a small miracle in A BIG OCEAN

This is Skipper my budgie Rob bought him on my B day
hes just a baby and with us being out on the sea , we decided to clip only one wing
which was a big mistake we made . We keep him in his cage and the onnly time he is allowed out is when the hatch to the bottom of the cabin is shut , so he will not fly off . We set sail for beautiful Blue Pearl Bay to do some snorkling and taking film . The day was perfect warm , sunny and a little windy nothing unusual .

After snorkeling we took a nap the cabin below and left skipper in his cage
i was just waking up when i heard silence and only wings take flight . I ran to the top of the cockpit
and skipper was not in his cage . now mind you we are in 100 ft of sea water no land ,and the only thing was going through my mind was " OH GOD dont let him drown " i was so upset , i looked over the side of the ship and called out for him , fearing a larger bird got him or worse a big fish . " Rob kept trying to tell me to relax he would look for him , i immediately yelled out " Jesus please keep skipper safe till we find him "
i said " i know his only a budgie but please keep him safe LORD "  i searched with rob everywhere for him and still no sign . I looked into the blue water fearing the worst and then Rob came from behind me with a fishing net and i thought " great hes drowned i dont wanna see that Dear GOD " and i lifted a soaking wet budgie that was out of breath out of the net and rushed him into my arms with a warm towel to warm him up from the water.
Rob saved skipper ? How? we searched 15 mins for him !
Rob said he found him at the back of the stearn near the exhaust pipe   holding on with his feet and flapping to keep afloat in the water .

There are thousands of fish in the sea , sharks as well as sea birds that could have caught skipper
but he was safe , not a scratch was on him .
I held him close on my chest with the towel over him dried him off , and a few hours later
he was back chirping and singing like nothing happened .
I may have seen only a few things close to a miracle in my life
but this was one day i will never forget .  
Matthew 7:11
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

Luke 12:7
Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
 and then the Holy Spirit reminded me that , even the smallest of things that we think we lost God is there and he knows where we are at every waking minute , every second of every day of our life , and that little birdy was no exception . While things that seem so impossible to man NOTHING is impossible for GOD not even the sea the wind and waves can match his power ! I had just witnessed a small miracle in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef !   Skipper is safe , and we now keep him under lock and key all his doors and areas he found a small opening and escaped :/  so Rob helped me wire up the areas of the doors and the feeding windows to keep him safe .  He has earned his Sea legs and is now Sea worthy ;) I must have cried thank you to Rob countless times and above to my JESUS who is above all my Life Saver !  and He saved my little skipper .

Dont ever let anyone tell you GOD dont preform miracles in this day and age
HE still is on the Throne in heaven waiting to bless you and give you your hearts desire !
 He knew that i loved my little budgie and he made sure skipper was floating safely till Rob came to rescue him .  and you dont t think you are  that important to the LORD ???

we come from different worlds

I wanted to show you this pic it was not taken by me but my hubby
that loves to climb mountains , he climbed the highest mountians overlooking the Nara Inlett where our boat was anchored. He wanted me to come with him but i am not good at climbing , and the bugs drive me batty when i try it. I have made several attempts to try and do some of the things he loves , but i guess this is not one of them . I also dont like heights , and maybe that is why i hyperventilate ?? lol He climbs them in no time flat he took film of the top of the mountain looking down . I seen him from my boat , like a small bird on a ledge , i didnt dare get scared , but i was a little worried about him . I guess its the Ozzie in him the bush man he will always be , and maybe we dont like some things , like i like yoga and listening to my mp3 player , writing poems and writing in my blog , and he is all out doors ! He knows a lot about the Trees and flowers and the wildlife in Australia . Thats my guy !  and when he was on that mountain  i was waiting for him making him his favorite pancakes and ginger marmalade with cream ;)
GOD is unique in how he has created man and woman  so different
but complements one another perfectly ;)  I may never climb that mountian
but i know who created the mountain and although it may seem to hard for me
i am reminded that with GOD nothing is IMPOSSIBLE , his power could crush the biggest mountain

Rob is truly a man of GOD and i am blessed to have him climb the mountains i cant in life he is there beside me when i feel i cant do something , always encouraging me  just like JESUS !

