CAPTAIN'S LOG
SEA DATE 28 APRIL 2010
Port St. Louis-du-Rhone, France. Canada, NZ, Aust, Europe.
Dear all,
Starting this now that I am back at home. At home on the Ta-b that is. It feels really good. Since September (or Septembre as we now say if France) we have been “living out of suitcases”. Always thought that an interesting expression. Living “out of” a suitcase. I’ve lived “out of” a multitude of things. In fact I’ve lived “out of” virtually everything I can think of. My camera - too small. My hat - lived below it for various parts of numerous days. The loo - lived on it when I had the Inca quickstep in South America over 30 years ago cough cough - quite a while ago. Nope, I can safely say that I have never lived “in a suitcase”.
Bugger, only just started this and I am off on a tangent. All those that have attention deficit disorder please put your hands up.
Where was I. Back at home on the boat. Not in a suitcase. Which reminds me ..... nah forget it. The cheese and kisses and I arrived back on board three weeks ago and both cheese and kisses buggered off and left me two weeks ago so I can be messy and work on the boat. I reckon I have about a months work to do the minor and major surgery to get us back up and running. First big job - paint the bottom of the boat.
The paint was pretty badly crazed and cracked so have power washed it and am getting set up to do the big sand job. Times like this I regret having 46 feet of cat. Two hulls, two keels but fortunately only one back to hurt. Hells bloody bells (to quote Dad) imagine having two backs to be sore? Fortunately its only a couple of visits to the Physio to sort it. Mind you, I still haven’t found anybody as good as Mari Walsh at West End Physio in Vancouver. She is brilliant.
I am a wee bit pissed with myself as I didn’t know about (ahem) “Bottom Painting 101”. Let me rephrase that: “Bottom painting when you lift the boat and leave it on the hard over the winter - 101”. Mum and Dad to give you the heads up, College and University courses are all numbered. The first and most basic ones are 101. Bottom Painting et al - 101 says that you should always paint the bottom prior to leaving it for the winter.
Soooooo - Jane is in the UK giving me space on the boat to make a big mess. When on my own I can just leave crap lying around that I am working on. Especially important when I am working on several projects at once. The big bonus of course is that I don’t have to make the bed. Mind you, there is no incentive to make it and tidy up my room as there was at home. No Saturday morning chocolate fish as a bonus OR your in trouble.
Moving back in time, we have had some really really REALLY good skiing this winter. We spent time up at Silver Star where Edwin is spending the season with his buddy Greg. Edwin is taking his snowboarding pretty damned seriously. We have never seen the man so happy. He was just shining. Big smile from ear to ear all the time. His big love is snow boarding in the rail park. Both Edwin and Greg are extremely good. I mean EXTREMELY good. They both do tricks on their board on the rails - sort of like his work on his skateboard. Doing big jumps, half somersaults, 180 turns with stuff thrown in, 360 turns with ditto, and more. They both entered a competition at one of their local mountains - Sun Peaks - and both were in the final 5. They didn’t have somersaults on their menu so didn’t get any further.
Mind you, Edwin won the rail jam at Silver Star a month ago so he must have done something pretty good. Stupid bugger has broken either two or three snowboards this year. After he won that competition I bought him another one as there is a big competition on at Whistler in three weeks time. I know from experience - when at that level of competition - you need good gear. A snowboard with a floppy end doesn’t help. He is going for sponsorship so we wish him luck.
When Jane and I were up at Sun Peaks skiing - stayed with Adrian Chaster at his friends placed up there. As luck would have it, he (Adrian’s friend) was an instructor. He lent both Jane and I the new variety of ski. They are short, wide at the bow and stern and skinny amidships. Bit like an inside out boat. Because of the curve in them, they carve like buggery. We were on competition slalom skis and just loved them. Good at speed too, although they did get a bit skittery once the revs were up in a straight line. They would float a bit. In Canada, Jane had about two weeks skiing and I managed to get about three. Certainly saw us in good stead once we got to France. Had another (memories going a bit here) four or five weeks skiing there as well.
Jane’s bro Jamie has digs out there and very generously let us use it for the whole period. Actually I think that they had ulterior motives. If they hadn’t let us use it, they would have had us in their house. I am sure that the fact we have our boat in the Med’ had nothing to do with it. We had a superb time skiing for a week with Jamie and Hyphen and our best man “The Fox” - oh one who rox. Hyphen is James Aitken-Smith. We still call him hyphen although nobody else does. It took James several knee-cappings to stop everybody else calling him that, but fortunately he has mellowed with age. Not sure if you remember him. Very close friend of Jamie’s. When we were married he looked about 18. He has now grown up. Looks mid 20’s. Prick.
