Daily Logs

Lady Kay - Tahaa

Have been on Tahaa for the last couple of days. Had an excellent meal ashore last night at a v small hotel on a moto (small islet) on the coral reef. Are going to have cocktails with Harmonie tonight, before all going ashore again to a local, recommended restaurant. We are off to Bora Bora tomorrow after hopefully doing some provisioning in a village here (anywhere is cheaper than Bora Bora). You can see Bora Bora in the background of the picture of Rob and Virginia.All the best from J, M, R & VIMG_0103_1_1. read more...

Matilda - Ready to set sail again

Contadora has been like a breath of fresh air to us - it has been exactly what we had hoped sailing the world would be like. The anchorage is beautiful, the water is clear, and there's plenty to explore ashore.We started the day today early with the inaugural World ARC hash. There were about 30 of us who set off at 7.15 this morning on a route around the island which had been set out with great care by Paul and Joel of the World Cruising Club. We completed the run/jog/walk in an hour or so and had a lovely breakfast overlooking the bay. Since the tide was so low we couldn't contemplate hauling our dinghy down to the water, so we set off again to explore the rest of the island on foot. Then is was back to the beach for a swim, out to the boat to finish a few jobs, have lunch and an. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World ( Presently in the Whitsunday Islands )

THURSDAY   5th    AUGUST   2010 06.30   Skipper and Naill got up early and rooted out all the fishing tackle , then hopped into the rib and motored over about 1/2 mile to the point and started fishing , using the bait we acquired in Hamilton Isl. The bait consisted of Squid and Pilchers and after fishing and catching nothing except coral reefs, we gave up and returned to " A Lady " and decided we must be doing something wrong. Niall and Mary went ashore for a while and on their return, we hauled the anchor and set sail for Airlie beach, about 15 miles away. We sailed past the picturesque Island of Hamilton on the way, and observed at least 6 Whales on route, some very close, The sight of their tails going up into the air before. read more...

Lady Ev.VI - Daily Log, 5. August 2010

Hallo, liebe Leser und Daheimgebliebenen!Was koennen Gerd Berner (Skipper), Ulli, "Olli" und Joerg von der Lady Ev VI Euch berichten: Einerseits wollen wir unbedingt unsere Erlebnisse mit Euch teilen (Wer ruft da "Angeber"?), andererseits sind unsere Erlebnisse so vielfaeltig und so persoenlich, dass es auch vom Schreiber dieser Zeilen abhaengt, welche Auswahl er trifft.Auch kann man nicht Alles so schildern, dass Ihr keine Angst um uns bekommt und vielleicht uns aus Sorgen zurueck beordert;andere Erlebnisse sind nur aus der eigenen Sicht wunderbar oder schrecklich: Der Leser, besonders, wenn er mit dem Weltumsegler eng verbunden ist, liest vielleicht zuviel zwischen den Zeilen, wo Nichts ist.Bei der Ankunft im ersten australischen Hafen, Mackay, sind wir fast niedergekniet und haben den. read more...

Matilda - Things are coming together (at last)

7th February 2012:Yesterday was a productive day at last; we overhauled and re-assembled our Duogen (water/wind powered electricity generator). Amazingly it is now working and charging the batteries very quietly indeed. We also took delivery of our Autohelm and installed it. We even managed to top up the diesel tanks and motor-sail across to the Las Perlas islands!So this morning we woke up at anchor in the most beautiful little anchorage, off a beach by the "Hotel Romantica" in Contadora, Las Perlas. We will have the rally briefing today and a wander around the island tomorrow, with the usual welcome drinks, dinners and parties, followed by the start of our next leg to Galapagos on Thursday at noon.We have given up on getting the generator to work, so we have to hope the Duogen will. read more...

Glamorous Galah - Las Pearlas

We have been here for a few days now. Dave and I sailed over and cruised around some of the Northern Islands while Bernie scoped out more of Panama city and took in the super bowl on Sunday.We enjoyed the solitude of the beaches, with turtle tracks, iguanas, eagles, and a stack of fish. Dave has managed to land two so far, a bonito and a cod. Yum. We roamed around the island where Survivor is filmed!This pic is overlooking the Romantica Hotel on isla Contradora (photo). Off to Galapagos tomorrow!Ted. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 133 - Wilderness World

5 August 2010I refer to the passage we have just completed taking us through the Hinchinbrook Channel, and 24 hours which have been quite memorable in more ways than one. We weighed anchor from Magnetic Island at 6.15am yesterday having slept like babes, not a breath of wind overnight. Typical! Our dawn departure rewarded us with a last dazzling whale display. The first was a humpback beating, thrashing the water with its great fluke, time and time and time again. David caught it on camera. It was not long before we spotted a mother and calf, simultaneously rising up vertically out of the sea, her great white underbelly appearing first, a pirouette, before finally revealing her huge curved black back as she went crashing back down, sending up a giant plume of sea and spray. "Look", she. read more...

