ROLLING THUMBS

'What are you doing all day?' The well known question asked by almost everyone.
Officially we are just rolling our thumbs, wondering 'what shall we do today?'
Well, since we are back on MYLADY we've needed time to get use to the cold and wet. Officially it is summer here in Tassie. A few locals have to proof it by wearing shorts and t-shirts. For this African lady, 18 or 20 degrees Celcius for a max with cold front after cold front racing over us, isn't summer. But I have re-arranged my wardrobe to get the summery things more in reach.
We have been refitting MYLADY whilst on anchor. It was time to do something about the leaking old dodger and we've replaced it now by adding a solid wooden second storey to our home. There were only two stipulations. It must accommodate two solar panels and it should not obstruct the handrails. However, it depleted the budget, lost old and gained new friendships, diminished our precious time and consumed our sanity. The result is perfect. We have more dry space and lots of storage possibility. I am even allowed two build-in pot plant containers for the parsley and spinach (they though have a hard time). And the ropes now also have to serve as decoration when not at work. We can even catch water from its roof.
Whilst we had to wait for the epoxy to dry in between jobs, Eelco took the pulpit off the bow and hacked away at the corroded aluminium rust. Then the repair and paint job followed.
We had to shorten and change the sun-roof-cum-rainwater-catcher to fit the new dodger and cockpit. The boatshed (forward cabin) had to be re-arranged in order to find stuff. All the extra water in the aft berth storage was circulated. The ballast of charts (900+) were sorted, organized and minimized. We played the maddening puzzle of provisioning. And in between we even tried to do our actual job - being tourists. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip to beautiful Lake Pedder and surrounds. The trees, bush and field were in bloom. Rivers ran and dams were full. At the Styx River the magnificent Big Trees were impressive. Warned of tiger snakes near Queenstown and camped with the wild wallabies on the edge of Great Lake. Wadamana museum was the unexpected cherry on our holiday cake. Swift parrots dazzled us with their curiosity and beauty on the East Coast.
At the moment we are in Cloudy Bay on the southern tip of Bruny Island here in Tasmania. It is lovely to listen to a real reef again and not a highway reef. Only a fisherman dares to brave the unstable weather conditions and shares the waters with us.
WE WISH BLESSINGS OF GOOD HEALTH, WEALTH, LOVE AND LAUGHTER UPON YOU.
Best wishes for every tomorrow.
With fond memories, Mi-sA-lê and Eelco dec2010

back on MYLADY

We've been back in Cygnet, Tasmania for about two months now. One day is cold, one day warm, one day wet and most days full with spring blossoms. We are replacing our dodger with a fixed one. It's coming along just fine. A cold front came over this afternoon. Soft and white like a blanket of down the Artic cold crept over the hills and covered the houses and valleys. The strong windshift swung MYLADY around and whipped up a choppy sea. MYLADY is hanging on to her anchor once again. It's freezing - time to fire up the diesel heater.

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Anet and Flinterrachel

Eelco's trips across the Atlantic on m/v Anet were all in good weather. Off loading in Skikda, Algeria went okay. The only problem was the self help service of the dock crew. It was not nice to play policeman all the time. From North Africa they went to Gibraltar where m/v Anet had to get urgent repairs done. The sad fact is the Anet is a brand new ship. It only came in service this year, Eelco was the first relieve crew. Unfortunately not half of the two page list of warranty problems was attended to.

Their next port was Bilbao in Spain. There the ship went into a charter contract of 13 months. It was weekend and it was the soccer world cup final. The Spanish celebrated their win properly. It meant the crew of m/v Anet had a few days off. The best of this luxury was that they could actually go into town, in contrast to normal 'safety' procedure of guarding off the dock and confining ships crew. The weather was summery perfect for a tourist trip to town and the bridge with the hanging ferry. It is the oldest of its kind in the world. Close to the waterfront was a small plain with a few trees. There the local people enjoyed a dance on the typical Spanish entertainment. To crown his outing Eelco came across a cultural, dance performance of about ten countries, just somewhere in the open on a street close to another plain. He had an enjoyable festive time there. They loaded rolls of steel wire which required tender handling and delivered it in New Orleans, USA for use in the automotive industry. Here Eelco was relieved and flew back to Holland.

The next day he was on his way again to m/v Flinterrachel in Ceuta, Spanish enclave in Morocco just opposite Gibraltar. Their freight was fluorspar and their destiny Berdyansk in Ukraine. Their route took them over the Mediterranean Sea through the Dardanelle into the Sea of Marmara past Istanbul in Turkey through the Bosporus into the Black Sea. Here the water traffic was extremely crowded but the sights of the mosques still clear. They past Kerg into the Sea of Azov and then on to Berdyansk. It was a ten day trip in total with calm summer weather. Rules, regulations and customs had their own time and accounts. After some slack time, they loaded sunflower produce for animal feed bound for Ashdod in the supposed land of milk and honey. Enroute to Israel Eelco was relieved in Istanbul where immigration and customs were quick and efficient.

With freedom chips in his pocket, it was time to go home.

