Month: September 2020

12/10/2020

Finally I had a shower today. Whenever I had my back to the wind I can smell something rancid.

Been researching on parrotfish almost all day. It is the kind of cute blue-green fish that I saw snorkelling at Lady Musgrave. The more I learn about this fish, the more I find it adorable. The most distinctive feature of the parrotfish is its parrot-like beak and rows of large front teeth that clatter on dead corals. In recent years, as the average temperature of the ocean rises year by year, seaweeds are growing faster and faster, gradually invading coral reefs and leaving coral polyps nowhere to settle. Parrotfish are vital to the recovery of coral colonies that are dying and bleaching in large areas, so I implore you not to catch or consume parrotfish. Don’t eat the Su Mei (humphead wrasse). This large, friendly, gentle and long-lived fish has already being eaten to extinction by humans.

Parrotfish gnaw on dead coral excreting fine white sand, and a parrotfish excretes about 200 to 300 kg of sand per year. Most of the sand on coral reefs is their excrement.

Parrotfish are very serious about their sleep, and it is said that sleeping parrotfish are unaware that divers playing with them in hands. They also spit out a film of transparent mucus “tents” to cover themselves while they sleep, probably to prevent predators from sniffing out their tracks, and then retrieve the “tent” when they wake up.

The author of a Pacific Fish book described how he often had a narrow encounter with a large parrotfish on his dives, and how he always had to back off and let the fish pass first….

In the afternoon, J saw a catamaran with a motor that didn’t seem to be working, moving into the bay entirely by the wind, he went to help with his dinghy and found out that the boat’s mainsail had ripped, with only jib they sail from Scawfell Island to here, about 60 nautical miles, must be a long day for them.

Chicken satay and eggplant for dinner.

11/09/2020

Took a taxi in the afternoon to get the alternator sent off before the post office closed, then we walked 4km back the way we came and it was quite nice walking in breeze. Went to bunnings and supermarket to buy some stuff for the boat. Made chicken satay in the evening and it was not nearly as good as it should have been.

I just fished with a small piece of bloody chicken, the hook sank for a second and then a big fish was hooked. I worked very hard to pull it up and it was a huge catfish, over half a metre long! It’s said that catfish have a very good sense of smell. So it’s true.

Unfortunately, J thought it was a low-end specie eats filthy stuff so he let it go. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. Since I grew up in Guangdong, I know how good the garlic catfish casserole is.

10/09/2020

Went to Bob’s at noon today to get the $500 cash for selling the spinnaker of Mustang(too big to use)and sat down over coffee and tea to chat. Last time he mentioned that he had a boat named after a Greek goddess, but he couldn’t remember what the name was (he buys and sells too many boats), only that he remembered the goddess’ hobby of detaining heroes in her island, one situation was later interfered with by Zeus. I looked it up later and knew it would be Calypso, and when I asked him today if that was the name, he said it was! In fact, the goddess detained Odysseus for seven years, and she used all her talents to charm the hero. Athena, the guardian goddess of Odysseus, couldn’t stand it and asked Zeus to help her, so Zeus sent Hermes to tell Calypso to let him go, and the goddess was reluctant, but she had to obey the fate of Odysseus to complete his odyssey…… The end of the story to a section of Cui Jian’s “Flower House Girl” is quite appropriate: you asked me where is the Somewhere you want to go, I point to the direction of the sea…

And then there was a chat about the French pioneer of underwater exploration, Jacques Cousteau. Cousteau’s boat was also called Calypso. Wes Anderson was inspired by his story to make Life Aquatic.

Grocery shopping in the afternoon and sweet chili shrimp for tea in the evening.