10 Jun. 13

Yesterday the weather was crap and it was cold so we stayed on the boat with the door closed. Lola baked a bread and some rolls stuffed with boerewors for lunch. Later in the afternoon she also baked a cake. Her baking helped to keep the boat warm and was delicious. Today the sun is shining again but the wind is still quite cold.

 

11 Jun. 13

Imagine being able to get up every morning, sit outside drinking coffee and watch the birds in the sky. Deciding what you would like to do for the day and not what you have to do. Sounds perfect doesn’t it. Oh how I wish for that.

 

12 Jun. 13

A friend asked me to attend a site meeting in New Germany in Durban today. He works in Joeys and it would save him the flights and car rentals etc. I am excited about doing it since it gives me something to do for the day. It also gives me the opportunity to mess with him. I like messing with people. After the meeting I will start sending him messages asking him questions regarding my new found employment. Things like, “So now that I am a full time employee, when do I get to go on leave. What benefits come with the job and when do I get to meet the shop steward so that I can join the union.” He loves his union workers and I know this will make him very happy.

 

13 Jun. 13

Yesterday was a lot of fun. I never realised how different it would feel wearing my denims again. For the last two years I have only worn shorts and the occasional tracksuit in the evenings when it was cold. Except of course for the one dress-up day at the spar when I tried to sell some sunscreen, but that was different and I still wore shorts. So believing I was dressed to kill we drove to the meeting. We left very early since I didn’t want to be late due to some or other unforeseen event like traffic jams or broken traffic lights. This gave us time to kill when we arrived almost two hours early so we decided to wash the car that had been standing under a tree and looked like a bird dumping site. I had forgotten its colour it had been so long. The meeting was around the corner from the place we repaired our alternator and we popped in for a visit trying to kill some time. It is strange to visit people you don’t know especially ones you only met once for business and have no business with now however we did have a problem with the repair and needed to get it fixed so it wasn’t that strange. While waiting for the technician to check the alternator I made our first suntan cream sale to the receptionist.

 

At the meeting Lola and I were the only one's dressed in jeans and all the other reps had suits. My suit was on the backseat of the car and I thought about putting it on but decided that I would rather be dressed in my jeans and sailing in Mauritius T shirt anyway since I would rather be sailing in Mauritius than be at the meeting any day.

 

During the meeting I realised why I no longer have my own business. It is just so much effort with so many different laws and irrelevant crap that has nothing to do with the product or service you are providing. Then of course there would be all the employees and the unions and the and and…… no thank you. I wouldn’t swop my simple uncomplicated but slightly poor life I have now for all the money in the world.

 

18 Jun. 13

My mother and stepfather came down to Toti for their by-annual timeshare week again on Friday and we went to visit for the weekend. We haven’t seen them since last year and it was good to catch up.

 

While visiting we took a walk on the beach and I sold a few of our sunscreens while Rauen did some tricks on his skateboard. I thank all those people on the beach that took the time to listen to me and supported us by opening their wallets and buying some of our product.

 

 

During this week I will get back to the repair list and hope to make some progress with our steps. Keagan is coming down on Sunday to visit for the school holidays and I am excited to see him. We also haven’t seen him since last year. We are still not sure when or if we are leaving and which direction we will go but have to wait until Keagan has visited and Rauen has gone on a course for his home schooling up in Joeys.

Doubting myself

04 Jun. 13

There have been few times in my life when I have doubted myself. Sitting waiting for replies from literary agents is one of those times. I received my first rejection this morning. Being rejected is never pleasant but the agent wrote the rejection so well that I have to respect her talents. I suppose that is why she is a literary agent. She has the skill required to tell you to go to hell and make you look forward to the trip.

I always have the option to self-publish if all the agents reject my work. I was hoping I wouldn’t need to go that route. it would make me feel I am not good enough but decided to publish anyway. Besides the economics. If an agent publishes they have contacts and I will sell thousands of copies. If I publish myself I could possibly sell two copies to my mother and another two to my kids. My wife would also buy one. This equals five copies. I know I didn’t do very well at school but even my limited knowledge of mathematics tells me I can’t survive on the R175 I made from the five pity sales.

