Dear saltwater friends,
We are in Darwin. At the Cullen Bay Marina. It's not cheap, but it's very nice.
Because Darwin is our last port on the way to NL, we have to export the boat. Bureaucracy! This country is a Kafkaesque nightmare. However, everyone is very helpful and friendly so getting angry would be very Dutch. You can only sigh and then people will sigh with you. It's just nice to be helped by them. However, we cannot leave yet. And that gives some time pressure that we can hopefully relieve on the Indian Ocean (a few miles out and then turn left). Enough to do though, the boat is almost finished but we still have to stock up on food, do a voyage preparation with alternative ports of call in case, and so on.
It's easy to make friends in the sailing world. Everyone wants to tell a hundred stories about all the experiences they have had over the years and that is always nice to hear. We met Karen and Haydn at the anchorage who have been living on the water for 38 years on currently a Westerly 33ft with their cat Missie an elderly black lady who belongs to their only son who has a life ashore. They took a 13-year break on shore to maneuver their son through life, but have been on the water for a long time now. It is a kind of nomadic tiny house living in a fantastic environment, but not for everyone. By the way, if everyone started doing this, our society would look very different..
In short, we are having fun but would love to get back on the road. Rest and regularity. And a little less bureaucracy.
