I just listened to this program from This American Life. It was presented earlier this year and you may have heard it. It will only be available for listening for about another week and then I think they start charging $1for back copies. It was fascinating and well worth the time to take a listen.

The subject this The History of Money

Here are photos from our travels around Croatia that just briefly touch on the beauty of this wonderful country. We really loved it there. We were most impressed with the fact that it has remained so civilized for so long...since early man... and was not as damaged by the dark ages. It has also remained seriously Christian since the first century followers. The scenery is just beautiful each place we looked: from the country villages, to the mountains, to the ancient fairy-tale like cities. We enjoyed ancient Roman ruins, Palaces, Castles, Monasteries, still working aqueducts from Roman times, nature walks, and even Hospital visits when I broke my wrist. But the Doctors don't look as yummy as the Croatian doctor on ER did! We just couldn't show everything here on the BLOG! Wall around Dubrovnik Architectural accent on building in old Dubrovnik Rugged coastline View at our anchorage while going between islands Church near Marco Polo's House in Korcula Local craft in Korcula Lynn enjoys the flowers at a local market in Trogir CYAN at anchor at a small village of Luka on the Island of Sipan Monestery from 12th century on Mljet, pronounced miliet At anchor in National Park Island of Mljet Medieval wall along some city Trogir rooftops withCYAN in distance Trogir storefronts Trogir courtyard

Yes there is another totally different world out here.

It is time for another Captain Steve haircut story. From the Caribbean to French Polynesia, Australia, Thailand and even Oman, no 2 of my haircuts are ever the same. Turkey was no exception either.

Barbers are very plentiful in towns and villages wherever we travel here. So I picked one place that was clean and had 2 barbers inside. First we agreed on a price - it always makes me nervous bartering for a service like this because if I pay too little will the barber only cut a little and not do a good job? Anyway, the haircut went pretty well, a little too short but still very nice. It was afterward that was scary.

Turks don't like body hair we found out. As soon as the barber lit a flaming wad of something at the end of a short stick I knew I was in trouble. Maybe I did negotiate too low a price?

They use a flaming wand here to burn the hair off your ears. The wand burns everything it touches of course and the barber is very good not to burn your skin with the huge flame. The smell of burning hair soon ended. The nose hair was next but not with a flaming wand - that was a relief. Then the sideburns with trimmed with an incredibly sharp razor. "Did I want a full shave", the barber asked? "No thank you", I replied. I'm glad I wasn't wearing shorts for this haircut!

All of this cost about $7 so I think I negotiated ok. Maria doesn't think she wants to have her hair done here.

Grocery shopping is a fun time too. Turkish is not our second language (or third or fourth or anything) so we use a Google translator to figure out what a food label says. We ordered what we thought was ground beef but the label said veal. Now we think we know what beef is and even though it said veal it was beef. So they tend to even call things different names than what we are used to!

The spices were really a challenge for Maria. Oregano is not sold in Turkey. This really upset Maria since that spice is used in most of her Italian cooking. Ok, so we found a substitute called Italian spices. You just have to be flexible!

There are also no western products in the grocery stores. Usually there is a section someplace in the store, usually hidden in some corner in the back, where the imported foods are kept. Things like cereal, canned meats, canned vegetables or even M&M's. But not here, nothing except what is made in Turkey! And we have tried half a dozen grocery stores looking for anything from America.

But at least we can shop in a nice grocery store and they accept our credit card to pay for everything. And we have a little card from the grocery store that gives us a discount or maybe cash back, that we use when we check out. But we are not sure what the little card is really for but the cashier really likes when we give it to them when they ask. At least I think they are asking for the little card but that conversation is in Turkish too and like I said, we don't speak Turkish!

Sail on, sail on and sail safe Aspen…

PHOTO ABOVE: Some of the captains and crew from the Island Packet mini-fleet that got together for cool libations at the Harbors Edge, Hope Town.
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PHOTO ABOVE: Marjorie making her debut as anchor of the Abaco Cruiser Net.
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We are pretty well settled in now in Punta Gorda.  We've made a major shopping trip to Costco and filled up the freezer, picked up packages for items that we ordered before leaving the Caribbean, completed dental appointments and have my physical tomorrow and the reading on PSA level.

The new Nav PC is completed and waiting on the resolution to a problem with our backup software.

Completed the rebuild of the Nissan OB trim/tilt/swivel unit, pictures later.

I've started working on a friends IP-31 and will help a friend move his 38 to Palmetto so that it can be put up for sale.

Busy as usual but enjoying our time in the house again.

We had a nice trip back to Florida and are getting settled in.  Rebuilding a new NAV PC, working on the outboard mounting bracket, enjoying everything - except daylight savings time - hate it.

Getting caught up on things.  More later

Hey, Shane here. We are currently in Vero Beach, FL (aka, Velcro Beach).  It is widely known that cruisers have a difficult time leaving here once settled. The Vero Beach Marina is very accommodating, with a nice lounge, wifi, mooring balls, and a free bus system.  We have also heard compliments towards their Thanksgiving and Christmas potlucks. We plan on sticking around to find out about Christmas :) So on our way here, the alternator to our engine has started malfunctioning. We took it out and found bits of melted plastic and wires inside. Not good! We ordered a new one and are waiting here for a new one. We arrived last Monday.

Ok, we left off working in Deltaville. Well, some friends in back there gave me a new pet! :D a baby alligator snapping turtle XD

Then we left there on Thanksgiving, and kept movnig south, jumped from Cape Fear, NC to St. Marys, GA, and then traveled through the intercoastal down to here.  The crossing from Cape Fear to St. Marys went very smooth, and got some nice sailing in :)

We are hoping to keep moving right after Christmas and get down to Marathon, Florida Keys, where my best friend is also heading! Can't wait! ^.^ Then we will continue south as far as we can. Dad is hoping to get down to South America

Anyways, Merry Christmas from S/V Moonshine!

Hi all,

Please go to www.syaspen.blogspot.com for our latest blogs.

We changed the name to make it easier to type!

Sail on sail on Aspen...

Steve and Maria

S/Y Aspen – October 14, 2010 – Log #52
Position: 11 degrees 45' S 128 degrees 26.0' E (UTC +9.0 Hours)
At Sea

Australia was one of the highlights of our journey so far. We stopped
in Darwin at the Top End of Australia for 2 weeks to prepare for our
onward trip and to take a walkabout. A walkabout is an Aborigine word
for, simply, a vacation!

During our time at the Top End of the continent we rented a 4x4 vehicle
and toured Kakadu National Park and Litchfield National Park last week.
We saw Aboriginal rock art that included hundreds of nearly 20,000
year old paintings on the desert rocks. The colors that they used in
their paintings was vivid and bright, reflecting their attitude on life.
We have come to understand the meaning of Dreamtime that is part of
the Aboriginal culture describing how they came to live on this
continent. Their neighbors, New Zealand and Polynesia had highly
developed cultures, fierce warriors and the ability to travel thousands
of miles across the ocean. Aborigines, on the other hand, are nomadic
people that did not develop villages or singular places to live. They
simply moved with the ever changing seasons to find food, water and shelter.

When Captain Cook arrived in Australia he offered the Aborigines that
met him on the beach trinkets as tokens of friendship. The Aborigines
simply ignored the gifts and turned their backs on Captain Cook and his
ships, pretending that they didn't exist. That is just the Aborigine
culture!

Their indigenous music comes mostly from the didgeridoo, the oldest
musical instrument in the world, as well as two short sticks stuck
together like a drum to create the beat. The didgeridoo is made from a
hollowed out tree limb that is eaten by termites. This is then
decorated to create both an interesting sound as well as a multicolored
piece of art. Of course we had to buy one but it is too long to carry
around on the boat so we had to ship it to Colorado. Look for the
release of our CD coming to your store sometime soon!

Australia is a very young and modern country with very few people. We
traveled 1,600 miles along the east coast and found hundreds of miles of
coastline without any people, services or anything except wilderness.
Cell phones are useless because there is nothing there at all. In all
of Australia there are only about 19 million people - about the same
amount of people that live in the Los Angeles area! But the Australian
people are scattered amongst a huge continent!! It is pretty amazing.

