Day 16 – The Weekend Wrap

The breeze is back. Tallulah was brought out early this morning, and has been hauling Ciao Bella down the waves ever since. Talullah (for those who missed it) comes from the movie Cool Runnings. It was one of the names that Junior suggested they call their new sled. In our case, she is the larger of the two zebra kites and is playing a vital part in stacking up the miles. She is also great in that she installs a sense of discipline. The matriarch zebra is how she is fondly known. Any bad helming that results in her flapping or collapsing will see her give you the same look that your mother did the first time you scratched her car: I love you, but I’m deeply disappointed.

Thank you for all the emails, especially the updates into the world of equities. Particular thanks to the gentleman that offered to send through details for a trading update conference call. I regretfully have to decline as our Iridium 9555 has no mute button, and the sound of waves in the background could cause disturbance for others on the call. The depreciation in the currency is not great news. I have been waiting three years to refurbish my collection of Havaianas and a blown out rand may deem problematic.

Otherwise, all in all, things are going well. All is well with the A team. Michaela Mae is growing braver with every day that passes, and is now a formidable foredeck. Ryan has lost his Speedo, as we have offered a reward in zoo biscuits. Onboard education is thriving. This is the second week Ryan and Michaela are missing school, and thus it has been important to supplement accordingly. We have a geography / chart work lesson that takes place at around 4pm every day, and Afrikaans has been taken care of with dad’s RSG interview. The chart work also includes some vector diagrams, so that ticks off science, and the occasional blog entry counts as English creative writing. Nutritional discussions around food groups covers Biology and the stock take of Liquifruit and zoo-biscuits must be the best form of hands-on accounting practical experience.

There are a couple of things we left behind this trip – fishing tackle being a prime example. This has, however, spared us the perpetual disappointment of always looking back at empty lines like in the last race. Another thing that we definitely do not regret leaving behind is the chessboard. There is a large amount of humiliation that comes with being beaten by a 17 year-old at chess. But then perhaps it was worth it as playing chess requires silence - a true delicacy when it comes to living with an adolescent.

One of the largest challenges of doing an ocean crossing has to deal with the broken sleep patterns; with the maximum amount of sleep you get is 4 hours at any point in time. This has led us to relearn the art of a mid-afternoon powernap: something that is far better practiced amongst the students on board. We are now also substantially west. This means that a 7am interview on RSG your time, is a 3am call this side. If I consider how much sugar and caffeine it takes me to function in English at that time of the morning, I’m not sure how dad manages to function in ordentlike Afrikaans like he does.

Can someone please let Janine Howard Harris know that her rice cooker works like a bomb (it makes for a great pillow too). And to Liane Tiley, the food packs you did for us have been a treat. We are sure the risotto is great, but we are in a bit of a pickle as the instructions are in Italian.

Wishing you all a happy Monday,

Kathryn