the merlin log

En Garde!

2012-02-11T07:47:25Z

Une salle de sport qui propose de l’escrime pour les enfants et les parents en meme temps + un prix modere + 3 enfants super motives pour aller mettre en pratique ce qu’ils voient dans Star Wars ou jouer aux Mousquetaires + une activite que j’ai toujours voulu essayer = d’excellentes (et evidentes) raisons pour aller s’entrainer tous ensemble avec un grand sourire (cache sous le masque).

Specials

2012-02-11T07:38:01Z

We subscribed to few of these popular websites offering amazing prices on all kind of thing (…haircuts for example!). It is a great opportunity to try new things, like our kite surf lessons a few months ago, to enjoy outings we wouldn’t do, like our 7 course meal for my birthday, or to feel proud about a really good deal, like my boot camp classes which were only $20 for 20 sessions. Yesterday, I used one of these vouchers to do something I always wanted to do: a photographic course to be able to leave the automatic mode and try to be more creative. The botanical garden was offering a perfect setting and our instructor was so enthusiastic that I learnt a lot and did some shootings with my camera that I am quite proud of (check the gallery).

I still need to practice a lot but most of all I am having fun!

Reactions and inspiration

2012-02-02T10:34:55Z

I went to the hairdresser earlier this week and he was so surprised to hear that I wasn’t blow-drying my hair so I had to explain my situation: I am living on a boat so energy can be an issue, have three kids so time can be an issue and just don’t bother using an electric machine blowing hot air when the ambient temperature is 25+deg. He was so amazed to hear about my travels and told me he never heard anything like that and didn’t know people could do something like this. It made me think back of our project and some of the reactions we’ve had since the idea popped out of my mouth in 2003.

But first why sailing the high seas? I always wanted to go sailing for an extended period, it feels right and at sea I feel really myself. Coming from a place far away from the sea, I started sailing quite late. However, I dreamt a lot and read few inspiring books (for example Joshua Slocum, Bernard Moitessier). I always loved the sea and studying marine biology was may be just a good excuse to spend more time at sea. Then getting married to a recognized South African sailor was even a greater bonus as he didn’t have to be convinced for more than ½ sec that travelling by sea would be something to do together in a near future.

Once the idea was out it got stuck in our mind and we started telling our friends and family. Some weren’t surprised. They were very supportive and encouraged us. Others were laughing, telling us we would never manage all the organisation such a project required. For them we were just big dreamers. There was also a third category. These people were shocked by such a decision. We met for example a lady at a dinner party at a sailing friend’s house and she was horrified that we could sell our house, take our kids way from a good private school and not think of their education and our retirement. Such reaction reinforced even more our idea of going sailing, all together, for few years.

Once we agreed on setting sails, it was just a succession of different steps : selling the business, finding the boat (ok, the project was deviated here because we found a hull to build and not a finished boat), selling the house, getting lighter and lighter and living more and more our dream. Along the way, we met very inspiring people, Joe and Peggie De Kock, Peter Muisic on Shoestring and the crew of Mahi Mahi. They prooved to us that we were doing the right thing and that it wasn’t so difficult, complicated or even dangerous. A few local sailors were huge supporters of our project and helped us a lot (Alan on Derbigum, Alan on Alleycat and Mike and Muffie on Exta-Sea).

Victor showing his sailing skills on an improvised trimaran with Thomas Coville (now busy sailing the Volvo race) and Nick Leggatt (now busy sailing the Global Ocean Race).

Anyway, reactions before, during and after this trip were very different but most importantly, they didn’t change any of our motivation.

So, going back to this hairdresser who then knew a bit more about me, he decided that I was very wild and my haircut should reflect that! I should have taken a photo of the first "sculpture” he did of my hair using a pulsing (?) hair dryer. It was kind of very funky and I couldn’t recognized myself as I don’t see myself as wild, even with 40knt of wind. May be just a stubborn dreamer but I am not sure how this would reflect in a haircut!