The Aboriginal people are included in that population number. In the
past and even today they tend to wander far and wide, taking walkabouts!
They are also adapted to the intense heat that exists here at the Top
End of Australia, much better than we are. We are suffering in the 100
degree daily heat and 100% humidity. It is oppressive to say the least
and we are lucky that this is the dry season!

The most common expressions that everyone uses here are "no worries" and
"no dramas". They like to end their sentences with those all the time.

Yesterday we lifted our anchor (by hand because the trusty electric
windless decided to quit) and we are now sailing toward Indonesia. Our
next stop in 4 days will be Kupang, Indonesia, an entirely different
culture than anything we have ever experienced.

Sail on sail on Aspen...

View Sea Star Trip Path in a larger map

Leaving the Tetons and Gros Ventre, in Wyoming  we had another long ride, with some desired stops, on our way to Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado.  The route we took retraced our steps to 287E through Arapaho Indian controlled area along the Wind River, and toward Lander, stayed overnight at the Maverick Motel, drove over the historic Overland Stage Route of the Oregon Trail and the town of Rawlins. Along the highway were beautiful painted cliffs similar to the dessert.  We stayed in Lincoln campground in Medicine Bow at the end of a long day.  


The next leg of 130 mountain miles, brought us to route 130 and over the Snowy Range Pass at 10,847 feet and Medicine Bow Mt., even taller, until we crossed the border into Colorado at Tie Siding.


Poudre Canyon and Poudre River, where we took a campsite at Kelly, were along the next section on route 14 then west to the Arapaho Wildlife Preserve.  The Preserve route, 125 then 40, 70 and 91.  Route 91 runs close to the scenic road, 24, described below.  I could see the 14,000s as we continued on the highway that ran over and through heights of 6000' to 8000'.  I love my Subaru, but it struggled even with the trailer empty!  Dan, of course, had a much easier time driving the mountains.  He was cold, but the bike was the way to go- only he had to slow considerably to allow me to keep up as we hadn't discussed the route. Leadville was the place we found a hotel and planned the rest of the trip. 


Information on the 14,000s Scenic route 24 is from internet research.  We rode rt. 91 but it was from north to south.  The description below is from south to north.  There is no doubt the mountains are amazing.  It's fun to see their Collegiate names now.  At the time we rode through they were just "the Rockies".

Dear Friends and Family ~
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Dear Friends and Family ~
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We decided to finally leave Long Island and go to Black Point in the southern Exuma's.  Rather than taking the traditional route up thru Georgetown and up the sound we opted to go west and north around the southern end or Great Exuma island. The distance was only 10 miles further but the entire trip would be on the Banks so there are not any island cuts or tide/current times to worry about.  Also our friends Jerry and Barb on Kumbaya did the route the week before and reported back that depth was not problem.

We did the trip in two days.  The first was from Thompson Bay to Rocky Point which was 63 miles and took just over nine hours.  Rocky Point is just a small rock outcropping that we anchored on the west side of to have protection from the easterly winds.  The second day we went 47 miles to Big Majors Spot which was six miles past Black Point.  We opted to go there because a cold front was coming thru and would bring west winds.  Big Majors Spot would give us much better protection.  I would rather be in 35 knots of wind from the east than 10 knots of wind from the west when down here.  There are not a lot of places to hide from westerly winds and seas.

After a couple of days at Big Majors Spot and a dinghy ride to Staniel Island we backtracked south to Black Point where we are now.  Black Point has the best laundry facilities in the Exuma's and we really needed to do laundry.  Clean sheets and clothing is such a luxury when you are out cruising.

We will stay at Black Point another night and then head north to several islands and stage for a crossing back to Florida.  It looks like we may have a good weather window in about 10 days.  We are going to travel in company with Kumbaya, Jerry and Barb at least back to Florida.  They are from the same marina that we are going back to this summer in North Carolina.

Probably no internet connection until we get back to Florida so until then there will be no updates.

We stayed at Thompson Bay, Long Island much longer this year than last.  There was a magnet holding us there in the friendship and love we received from a couple we met who are from Ohio but are winter residents of Long Island.

John and Penny who have the beautiful home, Fairhaven, overlooking Thompson Bay were introduced to us thru our friends Bill and Margaret on the sailboat Margarita.  What a great time we had at long Island.  It was a much different experience this year compared to last year.

We also met Penny's sister Cathie and her husband Gary who live in Missouri and were visiting for two months.  We all had a great time getting together and going to several different beaches, the Long Island museum, out dining and dancing at the Beach Bungalow Bar in Deals and the Stella Marris resort at Stella Marris.  John was great at carting our butts all over the island in there van.  I just cannot say enough about how good they were to us and we will miss them but will surely meet up again either back on Long Island or somewhere down the road.

  Photos taken at Forests restaurant - Greatest burgers in the Bahamas.
                                          Top:  Margaret, Penny
                                          Bottom:  Cathie, Sandy
                                           Left-Right:  John, Gary
 
Taken at the Long Island Museum - us with the museum Curator.

On the way over to the Bahamas our autopilot was having problems.  At Long Island I met Mark from "Wind in the Morning"  who was a radar technician in the navy and had worked on electronics.  He is known as Mr. Fixit.  He was nice enough to come out to our boat and check out the autopilot and discovered a connector that he didn't think was connecting properly.  He couldn't find that type of connector to replace it on the island so I took small strips of copper foil from my SSB ground and slid them into the female end of the connector and that made the connection tight.  The autopilot has worked since then so many thanks to Mark.

We rented a car for a day and went to Stella Marris to recheck in to the Bahamas since our 90 days was up on our cruising permit.  We also went south to Dean's Blue Hole, the deepest blue hole in the world where free divers train and compete.  A young lady was on the island to train and was going for the woman's world record dive of 200 feet.  We thought she would be at the Hole that day but we missed seeing her train.  We did get a chance to meet and talk to her at one of the beach parties however.

So much for Long Island, back to the Exuma's soon.

This past year I have walked the beaches in Palau, California, Israel, Taiwan, and now Tokyo. My conclusion is--the earth is the Lord's, with all that is in it, the world and those who live there, for He set its foundations on the seas! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all His ways are just, a faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He!
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Sunrise entering the Pungo River Canal

Traveling north from Beaufort NC and up to Oriental, NC then on through the Pungo River Canal and into the Albemarle Sound was another very interesting and winding section of the waterway. Cypress swamps of the Pungo River Canal and open water sailing on, the Neuse River and Albemarle Sound make this one of the most enjoyable sections. We ran 65 miles from Alligator River to Great Bridge Lock, on the Virginia Cut side.







We usually run up to Elizabeth City and the Dismal Swamp, but the draw of the wonderful Mexican restaurant, El TORO LOCO, at Great Bridge was too much to pass up so we came north on the Virginia Cut. Carey, on SP CATSPAW, our team leader led us to the FREE dock just north of the Great Bridge lift bridge. We were docked just after the 1700 bridge opening and off to the Mexican restaurant by 1800 hrs!

We will press on a short day today, making Portsmouth and hopefully the High Street Ferry Basin as we need to wait out the 15-20 knots of NE winds that will have the Chesapeake Bay kicked up with 3-4 foot waves! Looks like it will be a few days in Portsmouth and Norfolk, VA....not a bad place to wait out some weather!

Photos from this section of the ICW-NC

Salt Spray on Neuse River after washing and hand drying the boat!

Fishing docks and fuel docks

Tannin stained waters of the Pungo Canal

Cypress Swamp of the Pungo River Canal

"Mosey," a handmade welded yacht passes us on Alligator River

Tugboat named ANGER MANAGEMENT pushing a crane to Norfolk at 4 knots. Pushing at only 4 knots?  I, too, would need Anger Management!

Cernterville swing bridge, Virginia Cut

Free DOCK at Great Bridge on the north side NOTE: Mosey, the yacht that passed us is here also....she is hand built!

OK....time to relax after long days and enjoy Portsmouth, VA!

