2nd time around

When i first got to Australia , i thought i knew everything about sailing , but i was wrong , i new very little about it . So the first trip up North to the Whitt Sundays was very new for me. I did enjoy the scenery and the sea life  . But sailing and learning to live in such small quarters was not easy . When you come from a small city and have a large wardrobe of clothing and shoes to living with only a small closet that holds snap top lids of your clothing and everything you will wear has to fit in there. Just amagine a small plastic box what can fit in it , this includes shirts , shorts , and even underclothes . There is not enough room for clothes to hang in the closet , i do have a small space for hanging a few garments , but the problem with that is they tend to get damp from the sea breeze and salt. i have come from also a full size washing machine and dryer to washing out of 2 buckets in cold salt water , and hanging them on a line in the ship to hopefully dry before the sun goes down . Showers were another issue with me , i was so used to letting the warm water fall on me for about 20 mins and taking my time enjoying the moment. You cant do that on the ship . Fill it with warm water in the sink and take a sponge bath in less than a sink of water , im also including washing your hair . that is not possible in the boat everyday . I was used to washing mine everyday , not so on the boat you are lucky to wash it 1 once a week ! aghhhh . I got used to pulling it up in the pony tail and wearing a hat .    So we are headed AGAIN up north , this time i know what to expect when we sail  so it wont be as bad . I wish she would magically grow into a catamaran with a full frig and washing machine !

I did miss Hill inlet the pic above that was one beautiful place it was amazing and just for the time there i didnt think about the washing machine or the hairdryer lol
i think GOD put it there for people like me that have difficulty in adjusting to sailing and as a retreat from the confines of the boat ;) 

adapting to sailing

I must admit what i thought would be very easy to adapt to with my life in the USA was not. It may look like sailing is a piece of cake but for me i never sailed let alone clear up to the Whit Sundays following the Great Barrier Reef . Steering the ship was quite nerve wracking and i had to learn to relax and not override her when navigating . Rob is a good skipper he knows when we have to use the for sail or change to just the main sail and i get the names of the ropes and which to pull at the right times. I am more comfortable at steering now than what i was . If you have never been on a monohull sailboat its shape is similar to a v and it will rock side to side sometimes leaning ( heeling over ) which used to scare the crap out of me ! and then you have the times she ( the ship ) will hobby horse or bob from bow to stern . that is ok with me unless we are jumping over huge swells in mid air . My poor hubby he is so patient with me and he tries not to get frustrated with me at times i forget things.
The one thing i have learned is just because to see people sailing and it looks like a piece of cake , its not what you think. Sailing has its times like the pic i showed you when the sea is like glass and calm , or a hint of a breeze and you can sit on the deck as she motors . but other times its down right scary . You never know when the wind will change and you have to be in tune with the weather and the navigation or course on top of that and avoiding things like reefs and rocks or other boats coming at you .   But the beauty is you can go where you want to epically if you own you boat . I kinda feel sorry for the charter boats , they have only a few days to try and see places and if the weather is bad , to bad you still have to try and snorkel in cold or cloudy weather :/ and not always do they have a good time , used boats have issues from the bilge pump that goes out causing a flooding in the ship to the radio not working . Those people spend alot of money to just have a taste of what me and rob were blessed to have . God bless them for that .. rob would make a excellent guide and captian he knows everything about the sea .  I know there will be people who will never get to sail but i hope that with my blog i can let them peek into my life and just for a moment get to feel what its like to sail and go places . That is one reason i started this blog , to share my blessings not horde them .

God gives you moments in life to share and this is one of them .   the Percy Islands
Ever seen the Lord of the Rings ??? its almost like your living there . its full of such beauty your eyes just cant comprehend . we walked that 3 mile path up to the homestead to see kate and John and thousands of butterflies were flying around everywhere its was like a fairy forest something so magical and it took my breath away . the trees you see in the pic are pandanas  they love the tropical parts of the forest where water is near and the roots are huge , storing water and nutrients in them while in drought times. they are very adaptable
lol wish i could be like them ;)

