Great Barrier to The Poor Knights

The wind was too light to sail being just 4 to 5 knots so the iron sail allowed for a gentle cruise to the Poor Knights Islands. Landing on the island is prohibited, as is fishing within the island’s immediate waters and as a result the waters are teeming with fish.
We anchored in Maroro Bay and all clambered aboard the RIB (rigid inflatable) and went exploring, entering every cave and nook as we circumnavigated the island. The Islands are home to the largest sea cave by volume in the southern hemisphere and apparently once housed a Japanese submarine for a couple of weeks whilst it underwent repairs during world war 2. After touring the cavern it’s easy to see what a great hiding place it would make. Sharky put us all to shame as she braved the waters with her GoPro, catching the reality of the abundant waters. No shoals of fish here, as that conjures up visions of a mere gathering of similar species of fish, whereas the reality was more akin to floating through clouds of fish of all sizes and many varieties. It is no surprise that these islands were rated in Jacques Cousteau’s top ten dive sites in the world. What a privilege to see first hand.
As soon as we finished our tour of the island and were back on the boat, everyone joined Sharky for a snorkel and got to share in the amazing underwater experience.
Kayaks were inflated and further exploring of the immediate vicinity ensued. As the sun set, the water came alive appearing to boil as fish came to the surface. Were they trying to escape predators or feeding on something at the surface, maybe both.
No fish for dinner tonight despite the abundance just metres from us, but Mark and Keri gave us an excellent dinner of green Thai chicken.
With no light pollution, and a new moon that thoughtfully set just a couple of hours after the sunset, the Milky Way was as clear as you are ever likely to see it. Planets and stars shone brightly, no Netflix required with great company and amazing surroundings. Tomorrow we head for the Bay of Islands, let’s hope we get a bit of wind and can enjoy a good sail.