Had a couple of days skiing with Jane’s very close friend Caroline and her hubby Simon. Mum, one of the times that I called you from France we were staying with them in the middle of the French Alps somewhere. In fact not very far from Les Arc which I am sure you will remember very well. Well, you will remember most evenings he said with a snicker. That was over 25 years ago. Ned would have been 65 or so and still skiing.
Reminds me. I think I am skiing the best I have for a very long time. My carving is just out of this world and the old legs are still working very well. Mind you, the knees aren’t what they used to be, but when they are warm I can’t hold them back. When Jane and I slow down a bit on the sailing front we are looking forward to spending a few winters up at Sun Peaks (back of British Columbia) skiing. A seasons ski pass will be something like $300 as I will over 65. At 70 it will be free. We know we can rent for a season for a very good price. We both want to get into Masters racing. I know Jane would love it. She is very competitive. Let me re-phrase that. She is not competitive at all. Unless someone is beating her. Then she pulls the plugs out. As far as she is concerned, there is only one spot for her, and it’s not in second place. But as she will tell you - she is not competitive. On our way back from Timaru to ChCh, we went via the back country and searched out Chris Wormesly’s place in Methven. He has a ski shop there. You will most likely remember the name - he represented NZ at the Olympics. An absolutely beautiful skier and a master of the slalom. Was really good to see him again. I asked him if he ever thought he would do the Masters skiing in NZ - he said maybe, but it would mean getting back into training again. To get you up to speed, the Masters ski racing is world wide. If my memory serves me well (yeah right) I think the age groups are in 10 year chunks. Something like 40 to 50. 51 to 60. 61 to 70 etc. Probably not too many people in the etc groups though. Or perhaps 45 to 55 and so on. The courses are big wide giant slalom courses so not too tough on the knees. I’ll be honest, I am really looking forward to doing the Masters. It will be a complete blast and very good for the body and soul.
When in Vancouver we were disappointed not to get time on the snow with number one daughter. You most likely know that she is working in a snowboard shop while she is at College studying. She crossed to the dark side of snowboarding about 3 years after Edwin. It has been several years since we have seen her on the snow but she has had good time on her board. Really looking forward to seeing her on her board again. Not just a pretty face that one you know. Working in the snowboard shop gives her VERY good deals on snowboard gear and free passes on the local hills and at Whistler as well. When she has finished her exams she is popping over here for 2 to 3 weeks. Her studying is going very well. This year she is studying both Art History and Philosophy. I have forgotten which Art History she is doing this year but her main focus seems to be in the subject of art. She is flying over to see us as soon as her exams have finished. The little bugger got 100% for a major assignment in her Art course. She is doing so well. Pity she wasn’t in Fine Arts at home don’t you think Mum? I think it is very interesting that her heart for intellectual study is in the realm of art. I am SO envious of Jane. Both Jane and Amy will be DOING the art scene in Paris France. Isn’t that where Eloise lived for a while??? Yoga has a copy. Always make me think of home - “Eloise in Paris”. Would certainly love to get copies of the books. Note to self - search for them. It’s amazing what you can find on the internet. Amy is squeezing in time between finishing her exams and getting back to work to make money to help her with her next years study. Pity she didn’t have more time over here. The Munsch gallery in Copenhagen is a gem as is the Van Gogh gallery in Holland. Mind you, Paris will certainly keep her busy.
Both Amy and Edwin seem to be finding themselves in the big bad world after their miserable Mum and Dad buggered off. It is really good and it makes me feel sooo proud of them. We are very lucky and quite blessed.
Back in New Zealand. When we were in Timaru, Grant and Mary Shaw very kindly put up the lot of us. Jillie, Yoga and Boop, plus of course Jane and I. Talk about stretching friendships, mind you - they did offer. I owe those two big time, especially as Mary’s brother has my Wolesley Hornet Eustace Watkins Daytona Special in a barn out at the Point. For an old sports car, the name sounds great. It’s the “Eustace” that tickles me.
