- Date: April 15, 1987
- Location: Cairns, Queensland, Australia
- Subject: Trip to Townsville, More stores – Condiments and Such
Dear WaterFairy:
It is such a busy week, getting us ready for our trip. There are so many different things I am helping with, which means I have so much to write about. And to think, I was worried I would not know what to write about.
Today, Mom’s shopping is concentrating on the condiments and storage containers, plastic zip lock bags- the best friend of all yachties, tin foil, and wax paper. We also need things like soap, laundry soap, cleaning supplies, hair conditioner, aspirin, tums, first aid items and cold medicine.
The more stuff Mom brings on board, the more cranky Capt gets! He always says, “She’s (Sacha-B) is sitting so low in the water from all the extra weight, she won’t be able to do one knot per hour! That’s just wrong!” To that Mom said, “You know what’s wrong? Dying in the middle of the ocean, due to lack of food! You will not get the boat to sail any faster if you are dead of starvation!” HAHAHA I think that is true and kind of funny! Capt gave a weak smile and had another cup of tea. He knows Mom is right, but has trouble wrapping his head around the boat being lower in the water.
So, it is a good thing that Capt’s chore today is to go to Townsville which is about 170 miles south of here. He will be gone all day and will not see all the stuff that gets packed onto Sacha-B. Mom dropped him off at the wharf 7 am and he took a bus for 5 hours. He was meeting his old friend John there for the day, and getting some parts for the boat. He is planning to take the 5 pm bus back to Cairns, and we will meet him under the wharf at 11:30 tonight. That is going to be a long day for him. Of course, he brought a thermos of tea and some of his favorite scotch biscuits, and his favorite book, The Ship Killer, which he has already read a half of million times.
We are also getting ready to go to Fitzroy Island for Easter weekend. Can’t wait. Tons of other yachties should be there and we always have a great time. Even though we are so busy getting ready for our trip, Capt says it is really important we go for a sail this weekend, so we can make sure everything of Sacha-B is working properly. And if it is not working properly, we can fix it.
I am not sure if I have mentioned what a yachtie is. We call people who live on their sailboats, yachtie. We also call people who do not live on flash, big, rich yachts, grotty yachtie. We are grotty yachties We are like the backpack travelers of the sea. We have to pinch every penny, but get to go on long voyages. Capt said we are definitely grotty yachties, and that is a good thing.
I got to stay behind, alone on the boat, while Capt and Mom went ashore. It was fun to have the boat all to myself. The only thing I had to do was clean up my cabin, organize my stuff, and make a pile of clothes and toys that I did not want any more. I want to keep everything, so that is a bit of a problem. Mom said I can only get new stuff, if I get rid of old stuff. It is easier to get rid of the clothes because some of them are too small for me now, so into the donation pile they go. I ended up having a big trash bag full of stuff to donate to the Salvation Army. Feels good to clean out and straighten up, but much of my cabin will be filled stores, cans, bottles and other supplies. I also worked on some math and the sea urchin entry. Ivy, off Takani stopped by and dropped a book for Mom, about a woman who sailed around the world, ALONE. Her name is Naomi James and the name of her book is titled, “Alone Around the World.” I hid the book in Mom’s shirt drawer, so Capt wouldn’t find it before Mom got a chance to start it, because if he did, there would be some kind of scuffle, fighting over the book. “All is fair in love and war and books!”
When Mom came back, I helped her get the stuff onboard and put away. I also made her a tuna sandwich with chips and a pickle. She told me that she was going to pick Capt up later, and did I want to go? I said yes, PLEASE! an adventure for sure. So I will take a little afternoon lay-down and tell you about the adventure tomorrow.
