Daily Logs

Windflower III - Vom Didgeridoo zum Konzertfluegel

Nach unserem Tauch-und Schnorchelerlebnis in der maerchenhaften Unterwasserwelt des Great Barriere Reef flogen wir am Dienstag von Cairns ins Outback zum Uluru(Ayers Rock).Bereits nach kurzem Aufenthalt fuehlten wir uns gefangen ,von der spirituellen Kraft die dieser Monolith als "Heiliger Berg" fuer die Aborigines ausstrahlt.Bei einem Besuch des Aborigines Culture Center am Fuss des Uluru bekamen wir einen guten Einblick in die jahrtausende alte Lebensweise der Ureinwohner Australiens,die auch heute noch, nach der "Tjukurpa"(diese beschreibt das Verhaeltnis zwischen Mensch,Tier,Pflanze und den Naturgewalten)leben.Das Farbspiel,das die untergehende Sonne auf den Uluru zauberte war ein einmaliges Erlebnis.Am Donnerstag flogen wir weiter nach Sydney.Was fuer eine Stadt. read more...

12Moons - Nuku Hiva

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Wild Goose - Heroes Aboard - May 7th

It's a beautiful today in many ways.The wind is from the NE and we are making our way slowly but happily toward Bermuda, our next stop.We have about 370 miles to go so we won't be there any time soon.Our fuel leak from last night was a problem that changed our calculus for the rest of the trip, but our onboard diesel mechanic thought about it overnight.Linda found some spare fuel lines that we had that were the wrong size. Mike came up with a brilliant idea for splicing the larger fuel hose with a part ofthe injector fuel return line to make a replacement for the leaking hose.It took an hour or so of cutting and splicing, but in the end it worked.We started the engine and looked at it with different RPM levels, and there was no leaking fuel. Success.So in that story there are two heroes.. read more...

Zingara auf Reisen

Guten Tag Ihr Lieben in der Heimat,   wir segeln wieder!! Nach fast 24 Stunden unter Motor, der Wind wollte nicht über 2 kts wehen, bläst er uns nun mit 4,5 kts durch s Wasser. Wir haben noch 590 nm bis Bermuda. Allerdings soll noch einmal ein Flautengebiet auf unserer Route liegen, sodass wir ein wenig mit unserem Diesel haushalten müssen. Erfolge beim Fischen haben wir nun auch zu verzeichnen, es wurde kräftig gebissen! Allerdings so kräftig, dass nun alle Köder weg sind, also anlanden konnten wir nix. Nun, so haben wir statt Sushi eben Tom Ka Ghai- Suppe gekocht und mit Reis sehr gut genießen können. >Das Feld der Mitstreiter liegt recht dicht beieinander, denn alle haben mehr oder. read more...

12Moons - Die Tuamotus - Palmen, weisser Sand, Kristallklares Wasser

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Andante of Mersey -

Trip from Vanuatu start with super sailing weather but when we were a few hours away from our entry through the narrow pass in the Great Barrier toward Mackay(Queensland) everything went pear shape: in the dark the rain came, visibility virtually zero, 40knots plus winds and the associated rough seas - a no go situation. Anyway we diverted north toward the pass into Cairns - an easier entry but two and a half days away.  The atrocious conditions continued for two of them.  Little was eaten.  The boat revelled in it but the crew wished for better things especially pints of beer in comfortable friendly surroundings.  We loved the marina right in the centre of Cairns - maybe infleunced by the generous happy hour 4 til 6 every day.  Its a lively clean city, full of young people - a. read more...

A Lady - How to become a plumber on the way around the World (Presently in Cape Town)

Wednesday, 1st December 2010  Another beautiful day in another beautiful destination.Neil was up and off to meet a S.A. friend for his for breakfast before skipper and Aileen surfaced. After a light breakfast, we got started on the list of things to be done. A whole page of stuff ;- like, repair the Para- and mainsail, have the hydraulics on the boom checked, visit a dentist, have the hull cleaned, get the boat antifouling, varnish the toe rails and cockpit table, get a new pump for the refrigeration, get a diaphrame for the whale pump, have the engine and generator serviced, have the spinnaker halyard re fitted into the mast, look at the fwd loo, just to mention but a few... Skipper went to meet Louis Souls, the marina manager and sort out the paper work. We met. read more...

