Day 18 - Another South Atlantic 'Hi!”

Light wind racing, contrary to what one might think is often far more challenging than heavy wind sailing. It involves full concentration and you need to dig deep to keep the boat moving. It’s essential that you keep your cool, and don’t get frustrated no matter how taxing the conditions become.

Grib files (weather forecasts) for the next three days do not look great. It hasn’t done too much for morale. In the last 24 hours we only managed 135nm. However, to put it in perspective you need only page back in our logbook where you can see that our worst day in the 2011 race was 23nm.

It’s been a relatively sombre day on board. Michaela has taken to making everyone bracelets out of rope. She will strip a piece of rope into strands and then re-plait them into a funky design. Ryan is now a third of the way through ‘long walk to freedom’.

On-board cuisine, like the moon, has begun to wane. The high-point was yesterday when we had pizza (without cheese), and I’m afraid that is as good as it will get. Our remaining food bags include soya mince, spaghetti, tinned tuna and provitas. To make things worse, yesterday saw our peanut butter supplies get depleted. One of our followers sent through some recipes for flying fish: although discarded at first, they might require a revisit.

Besides having only three teabags left, we now have further incentive to hurry onto the land of Samba: there are only two rolls of toilet paper and a box of tissues left. It would also be great to get some laundry that has been washed in fresh water: Our laundry has all been done with salt water, so the sea salt patches that remain after the final rinse gives a somewhat tie-dye effect to all your kit.

There has been another grievance that is being brought to the attention of The Board. The accused is Bren, and the charge is that of smuggling snacks. He was found out when, during a rainsquall, someone threw up his foulie jacket by mistake to Ryan, and when Ryan investigated the sizeable object in the left pocket, found a stash of Oreos. Michaela is being cited as an accomplice.

I thought it would nice to end this post off by giving some perspective on how the whole transatlantic dream came about, and give credit to a man who played a vital part in it all. In the September of 2010, a lazy spring day spent out at the Vaal, it was suggested that we looked into doing the next Rio race. So with three months to go, we set out to find a yacht to charter.

The first person we approached was the owner of a pretty Simonis 35, called Ciao Bella. This man was kind enough to offer us his beautiful boat, with the only requirements being that we bring it back in good condition, with a case of Brazilian beer. And that is how it began…

We have since bought Ciao Bella from Mark Hammick, and while we are sailing this race with her in our name, we will never forget his kind gesture and the role he played in making our dream adventure come true. So, we are nearly there. Just have to negotiate one more light patch and the Rio parking lot, and who knows what the final outcome will be............With sailing, it’s never over until it’s over!

Day 17 - The Censor-ship

 

I have been informed that "dropping a blog" is not an appropriate expression for posting an entry such as this. I tried to push for it, but to no avail. The idea was flushed.

 

I assume that you've all heard about the controversial secrecy bill in South Africa. We are facing a similar plight on board this very yacht. Before any blog entry gets sent through, it has to pass through censorship, where everything deemed inappropriate would be removed - the opening paragraph of this post, for instance.

I'm not going to mention the name(s) of the responsible party, but in protest, this post has sneakily been sent without going through the panel first.

Now that that's out the way, I'd like to address the accusations of me being a night-watch tyrant. I've only ever woken up the next watch early ONCE - with the exception of Ryan, who needs 15 minutes to wake up, get ready, and curse that people don't have a snooze button. Two nights ago I gave Kathryn and Ryan a bonus 20 minutes sleep, and then stayed on an extra 20 minutes to help them get settled. That same night, the following dialogue from the cockpit ensued:

"Time for a sail change. Call Brennan"

"BRENNAN! WAKE UP!"

*Brennan wakes up and starts getting ready*

"No, it's fine, we don't need him. BRENNAN, GO BACK TO SLEEP!"

This happened no less than THREE TIMES on the same night for a sail change, a gybe and a broach.

The breeze eased off a bit this afternoon, but was just at the wrong angle for us to hoist our Code 0 spinnaker - the Norwegian Blue. It's a remarkable bird, Norwegian Blue. Beau'iful plumage! (Monty Python, anyone?)