Patricia and Kate with the Doodles

Arriving Beaufort, NC we reconnected with some of the greatest people we have ever met, fellow Island Packet Owners, Greg and Kate, whom we count as family. We have been targeting this date all the way from Vero Beach, Fl and we MADE IT...and we had a great visit with a wonderful meal on the waterfront. Greg and Kate own IP350 Ei'Lean and they are also avid "Road Warriors" as they hit the road with their 37' fifth wheel and diesel truck. It was great to catch up with them before they depart on this year's Arizona out west trip. You can follow their adventure blog here...

Cape Lookout Lighthouse and Lighthouse Keeper's Home

The weather was perfect for making a side trip 12 miles southeast to Cape Lookout where we anchored out with buddy boat IP460 Cutter Loose. We enjoyed exploring the lighthouse keeper's home, the ocean beaches and the beautiful Cape Lookout Bight. It was beautiful and surprisingly un-crowded for a lovely Saturday.

IP460 Cutter Loose arriving River Dunes, NC

After one day at Cape Lookout, which was not enough, we pressed on north to arrive at River Dunes, a most beautiful resort marina. Here we re-connected with our Team Leader, Carey on SP Cruiser Catspaw. It was great to get back together again as we have shared New England to Abacos together and now we will run to the Chesapeake.







The interesting aspect to running the ICW is the fact that you keep running into people you have met along the way. You get ahead of someone and then take a few days off, then they pass you and you meet up again in another harbor. It is that way with the 40' Beneteau GOOSE BUMPS, with Mike and Barb from Stuart FL. We first met them in Man-O-War Abacos, then on a cocktail dinghy drift in Marsh Harbor and here they are in River Dunes, running for the Chesapeake, too.

Docked at River Dunes

River Dunes Clubhouse and floating docks...beautiful

Hot tub and pool overlooks our dock

Patricia, Kate and Radeen enjoying Champagne

Crowded day at Cape Lookout, NC beach

Cape Lookout Lighthouse. Black Diamonds point North/South, White Diamonds point East/West The paintings are called the DAY MARK to identify each lighthouse during the day from sea!

 It is a small world out here, with everyone looking out for each other, so helpful and friendly. Cruising is a wonderful life....

Join me at my new blog ... http://debbieroser.wordpress.com/.

We are devastated by news of the passing of our dear friend Tom from Colorado.  Tom has been a best friend and bicycling companion for over a decade.   Today, he was fatally injured by a collision with an automobile while … Continue reading →

On Tuesday, Cutter Loose is underway from Barefoot Landing Marina in Myrtle Beach, SC at 9 AM.  Our destination today is Dutchman Creek near Southport, NC, a journey of 33 miles.  Once past the Barefoot Landing Bridge, we enter the … Continue reading →

The Cloisters, not Covent Garden. Desserts galore, no desert. Never to sidestep the editor again.

Under sail at 5.3 knots on a beam reach toward Block Island Sound. And it's only 9:00 AM.

Good morning from Greensport. We are anchored off Horton Lane Beach about 400 yards from shore on the eastern end of Long Island. After eight days in NYC we had no real travel plan except to get in to Long Island Sound. Dead flat sea and no wind had us motor past Oyster Bay, past Port Jefferson, past Mattituck Inlet and finally to here as the sun set at 7:55.

NYC is a new must stop destination for us. We had a great time. Ali moved aboard for the duration. Charlie flew up for the weekend. And Katie, Kyle and Judy just happened to be in town for a show. Dinner at Maze at the London Hotel was an event to be remembered. The kitchen selected the menu, the food was outstanding, the staff exceptional. What a great treat.

But finally meeting Judy was the highlight. It was like a meeting of old friends.

All this in addition to Covent Gardens, the Museum of Natural History, a couple of Shake Shack attacks, lunch at Momofuko, desert at Milk Bar, walks on the Highline and Ali's Sundowners Party aboard. We took an extra day to rest.

While the 79th Street Boat Basin is not pretty (or well maintained, or the least bit helpful), it is in a great neighborhood, close to shopping, restaurants, easy transportation and the rest of the city. We came in at low tide (bad idea - never again) and left on a high tide (quite easy). The quantum physics part is being able to leave 79th Street at high tide, run eight miles down river to the Battery, and then run eight miles up the East River to hit the high tide at Hell Gate. We calculated a 7:00 high at 79th Street and a 9:14 high at Hell Gate. This gave us a 2 hour 14 minute window to run 16
miles. Unfortunately we were 20 minutes late leaving 79th Street and a resulting 30 minutes late at the Gate. Speeds of 8.2 in the Hudson and 6.2 in the East River dropped to 2.2 at Hell Gate. The Catalina 38 we passed did only one knot through Hell Gate. But with an early morning start we put in a twelve hour day to Greensport. A great start for what is now a short hop to Block Island. We think.

Today we sail (closer to) home.

Sorry for the huge time delay in updating the blog, but life on dry land has definitely gotten in the way. All is well with us. We survived our very first summer in Florida – no hurricanes or heat stroke. Actually it has been quite nice. We did spend a good bit of time travelling, [...]

Just a short update to let all of know that Ryan’s CT Scan and MRI were all GREAT.  That is certainly good news for all of us. If you’re confused…read the previous post. Smooth Sailing wherever you may be… Elise and Roger s/v Cutthroat

Windseeker on the hards in Rock Hall MD We began looking for another sailing vessel nearly 1 1/2 years ago. Jim Elliott with Gratitude Yachting Center, Rock Hall MD http://www.gratitudeyachting.com/ has been...

Today was truly a day of leisure. We went to Edgartown and had fun window shopping. After a late breakfast, we rode out to Tradewinds Airfield which is an airport Jim used to fly gliders 'in the day'. The airport is still rated as operational but it did not appear to be used. It did bring back some fond memories.






We had a nice walk on the beach on our way back to Oak Bluffs for lunch at Nancy's which overlooks the marina.





We had to show a picture of the way we had to get on and off the boat. What a sight it was for everyone to see us climbing into the boat. On our first day, Vanessa almost fell into the water but luckily she only lost her shoe.





Tomorrow we are heading for Woods Hole.

We started meandering along our summer journey heading towards Block Island. We departed Pier 65 on July 1st at 11:00. The sailing was nice and we arrived mid afternoon. The place was much more crowded than expected and the dingy dock had a traffic jam.

The Pirates are home! And awfully glad to be home. Quite a trip they had, but they did it.

Now it's just a matter of Capt Ran and I bringing Kwanesum the rest of the way. Stay tuned for that trip! Going to let the Captain rest for a week and then we're off.

So we're in Isla Mujeres now. We left San Pedro, Belize last Friday bound for Key West, but diverted here to avoid a potential tropical storm north of Cuba. You may notice a trend with this - on trips of more than 500 miles we're only 2 for 5 at hitting our intended destination on the first try. We're always at the mercy of weather. Still, this is a pretty nice place to be stuck for a bit - beautiful water and beaches, lots of good cheap food and drink and, miracle of miracles, good internet on the boat.

Previously on...

Lizz's last post left off right after the departure of my friend Scott and my enemy the Dengue Fever. After a couple of rough weeks Lizz and I were ready to get moving north and enjoy some of Belize along the way. With our target US-return date of June 1st looming, we wanted to try to see as much as we could. We had already decided to skip Mexico and focus on Belize, and so after fueling and watering in Placencia we set out for Belize's remote offshore atolls.

Caveat Emptor

For those of you not familiar with cruising, a cruising guide is a book that contains crucial information relevant for anyone traveling the area by boat. Information on anchoring, clearing in/out, chart details for harbors and dangers, etc. This is critical information even in places where general information is easy to come by and chart data is good - like the United States. When you're outside the country and chart data is poor, the cruising guide becomes your lifeline. Cruising guides are almost always written by cruisers who appreciate this fact, and they are generally quite good.

So it was with not a little dismay that we began to note some problems with our cruising guide to Belize. Islands were the wrong shape and size, waypoints weren't quite in the right place. Things were roughly correct, but coupled with the terrible quality of our chart data we were constantly on our toes. Unfortunately, we were about to find out just how bad the cruising guide really was.

