We spent a very busy social week in Opua and I even managed to play a game of golf. We got very little done on the boat as we were just having so much fun on land. We had planned to come down here to Gulf Harbour, which is about 12 miles from downtown Auckland, and just take our time as it is about 100 plus miles from Opua but Marian got word that her Mum was not doing well in Ireland so we came straight here and arrived on Saturday November 27th and got the boat berthed. We made arrangement for Marian to fly to Vancouver then London and Dublin on Sunday. That night we received a call that her Mum had passed away. Very sad even though Margaret was 93 years old it always is a shock to know they are gone.
So Marian is now in freezing Ireland and I stayed here to get started on all our boat projects. I have been busy and have got a good start on most things. I will leave on Sunday the 12th for Vancouver where I will meet up with Marian and spend Christmas with all of our children and our 5 grand kids. We will be back here around the middle of January for the summer season and look forward to sailing and seeing New Zealand. We plan to bring Andrew, Lindsay and our two grandsons back for three weeks. Should be fun with the boys who are 5 and 3!!!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
In New Zealand
Hello from New Zealand,
It is amazing to us that we have sailed this far this last year and what was once a dream is now a reality.
We sailed from Nuie to the kingdom of Tonga in 36 hours and it was a great relief to get into calm waters that the Vavau group provides. The area is much like the gulf islands of BC with lots of small islands all over and white beaches with palm trees all around. We had a great time for two weeks here going to a couple of Tongan feasts, meeting up with lots of our friends that have got ahead of us. The people are very relaxed and friendly. We got to go out to a few of the reasturants run by expats who sailed in here and just stayed. All very nice with wifi connections that sort of worked sometimes!! From the Vavau group of island we sailed down sixty miles to the Haapai group of islands which are just atolls with no high ground but gorgeous surroundings. This is probably the prettiest area of the south pacific that we have found so far. We were invited to lunch at his house by one of the locals on Haafeva who was very insistent that they did not want any money or anything at all just for us to come. Well we went and had a great lunch of lobster, fish, breadfruit, pinapple etc. This was served in the living room (sort of) of his home. All the family was there to see us with all the kids running all around. We brought over a back pack and a big bag of stuff that we thought they may need. It was all much appreciated as these people do not have much. On the other hand they have never heard of work but grow what they need and catch what they want from the ocean so they really have no need for money. They have pigs, lots of pigs which are on all the islands here. There must be thousands of them on the islands of Tonga.
We spent a couple of days all by ourselves on deserted beaches walking, swimming and snorkeling before we headed to the southern group of Tongatapu and the main town of Nuku Alofa. We anchored by an island which has a bar restaurant called big Mummas. This is a very friendly cruiser place and has a launch that runs over to town. We spent the first day in town clearing out of the country doing all the paperwork etc then just wondered around the town. We had lunch at Friends, which Sarah will remember, bought bread and cakes at the bakery which has been operating since 1894, and just enjoyed the sites. The following day we took Kilkea to the fuel dock and filled up as we had a good looking weather window for the next day.
We would have liked to stay longer but the weather looked good for the 1050 mile passage to New Zealand and most all the other boats were taking off so like a little group of Charlie Brown characters we also left at noon. The first three days was windy and rough with winds up to 35k and rough seas that had everyone in the fleet feeling a little off. After that the winds dropped for us and we had 24 hours of good smooth sailing before the winds died completely and we had to run the engine for the last two days. It took us 6 days for the trip which was well ahead of most all the other yachts. There was a great welcome for us from the other yachties that were already here and the local marina has a big welcome week with all sorts of things set up to do. So the next morning we were off on a bus to visit some of the sites up to a town called Kerikeri. Lots of fun and even managed a visit to a vineyard to sample some of their wines. There is a BBQ tonight and tomorrow put on by different business`s plus some other stuff so we are still busy. We will get to the boat stuff next week.
From last November till this November we have sailed about 10000 miles so a busy year!!
It is amazing to us that we have sailed this far this last year and what was once a dream is now a reality.
We sailed from Nuie to the kingdom of Tonga in 36 hours and it was a great relief to get into calm waters that the Vavau group provides. The area is much like the gulf islands of BC with lots of small islands all over and white beaches with palm trees all around. We had a great time for two weeks here going to a couple of Tongan feasts, meeting up with lots of our friends that have got ahead of us. The people are very relaxed and friendly. We got to go out to a few of the reasturants run by expats who sailed in here and just stayed. All very nice with wifi connections that sort of worked sometimes!! From the Vavau group of island we sailed down sixty miles to the Haapai group of islands which are just atolls with no high ground but gorgeous surroundings. This is probably the prettiest area of the south pacific that we have found so far. We were invited to lunch at his house by one of the locals on Haafeva who was very insistent that they did not want any money or anything at all just for us to come. Well we went and had a great lunch of lobster, fish, breadfruit, pinapple etc. This was served in the living room (sort of) of his home. All the family was there to see us with all the kids running all around. We brought over a back pack and a big bag of stuff that we thought they may need. It was all much appreciated as these people do not have much. On the other hand they have never heard of work but grow what they need and catch what they want from the ocean so they really have no need for money. They have pigs, lots of pigs which are on all the islands here. There must be thousands of them on the islands of Tonga.
We spent a couple of days all by ourselves on deserted beaches walking, swimming and snorkeling before we headed to the southern group of Tongatapu and the main town of Nuku Alofa. We anchored by an island which has a bar restaurant called big Mummas. This is a very friendly cruiser place and has a launch that runs over to town. We spent the first day in town clearing out of the country doing all the paperwork etc then just wondered around the town. We had lunch at Friends, which Sarah will remember, bought bread and cakes at the bakery which has been operating since 1894, and just enjoyed the sites. The following day we took Kilkea to the fuel dock and filled up as we had a good looking weather window for the next day.
We would have liked to stay longer but the weather looked good for the 1050 mile passage to New Zealand and most all the other boats were taking off so like a little group of Charlie Brown characters we also left at noon. The first three days was windy and rough with winds up to 35k and rough seas that had everyone in the fleet feeling a little off. After that the winds dropped for us and we had 24 hours of good smooth sailing before the winds died completely and we had to run the engine for the last two days. It took us 6 days for the trip which was well ahead of most all the other yachts. There was a great welcome for us from the other yachties that were already here and the local marina has a big welcome week with all sorts of things set up to do. So the next morning we were off on a bus to visit some of the sites up to a town called Kerikeri. Lots of fun and even managed a visit to a vineyard to sample some of their wines. There is a BBQ tonight and tomorrow put on by different business`s plus some other stuff so we are still busy. We will get to the boat stuff next week.
From last November till this November we have sailed about 10000 miles so a busy year!!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Sailing the South Pacific
Hello all,
We very much enjoyed Tahaa and had two very good meals at the Yacht Club and a great walk to see the vanilla production. Lots of flowers on this island and the people are very friendly offering you rides as we were walking around. We do enjoy our walks as we do not get that sort of exercise on the boat. On the boat is more of a Tia Chi exercise as we are in constant movement opposite to that which the boat makes.
We had a very good short sail over to Bora Bora and after fueling up Kilkea we tied up to a mooring at the yacht club. The next day we rented a couple of bikes and rode around the island stopping for lunch and a beer here and there. Had lunch at a famous bar, at least for here, called Bloody Marys which boast sand under your feet which is not that novel for us!! Anyway Bora Bora is an atoll with all the motus on the surrounding reef and the famous mountain view in the middle. The water colours are many and very beautiful. Most all of the surrounding motus on the reefs have big hotels on them and you have to take a launch to get to them. Very quiet place and good for honey mooners. We found that after the Toamotus atolls that we were spoiled having seen such amazing reefs in there natural state.
