Captain's Log
Notes from
the Poopdeck -A periodic, sometimes monthly, account of the Adventures of
Arabella and her crew
Link
to last season's PuddleJump
and Coconut Milkrun
logs
Current events since returning to Oregon (11/15/07) at House and Pond
Back Aboard in Fiji
05/04/08
It was
a surprisingly smooth departure from Yachats, and a similarly surprisingly
smooth journey all the way back to the boat. One of the biggest challenges was
getting all the boat stuff packed into luggage. We’re not talking about small
items here- a big barbeque, new anchor roller and two big fenders being the
notable challenges- but somehow we got ‘er done. By some wonderful happenstance
the plane from LAX to Auckland was only half full, so we actually had room to
relax for that 13 hour flight, making it almost a pleasant experience. We had a
great, although very short, tour of Auckland via bus and boat (an hour and a
half harbor cruise), and then a bumpy 3 hour flight here that landed about
8:30pm local time. Once again we had that strange time-warp effect of leaving
Monday afternoon April 28, flying all night, hanging out for a day in Auckland,
and arriving in Fiji Wednesday night April 30. That darned dateline deal.
The
extremely sad part of all this is that we lost a dear friend, Gary Ewing, while
in transit, and didn’t find out until yesterday. We had just visited with Gary
and Karen before our departure, and though he looked far from well and had been
having serious health problems for a couple of years, nothing prepares you for
that ultimately sad news. I have been working on a website for him recently to
help promote his art and hopefully generate some income to help defray his
astronomical hospital bills, and that will be an ongoing project. To see the
fledgling site, click here. He was a genuine gentle-man, one of the finest
human beings I’ve ever had the good fortune to know, and will be missed greatly.
So the
work has begun getting our moldy, mildew encrusted vessel cleaned up, put back
together, and ready for floatation. Fortunately the worst heat and monsoon rain
has abated here, so it has been possible to get several hours in each day before
melting down and running for the pool. At night there has been a cool breeze
off the water allowing us to sleep comfortably. Things could be worse. We’re
hoping to be back in the water in a few days, and ready to set sail in a couple
of weeks if all goes well. The marina has emptied out, with many of our fellow
cruisers already enroute to Vanuatu. We’re still planning to enjoy Fiji for a
month or so before heading out, since there really doesn’t seem to be any reason
to hurry. After traveling ~6000 miles last season, the ~1000 miles to Australia
doesn’t seem like much at all.
That’s
about all for now, we’ll get some pics up soon.
Fair
winds,
Mike ‘n
Barb
Fourth Season (2006-2007)
Mexico to Fiji Pics
My pirate name is:
Iron Tom Flint
A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr!
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