We were headed into the Turneffe Islands, a large atoll with a fringing reef and hundreds of islands inside. Much of the atoll is too shallow for most cruising boats, but according to our cruising guide the entire southern section is navigable and can be accessed via two routes - a pass through the reef with minimum depths of 10 ft at low tide, and a channel in from the back with plenty of water for boats that draw up to 5' (Cielo draws 4'8", but we call it 5' to be safe). The text of the guide was specific, and reiterated what the chartlet showed. Conditions were moderate, so we planned to head in the reef pass and then out the back channel if conditions were rougher when we departed in a couple days.

We approached the pass in perfect light and at mid-tide, went right up the middle, yet the depths seemed a little low. The pass is only about 50 yards wide, with waves breaking on the reef on either side, so there was no room for error. Still, the guide is current and the authors claim to have sounded this pass only a year ago. Coral doesn't grow fast, so it's not like things change much during one year in this part of the world. By this point, we're past the point of no return - you can't turn a 40 ft cruising boat around in a 50 yard wide pass with breakers on either side - so we're going in one way or another. In the middle of the pass the depth sounder read 7.5', and at the bottom of the next wave Cielo hit the bottom. Not hard, just kissed it, and then we were through. No harm done to the boat, a lot of harm to my nerves, and it meant one thing for certain - we weren't going to be able to get back out this pass unless conditions were incredibly calm. We were a little shaken (remember, this is our house we're driving around out here), but not overly concerned since we knew we could go out the back channel. Or so we thought.

The next day we started heading toward the back channel. We had to cross a wide bar that our cruising guide authors insisted had 6' of water at low tide, but we couldn't find the 6'. We kept slowly nosing Cielo towards the bar, only to see the depths drop and Cielo kiss the bottom. Time after time we tried, no luck. Finally we called the folks at the lodge on the island over the VHF radio. They said, yes, you should be able to get over that bar. Just go a bit further west and you'll be fine. We tried it, and ran hard aground. With 25 knots of wind and waves pushing us onto the shoal, we were stuck. The nice folks from the lodge came out with a launch to try to pull us off, no luck. We spent the rest of the day trying to get Cielo free, to no avail. The best we were able to do was punch a hole in our new dinghy while setting an anchor to keep Cielo from being driven further onto the shoal. Tired and exhausted, we finally resigned ourselves to spending the night stuck on the shoal and waiting for the next high tide in the morning.

By morning Cielo was floating again, and we were ready to get the heck out of there. We called the nice folks at the lodge again, and they generously offered to send a launch out to guide us over the bar at high tide. As we followed the launch along the bar, they indicated we should begin our turn and head over the bar. Cielo's depth sounder strongly disagreed. I figured the folks on the launch knew this water as well as anyone, gritted my teeth, and began the turn. The depth dropped and Cielo came to a full stop, once again hard aground. Only this time we were even harder aground, and at high tide no less. Not good. This was going to require more drastic measures. The folks on the launch took one of our halyards (the lines that pull the sails up to the top of the mast), tied another long line to it, and then used the 200HP launch to pull Cielo down by the masthead until she was heeled so far over that we were floating and free. Lizz and I drove Cielo off the shoal at a 35 degree angle, heeled so far that the starboard side deck wash awash.

Though we were happy to be free and moving again, we weren't looking forward to spending a week or more sitting in the lagoon waiting for conditions to calm enough for us to get back out the dangerous reef pass we had come in. Fortunately for us, the folks at the lodge had different plans. While we were still heeled over at 35 degrees, they began gesturing wildly that we should turn left - over the shoal again. They proceeded to escort us, line still attached to the masthead, over the shoal and out the back channel - a distance of almost 3 miles. Cielo looked like she hadn't had her V8 in years, but it worked like a charm!

Caye Caulker

Finally free of the Turneffe Islands, we sailed back inside Belize's barrier reef and made a beeline for Caye Caulker. Still a bit gun (or ground) shy from the previous days, we found the shallow water inside the northern reef a bit nerve-wracking. We spent the majority of the 35 mile sail moving at 7 knots in water less than 7 feet deep. The water was so shallow that, at those speeds, Cielo's turbulence kicked up a trail of mud behind us that was miles long. Caye Caulker and San Pedro, a bit further north, were a welcome change after the week's adventures. Calm anchorages, easy access to stores, restaurants, and internet, and all with a relaxing pace and atmosphere. It was a great place to cap off our season before heading home to the US. Or so we thought.

Only 24 hours after leaving San Pedro headed for the US, our weather forecast became quite uncertain due to the potential tropical storm, so it turned out we wouldn't be skipping Mexico after all. After a week in Isla Mujeres and with the low pressure system safely drifting toward the US Gulf Coast, we will be leaving today to head directly to Miami. With any luck, our next post will be from lovely South Beach, our new home for a while.

Posted by: Kevin

Okay, it’s done. Eight gallons of antifreeze; sails in the bags; canvas in the garage. Of course the wind was blowing around 20 knots while we were taking down the Genny but it never hit the water so all is well. Now we wait: only four months till launch and counting. I guess it’s also [...]

Although I’m thankful for many things, I’m definitely not thankful that I live in the North East and have to pickle my boat every fall. Pickling, in my book, is for cucumbers, pigs feet and people – not necessarily in that order! Well, I’ve stalled as much as I could but it’s time to winterize. [...]

We arrived at our slip in Portsmouth about 4p.m. Sunday, June 27 after 41 hours. The trip was mostly uneventful, the shipping lanes were quiet during the night and the wind was light. We had some light from the moon through the clouds, so it wasn't pitch black. Sunday morning brought fog off Long Island which got thicker and stayed with us all the way to the Newport Bridge. Our friends on Rigamarole went into Block Island but we decided to continue on to our slip. Sunday was perhaps the worst day of our entire trip...the fog created almost zero visibility. We are now resting and fixing things on the boat. It is nice to be home to see friends after nine months. It is also nice to have the car, grocery shopping can now be done in an hour and I can buy more than I can carry in two small bags. We are going to take it easy for the month of July and then hopefully head up to Maine for August.

Cuba, merveilleuses routes de campagne sans les "maudits" panneaux publicitaire pour te défigurer le paysage comme che-nous. Pas de pub à Cuba ou presque, voici des exemples de ce qu'ont y trouve: Sur le bord du canal qui nous mennent à Cienfugo: "BIENVENIDOS CUBA SOCIALISTA" Che Guevara, figure très "marketing" de la révoluion Cubaine, sur les t-shirts, tasses, cartes postales,

A Cuba il est possible de s'en tirer à faible coût, mais pour cela il faut simuler un Cubain...Exemple la pizza sur la rue, elle ne coûte que 12 pesos (50 cents cdn). Alors voici le four à pizza: Et voici la dite pizza dans son four...four sur charbon de bois de plus!!! Et voila!! Un vrai régale en plus d'être plutôt économique.

On 23 April, The Belle, along with 4 other sailboats from the Norfolk Naval Sailing Association got underway to Coast Guard Base Portsmouth to support the annual ND-VA-NC Sea Scout Jamboree. We passed behind the Coastie Cutters up the narrow channel in Coast Guard Creek to the docks that support the USCG and local marine authority pursuit boats. A busy weekend. With a crew of 10, two scouts as navaigator/tactician, another at the helm, one on each of the headsail sheets, another on the main traveler, another on the sta'sail and a couple holding the rail, The Belle filled her sails in the 18kt winds and made-way into the busy Hampton Roads channel for a fun race to round -out a day full of anchoring, man-over-board, navigation, and sailmanship training.  It's all about having fun, and the several crews that boarded The Belle over the weekend, all walked away with big smiles.  They sailed!

DE VLINDER TELT NIET IN MAANDEN, MAAR IN MOMENTEN EN ZIJ HEEFT TIJD GENOEG! Deze spreuk van Rabindranath Tagore is toepasselijk op onze periode in Nederland. Eind oktober lieten we ‘Sobat Kras’ achter op de kant in Portugal met het … Continue reading →

Ja, gelukt! Nu kunnen we ook onderweg op zee, via de SSB-zender berichten op de site zetten!

