Page 56

24 February 2001

I sought out(/turned to) one of the locals in order for me to get help getting hold of(/my hands on) some marijuana. I was astonished(/surprised) when he guided me to a big pharmacy. It's (actually, edit) sold as medicine.

I also sent a letter with some (press/newspaper) cuttings for my brother-in-law, who works as a service executive(/head of services) at Viking (Life-Saving Equipment, edit), a life raft manufacturer in Esbjerg. The story was about someone, who had gotten his rafts serviced in South America by an approved(/recognized) service station. After the service he told the guy who had carried out(/performed) the service that he was (going) to hold a naval exercise(/manoeuvre) for his new crew and that he therefore would come back with at least one of the rafts again for packing(/service). The service man had acted odd(/strangely) so the raft owner had sought out another approved service station to get his rafts inspected(/checked). After(/When) opening it it appeared that one of the rafts had been swapped with an old raft and that there wasn't any pressure inside the canister. And in the other container there was an old sail and other junk(/rubbish)!!! Viking immediately got the service station erased(/deleted) from their list and gave the man two new rafts and stated that all owners are welcome to observe(/be present at) the opening and packing of their rafts on all of their service stations.
 


"Finding happiness is not getting what you desire, what you don't have.
But finding satisfaction and cherishing what you have". J.H.


 


26 February 2001

Guess it's about time to write a little about Natalie...

Natalie

Natalie

 

 

Staycy og Natalie

Stacy og Natalie


The last month I have been here at(/in) Colon and has spent quite some(/a lot of) time with her. We have done some transits together, went on trips, etc. Natalie is a Canadian (process?) attorney and my very good friend. She is on a sabbatical leave and is sailing as a crew member on Beacon, an English boat. The owner, David, who's a retired attorney. I'm crazy about her but haven't "tried" anything or let her know that I'm in love with her. My life is complicated enough as it is. She is extremely intelligent and sweet. Tall and slim and looks fantastic(ally beautiful). And she has the same kind of humour as I (do) and we have a really nice friendship. She's an outdoor girl. She loves to be (out) in the nature; hiking or skiing in the mountains. And she wants to live the simple life and live in a cabin in the mountains. Living off the land or whatever. She and I are simply the same type (of persons).

When I had to pass through the canal with my own boat last Monday, she naturally came along. And I had company of Gene and Stacy, who I have also been sailing with, through the canal. Those two silly(/crazy/foolish) girls are Americans and sail aboard(/on board) the same boat. And the Swede Gøte also came along. Gøte is retired and has to pass through the canal the next time he gets his pension payout.

Preferably we should do it in a day, since I don't have the possibility to have five people spending the night on my boat. We had received a time at 06:00 a.m. and were lying out there waiting for the pilot. At 06:30 a.m. I called over the radio and was told that he would get here at 09:00. Right then I knew that we weren't going to make it in (just) one day.

We were to be taken through next to a giant Powerboat, 'North Star', one of those at 10-15 million US$. In the first floodgate I charmed my way and was invited on board by the owner, Monty Navara. He was very interested in hearing about my cruise(/voyage) on that small boat. Monty's company manufactures and supplies all those checkbooks that are found on planes all over the world. And before disembarking I was offered that we could all use their toilets as much as we would like. And all of us were invited for dinner that evening (he had a chef on board). And those who wished, could spent the night over there, when we reached the anchorage.
A Dane on board a small boat always gets a heck of a nice treatment by the larger boats.
 

 

Vi går gennem Panamakanalen med North Star

Passing through the Panama Canal with 'North Star'


 

To Page 57

From Esbjerg, Denmark to Tahiti aboard a Junker 22