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So, today, the rafts will be inspected by the harbour master and sanitære services. They want to check that everything is OK, and that we will be healthy under way. The rafts are only missing their sails, some decks, some electricity before they are ready to be set off to sea. The pallet from our sponsor Jotron is still not ready for us to pick up. It feels more and more real what we are about to venture into. What was just logs a Month ago is now a raft, the food and water is ready, navigation equipment and safety equipment is in place. The crew is excited, and we should really get out to sea as Sogn as we can.

Today was meant to be departure day.  There are still some things missing, most important the EPIRB and a certificate. The volunteers are leaving is in the next couple of days, and we will be reduced from 25-30 busy ants to 14, the crew.
The people who have been here as volunteers have been amazing. They have been working 10-12 hour days for weeks with no other motivation than getting there rafts our to sea. They were meant to follow us out aboard a large guard vessel called «San Martin». I really hope some of them has the chance to stick around for a fem days more. We had a big party in their honor the day we set the rafts on water.

And: Happy movember everybody.

The ceremony yesterday was lovely, and very much of our equipment has arrived. We are hoping to be able to leve om monday, but there is still much work with getting the rafts finished, the sails ready, the guaras all adjusted and god to go, and finding spots for all our things, food and other things we will bring.
The rafts are floating beautifully, a little lower than I expected.
There will be very many jobs going om parallell the next couple of days. It will be easier to organize everything, because we are closer to home than before.

Today is the bapitizing of the raft, and finally a break for the raft builders and crew. The plan is that the ceremony starts at 10, and that we will move the rafts to La Punta, where we live. Aften that there will be a party at a restaurant in La Punta. The ambassador in Chile will comeback for the ceremony, along with the consul of Norway in Peru and other guests.

These raft builders are a breed of their ovn. There are the hard working people, and there are those who seem to need no rest. We all work 10 hour days, but the extra hard working people could pull allnighters. And still get work done.
Today our crewmember Esteban got robbet at knife point while getting pizza for the rest. He returned shaken and pizzaless, and the super-raftbuilders kept going without food.

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I always sleep poorly the night before I fly out. But not this night. I worked in the garden for quite a few hours yesterday, and tok a bath before bed. It resulted in a good six hours sleep before we drove to the airport. At the airport, we had to move around on things to get the correct amount of weight in the different bags. It worked out well thanks to a lovely woman called Sissel at the KLM check-in. No stress, friendly, and correct. We had a cup of coffe, and Jan tried a smoothie called «ugly but lovely», and it really was. Green, thick and sweet. The security check was OK, and writing this I am on my first flight from Kristiansand to Amsterdam. So far so great.

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Jan and Bjørn (the labrador) are sleeping. They have been out in the yard working all day. I have helped out also, trying to wear myself out, so that I can get some decent sleep tonight. But knowing myself, I will not get ore than a couple of hours in.

I have been to and from the house today.
Had a coffee with my dear friend Maja, printed out the KonTiki2 Emergency Response Plan and laminated it at my parents’ place, went home, got the two boxes from Stormberg delivered, and also three suitcases from Håkon in Oslo. I am definitely NOT travelling light this time.
The others bragged about 70 kg overweight. I have at least a hundred. I have no chance og getting anywhere on my own, and have asked the crew to come and get me at the airport tomorrow. My flight is at 06:45, I will have a four hour stop in Amsterdam, and be safe in Peru at 18:00, local time. It is amazing how quickly one changes surroundings.

My last minute laundry just beeped. I will go and line everything up for departure. Passport, money, documentation, pad, book, suitcase, sun glasses, shoes etc. I hope I don’t forget the important things. But I have been writing packing lists for 9 months now, so it should all be there…

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