Aniara II - May 7

7 May Now wecan sign off both the lack of dolphins and the absence of caught fish. Lateafternoon yesterday we had a visit from a gang of dolphins, probably 25-30 ofthem, who stayed and played around Aniara for some time. We also got a smallfish, of an undefined race, which was included in the culinary fish-andshrimp-dish we enjoyed in the evening. What we still miss more than ever is asteady wind. During the 48 hours we have been on our way we used our Penta for39 hours, which makes our trip to one of the strangest sailing contest ever. Wecan see from the fleet position report that almost all other participants actexactly as we do, which probably is the only chance we have to get to Bermudabefore the next race leg starts (Bermuda-Azores).  We have moved Aniara 295 NM and havestill. read more...

Jus'Do It 3 - Arrival in Australia..15989 miles later

st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }Wednesday 6th AugustAfter a long tiring night we eventually see the lights of the coast and start to make out the leading lights for entrance to Coffs Harbour, our chosen Port of Entry to the land of OZ! The way in is clearly marked – the chart plotter appears to be accurate and with that and our cruising guide we’re soon turning into the anchorage just inside the breakwater. It’s calm and clear and we anchor in 7 metres just after 5am. The plan was to go to bed for a few hours until Customs open at 8am but we’re all too excited now so we sit and have some celebratory Bloody Marys while watching the sunrise. At 8am we speak to the harbour master – unfortunately it’s low water (too shallow for our 3m draft) so we wait until. read more...

A Lady - Sailed out !

TUESDAY   30th  NOVEMBER   2010  01.00hrs We are still bobbing along heading west along the south coast of South Africa. It is a beautifull starrey night, and the wind , such as it is, has gone into the west, so its on the nose but, but, it is only 4 knots and the sea state is reasonable, so all in all we are doing well, 02.00hrs Neil is already in the bunk , so Aileen said goodnight and crashed out too. Skipper kept watch, even with boat alarms, etc it is important to keep watch as the traffic around here is big.and plenty of it. 05.00hrs The Barometer was 1012 and falling, 09.00hrs  Distance travelled in 24 hours....................................190 n. read more...

Ariane - Kapstadt

KapstadtLiebe SegelfreundeMorgens um 2 Uhr, buchstäblich bei Nacht und Nebel umrundeten wir das Kap Agulhas, den südlichsten Punkt Afrikas. Sogar noch etwas Regen begleitete uns. Doch am Kap der guten Hoffnung klarte es auf und wir hatten bei relativ gutem Wetter schöne Landsicht. Das Einlaufen in die Hout Bay war dann wiederum kein reines Vergnügen, da es auf 40 Knoten aufbriste. Diese launischen Wetterwechsel scheinen für dieses Gebiet nicht aussergewöhnlich zu sein. Wetterglück hatten wir auf unserem Sonntagsausflug nach Kapstadt. Die Lage der Stadt ist sehr schön. Auch die Wasserfront lädt zum Flanieren ein. Etwas enttäuschend war die 0815-Architektur, die der Stadt keinen speziellen Charakter gibt. Ausnahmen bilden da einige wenige historische Gebäude. Das Aquarium ist einen Besuch. read more...

Jus'Do It 3 - race day in Coffs

st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }Thursday 7th AugustWe wake up early in a very cold boat –  we’re going to have to dig out the musto thermals. Alex and Kevin leave for the airport at 7.30am. We quickly pile on some layers and make hot drinks before heading ashore for breakfast. Phil is feeling a bit sore but is in good fettle despite his disturbed and uncomfortable night! Ian and Annie take off the headsail for collection by the sail-maker and re-thread the reefing lines. It’s race day here in Coffs Harbour – one of the main events of the year, so everything is closing at lunchtime and everyone is going to the races! This is not really good for us as it means our repairs will not be complete until at least tomorrow lunchtime – we had hoped to leave 1st thing. We go to a. read more...