Then on to Christchurch where we stayed with Joe Rosevear and his spice. Had a great evening out at a Japanese Restaurant and then a fine lunch at his golf club. Mum, you will be pleased to know that Joe is still as charming as ever. Was great hooking up with some old and dear friends. After that we headed northish and spent time with Jillie and Rodney. Drank all their gin. Stole Rodney’s wheels and headed even norther than Auckville. We drove WAY up north. Not quite to Cape Reinga, but close. Did the touristie thing and saw the Treaty of Whitangi and the museum and canoe and gazed upon Russell across the waters. Enjoyed it all except for being dealt some shit by a Maori Lady at the Treaty House. Next time I will take my passport. The bitch charged me $20 to see the treaty because I was a Canadian resident. What pissed me off was the way she honed in with her questions. Asked me if I lived in Australia. I told her no, I now live in Canada. “Well if you’re not a resident, you’ll have to pay”. That is not right. I am a bloody Kiwi and should not have to pay the Maori people to see MY Treaty. It is a Treaty between the Maori people and the Pakeha people. That left a very bad taste in my mouth. She separated us and forced me to see New Zealanders as a “them and us”. It really upset me. Mind you, not all Maoris are like that. Just like the Pakeha, there are the good the bad and the ugly. Sounds like a good name for a book. Maybe even do a movie ...........
Anyway, it rained and it rained and then it rained. To quote Mate and Pate; “nice shower after the rain don’t it”. It did and it was.
So after we left NZ we headed off to the West Island (some call it Australia, who claim Phar Lap as their own - but we know better). Had a superb time with Yoga and Boop at Coomera which I always thought was a spud that the Maoris brought with them from China. Or did the Chinese bring them for the Maoris. A beautiful part of Australia. Coomera that is. Stole Yoga’s car and drove down to see niece Tilly and her sprogs. What a delightful pair they are. The sprogs. As well as Tilly of course. Out in the boonies two hours south of Coomera and about an hour inland from the coast. Driving not skateboarding or anything like that. A delightful drive there and back. There is something magical about the Aussie native bush and landscape. Aus is a place I always look forward to seeing again. Played a game of golf with Jane. I came second so we won’t talk about that one! Did Noosa and Brisbane hooking up with Grant and Mary and their buddies up at Noosa and my old buddy from Brisbane David and his wife Burnie.
Then back to Vancouver for Christmas with Adrian and Libby and family and friends and then on to do the skiing as already burbled about. The timeline in this is all over the place, but actually I’m pretty knackered right now. Just spent a few hours sanding the bottom of the boat and as I say, fortunately I only have one back.
Then on to Poole. The Winter Olympics. I’m obviously Kiwi, but also Canadian. Maybe the Maori should have charged me double. We saw the first half of the Olympics while we were in Poole. Just loved them. I was rooting for the Brits when they won the teatray slide down the ice. A part that I thought was the bees knees (why isn’t that kbees nees? Just thinking aloud) was when a Kiwi snowboarder was in the race where there are four racing side by side. Well, they started off side by side. Whistler is full of Aussies - all the lifties and general staff are Aussies. Down at the finish all the Aussies were rooting for the Kiwi. It goes without saying that there wasn’t an Aussie in this final or they would have been rooting for him. I thought that was just so cool. It reflects how close the Aussies and Kiwis are. Like brothers. Always taking the piss out of each other but always there for each other. There is respect and love for each country. Totally different to the relationship between Canadians and Americans. There is no respect or love lost between the countries. Very sad. Mind you, the Americans don’t deserve our respect. They are (were?) just a bunch a bloody bullies. To the world, not only Canada. We were screwed many times over lumber agreements that didn’t turn out to be agreements. They would always move the goal posts. Reminds me. I set up a game for the Yacht Club as Seattle Yacht Club were visiting the RVYC at Scott Point for July 1st weekend. I was in charge of games so set up an ice hockey game played on land with a soccer ball. The goal posts were two guys holding a piece or rope. The ball obviously had to go between the two guys, but they could move up and down the line. I often wonder if they ever got the joke.
Back to the winter olympics. Ice hockey. The girls just annilated all the other teams. Absolutely fantastic. Then the guys. A most incredible game that went past the three periods into a fourth period, and we won. We the Canadians that is (that are?).
So here I am back on the boat, work work work. Jane is organising stuff from the UK and having it sent over here. We are buying some goods that are made in France and Germany, and it’s a lot cheaper to have them shipped out from England. Perhaps I should rephrase that - not as expensive.
I will sign off now or I will hit page 5. Love to all.
Her Jane
Me Russell