John,
It was with great sadness that I read on your web-site that Donal had passed away in October. I always try to keep up with the news in Mallorca but have not had a chance to do so recently and didnīt know until now that he was no longer with us.
Donal was a great spirit, a great friend to all and had a sense of humour that was truly legendary. He could make anyone laugh even when you thought you were depressed or miserable Donal had a way of making any problem seem less important than living life and enjoying it. Donal helped put my life in perspective on many occasions and I will always be grateful for his friendship.
His Sunday lunches were known the world over for their largess and over indulgence in both food and drink, I have spent many a Sunday afternoon with friends enjoying a great lunch and listening to Donalīs stories that never grew old.
My sincere sympathies go to Pat, Phillipa, Olivia and all who knew and enjoyed Donal over the yearīs in Mallorca.
If anyone I have ever known lived true to the saying īCarpe Diemī was Donal Hughes and he will be sadly missed by my family, we were proud to call him a friend.
Best regards and condolences,
Roger Sowerbutts
Florida.
yachtlogic@aol.com
Letter Via Penny Roberts
(Sarah Cross attended the Penny Roberts Cookery School)
Hi,
Just like to say thanks to all those who have been asking how we are.
We know we are very lucky. Langkawi somehow didnīt get hit as big as Phuket to the north and Penang in Malaysia to the south. The marina here has been totally destroyed. Fortunately we were on the other side along with another boat and the only 2 to be untouched by the tsunami.
We watched the wave come in. It hit the floating pontoon and broke it up on impact. Boats bashed together others were thrown in the air and sank immediately. Out of 50 most were damaged in some way.
Many ended up on the rocks or with big holes. For the first few mins all we could do was watch in horror, then do the best to help people and their boats. It was a miracle that nobody was killed here. The local fishing villlage was also devastated.
As a result the captain of our boat sparked off an idea to send boats out here to help those in Aceh, as we are about the nearest port to Sumatra. Somehow the idea has snowballed and there have been many people who have supported the idea. So tomorrow morning there are 2 ships going out with crew and about 50 medical staff and tonnes of rice, water and supplies.
Olly, the amazing guy that he is, is among those sailing, so please save a prayer for him and all those involved. More boats are going out in the following days and the plan is to replace the crews after about 10 days. We have already had lots of people donating supplies and money and are in the process of getting a web site and account set up. There are, as you all must know, so many people out in Aceh in desparate need of help and we are just trying to help on a practical level and get what is needed to the people.
The name we are going under is -Wave of Mercy, Langkawi Link-, something that was just started by the
yachties in the area. The boat owners at the moment are lending their boats free of charge and all those going are volunteers, so all the money goes directly into paying for food and supplies for the crew and for those out in Aceh. I will keep you updated but any contacts you may have to help out would be great.
Thinking of you all
Take care and loads of love
Sarah Cross