tiny in comparason to the sea

Me and Rob are still in Yeppoon , the welcome change from the intense winds and swells we have sailed through . Its so strange when you have time on your hands , nothing to do but fish , take naps and eat , but it has really taught me also a lesson in life . That i have no more excuses to take time out for the Lord . To be able to sit in the pure silence of the morning as the sun comes up , with tea in hand and a clear mind . I have become more in tune to the world around me. The beauty that we are surrounded by . Even if those who are not able to sail or see the Great Barrier Reef , you can sit outside and just look at what GOD has created . From the painted skies , to the falling rain , to the tiny song birds , HE has created them for you and I. HE is calling out to say "I love you child " and even when i am holding onto the ships wheel , and the winds are heeling me over as the swells of the ocean and the storms seems to laugh at me  and i feel so tiny compared to that huge vast ocean.
To look out over the Sea and your the only sail boat on the waves for miles away . The Boat seems no longer 38 foot long but just a speck in the ocean ! Sometimes We can feel this way around GOD , HE seems so huge compared to us "tiny ants " scurrying around on the earth . But he knows EVERYTHING about each and everyone one of us , HE is in control of the wind the waves after all HE created them ;)

So the next time you feel alone , remember who created that HUGE ocean and GOD is always in control

and loves you even when you feel like a speck in the ocean ;)

How can God use me in this ??

As i was thinking back all the time me and rob spent on the water sailing and visiting the islands , i kept wondering how can GOD use this experience to lead others to know him , for there was times we were just us two alone miles away from anyone , just the silence. And as the months grew on , i realized that i was allowed to experience these things to show me , just how much time we do spend with GOD even when there is time , but our human nature wants to sleep in and maybe read a book , i had the whole day to myself , no phone no job no worries , and still i made excuses not to take time for the Lord  and i felt terrible that Jesus is always there for us when we need him but we only give a fraction to HIM :(  So i prayed Lord as you have sent me to Australia let the desire to serve you , worship you and tell others about your love , let that burn in me and reach as far as the Great Barrier reef .

I have only left in my description on the blog that i am a Christian so if you read this posting , now you know
that Jesus is the captain of my vessel , he guides me where i need to be in life , we are only the first mates.

God bless the other boaties (people who live on the sea too )

I was  excited , We were in Port Clinton and there Was Scorpio Melody and Kevin with their vessel and Lynn and Gary with  Kicknbak , and we enjoyed the time we had with them  It felt good to connect with other ladies that live on the sea and we laughed and shared similar moments too . I didnt feel alone this time , there are actually others out there like me . Even lynn wears socks on her boat  and hates her feet dirty too . The guys were have the regular ozzie "bloak " chats and we gals were having a few ourselves . Melody and Kevin own a Trawler type ship that is 40 ft and its like a small house boat , really cute ,with the bedroom down below deck and the kitchen area updeck , and Lynn and gary own a catamaran its so big and roomy , and the kitchen is almost apartment size with full frig and freezer  the lucky duck lol but to share that time with them . I finally felt like i had something in common  the sea and living on a boat ;) Dont get me wrong i love the sea , all the places we go to fish and explore and the sea life , the whales and dolphins that ride beside you when you go fast in the boat they love to bow ride and they love human attention .  The hard things are not being able to fully shower
you have to use water sparingly , we only have 400 gallons on each side thats it , you run out guess what ? you got to refill her up :/ and its not fun at all lugging 20 lbs bottles 3 trips of 8 up on the ship . i have now to wash my hair that means fully shampoo it 1once a week . Yes once a week , you learn to pull it up in a bun and get used it . At first i freaked i thought no way i cant deal with this lol i need my hair dryer and longer showers ! but after awhile you adjust to it ,and fish smell with your own body smells kinda bland in lol just teasing .
 its been almost 6 months since we left to the Whit sundays and trekked clear up the Great Barrier reef
to the far north of Australia . We have seen so many things , so life on the sea is not always a bummer

rob and i have had things fall apart like the wind generator and the inverter that stopped working along with the lovely water pump . just like a house things break , but when your on the sea you better have a backup plan in case . and thank GOD there is sails on our ship so if she does stop running on the motor , we can sail

Other boaties have had similar problems  so you get to share the good bad and interesting things on the sea
some will make you laugh too

