Ball Bay

0800 position 29-03S 167-58E. At anchor in Ball Bay, Norfolk Island

We suspect that Ball bay was so named because the "beach" is composed of bowling ball sized rocks that roll around in the surf. On a good day like yesterday the surf was small, about a foot high, but trying to get a footing on the rolling moss covered rocks would be nearly impossible. It is almost guaranteed that somebody would get hurt getting in or out of the dinghy or carrying it ashore so we did not attempt to land.

There was no way to get ashore on Norfolk Island yesterday. Sydney Bay was out due to the high surf. Ball Bay was out due to the beach conditions. The last option, Cascade Bay on the north side of the island was "off limits". The ship that was off loading cargo onto the pier at Sydney Bay when we arrived has moved to Cascade Bay to continue the operation there. Our crew ashore told us that the Island Council has closed the facility at Cascade Bay to the public while the ship is being unloaded.

Zappa, who is currently ashore, has decided to fly home to Sydney from Norfolk Island today. He will get some work done and rejoin Van Diemen in Lord Howe Island next week. He hopes to get enough accomplished while he is home to be able to stay with the boat until we reach Hobart. Zappa needs his passport to fly though, and it was aboard Van Diemen. Rob and Geoff dinghied in yesterday morning and threw a dry bag into the surf with Zappa's passport in it. The wind was blowing the right direction and the bag drifted into the surf where the boys waiting ashore retrieved it. Success!

The anchor watch had an otherwise lazy day in Ball Bay catching up on sleep missed the night before, reading, and telling stories. It was movie night at the Van Diemen Theater featuring the Australian classic, Two Hands. Our ambassadors ashore reportedly attended "the show", the three day long annual island fair which ended yesterday, and had a great time.

If the swell has come back down as forecast we should be able to move back to Sydney Bay today to retrieve our shipmates. We are still planning on departing tomorrow for Lord Howe Island when the wind shifts around to the west.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com