July 23, 2017 (day 3,706)
Quick Fix: 23° 54.2 S / 152° 24.0 E
Conditions:  Wind: 12/SE Sky: Clear

Raising The Net
Finding a decent wifi signal when you're cruising can be a little challenging, especially when you're anchored off a remote island. Yesterday, after a 257 nautical mile passage up the coast of Australia, we raised Lady Musgrave Island, our first anchorage on the Great Barrier Reef. Since we left Brisbane we've climbed 4 degrees in latitude, which may not sound particularly significant but sea temperatures have increased a welcoming 10 degrees, air is now warm enough to sport a sarong, and the murky green waters of Moreton Bay have been replaced by the iridescent turquoise of the Coral Sea. We're 40 miles from the mainland, far enough to feel like we're anchored in a remote South Pacific tropical atoll yet just close enough to pick-up a wayward wifi signal. Sure, we have to hoist the modem up our mast in a net fruit bag just to check email, but with an anchorage this idyllic, and now wifi, we've got it all.

July 8, 2017 (day 3,691)
Quick Fix: 27° 27.2 S / 153° 11.3 E
Conditions:  Wind: 3/SW Sky: Clear

Family Support
Today, with cousin Alan braving wintry waters whilst holding his palm flat against an underwater thru-hole fitting, we successfully managed to replace a failed seacock with a shiny new one without sending Dream Time to Davy Jones's Locker. The yard in Moreton Bay strongly suggested we get hauled for the project, while a professional diver expressed concern supporting an in-water seacock replacement. So we took matters into our own hands. The project was a success and we celebrated at Peel Island with a BBQ and balloons jiggling merrily from the rig. We didn't buy balloons to celebrate a new seacock, that would be a little weird, rather the balloons were to celebrate Karen's birthday, the family's exciting move down to Brisbane, new jobs, a new home and new schools. So, welcome to Brissy, cousins, and Alan, thanks for your help, mate!