Ensemble - Day 31 - Contadora, Las Perlas Islands Panama

Day 31 - Contadora, Las Perlas Islands Panama Greetings from yacht Ensemble.After a brief motor-sail yesterday we reached Contadora, about 30nm from Panama City.  It is the first island we’ve seen in ages with decent sand – and the World ARC captain’s briefing was held at a small beachside resort.  The next leg to Galapagos Islands starts tomorrow at lunch-time and is about 850nm.  Winds are expected to be very light – but at least there will be a favorable current – and we all have plenty of fuel just in case!We went for a nice swim this morning and it was very refreshing.  We used the opportunity to give the hull a quick wipe-down and clear the blocked log wheel.  We aim to have a relaxing day before the next big leg.Tonight is the. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World ( Presently in the Whitsunday islands, Australia, )

WEDNESDAY   4th  AUGUST  2010Another beautifull day, but very cool and very breezy. It was the 1st time in a long time that the skipper had to put on a pair of " long johns" in the bunk,  brrrrrrr  brrrrrr brrrrr 07.00hrs,  Skipper got out and into the blog and all the outstanding emails,  The skippers friend ,Sr Ita has sent a number of emails recently reassuring us of her continued support in prayer every day,    We think this is just above and beyond normal friendship.. we love you Sr.Ita. 09.00hrs  Aileen and Naill went ashore. Aileen needed to sort out her phone and Naill gave her some moral support, as solicitors do ! Skipper returned the buggy to the office and bought some fishing bait on his way back. read more...

BRIZO - Daily Log 8 Feb 2012

We arrived at Contadora Island yesterday afternoon just in time for the skippers' briefing for the restart to the Galapagos. We had a very pleasant sail for the 35 miles we covered, had to motor a short way at the beginning and again at the end. After the briefing there was a beach-side cocktail party for all participants. The girls were happy to catch-up with Sam and Sarah, digging large holes on the beach and tending to a very large bonfire which had been prepared for the party. Early this morning Corinne and the girls went ashore for a walking tour of the island, scheduled to start at 7:15 before the temperature and humidity make outdoor activities difficult. This evening is the rally dinner before everyone departs tomorrow at noon. The weather forecast is for good sailing conditions. read more...

Destiny - Sternenhimmel - 4.8.2010

Wir segeln auf Cape Cleveland zu, während langsam die Nacht hereinbricht.Über den Bergrücken des Kaps strahlt der von den Lichtern der StadtTownsville hell erleuchtete Himmel und das ganze Ufer entlang leuchten dieFeuer der Kohlegruben vom Gas abfackeln. Über uns ein phantastischerSternenhimmel, der durch die Blitze der vorbei fliegenden Flugzeuge zuleben scheint. Vor uns im Westen, zunächst strahlend hell leuchtend, dieVenus, die dann rötlich am westlichen Horizont verschwindet. Im Süden amRand der Milchstrasse die beiden hellen Zeigersterne Alpha Centauris undBeta Centauris, die auf das darunter liegende Kreuz des Südens hin zeigen.Im Osten die Wega im Sternbild Lyra, hell strahlend, obwohl sie immerhin25,5 Lichtjahre entfernt ist. Im Norden schließlich die Deichsel desGrossen Wagens,. read more...

Graptolite - A Little Money Laundering

14:40.93S 151:29.05W Tahaa Yacht Club, Tahaa, Tuesday 13th PMNow in Tahaa, we were on a mooring off the Yacht Club on Monday night. We had no adventures worth reporting in getting here.Jean has loaned herself out to another boat called 'Island Prism' for a little while. Canadian Jim was sailing single-handed and needed the help.This morning we were a water taxi and took Heike and Bill to the ridiculously luxurious 'Le Tahaa Resort' on a little motu off Tahaa. We had a fabulous lunch as taxi fare. Then Colin and I tried to get back into the dinghy. Appreciate that we have done this operation countless times before. Appreciate that we have done this in darkness and well sozzled without mishap. Appreciate that on this occasion we had nothing but water with lunch and it was broad daylight.. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 132 - A safe haven....