We watch the weather closely and we saw an opportunity to move west so on Wednesday the 29th we headed off for Palmerston atoll in the Cook island group. We had easterly winds which were straight behind us all the way. On the first day out we had a problem with our main sail which kind of blew up and shredded. The uv from the sun and the heat play havock with sails but no problem we have a couple of spare mains we can put up. So it was down with the torn main and up with the spare except that the lead line to the halyard pulling up the sail broke!! Big problem. Now to get the halyard back I would have to go up the mast which is 65 feet above the deck and we were in 3 to 4 meter seas with 25knots of wind. This we decided was not a good idea at all!! Returning to Bora Bora was not on as we would be straight into the winds. No problem we had the forsail out on the pole and had to have it reefed with the wind anyway and we were doing seven to eight knots. There was one other problem with this as with the self furling system we have is in the mast and when there is no sail attached to the mandrel it bangs and bangs away against the inside of the mast. So for four days we are in three to four meter seas with winds twenty five to thirty with this constant banging going on. Not pleasant. After 680 miles and four days we arrived in Palmerston atol at noon on Sunday and managed to pick up a mooring of sorts on the outside of the atoll as there is no pass to get inside. The atol is about five by three miles. There is nowhere to anchor as there is the reef and a hundred feet past that the bottom drops to a thousand feet straight down. Sunday is a day of rest for the 67 prople who live here and they do nothing at all on Sundays which was fine with us as we were tired and I wanted to get up the mast. Even though we were on the west side of the atoll there still was a fair amount of movement on the boat but we had to get to work. So up the mast I go with the top pitching and rolling fifteen feet around the center and me with my legs wrapped around the top of the mast trying to feed the halyard back down through the inside of the mast. This is not easy when it is calm and it took about a hour before Marian secured the end of it and got me down. On landing back on deck I just lay there not feeling so good. Then I felt worse, as you feel when you get sea sick, Then it happened and after ten minutes I felt much better. Ug. I am calling this mast sickness. Anyway we managed to get the sail up before dark and went to bed early. But wait the sea gods had more for us to do as the wind changed to the west and now we are bouncing all up and down on an anchor that we do not have a lot of confidence in and the stern of the boat is only 50 feet away from the coral reef! Well we didn`t get much sleep and were glad in the morning when one of the local boats made its way to us and told us what we already knew that is was unsafe to stay where we were. We agreed and left the anchorage hoping to find somewhere on the other side of the atoll where we might anchor. We looked but with the easterly swell and beautiful surf ideal for the surfers of the world we reluctantly gave it up our visit to Palmerston and headed to Niue another 380 miles. Now we had wind on our nose so had to tack back and forth for a day until the wind dropped to nothing and we motored the rest of the way over to Niue where we are now.
I thought that I would try to put in writting what it is like to sleep on a boat that is in big following seas. Your bed is gyrating around all axis and you need to wedge yourself into whatever semi comfortable position you can. The first night is the hardest and by the third night you are so tired you don`t even notice the motion, at least not too much. If we could show this operation at a boat show I am sure they would sell a lot less boats! It took us eight days to do this last leg with 24 hours sort of off in Palmetston and was probably the toughest of any of our sails so far. The good news now is that we are on very strong moorings in Niue with a humpback whale and calf just off the stern of the boat with nice calm waters and are now going ashore for some dinner with a local couple that run the yacht club.
We very much enjoyed Tahaa and had two very good meals at the Yacht Club and a great walk to see the vanilla production. Lots of flowers on this island and the people are very friendly offering you rides as we were walking around. We do enjoy our walks as we do not get that sort of exercise on the boat. On the boat is more of a Tia Chi exercise as we are in constant movement opposite to that which the boat makes.
We had a very good short sail over to Bora Bora and after fueling up Kilkea we tied up to a mooring at the yacht club. The next day we rented a couple of bikes and rode around the island stopping for lunch and a beer here and there. Had lunch at a famous bar, at least for here, called Bloody Marys which boast sand under your feet which is not that novel for us!! Anyway Bora Bora is an atoll with all the motus on the surrounding reef and the famous mountain view in the middle. The water colours are many and very beautiful. Most all of the surrounding motus on the reefs have big hotels on them and you have to take a launch to get to them. Very quiet place and good for honey mooners. We found that after the Toamotus atolls that we were spoiled having seen such amazing reefs in there natural state.
We watch the weather closely and we saw an opportunity to move west so on Wednesday the 29th we headed off for Palmerston atoll in the Cook island group. We had easterly winds which were straight behind us all the way. On the first day out we had a problem with our main sail which kind of blew up and shredded. The uv from the sun and the heat play havock with sails but no problem we have a couple of spare mains we can put up. So it was down with the torn main and up with the spare except that the lead line to the halyard pulling up the sail broke!! Big problem. Now to get the halyard back I would have to go up the mast which is 65 feet above the deck and we were in 3 to 4 meter seas with 25knots of wind. This we decided was not a good idea at all!! Returning to Bora Bora was not on as we would be straight into the winds. No problem we had the forsail out on the pole and had to have it reefed with the wind anyway and we were doing seven to eight knots. There was one other problem with this as with the self furling system we have is in the mast and when there is no sail attached to the mandrel it bangs and bangs away against the inside of the mast. So for four days we are in three to four meter seas with winds twenty five to thirty with this constant banging going on. Not pleasant. After 680 miles and four days we arrived in Palmerston atol at noon on Sunday and managed to pick up a mooring of sorts on the outside of the atoll as there is no pass to get inside. The atol is about five by three miles. There is nowhere to anchor as there is the reef and a hundred feet past that the bottom drops to a thousand feet straight down. Sunday is a day of rest for the 67 prople who live here and they do nothing at all on Sundays which was fine with us as we were tired and I wanted to get up the mast. Even though we were on the west side of the atoll there still was a fair amount of movement on the boat but we had to get to work. So up the mast I go with the top pitching and rolling fifteen feet around the center and me with my legs wrapped around the top of the mast trying to feed the halyard back down through the inside of the mast. This is not easy when it is calm and it took about a hour before Marian secured the end of it and got me down. On landing back on deck I just lay there not feeling so good. Then I felt worse, as you feel when you get sea sick, Then it happened and after ten minutes I felt much better. Ug. I am calling this mast sickness. Anyway we managed to get the sail up before dark and went to bed early. But wait the sea gods had more for us to do as the wind changed to the west and now we are bouncing all up and down on an anchor that we do not have a lot of confidence in and the stern of the boat is only 50 feet away from the coral reef! Well we didn`t get much sleep and were glad in the morning when one of the local boats made its way to us and told us what we already knew that is was unsafe to stay where we were. We agreed and left the anchorage hoping to find somewhere on the other side of the atoll where we might anchor. We looked but with the easterly swell and beautiful surf ideal for the surfers of the world we reluctantly gave it up our visit to Palmerston and headed to Niue another 380 miles. Now we had wind on our nose so had to tack back and forth for a day until the wind dropped to nothing and we motored the rest of the way over to Niue where we are now.
I thought that I would try to put in writting what it is like to sleep on a boat that is in big following seas. Your bed is gyrating around all axis and you need to wedge yourself into whatever semi comfortable position you can. The first night is the hardest and by the third night you are so tired you don`t even notice the motion, at least not too much. If we could show this operation at a boat show I am sure they would sell a lot less boats! It took us eight days to do this last leg with 24 hours sort of off in Palmetston and was probably the toughest of any of our sails so far. The good news now is that we are on very strong moorings in Niue with a humpback whale and calf just off the stern of the boat with nice calm waters and are now going ashore for some dinner with a local couple that run the yacht club.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
another hike on Raiatea with a beautiful view
paddlers like to draft us leaving an anchorage
Marian pulling up the anchor
our creations making wreaths with tiara flowers
sunset in Huahaine
leaving Moorea in the evening
pumping out the dinghy after a nights rainfall if you look close you can see the water in the boat!!
walking through the pineapple fields
Moorea hike over looking Cook Bay
Moorea from TahitiHello,
We are still in French Polynesia on the island of Tahaa and it looks like we will be in the area for another week as the winds to move us west are not there. Tahaa is just twenty miles from Bora Bora from where we will head off from.
