That's a wrap Part 4 – by Gary

Best Experience(s)

Gary:

• Watching my children, indeed my whole family enthused, growing and thriving as we participated in a wide range of experiences simply unavailable had we stayed at home.
• Taking Vicki to Europe.
• For me, as skipper, my primary concern had to be the safety of the boat and my family.  The flip side of this responsibility were the feelings associated with arrival when, after a long passage, we'd make our way safely into port.  I'd get quite a distinct buzz as the tension, tension that I hadn't even always registered was there, would fall away.  Sadly the euphoria was often quickly replaced by fatigue (approaching landfall was often accompanied by severe sleep deprivation) but still mixed with a certain calmness and serenity. Nice!

Scariest Experience

Gary:  A thunder storm that swept off the coast of Mozambique just a couple of days out from Richards Bay, South Africa.  It was my watch and the rest of the crew were fast asleep.  I'd watched the cell's fast approach and reefed way down, and put the navigation computers in the oven (oven=Faraday cage=static electricity protection – well that's the theory anyway). The front hit hard; screaming wind, armour piercing rain and deafening thunder all seemingly competing to blast our boat to extinction.  The self-steering gave up and Mojombo careened out of control.  Thunder bolts as thick as old oak trees were striking the water all around the boat.  I knew we must cop a strike – it was simply impossible we wouldn't, we were right in the heart of this violent cell.  

Miraculously the storm swept passed quickly, leaving us becalmed in an oily swell but absolutely intact.  The crew slept on oblivious!

Gary's Favourite Photos (A Captains Pick)

Rasta-man, Grenada.

School house, Sri Lanka.

Salt works, Bonaire.

Marine Iguana, Galapagos.

Mojombo up for urgent repairs, Christmas Day 2013, Panama.

Drumming trance, Nuku Hiva Marquesas.

Dunes, fog and more dunes, Namibia.

The boat we first set out with, Kallisto in Vavau Tonga.

A rainy day, Moorea Society Islands.

Having fun in the Norfolk Broads, England with Paul and Fin.

 Buginese fisherman, Wangi Wangi Indonesia.

Trading boats, Makassar Indonesia.

Smurfs, Langkawie Malaysia.

Assembling for the Miss Samoa parade, Apia.

Anchored in the lagoon, Bora Bora.

Madagascan trader departing Nosy Be.

Ten of us going 'collective' in an
ancient  Renault taxi, Nosy Be Madagascar.

Street art, Olinda Brazil.

The Christiaan Barnard heart transplant museum, Capetown South Africa.

Sand art,  Durban South Africa.

Lemur, Ankarana National Park Madagascar.

Dancers, Kwa-Zulu Natal Province South Africa.

Unloading 250 kg bags of rice the hard way, Nosy Be Madagascar.

Saint-Pierre with Cirque de Cilaos in the background, Reunion.

Close

Our five-year-plus world circumnavigation has been a truly rich experience full of places, people, culture, nature, food and friendships.  A huge thanks goes to anybody and everybody who has contributed along the way, particularly our extended family who have been so supportive, Zeke and Nina's fabulous teachers at Tasmanian eSchool and the wonderful friends we have met/made/visited along the way.  

But now we are done and it's time to get on with something else, so this blog is officially ended.  

Love to you all, Gary, Vicki, Zeke and Nina

Mojombo in Hobart's Constitution Dock with Kunanyi (Mt Wellington) behind.

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