As close to heaven as you can get ;)

I wanted to show this to you 

This is as close to Heaven you will get ! it;s a pic of Hill Inlett near tongue Bay 

Amazing , how can anyone not except that there is a God that has created something so beautiful as this !

the sand is pure white , mixed with azure blue and green 

and to swim in it , reminds me of the blue Lagoon ( movie ) the waters are warm and inviting 

and the sea life welcomes you , even the sting rays that lay on the bottom give way and share it with you 

all kinds of salt water sea life you can ever see! and you think you seen it all at the zoo ?

the Great Barrier reef is so amazing " did you know it is so big that astronauts can view it from the space shuttle on the moon !

So the next time you hear someone saying " how do you know God is real " show them this pic !

and just think our God is so big his tiny toe will fit in the Great Barrier Reef !

What a mighty GOD we serve !

 

 

Its Raining !

Its raining here at the Whitt Sundays , We have moved to Shute Harbour to weather out the N/W storm . the rain is pouring down on the boat . We are in her locked up safe and tight till then. Now can you imagine being in a 38 ft sailboat and stuck there for 4 days with NO tv?? just books , and the radio and the squaking budgie lol.

Hopfully it will not be a long rain and we can get on dry land soon . This time is when i read the Good Book and take time to meditate on what God is speaking to my heart about .

Life on the sea is more than just the scenery its the experience , the people you meet , and i have met some quite interesting people in Australia , from the backpackers that come to the Whitt Sundays to travel some from Germany , France even Malaysia . Some come on foot  and sail with charters on a sailboat , others will come in caravans and drive from the mainlands . Its a amazing place a mix of so many cultures here but not like America where you see the strife and stress . There is a big difference between the USA and here .

Well off to read the Good Book
hehe reminds me of the days when i would visit my gramma and there she would be on the rocking chair with the Bible in her hands and it was always a new discussion in scriptures . She had the mind of a steel trap and never forget a thing ! but was always there for us grandkids when we had a question about the Lord .
and she loved the Rain lol would open up that big house and let the fresh air come in , of course Grandpa B would fuss about it , but she always had her way with him lol . so when you i see the rain it reminds me of the times God will send the rain for a reason , not just to quench  dry Australia and its life on the sands and seas
but to quench our thirst for HIM HE is the rain ;)

God bless
Yankee Gurl 

saling days are never the same type twice !

hey its me the new ozzie in training lol here is a pic of rob and i sailing in perfect weather
although the swells were 1.7 meters and knotts were 15-20 knotts
it was a amazing day we were gybing with the wind and it was like the swells where the surf and trax was our surfboard . they came from the side heeling her over normally and the wind would just push her along
we were going almost 8 knotts !

these are the good sailing days , when shes in the wind
and the waves just work in harmony to her as we were headed north to
Erlie Beach
We even got to get some rest for a change lol
usually you cant do that with her knocking you side to side
or riding the breaking beam jmping like a bucking bronco .
im starting to relax to sailing at night , at first i was freaked out by it
i could not see 2 feet in front of my face , and we was suppose to trust this stinking navigator ?
ray marine  lol Well God is always my Captian , and rob is the skipper
im just one of the apostles that freaks when the waves look like they will eat you crying out "save me Lord "

You learn to not use fear when sailing , it makes it worse and you cant think properly .
So i watch rob when he sails and so far im getting pretty good at steering her into the wind as he hoists the sails !

Still given a choice i would rather have a catamaran they are less rolly
and more comfortable a ride
and have more room
but who has 300,000 doallars to spend
on one ?
We see alot of older couples sailing , amazing ! they are in their 50s 60 and even 70s
living in their cats ( catamarans ) lol
we are just young whipper snappers to them :P
All in all its a wonderful life on the sea
who can say they have dolphins out there back door that come visit and ride the bow
to say hello
Happy Sailing

keeping ship shape?

When i was in America , i had the concrete to run on and a gym to go to , when you go from all the things you take for granted such as simple things as this , you step back and find out just what a change it is to move to a whole new world ! So now your wondering how does one stay in shape on a 38 ft monohull sailboat ?
Well i have found out that when the wind is calm or a light breeze i can get away with putting my sticky mat on the deck and doing yoga . Its great for balance espically when she does tend to rock to one side then the other at times lol . Its amazingly peaceful just you and the wind at your face the gulls and the sea and GOD . The meditation is wonderful . I also do Pilates and push ups . If the weather is good me and rob take walks on the beaches somtimes we run , or walk the trails on some of them if they are handy.  Also i have changed my diet
to taking out milk, wheat gluten , and sugar . It was hard at first but i feel alot better. the first week i was so hungry i had headaches from the withdrawl of sugar :/ but others that we know dennis and kylie and their kids are on this life change ( diet ) and its really great for a detox of the whole body and the gut .