We flew back to Tahiti on the fourth of September and relaunched Kilkea II a couple of days later. We anchored outside Tahina Marina and did our provisioning and then sailed over to Moorea. We went for a good walk up through pineapple fields to a lookout where we could see over Cook bay where we were anchored. We couldn't resist and picked up a ripe pineapple and a couple of papayas. Nothing as good as fresh fruits and these were great. The weather has not been kind to us as we have had lots of wind and rain showers. We stayed at Cook bay for three days while the wind blew in the forty knot range.
We left Moorea and sailed up to Huahine, an overnight sail, and really enjoyed this island.When we were sailing that evening while Marian was on watch I was awoken by a lot of crashing around on deck. It sounded like someone was jumping up and down on the coach roof over my sleeping head. I jumped up and found Marian as confused as I was. It was not until morning that with the light we found very large fish scales all over the back deck. I guess it must have been a pretty big fish that landed on the boat and flipped itself off. We are used to the flying fish and squids but this was a first for a big fish to land on us! We sailed down the coast inside inside the reef with the colours just tremendous. All the different blues backed with green lush island makes a pretty picture. We had a very good meal in the south Anchorage and met with some interesting people. We even learned how to make floral wreath for our heads. The tiara flower smell beautiful.
We have had a few projects to do as we have gone along. Boats hate to sit and not be used. We had to replace out main engine raw water pump, which we brought back down with us from Canada, then it was the main bilge pump needed to be rebuilt, and then the main fresh water pump sprung a leak and we had to fix that. So as you see we are always busy fixing something as in this salt water enviroment which we live it is very hard on everything even us!!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
September 1st
Hello.
It has been one busy month in August. We hauled Kilkea and placed her on the hard in Papeete on the 2nd then flew up to LAX and Vancouver on the evening of the 3rd arriving here on the 4th. On Thursday we got the truck running and licenced then on Friday the 6th we flew over to Calgary to see our daughter Natalie who was about to deliver her first baby. We were having a nice evening with Natalie and Derek and another two couples when we received a call saying my Mother had passed away in Victoria. We returned to Vancouver then over to Victoria to deal with all things that needed to be done. Natalie delivered on Thursday the 12th, a little boy called Liam. On Friday we had Mums funeral and celebration of life. Saturday morning we helped move the last of her belongings from the apartment to her house at Brentwood then back to Vancouver on the ferry and then flew over to Calgary to greet Liam. It sure shows the circle of life with one going and one arriving. We were rather numb as we were very sad and happy at the same time. Marian stayed in Calgary for a week and then we were back to Victoria organize more of Mums estate. Today we have been home for four weeks and the whole time is a blur. We have just started doing our things to do and will be returning to Tahiti on Friday the 03rd of September.
Hello.
It has been one busy month in August. We hauled Kilkea and placed her on the hard in Papeete on the 2nd then flew up to LAX and Vancouver on the evening of the 3rd arriving here on the 4th. On Thursday we got the truck running and licenced then on Friday the 6th we flew over to Calgary to see our daughter Natalie who was about to deliver her first baby. We were having a nice evening with Natalie and Derek and another two couples when we received a call saying my Mother had passed away in Victoria. We returned to Vancouver then over to Victoria to deal with all things that needed to be done. Natalie delivered on Thursday the 12th, a little boy called Liam. On Friday we had Mums funeral and celebration of life. Saturday morning we helped move the last of her belongings from the apartment to her house at Brentwood then back to Vancouver on the ferry and then flew over to Calgary to greet Liam. It sure shows the circle of life with one going and one arriving. We were rather numb as we were very sad and happy at the same time. Marian stayed in Calgary for a week and then we were back to Victoria organize more of Mums estate. Today we have been home for four weeks and the whole time is a blur. We have just started doing our things to do and will be returning to Tahiti on Friday the 03rd of September.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
July 28th,
Finally I am adding some comments on this blog. When we put the pictures on last time it took four hours as the internet is slow when on the boat.
We are now in Tahiti. We arrived on the fourth of July to the downtown docks in Papeete from Toau in the Toamotus atolls. The Toamotus are just wonderful with reefs around these big lagoons. The colours of the water and corals cannot be explained adequately. We enjoyed the snorkelling through the passes with all the fishes and sharks. We spent a month in these atolls and could have spent years just gunk holing around. The people we met in the little villages were so nice and made us feel very welcome. There are 76 atolls there so you could never get tired of them.
We sailed the 200 plus miles down to Tahiti and since being here notice the cooler temperatures. At night now it goes down to 26 C and occasionally need a sheet on the bed. Papeete is a jumble of buildings and not that attractive. It does have a wonderful new park along the water front that we have enjoyed. July is the holiday and festive season here with lots of canoe races with up to 16 men in the boats. It is a great site to see twenty or so of these all out racing each other. They had these races most days we were downtown. It seems to be the number one pastime here to paddle an outrigger canoe. We went to the outdoor theatre which stages a celebration of the Tahitian life of old with all the dancing and singing. There were hundreds of dancers and could they move their bodies to the rhythms of the drums.
We had a few problems to fix up on the boat all electrical as two of our DC to DC converters had failed. This has caused us to have had one of our email systems down along with weather information and also to have our music offline. Now we have this fixed but it did take some time!!
We now are down at the bottom of the islands called Tahiti Iti with magnificent mountains and sharp knife edged peaks. Just like out of the movies and what you would think of at the mention of Tahiti. We have been going slow just relaxing with afternoon swims and evening drinks reading our books. Next week on August 02 we will haul Kilkea II out of the water and leave her for a month to return to Canada. We cannot wait to visit our new grandson Hudson who will be five months old. Also our daughter is having her first baby mid August in Calgary so we will be there for that event as well. We have been home for all our kids first babies!! Our plan now is to be back here in September and continue westwards to the Cook islands, Tonga, maybe Fiji, then down to New Zealand by the first of December. It will be busy as the distance is 2500 miles.
Sorry to be so late with this but maybe at home we can get a faster internet connection and get some more pictures on the blog.
Monday, July 12, 2010
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lots of Bananas in the Marquesas.JPG)
hiking in Daniels Bay Nuka Hiva.JPG)
Marians birthday!!
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ranchland and pine forests on top of Nuka Hiva
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view of Taiohae Bay where our boat is anchored.JPG)
amazing rock formations that are common here.JPG)
Tiki there are lots of these all over the place.JPG)
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after a hike up the hill this is the view of Anaho Bay. We are achored down there.JPG)
More rock formations
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Copra shed.JPG)
Flowers are everywhere, these are Bougainville.JPG)
Tiki.JPG)
The water is actually this colour in Tahuata island, Hane Moe Noa Bay.JPG)
Pamplemousse (grapefruit) and bananas,.JPG)
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anchored in Fatu Hiva Hanavave Bay.JPG)
Sunset after 16 days on the ocean
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Down wind sailing to Fatu Hiva
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Old man of the sea.JPG)
out on the ocean mid pacific.JPG)
Flying fish that we collect in the morningJuly 11,
Finally some pictures as far as the Marquesas. We are now in Papeete Tahiti in French Polynesia of which there are many different island groups. I will try to upload some more pictures tomorrow along with a brief log of our travels.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
June 14th, 2010
Hello, It is Sunday evening and we are now in Fakawara atoll on the south end. It is beautiful here with more white beaches, some rose coloured, green palms and blue waters of every shade. We arrived Friday afternoon and were invited onboard another Amel for drinks. Saturday morning we went with these folks, young people, Jamie and Lucy, to the pass on the south end and drift snorkeled through with the incoming tide. It was amazing as we were swimming with lots of black tip sharks lots of little fishes and some huge Nepolian fish which are amazing. You can google them and see what we saw. They were 50 lbs at least.
