Hi there!
I'm still in 1770. Connection to the outside world is rather limited. My phone will only make "emergency calls only" so I apologize for not returning calls at this point. The other day an amazing opportunity arose. One of the Great Barrier Reef tour companies was looking for a temporary employees, two girls to help stuff envelopes and other basic duties, and two guys to help with the maintenance of one of the older boats. The volunteers would be compensated by earning a free tour of the Reef. Naturally, I volunteered.
The head of the maintenance crew was happy to have my help. Though I did not understand the Australian terms for scraping, painting and bondo work, once I figured out what he was talking about I was able to grab the tools and and get to work. The work was pretty easy, and it was nice to have something to do for the entire day. For the day I scraped off barnacles off the hull of the boat as well as the inboard & outboard motors. Then I painted on a primer and a think coat of black paint. The black paint was a special coating that helped to prevent future barnacle growth. One of the maintenance crew members was named Nathan. I would guess he was in his late 20's or early 30's... he seemed nice enough, but once I got to talking to him I could tell that he was not the brightest crayon in the box. Looking back on the day, I think I will name him "Can't-get-right". He meant well, but I tried to keep my distance from him because the more he talked to me, the more the boss came to yell at him and it just caught me into the mix. Other than that, the day went smoothly.
At the end of the day, me and the other workers were asked to help out with the 1770 parade. The parade was much like Richfeilds "Community Day's" we just wore bright yellow shirts of the "Lady Musgrove Reef Tours" shirts and followed the courtesy busy in the parade handing out candy and balloons. The parade and festival was to celebrate the landing of Captain Cook in what is now Queentstown. It was fun, and it was [retty easy work, especially considering I get to go to the reef for free now. Oh yea, for helping out in the parade the company promised to give me an underwater camera for the snorkeling at the reef, so that's sweet too! As of now the weather for the reef looks best on Tuesday (Monday back home). When I get to head out on the water I'll be sure to let you all know how it is. I hope I can get some great photos as well!
Well that's it for now, I hope all is well.
Much love
Mike