We cracked open our first bag of Futurelife yesterday. Some people consider this to be a last-resort meal, but we were too stoked for it. Hell, we've been holding our breath for the food bag with the Futurelife in it since day 1! That stuff is what the Spartans ate for breakfast.

We finally changed our clocks to local time! This may seem strange, but dad wanted to keep track of SA time so he didn't miss the early morning radio cross-overs. It's a relief that the sun is no longer setting at 23:00 and rising at 10:00. When the clocks suddenly jumped back by 4 hours, Ricky jokingly complained about getting instantly jet-lagged.

We're hearing stories about other teams being becalmed and going for swims. We have had no such luck. The wind has dropped low enough to go slowly, but never enough to stop. This is a problem for both the racer and the cruiser.

In aid of our bid to be an eco-friendly team, we have been charging our batteries using the solar panels that we got from Cobus van Wyk. These are only effective in the morning, because in the afternoon everything gets shaded by the spinnaker. Having afternoon sun means that you're not heading for Rio.

Other first-world problems that we have to deal with are the fact that we are down to 4 tea-bags, that egg for the last pancakes was off, and the biscuits from Mrs de Carvalho are all but finished. Afternoon tea is now pretty much ruined!

On a lighter note, I'd like to leave you all with a joke. Could someone please see to it that the Wits team gets this, as it applies directly to them?

Why did the Kudu cross the Atlantic?

Because it saw a Zebra crossing!

Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahaaaaaaa!

Love your Monday.

Brennan

PS. Less than 1000 miles to go!

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

Day 15 – High-tailing it from the High!

Good day folks,

I will try refrain from too much humour because all attempts I have made at it so far this trip have sent the crew rushing for the anti-nausea medication, (which is already quite depleted after the first few days). I do take fair delight from jokes that are so cheesy that the listeners are left quite annoyed at me for even speaking. But I will try sparing you unnecessary anguish by only talking about a real event that happened late last night...

I must first shed light on the latest advancement in the complex social structure aboard, which saw Ryan appointed as the head of the crew members union. This is because he is the most vocal about his grievances, for example, being woken up for a shift a few minutes early. Dad and I had occasion to raise an issue with Ryan after we felt we were treated rather unfairly by another crew member. It unfolded as follows:

Dad and I were woken up a whole fifteen minutes before our watch started, which is acceptable practice if there is a gybe or sail change, so we both diligently rose, donned our harnesses and took our places in the cockpit. It was at this point that Brennan (the offending crew member) pointed out that he had thought he had wanted to gybe but had changed his mind as our angle had improved with the approach of a very dark rain cloud. This same rain cloud sent Brennan swiftly to his bed before the end of his shift, with his last words to us being: you guys might need some jackets.

In summary: Brennan had woke us up early for no good reason and positioned the boat in the direct path of a rain cloud after enjoying all the breeze that preceded it for himself. There was insufficient time for us to sail out from under the cloud to avoid either the rain or the tedium of windless bobbing that followed it.  Dad and I thought the idea of Brennan having his blanket around his ears while we sat in his rain squall quite amusing, but I think there should still be some ruling on the matter. Are there any suggestions?

We had been instructed from early on to use a sanitiser spray when using the heads. As the breeze gets lighter we have to leave the comfort of the quarter berths  and start using the bunks amidships and in the bow (all of which are treacherously close to the heads) This close-quarters arrangement has led me to believe that the value of the sanitiser spray is more for sanity than it is for sanitation. I personally find the shining hour remarkably more bearable when spent abaft of the push pit!

Returning to matters of consequence, we have had a very tough time getting past all the light patches, with very confused waves making even 5 knots quite un-sailable. We are working very hard to get away from this light wind zone as quickly as possible. It is getting very hot now and sailing at night starts to become quite a lot easier than during the day.  The forecast did not even shed much better news, which Brennan announced to the crew with the words: “Hey guys, at least we get two more days in the trade winds!” That is fair to say but personally I am getting to the point where I wouldn’t say no to an ice lolly or twenty! We will just have to sail faster I guess...

In closing the crew would just like to give a shout out to our youngest follower, Benjamin, who is not 2 months old yet! Thanks Benjamin and hope to see you on the water soon!

Yours in Happy Sailing,

Ricky

Day 14 - Life on board (Michaela Mae's entry)

It’s final. The kite names have been chosen.

