Tuesday 5th - Saturday 9th August 2024
KESWICK ISLAND,QLD
It was a short, cold motor ride across the water to this beautiful nature reserve. The island is very underdeveloped at the moment, but there are plenty of plots for sale for people who are looking for a tranquil existence and are ready for a home-building project. This island made Iain very excited; there is such potential for creating a unique home overlooking the ocean with a yacht in the bay!
We anchored and waited for Craig and Karen to collect us from the slipway. Such a welcome sight. We were soon deposited in Rayna’s lovely Airbnb, Keswick Retreat. Luckily, it was not booked for the week. We unpacked and exhaled.
For the second time since leaving St. Lucia, we were ashore, sleeping in a bed that didn’t move, sufficiently separated by what felt like acres of space. The view from the veranda filled me with a tranquility I had not experienced in a long while. Such bliss.
Iain was keen to explore the island. We went on an adventure to see the plots of land for sale and generally stretch our legs. I could feel a long discussion coming on with Karen, who is the real estate agent!
Everyone knew we were there and were very happy to meet us. We were invited for coffee at Col and Leigh's home, we stayed far too long, turning coffee into afternoon drinks.
Of course, there is always something to fiddle with and luckily, the buggy needed a little tweaking, so the men obliged.
A test drive was called for, so again we set off. This time in search of the purebred Caucasian bees. The bees were brought to the island in 1986 by John and Des Covey. Being an island, these bees are free of many diseases, ideal for use as breeding stock for the mainland colones.
We did not intend to stay so long, but it was Craig’s birthday, there was to be a party. How could we resist? Karen, Val and I spent the day cooking a few curries. It felt wonderful being with women, not talking about sailing but mostly having the space and time in a kitchen to cook a meal without fear of permanent damage from a swinging cooker.
We had a marvellous evening. We played games and ate until we were pleasantly full and at the end of the night, we made it down the hill in the trusty buggy.
The following day we were in for an even bigger spectacle. The island is the regular stop off place for expectant whales who come to give birth. Whales had been sighted circling our yacht. We arrived to witness a whale extremely close. Iain was nervous, I was phoning the insurance company. I stayed to watch the whales in the bay for two hours. The call was quite a unique sound. A low dull cry. There were a few whales, all under the surface of the water, I could not really identify what was happening. Eventually, I did see a smaller tale corralled between two larger whales. Craig and his friends all heard and saw the whales. They thought it was the sound of the whale giving birth. Sadly, my video skills are similar to my ability to take a photo. In the excitment of the moment, I missed filming the whales as I was pointing the camera at the grass, but it is an experience I will not forget.
After such a highlight, we felt it was time to move on. Neither of us wanted to leave but we knew if we stayed much longer, we would be phoning Karen to buy a plot of land to stay. Reluctantly we returned to our floating home, lifted the anchor and sailed away.
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