New Friends in Port Lincoln
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Port Lincoln is a very friendly town, but we had the added benefit of having friends in Adelaide who had friends in Port Lincoln who didn't mind playing host to a couple of American yachties. Jo and Philip were friends before we even met them. We had a couple of parts we needed to order, but no address to which to send them. They had no problem accepting and holding onto the parcels until we arrived and thus their friendly hospitality began before Nine of Cups ever entered Boston Bay.
We rang Jo when we arrived and had an invitation to lunch before we could say “we're from Nine of Cups”. She was expecting us. Philip was sailing his boat, Lady Oz, down from Port Broughton during the same time and arrived later in the evening, anchoring not far away. It was also the finish of the Adelaide to Port Lincoln race, so it was a busy time in the bay as boats crossed the finish line.
We planned to meet our new friends at 1pm for lunch which gave us time to do three loads of laundry at the local laundromat and still have time to stop by the Port Lincoln Yacht Club which had generously invited us to the festivities following the yacht race.
The day was glorious … warm and sunny … and the local Farmer's Market was in full swing. People sat at tables enjoying Venus Bay prawns, local wines, fresh produce and other local delights.
Jo and Philip picked us up at the jetty and whisked us away to Jo's family home overlooking Boston Bay. We could see the entire harbor and Nine of Cups from their dining room. Lunch was lovely and the conversation was easy as we got to know each other. There is probably no better compliment to us nor better experience than to be invited into someone's home.
They invited us for a drive around the area and how could we refuse? Jo's knowledge of the history and geography of Port Lincoln and environs is wonderful and added so much to our appreciation of the area. We drove over to the Lincoln Cove Marina, a yacht marina, as well as the home of the largest commercial fishing fleet in the southern hemisphere.
A drive to the top of the Winter Hill Lookout netted us even more spectacular views of Boston Bay, Boston Island and beyond.
We continued on past Sleaford Mere, a brackish lake named by Matthew Flinders, onto a gravel road which took us to land's end at Sleaford Bay for outstanding views of the Southern Ocean, a taste of where we would be sailing in just a few days.
