Melbourne Stopover

Date: 15 December 2003

Day: 143

In Sandringham Yacht Club, Melbourne, Australia

Notes: In pursuit of the equipment agents. Everybody is very friendly and helpful and it looks as if we may be ready to sail towardes Wellington on 28 December.


Into the mist...


John Ridgway

16 December 2003


Melbourne, Australia. Hot and sunny. ABC 'Today' radio programme. Nev making all our problems look very easy to solve. I seem to be sailing round the world to meet with very efficient dentists. A second day with Darren Donnelan and Dianne had me groggy.



MC cleaning. Igor broadcasting in Spanish for the Albatross. Nick with his family.



Into the mist...


John Ridgway

17 December 2003


In Melbourne, Australia. Igor at the Spanish broadcasting. MC and me under the awning on the yacht. Nick with his family. Nev at home in his shed dismantling and fabricating. Days going by.



Into the mist...


John Ridgway

18 December 2003


Melbourne, Australia. Nev saving the day with intensive workshop activity. Sails and rig work proceeding. Rain and therefore cooler.



Into the mist...


John Ridgway

Saturday 20 December 2003



Eddington, Central Victoria, Australia: Perhaps you need five months on a yacht to feel the the joy of waking up in Eddington: "A home among the gum trees..." Stock still and absolutely silent instead of rocky roll, creaky - wind in the rigging. Harry hunched over his saxophone in the dusk at the barbie. And the carol service.



Let's hope we make it home.



The albatross is over the horizon and far away.



Into the mist...


John Ridgway

Sunday 21 December 2003



Eddington, Central Victoria, Australia. We drove slowly and sadly back to Sandringham. Hurrah! Frank Hammond had done the sails. Good old Frank, good thing he never did get a 'proper job!'



Into the mist...


John Ridgway

Friday 22 December 2003


Eddington, Central Victoria, Australia: We sorted out various problems in the morning but lurking just below the surface: the Panda generator, it's limping and it has a long way to limp.



In two cars we drove the 100 miles north to Nev and Heather's home in Eddington, a small rural village in the heart of Victoria. We saw "MMBAM" (Miles and miles of Bloody Australia mate, laughed our hosts). MC and I stayed with Wendy and Ron Alexander who made us very welcome. We spent a musical evening at the 'Cockatoo' in the old gold mining town of Dunolly.



What a wonderful counterpoint "MMBAM" is to "MMBOM" (Miles and miles of bloody ocean mate).



Into the mist,

John Ridgway

23 December 2003



Nev continues with re-fitting of equipment - a good day. Igor in Sydney with cousin 'Mouse' for Christmas. Sails going on again. Hot again.



Into the mist.


John

Christmas Eve



We would like to wish all our readers a Very Happy Christmas. We plan to sail from Melbourne on Sunday 28th December. Meanwhile let's have a good Christmas, far from home.



Into the mist...


MC, Nick, Igor and John.

Christmas Day



A peaceful Christmas in the sun.



Various things to do - Just about possible.



Helen Lazala and I collected Carol Knutson and Peter Lewis of NZ off the Wellington plane safely at 1800. They look the right stuff and we hope to have as happy a team as on the trip from Cape Town to Melbourne.



Into the mist...


John

26 December 2003



Work continues. Gear checked. Problems insurmountable. Nev indefatigable. Diesel unobtainable. Drugs Squad raid inexplicable. Let's get going.



Into the mist...



John

Saturday 27 December 2003


Sandringham Yacht Club Marina

Diesel and water loaded. Things coming together. Eager to start tomorrow.



Into the mist...


John

Now go on to the next two weeks 28 December to 10 January 2004 as we sail across the Tasman to New Zealand.

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