Rain, drizzle, showers, mist and more rain

2012-01-29T09:56:56Z

We’ve had so much rain in the last 2 weeks so we had to cancel our discoveries and weekly walk in the rain forest. So, we stayed home, caught up with few things like it was a winter day. It is however 27 degC here! This quiet time gave Felix the opportunity to discover in details his new Mecano and screw little bolts with concentration.

Victor finished his 6^th book of the week.

And, I was busy in the galley!

Deluge

2012-01-27T06:15:24Z

Un peu plus d’un an après les inondations exceptionnelles de Brisbane, revoici le deluge. Il pleut, il pleut et repleut! Plus de 180mm sont tombes mercredi. Il s’agit de vraies pluies tropicales: intenses, a grosses gouttes mais aussi qui durent. Le niveau de la riviere remonte et celle-ci, tristement boueuse, charie nombreuses branches et debris. Neanmoins, il n’y a pas de quoi s’inquieter. Le barrage, qui l’an dernier n’avait pu contenir l’excedent des pluies diluviennes, est dans une region ou apparement il pleut un peu moins! C’est essentiellement la zone cotiere qui est touchee et les infos montrent a nouveau des images de voitures emportees, de maisons sous les eaux et de personnes evacuees.

La vie a bord est donc un peu humide et avec une temperature de plus de 25 deg, nous pourrions nous laisser glisser dans une torpeur tropicale. Pourtant ce fut lundi la rentree des classes. Il y avait sur Merlin, 3 ecoliers super-excites de retrouver leur ecole et leurs copains. Ce fut une rentree en douceur dans un environnement maintenant connu. Après une petite semaine pour nous rehabituer a notre rythme (ferry-bus ou voiture, lunch-boxes, francais a 7h, etc), nous avons l’impression d’etre a nouveau a l’aise dans notre rythme et les enfants ont retrouves leurs marques sans soucis.

Down under

2012-01-21T05:44:17Z

Clea: "Peak-a-boo! I am just checking what we are having for dinner"

Satefy and security

2012-01-21T05:25:35Z

Felix: “Yesterday, all the kids from Dockside had a “Safety and security” course. We learnt that explosion, fire, sinking, collision and inhalation of toxic gaz were the 5 most dangerous things at the marina. But what was fun was throwing the horse shoe buoy and using the fire extinguisher.”

So, don’t panic, now we know what to do in case of emergency!

Les bonheurs d’un vendredi 13

2012-01-13T23:55:34Z

Une montagne de cadeaux m’attendait au reveil. Pour midi, les enfants m’ont prepare un gateau, mis des bougies, chante cette fameuse melodie et offert une nouvelle pluie de doux calins. D’autres bonnes surprises sont venues rythmees ma journee (un deuxieme gateau, des fleurs et des messages du monde entier). Pour finir ce fut un repas- degustation en tete a tete avec Greg.

Je veux bien avoir mon anniversaire tous les jours!

Quiz

2012-01-13T23:54:53Z

We thought they were speaking English in Australia! We have to get used to some of the local terms or expressions.

And you, do you speak Australian? So try these:

Ute – Mate – bities - Sausage sizzle – barbie – singlet – thongs – an Esky – jumper – Banana bender – mozzie - bathers –footy - bloke – Brizzie – XXXX - a chook – a joey – outback – Oz – togs – uni

Leave your answers below and you might win a cruise in Moreton Bay (game open for non Australians and people leaving away from Down Under!)

Echange degres de trop pour un peu de fraicheur

2012-01-11T09:43:23Z

Depuis quelques jours nous avons une meteo typique pour la region et la saison: chaud, pas d’air, lourd et relativement humide. Bienvenue sous les tropiques!

37 degres aujourd’hui a Brisbane et presqu’autant dans Merlin. Le parc fut desert mais nous a permis de sortir d’une certaine lethargie. Les enfants se sont enfin ranimes en fin de journee lors de jeux d’eau sur le ponton.

Et tous ces degrees n’empechent pas Clea de me demander de lui faire de la soupe!