3 August 2010We have now left the Whitsundays behind. Two more whale sightings today but none close enough for a photo shoot. It was another sparkling sunny day as we set full sail in a light south easterly wind but it was not long before we were reefing the genoa. The mizzen was shortened shortly after that and with the wind increasing even further, the main now had to come in as well. We do not like to over canvas Voyageur. The wind was now gusting over 22 knots but being on the stern quarter it made for the wonderful sailing that we had promised Peter and which makes a passage up inside the Great Barrier Reef such an exhilarating experience. We kept just on the outer edge of the southbound shipping lane but saw few ships. David tuned in to 4 Bravo at 9am and picked up a few other WARC. read more...

Samsara - A new beach in Contadora

Feb 7This morning the dinghy motor still wasn't working quite right so we motored over to Contadora and when we arrived we tossed the kayak in the water and the girls and I rowed to the nearest beach. When we arrived we realized that the only two people on the beach were "sans clothing." Eventually they dressed and left and the girls and I were alone on the beach, until another couple came and removed all of their clothing - yup that's right - we inadvertently had kayaked to the nudist beach! When we went to shore for the skipper's meeting we saw a map and it's clearly labeled as the nudist beach - of course we had no idea when we pulled up and rowed to shore - live and learn.....Pauline. read more...

Lady Kay - Fishing traps

We saw lots of these fish traps in the lagoon and the river down to the lagoon. You can see Eric's hire car on the road - very respectable car. We are chilling out and doing boat jobs today. We also walked around the little island and have done lots of snorkeling - it is really good here with lots of coral gardens amidst white sand. Why I haven't bought an underwater camera I really don't know - really regret it.Best wishes fromJ, M, R & VHuahine 018. read more...

Andante of Mersey - 2 weeks of heaven

It has taken me ages to get round to doing this but there is such a lot to tell you about all the fabulous places we have been to, Tahiti was fairly commercialised  compared to Southport. From there we visited Moorea and stayed in Cook's Bay and then on to another Bay - Opunohu where the snorkeling was great then we sailed back to Tahiti to provision the boat. from there we had a wonderful sail back to Moorea for a day and night. The next night we did a night sail to the island of Huahine, it was really rock and roll Joan was sea sick but the rest of us were ok.We stayed at a couple of different bays and had lots of swimming and snorkeling, four of us hired a car and did a tour of the island, visited a pearl farm which was very interesting then on to a lovely restaurant for lunch and a. read more...

Sapphire II - 6 Feb (Day30): Dolphins, Pelicans & Tuna

We set off from La Playita at 1 pm, happy to be out of the marina and headed for Contadora island in the Las Perlas. The trip was about 35 miles and we used the time to brief the less experienced crew on watch-keeping and Colregs (collision avoidance at sea). We also talked through the process of handling our new fishing rods and how we would land a fish if we were lucky (skillful?) enough to catch one.The first sign that we would have a fortunate day was the appearance of 2 dolphins, who stayed with us for half an hour and swam effortlessly in front of (and sometimes under) Sapphire's bow. They are amazingly graceful creatures who thrilled all on board with their jumping and frolicking and sometimes even rolling over to wink at us observers! After the dolphins left us, we came across. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World ( Presently in Hamilton Island, The Whitsunday Islands, Australia. )

 TUESDAY   3rd  AUGUST  2010     ( Lorna O'Driscoll's Birthday ,, Sister )  We had a very windy night, the boat nearly tore away from the marina a few times during the night. We had a good few emails, and it was great to hear from Marion in Germany again, minding her horses and collecting the hay on her farm, well done Marion. The skipper had a long chat with Hugh Gibson on the mobile today. Hugh is a great guy on a boat and very easy company, always in good humour and full of the joys of life,  It cheered the skipper up no end......... 08.00hrs, A Nick Cox  ( Hans on ) , a well known sailor from around here and has sailed in Cork Week, came aboard to wish us well and have a chat and a cup of coffee. We discussed. read more...

Sapphire II - 3/4/5 Feb, (Days 27/28/29) Panama City Weekend

In order to get quickly to yesterday's excitement, this blog will just memorialize the past weekend.We stayed in the city for the weekend which allowed us more easily experience the flavor of this bustling place. The city is built around a bay, and by all accounts has really only sprung up over the last 10 years or so. The skyline is full of 40-50 story high-rises. It even is graced by a Trump Tower, for heaven's sake. There are excellent multi-lane elevated thruways and thousands of yellow cabs (but without meters....so negotiate, negotiate). There is a tremendous air of bustle and certainly the appearance of prosperity and economic activity. It does resemble Miami in appearance, but apparently is more important economically. Maybe being low tax and next to Colombia contributes to all. read more...

