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.
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