 05 Jun. 13

Two more rejection letters today. Also well written, the trip to hell is sounding more and more exciting.

We received our first batch of sunscreen and insect repellent yesterday. Obviously the labels had to be wrong. It’s just not possible for anything to go smoothly. I suppose it is our first payment in the learning curve that comes with all new ventures.

 

06 Jun. 13

While Lola and the boys went to the spar for some groceries I stayed in the parking area and tried to sell some product. It’s been a while so I was a bit rusty but I still remember most of the requirements. Never ask a question that can prompt a negative response. For example. Do you have a minute? This question immediately allows the potential buyer to say no. Another example. Can I interest you in blah blah blah? Also allows a negative response.

 

Always have more than one product. This allows you to form an option question and eliminates a negative response question. Example. Do you use sunscreen or insect repellent? Most people would choose one. If you pass this first obstacle and they have chosen one or the other, focus on the one they choose. You ask no more questions explaining one or two benefits of your product. Then you offer a test of the product, like smell or whatever your product has to offer. If they don’t ignore you and walk away at this point you inform them your price by comparison to your nearest opposition. Example. You will save 40% on this product, but for today only. Hopefully you have your sale.

 

However, the amount of beggars in South Africa have made this job quite difficult. As soon as you are noticed people try to find an escape route. I was standing at the lift entrance and the stairs are about fifty metres away. So now they spot me and have to choose. Do I deal with the “beggar”, or walk the fifty metres to the stairs? Most people are lazy and use the lift anyway. So they look me over from a distance then avoid eye contact when they get closer and attempt to slip into the lift before I can say anything.
 

Since it was Wednesday during working hours I only had a total of nine people going into the lift. Of the ten four were old men, close to a hundred, so I didn’t stop them. I couldn’t see them going to the beech very often. One slightly younger man about eighty five, informed me he never goes outside. One more man arrived and waved me away before I said a word stating something about his mother on her death bed and how he shouldn’t even be at the spar. My first two ladies arrived in the same car and informed me they only use product x and are allergic to everything else. Finally a young mommy arrived in a fancy four wheel drive. She was almost sold when the lift door opened and some of the nearly dead came out. So no sales.

 

07 Jun. 13

We watched as a black sparrow hawk tried to hunt breakfast this morning. Someone here told me it is a black sparrow hawk so I hope he gave me the correct name. He glides silently across the sky and swoops down on his prey chasing it acrobatically until he catches his food. This morning however his prey outsmarted him and escaped. There are always birds in the sky here and I can see at least five different species at any time. When the hawk arrives however, the sky clears and all the birds disappear. Not bad considering they all have, “bird brains.”      

 

I didn’t get any go to hell responses yesterday. Not sure if it’s a good or a bad thing. I decided to give the job search another try and sent my CV to another ten places. Perhaps I am lucky this time round.

08 Jun. 13

One more go to hell yesterday. This one less tactful than the others giving me a more direct path to follow. Simple yet effective. “Not for us, thank you.” At least they said thank you. 

 

We ordered a new raw water pump for the port engine from Sweden and await its arrival. I finally completed the wood rot repair near the filler cap and will start with the rotten piece on the back step next week. Soon the entire boat will be fibreglass with foam core. Using the foam core and glass is expensive but at least it won’t rot.

 

 

Lola is busy with a course on line, hopefully it teaches her something useful. We are expecting a big blow later this afternoon so I have to pack everything away. While living in our house we never worried or even took note of the weather. Now it is everything and all our decisions are made accordingly.   

 

 

My first pickhandle baracuda

19 May 2013

Living on a boat gives new meaning to load shedding. The sun has gone even further north taking almost all our solar energy with it. We can’t even run the freezer overnight and have to switch it off when we go to bed. The fridge, well we run it for about an hour at lunch time. I suppose Eskom has a similar problem except they use coal.

 The engine problem, well we ordered some rubber boots and hope they are the solution. They had to be flown in from Sweden and should get to us next week.

Lola is still editing my book and should be finished at the end of the month. I took a few photos of Lola’s culinary delights that she prepares for us at lunch time. This should answer the frequently asked question, “so what do you eat living on a boat?”  For the recipes see http://recipes-lola.blogspot.com/

Lola's nearly famous vienna cheese rolls

Pancakes!

