I'm back

Dec 17. zip
Dec 18. Discovered Brighton just behind yacht club. Prosperous. All the right shops. Sadly trashy. Spruik ok. Called Perth. Flags being sent.
Dec 19. Saw black swans overhead. But the birds are mainly mynah, blackbird and starling. Received flags! Beer at YC. Race tomorrow.
Dec 20. Smoke haze. At least the northerlies were warm. Went to club. Got xcellent sail. Beautiful 36'. Nice red before we left the dock. Light wind. Perfect. With the haze we were out of sight of land. Christmas cakes at club.
Dec 21. Nepean peninsula to Sorrento. Great spruik. Two people wanted flags. One for pole at house. The other to fly from boat at start of Melb-Hobart race. Neither could afford the $75 illustrating the dilemma of sourcing in Aussie or China. Northerlies again brought smoke and flies. Swam in Bass Straight. Sheltered shallow water warmed enough to be pleasant.
Dec 22. Spruik good until some old bloke went bonkers. Kept following me and ranting. Said he'd 'get me run out of town'. Woman got flag for L'Aquarium Restaurant. I put it up flagpole! Onya.
Dec 23. Phillip Island Cowes. Mass family tourism not my demographic. Pushed on to Wonthaggi. Liked the name. Stopped. Sticker rush. Cold windy. Inverloch pretty, not much fun at these temperatures. It seems the smaller the place the greater the rate of sticker uptake. A long sandy shoreline, the inlet. Pacific gull. Four sooty oystercatchers - all black, long red beak.
Dec 24. Overcast. Light breeze, mild. Back to Wonthaggi of state coal mine fame? Pub with huge whale jawbone arch. Numerous cars playing loud music.
Dec 25. cold wet night. Blustery. Hail in the morning!!! So this is Christmas. Coldest Melbourne day since '33!
Dec 26. Ferry crossing very pleasant. Heard some spewed in bar but. Devonport morning spruik excellent. Drove to Launceston. Spruik also X.
Dec 27. Have weathered the storm. Spirit reviving. Tasmania chill worse in mind than reality. Walked Launceston gorge. Drove thru grazing country to Hobart. Thousand black swans on Derwent. Spruik Salamanca docks excellent. Chased by lunatic. Amy 'Advocat' photographer wanted sticker to give to editor! Lovely evening conversation with Devonport couple. Boats arriving tomorrow night.
Dec 28. Tragannini walk. Supurb fairy-wrens and others flitting, feeding. Overcast occasional misty rain. Then cleared to partly sunny. Call from Launceston Southern Cross tv. Filmed for 6pm news! Dockside food and drink scene. No one chased me out. It was like a dream come true. All the people enjoying themselves. I wandered for hours. Music. They even picked up trash from the floor making it continually clean which I loved. Back to car for more stickers, coat, gloves and scarf. Evening, younger drinking but still controlled and pleasant. Went to pub to see tv broadcast. No sound possible. It went to air, 90 seconds including RSL rebuttal. A short time later people were saying they'd seen it. Then around ten in the cold night on Consistution wharf the arrival of Wild Oates line honours winner. Stood with flag flying. Another milestone. Wonderful day.

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