Archive for the ‘Expedition Updates’ Category

Day 153 : Fishy Steve No.2

Day 153 : Fishy Steve No.2

Taupo to Wellington

The Good: Mitchel Johnson

The Bad : Mitchel Johnson

The Ugly:   Mitchel Johnson

We’re settling into stage 6 now and rolling on down to Wellington today, 6+hrs on the road.  Kate and I are quickly into the routine now, assuming our daily roles with with the enthusiasm of a new kid at school.  Me navigation and Kate comms.

Fast fact about Taupo:  Home to New Zealand’s largest lake which was formed in the Caldera of a Volcano which erupted 26,500 years ago.  The lake covers 619 SqKm, has 32 rivers feeding it and is world famous for trout fishing with crystal clear waters.  I like fishing.

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Day 152 : Hi Martha, Hi Amy, Hi Steve….hi-vis!

Day 152 : Hi Martha, Hi Amy, Hi Steve….hi-vis!

High point: For Amy, a smacker of a kiss goodbye from the captain

Low point: For Steve and Amy, saying goodbye to their new friends on the Le Mans Express

No point: A one man moped escort out of Auckland (AKA Jamie Abela)

After 9 days at sea aboard the Le Mans Express it was time for Amy, Steve and Martha to get their land legs back on and kick off stage 6. Auckland has been swathed in sunshine for weeks now so we were all looking forward to some sunshine and incredible views on the first day back on the road….from early morning however, it was clear we were in for something a little more…er…British. Rain….a lot of it.

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Days 147-151 : Like ships in the night

Days 147-151 : Like ships in the night

High Point : Scoring 100% on the karaoke machine (those things never lie)

Low Point : Never really getting my sea legs

Favourite Deck : 5

Favourite Side of the Boat : Starboard

Number of times we eat rice each day : 3

Caffeine intake in 9 days : 1 cup of tea

Find of the week : box of broken biscuits on the bridge

Error of the week : only finding out on the penultimate day that tea (with cake) is served at 3pm Read more →

Day 146 : Are we nearly there yet?

Day 146 : Are we nearly there yet?

High point: somewhere over a rainbow

Low point: rough seas

Ping pong point: being beaten by the Super yet again, but not as badly as Steve, is a massive achievement I feel

Last night we hit a 10 metre swell.  Not being accustomed sailors, to us the Le Mans Express sounded like she was going to come apart at the seams.  As she moaned and groaned the creaking noise was deafening.  And on top of that our cabin had become part of some freaky rollercoaster ride.  People pay good money to experience that ‘scream if you want to go faster’ feeling, so why wasn’t I enjoying the cabin being tilted all angles and nearly failing out of bed every 2 minutes?  Was this really how it was all going to end… in a tin can still only somewhere off the coast of Australia?  Please no!

It was light when the sea finally calmed down and we could get some zeds.  As they say, worst things happen at sea.

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Day 145 : Crew Karaoke

Day 145 : Crew Karaoke

High Point : Finding the bread stash in the galley fridge

Error of the day : Playing Ping Pong after dinner when the sea was playing silly sausages

Low Point : Seeing Amy sick as a dog after Ping Pong

Favourite side of the boat of the day : Port

Crew activity discovery of the day : Karaoke
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Day 144 : Cruise control

Day 144 : Cruise control

High point: not being sick

Low point: feeling sick

No point: playing ‘I spy’

Paul point: Steve has the same music taste as the Captain, they both have a love of  the Beatles

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Day 143 : Let’s do it like they do on the Discovery Channel

Day 143 : Let’s do it like they do on the Discovery Channel

Boys like big stuff. Men love big stuff. Fact. The great ship Les Mans Express, though not the biggest ship on the sea is still massive.

Some quick fire stats for you : 168 metres long and 10 decks high. Top speed of 19 knots. Her diesel engine has over 15,000 horse power. She carries over 4,000 vehicles from Japan to Australia, NZ, Mexico then USA. To buy her would set you back $50,000,000

Today was a good day, it would have been a great day if it wasn’t for the fact that both Amy and I were proper green from sea sickness. After a little more than an hour of being up for the day Amy was sick, was it a record on this ship?


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Day 142 : We Are Sailing

Day 142 : We Are Sailing

It was pretty creepy as we approached the port at dusk. The ship does not take passengers so it was all a bit confusing at port security. The  two security chaps were equally confused as everyone else, so whilst we were waiting I settled in to a spot of Aussie bashing on the back of the 2nd test victory by England.  Jan and Graham kindly waited as the paperwork was being sorted. After some fun and games with customs and the cargo coordinators, Amy and I stood at the edge of the water staring up at our ship, the Le Mans Express. There have been many surreal moments on this expedition thus far and this was right up there for being particularly odd. Eventually a nice chap in a van pulled up, we chucked our stuff in the back and he drove up the ramp and into the ship. Our home for the next 9 days. Up a tiny lift and we were 10 stories up on the upper deck. A long a corridor, door after door with all of the crew jobs titles on them, we were taken to our rooms. We were Wiper A and Wiper B, cleaners I think.

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Stage 5 Complete

Join the crew on a recap of stage 5.

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Day 137 – 140 : They tried to make me go to rehab, I said, “Oh Yes Please”

Day 137 – 140 : They tried to make me go to rehab, I said, “Oh Yes Please”

Due to shipping complications, we have had a few days before we head over to New Zealand.  Time to get our heads down and catch up with everything that keeps this big red truck on the road. It has been like checking into rehab as Jan and Graham have shown us a crazy amount of hospitability. Parents of Amy’s friend Mel, they have the ultimate pad just outside Brisbane by the river. Here we have set-up FTFE Headquarters, giving us the spring board to not only rest but to catch up on all sorts of admin and paperwork. Dream stuff as I can finally smash through an enormous to do list, whilst catching up with the 2nd ashes test of course. There will be no internet connection on the ship, so its a frantic time re-planning the final stages, allowing for the knock on affect of shipping delays and re-routing.

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