12Moons - Papeete Tahiti - Sieger der Etappe Galapagos - Marquesas

Von den Tuamotos sind es noch 200 sm nach TahitiWir machen zuerst in der Marina Taina etwas ausserhalb von Papete fest. Nach über 3 Monaten wieder Strom und Wasser im Überfluss, d.h. beim Duschen kein Wasser mehr sparen.Auch der benachbarte Carrefour Supermarkt lässt keine Wünsche offen, ausser dass Bier und Wein sauteuer sind.Den Tauschgang am Aussenriff lasse ich mir natürlich nicht entgehen, wieder waren eine menge Haie zu sehen.Seit den Tuamotos streikt unser Autopilot, das Bedienpanel ist defekt. Hoffentlich klappt der Garantieaustausch über Neuseeland, als backup habe ich das Teil nochmals in Deutschland bestellt, ein Crewmitglied der Gunvör bringt es uns im Flieger mit - Danke nochmals für die Unterstützung.Nach 2 Nächten haben wir. read more...

A Lady - LOG DAY 2 , IRON SAILS,

SUNDAY  5th  MAY  2012   This morning was bright and sunny once again, but little or no wind,We were all trying to adjust to the night sailing again, on , off sleeping patterns, andof course that wonderfull 160hp Yanmar engine doing its job, prrrrrrr, prrrrrr,  Breakfast as usual consisted of cereal and yougerts, a cup of tea or coffee and that got everyone into some kind of action, We rescued the fishing rod from its sleeping quarters on the shelf in the stb. cabin and cast outwhat we thought would be the best lure for the type of day thats in it, BUT, but, but, all we caught all day was blooming sea weed,  drat that, sea weed,  We listened in vain to others boasting of good catches,   09.00hrs,  Miles travelled ( most of it under engine. read more...

Luna - Log day 2 - Engine running and no fish

En stille dag på havet, hvor vi sejlede for motor hele dagen, da der ingen vind er. Kursen er sat direkte mod Bermuda og den lille vind, der nu en gang kan måles, kommer direkte for fra.Vi har hele dagen forsøgt at fange fisk, men til trods for alle de mange fisk, der springer lystigt i vandet omkring båden, er det ikke lykkedes at få andet end tang på krogene.Solen har skinnet hele dagen, og det har været varmt i cockpit og ikke mindre varmt under dæk, når man har forsøgt at få en lille lur.Natten båd ikke på andet end stilhed - ikke en gang et enkelt skib har vi kunne se i månens klare lys.Alt fortsat vel ombord på Luna...der nu skyder 5-6 knob for motor lidt tiltagende vind./Luna &. read more...

Tucanon - Now to Durban

Back on the boat, after having spent a wonderful time on safari and at Victoria Falls, the hot sunny days in Zimbabwe, have been replaced by a cloudy, muggy day. Nonetheless, it is great to be home, so to speak, despite the return to chores and the burden of renewed responsibility.Yesterday, rushing along to the gate, from whence we needed to depart, to catch our SAA flight from Jo’burg to Richards Bay, we met Oisin, from Brown  Eyed Girl. He was waiting for a BAA flight scheduled to leave about an hour after our plane was due to leave. As there were only 19 passengers on our  flight, it seemed incredible that it was deemed necessary to have two flights, making the same journey, at not too dissimilar times. Competition! I guess it keeps the prices down and amazingly,. read more...

Samsara - A rainy day....but we saw a lot

April 27   Yesterday was our around the island tour, unfortunately it rained pretty much all day, but we still enjoyed seeing all of the sights. We saw one of the many waterfalls in Tahiti. It rains a lot at times (usually not now - it's not currently the rainy season) and when it rains the normal waterfalls are even more spectacular and a lot of temporary waterfalls form during the rains, we could see many of these in the mountains as we made our way around the island. We went to the Gauguin museum, some botanical gardens, a museum on the history of Tahiti, an open air temple, and generally enjoyed the day even though we were often soaked!   Lee has gone off to the boat to work today, the girls and I went to the store close to the hotel and got some baguettes for breakfast and. read more...

