Sailing around the world on Merrimac, a Stadtship 56.
Today André flies home. Mixed feelings again: on the one hand we’re going to miss him, on the other we’re glad Loek is getting his dad back and Leo her man. And that they can finally take the presents out …
The first Surinamese words we learn, haha. André and Eeuwe are off on a 3-day ‘school trip’. One day into the jungle, back to basics, and one day with a bit more luxury. Under the personal guidance of Rudi …
“So how does it feel?” I ask André, 140 miles out from our Suriname waypoint. “Mixed,” he replies. “On the one hand it’s a shame we’re nearly there, on the other hand I’m looking forward to roti and a …
Today we cast off for ’the big crossing'. First the guys are going to have another go at re-reeving the main halyard through the mast (that’s the line we use to hoist the mainsail). It isn’t running …
Contrary to what we said in earlier posts, we can’t stay on the hard at the yard over Saturday after all; a few more boats are coming in for repairs. The guys there had always been very friendly, but the boss …
We’ve been busy all day. Well, since she’s out on the hard anyway, we might as well….. Kees sealed the bow thruster, installed a non-return valve and did all sorts of odd jobs here and there. André …
Kees worked incredibly hard today to remove the old bow thruster and fit the new one! With André’s help he pulled it off. Since the yard wouldn’t have anyone available until Monday, Kees just got on with it …
The boat is on the hard in Las Palmas! First they clean the hull with the high pressure, so time for some hydration of ourselves:
Up early, as there are still a few things to sort out before we start the crossing to Cape Verde. With the wind forecast as it is, it could well take us seven days. A quick catch-up with the kids first. While I have Ella …
03:00 we arrived in very full las Palmas. The trip was easy cruising and we had two fishing lines out. Dolphins had a look during a short visit, but no sushi yet. Look at this movie! IMG_6082 Some pictures:
After dropping Els off at the airport at the crack of dawn, it’s back to the boat, where the gentlemen are still blissfully asleep. In the evening Paz and Carlos come aboard for sushi, which I make with some …
A quick note, we’re off to Lanzarote this morning. Madeira was as nice as ever, and it was fun to show Andre the beautiful island. You can now track our satellite location, see Tracking. Unlike AIS tracking on …