26/04 Apparently…


IMAGE: Finally! She's real, not just in magazines!

So plans may change a little… the guys in Panama are apparently on a go slow. There is a resultant backlog of about 2 months of vessels waiting their turn to be ushered through the canal. The powers that be will determine our direction:- Sunsail (the client), Robertson (the builders) and Steward (the brokers) are apparently deciding our fate. The proposed route is to sail north east, through the Indian ocean and down again other side of Fiji. However keen I was on going through the canal, hanging around for 2 months in the middle of an already 4 month trip ain’t exactly first prize. I guess there’s no short straw though… I still get to go to Aus via some weird and wonderful islands. Besides, who’s going to complain about checking out SriLanka on the way… not me.

I keep saying apparently because all info is to be taken with a pinch of salt. We were s’posed to have left already. Aparently the boat was finished and launched on the 15th. Aparently we would prep and go by the 25th. Aparently Rico was skipper. For the record: Rico jumped ship on the way to Seychelles last month; the boat was put in the water on the 24th ; plus + 2 weeks to prep and we’re not leaving on the 24th… yesterday!

Anyhow, so deVilliers will be our 4th as 1st mate and Johan will step up as skipper. (Shot Rico) I haven’t met deV yet. He’ll be here tomorrow from Mossel Bay. Johan says he’s a typical Afrikaanse boer-seun. Mmmm… We’ll see. So far though:

IMAGE: Johan, Nicole and I

NICOLE I only met her face-to-face on Thurs. She’s an Aussie who’s been living in London. A Caterer, I think, just packed in her job, about 30y/o. Super white (I guess that’s on account of the London thing) and really gentle in nature. From her emails over the passed month, I know that she is witty and doesn’t know how you figure out when Easter is nor how here iPod works.

JOHAN I met him 2 months ago or so, with Rico in the RCYC pub. He’s an Afrikaans guy from Stillbaai, with an Aus accent in English. At first I thought him a bit lacking in the social skills dept but a good guy none the less. Now I know it’s only when he’s drinking or speaking English. He’s confident and good at what he does. Still a real good guy. Bit of a rough diamond I rate.

So we were only allowed onto our boat yesterday. We started wrapping up what we could whilst trying to stay out of the builders’ way so that they could finish snagging. Whilst a boat with a ocean crossing under it’s belt is a top purchase, the client certainly hasn’t paid all this money for a second hand interior so we wrap up just about everything in tape and that white stuff your tv screen comes in. I rate we’ll be don’t that dance for a few days still. Aparently they were done on Wednesday.

IMAGE: Wrapping up...

Happy long weekend, everybody. I plan on watching dvds and having a braai with Jannes and the kids. It’ll be my last days off for a long while.

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