fellow combatants,
On our last Miles to La Reunion we sit and reflect on our experiences during this nearly 4000 Mile crossing. We think we did a good job with just the two of us. Read the bogs! Also last night when we were hit (again) by a lot of wind and very rough seas. And then problems don't come in pairs, at regular intervals or when you have the time. Everything comes at once. All those little things that you've thought 'I'll have to fix that soon' will come up. Lines you wanted to replace, the battery that needed another hour on the charger, the this or me that you wanted to give another place. Not insurmountable but I do understand how disasters can happen. We solved that neatly with the two of us. A bit grumpy here and there but effective. We are a good team because we are complementary and we are working on the problem. Not with each other. You can do that later with a cup of coffee.
Meanwhile, the list for La Reunion has become quite long again. But I've also come up with some brilliant solutions to the fact that our steering system gear box is broken and might not be delivered to La Reunion. Something my capable brother-in-law Herbert is currently working on.
I abandoned the idea of solving the steering problem hydraulically because of the complexity of the question I asked a supplier about it in plain text. No drawings, no e-mail with attachments, you know the drill. A bit of a bridge too far for a modern technical wholesaler.
Everything will be fine again. Maybe we can revive this mission when we have internet again.
People who also want to try this feat, crossing an ocean, I especially advise you to test your boat that you have in mind for a month under difficult conditions. The things you haven't thought about or haven't been able to take the time for will then reveal themselves.
And in heavy weather, small defects can have major consequences. Precisely because everything in a boat then comes under much heavier and longer-lasting loads than during a day with mom at wind force 3 (Reggie: a gentleman never sails upwind).
Although you should also bear in mind that refined sea sailors have sometimes been stranded with a boat despite months of preparations. And there are also examples of people who bought a boat as a pure layman and sailed it to a chosen destination with an iPhone, so to speak.
In other words, we've done well as we sail into Reunion on our own.
See you tomorrow with spectacular images of beer drinking men on Wednesday!
Grt
Tony and Mark
