Adventures of Minstrel in the Kimberleys

Pauline’s Notes on Life on Board

• Fresh water was precious so it was only used for drinking and cooking. All dish and clothes washing were done in seawater except for the rare occasions when we were anchored next to a waterfall. Minstrel is fitted with two, 50 litre tanks in the centre and stern sections and one 25 litre tank in the bow. The front tank was used for a quick freshwater shower about every third day. All other times we had a real quick dunk in the sea down the back ladder, keeping a wary eye out for crocodiles and sharks.
• At night we would watch a movie on a small portable DVD player. Jim and Liz had a DVD player also so we exchanged DVDs.
• Every evening we would have “Sundowners”with Jim and Liz alternating between yachts when we would discuss the day’s activities and plan for the next day.
• Every night Dexter would plot out a course on the chart and enter the latitude and longitude coordinates on the hand held GPS. We needed to follow the plotted route rigidly as navigating by sight was very deceiving.
• All rubbish was burnt when we found a suitable beach to light a fire. Glass was stored on board and disposed of when we got to Broome.
• I made bread every third day. The recipe was 500 grams of flour, 1 teaspoon of yeast and 1 & 1/3 cup of water. Minstrel has a 2 burner gas stove with a small oven.
• We towed a 10 ft aluminium dinghy and used it extensively to explore bays and rivers.
• Most of the time we sailed with the help of the motor at low revs. Rarely did we rely on motor alone.
• We left Wyndham with 240 litres of fuel and managed to purchase another 120 litres along the way.