A Gash at the 'G' Spot!

We were eager to explore this lonely and isolated place so we all decided to take our dinghys to the beach about a nautical mile away to the south. Landing safely and securing with anchors in the sand we wandered east along the beach, exploring the mangroves that grow along the shore.

Guichenault Point (aka The 'G' Spot)

Heading to shore.

Karen, as ever, was keeping a careful eye open for wildlife in the water and soon spotted some shovelnose rays that we had to inspect. The water was clear and we managed to get a decent photo of one ray that was soaking up the 'rays' (sorry) in the shallows.

Karen's shovel nosed ray basking.

About a mile up the beach we rounded a bend only to discover a 4 wheel drive Toyota that had been abandoned. There was a sticker on the windshield signed by Officer King of the Shark Bay Police Station that loudly declared, "Vehicle Has Been Reported."

Somebody had come along and added some graffiti to the sticker with some insulting words about 'Perth Scum'. We were buzzed by a 4WD racing down the track at breakneck speed and we decided to turn around and head back to the dinghys and the comfort of the boats. Mike wore his apron and manned the BBQ and we all enjoyed a lunch in isolated splendour!

The following day the three amigos decided to dinghy west into the mangrove beaches to explore the northern tip of Guichenault Point. Robyn had her new 'you beaut' kayak that she was eager to paddle about in.

We all got to shore and went walking checking out the beach and the wildlife so abundant in the area. Margie and I decided to 'take a hike' to explore the tip of Guichenault Point where it changes from mangrove swamps to a rocky outcrop. We rowed the inflatable dinghy to shore and anchored on the beach. It was a long walk but we managed to take some nice snaps of the place.

Mike, Karen, Nick and Robyn had made their way back to the boats by the time we returned to our dinghy. Unfortunately the tide had gone out and forced us to drag it about 50 metres down the beach. Just as we got her into the water an old dead mangrove root sliced a 4 inch gash in the port pontoon which left us all a little deflated!

Margie was pretty upset until reassured that we could still float and get back to Moonshadow without having to swim! Once there, we hoisted the dinghy on deck and examined the damage. Hmmm. Not good. Not to worry, we thought, we have a dinghy repair kit. Now where did we stow it? After a short fossick, we found the patches and the tube of glue.

Simple. tomorrow morning we can clean the wound, stitch her up and get back in the water.

Bright and early we sanded the patch to give a good key for the adhesive, put on the glue, and after waiting the recommended time, carefully laid the patch over the gash. Job done!
"Why are the edges of the patch curling up?", asked Margie.
Closer inspection revealed that the glue was just peeling off with a zero stickability factor. Hmmm. Perhaps this won't be as easy as we imagined.

With the dinghy out of service, we had to rely on the other two amigos for a taxi service until we could lay our hands on some more glue. We called WestRibs in Fremantle for a bit of advice as they had recently repaired a slow leak in her before we left Fremantle. They told us that we need a special kit for Hypalon, the dinghy fabric and as we were heading back to Monkey Mia today, we ordered a kit to be sent to Bill & Tineke. We were still waiting for the Genoa sheets that we had ordered from Yacht Grot.

At 10am the boats were ready and we all upped anchor and had a leisurely sail back to Monkey Mia. Aqua Vitae unfortunately had an alternator and a poo pump problem on the way back, but we all arrived safely in time for dinner at Bill & Tineke's campsite. Another splendid evening with good company, fine food and great conversation.

On the way back to the boats, we got to the beach, where the tide had gone out again and meant the dinghy's needed carrying down to the water. With six of us lifting Nick and Robyn's dinghy we marched like coffin bearers towards the water. All of a sudden, the dinghy jumped out of our grasp. Someone had forgotten to untie the rope from the post on the beach, and we all fell about laughing. I guess you had to be there!

We cadged a ride and got back to Moonshadow for a good nights sleep.

Life is good!