Part III At last, Porky's next adventure is starting... POREXIT



At last we're finally going!

If you're looking at my blog for the first time, may I suggest that you don't start here; scroll right down to the bottom and read Genesis and the comments - it might make a bit more sense...

 My goal is to reach the Caribbean again at the end of the ARC Atlantic rally from Las Palmas in the Canaries to St Lucia in the Caribbean. I'm sailing on a Nauticat 521 which I've already seen in Lymington when I met the skipper and his wife a month or so ago.
Salamander sailing close to the wind
Skipper Chris has been watching the long range forecasts to find a suitable window for our first leg to Cascais near Lisbon.  Because of the 2 week delay to our start, we'll probably have just a day there before heading down to Las Palmas.  I'll be leaving her in Las Palmas and looking for a new boat and crew to cross the Atlantic to Rodney Bay in St Lucia. 

I've been to the Caribbean a few times before on holidays and also on business; my goal is to spend a few days in Tobago again, hopefully with my sons joining me, before I fly back home.
We had a wonderful holiday at the Grafton Beech Hotel in Tobago over Christmas 2014
I'll also be looking at opportunities to buy either a house or some land in Tobago to build a house. I've spoken with several people who have already done this for less than £60k! I'm so fed up with our failed party-based, parliamentary democracy bureaucracy and the 'PC obsessed' country that Britain's become, I might just do it! Wake up and smell the coffee Britain, the mice may be compliant but the elephants are running a muck!  Tobago probably isn't any better but at least I won't have to stomach our loathsome politicians any longer.

Still no idea who the 'Pelican Friend' is but he/she seems to have a liking for venison haunch steaks which I'm also rather partial to 😋. Iceland were out of them so I had to improvise. As my previous comment indicated, I got lucky with one shot in the pouring rain, but a couple of days ago, just before darkness fell, I went back to the same field and asked the Moose if they needed a lift into town.  As luck would have it, they fancied a drink and hopped into my pickup. 

If you haven't read the comments on my first post, you won't get the relevance of this one...
I drew back my curtains yesterday morning only to find my shrubs had all been devoured


They had started on my prized tree -  so I got them all back in my pick-up and down to Lymington pronto... The skipper's aft cabin is pretty big so I'm hoping he won't mind sharing it with our livestock companions. But enough of this nonsense and thank you 'Pelican friend' for your amusing comment, you know me, I can't resist the urge to elaborate and spout utter nonsense! 😉

Update on my ARC crossing to St Lucia

As mentioned on my second posting, I've had a couple of interesting opportunities on which to sail on the actual ARC crossing. Unless somebody drops out from Salamander's crew, I won't be sailing with her across the Pond. Anyway for me, part of the adventure is sailing with different people on different boats and I'm pretty confident I'll find the right boat, skipper and crew when I get to Las Palmas, if not before...

Well I've been a busy Porky, preparing stuff which is now frozen to use should the sea conditions be a bit lumpy. A cassoulet, lemon drizzle cake, proper baked beans (Tom Kerridge), a pork and bacon terrine, tomato and basil soup and some partially baked crusty baguettes. Should keep 'em happy for a breakfast anyway.   
two of these are courtesy of Rick Stein, without question my favourite TV chef - a legend!

 And finally, before I put him on eBay, does anyone fancy a moose head to hang on their living room wall?  He's still a bit warm but it jolly well serves him right for drinking my last Moosehead beer... 😄
Poor blighter, but his haunch steaks were very tasty 😂

 Next posting should be in about 7 days time from Cascais. Hoping to include some more pictures AND some narrated video footage of our voyage from Lymington.  

 If you want to track our progress, just enter 'AIS live' into Google; it's not an app that you have to download, just a live website. I find the site easier to navigate from my phone rather from a PC, just enter Salamander [GB] under vessel name and you'll be able to see exactly where we are. If it says 'out of range', it means we're in port with our instruments turned off.

 Please keep your comments coming and God bless you all! 🐷x
Just three of St Lucia's attractions...

Comments

  1. Unknown19 October 2019 at 05:10

    Have a wonderful time,take care, happy sailing....Love and best wishes xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aeron Tall Ships19 October 2019 at 05:22

    I can see via Marine Traffic.com that you are now moving apace at 5.5 knots in the Solent. Fair winds and God’s speed ☠️

    ReplyDelete
  3. Andy19 October 2019 at 05:59

    Good luck and safe journey Bro 😊

    ReplyDelete
  4. Aeron Tall Ships20 October 2019 at 01:44

    Your AIS is not transmitting ☠️

    ReplyDelete
  5. Aeron Tall Ships23 October 2019 at 00:56

    Hope you had some cocky St Jacques to celebrate your pilgrimage to St Iago de Compo Stella (keep watching the Artois....) ☠️

    ReplyDelete
  6. Aeron Tall Ships25 October 2019 at 01:15

    I see you got there matey, what’s for breakfast?? ☠️

    ReplyDelete

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