Christmas Message from Jane and Ants

 

Jane on a school trip on Ral Ral Creek near Chowilla

Happy Christmas to all our friends. We have had a wonderful 2018 and hope you did as well.

Early in the year Jane went off with KICE Year 12 Outdoor Ed kids. She had a great time with good kids, warm weather and interesting kayaking.

We managed a quick trip to Port Fairy and home via friends Rex and Ellen's at Violet Town (near Shepparton) to see their very nice straw bale homestead and cottage (large cottage) for a lovely visit.

Around that time we decided one yacht was enough so we sold our ketch ("Goshawk" with its freestanding masts) to friends Dave and Glen but Ants quickly got withdrawal symptoms and spent 10 days in the shed building a stitch and glue 3 sheet Dory (actually 4 sheets of 6mm ply)

With 2 sets of carbon fibre oars it rows well with one or 2 rowers and comfortably holds 4 people.

We spent a lovely week camped on Katarapko Creek in the warmest April weather for years.

"The John D Taff "( 3 sheet dory) during construction

The Dory rows in either direction so To and Fro (taf) and the Taf River is in Wales hence the complicated name 'The John D Taff". Daughter Kimberley summed it up well "Nice boat, stupid name Dad" 

Rowing "The John D Taff" on Katarapko Creek

                                  The boat "car tops" well if there is a suitable tree for lifting.

A  River Red Gum lifting hook

 In June we headed back to the Netherlands and for the first time saw "Le Bateau" out of the water. Happy with what we found we did a couple of little repairs, a quick anti-foul and then back into Dutch waters.

Lifting the boat "Le Bateau" for a paint job in Zeewolde

Test driving the Porta Bote (folding) "Little Bateau" on Groot Brekken

 Celebrating midsummer's eve in Stevning Nor Bad Club, Denmark

Jenny and Kerry came to visit us aboard Le Bateau in the Netherlands then we cruised through the Kiel Canal & Germany to Denmark. With a bit of adverse weather we anchored in a little fjord and were invited into a lovely motor boat club to celebrate mid summer. An excellent night.

Parked up in a Friesland canal

KI Friends Peter and Jane who joined us visiting Aero Island in Denmark

Back into the Netherlands we took down the mast and motored via Belgium into France.
"Le Bateau" is moored for the winter at Pont a Bar on the Canal des Ardennes and hopefully safe until next summer.

Dis-masted with Dutch helpers near Dordrecht

Deep in a canal tunnel in France

On the way home we stopped in to Devon for a couple of weeks to catch up with Jane's family, her Mum Pat, stepdad George, Terri and Steve. We also caught up with long lost cousin John and wife Kerry (not really lost, just lost contact) in Plymouth. It was good to make the family connection and also talk a bit of sailing.
Pat was in a nursing home and quite unwell but we all took her on a lovely day trip to Tavistock, a market town on the edge of Dartmoor. Since we have been home Pat has passed away peacefully in the nursing home. Sad to see her go but thankfully Jane was able to speak with her the night before she died. She was a lovely and lively lady.

Jane, cousin John and Terri

On a Dartmoor lane with Terri and Steve

After Devon we spent just a couple of days in Wales catching up with more relatives and climbing some hills. A great finish to our time away.

The highest hill in the Brecon Beacons in Wales

Our new Pizza oven from our own dam clay and paddock rocks

We decided a pizza oven would be a nice addition to our outside area so some weldmesh, posts, decking and paddock rocks gave us gabion walls and a flat top to pour a slab for the oven. Then some clay from the dam a bit of cement and sand and 5 days later we were enjoying a batch of scones. Since then we have had a few successful shared pizza evenings.

Cameron and Ants on Year 12 Deep Creek hike

 2018 has been an amazing year for School Outdoor Education camps for both of us. Ants came along as a volunteer with myself and Cameron (School Outdoor Ed. organiser) on two hikes. The final assessment camp for Year 12s in Deep Creek starting at Cape Jervis and then the 5 day Year 11 KI Wilderness Hike (Trip advisors best new activity for 2017 or something like that)


Next year will be quite different for both of us as Jane has a KICE School contract from the end of April for terms 2,3 and 4 which is a part time contract teaching Middle Year students Science. Which means for Jane, in her spare time, some enjoyable winter gardening, Ukelele and Art on Kangaroo Island.....

 WHEREAS from June Ants will be cruising "Le Bateau" through the Champagne region of France, down the Rhone, up the Canal du Midi, through the Bordeax region to the Atlantic coast near La Rochelle. From here as a sailing boat again across northern Spain and down along the  Portuguese coast to Porto or Faro as part of stage 1 of "the bringing the boat home Project". Ants would prefer to have Janes company on the European cruising but Jane wants to try and get teaching out of her system by reminding herself what its like!. Maybe October November might see "Le Bateau" heading to Trinidad Tobago and a mate Nige sounds a bit keen. Time will tell!

So...SERIOUS INVITE. If anyone would like to join Ants cruising the waterways of Europe in 2019 or even sailing along the coast of France, Spain or Portugal please get in touch as we do have some friends who have "booked in" but there are still lots of gaps for any other interested cruisers !!
The dates are roughly mid June in the North of France through to southern Portugal in September.

And Jane working hard at "teachering"

Seth (Jane's nephew) from the west country of England is visiting Australia on a young persons working holiday until May 2019 so next year should include a camping trip to the Outback with a bit of sight seeing for Seth and we have talked about a trip to Western Australia to go walking/ cycling / exploring before Ants buggers off to Europe and Jane starts working.

 Anyway Happy Bloomin  Christmas to ye all and and hope the holidays go well.