Slinkies and Starter Motors

Zac with his new spinnaker with Produce for Kids logos

Hello All,

Don't feel too badly about not hearing from Zac much since his arrival in St Helena. We have not heard much ourselves. This blog update is a compilation of Facebook messages and very brief sat phone conversations.

If you have been to Zac's Facebook page, you will have read of Zac's attempt at another world record - 'walking' a Slinky down the most steps - namely down Jacob's Ladder (see photo last post). Unfortunately, his attempts were unsuccessful due to the very tall nature of the steps on Jacob's Ladder. Apparently they are around a foot high each. He considered attaching 2 Slinkies together but alas he only had one. BTW, Zac did walk up all of Jacob's Ladder. It took about 5-6 minutes!

I asked Zac if Dot's Cafe was still in town but he never did see it. There is an Anne's Cafe (run by a woman named Anne) so perhaps the cafe has changed hands? Also, with regards to another bit of St Helena trivia - the 'jetty' where sailors have been signing their names over the years does not exist either. Someone said something about moving 'everything' inside - inside where, I don't know. Very disappointing, for sure.

Zac has been around the island and seen Napoleon's tomb. He was only buried there for 20 years before his body was brought back to France.

He did not catch a fish on the way from Cape Town to St Helena. Anybody surprised?

His starter motor is in for repairs and should be returned and reinstalled this weekend. There were a few questions regarding this. Yes, the engine was replaced with a new Yanmar 30 hp diesel but the starter motor was not replaced. I believe it was serviced (?) in Durban.

Thank you to the blogger who reminded Jen to get some antimalarials. She did go to the same travel doctor that Zac saw before his departure. She will be stopping in Brazil (Fortaleza) before heading north to Trinidad and then Florida. She was going to ask the doctor on the RMS St Helena for a few antimalarials for her weeks before arriving in the malarial 'zone'.

He has been staying in a spare bedroom of the Saint FM radio station owners, Mike and Denise. He has been enjoying spending time helping out in the radio station including a 2 hour DJ stint yesterday afternoon.

We all appreciate your kind comments and encouragements as always.

Cheers,

Marianne

The following is a link to a great article on what may have been the tortoise that Zac and Jen met:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1091654/Jonathan-176-year-old-tortoise-revealed-worlds-oldest-animal-Boer-War-photo.html

Also, we have a new item for sale in Zac's Store. Many of you know that one of Zac's formative experiences with boating was our family's 3-year cruise to Mexico. Laurence kept a log that ended up being quite a story. He has been encouraged to polish it up and publish it in a book. He reread it recently and added some great photos. For anyone interested in the sailing/cruising/adventure life or a glimpse into one of Zac's early boating experieces, this is a must read. The ebook is downloadable at Zac's Store for $5.00 which will go directly to funding Zac's trip.