None of them take any interest in us which we are thankful for. It is quite intimidating when confronted with a six foot shark coming straight at you and does not turn away until it is four or five feet away. Once you have drifted through the deeper part of the pass you end up in a two to three knot stream 15 feet over corals of all shapes colours and sizes. It is like being in an Imax movie or just flying. We tow the dinghy all the way, not much work as it moves on its own, and when we stop we are back to where the boat is anchored. That is about 2 kms or more. It was so much fun we went back and did it again on our own. Later in the day we went for a dinghy ride and came across three nine foot Manta Rays which circled us. I should say that we are anchored in fifty feet of water and you can see the bottom clear as a bell so seeing sea life if wonderful. It is like swimming in air. That evening a Tahitian who owns a place invited all the cruisers for dinner. It was a great night with seventeen other yachties and we got back to the boat around eleven which is two hours after yachties midnight. The sunset was orange and totally surreal. It was a great day. Today we snorkeled through the pass again and again it was wonderful. We explored around this afternoon and had Jamie and Lucy over for sundowners. Another wonderful day.
None of them take any interest in us which we are thankful for. It is quite intimidating when confronted with a six foot shark coming straight at you and does not turn away until it is four or five feet away. Once you have drifted through the deeper part of the pass you end up in a two to three knot stream 15 feet over corals of all shapes colours and sizes. It is like being in an Imax movie or just flying. We tow the dinghy all the way, not much work as it moves on its own, and when we stop we are back to where the boat is anchored. That is about 2 kms or more. It was so much fun we went back and did it again on our own. Later in the day we went for a dinghy ride and came across three nine foot Manta Rays which circled us. I should say that we are anchored in fifty feet of water and you can see the bottom clear as a bell so seeing sea life if wonderful. It is like swimming in air. That evening a Tahitian who owns a place invited all the cruisers for dinner. It was a great night with seventeen other yachties and we got back to the boat around eleven which is two hours after yachties midnight. The sunset was orange and totally surreal. It was a great day. Today we snorkeled through the pass again and again it was wonderful. We explored around this afternoon and had Jamie and Lucy over for sundowners. Another wonderful day.
Hello all. Time flies and now it is June 07. We really enjoyed our time in the Marquesas. We loved the time cleaning up the boat Tahuata with the blue blue waters. Then we went up to Nuku Hiva where there are more facilities. Ice cream and pizzas which were a nice change. We celebrated Marian's Birthday by driving around the island and finishing the day with chocolate cake.
The drive around the island was a real surprise as we were up above 3500 feet elevation with cool winds which we found very strange. Now if the temperature goes below 27 we start looking for sweaters. In the inland parts of the island we found pine forests and grazing land for cattle and in the west we were in dessert. We left the main road as we had a 4x4 and drove along a rough road on the north coast which is very indented with small coves and beaches. There is
one town on this side of the island, which we walked to a few days before from Anaho Bay where we had a great lunch. John Cheryl and Ian (Sea Mist) were with us and we finished the day back on Kilkea having chocolate cake made by a French pastry chef which was magnificent.
We did move around different anchorages on Nuku Hiva and did some wonderful walks. In Danials Bay we walked for a couple of hours up to a water fall in a canyon that is said to be the third highest in the world. It was a beautiful walk even though we had some showers on the way. All over the islands here there are all these fruits that you just pick up and our boat is full of bananas, mangoes, grapefruit which taste so good.
We left for the Tuamotu atolls some 500 miles away. It took us three and a half days to do the crossing arriving in Kaueai in time for drinks on Sea Mist. This crossing was not the nicest as we had squalls and cross seas with winds up to 40 knots. Probably the worst weather we have had since the Med. Once you come through the reef which opens into the lagoon everything calms down. The inside of this atoll it is 10 miles across and 15 or so long and you cannot see
one side from the other as the highest points are palm trees. The people we have met are very friendly and the children interested in us. The main occupation here is copra, pearl farming and collecting sea cucumbers that they smoke and send to Japan. There are 76 atolls in the Toamotu and if you have a chance check them out on Google earth.
We plan to be in the atolls for another couple of weeks or so and then move to Tahiti which is now less than two hundred miles away. We will be in that area all of July then in August we will fly back to Vancouver for Natalies first baby, our fifth grandchild, a wedding, and seeing family and friends before coming back in September to continue towards Tonga, Fiji, and on to New Zealand.
The drive around the island was a real surprise as we were up above 3500 feet elevation with cool winds which we found very strange. Now if the temperature goes below 27 we start looking for sweaters. In the inland parts of the island we found pine forests and grazing land for cattle and in the west we were in dessert. We left the main road as we had a 4x4 and drove along a rough road on the north coast which is very indented with small coves and beaches. There is
one town on this side of the island, which we walked to a few days before from Anaho Bay where we had a great lunch. John Cheryl and Ian (Sea Mist) were with us and we finished the day back on Kilkea having chocolate cake made by a French pastry chef which was magnificent.
We did move around different anchorages on Nuku Hiva and did some wonderful walks. In Danials Bay we walked for a couple of hours up to a water fall in a canyon that is said to be the third highest in the world. It was a beautiful walk even though we had some showers on the way. All over the islands here there are all these fruits that you just pick up and our boat is full of bananas, mangoes, grapefruit which taste so good.
We left for the Tuamotu atolls some 500 miles away. It took us three and a half days to do the crossing arriving in Kaueai in time for drinks on Sea Mist. This crossing was not the nicest as we had squalls and cross seas with winds up to 40 knots. Probably the worst weather we have had since the Med. Once you come through the reef which opens into the lagoon everything calms down. The inside of this atoll it is 10 miles across and 15 or so long and you cannot see
one side from the other as the highest points are palm trees. The people we have met are very friendly and the children interested in us. The main occupation here is copra, pearl farming and collecting sea cucumbers that they smoke and send to Japan. There are 76 atolls in the Toamotu and if you have a chance check them out on Google earth.
We plan to be in the atolls for another couple of weeks or so and then move to Tahiti which is now less than two hundred miles away. We will be in that area all of July then in August we will fly back to Vancouver for Natalies first baby, our fifth grandchild, a wedding, and seeing family and friends before coming back in September to continue towards Tonga, Fiji, and on to New Zealand.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Hello from the Marquesas. We made the 3000 mile passage in sixteen and a
half days which is much better than we had hoped. The last four days we
had the twin sails set and ran downwind straight to Fatu Hiva. Comparing
this passage to the Atlantic ones we have done this was a piece of cake.
The winds were fifteen knots on average and from the south east or east.
The sun shone everyday and we had no rain at all. We did manage to read a
few books and enjoy the view of miles and miles of ocean. It was nice to
make a landfall.
Fatu Hiva is a very dramatic islands of vertical rock formations and lush
vegetation. You can see why this place was so wonderful for the peoples of
the pacific as the sea is full of fish and on land there is coconuts,
papaya, lemon and limes, and the most wonderful tasting grapefruits that
are just huge and sweet. Also lots of tubers that we have no idea and lots
of bread fruit. So l guess there was no need to work too hard in those
days and for the locals here not much has changed. We were invited to a
lunch with a group of other yachties. The pig was killed along with some
chickens and a goat and put in a fire pit and buried with banana leaves
for a few hours. It was great and eaten with our fingers along with rice,
plantain, banana. Also there was a ceviche of fish and limes that was out
of this world. As I said there is an abundance of food here and by the
size of some of the people it would seem they enjoy it all very much.
