There’s Hope Again!

After a slow moonlit start from Lizard Island we eventually had a great sail on main and screecher to Hope Isles, arriving 12 hours later at 4:30 pm.  

As we eased Heatwave through the reef into the anchorage, to the ghostly calls of the thousands of pied imperial pigeons, arriving in small flocks to their breeding sites, a pair of Sea-eagles were flying laps of the island, stirring up the pigeons as they tried to land.

A flotilla of pelicans cruising along the sandpit looked menacing too, perhaps waiting for some prey, while bridled terns casually dived for their dinner.  Turtles popped up beside the boat as we watched the sunset fade into the smoky mountains. 

Sunrise was more dramatic as orange, red and gold developed through a gap in the clouds and the pelicans began to muster on the beach.  The sea-eagle was the early bird, calling as she set off to find some brekky on the reef (Female sea-eagles are larger than the males.)  Smoke, smog and drizzle set in as we attempted to sail on to Low Isles, making visibility quite a challenge until the sun was high.