Wednesday 12 July 2017
Port Vila Waterfront
Meetings, planning, paperwork, access to Internet, refining itineraries, calculating costs, fund raising… at the end of the day, after attending to an array of back-office tasks I’m left wondering…”what did I actually do today?”
At least Chimere seems to be ticking over nicely… no pumps to replace, electrical faults to solve, no toilet to unblock, no furler to recondition… amazing… one of those brief moments in time when everything seems to be traveling in harmony.
If you are anything like my darling wife Linda at this point you’re saying to yourself… “what are you thinking, don’t say this .. you are bound to put the mozz on things?!”
But I’m not the superstitious type. Not really. Sure, as a sailor I won’t go to sea on a Friday, but that’s different. As for having umbrellas on board? Well that was a new one to me but our earlier Norwegian sailing friend from 3 weeks ago, the one who agreed to deliver the large brass bell and potting clay to South West Bay, said to me … “when you parked next to me I see you have two umbrellas hanging on the rigging ladder there … we’ll I might be an atheist but I will not have an umbrella on my boat… it’s bad luck”
I replied … “and what about setting sail on a Friday?”
“Well no, I don’t do that either…”
Funny bunch these sailor folk!! The other ones I mean … not me of course!
Speaking of sailors, we have the first sailor of the next mission due in by plane tonight at 11:30pm, although if it’s anything like my flight it’ll be closer to 1 o’clock tomorrow morning. Mark Stephenson is his name and I’m nicking out to pick him up at the start of what will be a two month tour of duty
This will be closely followed by Peter Wright’s departure on the 7 AM flight back to Australia. (The same plane after it’s had a few hours rest)
Given that Peter will be picked up at 5 o’clock tomorrow morning the two of them will only be sharing about four hours on board together… not really enough time to build any form of rapport or relationship. But I’m sure Peter and Mark would’ve got on well
The rest of the new crew will come in over the next few days but as for me I’m gonna catch an hour’s sleep now before heading out to the airport around 11 o’clock
Smooth seas fair breeze and like ships that pass in the night
Rob Latimer