We left Fatu Hiva for Hive Oha, about 40 miles and anchored outside the
breakwater as the boats inside were stern anchored and cheek to jowl and
we were the only ones outside and it was ok. We went to town the next day
and cleared into the country which was very easy and then went and did
some shopping for fresh vegetables and bread and baguettes. Nice to be
back in a French country. The town is very small and the one claim to fame
is that the artist Paul Gauguin lived and died here and there is a very
good gallery with copies of many of his works. If he lived today he would
probably be put in jail. He did like the young girls. We spent just the
day and left in the afternoon for Tahuata about six miles away and found
the lovely bay that was calm and the water was the colour of Sapphire gin
and crystal clear. We have been here for five days and have enjoyed some
down time and have managed to do a complete cleaning job on Kilkea as she
was covered in salt and grime. It is amazing how dirty a boat can get in
the ocean. Now the stainless is polished and the topsides are all waxed so
we look pretty good. Tomorrow we are off to Ua Pou for a couple of days as
the books say it is the most dramatic of the islands. Next will be Nuku
Hiva which is the busiest of the island with the most shops etc. Also the
big deal there will be the Internet so we can catch up with the world and
our family and friends.
half days which is much better than we had hoped. The last four days we
had the twin sails set and ran downwind straight to Fatu Hiva. Comparing
this passage to the Atlantic ones we have done this was a piece of cake.
The winds were fifteen knots on average and from the south east or east.
The sun shone everyday and we had no rain at all. We did manage to read a
few books and enjoy the view of miles and miles of ocean. It was nice to
make a landfall.
Fatu Hiva is a very dramatic islands of vertical rock formations and lush
vegetation. You can see why this place was so wonderful for the peoples of
the pacific as the sea is full of fish and on land there is coconuts,
papaya, lemon and limes, and the most wonderful tasting grapefruits that
are just huge and sweet. Also lots of tubers that we have no idea and lots
of bread fruit. So l guess there was no need to work too hard in those
days and for the locals here not much has changed. We were invited to a
lunch with a group of other yachties. The pig was killed along with some
chickens and a goat and put in a fire pit and buried with banana leaves
for a few hours. It was great and eaten with our fingers along with rice,
plantain, banana. Also there was a ceviche of fish and limes that was out
of this world. As I said there is an abundance of food here and by the
size of some of the people it would seem they enjoy it all very much.
We left Fatu Hiva for Hive Oha, about 40 miles and anchored outside the
breakwater as the boats inside were stern anchored and cheek to jowl and
we were the only ones outside and it was ok. We went to town the next day
and cleared into the country which was very easy and then went and did
some shopping for fresh vegetables and bread and baguettes. Nice to be
back in a French country. The town is very small and the one claim to fame
is that the artist Paul Gauguin lived and died here and there is a very
good gallery with copies of many of his works. If he lived today he would
probably be put in jail. He did like the young girls. We spent just the
day and left in the afternoon for Tahuata about six miles away and found
the lovely bay that was calm and the water was the colour of Sapphire gin
and crystal clear. We have been here for five days and have enjoyed some
down time and have managed to do a complete cleaning job on Kilkea as she
was covered in salt and grime. It is amazing how dirty a boat can get in
the ocean. Now the stainless is polished and the topsides are all waxed so
we look pretty good. Tomorrow we are off to Ua Pou for a couple of days as
the books say it is the most dramatic of the islands. Next will be Nuku
Hiva which is the busiest of the island with the most shops etc. Also the
big deal there will be the Internet so we can catch up with the world and
our family and friends.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Hello All,
Just a quick note to let you know that David and Marian hit land after 16 and a half days at sea, safe and sound. They reached Hanavave Bay, Fatu Hiva on the 7th, and we managed to speak with them via Skype on the 13th. They have moved on to the island of Tahuata '"which is small with a beautiful bay with a white sand beach and Sapphire blue water". We don't expect to hear from them for at least another week.
Eamon keeps wondering when they will be home, we hope to see Granny and Granddad this summer.
Lindsay
Just a quick note to let you know that David and Marian hit land after 16 and a half days at sea, safe and sound. They reached Hanavave Bay, Fatu Hiva on the 7th, and we managed to speak with them via Skype on the 13th. They have moved on to the island of Tahuata '"which is small with a beautiful bay with a white sand beach and Sapphire blue water". We don't expect to hear from them for at least another week.
Eamon keeps wondering when they will be home, we hope to see Granny and Granddad this summer.
Lindsay
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Hello, Well we are still out hear drifting along on this big blue ocean. It seems timeless as everyday seems the same as the last one. I made the mistake of saying we might arrive on Wed or Thur but now because of the light winds it is looking like Friday. It is Monday and we are at s09 42 and w130 43. We have been reading lots of books and trying to get enough sleep. Some days are easy to sleep when the boat is going fast but when it is slow like now she tends to pitch and roll a lot and you do the same. We now have 480 miles to go and are looking forward to a cold beer.
Thanks Lindsay for posting these thoughts. We have not heard from any of you for a while so send us a note telling us what is happening in your lives. It makes our day much brighter. Lots of love to you all M&D.
Thanks Lindsay for posting these thoughts. We have not heard from any of you for a while so send us a note telling us what is happening in your lives. It makes our day much brighter. Lots of love to you all M&D.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Hello all today Friday the 30th of April we are at S07 48 and W 122 52.
This is just about due south of Vancouver. The last couple of days have
been very nice with winds from the south east at around 15 knots and the
seas slight. We are still making good time and should be in Fatu Hiva on
the 5th or 6th of May. We now are down to 955 miles to go. Every morning
we have to clear the decks of flying fish as they keep crashing into the
boat all night long. You sure wouldn't starve out here. It helps that we
have the hard dodger as it blocks them from hitting us. We have heard of
people on boats with open cockpits wearing bike helmets at night to
protect them from the fishes. They sure make a wack when they hit. Other
than that our days blend one into another and if we did not have computers
and calendars we would not know what day it is. Nice to really get away
from it all.
This is just about due south of Vancouver. The last couple of days have
been very nice with winds from the south east at around 15 knots and the
seas slight. We are still making good time and should be in Fatu Hiva on
the 5th or 6th of May. We now are down to 955 miles to go. Every morning
we have to clear the decks of flying fish as they keep crashing into the
boat all night long. You sure wouldn't starve out here. It helps that we
have the hard dodger as it blocks them from hitting us. We have heard of
people on boats with open cockpits wearing bike helmets at night to
protect them from the fishes. They sure make a wack when they hit. Other
than that our days blend one into another and if we did not have computers
and calendars we would not know what day it is. Nice to really get away
from it all.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
April 27th at S05 50 and W114 17. Well this is day eight and we are just
half way there, were ever there is. Oh that would be the Marquesas
islands. It is good to have half the journey complete and hope the second
is as good as the first. For the first six days we averaged around 200
miles as day and now have less winds and are doing about 175 a day. The
moon is going to be full tomorrow and it sure is bright. Even at night the
sky is still blue and you could read a book by the moonlight. Our days
seem to be broken into three parts. Sleep, eat, and read up on all the
places we plan to visit. We have four books on the south pacific
anchorages and countries so are trying to get them organized in our heads
of which ones are where. You would think that we would be bored out here
but time seems to just fly by and we are not. Mind you sleeping on a bed
that is not moving all over the place would be nice. Right now we are over
1500 miles to the nearest land so feel rather isolated. Sure is a lot of
water in this world.
