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A page... just for a smile!
and unfortunately to say bye bye...
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Easter Island was one of his big dreams and the arrival to the island aboard his wonderful "Solace" and the discovery of its mysterious Mo'ai statues had filled him with happiness. He also was so lucky as to meet again good friends there and greatly looked forward to setting sails with them for other magical islands of the South Pacific ocean, where Kelsey, his beloved daughter would have joined him for more adventures and discoveries. But Aeolus and Neptune had other plans and in one of their murderous anger, Steve had to leave us...
> > > In his memory...
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The chef recommends:
Spaghetti aglio, olio, peperoncino... rovesciati
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A traditional Italian recipe adapted for Patagonian winter temperatures and williwaw gusts:
1. Thaw the bottle of extra virgin olive oil and chop a lot of garlic into very small cubes.
2. Cook the spaghetti al dente in boiling water that is half fresh and half sea water.
In a fryIng pan lightly saute the garlic in oil, adding chilli flakes.
3. Drain the boiled spaghetti and tip it into the frying pan. After that unexpectedly strong wind gust...
scoop the spaghetti off the floor, sprinkle with good grated cheese ... and enjoy!
Best prepared and served with a glass of good red wine.
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Swiss Conquest of Nemo Point!
South Pacific Geography Upset!
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On 23rd November 2017 at 06.30 UTC (22.11.2017 at 22.30 local time) the Swiss flag was planted at Nemo Point (48° 52,52914' S - 123° 23,60116' W) from aboard S/Y 'Ata'Ata, Basel, Switzerland, together with pennants of the Fadanautic Adventure Team of Neuchâtel, Switzerland and of Otago Yacht Club of Dunedin, New Zealand.
The monument bearing these emblems has also signposts that, in the future, will make it much easier to orientate in this deserted, but emblematic, corner of the Pacific Ocean! The directions and distances indicated are Raiatea (French Polynesia - 2359 NM), Dunedin (New Zealand - 2612 NM), Neuchâtel (Switzerland - 8402 NM), Rosendale (NY, USA - 6012 NM), Calice Ligure (Italy - 8801 NM) and Munich (Germany - 9048 NM).
The launching operation was carried out with a wind of 30 kts from N-point-W, with an average NNW current of 0.25 kt, because of which the launching point had to be moved from Nemo Point by 0,15417 NM (285.5 m) towards SSE. The depth of the Pacific Ocean at Point Nemo is 4100 m, to which 12.42 m were added to take into account both the oblique descent generated by the current and a half wave height, i.e. 2.5 m at the time of launching.  The monument was designed in such a way that it took 37 minutes to reach the bottom and its special shape was specially calculated by engineer Allan Craig to ensure during the descent a helical self-rotation movement intended to maintain the stability of descent and to ensure the deterrence of any curious abyssal disturbers. The very high precision of construction was of paramount importance, since with a total of 442¾ rotations (including 2½ rotations due to the oblique descent), the monument had to reach the bottom at Point Nemo in the exact position ensuring the absolute correctness of the directions indicated by the signs. The tiniest vagueness would have required a later adjustment ... maybe a little problematic!
The monument was built by AC Steel Constructions, Dunedin (NZ), under the supervision of the Gibbs, Vatt, Ian & Co. Welding Agency, Dunedin (NZ). Designed to withstand the environment for a few centuries, the artwork of course complies with international standards for the prevention of marine pollution. For this reason, the monument received no surface finish, but the colors of its emblems were returned to the line according to the code of the heraldry: Argent, Gules, Azure and Vert, as well as sand on gold background with regard to signposts.
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Fishing...
this heartbreaking catch!
A long experience,... not very conclusive!
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How the fish must laugh at me, when they see me take out my fishing gear: : 4½ minutes is my personal record so far... to find my feet tied up by a diabolical thread peach! Which always seems to have this surprising ability to spontaneously make knots so inextricable that next to them the Gordian knot itself is only a vulgar buckle of shoe laces!
It's true that I am not an unconditional, passionate fisherman; I don't have the instinct of a hunter. If it's still pretty easy for me to put a line in the water, there's not really enough attention, nor the willingness - or the time - to overly deal with this gourmet fillet-hunting, fillet which I appreciate on my plate though. Generally, either I just forget about the whole thing and I'm remembered when I'm about to drop the anchor, or, if not, there is anyway just nothing at the end of the line when I pull it up. I can only hope that the lead and hook do not weigh too heavily in the the stomach of the poor fish that swallowed them! And I open a can of tuna or anchovies ... like in the mountains! :-)
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But I have made some slight progress thanks to my friends, Tomio and Kazue. The stories of my disappointments were very entertaining! :-) From their native Japan, aboard their beautiful little auric ketch Hanamaru, built by Tomio in molded wood, they are doing a fantastic tour of the world from west to east, via Patagonia, a detour in the North Atlantic to see the Mediterranean, and then a return to the Cape of Good Hope, before going back home via the Indian Ocean and the archipelagos of South Asia.
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Photo Tomio Ikegawa
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Disregarding all the hi-tech devices and unnecessarily expensive equipment, like rapala lures and such, Tomio and Kazue hang a piece of dark cloth on the hook of their line when the sky is clear, and a piece of anything clear, when the sky is dark. It's easy and that makes sense, since this is what the fish see best from below!
And it works! :-)
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Photo Lydia Sturzenegger
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