Monday, 25th October 2010
06.00hrs Skipper got about emails and checking the on board navigation computers. The day was very overcast, Aileen decided for a reason we wont discuss to wash down the decks. It started to rain and she continued to wash down the decks, god bless her!
11.00hrs We got a lift into Avis car rentals from Audrie (her dad owns the pub "Dodo's" across the pier) actually, the pub is just about 50 meters from the boats, very handy for the coffees, and wifi. There were no cars available and Audrie got on the phone and organised one from Weils, but would not be ready until 17.00hrs, so Skipper and Aileen walked into town where we had a light lunch, skipper had a spiced beef dish, very tasty, a local dish with rice.
14.00hrs We paid a visit to orange to sort out our mobiles, we had to get two new sim cards and some top up to go with them. Later we walked back to the boat and bought a beautiful big flower arrangement for a mere 15 euros. At home one half the size in Douglas Court would cost the skipper 50 euros every week.
Back on the boat, Terry was going on about the different times on the different clocks, ie All starting times and finishing times are calculated on the starting time, where ever we start from, so when we sailed from the Cocos islands to Mauritius (a distance of 1,300 miles) our finishing time was taken in Cocos time, even though the clocks had moved back 2.5hrs, and all our clocks were adjusted accordingly except the E120 chart plotter, so we would know by looking at that instrument where we were in Cocos time, therefore we had different times above and below deck. So Terry would be heard saying "I wonder what time it is down below, or what time is it in Darwin, or what time is it in Mauritius now" * = * are we nuts or what !
We checked the emails, and had many including one from Rom, great, we haven't had a laugh for a while and he is very funny with his emails. He described the surprise 60th birthday party he threw for his wife Verna a major success by all accounts, and his account as usual was witty and entertaining.
17.00hrs We collected our rent a car, a citroen C1, golly gosh, was this thing small for the 5 of us, it will be the classic case of sardines in a can, but it was all we could get, so be happy.
17.45 hrs We entertained some of the owners and crews from the World ARC boats, just for drinks while our roast chicken dinner was cooking in the oven. This went very well and we had a laugh, however we were swamped with moths, millions of the beggers, in your eyes, up your nose, in your hair, in your drink, in the food, J+*'s awful blinkin things, mind you they don't bite or sting which is wonderful down in this region. In Australia, it was the case. If it did not eat you, it would kill you with a sting.
When the guests departed at 8.30pm we sat down and had our roast stuffed chicken, roast spuds, creamed potatoes, carrots and brussell sprouts. We enjoyed that food and had a few night caps before hitting the scratchers,
That's it from moth land.
Signed :- Stephen Hyde (Skipper)