Big Zebra – Tallulah

Small Zebra storm spinnaker – Florence (Kite-in-gale)

Code 0 – Norwegian Blue

Asymmetric – Smurfette

Let’s just say it was highly contested. Thanks very much for all the suggestions. Today for morning tea dad made bread – just like his mother used to make it. It was absolutely divine. When you are exposed to fresh food, you take it for granted. When rationed down to pasta, rice cakes and peanut butter, futurelife etc, when you taste a small piece of freshly baked bread you just fall in love with the taste. We are also down to the last flapjack mixture which I found in the back of one of the cupboards. The only issue as to making this last batch is that we only have one egg left and we are not sure if it will last.

Brennan took the liberty of teaching Ryan and I chart work and plotting. Oh man, he could have been my grade 7 English teacher because he just gets carried away and eventually ends up on a different topic. No offence to his teaching skills, because no doubt I learned a lot not only about chart work but also about different types of cheeses.

Whilst we were learning about chart work from Bren, Mom took over the helm in the light flukey wind because she is the only one with enough patience to helm in those conditions. The best part about nightshifts are the beautiful stars and sailing in the moonlight. The worst part is when you go off watch, after an incredible watch, and an hour and a half before your second watch you get woken up by Ryan and Kathryn singing (only the choruses) of Disney songs. And with thirty minutes to go on their watch comes a badly sung version of ‘the final countdown’.

Ryan and I have decided that at the finish in the last gybe video: Ryan is going to helm, I will do foredeck, and Rick and Bren are going to do running backstays. This is because in 2011, Ryan and I were forced to do running backstays (a fairly simple job). I think we are close to Rio as we can now do night watches in Speedos, shorts and t-shirts. Washing has become more enjoyable because the water is a lovely temperature and not freezing anymore.

The bets are on at the moment as to what our ETA in Rio is going to be. I think Saturday. Let us know what you think.

From Michaela Mae (age 13)

PS. Ryan continues to have a long face because there is yet to be an email addressed to ‘Ryan and family’.

Day 13 - Turning the corner

So at last we start to head towards the setting sun.  It's about time. Although we do put in the occasional gybe north, a lot of headway has been made westwards.  This is much to the relief of the crew, because there is not much that can dampen your spirits more (apart from cleaning the bilges) than heading away from your final destination. 

Despite the light wind, it was a very eventful day on board.  We fixed the engine (we had an air bubble in the fuel line), set up the shade cloths and rewired the desalinator.  The only job that remains is to start climbing back up the leader board. 

Steve Meek - the sun protectors that you made us for the 2011 race are still going strong.  Can’t thank you enough. 

Everyone has had a chance to helm, and every person has their own style of helming.  Dad steers the straightest course.  No beating round the bush. I, on the other hand, only focus on breaking speed records. This is justified by the fact that when the speedometer stopped working my enthusiasm to drive dampened substantially.  Brooks-off Bren prides himself in ‘aerodynamecy’; explaining why whenever he is on watch, the bright red Speedo can be seen. 

Mom is our secret weapon, and as a past national dabchick champion takes the helm, the boat starts to fly.  It is quite humorous to watch her pretending to listen to the pointers from her world champion offspring.  Michaela is one of the fastest helms (if only we could get her on there for more than 30minutes), and Kax takes the helm when the going gets tough. 

Slick Rick has gotten to a point where he can even helm from down below. Even if you lose concentration for one second, you will hear Ricky bellowing from below to sail the boat properly.  There was one instant in where in his sleep he shouted "Ryan or Michaela steer up, we're going slowly!"  It was slightly flawed as neither was driving at the time, and Brennan rather took great offense to the criticism. 

We are overjoyed with dad’s great plan to marry Kathryn off to one of the princes on the Maserati boat.  Truth be told we've been trying to marry her off for a while, but her lack of cooking skills has been an issue.  We think, however, that marrying into royalty will relieve her of any culinary obligations.

We hear word that our fellow competitors are complaining that the light breeze, and thus delayed ETAs, might see them run out of food.  We have no such problem.  In the previous race anything over 23 days would've resulted in us having to eat Michaela.  Our current stock take suggests 31days before we would even need to consider it. Our 8kg challenge (losing 8kg during the trip) has also become invalid, with us likely to land heavier than we left. 

