My private program against too much beer - Gin Tonic for arriving crew. Of course with ice and lemon and to support soberness we use small glasses. Special bonus to the fastest drinking one: He is honored with permission to open the second bottle. Salute to tradition.
To protect the boat from Gin snatchers we got ourself a little canon. It's still November, doesn't really get cold down here.
Sheppard’s was closed so we moored in Queensway Quay Marina. We liked the Marina, nice stuff, not to expensive, good restaurants and service businesses. I had some remote work to do so I left Michael playing with the restaurant staff. He is working with casher systems in Restaurants and he has his way of flirting with the girls in this places - harmless of course. I mean what do I care anyway.
Can you believe that, some of my customers really pay me for working in such a place just equipped with phone and laptop. But now get this - sometimes I feel that I'm so much more efficient and on the point when working remote. Just, I can not work full time, but a 50% deal is for sure a win for the customer. Because I have time to think and even to be creative. Do you have enough time thinking and come with something out of the box when being in the rat race. I bet not.
Michael makes friends with Shakar
In the studios
too much change, somebody is not happy about the new crew member 
Is this just fantasy-
Caught in a landslide-
No escape from reality-
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see-
I’m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy-
Because I’m easy come, easy go,
A little high, little low,
Anyway the wind blows, doesn’t really matter to me,
Amendment: at the time adding lines from Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody to Shakas introduction I thought it being appropriate and a bid funny describing the character of this guy being ... Easy come ... easy go ... little high ... little low - for me that was 100% Shakar. I didn't know the irony - well if you want to give god a laugh ...
Street of Gibraltar - last time I was fooled this time I was prepared. Equiped with an excellent article from German sailing magazine Palstek (which means by the way bowline hitch) about tide and wind in the street we were flying trough the street with almost no wind.
if you understand German a little - here the link
(they are so engineers this Germans)
This photo is from the middle of the street, approximately Tarifa. This is where the wind got (and always get) stronger and I was still in a telephone conference with customer which took longer than planned. The crew was waiting for me making decision to reef etc. but I simply couldn't leave the telco. As I knew the wind stuff would be over 7-10 miles after that point I simply told the crew to sail it out - hey experience sailing instructor like Eckard must have capabilities dealing with some wind, mustn't he. Put first things first. But don't worry, I'm able setting priorities right and we reffed ...
