Day 45, Year 3: Waiting for a Weather Window
Date: Monday, June 23, 2008
Weather: Mix of Sunshine and Clouds; Winds SE 20 with Higher Gusts
Location: Seisia, Queensland, Australia
The weather is getting better, ever so slowly, and we think we will be able to leave here on Wednesday. We have made the decision to go to Gove on the western shore. Some people will head south first and then cross to Gove, while others are going slightly north and heading straight to Darwin or stopping at the northern tip of the Wessel Islands. We will take the middle road straight across the Gulf of Carpentaria. The Gulf is very shallow and for that reason it can kick up quite a choppy sea
in high winds, but winds are forecast to dwindle during the week, so we are going for it. After all of this wind, we will probably end up motoring.
Mark went up the mast today to replace our current anchor light with an LED bulb. Gerry had given it to us because it wasn’t working in his socket. But tonight we learned that it doesn’t work in our socket either, so it will be back up the mast tomorrow to change back to the old bulb. We went into town to the library to get on the internet which took a great deal of the day. We arrived just before noon and the library was closing for lunch. So we went to the grocery store and then came back
and waited. When the library opened, we got on a computer and downloaded some weather information plus some new photos of our grandson Sam. He is just too cute and as soon as we get to Darwin, I’ll post some of those photos so you can see him, too. But tomorrow our time and energy will be directed to getting ready for the three-day passage to Gove. It is more than 350 miles and we have to be prepared for rough conditions, just in case. So Mark will get the boat ready and I will get the food
ready. By daybreak the next morning, we will be on our way.