We now have the wrong number of vessels! As we move up to our next Island Packet "Adventuress" IP420, we are selling Larking About. The above two photos demonstrate her outstanding condition. Here below is the brochure: and to see 85 more pics, please go to
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/109991714392844307440/albums/5742760168677919137?authkey=CJW9gJDI3MzPvwE

 

• ·         New Standing Rigging and Lifelines 2010
• ·         New Quantum sails 2008
• ·         Lofrans Tigres Windlass 2008
• ·         New Raymarine Radar/Chartplotter/AIS 2009
• ·         Air Breeze wind Generator 2007, factory reconditioned 2012

• ·         New Princess propane range 2010
• ·         Custom house bank: Six group 31’s (630amp hours) 2009
• ·         Watermaker: Little Wonder 7gph from 13 amps 2006
• ·         Custom Sunbrella Chenille upholstery 2009
• ·         Thirty Gallon second diesel  bladder tank & transfer pump 2009
• ·         New Seaward 11 gallon hot water heater 2008

• ·         Hull professionally sodablasted, barrier coated and two coats of Trindad SR 2012 (this was routine maintenance, NOT a repair)
• ·         New deck teak finish: carefully stripped to bare and  five coats Sikkens Cetol 2012
• ·         New engine room heavy duty sound insulation 2009
• ·         Annual re-varnishing of soles and below-decks detailing
• ·         New cutlass bearing 2009 (routine maintenance NOT a repair)
• ·         New bearings for Autoprop 2009

D.      Detailed Specs for non-standard equipment added to SV "Larking About" IP40 -63 1996
				YEAR DONE
Ground		200 ft HT 5/8 chain		2010
Tackle		Delta 44		2000
		Bruce 44		2005
		Lofrans Tigres windlass		2008
		Anchor washdown		2005
On deck		All new standing rigging including turnbuckles		2010
		Furling for main factory reconditioned (new bearings, line) routine maintenance,		2010
		not a repair
		New lifelines		2010
		Spartite partners		2010
		Partners deckplate removed and powdercoated		2010
		Auxiliary winches on aft coamings		2005
		Dutchman boombrake, and deck hardware		2005
		Cutter boom removed, hardware added for sheets to cockpit		2010
		Factory roller furling gear for main		1996
		Offshore heavy duty main outhaul car & track		2008
		New Quantum RF Main		2008
		New Quantum Genoa with foam luff		2008
		Garhauer motor lift & Edson motor mount		2005
		Garhauer blocks for Genoa sheets		2009
		Water filter for dockside fill		2008
		Two foot steps at masthead		2007
		Masthead crane, block and halyard for gennaker		2005
		Custom sunshade in sunbrella with side shades, with stainless frame		2003
		Third Shore inlet for cable service		1996
Cockpit		Full enclosure		2008
		Dodger/bimini		2008
		Fiphertex sunshades		2007
		Hot & cold cockpit shower		2007
		Glebe companionway doors		2007
		Glebe screens for 3 hatches		2007
		Weather cloths		2010
		Four Wichard padeyes for Jack lines		2005
		New engine control lever and assembly		2010
		Kato Stainless support straps for davit installation		2009
Electronics		B&G instruments: repeater at nav station		1996
		B&G Autopilot		1996
		Raymarine radar/chartplotter/AIS		2008
		Radar dome on gimballed backstay mount		1996
		Icom 810 SSB with speaker, ground plane, tuner and insulated backstay antenna		2005
		Air Breeze wind generator: factory reconditioned 2011		2011
		Two Kyocera 130 Solar panels & controller		2006
		Custom house bank 6 grp 31 = 630ah		2009
		Charger/inverter 2000		2003
		Link 10 battery monitor		1996
		Balmar 100 alternator & smart controller		2005
		2 VHF radios nav station & cockpit		2009
		LED masthead tricolor		2009
		LED Masthead anchor		2009
		Stereo + 2 Bose speakers & 2 cockpit speakers		2009
		Icom handheld VHF IC-M32 & charger stand at nav station		2008
Galley		Custom insulated split reefer		2005
		Frigoboat keel cooler		2008
		New Princess propane range		2010
		Twin alum. propane tanks		2002
		Seagull H2O filter		2005
Other		Little Wonder 7gph watermaker		2005
Belowdecks		Two 110v AC/heat units: 16+8		1996
		Custom Sunbrella Chenille reupholstery		2008
		Teak & birch shelves in forward cabin locker		2010
		Direct thru hull for aft head, with Y		2005
		New aft head hoses		2010
		New scupper hoses		2009
		30 gallon 2nd diesel bladder & two way pump		2009
		leecloths & straps for 4 bunks		2005
		Extra teak handholds		2005
		New hot water heater 11 gall Seaward		2007
		Custom Fancy Nancy porthole blinds		2009
		Lewmar screens for all portholes and hatches		1996
		Brass clock and barometer		1996
		Decorative brass porthole mirror		1996
		IP custom Berber rugs - used for just six weeks		2002
		Alpenglow red offshore light with white flourescent		2005
		Six Hella fans		2000
		Gaskets for all 13 portholes replaced		2010
		Teak access door in aft cabin for long storage under port coaming		2007
		Led red lights in aft and forward cabins; and in galley for Propane Solenoid ON		2007
		Jabsco Flojet freshwater pump		2010
Hull		Autoprop feathering prop refurbished 2009		2000
		Spare fixed blade prop		2005
		Bottom professionally sodablasted:  Pettit Epoxy & 2 coats		2011
		Trinidad SR: this was routine care, NOT a repair.
		New cutlass bearing: this was routine care, NOT a repair.		2010
Engine	Balmar High output alternator and smart controller with batt temp sensor		2005
	New  heavy duty sound insulation		2009
	New engine control lever and assembly		2010
Maintenance		Engine oil/filter changed every 100 hours
Notes		Engine alignment checked at least every six months
		Watermaker used or pickled
		Chainplate deck plates rebedded as needed
		Running rigging renewed as needed
		Never chartered
		Full history

Here is the view from below decks after the gale winds dropped to around 30 knots. This video was shot by our crew member Hayden from his cabin below decks. Enjoy the ride...

There are sea lions everywhere. They climbed on our swim platform to sleep. If you use your dinghy, they climb in it at the dinghy dock. We have not taken our dinghy down and are using the water taxi here mostly to avoid the sea lion problem. There is a beautiful park along the harbor and they sun themselves there. It is funny to see them waddle in from the water. Some have nursing babies. On the harbor front, there is a park where they sleep and generally keep everyone entertained. Some of our group hacçve gone snorkeling and swam with them.Sea lions are all over the harbor. They like to sleep everywhere. One got on our swim platform. After we saw the mess he made, we put fenders down to keep them off. (View Post...)

San Cristobal is quite nice - an upgrade from Panama City. It is clean and feels very safe. It also is cooler than we imagined. Galapagos is part of Ecuador. They have a beautiful park alonf the water with many arty displays. (View Post...)

Sending this from Toronto Pearson Airport...

Highlights from 2011/2012 cruise...
Sailed from Florida to the BVI
Had visits from family and friends
Met new cruising buddies
Good snorkeling, swimming and fishing
Loved improvements to the boat including wonderful new fridge, new plumbing, cockpit screens and washdown pump
Repairs to a minimum - boat running very well
Saw whales, dolphins and the ugliest iguanas and lizards
Did overnight crossings
Flew 6 different courtesy flags from different countries

Sadly we lost some dear family this year - makes you realize that life is short - you only live once, so live it well!

Out she comes...

Summer Home

Murphy the dinghy gets a ride, too.

Excellent security - police station next door!!!

See you in the fall!!!

This is our Shutdown Checklist with responsibilities divided between Glen and Pam.  Pam disagreed with some of this and so we are having another look at the division of labour.

