After a long day of travelling (YYZ-CDG-TUN) with two bags loaded with very suspicious gear (PLB, new AIS, relays, switches and tons of wire) and no questions asked!! What are they looking for in those scans anyway? They wanted my notebook and camera removed, but nothing was said about the Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) which in itself looks very suspicious.
A friend of a friend picked me up at the Tunis airport – much appreciated! And took me to the Yasmine Marina where I found Necessity on the hard with her bottom freshly painted. Got to talk with the yard manager and it appears things will progress quickly in spite of Ramadan beginning on Aug. 1st. Fasting from sunrise to sunset and then big gatherings and a party at night. One of the five pillars of Islam that goes on for a full cycle of the moon. I could learn to like Islam (well maybe not the fasting part).
My digs until launch are awesome. Swimming pools, marble floors everywhere, and only a short walk from the marina. Meals are included and the price was cheap. Come to Tunisia. Wonderful people (very happy with their new found freedom), great weather, and beaches, tons of history (Carthaginian, Roman and Muslim), and great value for your dollar (one dinar = $0.69 CDN. My room including meals was 287 dinars for three days…you do the math. The fly in the ointment is the flight. Long and a bit expensive. And the best rates take you through Paris. Charles DeGaulle airport is not user friendly (the folks there were very helpful however).
So the plan is this. I am on my own for a week (I win 50% of the arguments this way), followed by Necessity’s first crew – all female. Sail 180 nm to Malta where we pick up more crew and sail four days (450 nm) to Montenegro. For4 the rest of the trip you will just have to tune in again!\
Dean
Marina Palace, Hammamet, Tunisia