Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
fortunately, we had the netting between the little critters and our beef jerky in the making.
Gavin made a beef stew with some of the meat and the marinade as the base, along with
some cabbage and potatoes.
While the beef was drying in that cloying, summer heat, we took the opportunity to check
over the boat again. We had a long way to go to the Galapagos Islands and then on to
Hawaii, and now was a good time to make quite sure all was in order.
I searched for and found all the relevant charts for these areas and checked over them, stor-
ing them again in an easily accessible locker directly below my chart table. I had been most
fortunate in Cape Town to have come across a veritable mine of charts from a retired sea-
man. This kindly, old man must have seen in me something similar to himself as a young
man about to embark on a world trip. He was kind enough to check out the inherent errors
of my sextant and invited me in to his tiny, cluttered, little apartment where he had piles of
books, charts, and nautical clutter from around the world.
For a meager sum of money, he had me staggering off on several trips, under arm loads of
charts all pertinent to where I imagined I might be sailing to. I also bought from this old salt
a very extensive collection of Admiralty Pilot books which later proved to be interesting
reading and reference guides. He even threw in a bunch of old flags that I might use when
visiting different countries.
We had been told by a cruising couple at the Panama Yacht Club of the Las Perlas Ar-
chipelago, and that it would be interesting to anchor there for a few days. The fishing was
excellent, they assured us. Gavin's ears pricked up, “Yes, we must check that out.”
After a few days, the beef jerky started drying up nicely. A lot of the flies had lost interest,
save a few hardy, little ones. We unhooked the large quantity and packed it in brown paper
bags where it was stored below in dark lockers. Once under way, we would hang it out
again and complete the drying cycle, but for now it would just have to be stored away. I
nibbled at one and memories flooded back from when I was a young boy growing up in an
outlying suburb of busy Johannesburg, South Africa. Such a happy childhood … but that
is another story. It is uncanny how a taste or a smell can invoke such clear and voluptuous
memories.
I indulged in Gavin's suggestion for me to haul up the anchor this time.
“Aye aye cap'n,” I said, as he gunned the little diesel and swung slowly about, heading her
proud bow out to sea.
“Look sharp there, lad, and haul up the main and jib now!”
