St.Helena.There were on average 12 yachts moored,one of which is
Catlyn,one of the first Mavericks to be launched.I met Johan and Marlene
two years ago when they just started out and moved onto their new
yacht.I received news from a mutual friend,Paul Rackstraw,that Catlyn is
in St.Helena.That was 5 days before we arrived and we were dearly hoping
that they would still be there when we arrived,and so it was.They just
finished their first long sail and enjoyed it thoroughly.Two of their
kids,Johan and Marko,are also on board and they plan to cruise for the
next few years,next stop Brazil.
At Anne's Place Richard and Jane planned a little BBQ as they always do
when I visit,little not really,but a few close friends,and always
too much food.We normally also bring something along,they supply a
variety of salads,french fries and and and.Johan and co were also
invited and they experienced the true hospitality of these wonderful
friends of ours.And as usual,a feast was had by all.
But I'm jumping the gun here,but why not.No need to place events in the
exact order it happened.When we arrived on Friday we went ashore at
about noon,cleared customs etc.,popped in here and there to greet some
old friends and soon we were at Anne's Place,enjoying a cheeseburger
with chips and a beer.May sound like small fry to you,for us it was
anything but.We also had excellent internet facilities,one pound for ten
minutes.We were back at the boat at about 6pm having dealt with all the
formalities and informalities.I also started making work of finding some
navlights for us and soon I was assured by another good friend of mine
on the island that he's got some at home and will see that it gets to
me.Saturday no navlights,Sunday no navlights,Monday reminded the man and
at noon the navlights were delivered.No charge.Old ones,but far better
than no navlights.
Pieter and Brad took on Jacob's Ladder on Saturday,also did some hiking
around the island,but they can tell you more about their own experiences
first hand.Saturday afternoon Brad and myself swam over to Catlyn and
landed up spending much longer than planned.10 bells Saturday night
Johan lowered their dinghy into the water and saved us the short swim
back to our boat.Thank goodness.Sunday morning Johan Jnr and 11 year old
Marko rowed over and we swopped movies,filling the storage space on
their external hard drives to the max and in turn also loading quite a
few goodies onto ours.At 1 pm we called the ferry and we left for Anne's
Place.
I won't elaborate too much as Pieter and Brad can also share their
experiences.Suffice to say,we are well rested and totally motivated for
the next leg of our journey.We are aiming for Ascension on a broad
reach,about 680nm away.Hopefully we will pass it during the day but no
plans to stop there.Not sure where we will stop next.Madeira if we can
cut in deep enough,otherwise Cadiz just outside Gibraltar.All depends on
the weather.St.Helena is slowly growing smaller and smaller in the
background.Once again that aching feeling of leaving loved ones
behind,the call of the big blue ahead of us.
I greet you
Paul
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