Tag Archives: boating

0

Such a good girl

|

IMG_0580.JPG

Sunday, 21 September 2014: One Year, One Hundred and Seventy Three Days Old.

Hubby, a friend of his and I went out fishing in the boat today and of course we had Baby Ayla in tow.

Ayla was SUCH a good girl; I can’t express how proud and grateful I am of the beautiful, calm, friendly and content little girl she’s growing in to!

We were out on the water for 7 hours, right through the middle of the day, and Ayla was literally an angel the whole time. She spent the the day sitting up on my chair, chewing on biscuits, chatting away to us and playing with her dolly. And whenever a fish came on board Ayla would get as excited as we were, happily pointing and declaring “fish! fish!” over and over until we threw it back.

Ayla’s awesomeness meant it was the first time since becoming a mum that I’ve actually been able to join in on the fishing action properly, without worrying about her getting into lures, falling over at every wave or eating bait… Mmm yum! Instead, I was confidently able to relax and enjoy being out on the water with my bestie (Hubby) doing what we love, while the person we love most (Ayla) watched over us and cheered on from the sidelines.

As if in thanks for her great behaviour, (in case the perfect weather, calm water and good fish weren’t enough) the “Fish Gods” put on an amazing display of beauty when a pod of dolphins came up to play beside the boat. Ayla stood up on the deck while I held on tight and we watched in awe as the dolphins swam effortlessly beside the boat coming up for breaths of air and riding the bow wave.

We all felt so lucky and happy to be witness to something so naturally beautiful; it was one of those perfect moments that make you feel blessed and thankful and get a sense that maybe you are on the right path afterall and that everything’s going to be ok.

2

Boating

|

20130929-211545.jpg

Sunday, 29 September 2013: One Hundred and Eighty One Days Old.

Hubby took Ayla and I out “boating” today (I call it boating because we didn’t plan to catch fish) to show us a beautiful place he found a few months ago.

Not only did Hubby show us “the spot” we saw so many other beautiful and amazing things… things that some people will only get to read about but Baby Ayla’s been lucky enough to witness at less than six months old, and she’s certain to witness them again while we live in the Territory.

We saw the sun rise over land while we steamed out to sea in the cool morning air.

We saw patches of the ocean’s surface bubble and boil as schools of tuna chased balls of bait to the surface (we even caught two different species of tuna!).

We saw a school of two dozen or so mackerel chase down our lures to within inches of the boat before diving back to the safety of the deep blue.

We saw two huge turtles playing “leapfrog”… Well, that’s what we told Ayla they were doing (click here for the real story and thank me later lol).

We saw another turtle up close when he was foul hooked on a lure and we brought him aboard to free him.

And all this took place right on our door step!

It was a great day and Baby Ayla took it all ten hours of “boating” in her stride.

But what struck me the most is that we’re so lucky to live in a place where nature and adventure is a core part of our culture and surroundings.

I sure am glad Ayla’s a Territory kid 😉

3

Blue Water

|

20130722-150321.jpg

Sunday, 21 July 2013: One Hundred and Eleven Days Old.

Ayla, Hubby and I went out in the boat again today, but this time we headed for the blue water instead of staying in the harbour.

While it wasn’t as rough as last time, our boat was rolling gently in the swell so I don’t know if the rocking was making Ayla sick or just putting her to sleep!

When she was awake, which wasn’t very often, Ayla was very quiet and serene, sitting calmly on my knee as we watched Daddy catch fish.

Despite being on the water for nearly six hours Ayla returned to shore happy, relax and sunburn-free (kudos to Mum!)

0

Sea legs

|

20130709-213222.jpg

Tuesday, 9 Juky 2013: Ninety-Nine Days Old.

Ayla showed us she’s got good strong sea legs today!

The first time we took her out in our boat she was just four weeks old, the the water was warm and the weather was cool. She slept the whole time in our arms and didn’t seem to notice the ocean around her.

Today, she’s fourteen weeks old and the conditions were opposite. It was windy, choppy, rough, and this time Ayla was awake for most of the time, but she loved it!

Hubby and I set her up in her bouncer at the front of the boat and she happily sat and watched for ages while we fished.

Ayla even had her first Barra experience today, although might be a while before she catches one of her own.

All the excitement wore Her our after a while so we popped her back in the bouncer and she slept the whole way back to the boat ramp. She was even smiling in her sleep 🙂