half way there, were ever there is. Oh that would be the Marquesas
islands. It is good to have half the journey complete and hope the second
is as good as the first. For the first six days we averaged around 200
miles as day and now have less winds and are doing about 175 a day. The
moon is going to be full tomorrow and it sure is bright. Even at night the
sky is still blue and you could read a book by the moonlight. Our days
seem to be broken into three parts. Sleep, eat, and read up on all the
places we plan to visit. We have four books on the south pacific
anchorages and countries so are trying to get them organized in our heads
of which ones are where. You would think that we would be bored out here
but time seems to just fly by and we are not. Mind you sleeping on a bed
that is not moving all over the place would be nice. Right now we are over
1500 miles to the nearest land so feel rather isolated. Sure is a lot of
water in this world.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Hello all it Saturday the 24th of April and we are in the big Blue at
position S03 48 W104 07. The weather is great with clear skys and winds
from the SE at 15 to 20 knots. Great sailing for our boat as we are
averaging over 8.5k for the first four days and have sailed over 800 miles
so far. 200 miles a day is very good for any sail boat. We left with Sea
Mist and are pulling away from them at about 15 miles a day. In the
morning there are lots of squid and flying fish on board. They seem to hit
the boat when the moon is down. Right now the moon is rising so we have
terrific visibility at night but when it is down there is great
phosphorescence in the water with our wake trailing off in the distance. We
are into our watch system now and feeling rested and relaxed. Marian is
knitting away for the new grand baby due in August. All is well.
position S03 48 W104 07. The weather is great with clear skys and winds
from the SE at 15 to 20 knots. Great sailing for our boat as we are
averaging over 8.5k for the first four days and have sailed over 800 miles
so far. 200 miles a day is very good for any sail boat. We left with Sea
Mist and are pulling away from them at about 15 miles a day. In the
morning there are lots of squid and flying fish on board. They seem to hit
the boat when the moon is down. Right now the moon is rising so we have
terrific visibility at night but when it is down there is great
phosphorescence in the water with our wake trailing off in the distance. We
are into our watch system now and feeling rested and relaxed. Marian is
knitting away for the new grand baby due in August. All is well.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Hello from Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island Galapagos,
We have been having a blast. We spent just three days in Santa Cruise
island as the anchorage was very rolly! Just like a rough day on the high
seas. We did have a good time seeing Lonesome George at the Darwin center
along with lots of other Tortoises some of which were just huge. George is
the last of his line and they are trying to get him to mate but so far
with no luck. They think he is 150 years or older and he is the last of
one of his species left. The day we were at the center it was really hot
so I guess that is why we were the only people there. Actually there are
few tourists here at least in large groups so are not noticeable. We ran
into other friends here and had drinks and dinners out which was nice.
Marian and I did a wonderful walk through one of the parks to a beach with
talcum powder sand. Lots of surf and at the other end a calmer beach where
one could swim. Again lots of Iguanas, seals and blue footed boobies which
are Marian's favorites.
We then set off for Isabela and Puerto Villamil where we have been
anchored since Monday evening. You would not believe from the sea that
there is an anchorage here as all you can see is surf breaking on the
shore and rock everywhere. Thank heavens there is GPS and coordinates from
blogs of other cruisers who have been here before and published them.
Anyway the anchorage although small is very calm and relaxing. We have
been up to the conservation center here where again they are doing a great
job of saving the tortoises and rebuilding the population. The authorities
have done a good job which is ongoing to rid the islands of introduced
species which have caused so much trouble for the indigenous animals. The
likes of rats, goats, cats etc have caused much trouble for the indigenous
animals. Even ants are a problem for the turtle and tortoise eggs.
On Friday the 16th our oldest grandson, Eamon, had his fifth birthday and
we did a tour by boat to some old lave tunnels that are reached by surfing
our charter boat with two hundred horse power engines through some pretty
big breaking waves into an area of calm clear waters of little bays that
are all arches that you go under and around. Hard to explain but full of
fishes and big turtles and amazing colours. Then it was out through the
surf and into another area through the surf again to an area where we
could go snorkeling. This place is like living in a national geographic
travel log. There are fishes and octopus with giant turtles cruising all
around as well as many six foot or so size white tip sharks. The sharks
seem to be resting under the rocks and in the caves which are everywhere.
I don't know how many we saw but we saw a lot and after the first nervous
moments it was actually a lot of fun to swim with them. They are very
stream lined and quick with their movements but seem to care little of our
presence. We had a great day of it and took a video of the sharks which
turned out very well.
Tomorrow we are going up to the volcano to do a walk around the rim. It
will push us a bit as it is 26 kilometers so I'm sure the beer will taste
especially good tomorrow evening when we get back to the boat.
Well our walk was actually 36 kilometers so the beer tasted really good. It was a great day with spectacular views of the second largest crater in the world. We walked right along the rim for a long way then had lunch. Then it was a walk on the north side of the crater onto the lava flows. It was so hot underfoot that my old running shoes soles fell off!! They were old anyway and my sandals were ok. The last eruption was in 2005 so the area is still very active with
hot steam vents and all. The colours of the different eruptions are amazing with all shades or red, yellow, purple etc. Then it was back the way we had come. The last hour it rained and the path was very muddy and slippery and I managed to slip and fall a couple of times. Just like a little kid I was covered in mud when we got back to the parking lot.
On Monday we spent six hours trying to get our exit papers sorted out!! It should have taken about five minutes but this is Ecuador. Fifteen men to do one mans work. We got back to the boat around 4pm. We put the dinghy onboard and had everything ready to go in the morning.
Tuesday April 20th we pulled up the anchor at 0630 and headed off for the Marguesas. We have had a couple of good days so far having had a 191 mile day and a 205 mile day. Sea Mist is close by so we are in communication with them which makes it less lonely out here. Right now it is 0700 local on April 22nd and all is well.
Monday if we can get all the paper work done we will be off to the
Marquesas islands 3000 miles away so will try to update the blog via the
sat phone.
We have been having a blast. We spent just three days in Santa Cruise
island as the anchorage was very rolly! Just like a rough day on the high
seas. We did have a good time seeing Lonesome George at the Darwin center
along with lots of other Tortoises some of which were just huge. George is
the last of his line and they are trying to get him to mate but so far
with no luck. They think he is 150 years or older and he is the last of
one of his species left. The day we were at the center it was really hot
so I guess that is why we were the only people there. Actually there are
few tourists here at least in large groups so are not noticeable. We ran
into other friends here and had drinks and dinners out which was nice.
Marian and I did a wonderful walk through one of the parks to a beach with
talcum powder sand. Lots of surf and at the other end a calmer beach where
one could swim. Again lots of Iguanas, seals and blue footed boobies which
are Marian's favorites.
We then set off for Isabela and Puerto Villamil where we have been
anchored since Monday evening. You would not believe from the sea that
there is an anchorage here as all you can see is surf breaking on the
shore and rock everywhere. Thank heavens there is GPS and coordinates from
blogs of other cruisers who have been here before and published them.
Anyway the anchorage although small is very calm and relaxing. We have
been up to the conservation center here where again they are doing a great
job of saving the tortoises and rebuilding the population. The authorities
have done a good job which is ongoing to rid the islands of introduced
species which have caused so much trouble for the indigenous animals. The
likes of rats, goats, cats etc have caused much trouble for the indigenous
animals. Even ants are a problem for the turtle and tortoise eggs.
