WHEN THE CAT IS TOO FAT ...

[sinbad7]

As a service/support company for visiting yachts to Brazil, I recently had
an urgent request for a Navionics chart card of South America for a visiting
yacht arriving in a few days after a brief stop at the island of Fernando de
Norhona. I contacted Navionics listed representative in Curitiba,Brazil but
found that neither their telephone or fax number existed, nor their listed
e-mail adress or indeed their website. Having contacted Navionics by e-mail
they had mis-printed the agents phone number and had not been adviced
of adress updates. I contacted their agent in Curitiba again and found that
they had no navigation instruments at all on their website, just fenders and
pipes etc.

Having adviced Navionics of this I contacted four different dealers in
Miami from their list of agents by e-mail and after several days and
repeated e-mails I am still waiting for a response.

In desperation, I again contacted Navionics in the hope that they could
make an exeption in this case and either send the small card by Fedex
themselves,OR take contact with one of their RELIABLE agents to send to
us after receiving payment by credit card.

I keep getting the same phrased reply which must be a STANDARD answer
to all inquiries:

"I would recommend contacting one of the dealers in the US and
requesting it to be shipped to you or your customer:
http://www.navionics.com/DealerSearch.asp.
We can not sell this direct to you."

As the title of this post indicates, This cat is surely too fat, and is NOT interested in mice!!
-

[delmarrey]

So, it looks like a paper chart is on the agenda.

[David M]

A paper chart? We have to go back to paper? ...Ewwwww!

[sinbad7]

No paper charts of the area as this was a change of destination en route.

I think any sailor worthy of his sundowner would love to read today´s
log entry from their boat the s.y. Safari:

ON SAFARI

2nd Dec 2007
Land Ahoy


We sailed close hauled for most of the night, but at 4am the intermittent squalls which were giving apparent wind speeds of nearly 30 knots, started to come straight at us from due South, so we dropped all sail and motored, heaving up and down through the waves. We were only able to manage an average speed of 7 knots, but figured that if we pushed hard we would make Noronha just before dusk today. Any later of course, and we would have to spend the night holding back from the island, waiting for daylight as anchoring in a bay in the dark in windy, tidal Atlantic waters is not the smartest of tricks.

The sunshine and another warm day came up, all of us tired from precious little sleep, due to the humidity and the movement of the boat. We were determined that that was to be the last night on board at sea, so we motored as fast as we dared through the swell, with diesel levels low! At last at 2.20pm we caught sight of Mount Pico, the highest point of Noronha, some 24 miles away.

Finally at 5.30 pm today we motored into the bay, just outside a small curved walled jetty, in which were anchored 5 or 6 other sailing boats and a fair number of fishing boats, and dolphin watching boats. We have just anchored, turned the engines off, and have opened our last bottle of champagne, the Moet. It is fabulous to be sitting on the open deck, not moving, no wind, with things around to look at. It is 6 pm, exactly twelve days after leaving Santa Cruz Tenerife. We have done 2,664 nautical miles in 288 hours, an average speed of 9.3 knots.

All too excited to sit and write much more because we are going ashore to claim this place for England, to stand still, and to have a proper meal in a restaurant! However, tonights toast as the sun goes down here, silhouetting Mount Pico, is to Lucky Mike, without whom the whole trip would not have possible.
Calm in a crisis, methodical to a tee, very knowledgeable about everything aqua, and able to drink more than Tim, Robin and I combined, we salute you, our skipper, Lucky Mike.
-----------------------------

Finally managed to get the nav card from one of the oldest family run
boat shops in Miami, bless their cotton socks !!!

Regards
Tore

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by sinbad7

... Finally managed to get the nav card from one of the oldest family run
boat shops in Miami, bless their cotton socks !!!

Tore:
You cannot leave us there, without telling us who came through for you (your client).

[sinbad7]

Sure, Gord, a pleasure to mention Hopkins-Carter Marine in Miami, a family
run and owned business for more than 90 years. Excellent service.
They´ve already ordered the goods and e-mailed their invoice TODAY..
in spite of the fact they have not as yet received our payment bt credit card.

about - Hopkins-Carter.com

The s.y. Safari is a 62´sailing catamaran designed by Morrelli & Melvin Inc.
in California and from Fortaleza is heading for St.Martin along the Brazilian coast
via Trinidad. I bet they´re having a ball tasting the Noronha grog tonight.

By the way, have you seen our latest 'live' AIS monitoring site in co-operation
with Siitech of Vancouver? YACHTMARINE - Live AIS World Ship Monitoring

All the best
Tore

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by sinbad7

Sure, Gord, a pleasure to mention Hopkins-Carter Marine in Miami, a family
run and owned business for more than 90 years. Excellent service...

...I bet they´re having a ball tasting the Noronha grog tonight...Tore

Know them (Hopkins-Carter)well, from my days in S. Fla.

I thought that Fernando de Noronha was a kind of isolated and pristine sort of place.
What is, and where would they make, Norhona Grog?

[sinbad7]

...I bet they´re having a ball tasting the Noronha grog tonight...Tore

Well, it was sort of figuratively speaking.. but they make a mean
Caipirinha up there from the sugar cane derived 'pinga' or cachacha..
Recepie: one slug pinga,tablespoon of sugar,crushed limes and lots of
ice, all shaken vigorously and drunk with awe....

After 14 days being shaken about in a catamaran in the Atlantic,
and down to their last bottle of Moet, I can see their need to let their hair down.

Good to hear from you again Gord, you have´nt lost your spirit either!!

Regards
Tore

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by sinbad7

... Gord, you have´nt lost your spirit either!!
Regards
Tore

There was a time when I was the cruising fleet's "spritual leader".
I kept everyone up to date on all the latest spirits on the market.
Sadly no more.
Not a cruiser; and not much of a drinker, these sad (end) days.

[bill good]

Gordmay about the time when the helmsman has to don dive goggles to keep the salt out of the eyes. There will be support from somebody looking over the hull that is trying to lift with the response "it's in or it's out!!

Don't worry about the drinking we will all help were we can.

Regards Bill Goodward

[bill good]

Woops Got to slow down. read fat as fast!! sorry!!