Homemade Pizzas!

 

A few weeks ago we removed our bathroom portlight. It was a stupid sliding thing that was installed when they first built the boat and leaked so much when it rained that we had a river flowing through our bedroom. Since the new portlight is not the same size, nothing is ever the same size on a boat, we had to build the hole closed and sand it till it was beautiful and flat. Then we had to cut a hole in it to fit the new portlight. Typical boat repair stuff. Step 1: make it perfect. Step 2: destroy it. Step 3: make it perfect again.

 

25 May 2013

I started typing my blog yesterday when the computer decided to die so I never saved and now I can’t remember what I wanted to say. Today is another day so here it goes. Lola has finished her first edit of my book and gave it back to me to do a rewrite. I started earlier today but ran out of power so couldn’t finish. Now my laptop is charged but its late and I don’t feel like doing it.

 We ran the starboard engine to charge the batteries and test it. I think we eventually found the fault but will only know for sure when we do our sea trials in the next week or so when the book is finished and we have sent it to few literary agents. Hopefully one of them decides it is good enough to publish. Again I seem to be on a down cycle and feel depressed. Staying in one place is not what we intended to do and it is getting to me. I have spent the past two years fixing the boat without going anywhere and it is bringing me down. Durban irritates me, the harbour never goes to sleep and the noise is incessant. I sometimes wonder if we are just finding excuses not to leave. The tenants haven’t paid, I have to finish my book, the starboard engine overheats, we are running out of money. All these things are true, but, I wonder if they are the actual reason we are still in Durban.     

 

30 May 2013

Lola and I finished our final edit of my book today. I have sent a copy to a friend for a proof read and an opinion. I am also working on a synopsis to send to a literary agent.

 

01 Jun. 13

Yesterday I tried to write a query letter and synopsis to send to the literary agents. It was harder to write than I expected, even harder than the book, and I eventually gave up throwing my toys out the cot. This morning I tried again. It still didn’t sound right so I gave up again.

 

02 Jun. 13

Another five attempts at the query letter. I will paste what I have, if it makes you want to read my book I have succeeded. Please make comments and help me out.

 

Falsely accused of a heinous crime, Willis a simple farm worker escapes from prison, crossing the border from Zimbabwe into South Africa. His life becomes a living nightmare as he stumbles from one unfortunate event to the next finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, every time.

Haunted by his past he discovers he is being hunted by his former employer and decides to flee even further. He manages to get a position as crew on a small sailing boat with three strangers. One of the strangers Johan, a man with a violent past and driven by dark forces, executes a plan that places all their lives in danger.

When Johan accidentally overdoses Willis his plans make an abrupt change as the skipper, Warren, a brute with a miserable home life, discovers his ploy.

The crew suddenly find themselves fighting for their lives and Lucy the only female on board finds her courage, but will it be enough to save them?

And that’s that.

 

We haven’t been able to test the repairs on the starboard motor and now the port motor has a problem with its raw water pump. It never ends.

 

03 Jun. 13

I finally tried out my new fishing tackle Lola bought me for Christmas last year. Yesterday I used a spoon, a flat piece of lead shaped like a spoon with a hook attached to the back end. My first catch was a plastic packet. The next two, also plastic packets. Then when I was about to give up, an old used underpants. Catching the things is one thing. Removing them from the hook quite another. Luckily I have gloves. Eventually the sun went to sleep and I thought I might have better luck in the dark. This time I caught a submerged rotting tree and had to row out in the dingy to retrieve my spoon. What would be next, an old shopping trolley or a dead body?

 

This morning I replaced the spoon with a pink and silver rubber lure. It is a lot lighter and stays near the top so I hoped it wouldn’t find more old underwear sitting waiting at the bottom for me. I cast it a few times without catching anything and was about to give up when I decided to cast one last time.

 

Something bit and I managed to land my first pickhandle Barracuda. Awesome! He wasn’t big enough to feed the whole family so I let him go hoping to catch him again when he is bigger. Perhaps this year’s fishing license is going to work.