October 2014

Hello everyone,

A 100% successful crossing; a month and a half, 3600 nautical miles, one-sixth of the circumference of the Earth ... <br>

At this rate, we could go around the Earth in nine months (what else as intelligent and fascinating could be done in nine months ?; -).

Excellent crossing, alltogether, very brief stops (two days in New Caledonia, that was brief!) And everywhere wonderful and skling peope. Virtually no damage, just a small tear in the genoa, and b luck, the first guy who passes by the boat at the first stopover, I have told you, had a sewing machine; another fear when, after two or three shaky days in the vicinity of Palmerston, my autopilot goes down and calls for help "beep beep beep" ... In fact, it was my two rudders that were synchronized; I disconnected one, and the boat went as well with a single rudder.

And yesterday, to complete the crossing, a perfect little tailwind led me into huge Moreton Bay; I anchored for a few hours4 sleep in the lee of a not very tempting island (named "Mud Island") and at daybreak I entered the big busy pass to the port of Brisbane; too concentrated, I could not take pictures althouigh in about ten minutes I saw passing successively a rectangular barge which it was impossible to tell which way it was going, two large, frightening cargo ships; a guy on a mono waterski pulled by a cigarette thag went 200,000 km per hour, and to top it off, a yellow duckling twelve meters high, carried by another barge, and used for advertising some sort of operation.

The clearance into Australia worried me a little, my friend Maurice, of the sailing vessel Petit Frère, was last year refused entry to Australia because they suspected his boat of having termites in its two masts (Maurice changed his masts and his troubles are over). For me, no problem, it is true that there's hardly a piece of wood in Banana Split.

As always when I arrive in another country, I received a text message from French cellphone operator SFR informing me that any call I would make with my phone would cost me 2.90 euros a minute ... then I bought for 10 euros a SIM card from a local carrier, which allows me unlimited phone throughout Australia, and Europe to ... 0,07 ... per minute ... 40 times cheaper than roaming ... there a scam somewhere, isn't there ? <br>

I have not yet seen the city, which is said to be very beautioful; I am moored at the foot of Brisbane Bridge, but I'll probably anchor tomorrow in the vicinity of the Botanic Gardens, and I will enjoy a few peaceful days before returning around the 10th of this month to Europe for the release of the new book, and the film about Canada.

Have an optimum october

Antoine