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"Flying" the spinnaker

Roastbeef always again. After Roastbeef's first regatta (with mast) in May we still wrote "we do not (yet) compete for the first rangs of the race, ...". After race number two we proudly share the news to become "first on handicap". What does this mean? In a sailing race yachts of a huge variety compete against each other. Of course boats with a longer waterline will usually be faster and new sails will perform better than old ones. Hence, if the skipper doesn't have a bad day a certain inhomogeneity is preassigned. To compensate for this the handicap is a weighting factor taken into account when measuring time so that in theory all yachts are equally fast. On the other hand a race result of a particular regatta will affect the handicap for the next one. As Roastbeef had not participated in races for such a long time her handicap is very favourable. The "first on handicap" rewards us with a bottle of red. Well done, skipper Mark!

"Darth Vader", orange model

Darth Vader. So far the hype had left us cold, in early June we could still proudly assure to have never seen a Star Wars movie. But by mid of June things get changed by Silvia: On a Wednesday evening she invites us over to dinner and Star Wars Episode I. The next Tuesday we return to her place baby sitting Banjamin — ... coming along with Star Wars II! Finally, Browny lends us the Episode IV-VI DVDs. Now only the current blockbuster is missing on our list. Anyway, having seen most of the movies we lost some illusions: For instance so far we assumed that Andrew was especially witty when using the expression "methinks". Now we know that he is mimicking Star Wars.

By the way: In June Claudia is suffering from a severe cold and hardly can breath. Now we know this isn't authentic either: She is copycatting Darth Vader! Hmmmm.

Claudia and the "Breadknife"

Warrumbungles. Our kayaking plans for the long Queen's Birthday weekend get sabotaged by a combination of strong winds, torrential rains, and a cold. As we don't want to sit at home like a picture of misery we pack the car and drive to NSW's Central West, further than we have come so far, to the Warrumbungles National Park. Because of the less than enticing weather forecast Peter had booked us into a farm stay. And while it is bucketing down outside we sit comfortably in front of the fireplace. On Sunday the clouds get less and lesser and finally the sun is shining. It's the only day we can actually see the Warrumbungles. We make the most of the sunshine and hike up to the Grand High Tops and the Breadknife, a 80 metres high knife-shaped rock (see photo). due to above mentioned (Darth Vader) breathing difficulties it takes a bit longer before we finally arrive, our lungs filled with fresh Eucalypt. We enjoy the view on this area which erupts from the plains and marks the borderline between the dry hinterland and the moist coastal region.

Two "Brownies" satisfying their thirst

Peter's Birthday. Our month of June is so fully booked out that Peter's birthday almost gets forgotten. But not completely. On 26. June Erica, Mark, Shadow, Wolfgang, Kevin, Sue, Irina, Browny and the kids Maya and Max come to visit us for a birthday brunch on our balcony overlooking Sydney Harbour. Aussie brekky or continental breakfast, sausage or yoghurt, everybody's taste is catered for. The sun is finally shining (again), and the whole atmosphere is so relaxed that eventually all of us are just laying back and enjoying the view. Mark and Shadow give Roastbeef a visit to check bilge pump and boat for water intrusion after the long rain period, Maya and Max are put to bed for a nap. All the others keep chatting about immigration, kayaking, sailing. At around 6pm our breakfast get-together breaks up. How relaxed is that?