1. empty water tank - Pam
2. fill fuel tank - Pam
3. remove sails/sail covers - Pam
4. remove canvas - Pam
5. open bilge through-hull - Pam
6. flush holding tank - Pam
7. clean/hoist/tarp dinghy - Pam
8. secure/service outboard - Pam
9. remove bullet wifi radio - Pam
10. liquor cabinet maintenance - Glen
11. defrost/clean fridge - Pam
12. dispose of perishable food items - Pam
13. disconnect batteries - Pam
14. remove solar panels - Pam
15. remove chartplotter - Pam
16. protect instrument panels - Pam
17. porthole covers - Pam
18. clean interior teak with vinegar and water - Pam
19. clean toilets - Pam
20. laundry - Pam
21. change engine oil - Pam
22. service generator - Pam
23. UV wax cabin top - Pam
24. Pest proof (Formaldahyde) the cabin - Pam
25. Protect through-hulls from pests - Pam
26. Remove prop for maintenance - Pam
27. Hurricane straps - Pam

Sails off, canvas still on for shade.  It's 97F - little breeze.

May 12, 2012

On Monday (5/7) we traveled a short distance from Man-O-War Cay to Hope Town on Elbow Cay. As we mentioned in our last post, destinations are quite close in the so-called 'Hub of Abaco'.

Hope Town has an extensive set of moorings in a well-protected harbor, so it is very secure and comfortable.  We have ended up staying a few more days than originally planned because of weather. 

The village is quaint with a lot of houses in classic Bahamian colors.  The harbour is overlooked by the picturesque Hope Town, or more properly Elbow Reef, lighthouse.



 Hope Town is definitely the most touristy destination we have been to in the Bahamas, with the exception of Old Bahama Bay in West End (which was an actual  resort, but adjacent to West End, a Bahamian settlement).  The village seems to have fully embraced the tourist economy.  Most of the houses are rentals or tourist lodging of some type and several restaurants vie for the food and entertainment dollars. 

More on the light house.  It was built in 1864 by the Imperial (British) Lighthouse Service.  You can climb to the top and see the kerosene-fueled lamp and hand-wound rotation mechanism which needs to be wound every two hours.  Its construction was originally opposed by the local residents of the cay, who made a living 'wrecking' or salvaging ships that came to grief on the reef.  It still is lit nightly, but is now mostly a tourist attraction.  This is true of most lighthouses these days, which have been largely pushed aside by more sophisticated means of navigation.  This became clear to me one night when I was up in the cockpit at 1 AM.  The light was not rotating, so it had as navigators would say, an 'improper characteristic'. The characteristic of a light is one of the primary ways that a light is positively identified by mariners.  Mentioning this to a friend the next day, he said that happens all the time. Oh well, so much for a serious aid to navigation.

Our stay in Hope Town, however, has been been comfortable and enjoyable.  The Hope Town Coffeehouse (http://hopetowncoffeehouse.com/) has good coffee and Internet and is a great place to hang-out.  We had several great lunches at the Harbour's Edge Restaurant. 

We got a chance to get together with William and Judy of Optimystique, friends from our home marina in Bradenton.  We also made some new friends of Ken and Sara from Tintean, a sister Island Packet 40.  We enjoyed several conversations with Ken and Sara and found that we have much in common with regard to cruising style (a traveler not a tourist). We hope to cross paths again some day.

On Monday (5/14) we essentially begin our trip back to Bradenton.  We will be returning to the states via a 'southern' route that will take us around the rugged and sparsely populated southern tip of Abaco, across the Northeast Providence Channel (a busy shipping lane) to the Berry Islands, across the Bahama Bank to Bimini, and then finally across the Gulf Steam to Miami.

Tom
Hope Town
Elbow Cay, Abacos, Bahamas
http://g.co/maps/vfvnn

May 6, 2012

Last Thursday we left Marsh Harbour and made the 'long' (5 mile) trip to Man-O-War Cay.  Once you are in the so-called 'Hub of Abaco', most of the locations are only a short distance away, no long passages between destinations.

Man-O-War is very much a Loyalist Cay, and is largely populated with people of  English descent who came here during or after the revolutionary war.  Albury is a family of early settlers on the Cay and you see the name everywhere: Albury's Boat Yard, Albury's Ferry, Albury's Harbour Store (very nice by the way) , etc. 

One of the distinctives of the cay is that no alcoholic beverages are sold on the island. This and the fact that they do not embrace the tourist economy as much as many of the other islands gives it a much quieter and laid-back feel.  After having a slip in Marsh Harbour near Snappas restaurant and bar with entertainment at least two nights a week, it has been a nice change.  We have been on a mooring near Man-O-War Marina and it has been very quiet.

In addition to Albury's boat yard that largely makes new boats, Edwin's Boat Yard is a full-service and busy yard here.  The jobs must be pretty good, because the workforce is largely made up of African-Bahamians that commute over and back from Marsh Harbour every day.

The houses here are well kept and have landscaping that is nicer than any we have seen so far (with the possible exception of the Prime Minister's house in Cooper's Town).  The people here have been nice, but generally fairly reserved.






The cemetery was interesting.  Many of the graves in an earlier cemetery were washed away in various storms - a common island problem.  In the new cemetery, the graves are cut out of coral rock and sealed with cement tops. Following is a picture of a grave being prepared.




Today we went to the morning service at the Man-O-War Church Of God.  Bob Cornea, father of the owner of Harbour View Marina that we stayed at in Marsh Harbour, has been serving as an interim pastor of this church.  Bob was a missionary to the Bahamas and has been involved in ministry here for many years.  We sat behind Lolla, the 'famous' baker on Man-O-War and her husband Martin. Bob gave a spirited sermon on enduring through tough times.

Tomorrow is election day in the Bahamas.  We have tried to figure out the positions of the various parties, but really have not come to any understanding of the differences. We hope the Bahamians make a wise choice.

Another beautiful beach:



Tomorrow we plan to head to Hopetown and its iconic lighthouse.

Tom
Man-O-War Cay
Abacos, Bahamas
http://g.co/maps/gs9cv

We arrived in Papeete, Tahiti after a rigorous sail from the Tuamotu Islands. On average we had about 25 knot winds with waves of 6-8 feet on our beam (side of the boat). We were reefed (sails reduced) for most of the trip and heeled over quite a bit. We have only been on a port tack since we left the United States. We sure would like to lean the other way!

Before arriving in Tahiti, we thought it would be a tropical paradise perfect for honeymooning couples. We were quite surprised to find that the island which is the capitol of French Polynesia feels more like a big city. We took a bus tour around the island and our guide, Lydia, gave us good honest information about the state in Tahiti. Papeete is the capital of Tahiti and it is surrounded by suburbs. Almost all of the people on the island live in the capitol or in the suburbs surrounding the capital. Like most of the islands in French Polynesia, the majority of the island is uninhabited. Unfortunately, Tahiti has lost approximately 60% of its tourism volume since 2008. This drop has left the island's economy struggling. The political situation is also tense because half of the people on the island are pro French while the other half wishes for independence. Although Tahiti does get a lot of financial support from France, the island also has to follow many of the French laws and ways of functioning which may not work for Tahiti. For example, the school year is based on the French school year and the children are off during the summer. The summer is too hot in Tahiti and many locals wish the school break was during the winter when it is more conducive to vacation and spending time outdoors. The people of Tahiti have no ability to change this situation as long as they are a French territory. Because of the split in the government here, our guide Lydia told us, "Nothing is getting done." This statement should sound quite familiar to our friends and family in America. Currently 25% of the people in Tahiti live below the poverty level and an equivalent percent are unemployed. Unfortunately driving around Tahiti, the extent of the poverty is very evident. Lydia also told us that there is a wide gap between the poor and the rich with there being no real middle class. The highest paid people on the island are government workers, hospital workers, and teachers. Schooling is compulsory until the age of 16 but many families cannot afford to send their children to school beyond age 16. The healthcare is free. Locals pay to go to the doctor but the government reimburses them for almost all of the fees. It does not cost anything to be hospitalized. France did build a new hospital recently but the island is having difficulty affording the cost associated with running the hospital. France is also currently building a new prison because the current prison is filled 400% over capacity but the locals are in grave disagreement about where the prison should be built. Lydia did give us an excellent tour of the island. Her history was quite interesting. She was backpacking through Tahiti 19 years ago and fell in love and subsequently married a Tahitian man. She was originally from Great Britain and now speaks French and Tahitian. She was extremely well educated about the history of the island, local customs and the current struggles the island is facing. Unfortunately, on the day of the tour it was pouring rain so we didn't get any pictures of the beautiful waterfalls, huge blow holes, botanical gardens, museums, and an ancient marae. These are sacred Polynesian grounds which were the sight of ancient religious ceremonies.



