May 30, 2008

"I do not rule Russia, ten thousand clerks do.
Nicholas I, Czar of Russia

We have been extremely busy with boat stuff. John (the Admiral Yacht delivery Captain) is great, extremely professional and his priority is safety. I went through the boat thoroughly (in my opinion) and he found several items I missed. We have been adjusting the running rigging (the lines that control sail shape) adding a lazy sheet to the spinnaker and a tackle/block arrangement that John developed and previously used on long trips.

Terry and Annette came on board yesterday and are a welcome addition to the crew. (I now have a total of 4 crew) They are both experienced sailors having just returned from a 2 month sail to Antarctica on a square rigged sailing vessel. They followed the Track of Sir John Earnest Shackelton, which is a book I read about an incredible tale of survival.
They are in line for their own Admiral 40, (construction which should begin in the fall) and wanted an opportunity to do an offshore passage on one. Annette was a charter cook in the Med for almost 20 years, and is very organized. Terry has a great sense of humour (excuse me I meant humor) and has provided valuable insight as we problem solve and get ready to make passage.

We have almost all of the documents we need to clear out with the exception of our U.S. Coast Guard Documentation. Once we get that and finish up the maintenance issues we will be ready to clear out with Customs and Immigration. After we clear we have 24 hours to fill up with duty free diesel (we carry 100 gallons in our fuel tank and will carry 200 gallons more in containers). We currently have a weather window starting Saturday of Southeast winds, later in the week becoming weak out of the North. We need three days to get away from the rough water of the Cape in order to sail comfortably.
Our only major mechanical issue is the starboard alternator which is not charging correctly, we have a leaking port and a leak from the stanchion. All which have been fixed.

The problem with the US Documentation department is very frustrating, the papers have not yet arrived but Donna is working on it from home with help from our friends and Eclectic crew members Wayne (Chief Engineer) and Cindy (Ships Purser) Proulx.

Until next time: Cheers.....Pleasure.

Update June 2, 2008

I have not been successful in getting the Coast Guard Documentation papers to Wayne yet. They are suppose to arrive by Thursday June 5th which means he was unable to leave last weekend. The target date for departure is now Saturday June 7th. He wants "Out of Africa".

Donna