On Friday the 16th our oldest grandson, Eamon, had his fifth birthday and
we did a tour by boat to some old lave tunnels that are reached by surfing
our charter boat with two hundred horse power engines through some pretty
big breaking waves into an area of calm clear waters of little bays that
are all arches that you go under and around. Hard to explain but full of
fishes and big turtles and amazing colours. Then it was out through the
surf and into another area through the surf again to an area where we
could go snorkeling. This place is like living in a national geographic
travel log. There are fishes and octopus with giant turtles cruising all
around as well as many six foot or so size white tip sharks. The sharks
seem to be resting under the rocks and in the caves which are everywhere.
I don't know how many we saw but we saw a lot and after the first nervous
moments it was actually a lot of fun to swim with them. They are very
stream lined and quick with their movements but seem to care little of our
presence. We had a great day of it and took a video of the sharks which
turned out very well.
Tomorrow we are going up to the volcano to do a walk around the rim. It
will push us a bit as it is 26 kilometers so I'm sure the beer will taste
especially good tomorrow evening when we get back to the boat.
Well our walk was actually 36 kilometers so the beer tasted really good. It was a great day with spectacular views of the second largest crater in the world. We walked right along the rim for a long way then had lunch. Then it was a walk on the north side of the crater onto the lava flows. It was so hot underfoot that my old running shoes soles fell off!! They were old anyway and my sandals were ok. The last eruption was in 2005 so the area is still very active with
hot steam vents and all. The colours of the different eruptions are amazing with all shades or red, yellow, purple etc. Then it was back the way we had come. The last hour it rained and the path was very muddy and slippery and I managed to slip and fall a couple of times. Just like a little kid I was covered in mud when we got back to the parking lot.
On Monday we spent six hours trying to get our exit papers sorted out!! It should have taken about five minutes but this is Ecuador. Fifteen men to do one mans work. We got back to the boat around 4pm. We put the dinghy onboard and had everything ready to go in the morning.
Tuesday April 20th we pulled up the anchor at 0630 and headed off for the Marguesas. We have had a couple of good days so far having had a 191 mile day and a 205 mile day. Sea Mist is close by so we are in communication with them which makes it less lonely out here. Right now it is 0700 local on April 22nd and all is well.
Monday if we can get all the paper work done we will be off to the
Marquesas islands 3000 miles away so will try to update the blog via the
sat phone.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
.JPG)
90 Kilo Tortoise.JPG)
Marian getting up close to a Blue Footed Boobie.JPG)
Seals get on every ones boatsHello on Saturday Marian went over to a beach and managed to get within a couple of feet of the Blue footed boobies. He seemed to have little concern of our approach but was well aware we were there. We saw Iguanas that were a couple of feet long and swim in the ocean.
On Sunday we did a day trip. We walked around the rim of an old volcano which is now filled with water and is the supply for the islands use. As you drive up the hillsides you go through five different climate zones from the more dessert shoreline thru forests and jungle to grass lands all in a few miles. We then went to the breeding center for one of the tortoise types (there are 11). We saw some big ones and some babies and it is amazing that these little things can grow that big around 90 kilos. Ones on the other islands we will visit go up to 200 kilos!
After this we went for a walk down by the ocean to a lovely beach for a swim before heading back up the mountains for lunch in a garden setting for a three course meal. Lots of fresh fruit and fresh juice a mixture of mango, papaya, passion fruit, and who know what else. It was delicious. We then walked around a farm where all this fruit is grown and picked up a couple of papaya for ourselves.
We got back to the boat around 1630 and had an early night. Nice way to spend Easter Sunday.
On Monday Marian had a quiet day doing boat stuff and I went ashore and walked out to the lighthouse and watched the kids surfing on 15 foot waves. Wish I was younger and could do that. That evening we were invited over to Sea Mist for and Easter dinner which was great a Cheryl went all out. We take water taxi's here as if you don't the sea lions will be all over them.
Tuesday was a work day for us as we had a problem with the batteries overcharging on the way here. So we found an electrician who came out to the boat and found that our voltage regulator was shot. We then tested the batteries as we heated them up pretty good and found one is no good. This morning Wednesday we are going into town to talk about what we can do. I believe that he already has another battery ordered and hope he can get regulator Fed Ex'd down but am not holding our breath on that one. We can operated just fine without this as we have four ways of charging the batteries on this boat. Cruising is not all fun!!!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Hello from the Galapagos islands. We arrived on April 02 at 1600 hrs. We had a couple of drinks a light dinner then a good nights sleep. We are in Wreck Bay on San Cristobal island and will be here for a week. On the way along side the island we nearly ran over a couple of turtles in a romantic embrace. They were the size of a Volkswagon car! When we anchored we had our agent onboard along with two other officials and on Friday morning we had to go up to Immigration for formalities. We may get the passports back today? For the rest of Friday we walked around the town which is very nice and clean then went to the Interpretive center which is very well set up. Then Marian and John (Sea Mist) and I went for a walk on trails over the laval rock up to lookouts over the bay and ocean. A beautiful walk for three hours or so then it was to a small outdoor cafe where we had a couple of beers (one liter in size) and a great hamburger. An early night last night. Being Easter weekend not much is open so we will not start doing tours until Monday but may take a cab to some of the research places today.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
March 31st 1900hrs position N00 32 0 W087 40 0.
You will find this strange but as we get closer to the equator the
temperature is cooling down!! It is right now about 8C cooler than the
last month or so. It is very nice!! Down to 28C with low humidity. Today
has been great with winds out of the SE at 15k and we are sailing at 7.5k
so making good progress. The plan now is to be in Wreck Bay tomorrow
evening around 1600 hrs. We have just watched a pacific sunset and now
have some birds that are looking for a roost for the night. We have them
most every night somewhere on the boat. All is well.
You will find this strange but as we get closer to the equator the
temperature is cooling down!! It is right now about 8C cooler than the
last month or so. It is very nice!! Down to 28C with low humidity. Today
has been great with winds out of the SE at 15k and we are sailing at 7.5k
so making good progress. The plan now is to be in Wreck Bay tomorrow
evening around 1600 hrs. We have just watched a pacific sunset and now
have some birds that are looking for a roost for the night. We have them
most every night somewhere on the boat. All is well.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Hello it is Tuesday the 30th of March. Our position is N02 02 00 W 85 20
22 and it is 1900 local time.
The last two nights were very different as on Sunday we had a big moon and
calm seas where as Monday night it was rain wind and thunder and
lightning. So we had a good night sleeping on Sunday and not so much last
night. Today had been calm with dolphins around the boat and this evening
we are sailing again with the winds out of the south east. Marian has the
first rest period for five hours starting at 2000 until 0100 then I am off
watch until 0600. This way we both get a good sleep and then we have a
rest during the day. The view changes all the time with different cloud
formations and colours of the water. Some would say boring but we find it
very relaxing and serene. We may make it into Wreck Bay by Thursday
evening but it will depend on the winds.
22 and it is 1900 local time.
The last two nights were very different as on Sunday we had a big moon and
calm seas where as Monday night it was rain wind and thunder and
lightning. So we had a good night sleeping on Sunday and not so much last
night. Today had been calm with dolphins around the boat and this evening
we are sailing again with the winds out of the south east. Marian has the
first rest period for five hours starting at 2000 until 0100 then I am off
watch until 0600. This way we both get a good sleep and then we have a
rest during the day. The view changes all the time with different cloud
formations and colours of the water. Some would say boring but we find it
very relaxing and serene. We may make it into Wreck Bay by Thursday
evening but it will depend on the winds.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Note: Lindsay here posting for David and Marian, hope this works! Here are their further adventures. Enjoy.
Hello from the Pacific position N05 00 and W81 43. We finally have left
Panama after days of provisioning the boat and fixing odds and ends. It
was and still is very hot. Doing all the work up masts and shopping was
all the more difficult in the heat. (mid to high 30's) Anyway the boat now
floats a couple of inches lower with all the food and beverages we put on
board. With beer being 9.50 for 24 we have a good supply. Even Marian
likes a cold one in this weather!
