You all probably been thinking we have sailed off the end of the earth! Well not yet! We are feeling a little like we have been sucked into the centre of a whirlwind.
Time has been flying and we have been busy. I went off and did a “Survival at Sea” course. It was great fun actually we learnt about launching our life raft and got to see what it was like inside and what it contained. So many yachties have life raft aboard and have never seen one inflated. We got to launch it in the pool, practiced righting it. We spent the day towing each other through (man-made) waves in the swimming pool. Ok not quite the ocean but it made one appreciate what it might be like in the ocean!
I then went off and did the Ships Captains Medical course. I have not nursed for 20 years or so and was, as you can imagine, a little rusty. We covered what may need to be done after the ’first aiders” have done their part. Yes on the yacht I am basically both but things like putting up drips administering drugs and stitching up wounds was good to refresh the memory. We got to work in casualty for a night. It was at a hospital that usually is and should have been crazily busy on the last Friday night of the month. Right after payday! Well, it was the quietest night they had all year. Nice for any potential patients, not so great for us. But I did manage to do some stitching and a drip.
At the same time the boat was out on the hard (on land) having new antifouling applied and a few minor jobs done. While we were at moored at Royal Cape Yacht club, some bright spark (we know who you are) vandalised the boat, smashing our spotlight on the bow! No accounting for some people. But no matter what goes around comes around. We have had it fixed.
Once that was over it was back to packing, sewing things for the boat and trying to get paperwork etc completed.
My parents have now moved in with us in preparation for taking care of our home while we are away and most importantly looking after our furred and feathered children
Andre came home from his last work trip and so we begin to pack the boat soon and begin buying the non-perishable provisions. He will only be going again next year from where ever we are moored at the time.
We will be moving onto the boat in a couple of weeks, news on that to follow.
Only 32 days to go and we are off!
Fair winds and flat seas to our friends aboard the Bavaria “Ocean Maiden” who set sail for St Helena yesterday. Chris and Tjaarda , see you in Brazil.
Andre and Alison
