Apologies for the last year and a half's silence.

Kalitsah and I are both alive and well, and reconciled are our differences from all that time ago. I learned a valuable lesson in realising that, the very instant that one starts losing one's sanity while refitting, it is time to get the hell away and do something non-boaty for a while. This I did in the nick of time, and conscequently all is well.

Kalitsah is back in Sydney, not more than 100 metres from where she set off over a year ago. I'm not there; I'm in far north Queensland and a hellishly long way away from the sea, earning cash for the inevitable bills that will be waiting for me when I return.

But not all is black. Fingers crossed, this will be the last proper work I'll be doing this year, before gettin gon to the much more important task of getting my dear little boat out of Oz and off into the Pacific. I plan to head for New Caledonia in June, thrn Vanuatu, the Solomons and wherever else I can get to before the end of the season. More fun than digging holes for a mining company I can safely say, but there's still much to be done. On the whole, Old K's in pretty good form, though it's true what they say that a boat's never finished until she sinks. In K's case this translates to a remarkable list from here right to there. But a month in Sydney with nothing better to do should sort this out and more besides. All who care to visit, I'll be in Blackwattle Bay near the fish markets for all of May, this being the handiest anchorage to my girlfriend Tusanee's place. She, incidentally, is planning to fly to Vila to meet me and sail from there. She thinks it's just to cruise the islands then back home, but don't tell; I think a few more years and miles may be in order.

Anyway I promise more posts now that I have my finger out. I look forward to catching up with many of you soon.

D