I ain't going nowhere .......
Rhiann Marie - Round the World
Stewart Graham
Fri 9 Sep 2011 18:52
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Capetown Friday 9th September 2024 Local Time
1824 UTC
Well today was hectic all day as is normal on the
last day before setting off on long passages. Hatches were to be sealed, a
mysterious electrical problem with the engine fan was to be sorted and a
new problem with the rigging was uncovered with a D2 starting to strand with one
broken wire.
In addition I had to clear the Port Authority,
Immigration and Customs and settle a marina bill and some other outstanding
accounts. In addition to all this I had arranged to meet Sipho Msomi who was a
political prisoner on Robben Island, being a member of MKU the military wing of
the ANC in the struggle for freedom in the late seventies and early
eighties, at the same time as Nelson Mandela. I also had to find sometime
to return the hire car I had.
After making an early start and keeping the
pressure on the guys doing the hatches and the rigging I met Sipho who came over
on the boat from Robben Island where he lives and works as a guide. We had an
excellent day and enjoyed a lunch together and thrashed through South African
politics and societal problems. We had a great day and I worked my way
through my jobs as we talked. As the day was pressing on time was running away
from me but we kept at it and ticked off the jobs steadily. I needed to go to
the Immigration office where the officer claimed he could not clear yachts
after three o'clock (despite them having absolutely nothing else to do) and I
would have to come back tomorrow. I stood my ground and kept good humour in the
situation. He said the only way he could do it was if I bribed him. I said
I didn't do that and encouraged him to do the paperwork since we were both there
now. He finally relented and said he was joking about the bribe. He had an
unusual style of joking being serious and awkward and intransigent. However a
colleague finally came along and the paperwork got done. After all that we
drove right across town for Sipho to get some fantastic bargains at a fruit and
veg store and then we just got him back to the ferry in time.
For me it was then back to the boat and finish up
with the electrician and the riggers who were refitting the unrepaired D2 mast
stay which I am a little bit uncomfortable about. Rush, rush, rush. However all
that remained was to return the car to Avis tonight at the airport and bus or
taxi back. While out there the guys suggested I leave the car in town at
the Avis drop off facility instead and the system would take care of
it.
So once back in the city I flagged down a taxi to
follow me there to the dark car park at the train station where I was to
drop off the car and deposit the keys in their special deposit box. So that
done, I headed back to the boat and went to open up again.
Reaching into my pocket out came the Avis car
keys and guess what? No keys to get into the boat. I had put the bloomin'
boat keys into the Avis strong box and kept the car keys!!!!!!!!! What a
tube!
Luckily I know how to break into the boat but
despite all my frantic day's planning and charging through the jobs I ain't
going nowhere tomorrow morning till I can extract my boat keys from the Avis
system.
I sometimes wonder about myself
...............
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