baby.

As we approached, two of the mothers and their babies went under the water and disappeared, while the other four whales were very curious and came right up close to the boat, popping their heads up to have a closer look at us.

I was standing on the bottom deck right up front and if I’d reached out, I could have touched them! They were so close I was overwhelmed with emotion and struggled to hold it together.

They hung around for about 20 minutes with the little ones flapping their tails and showing off like puppies with the zoomies and the Mums were gentle and led them around the boat like they were proudly displaying their offspring.

*sigh*

I didn’t have my phone in hand so I got no pics but BGWLBH took a couple.

It was the BEST end to a very ordinary whale trip!

During the trip we also saw leaping mullet, flitting bait fish, dolphins, a lions mane jellyfish and a white breasted sea eagle.

The water was much calmer on the trip home because we got close to the beaches of Fraser Island (K’gari)

Thanks to Capt Phil and his final whale stop, we were VERY late back to the marina.

BGWLBH and I stopped for coffee and a toilet break at the Boat Club. We were wind swept and slightly chilled from our day out and it was nice to be inside away from the cold wind and the rocking boat and the rain. It took a little while for the ground to stop moving under my feet!

We stopped at the fisheries where I bought a couple of bags of crab meat. Expensive but worth it. Fresh bread and butter and instant crab meat without all the mess of shelling the crabs.

Of course we had to stop at the bakery to get some low GI bread - the only bread not to upset my tummy.

When we arrived home I sent Adoring Husband to the butcher for meat while I made mashed potato and mixed greens (spinach, snow peas, green beans and asparagus) cooked in garlic butter. He cooked the meat on the barbecue.

So my house mates ate that meal and I made crab sandwiches for myself. We ate before 5pm! Like old people!

Tomorrow is meditation day and qigong so it’s time to sleep.

Nite all.