Petition to sign

I am a member of Beyond Blue on Face Book and was sent this petition to sign. Now I am not a petition fan, reason being is that I don't think anything ever amounts to it, especially in South Africa.
However I have signed this because I love sharks and in hope that things actually change. I don't think its justifiable to kill any shark or any animal in fact so that us humans can have a nice safe time in the water, in game parks or where ever wild life is.

There is growing concern in the local and international community regarding the killing of sharks as a means of bather protection. Granted this method has been used for decades at certain bathing beaches, however it is becoming increasingly unacceptable to slaughter wild animals without strong justification.

Please show Shark Life your support by signing the petition following this link.

Thank you
Beyond Blue members

P.S. Please circulate to as many as you can.

http://www.sharklife.co.za/index.php?option=com_artforms&formid=13&Itemid=159

Trying to get boat maintenance done.

Well after a few weeks away and a long shark season we have got down to boat repairs, painting the deck,checking the wiring and other general repairs. However,it looks like Wellington and myself will have a few days off as a very big Southerly storm is blowing into Cape Town.
So I think I will take this opportunity over the next few days to do some editing of footage I shot during the season.(Note to self:I actually need to get a new computer especially for my footage).

We did one very successful Pelagic trip last week where we had 15 Blue sharks and 1 Mako around the boat. The water viz was not that great, but it was nice to be back in the water and to see sharks again. ROB

Mooove Over

On our way back from the mouth we had to wait for a herd of cows to moooove out the way. The kids just loved the little black calf.

Its hard travelling with little kids, but I think we have little outdoor enthusiasts. Adam thought it was such fun as our vehicle negotiated the sandy roads. He sat in his little car seat being bumped around as if he was on a dodgem car. The harder the bump the more he laughed. Jordan just loved everything she saw, especially the kids. There where an incredible amount of schools everywhere, all in the middle of no where, which is mind boggling. One would think that they would all be at the nearest town or village, not scattered around.

What a bummer

Today's trip was a completely chaotic. Firstly our driver could not find an address for a pick up at 5.45, and so all the guests having a transfer were late, then the when the boat finally left and was about a 1km from the harbour, the engines started playing up (due to what we discovered was dirt in the fuel lines) and so the boat had to turn around, and head back. Most people were very understanding and we managed to accommodate them on the tomorrow's trip, but some guests were very disappointed, which is totally understandable.

Hopefully the boat and the trip will go smoothly tomorrow.

What to do when trips are cancelled

Well we have had a rough week with the sharks. The lousy weather last week end caused this weeks trips to be really disappointing. Only yesterday did we have a good trip, with five sharks around the boat, two nice predations in the morning and we even managed to do some diving. We also saw Southern right whales and Common Dolphins and so it was a great well rounded trip.

Another cold front came in last night, and so today and tomorrow is another no sea day. During the season Rob and I spend very little time together and so with him being home, I dragged him to the shops. We needed a new vaccum cleaner, as our old stinky vaccum was blowing out more dirt and dust than it was cleaning.
We also have pets, and so even though they are only allowed in our scullery and entrance hall,pet hairs manage to get everywhere, and so I wanted a vaccum that actually cleaned and then blew clean filtered air out, instead of having me sneezing after each use.

So off to Makro we go, and return brandishing Karen's new toy with a picture of a dog and "HEPA filter" written boldly on the box. We start in the lounge, which only has wooden floors and one large rug. How much dirt can one rug hold I think? Well, after 5 minutes, with this brush that resembles a mini combine harvester combing away, my eyes nearly popped out of my head and my mild obsessive-compulsive trait started blinking red lights rapidly in my brain.
I think, if that what a rug holds, I am petriefied to think what our bedrooms look like. So off to the rooms I go with a wild look in my eyes and Rob retreats to the newly spring cleaned lounge with a beer in his hand and a bemused look on his face.
Well, after Rob cleaning the filters and see-through "no bag" container, even he was sold on the vaccum.

So, now I am chilling with a glass of red wine, our toddler and the baby are merrily eating rice cakes on my clean rug and Rob is watching Rugby highlights.....not a bad end to a no sea day Sunday.