August 04, 2014 The morning bird chorus wafted across the bay from Lord Island as Skipper and I walked the decks enjoying our 5-star accommodation. The sights, sounds and beautiful cool, crisp air of a favourite Kimberley anchorage, helped awaken me after a welcome full nights’ deep slumber. Life is good. Alto-cumulus patterned the sky […]
Aug 03, 2014 The calving grounds are a mixture of wild and woolly boisterous activity and ‘island-like’, immobile resting at the surface. Both types of behaviours compliment and contradict each other. “Hot-headedness” meets “cool-as-a-cucumber” calm in the world of being a humpback whale which includes finding a friend, keeping one (if only for 2 hours […]
Aug 02, 2014 Glorious alto-cumulus at sunset on the calm sea had all the photographers on deck as we travelled the western side of Dampier Peninsula. Soft colours, at the beginning and end of days tends to do that! On watch, looking up at the sky, the stars are shielded somewhat with a light cumulus […]
Aug 01, 2014 Thump, thump, thump was my alarm clock this morning before sunrise. Craning my neck to see outside through our aft window, I could understand why the photographers were out and about! The sun, promising another beautiful day in paradise, hid behind the primary sand-dunes of Cable Beach. An orange-glow over the […]
July 31, 2014 We are almost in Broome… The anticipation of arrival is overwhelming because very shortly thereafter, we will be going to our favourite place on the planet! At midnight, the air temperature for the weather report was 25.40 C! This is promising and simply wonderful! On deck, the warm air enveloped me […]
July 30, 2014 During my night watch taking our good ship past Port Hedland, I reflected on all the good things of yesterday. We spent the morning travelling towards and past the Dampier Archipelago noting humpback whale sightings and totally remembering all the wonderful times in this beautiful remote region of the Pilbara. Folks and […]
July 29, 2014 Long migrations by animals are well-known and have been documented for thousands of years. Some that immediately spring to mind include monarch butterflies that flock from California to the Mexico, shorebirds that fly from Siberia to the mudflats of Broome and “The Great Migration” of mega-fauna moving across the African continent. Cetaceans […]
July 28, 2014 At midnight when I come on watch we are abeam Amherst Point, the southern part of Ningaloo Reef. From the southern extent, this part fringing and part barrier reef extends northwards 240 km, wrapping around and into Exmouth Gulf at Bundegi. Ningaloo Reef paralleling Cape Range National Park is another jewel in […]
July 27, 2014 Under a starry but a lightly dusted altocumulus sky (cloud like a thin layer of un-carded sheep’s wool) we paralleled the coast of the Zuytdorp Cliffs on a NE bearing. Between 12 and 1 am the wind finally switched from NNW to SW and calmed to 12-15 knots. There is no traffic […]
July 25, 2014 With a cold front approaching we are running from bad weather that will hit Perth on Saturday (July 26). With wind on our nose, it is relatively heavy going. Whale sighted along the way are also experiencing the same motion through the water. Our stabilisers are very effective and I can see […]