Kasuje - Daily Log Monday 12th May

Bonjour from Bora Bora! Well, we were meant to have left for Raratonga a few hours ago but have persuaded dad to let us stay another night CAUSE WE'RE HAVING TOO MUCH FUN. Poor dad, do feel slightly sorry for him, he said he thought having three girls was bad but four is impossible. We have chained him to the stove today, offered to cook dinner to return the favour to another boat but we accidentally invited 16 people- dads been bulking out the curry with all sorts of random ingredients, frantically cleaning up the yacht and trying to locate the stash of plates and glasses!  We disqualified ourselves from yesterdays race in the Regatta because we put the motor on- there wasn't enough wind to get us going, we were too hot and most importantly there was a chance that we would not make the. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World,, ( Presently in the WhitSunday Islands, Australia. )

MONDAY  2nd  AUGUST   2010  Its hard to believe that its August, gosh , time is flying by, and at home in Ireland, its the Augaust bank holiday, Margaret How has gone to Crookhaven for a few weeks and our son Stefan has gone there for the weekend with his doll, Caroline, We hope the weather is good. Back here in Australia, the wind is blowing hard as we get out of the bunks this morning, and we have lots of birds singing away in the background. The weather is good, clear bright skies, but the grib files show a deteriation in the weather , so we decided to hop the 30 miles over to " Hamilton Island " Would you believe this, we could not get the generator to start, It just turned over, but not a gug. God ! I should have become a mechanical engineer,. read more...

Destiny - Whitsunday Islands - 1.8.2010

Die Whitsunday Islands gehören zu den für den Tourismus am bestenerschlossenen Inseln Australiens im Bereich des Great Barrier Reefs, obwohlnur 17 der insgesamt 74 Inseln bebaut sind. Es herrscht subtropisches Klimamit milden Wintern. Die Durchschnittstemperatur beträgt dort 27,2 Grad.Die Wassertemperatur beträgt ganzjährig 20 - 24 Grad. Jede der bebautenInseln hat einen eigenen Charakter: mondän, luxuriös, familiär oder für denCamper.Vorbei geht es an den vielen Smith Islands (Goldsmith Island, TinsmithIsland, Blacksmith Island). Unser erster Stop ist die unbewohnte InselThomas Island, auf der, wie auf vielen der Inseln hier, ein Nationalparkeingerichtet ist. Weiter geht es durch die schmale Passage zwischenWhitsunday Island und Haslewood Island zu dem 6 km langen Strand in. read more...

Ensemble - Tuesday 7 Feb: Panama City to Contadora Island

Greetings from yacht Ensemble.We got off to a bumpy start this morning (...It was low tide and the winds pushed us towards the rock wall of the marina.We got so close I couldn't use the engine - fortunately with the help of the dinghy from Mr Blue and a local tug that happened to be passing they pulled us away.Hair raisingly close - but no sign of any damage done- touch wood - will dive on the boat in Contadora to make sure!Thanks Mr Blue and Mr Tug! )Magali got back from Washington DC late last night and we went straight to immigration to get our exit visa.Immigration is a garden shed next to the Balboa Yacht Club jetty - friendly enough (no English) - but you'd think they'd spend some money on a decent building.Anyway - once he understood we were leaving (Salida) not arriving - we had. read more...

Cleone - at the Tahiti Pearl Regatta

What a cracking Regatta! You can,t judge the success of everything by paper results, which is just as well.  We got up early, organised ourselves, had breakfast and a good (no, leave that out Ed), made sure all the gear was ready, arrived at the start on time, concentrated hard on what we were doing, trimmed the sails, steered the course, and did everything else possible to make Cleone go as fast as she could, but since we could do nothing about removing the ton of water and half a ton of fuel which we needed for the next part of our trip, let alone shave and deepen her four and a half ton keel, all was of no avail.  As she always does, Cleone made her way safely and steadily around the poorly defined buoys of the various courses, but failed to make much headway, even on corrected. read more...

