#14 in the Newport Canal series
Ibis Canal gives water access to the odd houses on Sceptre Court and even houses on Liberty Court. Deep water access is via Albatross canal for small craft only under the Kay Cottee bridge out to Moreton Bay.
Sceptre is a 12-metre class yacht, which unsuccessfully challenged the 1958 America's Cup against US defender Columbia. Sceptre was designed by David Boyd, skippered by Briggs Cunningham and represented the Royal Yacht Squadron, one of the most prestigious yacht clubs in the world. Its clubhouse is Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. Sceptre was the first 12-metre yacht built as a challenger for the America's Cup after the post-war decision to have Cup Match raced by 12-metre yachts. Construction was African mahogany hulls with alternate oak and steel frames, with a very large cockpit extended to the base of the mast, enabling a weight advantage due to a smaller deck with more weight in the keel. After the 1958 match, the large cockpits would be forbidden by the America's Cup Rule. From 1959 to 1972, Sceptre was owned by noted Scottish racing yachtsman, Erik A. Maxwell, and won several regattas. She was the trial-horse for Sovereign in 1963 and 1964. In 1973, Sceptre was sold with the intention of converting it to a cruising boat, which was finally completed through several different owners in 1985. Sceptre is now managed by the Sceptre Preservation Society at the home port of Preston Marina, United Kingdom, restoration completed in 2007. Sceptre is believed to be the only UK America's Cup challenger still sailing in British waters, and is registered as a National Historic Vessel.
The Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis molucca) is identified by its almost entirely white body plumage and black head and neck. The head is featherless and its black bill is long and down-curved. It is common and widespread in northern and eastern Australia, and populations in Western Australia are expanding. It is absent from Tasmania. The Australian White Ibis' range of food includes both terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates and human scraps. The most favoured foods are crayfish and mussels, which the bird obtains by digging with its long bill. Mussels are opened by hammering them on a hard surface to reveal the soft body inside. In regional areas, Australian White Ibis (and Straw-necked Ibis) are sometimes called ‘the farmers’ friend’, due to their habit of flocking into areas afflicted by plagues of locusts and gorging on the ravaging hoards of insects. In urban areas, however, where many Ibis scrounge for a living by scavenging at rubbish tips and in city parks, and their plumage becomes soiled by refuse, they are sometimes disparagingly referred to as ‘tip turkeys’.
You are looking for a small one in not quite the middle of the park. Use your geocaching stealth as always.