Sobering Thoughts - Old Age and Missing Yachtsmen

We are back in England visiting my aging parents. Far from our easy life in warm, hospitable Turkey we are seeing how hard and sad it is to be getting old. Dad is struggling to manage daily tasks and Mum is finding it hard to look after him. Brother Philip is 100 miles away with his own difficult life to lead and I have feelings of guilt. Do they really want me to live my own life as they claim or should we abandon Transatlantic plans to stay with them here? I know I will return to Petronella but that doesn't make it any easier.

Last week we finally told them of our Transatlantic adventure. They were quiet and asked us about our plans. Were we and the boat competent to make the crossing? When would we next be home to see them? We have to do it though because if we didn't there would be more regrets and even resentment from me. And then the sad, sad Cheeki Rafiki story. Here in Hampshire in the heart of the yachting world it has hit hard. Four experienced crew in a tested boat. What might have happened and how might we have dealt with it? There are, I think, some circumstances that you cannot plan for. Maybe this was one such event? There is a risk, all you can do is try to minimise it and plan as carefully as you can. So sad for them, their families and my home town of Southampton where the boat was normally berthed.

You Just Gotta Love Turkey

So, time to leave Turkey yet again from a local Turkish airport near you. Tunahan's Taxi to the airport, check in as usual, drink all remaining liquid before X-Ray, find a can of tonic we had forgotten about and have it confiscated. Just the usual stuff.

On to passport control. I went ahead as Gilly was still packing away her hand baggage (now devoid of tonic). Passport and Turkish icamet presented and I manage a passable entire conversation in Turkish. Excellent stuff - I have learned a bit after all. Then, to my amazement the passport control guy asks me to go through, present my boarding pass at Duty Free and buy him two bottles of Turkish rakı. Once purchased I am to return to his little booth and hand over said booze. Before I know it I have agreed and he has thrust 80TL into my hand! Purchase complete I innocently hang around the passport control area waiting for his sign to approach the booth and complete the dodgy deal. Handshakes all round and all goes smoothly but by this time our flight is flashing 'Final Call' so we scamper over to the gate and board our flight chuckling all the time at this bizarre parting shot from Turkey.

Exclusive - Petronella TransAt Teamnames Announced

After a rigorous selection process involving First Aid training, Competent Crew assessments, compatibility exercises and Skype interviews, Team Petronella can now reveal the names of both the sailing and shore support TransAt teams.

Skipper: Gilly (I love Kaş) Douch
First Mate: John (Jack Sparrow) Douch
Second Mate: Jenny (Penny) Douch
Second Mate's Mate: Marcus (The Mullet) Haydon
Head of Shore Support: Emma (The Wombat) Douch

Congratulations to all those selected.

Fair winds and following seas for your forthcoming family adventure.

Meanwhile all external jobs have been completed on Petronella and stores purchased for the initial Mediterranean leg of the passage. Skipper and first mate will now rendezvous with the rest of the crew for a weekend of team building and R&R back in the UK.