16,000 miles to windward in an A380

by SV Taipan on 2 May 2017 The journey resumes. Departing Perth late on a Tuesday evening, North West to Dubai, a mere 9000 miles, seems so easy in an Emirates A380. All over in just 11 hours. No wait! There's still 7000 miles to go. North by North West to Amsterdam. Second leg just a mere seven hours.

But wait there's more.....waiting I mean...... yes the que at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam is lengthening by the minute. We are among thousands trying to get through Immigration. Over two hours stumbling along up close and personal with thousands of grumpy travelers. Not many had any reason to be grumpy, having arrived on relatively short flights. We could have done without the extra three hours it took us on top of 23 hours of flying and plane changes.

Our lost bag magically reappeared on the belt. We assume someone accidentally took it and returned it. All said and done we were dry, fed and unscathed in comparison to some past ocean crossings. Winding up jobs on the farm took longer than anticipated. We had extended our stay by a month but that month zipped by so quickly it looked doubtful we'd get everything completed.

Re-roofing the shed, interior renovations in the house, extensive garden renovation and pond pump out. A new clothes drying area and numerous small jobs just consumed every waking moment. The fencing and water system for stock was major work and consumed most of the previous month. The new shed and solar installation was working a treat when we left.

Cows arrived and there were brief but welcome distractions over coffee, watching the young calves frolicking in the green grass. What a summer. So much rain, it remained green throughout. We delighted in time spent with various grand children and their parents and other of our siblings, all too brief and infrequent though they were.

I should also mention that we had considerable assistance by way of the loan of tools and machinery and personal help from various family and friends for which we are extremely grateful.

This article has been provided courtesy of the SV Taipan.