Sunday 13^th May

Cold in Hobart…It was about 6 degrees when we left the house in the evening.  BRRRR!!  But we have no cause for complaint; we have warm clothes, sturdy shoes, nicely heated indoor areas to frolic in.  And, best of all, comfy warm doonas to sleep under.

We had our farewell dinner with Greg, our Canadian lone-sailor friend, who is leaving early on Monday morning.  He will be very cold for quite a few weeks until he hits the tropics.  Alicidae III does have two heaters. One of them is a wood-burning stove, the other diesel powered.  He can get the boat quite warm and toasty when he is in an anchorage, but when he is at sea, all is cold and damp.  He regaled us with stories of his time in the Kerguelen Islands a few months ago.  He managed to heat the interior of the boat to 4 degrees… I am sure Ede, his tabbycat, must have been delighted with the balminess!  Nobody has ever managed to convinced me that sailing in the Southern Ocean would be fun.  Beautiful, yes, and awe-inspiring.  Greg’s face lit up as he described snowstorms way out at sea, and spray freezing as it hits the deck.  “I didn’t need to put my veggies in the fridge!  It was very convenient!” he said, beaming.

He has been very happy during his for weeks in Tasmania.  His impression of Australians had never been very favourable, thus far, but he has been quite overwhelmed with kindness and hospitality.  He had heard horror stories of Australian customs officials in particular, but the officials he came across in Hobart were more than helpful.  When they realised he didn’t have a car or much of an idea how to get to the central office, they said, “Don’t worry, mate, we’ll drop off the forms and pick them up for you.”

He has been sailing for seven and half years now.  His wife, Patricia, joins him for long periods, up to six months, but only when he is close to land.  “Most people don’t like what I do, at sea,” he said.  “In fact I don’t know if I like it much myself, at times!”  We discussed love and romance, and whether he missed all of that aspect of life.  “Well,” he said, thoughtfully, “It’s all very nice but it doesn’t really help you sail to windward, doesn’t it?”