Laura Dekker's Circumnavigation

[deckofficer]

MacG,

I must posses a women's perspective, as I thought the same as Sara.

Hi Sara,

I've seen you around this forum, did you get the early start in this sailing game like Laura?

[deckofficer]

Laura has left Cape Town behind, been in the south Atlantic for the past week and is heading north for the very first time since she left the Netherlands. Also crossed over the same longitude, so has crossed every longitude now. Before she left, got up early (or partied late) to climb with friends, Table Mountain before the tour buses would arrive at the top.

[MacG]

Pic #3 is her father (if I remember well).

Curious what she is heading up to. She has now done what was her greatest desire at that time before she left Holland. Interest died quickly when she sailed w/o trouble and now there is no more rumours going around. Tant mieux, they say in France.

Again, I wish her a fruitful and prosperous 2012 and that she might find a boat that makes her break all records.

[deckofficer]

MacG,

Now you picked a language I have always had a hard time with, Tant mieux?? I'm also pretty sure that is dad in the picture, not saying she couldn't attract an older guy, but I think her head is more into sailing solo than anything else at this time.

As to sailing without trouble, she knew she could do it, dad knew also, but government officials thought otherwise, and as we all know "government knows better for you than you do".

[Astrid]

"Tant mieux" means 'fortunately' or 'so much the better', depending on how it is used in a sentence in much the same way as Germans use "um so besser." As to the gentleman in the picture, yes, that is Dick Dekker (who reminds me a bit of Peter Weller).

[MacG]

'Tant mieux' is something the better - not every expression is that easy to translate.
She is the type of girl too mature for boys of her age and I firmly believe that she might be too independent to give up her freedom that soon.

Astrid is right, her translation is more precise.

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by Astrid

"Tant mieux" means 'fortunately' or 'so much the better', depending on how it is used in a sentence in much the same way as Germans use "um so besser." As to the gentleman in the picture, yes, that is Dick Dekker (who reminds me a bit of Peter Weller).

My French lesson, thanks. Now if I knew how to pronounce it, I would have learned a new word/expression. I have always had the hardest time with French.

[MacG]

If you take f.i. "tar" and change the r for the n you ' ve got the word tant.
"Mieux" is pronounced as eu in the word 'euphoria' and the i as e. The x is not heard.

Quite a number of Anglo-saxons live in my area (Dordogne) and some of them speak French quite well. My parents bought the house in the early '70s and we learned gradually to speak and write. The latter is the most difficult as there is a significant difference between the two.

[deckofficer]

Christmas, Laura style. She puts the SOUL into SOLO sailor. Got to love the attitude. From her web site..............

25-12-2011
We had a nice 20 knots wind today that pulled Guppy at a good 6,5 knots towards the horizon. My Christmas gift was the sun shining all day but the sky is getting cloudy again. Still I enjoyed having a day without heavy clouds and rain. Sadly, I cannot say the same about the waves... Even though they are no higher than three meters they are very steep and scome from the side... Anyway cooking a five course meal at sea is something of a challenge and in any case because of the sea conditions I'll just have to fall back on a very simple Christmas Dinner made out of canned food and that is fine with me - a simple Christmas is a great Christmas to me. This way I don't have to go visit the family and be sooo kind to everyone, I don't have to eat dinner, even a good one, if I don't feel like it just to be polite and what about all that talking, talking... Here Guppy is a very good listener and she never contradicts me ;-) , I can eat whatever and whenever I want, and I don't have to go for visits anywhere, but here with my little Christmas tree with its lights on, my Santa Claus cap and the Christmas garlands and all that is the perfect Christmas ambience for me anyway. :-D

laura

[deckofficer]

I should have posted Laura's Christmas Eve post. She is in her element when alone with Guppy out at sea on a long passage, just seeing the beauty of what surrounds her. I have a hunch after the proceeds of her book start rolling in, she is going to spend more days at sea, by herself. The post.........

24-12-2011
At dawn today the sunlight promessed a cloudless day. I should have touched wood because Guppy is now surrounded by curtains of rain and dark clouds again... But I can spend hours just watching the sky and its fascinating creations. Today it was dark and threatening clouds next to white clouds and grey clouds with some scattered spots of blue sky here and there... which in the evening created an amazing sunset made of beautiful sunlight rays. Yesterday the clouds gathered in an arch that reached down to the sea far on the horizon and when the sun came down floating in the water it turned the arch into a barrel vault of lights, which was just wonderful to see... But now the waves have taken some very annoying patterns as the wind shifted, making for cross seas making us wallow heavily at times. Even though the sea may be calm for half an hour or so, it would be a mistake to leave things lying around thoughtlessly otherwise... Woosh! Oh yes, another mega-wave comes and then you better duck because here comes the frying pan flying at you in a murder attempt ... or alternately it bring a rice pack to fall out of a locker to kiss the floor... You get three guesses to figure how I spent the rest of the day today ;-)

Laura

[MacG]

Yes Bob, she really IS the true soloist. Lady Frances Chichester. Wouldn' t that be a nice nick for her?

[deckofficer]

I think Lady Frances Chichester's name is Sheila. Also slang for a girl in Aussieland. Now, if I could only coin a name for "don't bother me, I'm sailing", might have something.

[MacG]

@ Bob

Wait a minute: I wrote Frances, not Francis - the proper name of the celeb singlehander.
Nonetheless you are right - we hav to find a different nick. "Zeilmeid" or "Zeilmeisje" won' t do.

[boatman61]

I think this may evoke the 'Spirit' a tad....
Leonard and 'Freebird'..
http://youtu.be/qr3dWscslo8

[deckofficer]

"....and this bird you can not change". Freebird, it does fit her "I must be travelling on now, cause there's too many places I've got to see" I can see Laura saying that!!