Preparations for the crossing

Of course the boat should be in perfect shape for the Big Crossing and on top of that we have to anticipate to the fact that we will have to anchor far more often in Suriname, Venezuela and the Caribbean. So we had many things to do: we bought more diesel jerrycans and sewed covers (UV protection) for them PHOTO 1, a new anchorchain (10 mm) PHOTO 2 and a new gipsy for the anchor winch to fit the chain.  And also very important: we improved the cockpit draining system. With the cockpit drainage we have had problems as of the day the boat was launched. As soon as we reach 7 kts boat speed, our stern wave flushes through the drains into the cockpit. And waves running up from behind also try to work their way into the cockpit through the same drains.  Our friend Ernie (the film maker, you see him on photo 1 doing a tough job) came with this brilliant solution that he had read before and memorized: close the cockpit drains underneath with a stainless steel "safety net" (this we already had), drop a pingpong ball in the drains and reduce the diameter on the upper side in such a way that the ball is stuck when pushed upwards PHOTO 3+4.  The test with the hose showed that a cockpit filled with water still drains rather quickly, although we fitted an additional drain more forward; so it looks like we are going to keep our feet dry at last.	Also extremely important is that we will carry enough food and water. The crossing takes max 4 weeks, but nevertheless we'll bring food for 6 weeks. Unfortunately we can't bring fresh fruit and vegetables. Because of the heat and the movements of the boat, fruit&veg tend to bruise and rot faster than one can eat them. Apart from that, they attract (or carry!) insects. So also no fresh meat for us, nor fish (unless we catch that ourselves), cheese, etc. as we are not sure if we will have enough electricity to run the fridge. Eggs will last longer if you cover them with a thin layer of vaseline and turn them upside down regularly. We also need lots of fluids because one needs 5 liters of water per day. Because we'll sail 24 hours a day, food consumption will go up. All in all a huge amount of food and drinks to be stored in a small space; and easy accessible because you don't want to re-arrange stuff all the time.  The majority of boats will still be still full of stocks upon arrival at their destination, but one would better not be without. Suppose we sink (container, whale, etc.) we'll need food and water in the liferaft. This is kept standby in a grab bag, including a manually operated watermaker.		We used the time in Las Palmas to store for the big crossing. Every time a bit (6 carts in all), and the great advantage is that everything is delivered on board. Only then starts the real work, as we unpack everything outside to prevent a new cockroaches attack. Boxes remain on the pontoon, we tear every label off every can, write the contents on the cans with a marker and then... all packages are washed and dried before storage PHOTO 4A and fresh food such as beef is prepared PHOTO 5A and preserved in glass jars PHOTO 6 . We have also been extremely busy with socializing. Because we've been sailing this area for already a long time, we know many other sailors and they know us; either “live” or through our website. And also outside Den Bommel Miep is already very well-known as the floating restaurant.  When most of the work was finished by the end of October, we made an other trip into the countryside. The last weeks were also full of events: Richard and Zoë came to visit us with their son Tommy; Marten arrived a few days later and sailed with us to La Gomera, Maarten came especially to kiss us goodbye; and Hans and Anja arrived with their yacht Fiddlesticks. It is our intention to set off with the two yachts to the Cape-Verdians and from there to Suriname.
	Click the red balloon if you want to know exactly what we are going to eat during the crossing and the stocks we'll have to carry.

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