21 hours to go

Gertha4
Simon Ridley
Sat 24 Nov 2007 16:48
Hi loyal readers,

Here we are with 21 hours to go until the off. Everything has been bought, just the meat delivery still to come - fingers crossed that it arrives this afternoon.

There is a palpable sense of excitement, apprehension, and nerves amongst all of the crews as we near the start of the voyage. Boats being polished, decks being scrubbed, fruit and veg being washed and put away. The weather has been set to "exciting" by the powers that be! 20-25 knots of wind, and the other side of the island the sea is 15 feet high. All looks set for a flying start for the first few days.

I have finally stopped buying fishing gear as the skipper says there's no more room, just can't wait to get it all working. The guys from our arch-rival Ondina have been out and bought loads of gear today, so we have a fishing contest on as well as a race for the next 2-3 weeks! Nothing like a bit of pressure to focus the mind.

The cocktail party last night was another success - there were free drinks this time - always welcome, until the next morning of course. Tonight we have a firework display at midnight, so we're not allowed the early night which we so desperately need! Not to worry, hard life and all that.

Next time you hear from us we'll be at sea, so the spelling and the syntax might suffer slightly - not that I'm saying anything about Simon's English of course!!

Adieu,

"Team Gertha"