From Cairns, we have been moving steadily southward, holing up on occasion to wait out the next south-easterly, as we did when we put into Mooloolaba last night. The glow of the city lights that we can now see each night signal that we are arriving back in 'civilization,' where Ken and Bill's cell phones are able to get a signal.
The passage has pretty much been uneventful. Overnight passages seem to alternate with nights in port, and Ken and John have been using the nights in port to train me in the intricacies of 500, a card game that was new to me. In the process I am learning 'the Australian way' to deal cards, and to drop my 'r's when they come at the end of a syllable. I keep trying to explain that I am the one who has no accent (:-D), and, of course, they think that is quite funny.
The weather is getting better as we move south (at least, to me), feeling much like summer in the PNW. The humidity is dropping as well, which - for me - is a welcome relief. The first few weeks in Malaysia and Indonesia were very uncomfortable - I have decided that the tropics are a nice place to visit, but not the place I would be able to stay for long periods.
As we pass Brisbane, the plan is to keep moving when the winds allow, and, based on the weather forecast, we expect to arrive in Sidney on Sunday or Monday. I'm very much looking forward to a few days there, since I had to cut my visit short last year.
