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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
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.
Passing through the Panama Canal with 'North Star'
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