friend in that area also and asked what kind

friend in that area also and asked what kind of boat I had. I told him that it was a 45’ steel hull ketch called the “CharMar”.

To my surprise he asked if it was red and white. When I said it was, he said “You don’t say! We followed you along the coast of Portugal and were berthed next to you in port.” Talk about a small world.

The remainder of the trip to L.A. and Sydney was long and tiring. It took over 14 hours. Qantas had two full crews to fly the plane and serve the passengers. We lost a day flying over the International Dateline and the Equator. It was nearly 8000 miles from L.A.

Our first three days, we stayed at a Holiday Inn with full breakfast. Eating later in the morning took care of lunch. The next week were at a timeshare condo at Manly Beach just north of Sydney. We rented a car so we could go out of the city if we wanted. Would not recommend driving in the city though. Driving on the left hand side of the road, construction for the upcoming Olympics has created road complications and the local drivers are as impatient as those on the D.C. beltway, and parking is impossible. A taxi is not expensive if traffic is light, however the meter keeps running if you have to wait in heavy traffic. Buses were convenient and reasonably priced.

Sydney is a city of nearly 5 million people. It is a true malting pot with people of maTiytu~igins. We met people from (jhina, Hong Kong, Korea, ^Thailand, the Philippine^ and Japan. In fact the city’s slWline is illuminated with buttings housing large companiesiroifr Japan.f A wondrous sight from our hotel window.)

The eastern influence is apparent in what is becoming known as Austrian Cuisine. There is a heavy emphasis on seafood, which is plentiful and delicious. I can personally testify that the beef served was tough and tasteless.

A cosmopolitan advantage of the city was the availability of the theatre. We were there too late for the opera season at