Ok so whats been going on … Hmn .. Not much!
Frey arrived (at long last) with Super Flavio and they have been beavering away making repairs to poor Otahi. Breakages / breakdowns include Engine Impellor, Heads, Laptop, Solar Panel Regulator, Self Steering, Cooker and some Sail repairs.
I have finally been persuaded to purchase an AIS (after looking at the Landsend AIS feed) and opted for the self contained NASA Radar. Horta price 519 euros (£444), UK price £209 – slight difference! Price match – what is that?!?! The look I get from the local chandlery says ‘what part of the word MONOPOLY is it that you don’t quite understand?’ Being essentially in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean they can pretty much charge what they like – and they do!
In addition, while scrambling down the harbour wall to get back aboard Doris, I managed to drop my handheld GPS in the water (about 2m deep). It was in my pocket after trying to find some terminals to make a cable for it. Now, the water is absolutely disgusting with god knows what is in it (I know what I put into it and that’s bad enough) and a film of oil on the surface.
The GPS is (sapposed to be) ‘kind of’ waterproof, so I either say goodbye to £100 or get the wetsuit on, in the hope it’s still alive. With Frey’s motivational speech of ‘Just Do It!’, I take the plunge! Seconds later I’m coughing and almost spewing my lungs up as my mask leaks like a sieve (due to not shaving for over a week) and handing her the yellow treasure – which is full of water.
Question, why make something that is ‘waterproof’ to a limited depth and not design it so it floats? – Genius! A quick ‘thankyou’ to the shower attendant woman who let me into the showers after climbing out despite them being closed for lunch – I think she took pitty on me, or maybe she could just smell me?
Great! … now I need both an AIS ... and a replacement GPS. While discussing all this with Kat, we decide that the best thing all round is for Kat to order the new toys and then bring them out to Horta, in which case she may as well sail with me back to the UK. After all, it’s about time we actually sailed a bloody passage together!
So .. despite Kat’s comment of ‘I’m absolutely sh*tting myself’ as she booked the flight.
On Friday 3rd my new ‘crew’ arrives and I will have the luxury of both company and sleep to arrive fresh in Falmouth around 2 weeks later and Kat has her second date with the Atlantic Ocean. Thats the plan - Wish us luck!
Nothing else to report really, Flavio is leaving on Monday and Frey is arranging for someone to come and crew with her back to the UK. All being well, we might even leave together. Watch this space…
