Only 16 Days to go

FINAL JOBS, PURCHASES & PAPERWORK
Lyn, our trusty paperwork guru and organising fairy is in the process of finalising last minute forms.  Paper navigation charts have arrived from the USA.  Brian has fitted the liferaft and is building racks for water and fuel to be stored on deck.  Last minute purchases and jobs include:

• replacing the water tanks - we can store 280 litres of water
• torches & mosquito nets for hatches
• thermal underwear & decent wet weather gear
• headsox & daggy surf hats (so we can all look like Lyn!)
• netting for cupboards so we don't get decapitated in rough weather
• most of the WA supply of tonic syrup - don't ask :-)
• fishing tackle and triple hooks for the lures - important for the serious angler
• fixed the mainsail and preparing the trysail

IMPORTANT NAVIGATION TEST AT ROTTO
We've been getting all our navigation/instruments working and Graeme is currently obsessed with researching the Leeuwin Current - excuse the pun!  Brian, Lyn, Graeme and Heather decided to test navigation equipment at 'The Festival of Sail' on the weekend at Rotto.

We now have two ipads velcroed to the boat feeding us loads of stuff.  One ipad has all our charts and navigation info and the other has performance data from iRegatta.  We are constantly being fed our speed compared to polar speed, optimum steering angles and VMG.  Every now and then we remember to also steer the boat.

The team meeting at the pub on Saturday night revealed that all is working well however if we continue to party like we're 20 years old, we won't last the journey! 

COOKING HAS BEGUN
We're starting to cook our pre-prepared frozen meals.   Our gourmet menu includes the likes of beef lasagne, thai green chicken curry, spaghetti bolognaise, home-cooked sausage rolls, chicken cacciatore, beef casserole.  Sounds good hey!  Towards the end of the trip it will be crackers, tuna, wraps, fry-pan pizza, tuna rice casserole and freeze-dried food - yum.

One of our concoctions for when we run out of frozen meals and fresh ingredients (assuming we have eaten all our freshly caught fish) is "Steel De Risotto" :

STEELE DE RISOTTO

1½C Arborio rice 3C water 3 chicken stock cubes 1T onion flakes 1 t garlic granules Olive oil ½C dried green peas ½C pitted olives, sliced ½C sundried tomatoes, sliced 1 chorizo, sliced Salt and Pepper Parmesan Cheese for garnish

Fry onion flakes, garlic granules in olive oil for 30 seconds. Add rice and stir to coat in oil for 2 minutes. Add water, stock cubes and peas – bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, covered, for 10 minutes. Add other ingredients and stir through until heated. Serve with parmesan. Cooking time: 15 minutes