A skipper has been found

We found a suitable “Class 4 Master” (skipper) from Brisbane over the weekend to fulfil the new requirements of Solomon Maritime. There was a weather opening for our voyage appearing on Sunday when he arrived, but this disappeared so we decided he should fly back to Brisbane as the next opening appeared to be this Friday.

Some very very generous private individuals have assisted us by lending and donating some funds to pay for this skipper. Many thanks to them — un-named here. Their generosity has shed more than a tear from myself and the crew.

However, with the good luck comes some disappointing news. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued the following statement: “At noon, Monday 20/11/2006, a 1000hPa tropical low was centred well out in the Coral Sea near 12.1S 161.E and moving west southwest at 10km/hr. The low has a moderate to high chance of developing into a tropical cyclone during the next few days.” (ref http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ10810.shtml). This location is to the South of Rennel Island (in Solomon Islands). We’ll be keeping a close watch on this Low. All options are on the table.

The most likely route at this stage will be to travel further north along the coast of Australia and then head across to PNG. The further north we travel the less chance of cyclones.

We had some Urunga visitors — Derik and Denise — who had watched our departure earlier this month. Their support and interest is appreciated.

Much love to all our supporters — your support and encouragement is always very welcomed. Again we invite the Australian Government to come on board.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

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Last updated Tuesday, November 21, 2006