January 2024
Hello everyone,
Like a cartesian diver...
Do you know that little scientific toy, known in English as a « Cartesian diver », that amused toddlers when I was a kid, a little object rising and falling in a bottle of water ? Well, that's the impression I've been getting a bit lately, in fact since the end of the lockdowns, up and down the coast of Queensland and New South Wales, from Lake Macquarie (to the south, it's Sydney, magnificent, but too vast, too hectic), to the splendid Great Sandy Strait (further north the risk of tropical disturbances is greater during austral summer.
And you know what, I love this region. I've just spent ten days in the magnificent city of Brisbane, where my son Manea, his wife Justine and my granddaughter Charlie have been living for the last three months: I spent Christmas with them, and Manea gave me a demonstration of the fantastic video game he created for the French company Gameloft, during six years in Montreal : Disney Dreamlight Valley, a simulation game set in the world of Disney and Pixar characters, which has met with extraordinary worldwide success. But Manea is already working on the studio?s next creation, a game inspired by one of Netflix's biggest recent hits!
The nicest place to stop off in Brisbane is the Dockside Marina, right in the middle of the city but on the edge of a very long pedestrian walkway lined with trees and flowers, dotted with picturesque ferries that are a great substitute for buses!
The City Hall in Brisbane was magnificently coloured for the festive season, and pretty Mothers Christmas were dancing, singing and offering presents...
As I waited for the southerly wind to return, I dropped anchor in the misnamed Deception Bay. During the night I was reminded of an image I had conjured up during my first nights of solo sailing: "The silver avenue leading to the moon".
Next night I'll be at sea, heading back towards the splendid Great Sandy Strait and the port of Urangan, where I plan to have a mechanic check the alignment of my starboard engine; I told you about two twin brothers who build catamarans, here's their photo.
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