Days that take your breath away

Hello Yankee Gurl here . We were out of range yesterday due to the storm that came up on us , and while trying to head to Port Clinton , the motor ONCE again stopped working and got hot . So we tried to sail her with the main sail and the forsail in the wind  not ! it was a disaster , she was fighting us all the way , so we let the winds turn her around and we anchored in Pearl bay instead . Before the storm hit and we reached the channel it was a picture perfect day , the sea was like glass , no wind , no current , and whales were everywhere , breaching and playing . But out of the blue was the storm . This time i just spoke to the Lord and said " Lord you know where we need to be " and that boat turned around a full 160 and headed to Pearl Bay . God knows our needs even on the sea , he said in his word " every hair on your head is numbered " meaning he knows everything about you . So what is a little rain and wind ;)

We are headed back home to Yeppon

Hello America , looks like me and Rob are headed back to Yeppoon in a few days . We had to motor out of the marina at mackay and into a anchorage 2 hours Keswick island is where we are currently  the winds were going N.E so we had a pretty good sail, on top the the stupid impeller that kept going out and getting hot , so back to the mainland to have it looked at , We will be going back to the Whit Sundays again , hopfully we will have better snorkling and fishing weather when we head back . I bet our mail is piled up , poor kylie she has been getting the mail for us since april ! God bless her and dennis . I have also took up my yoga again . i know your wondering " how the heck can you exercise on a boat " its not that easy espically inside , so ihave to wait for calm days and Rob got me a sticky mat for yoga , for the deck of the boat to work out . its a pretty big deck and has quite alot of room , plus a good view of the sunset and the seaturtles as i am listing to my mp3 . Since i first got here i did gain some weight thanks to the goodies the English have brought here to Australia ! but its not as bad as it first was i had to try everything , taste all those cream buns and streets icecream bars called "magnum " are the best !  Well thats about it for now , headed to bed . God bless you America and have a G day

Snorking today brrrrrrrrrrr lol

Ok it was my idea , me and Rob was bored and we stopped in Western Bay to anchor till tomorrow when we motor to Mackay marina . Rob bought 2 stinger suits , thoses are like lighter versions of a scuba suit and we donned on the flippers and masks and took the dingy to the reef to see what kind of fish was out there . It was FREEZING coooooold  You people in America have to know that Australia in August is still Winter , and even though the sun shines that water is cold . but we both screamed for a few moments while adjusting to the coldness . We seen small fish and a few flame angel fish , it was kinda murky , due to the northely winds whipping around the island . Rob then had to aggravate a sea turtle that was swimming by minding its own business , he wanted to catch it , jumped over board and it took off . We both also fished for whiting and only caught 2 , but i got to practice using my fishing net he got me . Western Bay is so beautiful  the sea is so blue and green and clear , soft smooth sand everywhere . Well Thats it for now , its almost tea time here in Australia
have a G day ! America

We seen a mama and baby whale today ;)

Hey ! Guess what ?? Me and Rob were motoring out of Port Newry this afternoon and we seen a mother whale and a new baby calf , they were right near the bow of the ship . Rob turned off the motor so it would not scare them , and she came close to the boat only 50 meters away as if to show off her new baby ;)

 It was the biggest thing i have ever seen she was as big as the ship and moved really slow , the baby was right along side her , you could tell it was a new one it was very small and mom was right next to it the whole time .The baby was flipping its tail out of the water and playing , mom was close by , then it was like " ok its time to take a breath baby " and they both dived under the ship and out towards Whitt Sundays where the waters are warm . I was so amazed to see something that huge taking care of such a small thing no bigger than a dolphin at birth . Rob said that was the first time they h
ave got that close , we stayed away from her and baby and she had to come near to show it off lol  it was the coolest thing i ever seen , they say that baby whales gain 100 lbs every day on the mothers milk .
all the way to Brampton we seen them , one was breaching . You have to see this to know what its like the experience is unreal !

Still n Port Newry

Hi there ! we are still in Port Newry , rob had t fix something on the motor and the winds are not in the direction we need to go to Brampton , so we will be here till probably Saturday . i did get out of the boat and into the cockpit cabin to sun myself today ;) the winds are still a little chilly , the warm sun felt great on my face , and i managed to do some yoga on the deck last night , with my mp3 player rob got me . it was so beautiful i was watching the sun go down in hues of orange and red behind colored clouds of purple gray . The combined yoga and the sunset made for a relaxing day . Rob was reading his book , and playing his guitar .Some days are perfect , and some days are not so perfect . So just like the tide that goes in and out , so will you your moods when living in a 38 ft sailboat . The cold rainy days are the worst , we dont have a tv on the boat , just my computer and dvds i think we have watched all of them 5 times each by now lol  I make popcorn and we have a ginger beer ( non alcoholic ) and watch them together Caddy Shak is the best !
Well catch ya later Yankee Gurl down Under ;)