At first i was drawn to the cream buns and cakes all the lovely things a ozzie has
the tim tams and you name it even  pavolva   ( sugar cake ) i gained 20 lbs ! Dear Lord never been that heavy in all my life . So you quickly learn to eat those things in moderation :P
Now that i am not working time is on my hands and i can make time for my body and my health
and i think i feel better here than in the States .   the fruits here are so good , jack fruit , rambutans, and passion and pawpaw fruits not to mention coconuts . They also eat kangaroo just like the usa eats deer
low in fat and very healthy for you too .

Well thats it for now i am headed to sit on deck with rob
yachty style with a glass of red wine and cheese and crackers
Happy sailing !

Scawfell Island the Home of the Giant Clams

Hi everyone , just a quick line to say we have left scawfell island , had a lovely time snorkling and just taking in the breeze . I made veggie soup and it almost reminds me of Grandmas :) well not quite , hers was amazing all the time . Just the smell brought back memories of her in the kitchen cooking . I am blessed to have her as my grandma the one that told me about Jesus when i was younger , took me to bible school , and told me about the Great I AM . She's one in a million . Still with us at age 93! amazing !

We snorkled at Scawfell it was so nice i tried to get good pics with the water cam but i only got a few :(
oh well we have alot of places to explore i will get to show you the sea life and all the fishes too soon when we get to Hook island .

Have a G day
happy sailing

Rob , deb , and skipper (the boatie budgie ) lol 

The mozzies ( mosquitoes ) and the sand flies VS ME!

The one thing i HATE is mozzies and sandflies . They are real big here in Australia and can be found conveniently hidden in the mangroves untill low tide and evening  then they ATTACK . I  have R.I.D a product here in Australia that stinks so bad it gives you a headache :/  but given a choice of being bitten or wearing long sleeved shirts and pants in hot weather . Ill take the chemicals thank you :P I thought the USA had a bad issue with these buggers , i was so wrong . when you have to move to other places to hide the boat in safe anchorage its somtimes a give or take issue " do you want to rock and roll all night long in the swells " or move to a quite anchorage with your neighbors the BUGS !  If given a choice i would chose the sand flies , after almost going insane at Percy island with them in the lagoon i have found that liquid fabric softner works wonders lasting 4-6 hours as long as you dont wash it off !. Mozzie Coils are not pleasant smelling and give me major migraines. They are ok out side the boat not inside . Sand flies are so small you can see them land on you , they are smaller than a gnat and will bite you and leave a red circle where they bit you .  they hate anything oily on you so the more you load it on your skin the better . This time around im taking NO prisoners they better stay out of my way i  have a rolled up tea towel and a good supply of RID to kill them ...   So make my DAY !!!

 

from washers /dryers to buckets and line drying

I think the United States spoiled me to much . I was well equipped with a full size washer and dryer when i wanted to , i never took a second thought to what it would be like on the sea . Going from such things that we often take for granted in life , we may think its nothing , just the basics of living .... untill you make a sailboat and the sea your home. You just cant wash your clothes where and when you want to . If its humid forget it you might as well  blow on them yourself to dry them when wet . This was learned very quickly myself when you wait 3 days to dry your wet clothes on a line and pray that mother nature will get them dry before the sun goes down.On top of that is the wonderful essence not like the cuddly fabric softener sheets you toss in the dryer . this is a smell of damp musty sea salt mixed with fish scent  yum yum ! lol  I used to drive my mom nuts changing clothes 3, 4, 5 times a day and throwing them back into the dirty laundry :/ Sorry mom  i guess what comes around  goes around  now i really know what she did to try and keep house and home clean and tidy . Forget washing jeans all the time , just trying to wring them out will turn your hands to hamburger :/ amagine a full set of jeans no washer only your hands to wring them out  ouch!  so i wait till i get to a marina to a laundry mat instead  Now about white clothes , NEVER wear white clothes on the boat , started out with a few shirts and a pair of shorts that were sparkling white now they are a nice shade of Gray ! washing them in sea water will not get them any cleaner dont even attempt this one . I know you see other yachtsman sporting the white , and God knows how they keep them clean , i would guess they just pitch them out when dingy and buy new ones ? its a well hidden secret i guess . We have also lost many a nickers ( you guys call them underware ) sent with the wind into the ocean maybe mother nature needed an extra pair for her wardrobe ?? cause rob and i have lost several refuges too the wind ! No i didnt dive into the water at 100 ft below sea level to retrieve the buggers the fish can have em for all i care lol  So ............. do you still wanna sail  hehe

