The Build Up To Leaving!
Setting off on an expedition means checking and rechecking you have everything you need, and usually in the week before running around like you have your head cut off getting last minute this and that.
We had quite a bit on the go in the week we took off for – A Salty Voyage Ningaloo Reef
One thing was an opportunity to give one last push for our crowdfunding campaign by going on the Today Show to talk about our Citizen Science adventure for Ningaloo Reef’s Health.
This was a last minute call from a journalist and we had to drive our van and our two girls ( Margie and Selma – the Kayaks) into the city for 6am. This was a great opportunity for a little last push for support on the crowdfunding front, but also to share our mission on the morning news.
That is the whole reason we took on this trip. We think everyone who cares about the Ningaloo Reef should know about how healthy it is. It should be public information.
That is what we set out to do, learn about Ningaloo Reef and share it far and wide!
Talk about running around…. We packed our van with all our Low waste and plastic free provisions. We had to do a few last minute shopping runs to get the fresh food we needed ( most things would have to be unrefrigerated). Note the mesh bag… great for produce and no plastic!
We had to fit everything in the van and Andy (our filmmakers ) Ute and then make sure we were road ready with the kayaks all loaded up on the trailer.
At the very last minute, we also had to move our sailboat ( aka our home) to a new pen the night before heading off… oh, and it had to pour with rain as we did it, just to add to the experience.
Finally, at four in the morning, we jumped in the van and set off.
My god we were stoked!
It was happening. Of course, we pulled in for a quick surf as we headed North. Just to make sure we started things off right!
We didn’t want to push the vehicles, so we decided to pull into the Murchison River for the night – a well know but very joy, free camping spot up the coast.
This gave us a chance to settle into it all and get excited about what’s to come. The next morning we headed off for Red Bluff. We had one little stop to make in Carnarvon and then we were going to get there before dark to set up camp. It was all looking good.
And then this happened….
Yup. Our Adventure Van P.K. blew a hose. We tried to get over to the side of the road with the kayak trailer in tow, but with trucks behind us at full speed, we did it cautiously. We tried to fix the hose ourselves… but our girl wouldn’t start.
Next step was a Tow into a Caravan Park in Carnarvon and wait until Monday (it was Saturday) to hear from a mechanic.
Not exactly how you want to start your adventure…. with a mechanical failure.
We tried to make the most of our hiatus in Carnarvon by going for a trial sail on the kayaks and also sorting out our supplies for the first leg of the kayak mission.
So while we didn’t get to our destination we decided not to let that get us down.
The unfortunate fact was that the mechanic came to see us Monday and said he needed a week to fix her, but he was pretty sure he could.
( Spoiler alert —– turns out after 10 days he decided to tell us we blew the head and the car’s engine was dead).
Yup, we started this whole adventure with a bang… but also with not much money left to spare. Don’t think for a second that this would stop us.
Stay tuned to find out about our extremely eventful launch at Red Bluff…
Xx
For our Oceans,
Jamie and Base
And the Salty Voyage Crew
Check out our other Salty Voyage Blogs or About Life Aboard our 32 Foot Sailboat!
