Week Two in Fremantle

Yes, we are still in Fremantle, but working hard and playing only a bit. Yesterday was the Perth Zoo and Saturday was two Maritime Museums in Fremantle, plus a tour of a submarine. Today is work — painting, plumbing, sanding, varnishing, sealing, organizing. Tomorrow we work on our sails at the loft (to help speed their return) and “enable” the Furuno technician to reassemble our system and “improve” our Furuno vs. MaxSEA contention.

We hope to head off to Hobart on next Monday, March 5th. Depending on how we go, it is about 2000 miles. We currently believe that we will have to do our “usual trick” of heading south until we get cold, then turn left until we run into land. This time we will have to go a bit further south, eventually to 43 degrees, 40 minutes, the latitude of Whale Head on the southern side of Tasmania. Well into the Roaring Forties.

We have developed a few impressions of Australia, or at least Fremantle:
1) they are just about as car-oriented as Americans;
2) obesity is almost as endemic as in the States, a big change from the poorer countries we have recently seen;
3) lots of dogs;
4) Fremantle is very dry, so lots of great outside restaurants;
5) very friendly and open, at least superficially;
6) huge beer focus, even though this is one of the top wine producing areas;
7) seems egalitarian, while there are a few BMW’s and an occasional Rolls, everybody generally appears to be a very level society, with similar dress and “one class of service”;
no apparent incoming “underclass” who trim the lawn, work as dishwashers, street sweepers;
9) immigration is a hot political issue;
10) Western Australia is the end of their supply chain — many say WA means “Wait Awhile” not Western Australia.

In a previous post, I mentioned that a wave took away the top of our steering compass. A local wood turner made a lovely Jarra Wood replacement, with an old Australian penny embedded in the center, complete with kangaroo. Photo above.

All is well.