Trompeta - Las Perlas & Fishing

Having had a successful transit through the Panama Canal which was a fascinating experience first going down three locks then up two more locks, we have now sailed from Panama City to Las Perlas to enjoy these tranquil islands. We anchored on Friday off Contadora which is where the WCC are hosting the farewell dinner on Wednesday, then moved on to the island where Survivor was filmed Isla Chapera and spent two nights there. On the way to Las Perlas Dave managed to catch two lovely fish - dolphin and Bonito!! We cooked up the dolphin for dinner on Friday then Saturday we had dinner with the guys on Bronwyn and Luis who made a delicious appetiser using the Bonito! Yesterday Dave caught a Spanish Mackeral whilst we sailed from Isla Chapera to. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 131 - "The Beach"

1 August 2010With the morning, all the mist and rain of the last two days had passed over and for the first time since leaving Mackay we luxuriated in the warmth of the sun. The marina rules dictated that we had to vacate our berth by 11am. We cast off the mooring lines at 9am. With 29nm to go today and a planned lunch stop on the way it was a sharp start for us. Our first destination was Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island. Now I know what all the fuss is about. Whitehaven Beach is not just a beach. It is magnificent beach, but it is just a beach! 6km long, it consists of pure white silica sand, hardly a soul on it. Whitsunday Island is the largest in the group and the Australian government have certainly had the good sense to leave it undisturbed and undeveloped. There is nothing. read more...

Lady Kay - motu and marae

motu hopping from ra'iatea to taha'asunday at motu naonao great day trip for the locals. Families arrived in small dinghies with tables and chairs and food and hinano beer for the day. the families made 'camps' in the shade of the trees and lit barbecues. People spent very little time on the sand which although it looked inviting, was home to lots of hermit crabs. The day was spent in the water swimming, fishing and the odd polynesian canoe could be seen paddled by young man and very decorative girl at prow complete with flowers in her hair.Just before sunset all the little boats set off for the shore filled with people and stuff. There was no rubbish left behind. It was then time for Lady Kay to party with Harmonie and its is crew.Monday am v reluctantly left Naonao and had good view of. read more...

Graptolite - Baba Rara Cucu Dada

16:42.79S 151:02.35W Fare anchorage, Huahine Saturday PM 10th MayJust before arriving at Huahine, Colin had a bite from a fish, thus finally christening his expensive fishing tackle bought ages ago in Pape'ete. This fish was a new type for us, eight pounds in weight, long and with big teeth. After anchoring near the tiny town of Fare we had a run ashore then invited the crew of 'Viva' over for a fish supper. Soon after, small niggling doubts surfaced about the species of fish we had in the fridge. After the photographs were checked we realised that this fish was not the very excellent wahoo as we first thought. It was a barracuda. Barracudas being reef predators are unfortunately a bit prone to poisoning people with ciguatera. The fish fillets were gently released back into the wild and. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World (Presently in Australia)

Sunday, 1st August 2010 A lovely morning in Scawfell Island. 07.00hrs Skipper and Niall got up early to do some fishing, basically the taxi guy in Mackay told us that "Scawfell" was excellent for coral trout, so we are going to have a go. We launched the rib, got out all the fishing tackle we have on board, including a fly fishing rod, as a second rod was needed for Niall, we also got out some prawns from the deep freeze and motored over to the edge of the coral reef, where we were told was the best place to fish, well within 20 minutes, we didn't have a prawn left, nor did we have a fish! We tried in vain with other lures to catch something, but nothing doing, so an hour later, we headed back to A Lady and joined Aileen and Mary for breakfast. Lots of fruit and fruit. read more...

Samsara - Sharks, Yellow Fin Tuna, and Clear Water (Oh, for a dinghy motor that works!)

Feb 6Today we went to the beach at Isla Bayoneta to release the hermit crabs that Sam had kept for 2 days and to paddle through the shallow area between two islands. During the poling we saw 2 sharks, and we got to see where they hid beneath the large rocks. We also saw a large number of fish, some parrot and some large fish we couldn't identify.While motoring on to the next island I mentioned to Lee that I didn't want to kill any more MahiMahi - they are such beautiful fish I feel bad killing them. That reminded Lee that he wanted to put the line out and within 1/2 hour we caught a large yellow fin tuna -they aren't as pretty as MahiMahi but it's still hard to kill any fish. We stopped at an island just south of Contadora and enjoyed really clear water - easily 10 feet of clear water -. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the world (Presently about to leave Mackay and sail north)

Saturday, 31st July 2010    We had a light mist all night, actually it could have been a very heavy dew, but the decks were sopping when we got up.Niall tried to get the GPS for the boats computer in the Nav, station working in conjunction with the charts that Eowyn installed a few months ago, but failed, we tried every thing and explored every option, but nothing worked.  Skipper went to the Marina office and fixed up the marina charges, and disposed the rubbish on the way. He also collected suction pads, which will be useful when we are cleaning the hull, they are great for holding the rib onto the side of the boat. On returning to the boat, we took the jib sheets out of the barrow of fabric softener and put them back on board, we had them steeping for 30 hours. read more...

