(Day 62 + 63 eventually updated as well…sorry it took me that long!)

In the rainforest house off Mackay, dow by the rivers…

The day off should be full of chores as ususal on such a pit stop…laundry, gear repairs, blog-updates, e-mails, preparing the next leg, shopping…

But first thing in the morning were no chores – we – Beth, Alyth and me – went for a 1/2 hr walk to a refreshing dip in the nearby river! This time it was Victor’s turn to be off to work…it was river nymph’s day!

First it was a short drive to the trailhead, Alyth green “normal” car had to make it through the ford as well.

7 am, no one else out there…a speedy walk up the trail, quite some steps to take, sweat was running down a bit that early already…good excersize! I could have jumped in the river already on many lovely spots. But Alyth promised it will be best on the top end…and there we are!

A quick strip into the nymph’s bathing costumes for all three lady’s, and ahhhhhhhhhh! What a soak! It never felt so good going for a swim…the water was cool and refreshing and lovely, not as ice cold as our mountain rivers. A big waterfall to the left, a smaller one across, a pool of about 30 m diameter, deep enough to jump in, crystal clear, no crocs or Grottenolme…I could really feel how the rest of salt was dissolving out of my skin…

This was the best start of a day you could get.

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Back home, the “man in the house” was missing for help on gear repairs – Victor knew how to replace himself, just like they got Beth in last night to do the cooking, he called up his friend Eric with his wife Pam to make the handyman…he was able to do some fibreglass repairs!

He filled up some minor scratches and holes in the hull, and developed a temporary bypass for my broken rudder uphauling string! Good to have skillfull friends! Thanks!

Pam was busy working on my tent, washing it, greasing the pole end’s and repairing and replacing my worn out tent zipper sliders. A very useful and time-cunsumpting fumbling job! Thanks a lot, Pam and Eric!

Meanwhile, Alyth was doing my laundry, and feeding all of us with a delicious breakfast of home-baked bread and frozen mangoes – yummy!

I would say, the “Race around Australia gear service team” did a great job!!! Thanks a lot to Alyth, Victor, Beth, Eric and Pam!!! 

I did the “office” work…e-mailing, preparing the next leg etc…

They saved me some time which I could spend on even taking a second dip in the backyard river with Alyth – the same water, just a bit smaller…

The last rest of salt soaked out of my skin!