For those of our friends who are low on rations, snacks can be found in abundance.  Flying fish are to the South Atlantic what Impala are the Pilansberg.  Squadrons of them glide through the air, land on your boat and wait to be eaten.  Flying fish bokkoms - a real South Atlantic delicacy. 

Ryan.

Day 12 – Nail-biting

 

The thing about Ocean Racing (as opposed to in shore or even inland racing), is that not everyone has the same wind. This is even more pronounced when there is a handicap system in place, where (for example), we, on our aging 35ft traditional glass fibre boat, race against (for example again) Maserati, about twice as long, with three times the beam, with more carbon than in a coal mine. So, while they are in Rio, we are still negotiating our way around the South Atlantic high. Said differently, we are now where they were 6 days ago. And lots can change in six days......

On the other hand, once they are in Rio, their race is run, and their die is cast. (I hope that it is that die and not the other dye – says he fearfully watching for Mrs Stiq reading over his shoulder.) Their cards are on the table, while we wait for more cards to be dealt. Their goose is cooked while ours is still defrosting. (I hope you are getting the picture clearly – because I am out of cheesy comparisons.)

And what is at stake? Nothing really, (says he lying through his teeth). Just look behind us. Cousin Bradley and the Wits team would dearly love to put one over us. Can you imagine the ill concealed smug looks we would have to suffer for the next however long it takes for them to get over themselves? And then there is the “non – competitive” Oom Gerrie on Stop Rhino Poaching (or Kyk Na Jou Eie Horing Boet). He is a man of few words, but also a Vaal Dam sailor that we will run into often in the future. He will not say a word, but give us that friendly knowing smile that just says “suck it up Engelsman!”

 

And all the Class 2 boats, being led by Yolo – skippered by Dale, Commodore of the other Royal club represented in the race. Lots of Royal honour at stake there. And that thoroughly eccentric but eminently likeable Aussie John on Perie Banou Rolly Tasker. He would have a word to say – though we would have a job understanding him – Australian is not quite English. And Vulcan, filled with Holiday 23 sailors, led by Coenie Thiaart. Just could not cope with being beaten by them. And all those Cats!

 

And in front of us? Well there is Maserati. Enough said. They have just finished an excellently executed race. Well done on their Line Honours achievement. It will take us a while to work out just when we have to finish to beat them – but our chances are slim, for sure. However, we have heard that there are two Monacan princes on board, and would like to get there just before they leave Rio, so we could organise a date for Kax. Just a date, you understand. No Lobola negotiations – yet.

And the other Aussies on Scarlet Runner. Beating an Aussie at anything at any time gives great pleasure. Second only to beating a New Zealander. The two cool dudes on Privateer are our personal favourites for a win. The concept of two brothers sailing together is one that we can support. Apart from that, they have also chosen the high road to Rio, so we have a vested interest in their success. But, because they are from Cape Town, it would be cool to hang their scalps from our bridle.......

Iskareen, with the Eurokids and Phillippa would be cool to beat, but we are still eating apples supplied by Phillipa’s Mum, so I don’t know if there is that much malice in the challenge. But the one that we would dearly like to claim bragging rights over must be Explora. A boat loaded with carbon and Capies in equal proportions. A longstanding inter-club rivalry between Phillip Lamprecht and Boskop with some scores yet unsettled. But mostly, the guys who chose a diametrically opposite (extreme Southern) strategy to ours, for dealing with the high.

(Just as an irrelevant aside - I was sitting with the passport lady when the Explora guys were handing in their passports to be stamped. I asked her how she could tell the difference between all the bald blonde guys on the boat. She shook her head and uttered the immortal words: “They all look the same to me!”)

In fact, the purpose of this entry is to acknowledge all those who are sailing against us. Thank them for the effort that has gone into their campaigns, and compliment them on their skills and the fortitude that they have displayed. The biggest compliment that we could pay them is to sail our hearts out, to beat them.

And that is just what we are doing.

Day 11 - The halfway mark

Last night was tough. The wind had died, and we were trying desperately to get Ciao Bella going in the little wind that we had. The constantly shifting of positions in the top five shows just how close the racing is. Yesterday (Monday) we moved up to third, and today (Tuesday) we’ve slipped to fifth. The wind remains very flukey, and whether we catch the larger yachts will be very dependent on how the weather plays out.