memories while walking the trails on some of the islands

Me and Rob went to Port Newery and pulled the dingy up to the beach to have a walk on te trails . The trails were filled with wattle leaves and some bark the Parks and Recreation left for visitors to walk on . As i was walking up and down them , my nose took on new smells like a brown sugar . Rob it was a molasses grass   and showed me where the smell was coming from . He hated the smell cause he grew up around it all the time lol but i was intrigued by it. also they have a plant they call grass tree " black boys " native to the Aborigines they used them for medicinal uses , the gum as a glue resin and the plant grows up like a cattail with a fuzzy top on it and the butterflies just swarm around it when in bloom cause it is sticky . Everywhere i looked was those plants
and all kinds of new butterflies and strange bird sounds . I know that my Grandmother would have loved every minute of it , touching and smelling the flowers and plants . It was almost as if she was walking beside me. At first i had such a fear of spiders and things that would scare me , but as i walk the trials and i experience things like that i have to remember that we as humans are like giants to them , and i have learned to respect them . We have seen a few whip snakes and green tree snakes  they did not take time to stay around and quickly took off , and we seen s Goanna like lizard sunning herself in the sun . I have always been the prissy , dont get my feet and hands dirty type of girl , but since i met Rob he has helped me to over come that . i have my moments when i dont like the steep climbs or the spider webs i encounter , but hes a bush man and has taught me how to avoid the webs with a stick , and using a up down motion it will remove the webs before you walk into them ... The golden weave orb spider used to scare me but she is eats all the sand flies and mozzies ! so we have kinda made a mends . She spins a golden web too , and shes not ugly like most spiders ... well lets say i have adjusted to her .  Gramma would be proud of me  she was such a nature lover .
We headed through the trail and on the other end was a beach called sunset beat , with she oak trees that whistled in the breeze Rob hates those too lol  they remind me of the sea when the wind hits them
the beach was not occupied and we walked down the beach together. Its good to get out of the boat stretch your legs and breathe fresh air , sometimes you can be quite cooped up in a saiboat espically if you cant fish or its too cold to snorkle or swim .

 

Thunder in the Land Down Under !

We had a thunderstorm last night .... well Rob told me i slept through it lol he said it was a big one . i was sleeping pretty good with the rain hitting the hatch . That was the first time i heard thunder in Australia. We needed the rain so badly , the trees and plants at Erlie Beach was gasping for it , poor things looked dry and thirsty , even the palms were droopy ! the Westerly winds really wreck havoc on not just the plants but your skin .I still keep a hat on when we go out , it helps from getting a headache from the sun beating down on my head .
We will be a close range till a few days before the doctors appointment cause Mackay marina is Expensive to stay there .  I do like one thing about Mackay the Womens Showers they are HUGE big mirrors and nice shower enclosures , long .......... hot ......... steamy showers , and a place to plug in a hair dryer ! But for the week we will be close bye about 25 miles from Mackay . That is another thing i have a hard time with Names of the islands and mainlands , not at all like the USA , some are hard to pronounce , and Rob quickly lets me know how it is spelled lol .   oh one more thing  ! i just wish there was a easier way to get the shampoo out of my hair on the boat . i have tried a squirt bottle and that helps somewhat , you have to be carefull not to use  too much soap or you cant get the soap out ! grrrrrr  i have a video for you to see soon on the lovely bathroom , stay tuned to The Yankee Gurl Down Under  great adventures with skipper Rob my ozzie hubby.

We seen 3 whales today and a dolphin !

We are now Anchored in Port Newry at the moment , it is calm and we did a bit of fishing today .Its a nice change from all the turbulence and the swells . I even saw a dolphin poke his head up out of the water as if it was saying Hello . His eyes were big and round , he looked like a gray beach ball , and smooth . He was quite only the sound of him surfacing to get air from his blow hole . Never seen one that close before , they are quite friendly and sometimes when you sail and the rising waves that break the beams will invite them to come take a ride near the bow of the boat , its like a free ride for them . We seen 3 whales today 2 far off one up close , the one that was breaching was way off , but i seen her raise a HUGE flipper . they are so big , bigger than our boat and quite graceful in the water , you would think they would be clumsy but they aren't . and the misconceptions that all whales are not cautious of man , they have built in radars and they know when a boat is near , they tend to keep their distance , especially when they have a baby with them.