Lady Kay - Shelling crabs

HiTraveled down inside the reef to the far end of Huahine - beautiful bay surrounded by white sandy beaches. Managed to hire a car for the afternoon from a guy in the restaurant and drove around Huahine Nui and Hahine Iti. The picture shows crabs being shelled while sitting in the cool of the water. They are in an enclosed lagoon next to an important archaelogical site which we visited. Also visited a small town where we found a restaurant to have lunch. We are off to the island of Raiatea today, but unfortunately there is no wind so we are motoring.Bye for now M, J, R & VHuahine 003. read more...

Graptolite - Fully Automatic Autopilot

17:30.98S 149:49.22W Cooks Bay, Moorea, Thursday PMWe just had two days of excellent diving outside the reef off Moorea. On Tuesday we had a Blacktip sharks and turtles experience. OK and not so very frightening. On Wednesday we upgraded to an enormous gang of huge Lemon sharks circling around us looking hungry. What me worry? You will have to wait for the photos and video to see how big and menacing they were. They actually smile at you when they about to bite.We had lunch in the Sheraton Beach Resort. It was nothing special except for the price. They had a power cut in the kitchen half way through cooking which didn't help. When we got back to the anchorage about an hour and ahalf later, Graptolite had GONE. After a quiet panic and motoring the dinghy around in circles for a while we. read more...

Samsara - All day at the Beaches.....

Feb 5We spent the whole day checking our various beaches on this little island. In the process we saw: a shark (while rowing though a shallow channel between islands), parrot fish, puffer fish (in the surf right at the little breaking waves), a really long (4 feet or so) bright green fish that looked a bit like a barracuda - long thin with a long thin snout, rays and tiny hermit crabs (about 2mm) to large (6cm or so). The water is colder than the Caribbean Sea and is quite refreshing, but it's not as clear - you can't really see clearly beyond about 4 feet or so. The rock formations around the islands are quite unique, looks like pumice with big fossils in it (no idea what we're really looking at but that's what it looks like) and some areas look like someone took a melon baller and. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 130 - A "Whale" of a time!

31 July 2010 David and Peter climbed up to the Brampton Island viewpoint in the morning. We weighed anchor straight after their return for Hamilton Island 35nm away. The calm sea created the perfect conditions for whale watching and we were rewarded a plenty. A first sighting was followed by one and then another. Jumping nose first high out of the water it was thrilling to watch, their great flukes beating the surface of the water as they landed. We could believe our luck. This was the first time we have seen whales on our whole trip.Hamilton Island is the very antithesis of Brampton our previous Whitsunday landfall. Of all the 74 Whitsunday Islands, Hamilton has been developed as a major tourist resort along with seven others. The marina berth was very expensive at $135 Australian a. read more...

Serendipity - Paradise - not all it is cracked up to be

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A Lady - Sailing around the World (Presently in Mackay, Australia)

Friday, 30 July 2010      (Our daughter Sarah flies to the States today)  Sarah is flying out with our grandchildren in Newhampshire, USA. They are there with their parents on holidays, Paul and Christine, and their grandfather from the otherside, Christine's father, who traveled over from the Philipppines. His name being Hector, and has suggested that he will visit us on the boat when we get to Bali. We think that would be great, and look forward to meeting him again. Meanwhile, back in Mackay, it is a beautiful morning for a change, blue skies and light winds.09.00hrs Chris arrived and with the rigger, they replaced the tricolor light and all the lights on the mast with LED bulbs. The rigger checked the mast from head to toe again and. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 129 - Scottish connections!

29 July 2010We spent a week in Mackay. Our son Scott flew in from Melbourne where he had been visiting school friends, stayed on board for three nights and flew out again from Mackay airport to see more friends in Brisbane, Sydney and finally Perth. As he left, my twin brother Peter arrived from Vancouver. He last sailed aboard Voyageur in Turkey two summers ago, the year we bought her, and before that he sailed the leg from Fiji to Cairns on Stella. At the time he described the trip like being in a washing machine on top of a mechanical bull. This time we have promised him wonderful downwind sailing in flat seas! The weather in Mackay was decidedly Scottish. The wind blew, the rain tipped down. It was not at all what we expected, nor did the locals. Mackay is very much a working town.. read more...

