Leaving at last!!

After days and days and days (and also some nights) of working, Shang Du is ready to leave!

We acted very bravely by trying out a new sea-sick tablet. We really hope that we will not regret this decision – especially as the only instructions accompanying it, was “Take one a day”.

None of us are really looking forward to the first 3 days. Although not sea-sick, we are not happy campers. We tend to feel a little queasy and lethargic until about the 4th day on which we are able to stop taking the pills. We really are banking on these new pills to help more and without the tiredness.

We are on the verge of leaving! Sophia has just come inside to tell me how ready we are. The Van Harmelen family has come to see us off. They brought a whole bunch of balloons which we will let go as we “Sail into the Sunset!”

It was in fact this same generous family that lent us their car after our own Combi was handed over to the Hendrikz to take back to Gauteng. It was with very mixed feelings that we watched our trusted Steed and Trailer leave the Yacht Club without us. This is really IT. We are going to live in this Sloshing-Around-Home for 3 years!

It will be Franci’s birthday on the 20th. On her wishlist she asked whether we could please sail soon enough so that we will be past day 4 when her birthday hits. She really does not want to feel sea-sick when she turns 15. Leaving today, we might JUST make it. If not, we’ll have to postpone the celebrations.

Charles and the Musketeers will be sorely missed, as for the last two weeks they have been practically camping out with us in the boat. “Thank you  very much: Kyle, Justin and Wesley!” We really needed your help. And of course, most of all, ‘ Thank you Charles! It really is a bit scary to do this trip without you.”

We are sending a last packet of rubbish back to the dock with Tiana and family. It seems a bit pointless to take our rubbish all the way to St. Helena.

I need to finish here. We are going to hoist our South African flag with a little ceremony as the last thing we do before we leave. I will not be able to blog again until Rio, but I promise a lot of writing and many, many photo’s of the trip there and of St. Helena.

So long! I need to go Sail into the Sunset!