Sunday 1st – Part 2 …..

I am adding this addendum to report that Marilyn’s team won a gold medal in this morning’s Goofy Golf championship. It was a team of 4 females and I man, chosen at random from the hordes of hopefuls who presented themselves to take part. There were 11 teams, I believe, and Marilyn’s little gang managed to outscore them all. One of the other team-members was so excited when they won she did the whole Olympic thing with squeals of excitement, a lap of honour and so on. Her ambition was to win a second medal in the Boule Championship, Men v Ladies, in the afternoon. She had a dream of hearing her two medals clinking together. However, it was not to be. She and Marilyn were both in the team which was defeated by the men who made a late surge to take the points.

While Marilyn involves herself in the sporting opportunities of the cruise, I have plenty of time to gaze over the rail at the endless ocean. It surprises me how little life we see on the long stretches between ports. There would only have been a handful of other ships, and very little bird-life. One man said he saw flying fish but all I have seen is one solitary brown booby which floated by one afternoon in the Torres Strait. As it was swept along by the wake of the ship, it looked back over its shoulder as if to say, ‘Oh, look, a big ship!’

Another passenger said he saw some sea snakes and a shark off the Kimberley Coast but I think he was dreaming. I’ve watched avidly hoping to see a pod of dolphins, or a blue marlin leaping into the air but have had no luck. Marilyn says she saw a big fish leaping in the distance and she wasn’t even looking for one. There was a black ball one afternoon, floating by miles from anywhere but that’s not at all interesting.

I mentioned that we had bought some shirts and sundresses in Bali. When we got them back to the ship and opened the bags, one of the sundresses was in the identical pattern and colour of one of the shirts, so Marilyn and I can go about in matching outfits. She is having so much success with her sporting exploits, I tell everyone they are our team colours.

Because we are passing fairly close to the site of the wreck of HMAS Sydney, we are having a Memorial Service this evening. It’s pretty windy so it might be little unpleasant on the deck but we’ll see what transpires. There’s a magician-illusionist on at 7 o’clock; it’s likely to be fairly ordinary but we’ll have a look anyway, then it’s dinner at 7.45 (smart casual tonight) and maybe an early bed, ready for our excursion to Geraldton tomorrow.