The Antidote to Mina2Blog Withdrawal Symptoms. Enter Bertie.

Whilst Mina2 sits high and dry out of the water in Grenada, and I re-adapt to life onshore in London for the time-being, I’m told that some of the more dedicated Mina2 blogfans are suffering from withdrawal symptoms. One said it was like being deprived of her bedtime cup of Ovaltine, or the Archers suddenly going off the air. Fear not; for like the Fifth Cavalry charging over the hilltop (or, in my case, the Shetland Lifeboat looming over the horizon) rescue is at hand. Enter Bertie.

Bertie is a young lady. I have never met her, but we have a lot in common. I came across her blog by chance a few days ago. Last autumn (austral spring) she was working with Dave Roberts on Skip Novak’s Pelagic and has since transferred to Pelagic’s big sister, Pelagic Australis (www.pelagic.co.uk) . You may remember Dave was the ultra-cool Second Mate on Pelagic Australis when I went to Antarctica for a recce in 2011 to see if Mina2 and I were competent to go there ourselves (we weren’t, but we went anyway). So for the last six months or so Bertie has been to many of the places that Mina2 went to – the Falklands, Tierra Del Fuego and Antarctica.

Bertie’s blog is brilliant. I would like to think her style is very similar to my own, the only differences being that her adventures are MUCH more exciting than mine, her prose is MUCH better written, and her amusing observations and anecdotes are MUCH funnier. You will find Bertie at www.whereisbert.com. Go to the very beginning and read it right the way through. Enjoy.

(And if you’re reading this, Bertie – keep the blogs coming – for the next few months you’ll have the heavy responsibility of entertaining my blog fans as well as your own)

About Mina2

Tim Barker is a sailor and occasional adventurer. Since 2004, Mina2, his Oyster 485 yacht, and he (with the Downstairs Skipper and a wonderful bunch of friends) have sailed from the Arctic to the Antarctic and many places in between. Come join their adventures and read Tim's award winning blogs and journals from the comfort of your own computer screen.