He did it!!! Home safe and sound!

After almost a month (May 18th - June 16th) and a little break in the middle to come home for the long weekend, Pete has pretty much spent 25 days/nights sailing Gradiva home and she is now safely tied into our jetty berth on Raymond Island. Yay! So nice to have them both home!

So Gradiva had many visitors at Eden Harbour, including the Tuckwells and the McCoohey newlyweds! As well as Pete Brannelly's family and Drew Blaxter's family, all residents and friends of our old home, Tura/Merimbula/Pambula. Gradiva even managed to claim another crew member in Pete Brannelly's daughter Harriet! So there were four that set sail from Eden Harbour late Sunday evening...

On Monday, the Gradiva crew were lucky to spend about an hour with dolphins coming from all angles, saw some seals and even a whale heading North for warmer waters (as they do this time of year!).

Above: Pete Brannelly, Pete Buckley and Drew Blaxter

Above: Newest crew member Harriet Brannelly with captain Pete!

Above: Dolphins coming in from afar - apparently they soon caught up! See video below...

Above: They even saw a whale! Photo courtesy of Pete Brannelly.

The crew managed to get through Lakes Entrance without any dramas and Pete was glad to be almost home and safely inside the Gippsland Lakes at last! (Me too!!). Ayla, Nelson and I drove up to Metunga (a 40 min drive) on Monday evening after work and met them at Metung Pub for dinner, had our first glimpse of Gradiva (OMG!!!!) and even slept on board that night :) There was PLENTY of rrom for all!!!

We decided to let Ayla have the day off school on Tuesday and while I drove Drew and Harriet to the Bairnsdale bus stop so they could catch the bus back to Merimbula, Ayla stayed on board Gradiva with her Dad and Pete, and brought her safely home. That's them below, coming in close to Resides Jetty, our favourite spot to take Nelson for a run along the beach, on the back side of Raymond Island. And didn't East Gippsland put the weather on for them?? Thank you Mother Nature!

And here they go, up the last little bit to home - McMillan Strait, Paynesville...