Arriving from the tropical climate of New Caledonia to Bundaberg on Australia`s east coast, I was surprised to notice that the temperature would drop at night to the low teens. Asking the locals why it was so cold at night, I was told that winter of the southern Hemisphere was setting in. ”But no worries, mate,” I was reassured,” once you make it to tropical Cairns up north, you’ll be praying for a cold snap.”

I did make it to Cairns, the Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, and still I would scramble for more blankets in the middle of the night as the temperature plummeted from totally balmy 28 degrees Centigrade to the insultingly chilly 12 degrees.

Even though Cairns lies mere 17 degrees of latitude south of the equator, the temperatures during the southern winter can dip to single digits. We can put this down to global warming, La Niña or the proximity of Antarctica.

Whatever the case my be, my boat is I now securely tied to a pile mooring in Marlin Marina, while yours truly is back in Europe taking care of his health issues.

But I haven’t swallowed my anchor yet. Hopefully, the world circumnavigation of Spalax 2 will continue in October.