Samsara - Off to Las Perlas

Feb 4We had a wonderful few days in Panama, and celebrated Sam's 9th birthday with cake and many well wishes and "Happy Birthday" songs from the boat crews. We enjoyed another trip to the old town section and had a wonderful dinner there with the Brizo family (their two daughters and Sam and Sarah are having a ball on the rally - finding little starfish and crabs etc. and creating their own "touch tank" while we were in Panama), and I did another grocery run that was much more successful than the first one. We also got the kill switch for the engine fixed (a new solenoid) and the vang, and we've ordered the part that should allow us to use our whisker pole for the Pacific crossing but it won't be here before the Galapagos leg. Brizo's owner is going back to the States while we're in the. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World (Presently in Mackay, Australia)

Thursday, 29th July 201008.00hrs We crawly slowly out of the bunks to the sound of these small orange colored parrots flying around. They have a real screech chirp, and reminded us of the little green parrots that Leah and Johnny had in Dublin. We sort of miss all the cocks crowing early in the mornings which we had almost every day through all the Pacific Islands. The guy from the "Sea fresh" water maker, who looked over our unit and and can increase our output, but will have to check availability of all the parts required. Their company is based in Airlie Beach, up close to the " Whitsunday Islands" so we will call into them next week on our way north. We are looking forward to getting to the Whitsundays. Joe Formosa, the hydraulics man and his team of merry. read more...

Seaquest - Afscheid van Panama City

4-2-2012Karin en Marcel landen vrijdag 3 februari op Panama Airport. Het ontvangstcomité van Seaquest Cruises heet de nieuwe gasten aan boord hartelijk welkom en meteen is het weer gezellig. De komende twee weken reizen Karin en Marcel met ons mee. Een bijzonder vooruitzicht, omdat ze daarmee niet alleen op afstand maar nu ook 'live' deelgenoot zijn van de reis van ons leven.Maar eerst beleven we nog andere dingen: we maken deze week weer eens behoorlijk schoon schip en slepen heel wat af met boodschappen voor de komende twee maanden, vanuit de laatste(!) grote supermarkt die we voorlopig zullen zien. En na een week met veel uitstapjes gaan we nu weer in de schoolbanken aan de slag met school. Rust en regelmaat.Jannet experimenteert in de kombuis met het maken van zuurdesem brood. read more...

Anastasia - Isla Del Rey/Isla Canas

8:21.95N 78:49.18WIsla Del Rey is the largest of the Las Perlas islands, with several villages and anchorages on the eastern and southern sides.  We are anchored at Isla Canas off the eastern shore, where the cruising guide says there is a village that sells fresh fruit and pearls.  We are going to visit the village tomorrow morning.As we were rounding the southern tip of the island Bertie caught a large fish.  Looking it up in our fish books it turned out to be a Yellow Jack, which is supposed to be good only for curing or pickling.  We tried marinading and then barbecuing it and Andrea and Estella thought the result was passable but Bertie and I did not like it.  It has a strongly flavored dark meat.  Fortunately we had some steaks to eat as well. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World (Presently in Mackay, Australia)

Wednesday, 28th July 2010  07.00hrs Still blooming raining. But as we said before, its their winter down here. We got Michelle (Aileen's sister) on the Skype video this morning. We can only do this on the laptop when we are in Port. 07.30hrs Mark arrived on board and we started up the generator. It sounded good. He fine tuned the engine and by 10.00hrs the whole thing was running like a sewing machine. That's the first time it has worked properly since the "Panama Canal". We are making progress, another thing off the list. Mark then examined the hydraulic connections to the headsail under the deck in the anchor locker up forward. These were totally rusted, they were replaced at some stage with just steel fittings. Its hard to believe that anyone could do this in an area. read more...

Anastasia - Isla San Jose

8:15.3N 79:5.5W The anchorage at Isla San Jose is off a long white sand beach.  Andrea and I visited the beach to look for shells.  There were a few waves breaking so we anchored the dinghy a few yards off and swam to shore.  The shells were few and far between on this beach, apart from the odd oyster shell being tumbled in the waves. 1FC   Gunvor XL is also anchored at San Jose island.  Bertie and Estella went over to visit, because apparently the folks on Gunvor had a problem with a red wine carton splitting open and they had to drink it all before it went off. . read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World (presently in Mackay, Australia)

