Of Weddings, Tables and Toilets

Caramor - sailing around the world
Franco Ferrero / Kath Mcnulty
Fri 23 Jan 2015 09:58
Just after New Year I left Caramor in Kath’s capable hands (gulp), and flew to Cyprus for my daughter Anna’s wedding. Anna met Yannick when they were studying together at the Royal College of Music in London and they have been together for eight years. So it’s about time he made an honest woman of her!

We spent a pleasant week sightseeing and doing the culture vulture bit (looking at piles of old rocks as Anna’s Australian father in law to be put it). It was good to spend time with both my daughters (Anna and Lisa), catching up with my ex-wife Joan, and getting to know Yannick’s family, who are a great bunch.


Sightseeing in Limassol marina … and yes it was very chilly for Cyprus!


Pile of old rocks, Paphos


Mosaic in Roman ruins, Paphos

I had to buy a suit! My future son-in-law’s only criteria was that it had to be black … my only criteria was that it had to fit!

The big day came and despite a little rain it all went very well. Anna was a beautiful bride and Yannick’s organisation was faultless. The way I see it is that I’m not so much losing a daughter as gaining an accountant!


Anna and Yannick


The bride and the proud father (in a suit!)


Greek dancers at the wedding, they soon had us all joining in

Meanwhile Kath was working on Caramor (although every time I phoned her she seemed to be in some seedy bar). She did get a couple of really nice walks done, Villa Flor to Paisaje Lunar and Guajara, the third highest peak on Tenerife.

Paisaje Lunar (lunar landscape)

I got back to Tenerife on Monday 12th and found that we had to wait for some important deliveries to arrive. We couldn’t fit the stuff till it arrived so we did some work and food shopping in preparation for the crossing, and we went climbing for a couple of days.

 
The serious climbers on the hard stuff (Is that Kath?), Arrico Abajo

The climbing at Arrico was very good, but the general opinion was that it was seriously undergraded. I suppose I would have to agree as I got an awful lot of big air-time repeatedly falling off on a route graded French 6a!

 
A very enjoyable route at F5, Arrico Arriba

Eventually the parcels started arriving. Kath fitted my combined Xmas and birthday present from her (a new Lavac toilet that is operated by a serious bilge-style pump). I found a way of clamping my Xmas present to her (a teak table for the cockpit) to the traveller rail.


Kath’s table and my birthday cake


Table cunningly clamped to the traveller rail

My new toilet!

The last parcel arrived yesterday (Thursday 22 January), so weather permitting we will sail to an anchorage on La Gomera on Saturday and then on to El Hierro on Sunday. The plan is to spend a few days on El Hierro before setting off on the crossing to the Cape Verde Islands.

Franco