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Texas Visit

Corpus Christi, in Texas USA, is a small city at the coast in the Gulf of Mexico. The seawater temperature is warm and it is the ideal place to cool off from the pressing humidity heat and sweat of most every day. At the beach, on a weekend, the cars are lined one next to the other in a never ending row with their rears facing the ocean and the trunk doors open. People just enjoy themselves - cooling in the water, basking in the sun or relaxing under a shade umbrella with their feet in the water with plenty to quench the thirst and fill the stomach. Sandcastles and horses with riders make the picture of bliss, complete.

Corpus has a city centre, but for the rest, is spread out and has a small town appearance. It doesn't make for easy walking to do anything. The city bus stop has no time tables and is not that regular to wait for the next one. I saw one other pedestrian - an Indian woman. One Sunday morning as we were driving around we saw a big 'warehouse' where a constant stream of cars were arriving. To satisfy our curiosity we went to look. Traffic officers were regulating the traffic. We eventually got a parking spot way in the back. Like a colony of ants people were walking to and from the building. As we approached, life pulsed towards us. Friendly smiles, lots of people, a very big building with a rock concert in full swing in the enormous theatre where four stadium size TV screens helped to make things visible. Later Bill, a down to earth man, a people's man, a great pastor, delivered his message. Needless to say we had such a good time in the Bay Drive Fellowship we went every Sunday.

We pitched a tent on the beach and watched the release of sea turtle hatchlings. Another time we pitched our tent in the bush and watched the fireflies at night. When the rain hosed down with thunder and levelling wind we were impressed at our stead-vast and not leaking tent dwelling for the night. Bambi deer gave great excitement the next morning to my little granddaughter.

Corpus gets a lot of strong wind and rain and the backlash from passing hurricanes. It was such a day when I left. It was pouring for three days already. Roads were flooded and closed. Driving went at snails pace because visibility was almost zero and water puddles on the road a constant barrier. As soon as we left the coastal-belt behind, the weather improved.

It was good to spend time with my son. It was great to meet my granddaughter. She loves to hunt (we tracked the birds or ants or whatever we could lay our eyes on when we went for our walk to the park). She loves to ballet. She loves stories and has hair like me. She's smart, pretty, difficult and special - granny's girl (Ouma se meisiekind).

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America & m/v Anet

The day we left MYLADY for her winter sleep in Cygnet Tasmania, it was a cold and clear, calm morning. In the dark and unfortunately for us with an extreme low tide, we struggled through the mud with our baggage. It went well, thank God. Could you imagine if one of us should have fallen? Maggie, a friendly local, gave us a lift to Hobart - an hours drive away. Soon we were off to Melbourne. Fog filled the valleys below like soft feathery down. But fortunately the skies were clear. In Melbourne where we overnighted, we had an exciting exploring afternoon between and with decendants of Greek, Italian and Turkish immigrants. 18 May we both flew in different directions.
Eelco went on his way to earn us some freedom chips. That morning before we left the hotel it was still on the tv-news that Schipol airport was closed due to the ash cloud from Iceland. But he first flew to Kuala Lumpur, giving the ash time to clear, and from there to Amsterdam. In Holland he had a day to say hello to his mum and finalize some medical paperwork before leaving the following day to Mexico where he joined his ship m/v ANET.
The ANET is Dutch owned and 9000 tonnes dw. It is 144m long and 19m wide with two cranes on deck. The crew of eleven is mostly dutch with a few Fillipines. The ship is new, a model 2010, and carry general cargo. In Santa Crux, Mexico, they loaded drilling pipes for Algeria. Three days out of port on their way to Africa, the orders came to turn around and head for Houston. More lucky packets of all shapes and sizes were loaded in Houston also for Algeria. Heavy and filled to the brim they sat course for Africa again. With the last contact we had, they had good weather and calm seas. The ship has, in line with modern times, internet onboard, twenty-four-seven. But out on the ocean that seems to be only whenever the satelites are available and not hiding. At the time of writing cyber contact between me and his ship has been out for days.
Mi-sá-le is in Corpus Christi, Texas America. I'm visiting my son and granddaughter. And only God knows how precious this time is for me. I've missed my children so much.

THE HUON OF REFLECTIONS

We came up the Huon River with squally wind and rain. The wind was southwest to westerly. We were tacking and beating hard but the bullets of wind-walls chasing down the river made sailing tough. Eventually we made it into Port Huon and dropped the hook. The wind didn't soften its tone, on the contrary. It gusted thirty five knots (70km/h). By night time we set a second anchor. MYLADY our ocean going craft and home, danced the night away on the port-to-starboard-and-back tune and we could sleep in peace.

The wind was still asleep when we woke up the next morn in Port Huon. We weighed the anchors which were stuck solid in the bottom. Then motored slowly up the river, like walking on eggs, let's not get stuck in the mudbanks. Close to the Wooden Boat Centre we anchored in the river in front of Franklin. We came for the festival but were a week early. So we stayed and occupied ourselves with some home improvements and maintenance.

