Alex Blog 1
It is beginning to seem as if this burst of silliness has legs (*are we becoming a veritable centipede, infact???*). We have just bought half of Woolworths, and McQueen has spent most of the day sorting it, writing chinese (*and drawing random pictures of cows and carrots, of course*!) on each can, bagging stuff, eating all the blue snakes (t*hey are the most hyper-activating ones, for sure, but it needed to be tested!*!!) and having one of her last 100 or so fags out in the garden. About 1000% more organised than last time, but then, we've got Experience now and the Vogons haven't arrived to read poetry to us yet so the brains are (relatively) clear.
Each of three laptops appears to be talking to the HF radio, the SatC, AIS, Software on Board (our nav package that took us around the world last time).
Kevvo is operational again, rubbing the grot from his eyes and peering into the future. And there's a whizzing generator thing on a television tower over Kevvo's head. He doesn't like it, but at least it won't get tangled in his delicate parts like the towed one did. And it might keep this laptop supplied with wiggly amps at least until it gets cold. 2 watermakers this time - and quite a lot of diesel to get us through the ITCZ (jazzy FLA for the Doldrums) if we need it. We have to average about 4 knots to stay on schedule.
Berri has a furler - a real Australian artefact, having come from an even more famous boat, Love and War, and we've got a hairdryer installed (*It must be mentioned at this point that McQ did not demand such equipment)*.
What else does a little boat need?
Well, some medicinal compound, prescribed by Drs Cooper and Gordon plus McQueen has never read Hitchiker, so we need all 5 volumes of the trilogy so that she recognises Vogon poetry when she hears it.. (*which she will read after learning the Ancient Mariner off by heart or certainly subjected AW to the first four verses of Coleridge till he can take it no longer)*
And then a bit of luck that it all stays more or less on track until Yuri's night or perhaps a day or so earlier. Plus the capacity for intelligent improvisation, otherwise known as the ability to think and chew gum at the same time. It will be very much a work it out as we go voyage, rather like the last one.
Berri is now about 200 metres south of the 'where is berri position', now on the CYC marina.
3352.377S 151.958E
***