We left Panama city on the 19th for the Las Perlas islands which were
wonderful. Beautiful beaches of white sand on a multitude of islands and
islets and no one anywhere near. We spent a week there and enjoyed the
company of Sea Mist who we are travelling with us right now.
On Saturday the 27th, Nevan's 35th birthday, We pulled up anchor at 0530 and
headed off for the Galapagos islands some thousand miles away. All of
Saturday and until early this afternoon we have had good winds and have
moved a couple of hundred miles closer to our destination. Now we are
just entering the ITCZ which is the inter-tropical convergence zone better
know as the doldrums where the winds are minimal and the weather is
unpredictable. We hope to be through this area by tomorrow evening and
start to pick up the SE trade winds. It is great to be back on the ocean.
Hello from the Pacific position N05 00 and W81 43. We finally have left
Panama after days of provisioning the boat and fixing odds and ends. It
was and still is very hot. Doing all the work up masts and shopping was
all the more difficult in the heat. (mid to high 30's) Anyway the boat now
floats a couple of inches lower with all the food and beverages we put on
board. With beer being 9.50 for 24 we have a good supply. Even Marian
likes a cold one in this weather!
We left Panama city on the 19th for the Las Perlas islands which were
wonderful. Beautiful beaches of white sand on a multitude of islands and
islets and no one anywhere near. We spent a week there and enjoyed the
company of Sea Mist who we are travelling with us right now.
On Saturday the 27th, Nevan's 35th birthday, We pulled up anchor at 0530 and
headed off for the Galapagos islands some thousand miles away. All of
Saturday and until early this afternoon we have had good winds and have
moved a couple of hundred miles closer to our destination. Now we are
just entering the ITCZ which is the inter-tropical convergence zone better
know as the doldrums where the winds are minimal and the weather is
unpredictable. We hope to be through this area by tomorrow evening and
start to pick up the SE trade winds. It is great to be back on the ocean.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Hello everyone from the Las Perlas islands. These islands are 50 miles off the Panamian coast and are just beautiful!! White sand beaches with not a person around and no boats. We are with Sea Mist and enjoying some quiet down time. We have just applied for our permits in the Galapagos and will probably be here for another week waiting for some friendly winds so we will not have to motor all the way. This is no be problem as it is gorgeous. We have just sailed up to the only internet place which is where they filmed survivor so not too bad. Having a beer and catching up on the emails. I will be trying to send an update to the blog via our daughter in law Lindsay via our new Iridium email service. Hope it works.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Well we are in the Pacific in Panama City. The trip through the Canal was wonderful. First we left the marina on Thursday and went up the Chagras river six miles to the dam which holds the waters for Gatun lake. The trip up the river was like being in Disneyland but much, much better. It is a true tropical rain forest and the river has alligators and tarpon in the waters. There are parrots and so many other screeching birds with a multitude of colours in the trees. There are two type of monkeys the little ones jump great distances in the tree tops and the others are called howler monkeys and do they howl. After spending a quiet and calm night it was time to go back to the marina at Shelter Bay and pick up our line handlers, (four extra crew). After leaving our anchorage we sailed down the calm river only to find the entrance, which is guarded by Fort Lorenzo, to have two to three meter breaking waves coming over the bar. It was an interesting ride out with us showing depths of only two meters at times. It is very interesting to be going uphill in a sail boat!!
Leaving the marina we went over to an area called the flats which is just off Colon to wait for our advisor to arrive. Once we had him on board we went up to the entrance of the Gatun locks and rafted with two other sail boats with us in the middle. Then it was into the first lock behind a huge freighter and up we went. There are three locks here and it took just over an hour to get through into the lake. Once there we unrafted the boats and went to a couple of big mooring buoys to tie up for the night. It was a quiet night with a couple of rain showers and we were all ready to go at six in the morning when another advisor arrived to complete the passage. We were away by six thirty and motored twenty five miles to the next lock at San Miguel. The lake is beautiful and makes me think of China with all its small islands and remote jungle. Having read the history of the Canal make it even more amazing. It is hard to believe that men could have made this Canal with all the heat and diseases of their day. They did manage to defeat yellow fever and to some degree malaria but they must have been a tough bunch. At the lock we rafted this time with just one other boat and went down the first lock then together thru a small lake to the Mira Flores locks (two). When in the lock you can ask the Canal keeper to train the camera on you which we did. We called our children and they all saw us going thru and down the locks. Then it was into the Pacific Ocean where we are anchored with a number or yachts which are all provisioning and waiting for weather to go to the Galapagos Islands.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
.JPG)
another beautiful anchorage.JPG)
i'm still too fat.JPG)
lots of beaches like this.JPG)
typical island anchorage.JPG)
Vegies to the boat.JPG)
typical village.JPG)
Marian shopping.JPG)
The Kunas are short.JPG)
marian getting her beads
Hello All,
We are at present in Colon Panama and getting ready to cross the Panama Canal on Friday and Saturday as it takes an overnight anchoring in Gatun lake.
We have not been able to post a blog for a long time as we spent over a month in the San Blas island on the Caribbean coast of Panama. The life of the Kuna's is very simple as they live in bamboo houses with thatched roofs and dirt floors. They have no electricity and few modern conveniences but live a very happy life which consists of harvesting coconuts and growing fruits. We have never seen so many coconut trees with beautiful white sand beaches. The society is matriarchal and the women have all the power. The men work fishing and harvesting and the women work at making molas which are intricate stitched clothing. We would buy crayfish and crabs from the fisherman as well in many anchorages a dugout would come by, called an ula, with fresh vegies etc.Marian did buy a few molas which are very beautiful.
The islands of the San Blas or Kuna Yala, are about a hundred miles long and when we left we stopped at Porto Bello which is where the Spanish treasure fleets left for Spain. We were surprised by the noise of cars as we had not seen a motorized vehicle for over a month. Not many places on the planet where you can say that. The next stop was Colon and the Shelter Bay Marina where we are at present. On Monday and Tuesday we acted as line handlers on Sea Mist and went through the Canal. It was a wonderful experience and look forward to doing it on Kilkea Friday and Saturday. There are a lot of boats in Panama right now waiting for favorable winds to head to the Galapagos Islands. This is an El Nino year so the weather patterns seem to be a little screwed up. We do not know how long we will have to wait in Panama City to get the right weather patterns but it may be awhile.
Anyway this is just a short recap of where we are and will try to add much more when I have time on the Pacific side.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Old town CartagenaIt is Friday morning and we will pick up our exit Zarpa and leave Columbia tomorrow. We have really enjoyed Cartagena. Last evening we we helped celebrate (Delicado) Jim and Pams 43rd wedding anniversary. We went out to the old town and had lobster which was perfectly cooked ($15) and then enjoyed some great music as Cartagena is having an international music week. We heard some great Jazz and traditional music. Derek would have loved all the fiddle playing both traditional and other.
This last week we have met many new cruiser some of whom will be heading for the South Pacific and I'm sure we will cross paths of many down the road. We even managed seeing the movie Avatar having not been in a theater for over ten years in a mall that could be anywhere in Canada. Nice and air conditioned!! This will be our last chance to do a big shop before Panama city so will finish this off this afternoon before heading back into town for some more music and good food.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Marian at beach in Aruba
Fire crackers at noon on Dec 31
Iguanas at the beach Aruba
Flamingos Aruba
Fort San Felipe Cartagena
Old city CartagenaWe are still in Cartagena and ejoying it very much. Hot during the day but cooler in the evening so sleeping is not a problem. Finally got a site to work so have included some pictures.
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