Sorry we haven’t been in touch for some time. Peter is in the UK at the moment visiting his Mum. It seems as though he’s been gone for ages as he tacked it onto a work trip offshore to help top up the cruising kitty .
We arrived safely in Adelaide in June after exploring the bays and islands around Port Lincoln. They were interesting, but I have to say that which enjoyed the bays and islands around Esperance more. We’re now staying at the Cruising Yacht Club (CYC) of South Australia for the winter and hope to head off again when the weather improves, moving slowly towards Tasmania. The other 4 Freo boats are also here and the locals are very friendly, so it’s very social. We’ve introduced a Tuesday night ‘liveaboard bbq’ to the club and it seems to be going down very well.
Whilst Peter has been away I’ve been stripping and re-varnishing the cabin sole. This took longer and was more frustrating than I imagined (or are all boatie jobs like that?). I made heaps of mistakes and paid for them, but now I have a nice shiny, dented, old floor instead of a dull, semi-varnished, dented, old, floor, so I guess there’s been an improvement. Doug and Mary kindly put me up on ‘Cartref’ whilst the work was going, which provided me with a much needed sanctuary from the dust and mess. I’ve a week to go before Peter gets back and am now immersing myself in jobs that re-assert my womanhood such as knitting and sewing!
As soon as we get going again I’m sure Peter will want to provide you with another of Mendana’s journals, but I just wanted to let you know we are alive and kicking, and haven’t forgotten you.