Tuesday, 27th July 2010 Ohhh, bloody hell, it was a wet and windy morning (sometimes I wonder if the readers of this blog notice that when I am tired or fed up with something else, that the blog suffers, mostly by being very short or light on the information) and right now, I am struggling to stay awake, sooooooo who knows... It was great to hear from Roddy, Michelle (as always), Anne, Judith, Arnaud, Dave Meagher, Marrion, Ronan, and more. Anyway, Aileen remained in the scratcher for most of the morning, while Chris the electrician and electronics guy spent some time on the boat sorting out bits and pieces, but as the weather was so wet, he could not do what we really wanted. The parts for the generator did not arrive until after lunch.. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 128 - The Mackays in Mackay

25 July 2010Now at Latitude 21 degrees south it is positively chilly. My cold has returned with a vengeance. Of course we are in the grip of an Australian winter but the locals tell us it is unusually cold for this time of year. Now where have we heard that before! Climate change marches on. Mackay Yacht Club laid on a barbeque for us, and three members gave the skippers briefing for the next leg to Thursday Island. To cover a coastline of 1600nm is an impossible task so we were grateful that we could draw on our past experiences. Information was also given on anchorages in the Whitsunday Islands, where there was good snorkelling and the best diving sites. I was frankly amazed that there was no mention of the danger of the salt water crocodile. It was clearly spelled out to us four years. read more...

Anastasia - Islas Bayoneta

With an overcast sky, cloudy water and the 5 meter low tide exposing large areas of sand, the anchorages around the southern parts of Las Perlas islands have more of the feel of a UK estuary than a tropical island, aside from the temperature being 26 degrees.    At Isla Bayoneta we took the dinghy along to the southern beach, where there were lots of shells but no large cowries as advertised.  The swell was too much to land on the exposed west side of the island where the best shells were supposed to be.  1F7Andrea picked up an ice cream tub full of shells and then spent a happy hour back on Anastasia washing and sorting through them, occasionally shouting "another one thrown away" so we would know that she is being ruthless about which ones she keeps and. read more...

Jus'Do It 3 - Huahine

st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }Tuesday 6th MayIt’s a motorsail all through the night ,wind 6-7 knots from the NE. No moon so the sky a carpet of stars, a few black clouds and occasional showers. We arrive at Tarerea Pass, Huahine at about 7.30am , with the rest of the convoy ( who left from Moorea) just ahead – Tallulah Ruby, Blue Flier, Kasugi, Lady Kay and Nutella. We anchor up in the lagoon just inside the entrance to Maroe bay in 5m. The lagoon has lovely coral heads, clear water, colourful fish and rays. Breakfast aboard then Stewy and Avril drop Ian and Annie on the shore of the motu by an abandoned house. Murimahore Motu appears to be mostly privately owned;simple houses,many with jettys, dotted along the inside shore with long strips of land stretching from behind. read more...

Wind Dancer - LOG 8: Me Gusta Casco Viejo

A quick taxi ride from the marina is the hidden gem of Panama. The Old Quarter retains the history and tradition of the Panama of yesterday. There has been a push to restore the buildings and district to what it was. Now housing chic and colorful restaurants, apartments and boutiques, the area has a wonderful vibe and is great to spend the day and evening walking through the narrow streets admiring the architecture. Next it was off to the Mercado del Marisco to eat some local seafood. For a dollar (or Balboa, the local currency) you can buy a small cup of ceviche. They had about five different kinds, but we opted for one octopus (pulpo) and one squid (calamari). It was so fresh and full of flavor, we picked up some to share with some of our buddies on Ensemble and Glamourous Gallah.Our. read more...

Ariane - Mackay, Australien

Liebe Segelfreunde Seit einigen Tagen sind wir nun in Mackay, Australien. Alles erwartete Material war pünktlich eingetroffen, vor allem der Ersatz für unsere 6 Solarpanele. Leider ist das Wetter alles andere als angenehm für Arbeiten aussen am Schiff. Lausige 20 ° und immer wieder Regengüsse ziehen die Arbeiten in die Länge. Die alten verrosteten Panele sind bereits demontiert. Jetzt müssen die neuen bei trockenem Wetter aufgeklebt und angeschlossen werden. Wir hoffen, am Wochenende starten zu können, um nordwärts die Wärme wiederzufinden.  Natürlich haben wir auch schon einen Ausflug ins Hinterland unternommen und die Stadt Mackay besichtigt. Von Vanuatu aus gesehen sind wir hier wieder in einer ganz anderen Zivilisation. Gute Strassen, der übliche Luxusstandard,. read more...

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