Life is looking up in Las Palmas. The new radar reflector is up the mast. Satellite system skills are on the up. The crew is shaping up nicely. One hicc-up. The search for the prescribed waterproof notepad has been fruitless and if anyone, for some strange reason, has two of these, we are keen to trade.
Manali is currently ensconced on her pontoon between a bevy of Brits, Germans and French. Fellow Australian boats on nearby pontoons are heading south on Sunday for the ARC+ Rally which starts in the Cape Verde Islands. We will all end up together again in mid December in Saint Lucia, telling tall tales over Caribbean cocktails.
The countdown is on with only 19 days until the ARC fleet sets sail from Las Palmas. Some boats are battle ready being run with boot camp precision and daily roll calls. Others are all over the shop. Manali sits somewhere in between – beds to be made and frozen dinners to be frozen, but absolutely truly safety ready as soon as the new liferaft flies in to Gran Canaria Airport on Saturday. Team Manali Melbourne snuck in a few added extras to the shipment from the UK and hopes Team Manali Atlantic gratefully accepts the carefully selected emergency food packs including glucose sweet rations. Our supplier drew the line at air freighting Stugeron seasickness tablets (‘Drugs’) and the individual personal flares (‘Class 1.4G Explosives’). So, the Atlantic crossing will be drug and explosive free. Incidentally, and for the (too) many people who have asked, Manali will be a dry boat for the trip. Hence the unhealthy focus on the rum laced Mojitos and Daiquiris awaiting our arrival in the Caribbean. Salud!
Radi Stoev from Varna in Bulgaria may not be crossing The Atlantic with us but without Radi, no-one would be making the crossing. Radi’s efforts during the past 4 weeks have covered every system on the boat, from re-wiring VHF communications to re-sealing windows. Radi has made Peter’s life a lot easier. He has identified problems, nutted them out and fixed them. All the while smiling. Thank you Radi. Hope to see you on the other side!
- Team Manali Atlantic www.manaliblue.com