We have now been out of the water for one week. We are staying in a hotel room in downtown Papeete. Let's just say that it isn't exactly a five star hotel. We are staying there because it's convenient - it takes about 30 minutes to walk to the boat. We have been going to the boat every day to work on our to do lists. We did take one day off to tour the island and another afternoon/evening off for a rally get together. At the event, the seven boats (out of 29) who were double handed for the 21 day trip from the Galapagos to the Marquesas were recognized. It was a great feeling to think that we made it that long at sea, just the two of us.

You would think that we would love being off the boat and in a hotel room. It actually feels like we are back to work. Every day we get up, eat breakfast, walk to the boat, work on the boat until 4:00pm, walk back to the hotel, go get some dinner and then go to bed. I think it's the routine of this that is more discouraging than anything. We were only supposed to be out of the water for three days but it has been raining so the bottom has not been able to be painted. It has rained for the past four days straight. This has been the most rain we have seen since leaving the United States. All of our food is now at the ship yard manager's friend's house because our batteries cannot be charged and our food was about to spoil. We are an American boat and the shipyard's electrical hookups are all European. So no food, no cool drinks, no ice, etc. We are tired of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. Am I complaining too much?



There are some very good things about staying in a hotel:
1. Flushing the toilet and not having it go into a holding tank which will need to be dumped.
2. Being able to spin around in the shower without hitting a wall.
3. Air conditioning - sleeping in it and better yet getting out of the shower, getting dressed and not sweating before you leave the room.
4. Sleeping underneath a sheet, blanket and a light comforter without getting hot.
5. The best croissants I have ever eaten which Mark often brings to me in bed with a diet coke with lots of ice.
6. Having an ice machine and not having to make ice.
7. Complete silence when you go to sleep.
8. Sleeping in a bed big enough that I can roll over in the middle of the night and not accidently hit Mark and wake him.

Some not so good things about staying in a hotel:
1. European outlets - it has been at least two months since I last used a blow dryer.
2. A television where all the stations are in French or Tahitian - it was fun to flip the channels for a while but that has worn off quickly.
3. Not having what you need - like no umbrella or rain coats to go on the island tour when it was pouring rain.
4. Eating out every meal when you are exhausted at the end of the day. We did find McDonalds last night behind our hotel and took it back to the room to eat. Yes, it tastes about the same as in the United States.

We had quite a bit of fun in both the Marquesas Islands and the Tuamotu Islands so our to do lists were getting a bit long. We also had some things needing fixing that we couldn't do. Here is an idea of what we have been doing:

Ship Yard Work:
Clean and paint the bottom of the boat. Australia is very particular about coming into the country with a clean bottom. They are very concerned about any algae, marine life, barnacles, etc. that you may bring into the country. You need a specific type of bottom paint on the boat and be able to show that the bottom has been painted in the past six months.
Fix a broken stanchion which we broke on the way into the shipyard. We had way too much current and wind coming in. Our stanchion met up with the corner of the concrete dock. Whoops!
Grease and clean the washers on the rudder post. It has been squeaking since the trip to the Marquesas.
Rebolt the jib car which has also been squeaking.
Replace the swim platform with the new one that we received from Island Packet. The new ones have hinged openings where the water can come through the platform in case we take big waves underneath it. Nice service and innovation from Island Packet Yachts as usual!!

Mark's List:
Fix the heads. I broke the lever on the aft head when flushing it quite a while ago. Mark took the working head apart to figure out how to fix the one that was broken. Then we got a spare part from s/v Anastasia. Mark fixed the broken one with the spare part we received, couldn't put back together the one that was working, and then with help from Lee (s/v Samsara) got them both working again and were able to return the spare parts back to Anastasia. It was a saga that lasted for days. Yes, Mark spent 2 whole days breaking and fixing the toilets!
Replace the spinnaker halyard which had become frayed. Luckily we had a spare on board. We still need to go up the mast to figure out what frayed it.
The rest of the projects seem to be exercises in frustration. Mark (often with my help) has tried to fix a bunch of other things but we seem to keep hitting stumbling blocks. Our arch light is broken and needs to be replaced but we cannot find the right part we need. Our steaming light is not turning on. We checked the connections and they seem to be fine but we need to go up the mast to replace the bulb which will hopefully resolve it. We need to tighten the stay sail (for the second time) but it's been raining or too windy to do it. We tried to fix the steering connection at the helm which has been squeaking but we took it apart as much as we could but were unable to fix it. Much frustration, little progress.

Janet's List:
Clean the entire inside of the boat. Top to bottom. I have made quite a bit of progress but without electricity for the vacuum and without running water cleaning becomes difficult. Sometimes it feels like all I do is clean. Those who know I had Tracy clean our home in MA may not be feeling that sorry for me. It is amazing how dirty a boat gets when you live on it every day! I miss Tracy.

When we get put back into the water on Wednesday we will return to Taina Marina where we stayed for a few days before we were hauled out. It's a very nice marina. There we will finish cleaning the boat, go grocery shopping, do some laundry and then set sail for Bora Bora. We will visit a few islands between Tahiti and Bora Bora. We will leave Bora Bora for the Cook Islands on May 16, 2012.

By the way, we have a new yellow brick GPS tracker which now properly displays our location updated four times daily on the World ARC web site. To see our location just click on the link on the left side of this page "View Location of World ARC Fleet Boat in Real Time". (View Post...)

We had a fantastic sail to the Tuamotu Islands with lots of wind. We were together with s/v Zoe and s/v Southern Cross the entire way so we chatted with them on the SSB radio once or twice per day. We were planning on going to the island Manihi first but were unable to reach the island before sunset so we kept sailing on to Rangiroa. These islands are the largest group of coral atolls in the world. Each island is a band of land with a lagoon in the middle. Typically, each has a channel which you enter through to reach the lagoon. The channels can carry large amounts of current going in and out. You should only enter the islands during the day due to the incredible amount of coral reefs you need to avoid. When we entered Rangiroa we had about 5 knots of current going through the channel. The lagoon is large enough (78 km long and 24 km wide) that the entire island of Tahiti would fit inside its reef. We anchored in front of the Kiaora Resort which had hotel rooms (huts) right over the water for only $1,000 per night. The view was spectacular and the Resort offered some of the most beautiful sunsets we had ever seen. Happy hour became a must even if a pina colada was $13.00, yes, French Polynesia is very expensive.



The next day in Rangiroa, we went snorkeling at 8:00 am with our friends on s/v Zoe. We got there early so the tide was slack and we wouldn't drift away. The snorkeling area was nick named the "Aquarium" and it lived up to its name. As soon as we tied our dinghies to the mooring balls there were hundreds of fish around our boat. We dropped in the water and the fish weren't very bothered by our presence but instead seemed quite curious. They would come right up to you and some would even give you a nibble. We saw huge moray eels on this trip which usually stay in their caves but instead would swim right below us. The eels were about five feet long and seemed to be 8 -10 inches around. They weren't very attractive but were quite a site. I felt as if we were in the water in the movie "Finding Nemo" where all of the fish were bright colors and beautiful. There had to be dozens upon dozens of different varieties of fish. And yes, we again were swimming with sharks. They are black tip sharks and are reportedly harmless. Mark had one come up to him within a few feet and harmless or not, he has had enough of shark watching. The coral was also magnificent with so many oysters you couldn't count them.

After the snorkeling, we did a drift dive through the channel. This was our first drift dive. You tied yourself to your dinghy with a long line and then snorkel through the channel allowing the current to take you through. Although the fish watching wasn't as good as at the aquarium, it was quite an experience to drift through the channel.

