Readers may recall that for the last couple of months, we have had an
appeal by Mike who was looking for his friend Bob, who was sailing around
the South Pacific. Well, the good news is that Bob, Mike's friend
did get in touch, so all is well. But here is a quick but fascinating
piece on how Mike got to know Bob, and Bob's sailing adventures.

I, as a young engineer fresh from university, first met Bob in 1962.
He had done an apprenticeship as a watchmaker and was therefore a “real”
engineer in my eyes. After some initial arguments we became good friends
and have kept in contact, even when I changed to medicine. About fifteen
years ago he decided to sail, and bought an aluminium 40 ft sloop from
a Count in Brittany, who had gone bankrupt. It was a bare hull with sails
and engine, and Bob moved it to the garden of his bungalow near Chichester,
and spent the next twelve years fitting it out.

He did a beautiful job, but did not have the funds to buy electronic
navigational equipment; he uses a sextant. He was going to call his yacht
Rabia, after my wife, but we thought that would be unwise because Rabia
means rabies in Spanish. Two or three years ago, I lose track of time,
he set off for Australia with his son. Their main problem was finding
experienced crew because neither of them knew much about sailing. Bob's
son soon gave up and returned home, and Bob has continued with anyone
that he can pick up on the way. Recently he spent five months in the Marquesas
looking for crew, and eventually found a treasure hunter searching for
fifteen tons of gold in Tuamotu. They found lots of sharks instead. He
has reached Pago Pago in Samoa and is wondering what to do after he has
landed at Australia, sell the boat and retire, or carry on sailing.