VAN
Lucy was in the Philippines when I arrived in Perth, so it left me with a couple of weeks to source a van and kit it out for our time on the road. There are a lot of options in West Oz, you can hire a plain panel van, a campervan or, as we did, buy a van and kit it out. I guess it boils down to time. It’s probably going to take at least a week to sort the van and get on the road; if you’ve got the time, it’s a fun project. I used Gumtree to find the van, there’s a huge choice on there, so after a few days searching I’d found a good looking 2000 Ford Econovan with fewer k’s than the rest and a decent price. Most go for the slightly more trustworthy Hiace from Toyota, but on a budget the Ford was the best choice, they are cheap and there is an abundance of parts across Australia. Kitting it out was pretty straightforward. A top tip is to build the bed frame and legs at your desired height, then head to Ikea for the bed slats to support the mattress. It’s a lot cooler and the same price as the standard plywood platform and after a month of sailing your back will thank you. Probably the next top tip/essential would have to be a solar panel and fridge. There is a company called Super Cheap Auto and as the name would suggest their solar panel kits are cheap but the performance is anything but. This little addition transformed the van; suddenly wherever you go an ice cold beer was ready after sailing. Heaps of fresh veggies and no more dinners of pasta and tomato sauce that are the normal fare for a van trip. Oh last top tip, get a 12 volt fan, running off the solar panel powered spare battery, those hot nights on the road were bliss with the fan! Again we got that from Super Cheap Auto, which along with Gumtree proved to be invaluable when kitting out the van. Probably a little obvious, but not to be overlooked, is to get a mechanic to give your prospective van a decent check over. There is no such thing as an MOT in WA, so pretty much as long as you’ve paid the rego (registration), it’s road legal. With the K’s you’ll clock up, getting it checked out is pretty essential.
“ The conditions offer some of the best sailing to be had anywhere in the world. ”
WILDLIFE
Now what about the snakes, sharks and pretty much everything else in Australia that wants to kill you? Well, they are there! I’m pretty terrified of snakes, in fact they bring out a completely (almost) irrational anger. I think within an hour of Lucy arriving we’d accidently run one over as it lay on the warm evening tarmac. This led to me immediately pulling over and very timidly checking the wheel arches and underneath the van as apparently it’s common they find a way into the van and just appear when you least expect it. Thank goodness this wasn’t the case, I have no idea what I would have done if one were there! Lucy thought I’d lost the plot completely and in fact it wasn’t until a chat with a local chap a few days later confirming my suspicions about snakes and vans that she believed me.