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Newspaper Article

Paper: South Coast Sun

Date: 18 May 2001

Title: They bob about on the ocean

News from the yachting Kinnear family is that they are heading for Trinidad or Tobago.  Des and Alison and there two young children, Jared (Jabbo) and Dylan (Dibs), set off from Durban some months back to explore the world in the Catamaran that Des built in their garden at Doonheights.

The intrepid sailors sound as though they have adapted well to bobbing about on the ocean.  They've successfully crossed the Atlantic, with a stop-off in St Helena.  Their world revolves around the wind - one of the most frustrating times was poodling along at 1 to 2 knots "This lasted three long days!  Our slowest day we covered 80 miles", says Alison in an email from Fernando, which she describes as a not too friendly place.  They don't want yachties here, and they make it known by trying to charge exorbitant fees," says Alison.

They collect rain water to avoid having to buy water, Alison says that when it rains she gets into her cozzie and does the laundry!

The Kinnears had a day away from the boat while in Fernando, having met up with other Yachties they'd met en route. "Spent a lovely day playing and loafing.  It was really good to be away from the boat for a while, quite therapeutic," she says.  "The kids took their boogie boards and had such a good time in the water," and young Jared learned how to surf the "foamies".

Instead of observing Lent, the Kinnears "sacrificed" a fish - quite accidentally, in somewhat comical circumstances:  After catching, cleaning and filleting the fish, Des accidentally threw it overboard!  Dinner was tinned meat instead of fresh fish.

The Easter bunny visited the children via "Albatross Airways", and their lessons are going well.

The Kinnears left Fernando on 02 May and were aiming straight for Tobago, Scarborough, about 2,000 miles.   Their longest stretch yet.  They were anticipating squalls along the way but were expecting a one to two knot current with them.  They will cross the equator opposite the Amazon on this stretch.

There is talk that Des may get involved in refitting or rebuilding a boat in Trinidad or Tobago, and reading between the lines, the little Toti family will be glad to put down roots for a while.