Wednesday 23 January 2019

Here's the good news... right, so now for the bad: although boat might have been done by Friday, tides are too low for launch until 5 February, almost two weeks off. Two months on the hard while listening to piggy bank squeal from ongoing dollar-ectomy. Expect rain through Monday so 'might have' becomes 'will not'. Original NLT was 20 January when launchable high tides were available.

Thursday

Although half of crew avoids social media like the plague that it is and is too lazy to include pictures on this blog, other half add photos to her Facebook page. Those interested may search for Janice Holmes and choose the one with Jan leaning against a rail, trying not to fall into the water. Have no idea if friending is required to view, but if interested give it a peep.

Friday

Tonight is braai night at the ZYC. They feature a T-bone steak that's as big as Rhode Island and more tender than the Patriarca crime family. As knee is slightly better, may go over early to do a bit of work on the now pitiful looking boat. Replacing zinc anodes and servicing MaxProp are a couple of easy tasks. Little point in cleaning up pine straw, tracked dirt, grease on cushions and monkey poop until back in the water.

Saturday

Speed humps, as they're called here, are evil. KwaZulu-Natal has latched onto this concept with a staggering proliferation along open highways. Whoever designed them should be forced to drive a little crap-box Datsun, such as we've rented until Friday the 8th (admittedly at a scandalously low price), over the things in hell for eternity. Approaching one too slowly makes climbing up the near side with a hamster powered engine difficult and doubles transit times, but hitting one too quickly will launch shocks up through fenders and displace a kidney. We need some sort of peacetime Geneve Convention that prohibits this sort of cruel and unconscionable punishment. Alternatively, to similar ends, modern technology might allow the guardians of public probity to emplace laser cannon at critical locations to immediately vaporize speeders 15 kph over the limit - no suffering and it would eliminate high velocity crashes and most drivers under 25. How bad could that be? Ban the bumps!

Sunday

Have you ever noticed that it's easier to take things apart than reassemble them? All hoses, wires and mounts are arranged and waiting, but things apparently never go back the same. Or perhaps it's just that someone with the memory of a three-year-old who shall remain unnamed has forgotten how it was originally installed during which a contrivance was involved to fit whatever it is into a space that is always too small and cramped. Towing a barge with plenty of room for easy installations seems the perfect solution, but since no one does it there are probably unforeseen issues that would make it untenable.

Monday

We've now been living as dirtlings for almost eight weeks with over a week to go. Although we've traveled extensively to prevent the worst entropic effects of stasis, buzzards and other carrion eaters are beginning to get a fix so it's imperative we get moving ASAP. Assuming splash on 5 February current forecast indicates no reasonable movement toward Cape Town until 9th. This would give us three days to sort rigging and all displaced, misplaced and defaced emplacements. For obscure reasons we continually plan ahead, even in this case knowing wind prognostication likelihood is near zero. The trick is to stay loose and alert, to bob and weave. It's the cruising equivalent of Ali's "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee". We're floating.

Jack & Jan