This morning we finally "escaped" from Cairns in northern Queensland. We arrived here 6 weeks ago hoping for extended time exploring and diving the outer reefs of the Great Barrier Reef. Unfortunately, for most of our time here we have had 'enhanced trade winds' which means it has blown 20 - 25 kts and often 25 - 30+. There is very little protection from wind and waves out on the reef and there are few islands or bays to hide behind.
The last two weeks we have been waiting for the winds to diminish since we have approx. 800 miles to go into the wind and seas back to Brisbane. It looks like we have a good weather window for the next few days, so we will make some tracks south and sneak out to the reef for some diving when possible. We hope to be in Brisbane around Aug 15.
Once we reach Brisbane, our plan is to ship Oso Blanco back to the Seattle area in late August. We have a shipping contract, but the ocean shipping agents are notoriously late and undependable, so we do not have a firm shipping date. Rather than just sit and wait, we have made reservations to return to the states and be at the cabin for Labor Day weekend! If the boat has shipped, we will all come home. If the boat is going ship soon after Sept 1, I will likely remain in OZ. If shipment is delayed or uncertain, I will come home with Ann and Bear and return to OZ when necessary. Either way, some of us will at Eagle Lake for the end of summer festivities.
We have obviously been disappointed that the weather limited our adventure on the GBR. However, Cairns is a vibrant active town and we had a lot of fun in the area. The marina is excellent and right in the center of the action, there are excellent hiking and biking trials, and we also did a number of great road trips inland.
The final leg of our South Pacific adventure is underway. Oso is running perfectly and we are traveling with our good friends on Mystery Ship, just the way we started out from Mexico in April of 2010.
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