The organisers have a great tracker system where you can see how each of the boats are proceeding. It’s available on the official Cape to Rio website. You will see that Maserati is approaching Rio (expected given their size and how fast they can go), whilst we are just over half way. The winners are, however, not decided on who arrives in Rio first, but the times are adjusted by a handicap system, to reflect corrected times. Once Maserati finishes, we will have a better idea of how long we must finish in to beat her on corrected time.

Life on board is good. Our pancake princess (Michaela Mae) made us another set of scrumptious crumpets this morning. These were enjoyed by all, while Bren read out the day’s emails. Yesterday was overcast, but today looks to be a scorcher. Thanks Sue and Jess Rawly for the litres of sunscreen you brought us from Australia – such a treat. Ryan did come down with another bite of sickness. It was, unfortunately, the night that Kathryn cooked dinner. No one has the courage to draw lines between the two events, but let’s just say there have been far more volunteers in an attempt to stop another situation like this taking place.

We have renamed the port aft bunk ‘The San’. Shower Hour has become a far more pleasant experience as we’ve moved west and away from the cold benguela current. It’s a relatively simplistic process that involves you, a bucket and a bottle of Colgate classic egg shampoo. Let’s put on record that Colgate shampoo isn’t what you’d find on the same shelf as the Redken range. It’s a fraction on the cost, and a hairdresser’s worst nightmare. But it is the only stuff that foams in salt water, and thus it is a crucial part of the showering process.

We are extremely pleased to know that the geographical spread of our following has grown to now include Stellenbosch. Our emails thus far have come from SA, Aus, Canada, UK, USA and the Republic of Cape Town. There were rumours about some followers following from Champoussin, Switzerland, but we are yet to know for sure.

More oggend (Woensdag) en Vrydag moet julle probeer inskakel na RSG tussen 07h30 en 08h00. Oom Cobus gaan saam met Mike oor die wedvaart praat. In English: Tjoen into RSG to hear dad chat to Cobus.

Hold thumbs that the breeze holds through the night.

Day 10 - Trade Winds

There is just something so special about the trade winds. It’s not just the fair winds and temperate climate. Nor is it just the beauty of the sea all around you. It has something to do with the fact that the trade winds and these special conditions are perennial. They don’t just go away with the next cold front, or disappear at the changing of a season. And there is a serenity here. A peace that is all consuming. Life happens to the rhythm of the swells passing under the boat, to the background noise of the water passing the hull.

And then there is the moon. Each night its bigger and stays with us for longer. And as it sets, it casts a sliver path onto the water in the direction of Rio. It’s all about spinnakers and swells, and staying in the rhythm. And the villain of the piece, is the South Atlantic High. Just like a pantomime baddy – can’t do any real harm, but can slow down proceedings. And every time he shows his face – feigned horror floods the audience. The secret is to keep him at bay. Just like the pantomime audience, we keep peering into the wings to see if the villain is about.....and we keep seeing him!

And so we all (except the intrepid Explora) slide off to the safe haven of the North, hoping the villain will disappear. And we saw the villain again in the wings today! So we took the starboard gybe, and are sliding off further to the North. Tonight, the moon will tease us......She will be right over Rio, but off our port bow. We will be tempted to sail to her, but we know that the villain lurks between us and her, waiting to trap us, and hold us!

So we will ignore her, and hold our course, watching the moon through the mainsail and the spinnaker. Waiting for the moment when the villain goes away, and we can point our bows straight down the silver path.

 

Editors Note:

 

gybe

1.   (nautical) To change tack with the wind crossing behind the boat. (Mostly used of boats and other small sailing craft — the corresponding manoeuvre in a sailing ship is to wear).

2.   (nautical) To shift a fore-and-aft sail suddenly and forcefully from one side to the other, while sailing before the wind. (also jibe). (wiktionary.com)

 

Days 8 and 9 – Surf’s up

Welcome to the Ciao Bella blog weekend special! We saved up two days' worth of blog posts to bring you this bumper edition. We hope that you've all had a decent weekend. We've just finished treating ourselves to Sunday afternoon tea and biscuits. (Thanks Mrs de Carvalho for the biscuits!).

