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28/10 BOATS, TRAINS... NO AIRPLANES

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These days I’m not so much a “jet-setta” (*insert green background and cheesy chorus*) as I am a “train-trippa”. About three weeks ago, at the Genoa B oat Show, I had a chat with the folks from Pegaso s.r.l. (the European representatives for Southern Wind Shipyard). After lots of ooh-ing andaah-ingat their SWS yachts on show, we came to an agreement. See, they need an extra set of hands on a project that’s just kicked off and they’d like those hands to be mine. As you know, I’m still trying to edumicate myself here in Venice and have 2 months to go. So, until I can move to Ganoa perminantly and work for Pegaso full time (ie. January 2010) I’ll bounce between the two. 2 days in Genoa, 3 days in Venice… and yeah, a lot of train rides. It takes 5 hrs, you know. This ain’t for the faint of heart. I n fact, it’s not easy at all. There’s a quick change in Milan (missed that one before) and the last train to Venice stops in Mestre, so you have to catch the night bus from there and of cour...
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01/10 I'm all for the Navy!

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I get it! The Navy thing... I finally get it. Not just the pretty boys in uniform but the whole military thing. Let me explain... After months of waiting for identities to be checked, passports to be varified, Genrals to be pacified, we were granted entry into the Venetian Arsenale. Now, you may recall we've been there before to see 'Group ama 3' (the awesome French trimaran) but this was something else. Though a historical monument, the Arsenale is still an Italian Naval base and we were given a tour of the grounds and got to take photos of pretty much everything (not the Carabinieri). There were some pretty cool things lying around... THE OLDEST HYDRAULIC CRANE in Italy? the world? Not sure, but it still works! They don't use it though, just for show... left over from the good ol' days. A 'U - BOAT'... A REALLY OLD BRIDGE - IT SCARES ME THAT THEY STILL USE IT... SEE THE LITTLE YELLOW 'POST-IT'! There were old buildings from the 1500s and dry d...
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03/07 Happy days

I’ve had my fair share of frustrations this month, again dealing with bureaucratic bull. The English have solidified the new law that South African’s need a visa to step on their soil. And in true governmental fashion, just to make it more fun, the only place in Italy where you can apply for one is in Rome! Ooola Madonna! This month, on the school outings list, we took ‘Obi One’ a 57’ cat for a sail and visited some workshops and stuff. Mostly not uber exciting but I must say I was very impressed with the design studio of Nuvolari-Lenard. There have been few big calendar events but this month has been massive on the personal front! I decided to actively challenge myself. I took on a project for school that I disliked on principle, a little motorboat for Dubai. Also, I chose to work with people I didn’t think I’d get along with. And you know what, it’s going great! LeeJ came to visit. Just like in the movies. He literally rocked up on my doorstep, not holding a bunch of flowers but sea...
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01/06 Regatta's 'n Things

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Things are building up toward summer, here in Venice. We’ve had good times chilling by the boat (Mathias’s beloved Blue Jay ) and having our routines jumbled by regattas preventing v aporetto traffic. I spent one of my many longs weekends cleaning and rigging Blue Jay. I got burnt to a cinder and suffered gladly through it as I realized summer is finally here! After much sweat and a few bottles of wine she (Blue Jay) is looking ship shape and keen for sea. We’ve taken her for a few outings in and around the lagoon and have found a few choice spots to stop and make lunch. Mathias tells me he got the boat to ‘pick chickens’ (pick up chicks) but it seems it’s better suited to vagabonds. I’ve met a myriad of interesting characters as result. Martin, Mauro, Tom (I think his name is) to name a few randoms whom we now call friends. We spent two days on board with one, Butch Dalrymple-Smith. A fantastic character! One afternoon he had us motor straight through a regatta at standst...
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23/04 Mein Gott

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(my God, my God. You are in heaven, we are in grotto.) I spent the Easter weekend in Chiavenna. A beautiful little town in the mountains, the Alps to be specific. It’s Luca’s home town. We went to visit his parents, who don’t speak a word of English. It was great, Luca reluctantly played translator as his mom and I formed and alliance against unruly boys. Haha. Although I am fully aware of the ‘awesomness’ of living in Venice, my soul has been taking strain. Chiavenna was just the dose I needed to recharge and change my perspective. It’s nestled in this lush valley with just enough urban so as not to feel like you’re stuck in rural nowhere. The minute I got off the train (from Milan) I new something was different here. Something agreed with me and I felt fantastic! I also had the opportunity to appreciate why all the fuss about the Italian Motto Grazzi. This fire engine red beast is Luca’s baby and he jumps at any chance to play. As result I had no choice but to hop on the back of th...
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22/03 So, this is Venice...

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Hey all.I'm getting the hang of things here in Venice... settling into a rhythym. I love catching the vaporettos, shopping at markets and wearing rubber boots. I love drinking great wine, poured into recycled plastic bottles straight from the vats, that’s cheaper than the still water the bottles used to contain. I love the impromptu jams on guitars at home or the Mozart lashed out by a friend on a piano in the lobby! I think I’ll be just fine here and it all feels strangely normal. Living in Venice is unlike any other city. You know, even in a new place, there are similarities or foreign equivalents to the things you know. Not here! Even the Italian kid is battling. This place is not designed for modern living. There is no supermarket or department store, no pool joint or club. Everything remains fragmented as I s’pose it was in sixteen fifty-f’kol. Bread you get from the baker, meat from the butcher, produce from the market, wine from the brewery (or wine place… whatever you call ...
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13/02 Where's wally?

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Much has happened since I last wrote. Unfortunately reading about it all is probably as exciting as the thousands of burocrat bullshit queues I’ve stood in whilst not writing. For those still a bit confused as to where I am, how and why, this is the ‘Highlights’ package. Last year, or at least the year before that a hurricane took out the Italian consulate in Freeport, Bahamas. Most inconvenient for me as I was trying to get to Italy. Why? I had been accepted to study Yacht Design in Venice. Yay. The Miami office said no problem, they could do the visa for me in 2 weeks but I’ll have to hand in my passport… ie. stuck in Miami for 2 weeks. Not my favourite city , so no. Called London, they too said no problem. So I figured, it was on my way and I may as well pop in and visit an old friend, Jason. London was not exactly a ton of fun when freezing and on a budget. But it was good to see Jase. After a week in LDN I find out no, they can’t help. Bugger this for a joke, I’m going hom...
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