We enjoyed the fresh pears we could buy on the street. And I cried when witnessing the sad story of the 126 year old Belle Brandon wooden boat being dragged to her grave. Once upon a time, she also braved the seas. The festival gave us a look into local life. We had a superb salmon and brie woodfired pizza - the taste still lingers in my memory. And the graceful black swans greeted us inquisitively every evening on their way to bed.

It was a chilly nine degrees when we left in the morning. Twelve days after our planned two day visit. Franklin mirrored on the windless river. Our nervousness for running aground on the shallows in the Huon were now gone and with the necessary lookout we motored down the river of reflections.

Later the afternoon clouds atop a smoke drew our attention to the sky. It was cold. There were two presumably controlled big fires directly behind the first hill close to us. Like atomic clouds it boiled, brewed and foamed. Up there where the fiery hot, met the cold and humid. Bigger cauliflower-clouds engulfed the smaller ones and then mellowed into a dark brown smoke blanket, streaming out to sea. Two more fires to the west also towered high. Daylight became shadowed and fire danced sadly in golden reflections on the Huon. All of the next day we sailed with smoke veiled vision and smothering lungs.

The seasons have turned and the clock set back. There is a bite in the air and the flames in the heater crackle cosily. We are impressed with our insulation job of MYLADY. And will give her a good clean-up before settling for the winter in Cygnet here on the south-east coast of Tasmania.

We hope you all are well and wishing you the best. Do drop us a line in your spare time.
Sincerely, Mi-sá-lê and Eelco

Magpies

TASMANIA - BRUNI ISLAND - Magpies with their melodious singing wake us in the morning.
The sun is hot and the wind chilly. Out of the wind the dress is tropical clothing and in the breeze we wear sweaters. Evenings the warm glows of the oil lanterns create cosy temps and atmosphere. It is even warm enough to keep the brew bubbling. Weather is settled and the people are friendly and helpful. Sailboats are active on the water and we have neighbours where ever we anchor. Shags feed around MYLADY, peeping out of the water at us curiously. The chores aboard are pleasure and fun. Tooth ache is part of life and a budget destroyer. But the giant smiles again.
When the sun sets, the crows croak a continual 'good-night' lullaby in stereo.
We hope you are well. Regards. Mi-sá-le & Eelco

Tasmania '10

TASMANIA The days around Christmas were a little bit rough on us. We had bad weather, bad seas and bad progress. I prayed and Eelco sailed. A sleeping whale gave us a fright and the birds disappeared. When we were finally becalmed amidst the centre of a high pressure zone, we dropped sails, and slept. Awakening to a pink sunset sky that coloured the water around the boat a turquoise green we were rejuvenated and ready to tackle the rest of the trip.
There were big, fat, drilling, lifeless, odd coloured jellyfish drifting by. The air had a rotten smell. We were already on the Bass Strait plateau and the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race was on and the front runners in our vicinity. Also the Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race was on. We actually saw a handful of these boats.
We had a hard to windward run all the way over Bass Strait. The currents created rough and high seas. Our progress was fair. The recently repaired jib, very costly, ripped with a hollow 'thud'. Fortunately only the bottom part, and we could roll a reef and continued. Rips and head winds and no room between the islands to tack pushed us onto a lee shore. When we finally got out of that mess, the wind died. With gale force wind we arrived the next morning of 30 Dec '09 in Beauty Point, Tasmania, our port of entry after exactly three weeks at sea from Opua, New Zealand.
After a week of resting, greeting friends, stocking up and doing washing, it was time to move again.
The plan is to cruise Tasmanian waters this season. Weather may rule otherwise. Crossing Banks Strait between Flinders Island and Tassy a wind bullet smacked us and thoroughly blew the again repaired jib with a loud 'bang' to pieces. At the moment we are trying to order a new sail with the means of our shortwave email. Internet is not readily available on or around the water. We got lured into a small bay by beautiful rock colours and formations - and got chased out by terrible gusts. Trying to weigh the anchor the anchor winch busted an oil seal. Yes, below decks. The mess and stench of oil burning on the electro motor were unreal. In the next two days Eelco had to lift the 80m of chain plus anchor five times on deck while 50kn /100km winds (only half of that was predicted) had us dragging repeatedly. Truck-tyre-sized jellyfish thrived in the bay north of Maria Island.
Here in historical Port Arthur we are kind-of stuck for the moment. Will just have to wait till the wind turn favourable again and we can move to the area around Bruny Island further south and west. Good for MYLADY though, chores getting done.
Cruising Tasmaina is not cruising at all. It is hanging on! Wind forever rules one's life unpredictably. Cold and wet fronts keep us cold and wet. Sailing is costly and hard work. I get the feeling that many a convict might have experienced - miserable. A sunshine moment without wind I sceptically enjoy. Have I mentioned the awe-inspiring organ pipes towering hundreds of meters straight from the seafloor into the sky? In some places they have toppled and crumbled in square rocks strewn over a slope. Have I told you about the universal peace on earth just before sunrise? And the terrible bush fire that covered us in smoke and soot. Friendly smiling dolphins, curious looking seals and the graceful beggar birds are our regular companions.
Tasmania = Impressive.