Today was a good day ;)
 

sailing in the dark and processing immigration papers dont mix !! grrr

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Ok dont get me wrong i love to sail , enjoy being on the boat , but ONE thing you will not ever change in me is the fear of the dark , now add that too sailing with swelling of the waves as we are trying to get back to Mackay to have that Medical Form done on the 17th . It would have not been so bad , but when you are trusting a nagvigation chart , and sailing in the pitch blackness with NO moonight , you cant see 2 foot in front of your face
and here i am fixing a meatloaf and veggies on top of it all , and TRAX our boat is sailing across the beam of the breaking waves , this time shes NOT rocking but hobbyhorsing !! i managed to balance myself to fix the freakin meatloaf and get it in the stove while being thrown from the bow to the stern of her ship .
Needless to say i was not a happy housewife :/ i had to ask my skipper " why does it seem like we are the only idots sailing in the pitch blackness ??? "& You have to amagine this and the only light is the anchor light on the mast and two lights on her bow the red one on the left ( port ) and the right one green ( stern ) but that is for the other ships to see us ??
;I kept thinking to mysef and i was getting madder by the minute "thanks immigration " you have to ruin a good time just for a health exam that HAS to be done NOW , when we was enjoying a beautiful trip up North to whithaven beach and Whit Sundays , " oh its fine we can sail back 2 days out of the way just for you " grrrrrr

We did manage to make it to Lindmen Island to Achor there for the night
i was too tired and ratteled to hardlly eat the meatloaf

God must know all my weaknesses cause the DARK is one of them :(
Psalm 56:3 what time i am afraid i will trust in theee
and i must have said that over a hundered times .
Oh yes Dad i did have my life jacket on ....

sorry no vids for 2 -3 days we have to sail south

sorry guys ! we will have those vids soon . We have to sail south to Mackay first , i know your anxious to see them , i will send the firs one in 2-3 days after getting to the Marina ;)
till then this is Yankee Gurl Down under with a G DAY ;)

Rocking and rolling

G day from The Land Down Under , I woke up to the ship rocking and rolling madly , agghhh its not too bad when shes gently rocking like a rocking chair , but i woke up to a horrific headache :/ Looks like we are headed to Mackay soon we will go with the northerly winds to sail back 2 days out of Whit Sundays , the immigration needs a health exam and chest x rays and its the only Doctor that can do this kind of assessment . Maybe they think im purple with pink dots lol . so We have to backtrack South to get this done . Its not like a car you have to stop in between and anchor near islands that provide protection from the winds and swells  and getting there is tricky if the winds are not right , otherwise you motor all the way there. Im a little aggravated so is Rob we were going to stay at Hill Inlett which is so beautiful , but now this is put on hold . God has his reasons so we just go with the flow 

Take a peek what its really like sailing :P

Oh boy ! i got robs fuji cam / video figured out
woo hooo
now i can show you all the lovely things a yankee experiences living on the Sea in a monohull sailboat
i will be sending videos of daily living including showing you the Abyss ( that stupid thing called a frig ) lol
and you will get to see the good , bad and ugly of living in 36 ft of space lol
And they thought Jessica Watson was the only one :P


Stay tuned
the Yankee Gurl Down Under

God works in mysterious ways

 So how does a Yankee gurl come to find her Mr. Right ?
and of all places in The land down under ?
To tell you exactly why , i would have to back up , with my life living in the United States
so if your still reading my blog and are curious to ask why would this Yankee , pack up and leave
and make such a drastic change . Its gonna take me awhile to explain ;)
 So grab a cuppa and a bikie and i will tell you all about it ;)
right now i am with my ozzie hubby , sailing , and oh boy i have alot to tell you about that too 

stay tuned
for more ;)

who is this Yankee down under ??

its a long story and it would take several hourse to explain how a little Ohio Gal
ended up in the Land Down under .

i guess i was sick of it all with the United states
epically the men , i wanted a fresh start with my life.

So where does a Small town  Christian Yankee gurl
find the right man in her life ? it was right below my typed letters
all i had to do was hit the search button on the computer right ?
and instant romeo lol