About 50 hours to go iff it all continues to hang together. 50 hours during which you all will go to work, read the papers (what is happening out there? We've been 51 days with no news whatsoever) sit in traffic jams, polish the baby's bottom or whatever you normally fill your days doing. I'll be either dozing in my tiny, slightly angled bunk or in the cockpit in full party gear watching the water go by and wishing time was not so elastic. We have been promised 20 kts up the clacker (never thought about it before, but that must be Oz slang for cloaca)from here to Dutch so appendages once more in the supplicant position and onwards, ever onwards.
Huge to-do list for dutch. Mostly seems under control, but will be very expensive and perhaps tricky. Talking of expense, diesel in Adak was $4.10/gall and parking alongside the delicately named Refuse Barge was $80 + 3% per night. Even more expensive than Bucklers Hard! But not a real incentive to hang around.
Thanks to everyone for your messages and good wishes - lovely to pull them in this afternoon and can't wait to get to dutch and catch up with the world again.
Carla - was not aware of Discovery mission - no real comparison, but I like your idea of symmetry. What is the program? Anyone we know out there?
Doug M - have you seen the map?
El - dvd would be noice - ta. pse send email to speed with your plans - he will forward to us. will try to call from dutch.
