Getting ready
The Adventures of Sunboy the Sailboat
Al Sparkes and Deb Swain
Sat 14 Nov 2009 17:05
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We have been in Las Palmas for a bit over a week
now and the dust still hasnt settled. The first couple of days we just
getting organised to register at the ARC office and make arrangements for the
mandatory safety inspection that has to be undertaken to ensure your boat
complies with the requirements for offshore safety kit. Our new liferaft
has arrived and apart from that we only needed a couple of other small items to
get us up to scratch so to speak. We are on R Pontoon which is the
'family' pontoon and we have boats from all parts of the world around us.
The atmosphere is amazing, everyday people are rushing about, getting more gear
for their boats, organising provisioning and having food delivered to the boats
for storage. Where does one put all that food, drinking water and whatever
else you can throw into the mix. Planning ahead for up to four weeks of
food and meals takes some thinking about. Packet pasta meals have their
place but not for two meals a day for all that time. We also have to fit
in daily seminars dealing with emergencies at sea, powermanagement,
communications, weather, sextants, passage crossing hints and tips. Now on
top of that we, unfortunately, have to attend all of these parties that are on
every night. The one last night was the best night we have had out for
years. It was held in the forecourt of one of the local luxury hotels and
they provided mojitos on the entrance, plenty of those if you were game enough,
followed up by Carnivale style bands and dancers and these drag queens dressed
up a little like Priscilla Queen of the Desert. The beat of the music and
the incredible costumes and rythm of the dancers was unbelievable. Then
the beer and wine started to flow followed up by beautiful finger food and the
night just blasted on. So all in all we are having just a shit of a time
(not) and wonder why we ever bothered to do this sort of a trip. The
reality is, we will never ever have had our boat or ourselves prepared better
for our first major ocean crossing. More to report as we can, sorry, have
to run, cocktail party on soon!!
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