And then, we went into town to see the sites. Most of the towns in the Tuamotu Islands consist of one concrete main street with a church, couple of small grocery stores, a building selling local crafts and a couple of very small restaurants. We weren't planning on going into town so we had little money and not everyone had shoes. We figured we could afford a beer for each of us and a couple of bags of chips so that became our 11:30 am lunch. We sat at the picnic table outside the grocery store and several local men on their lunch break joined us. One gentleman spoke a little English and the rest of us practiced our French. We have been finding everyone in French Polynesia to be very friendly. We enjoyed their company greatly.

That evening the WARC boats in the lagoon were invited over to Zoe for a movie. They had a projector and let out their main sail. They projected the movie "Master and Commander" onto the sail for an 8:00 pm show time. Five dinghies arrived with beer and popcorn. Zoe handed out fresh baked brownies. All of us sat in our dinghies tied to Zoe and watched the movie. What an incredible experience! We have to do this at home with the Cruising Club of New England!!

While we were in Rangiroa, we also visited one of the Pearl Farms. We received quite an education about how they cultivate and harvest the pearls which is quite a scientific process. The farm we visited produced 1/12 of the pearls in French Polynesia. They produced approximately 300,000 pearls per year but only one to two percent of them were of the highest quality. Pearl farms are quite regulated so they are only allowed to use oyster shells that they catch in a special netting. Once the oyster shells are caught they take three years to become ready to make a pearl. In order to make the pearl, the shell is implanted with a round piece of mother of pearl which is made from another oyster's shell from Mississippi. Attached to this round ball is what is called a host. The host is a piece of another oyster which will actually grow around the mother of pearl ball to make the full pearl. This host gives the pearl its color. It takes two years for the pearl to be made. Once the pearl is fully grown, it is removed from the oyster by prying the oyster open by a couple of centimeters. They cannot be opened more than this amount otherwise the shell will crack. Once the pearl is removed, another mother of pearl ball is placed in the oyster but no new host is needed. The new pearl ball is a larger size ball which the oyster can now accommodate. The total number of times that an oyster can produce a pearl is three times. The final time would produce the largest size pearl. We were able to see the dozen technicians at work adding the balls and hosts to the oysters at a rate of 450 oysters per person per day. It was quite fascinating! Then of course we were allowed to shop in their store. I didn't feel the need to buy any Tahitian pearls because they were quite expensive. I did see a necklace I liked and Simone on s/v Serendipity encouraged me to find out how much it cost. I am usually very adept at picking out the most expensive jewelry in the store. The woman handed me the necklace and showed me the price. It wasn't too bad but still too expensive. Then she pointed to a sign which was in French indicating that all of the necklaces in the case were half off. She got out the calculator and punched in some numbers to give me the cost of the necklace in dollars. Suddenly, the necklace was an irresistible deal of the century.

A Pearl Being Harvested from the Oyster


Before we left the Pearl Farm we were given the edible part of one of the oysters which had produced its last pearl. Yes, I had a piece and was more enthusiastic than Mark about trying it. While in Rangiroa, we went to a barbeque at the Kiaora Resort with Magali and David (s/v Ensemble) and I had eaten several oysters which were quite good. The food at the barbeque was very French so we tried all sorts of new things like blood sausage and pig intestine. Since we have been in countries where English is not the primary language for the past several months, we have become accustomed to interpreting menus which are in another language. It's not uncommon for Mark to turn to me after ordering and ask me if I know what I ordered. My typical response is that I am not exactly sure but I am sure that I will like it. It does make for some interesting eating!

Sadly, we left Rangiroa on April 19th for the day and a half sail to Tahiti. We have made arrangements to have our boat hauled out to get the bottom painted. We also have some repair work to be done at the shipyard. Even more sadly, much of our time in Tahiti will be doing work on the boat. We have heard from many people that while circumnavigating you just get to do boat work with a better view.  (View Post...)

We rented a car today to tour the Island of Providenciales.  But first we got on-line and found some geo-cache points.  On the internet there is a website “geocache.com” that gives you GPS coordinates to TREASURE boxes people have hidden and listed on this site.  We found 3 possible cache’s here so off we went. 

The first one we found easily with the coordinates and the clue was “stay in the parking lot and don’t sink the boat”.  Here is John finding the box and the “goodies” inside of it.  We left a few foreign coins to add to the treasure for the next guy.

Next stop was the National Park on the North side of the island.  The road was pretty good but created from sand and there were a few “I don’t know if we should go through here” moments but a towing company had left many signs along the way “just in case”.  At the end was a light that the birds had obviously made into their home and we left our own geo-cache there.

Finally off to Grace Bay…one of Conde Nast’s Top 10 Beaches in the World.  It is very beautiful but has no sea-shells which is my top pre-requisite for a Top 10 Beach.

Last stop was another geo-cache fine although this “treasure” was a sight, not a box.  It was a Hole…and what a Hole it was!

What a great passage we had from Dominican Republic to the Turks and Caicos.  Our fishing expert Jonathon proved his power again with a quick catch-n-release of a mackerel.  Later in the day we had duelling poles out and they “zzzzznnnnngggggddddddd” all at once.  We had gone through a school of tuna and landed us a nice Yellow Fin Tuna…perfect for Sushi and Sashimi…ymmmm.  The other line had a bigger fish on a smaller lure but the “Big One Got Away”.  Later another small tuna was caught and again released…what fun.

Coming in to Turtle Cove Marina on Provedencialis you get a pilot to show you the way through the reefs.  The clouds had a baby blue color to their bottom sides.  What a beautiful entry after an all-nighter.

From New Mexico My Aunt Hazel here in New Mexico asked me the other day if we had a way of covering up our household belongings when it rained. I guess she thinks we live on a Tom Sawyer raft, but that's my fault, isn't it? I clearly haven't done a good job of describing our boat or living quarters. Yesterday my sister brought over a jigsaw puzzle, and everyone was surprised to hear that I do

A Sailor Visits New Mexico That looks a wee bit like a palm tree, doesn't it? But, no, these are yuccas, the state flower of New Mexico, two particularly towering ones. I went walking about here in my hometown and had quite forgotten the feel of that dry, crisp wind, all sparkly and tingly like Champagne. I ponder whether this dry breeze is sturdy enough to fill a sail but that seems too

Debi left for South Dakota for mothers day and to go to the grandkids dance recital yesterday. Chance Burleson from Deadwood will be here this evening and my friend Horace will come in on Monday.

 I realize how blessed Debi and I are to have done what we have. Now I look forward to the Black Hills and all its beauty. Already I miss Debi and wish that we could have made the last leg of the journey together. Another time!!

When we arrived in the US at Lake Worth we had quite a surprise. It was Cinco Demyo and the natives were restless. We came through the Lake Worth cut and into the Intercoastal Waterway to get to our marina. Right in the middle of a narrow part of the ICW was a police boat that had pulled over a party barge full of Bikinis. Anyway I had no where to go except around them, Wrong, Hard aground less than 200 yards from the Marina.  It was my lucky day since there was a rising tide so we only had to sit there for about 20 min before we got loose and into the marina.


The Carnival Cruise Ship coming out of Port of Miami called the Sail boat that was crossing the shipping lane. He just missed him! What was that guy thinking.



Just to prove that I can catch fish even though they are Barracuda that you can't eat!!

Today we walked a couple miles to the Seven Mile Bridge.. It was originally built as train tracks to Key West by Henry Flagler. The old railroad was destroyed by storms, and they subsequently used the old rails as side rails for the old highway, which is now used as a biking/walking path beside the new modern  highway.

We have finally made it to the Dry Tortugas. We tried last week to sail here from Puerto Morelos, but we hit strong head winds off the coast of Cuba. This put us behind in an already tight weather window, so we turned around and went back to Isla Mujeres. We stayed at a really neat marina there called El Milagro. They are a resort and marina. They have just about everything but they are small and very personable. A place we would like o go back to.
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After a blistering fast sail up the straight between Cozumel and the maiin land we are tied up in the El Cid marina in Puerto Morelos. Coming through the straight, we had no wind, the motor ticking over at 2500 rpms and we were making 8.5 knots over ground. Nothin like 3 knots of favorable current to get you where you want to go in a hurry. I could get used to that type of sailing.
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