It turns out there's been a bit of shuffling of positions in the top 6. It's looking pretty close and team Investec Ciao Bella are still very much in the mix. Kathryn has thus had poor Pocket Rocket (Ryan) on the helm for hours on end. The contention in the helmsman top-speed rivalry is rife between Slick-Rick and Ryan. There is much pride on the line here.

 

We're managing to latch onto some passing rain squalls for an extra bit of wind here and there. The wind is forecast to drop in the next few days, so we're putting the money in the bank now. Michaela Mae’s confidence has also built, and is now also claiming some hours on the tiller. All under the watchful eye of mum, who studies the speedometer like a hawk. Ciao Bella’s GPS unit continues to show us at 21degrees south, 32degrees west. Thus we are forced to continue to navigate with a barometer, compass and ‘Homer’ the handheld GPS. It is named Homer as it is fat, yellow and ugly. The general rule of thumb is to make sure that the sun rises behind you, and sets in front of you. Well, in front and a little to the left.

 
A large risk when sailing at night is the spinnaker wrapping around the forestay. Not only are these wraps slow for racing, but they can destroy a spinnaker if it gets bad enough. It’s a real macramé when it happens. We have a net or "ghost jib" that we put up to prevent this, but it only worked half of the time. Yesterday we thought Rick was making a hammock, but he was actually modifying the ghost jib, making our forestay 100% wrap proof.

The largest problem with a crew of seven people is that nothing is ever sold in sevens. Liqui-fruit comes in sixes, Oreos in fours and there are always eight peach halves in a tin. This normally means that rationing is a nightmare. Thanks to four very dedicated friends, who equipped with a vacuum sealing machine, packed every nights snacks into separate packs of seven. Seven multiplied by 21 is how much dedication was involved. To Keith, Cal, Keagan and Shanette – thank you.

 
We've received some very interesting suggestions for naming our spinnakers, as well as come up with a few of our own. It hasn't been finalised yet, but the top contenders are: Deborah (the zebra), Ntombi, Tallulah (though it sounds like a $20 hooker), Zara, Jacob Zebra, Madge (after a Bassett hound - full of wind), Florence Kite-in-gale for the storm kite, Meryl Streep (as in the Afrikaans for stripe), Jay-Z (but Ryan vetoed that because now it can't wrap/rap) and Smurfette for the blue and white one.
 
A few nominations were received to name a zebra kite 'Gill', but we decided against it. Mom doesn't have the long face. We welcome more suggestions.

In the meantime we’ll see which names fit best. Our marine tally continues to rise. A pretty sizeable flying-fish landed itself in one of our buckets in the cockpit. We have it on good authority from Gabriel Fernandez that this kind of cuisine is a real delicacy. Kathryn, however, insisted that we ditch it. Not because of any health risks or anything, but because it was a perceived insult to her rationing and provisioning capabilities. Speaking of health risks, Kax cooked dinner tonight. In the seven years that Bren lived with her post moving to Johannesburg, he can count on his hands how many times she has cooked. At the time that this blog was posted, no casualties had yet been noted.

 
There were a couple of people who were instrumental in us getting the last bits and pieces together. We'd like to acknowledge their efforts by way of a roll-of-honour on our blog. Or a blog-roll as we’d like to call it. The first name on the roll is our friend Phil (pronounced 'Phiw' - he's English). You gave up a good chunk of your holiday and were a great help. Neville Norton, Ray Matthews, Marcus Reuter and Clarence from XtraLink are also men we must thank. And lastly, to our boy Duncan ‘Nav’ Matthews... what a champion. We are going to miss you in Rio.
 

In preparation for the light winds and warm weather, the speedos have started making regular appearance. Even the occasional rain doesn't stop it. They're calling it "practice for Copacabana". Ricky also has a new long-sleeved camouflage shirt. The camo on this thing is so good that we're convinced that the shirt actually photosynthesises. We want to put him out when it's raining and see if the shirt grows berries. Thanks again for the mails. It's always interesting watching the spike in mails coming through during office hours - similar to Mr Price online shopping trends. Looking forward to see what emails the new working week holds.

 
Wishing you all a great Monday.