Departure looks possible from Plymouth

Carlile Adventures
Mark Carlile
Thu 28 Sep 2006 20:31
It is now Thursday night (28/9), and the night is quiet between storms. The boat rocks gently in Plymouth.

I am aware of the stillness for the first time in a long time. In the distance I can hear a car speeding off towards the city centre. It is the sound of civilisation that I will not have contact with for the next six months.

For months the preparation work has seemed endless to reach this moment of departure that is about to arrive. The "To-Do" list has been in the thousands. Only 20 small items remain. This is just enough to keep me busy until the weather window opens. My days and nights, thoughts and dreams have been about the next task at hand.

And that weather window is ajar for the first time. The forecasts for late Sunday (1/10) or early Monday (2/10) show an opportunity to depart. It is an opportunity that I will take if the forecasts remain accurate.

Tonight I reflect on the journey on how I got to this point. What attributes have I needed to even attempt this adventure?
- Years of practice sailing in all weather, short and long distance
- Getting a good education, Working and saving hard
- Years of preparation and talking to other experienced ocean yachties. Know the risks, and try to mitigate them
- Living overseas for a number of years away from family and friends in different cultures
- Being mentally strong
- Being independent
- Being stubborn and determined (I am a Taurus)
- Belief in yourself
- Trusting others and having a supportive group of friends, family and colleagues
- Read, read, and read
- Good business acumen
- A desire to help others
- Have a healthy imagination. Dream the impossible, and then make it happen

It's not an exhaustive list, but probably the main ones.

My mother has left today and headed back to Brisbane. It has been really good to have her here after her surprise arrival last Saturday. She has helped get the boat in a tidy order after another repacking has been completed, and we have been able to spend quite a bit of quality time together. I think it has also helped her to see how well prepared the boat is.

In other news briefly, customs admin procedures have now been completed, and I had my final haircut. The next haircut will be self inflicted at sea. No more work is due to be done on the boat either.

I had a small incident here on the boat yesterday. All of the water tanks have now been filled. The 2 main tanks hold 250 litres and there are smaller spare 20 litre tanks. I thought I knew every part of the boat. Not so. When filling one of the small water tanks in an obscured spot, I saw that the water was cloudy. The water was stopped. I pulled out the tank for closer examination. The tank was half full of flour. Flour and water makes for a nice mess. An hour later the tank was clean. Flour and a gooey mess was everywhere and all over mum and I.

The next briefing will announce my definite departure plan.

That's a very good evening from Ingrid at Plymouth

m

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com