the creatures we encounter on the sea and beaches

  Hi There Yankee Gurl Down under here ! We found this big boy upside down on the shores of Leeks Beach near Keppel Island . He was washed in with the high tides and must have been there 6 hours . The birds were trying to pick him to death . Luckily me rob and 4 other boaties got him flipped over and righted up so he could           head back to the sea . We encounter this alot , most of them are smaller , this guy was enormous ! and we could not even pick him up to help him . but we kept water on him as he slowly inched his self back to the ocean . Then with a last deep breath he poked his head out of the water as if to say Goodbye and thanks ;)
He was very docile not at all mean towards us . I think also he was so tired from getting himself uprighted . I  had rob take a pic with me to show you just how big this sea turtle was !  Never seen one that big in all my life you could have rode on him lol  we estimated he was at least 90 years old ! from the size of him What a amazing day we had we got to rescue a sea turtle ! Days like these make me happy to be on the sea at the right place and right time !

Snorkling with safety in mind around sharks

I wanted to send this to people that fear sharks and other dangerous things in the Great barrier Reef .

But First of all to tell you why Sharks attack .  you have to remember that all fish have a very sensitive built in radar and their hearing is 10 times more keen than ours . Scientist have discovered that whales will send sonar waves to one another with low pitched moans over 10 miles away !!  and all fish even the shark can hear a boat motor 1 or 2 miles away . To swim with safety you never swim like the people on the beach do splashing and screaming top of your lungs , they can hear it and to them it sounds like wounded fish for dinner ! We snorkel in pairs never alone . Never at sunset or when the sun is coming up , that is feeding time for sharks . Surfers are also attacked because of the sound the rudder in the board makes as the surfer is surfing over the waves , sort of like a rudder to a ship it gives off vibration .  when you snorkel , you slip quietly into the shallow water never flipping and splashing but quiet is the key. and never probe or poke fish espically the big ones , they might have a go at you if you tick them off . RESPECT this is their home NOT YOURS. Use your eyes and look around when swimming , you will know if a intruder such as a shark is approaching all the fish will SCATTER !! if you are fearful animals will sense the fear , they smell it , dont snorkel if you are afraid . hope this helps ;) Try snorkling on a charter boat first they are skilled at where the safest places are to snorkel . Sharks are not always the Bad guys :/  amagine if you were around thousands at a beach screaming and yelling splashing , wouldnt you think it was injured fish ? lol  Sometimes people are the dumb ones !

Ask and you shall recieve ;)

G'day from Yankee gurl here ! yesterday me and rob went to North Keppel Island and trolled for a couple hours to get a bite . We look out in the huge sea and think about the millons of fish in the huge sea swimming , one is bound to take our bait. Then i am reminded that GOD created all things big and small , and we prayed and asked HIM to bless our bait and poles . Sounds strange from other points of view , but in one hour rob's pole was singing away and he handed it to me to reel in . It was a huge 43 inch spanish mackerel .

what a might GOD we serve !! HE has created the seas and land all creation is in his hands and NOTHING is too hard for our Lord . We now have enough food for 10 days . When you think your life is so insignificant with GOD and you seem so small compared to the sea  GOD is there shouting down he loves us and he provides for his children without a second thought of what we need . Maybe it may not be what we want in life but it will always be what we need ;)

GOD bless
and happy sailing !

birthday blessings on and off shore ;)

Hi everyone , sorry i have not written , yesterday Sept 1st was my 46th birthday .
This is a pic of my new extended family from Yeppoon, Queensland in Australia . They have been more than just friends since i have stepped foot on Australian soil . They are family . when the Summer comes we will be back on the mainland around November , close to Christmas time , i am so excited this year i have not just a new Husband to share my life with . I have a family of GOD that has taken me in like i was one of their own .Accent and all this Country Yankee is finally feeling like this is home . God is awsome in the fact he knows our needs both on shore and on the mainland . HE is amazing , uncomprehending, unstoppable, all powerful
and all knowing at all times . For him to see me as i was in the United states and now i have more that i could ever be blessed to have . Gods family goes beyond the regular family at home and reaches even to the land down under . To see that many people there to sing and wish me happy b day brought tears to my eyes
and i felt like i was already a Ozzie ;)