Three remarkable French Couples
We had just been fishing for snapper (caught four) and anchored in the lovely Roberton Island bay after motoring from the Kerikeri Inlet. While in the dinghy ready to climb the hill for the day’s exercise, an inflatable with a family motored over to us. Where we in the Canaries ten years ago? Did we have two teen daughters? Yes, yes. It was Vivien, who had taught our girls to cook crepes with her partner Patrick and three boys. Yum. After a walk to the top, reminiscing and catching up on the news we had the obligatory Mediterranean Post Meridian, and later went on their boat for drinks.
All sorts of adventures later they had turned up in the Pacific and chanced upon another French couple who had to offload their boat quickly. It was in a remote atoll and the cyclone season precluded any notion of keeping the boat. They had been offered jobs there. The upshot was, our friends upgraded to a 15 m ketch for only 50 K Euros, and are now selling their old wooden 12 m boat on Trade Me. Great news for the family of five who had hitherto been cramped on a small boat.
The next couple we met that night was also interesting. The skipper had constructed his large fiberglass catamaran in Portugal. He did not want the distraction of visitors. Ha, I remember the dozens of people who traipsed across the grass to dream with me on weekends when I was 25 and building a 10m concrete boat Wild Honey, that the Admiral and I had many happy years exploring the Pacific. It was a great social time for me (while building) but had to work until 1am to make up for it.
The third couple had been cruising in Venezuela when they were boarded by pirates. (Read hungry and poor locals who wanted to practice some socialism). She screamed so hard that the pirates were forced to leave in case help arrived, not before shooting him in the neck (the 22 bullet went through a neck bone) and in his torso (the bullet went through the lung, liver and stomach). They survived that attack and are now in the safety of NZ waters. Better than on land where some idiot might start a fire.
All three face the dilemma of how to avoid the Red Sea while returning to the Med. The last couple was considering a trip to Alaska via Japan then a trip down the US West coast then through the Panama. Or I suppose a piggy back from Vancouver on the busy train carrying yachts across the continent. Now that sounds good to me.
The Admiral and I at the top of Roberton Is, Bay of Is.
