Wind   NE 10 – 15  Sunny

We enjoyed a  lovely calm night behind the sand and reef although it was very noisy when you stood outside due to the masses of birds.

Mackeral for breakfast then we let go of the big yellow buoy and headed on the main and screecher in a NE direction to Opal Reef. We had been told it was better than Batt reef as Batt was treacherous and murky.

The sail was uneventful averaging 6 knts with a bit of a sideways swell coming across. We passed quite a lot of reefs with a charter boat anchored up close for snorkelers and a large Quicksilver pontoon out on Norman Reef.

We arrived at the bottom end of Opal Reef and sailed up the inside until we reached the fishing allowed zone, half of Opal reef is protected in a green zone.

We put the anchor down in a clear sandy patch about 2:30 and drifted back onto a darker patch in the hope of getting fish. John wanted to drop the anchor right near a bommie but we were all worried we would be too close.

 

The lines went in but  we only succedded in catching a grass sweetlip and a small GT( Giant Trevally). The sweetlip smelt strongly of iodine so it was his lucky day and he went back in the water. Sandra caught another Starry Triggerfish.

 

 

We took a troll in the dinghy around the closest bommie and Doug hooked another GT then a school mackerel which we kept.

 

 

 

 

 

 

John and Doug went back to the bommie to bait fish but didn’t bring anything back as they only caught small stuff and an edible long nose trevally which they threw back as we have plenty of fish onboard to eat. John is still looking for that elusive coral trout.

Green thai curry and rice for dinner and then a game of scrabble which Doug flogged us all with a score for one word he put down of 92.