Inland Adventures

Sailing on Leap Frog

Correspondence has been recently received about concern for the lack of updates from the courageous crew of the S. V. Leapfrog. I shall firstly allay all fears for the safety of the ship and her crew and secondly apologise for the delay in regularly scheduled updates to those avidly following these adventures.

The last entry had our crew safely anchored at Jacobs well after successfully battling the horrendous conditions throughout the Broadwater. Much has happened since that entry, however as I am sure you can all imagine the high paced life of cruising the Eastern Coastline has left the crew of The Frog little spare time, however since we have just departed Manly under way to our next segment of travel to The Great Sandy Straits and the inside of Frasier Island a somewhat welcome break in the weather has allowed time for such essential tasks as these.

From Jacobs Well, The Frog was safely and uneventfully navigated to a fabled safe anchorage known as Coochiemudlo Island. After the tumultuous Broadwater passage The S. V. was contented to sit peacefully at anchor allowing her ragged crew some time for shore leave. Also welcomed was a visit by two old friends, travellers themselves, their lifestyle of being rubber tramps (named so because they choose to hoof around the country on rubber wheels instead of by the breath of the wind, not any other reason) meant that Caroline and Chriso were able to fix our position and locate us with the use of modern technology, our radio telephones, and a wonderful afternoon and evening was enjoyed by all, made even more remarkable still by the crab and mushroom soup made from the capture of The Frogs first mud crab. It is the belief of this crew member that nobody present will ever forget the visit that the Moon Goddess bestowed upon us that evening in the form of a magical rising display. Or the sight of the beach bonfire being swallowed by a wave as we departed the shore in Topsy & Turvey.

The next morning it was decided that the most effective way to gain information from the local inhabitancies regarding any knowledge they may be able to share with us, in helping achieve Captain Ahab’s search, would be to slit up in to two separate parties. The good captain led his expedition inland, utilising the rubber tramps mode of transport. Cloudbreaker and Chong ventured on foot and Iron horse into the concrete jungle known to the locals as Brisbane, and more specifically to the region known as The Wild West end. The indigenous creatures here were covered in all sorts of tribal piercings and inked skin. The initial intimidation was soon abated by the locating of a welcoming tavern which provided refreshing ales and surprisingly intelligent conversation; given the fact that there is a direct correlation in increasing latitudes and decreasing cranial capacity, as proved in the 1994 Study conducted by Dr. David Boon of the Pairhead University, Tasmania. A night of free boarding was also found at the home of one of the kind souls we met at the establishment known as ‘The JOYnt’. Although enjoyable and bountiful in many respects, the two explorers were not able to gain any information on the whereabouts of Moby Dick or in fact how to catch her. The locals here being more adept at river based endeavours than those experienced out in the might of the Great Pacific Ocean.

Meanwhile, Captain Ahab was venturing inland and had stumbled upon a great tribal ritual where tens of thousands of people flocked to pay homage to the skill and brilliance of individuals’ ability to create noise out of timber, string and metallic tools. He returned with tales of how hundreds, possibly dozens of revellers made strange movements to the sounds being generated by the individuals on the stages. He told us that they called this ritual The Splendour of the Grass. It sounds to this observer that the people at this ritual had had a little too much of this ‘splendid grass’.

Once The Ship and Her crew were once again reunited and no new information about Moby Dick could be established, The Frog was taken slightly farther North under the guise of Cloudbreaker and Chong. Captain Ahab had somehow commandeered the rubber tramps transportation device, mastered its trickery and gained the ability to control it (sometimes a harrowing experience for any poor fool who may end up as a passenger). Although terrifying this was useful to the voyage by providing a means of rapid inland transport and for provisioning the vessel with plenty of bully beef and hard tack for the crew on this current leg.

In fact we were most fortuitous for this transport at this stage of our journey. At this time our valued crewman Chong was in need of being airlifted back to civilization, less he suffer incredibly until dead. The poor fellow has had a terrible affliction placed upon him from birth; his illness is unnoticeable to the casual observer, but if left un-medicated can result in massive haemorrhaging to the eyeballs, foul odour to be exuded from glands and eventually the inversion and expulsion through the mouth of the poor sufferers’ lungs. It is known in medical fields as Terrible Haemorrhaging Condition & Withdrawal. We were able to reach this med-evac in time, and I am pleased to let you all know that Crewman Chong was able to reach medication and is recovering comfortably back in the lands of the civilised South.

Around 48 hours before departure the Rubber Tramps reappeared to reclaim their transportation. At first he was reluctant to give away his prize, but Captain Ahab eventually succumbed to the retuned travellers’ requests. They then regaled all with stories from the land to the North into which we now venture. Apparently they observed, killed and devoured giant lizards with huge teeth, just one new concern brought to light by these travellers’ tales.

So now Captain Ahab and Cloudbreaker venture farther still, we have recruited a new counterpart for our current leg. He may have but one working arm, but that arm is strong and true. Even as I write this our new Master Helmsman, Skippy, guides the powerful beauty of The S. V. Leapfrog seamlessly through the waters, which appear to be clearing as the sky above, Soon we shall be able to penetrate the ocean with our eyes and underwater apparatus, then it won’t be long before we will find and claim our goal and Achieve the dream of our dear Captain Ahab!

Until next time
Cloudbreaker signing out