 |
 |
 |
 |
Diary of a Clipper Racer
Around the world in 333 days with Mark Osgood
Supporting my chosen charity - "Dreams Come True"
Final Diary entry, 54, added Monday 6th October 2003.
Diary of a Clipper Racer Around the world in 333 days with Mark Osgood Supporting my chosen charity - "Dreams Come True" Final Diary entry, 54, added Monday 6th October 2003. |
|
Latest Diary News 33
- Race
10 - Indonesia to Mauritius - May 2003 We are motoring again. The scenery is beautiful, although as we make our way through the Indonesian islands, which are simply paradise, time is passing quickly. The big news is that the entire crew has now been welcomed into Neptune’s court. The court was re-convened just south of the equator yesterday, just 30 minutes after crossing the equator this time, rather than the 4 months it took us last time. King Neptune appeared dressed in great splendour, although he bore a passing resemblance to Benny with a shower curtain as a cape, but no-one dared to mention that for fear of reprisals. Neptune was ably assisted by Ossie and Foxy, who acted as prosecutors. King Neptune gave the impression of being new to the job but warmed to it quickly, ordering buckets of water to be thrown over any party present who dared to question a single decision - even the two prosecutors got punished for offences that were really quite small - a nautical Judge Pickles if you like. As each defendant pleaded guilty, a suitable punishment was dished out. The final case of the day was Rory, who was charged with reckless facial hair and polluting the seas with heavyweight kites and running rigging, amongst other things. He was suitably punished. We are now all ready to face the Indian Ocean. One
down The good ship London is missing one of its Round the World crewmembers for this race. Cookie has an injured leg which has become infected and it was decided that it was unsafe for him to join us. We hope that he will be fit enough to re-join us in Mauritius after a few weeks of R&R at home. Two other crewmembers passed late fitness tests to ensure that we weren't down to the bare minimum. Ben, with strained knee ligaments, has been told to take it easy for the next week or so - something we are all quite sure he will find difficult to do! JT, with a foot problem, is also OK to sail although will be taking it easy whilst we motor. Fish for supper This evening, we have had fresh fish and boiled vegetables for dinner - it was delicious. We have to carry large amounts of fuel for this leg and we need to get rid of the large drums of diesel to fishing vessels before we hit the Indian Ocean. In exchange for our oily offerings, we were given three large fish so fresh that they were still in the last throes of life. They were gutted on deck and served up within an hour or so for one of our best meals on board to date. This motoring lark is not too bad and we’re looking round the boat to see what else we can get rid of before going off to find some more fishermen tomorrow! Off air again As soon as we set sail from Batam Island, our Mini M receiver broke down again. The Mini M is the satellite receiver we use to send emails from the boat and for our satellite phone. It’s worked only intermittently since the start of the race and failed completely on the way into Hong Kong. Despite numerous requests by a number of the crew for the receiver to be replaced, we had to make do with repairs instead, and the repairs failed immediately. Email is an important part of life for everyone nowadays but on board, it’s often our only link to home and I’ve been surprised at how frustrated I become when I’m cut off. In these days of communication overload, it’s possible to forget that you are thousands of miles from land at times! Anyway, this is a long-winded apology for the slow updating of the diary - I now have to wait until port. I hope that everything will be working when we leave Mauritius. Click her for diary entry 34 - Race 11 - Across the Indian Ocean to Mauritius - May 2003 |
|
|
|
