Day 2, Year 3: About Children
Date: Sunday, May 11, 2008
Weather: Sunny Day with Lots of Puffy Clouds; Wind SE 15-20
Latitude: 23 degrees 09.545 minutes S
Longitude: 150 degrees 57.285 minutes E
Location: Great Keppel Island, Australia

As we approached Great Keppel Island this afternoon, I thought it was a most fitting Mother’s Day tribute that we first sailed past a little island called “Child” and then we went by “Man” and “Wife” islands. On Mother’s Day children think about their mothers but mothers think about their children. At least that is what this mother does. Having just returned from five months at home in the United States where we lived with our daughter and her husband and got to visit with our son and his wife
on three different occasions, Mother’s Day on Windbird here in Australia was a bit of a lonely affair. Justin and Jo had sent a card and a pair of Cerrillos turquoise earrings with Mark to give to me and there was an email waiting from Heather, Jed, and Sam early this morning wishing me a Happy Mother’s Day. Both were wonderful, but I sure did miss seeing the kids in person. Mark tried to fill the gap by buying me a huge dark chocolate egg called “Decadence.” He is also fixing dinner for me right
now, so after Australian steak and salad, we will have a little of that chocolate while we think about our kids. It is so satisfying to watch our daughter Heather with her child Sam. She is such a good mother. Justin and Jo have two dogs, two cats, two bunnies, and four chickens . . . no children yet, but lots of furry and feathery things to love. For me, the greatest Mother’s Day gift is having happily married children taking care of their “babies” with love.

We are on the fast track up the coast of Australia. Although this is beautiful little anchorage, tomorrow morning we will take off again and do another overnight passage to the Percy Isles. We are told by Australian friends that this is a place to spend a couple of days before heading further north to the Whitsunday Islands. Our daughter Heather went to undergraduate school here in Australia, and while she was here, we came to visit and we chartered in the Whitsundays. These islands are not out
on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, but there are lots of beautiful places to snorkel and I’m looking forward to that. Mark got in the water here today to check out the condition of our bottom and our prop. Actually the bottom is not bad, but the prop was covered with barnacles. Mark did a lot of scraping so motoring should now be a lot easier.

080511 Day 2 Arrival at Great Keppel