Monday 14 January 2013

2013 is here

And another year starts, with hopes for all sorts of adventures, and plans to do this and that, most of which will not, I'm sure, happen.

Ishtar is in a right mess. I've decided to start the winter maintenance before we take her out of the water, which looks like it might be in March. Everything is out of the lockers and I'm working through them, one at a time, painting. It's cold, cramped, smelly and quite hard work. More on that, hopefully with some boring pictures of the inside of lockers, soon.

Louise and I watched the film Kon Tiki the other night.

I'de read Thor Heyerdahl's epic story as we crossed the Atlantic, and really enjoyed the film. It's Norwegian, with English subtitles, but anyone who fancies crossing Oceans should know the story, and owe a debt of gratitude to those 5 Norwegians and a Swede who floated from Peru to the Marquesas with no prior knowledge or experience, in 1947.

The last of those brave men, Knut Haugland passed away on Christmas day 2009. Knut was a double hero, having taken part in the campaign to sabotage the Nazi heavy water plant, dramatised in the film 'Heroes of Telemark' and the more realistic 'Real Heroes of Telemark' by Ray Mears.

These people inspire me, and I remember growing up watching Heyerdahl and his Ra expeditions on tv as a child.

There seem to be far fewer heroes around these days.