Jus'Do It 3 - post traumatic storm syndrome

Tuesday 5th AugustShortly after Annie has finished singing The Crinan Canal for Me, Alex takes over the helm and sings the Australian National Anthem. We‘re clearly a bit hyper, but also very happy and relieved that the sea is starting to flatten out with the dawn. We’re managing to hold course with a reefed main, no headsail and a few engine revs. Annie asks the wind to swing to our stern or leave completely so we can motor in flat calm! Ian gets up about 9am and starts to assess the damage – thankfully it’s not as bad as feared. Ian goes down the back lazarette to check the self steering – all is in tact but there’s a hydraulic fluid leak so it looks like a land based repair. Annie cooks up a huge fried breakfast as everyone is starving. Alex (usually very health. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World

MONDAY  29th  NOVEMBER   2010 The Barometer reading  1016 Distance to Cape Town............................. 285 n milesWeather forecast....................................   Favourable winds for today, adverse light winds tomorrow. ( basically , it could mean anything ) 06.00hrs,  skipper shook off last night and got the rib onto the derricks while the other two sleeping beauties did just that. 07.30hrs, Aileen made porridge , as we prepared the boat to go to sea once more. Sailing around the Cape is one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the World, and the weather is totally unpredictable. We know from Dave & Sue on " Voyageur " that they got an afull hammering, and said it was the worst sailing they have ever had, Phew. read more...

Jus'Do It 3 - STORM

Monday 4th August It’s remained glassy calm and windless all night and it’s another beautiful day of sunshine and clear blue sky. We can feel it getting colder now and Ian is on a mission to find the duvet that was stowed away somewhere a long time ago. Mid-morning Alex hoists the Australian courtesy flag and yellow Q flag in anticipation of our arrival in Coff’s Harbour, hopefully early Wednesday morning. We enjoy a lovely afternoon; very gradually the wind is filling in from the West and by dusk, we’re on a broad reach heading South at 8-9 knots SOG. While Annie is on the 6-8pm watch, she sees lightening in the distance – it’s probably the “possible thunderstorm” predicted by Bruce, and as the evening progresses the wind freshens. At approximately. read more...

Luna - Log day 1 - First day at sea

HURRA! Vi krydsede start for storsejl og genakker :-)Og så forsøgte vi en times tid at få genakkeren til at fungere i den mindre og mindre vind bag Tortolas grønne bakker. Til sidst erkendte vi, at det ikke ville lykkes og så blev genakkeren pakket sammen. Vi sejlede alene for storsejlet indtil vi var fri af Tortola og dreje nordpå. Her kunne vi sætte genoa'en, og så lå vi ellers resten af dagen og sejlede for vinden med en rimelig fart på 5-6 knob.Vi havde fint vejr hele dagen, og der skete ikke meget andet end, at vi så småt begyndte at finde os til rette på båden.I løbet af natten blev genoaen trukket lidt ind, og først på morgenen, da det igen blev lyst, døede vinden helt. read more...

Ensemble - Day 109 (Thursday 26 April 2012): Papeete, back in the water

Greetings from yacht Ensemble.By way of an update: - Tuesday. We arrived in Papeete last Tuesday and stayed the night at the City marina. The berthing was a bit of a challenge (cross winds and current picked up just as we came to berth - after a day of no wind). Fortunately Bronwyn and Eva Louise were there to help us in. Then of course it would have been rude to conclude without a 'thank you' beer - that went on and ended up involving most of the dock. We had a lovely dinner at a local cafe, then got to sleep ready for an early start the next day.- Wednesday. Got away at 7am for our 8am check in at the dry dock. In a moment of weakness Mark (from Bronwyn) agreed to help us out. Just as well! While this dock had plenty of space compared to St Lucia, and over zealous rope man tugged a bit. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World

Sunday, 28th NOVEMBER 2010 08.00hrs We wake to the sounds of birds chirping away outside the window. There is no Mass in this village. It is only celebrated here every second week, so this is not the week. We dressed in shorts, as it is much warmer in land than at the coast, and toddle downstairs to the adjoining cafe (belongs to the hotel) and have our breakfast, eggs and bacon on toast. They make their own breads here and they are great. When the breakfast was finished, we went for a walk down the village, met lots of people and had lots of chat. Everyone seemed so friendly and helpful (like Ireland used to be). Lydia, the receptionist at the hotel, was a great assistance to our travel plans. We packed our bags and hopped into the car and off again, this time up over the. read more...

Samsara - Enjoying Papeete with the worldARC group

April 25   So far there hasn't been much work done on the rudder. Another worldARC boat was in the yard and there wasn't room to lift our boat to drop the rudder. The other boat was due to go in this afternoon so hopefully tomorrow they can really get to work on our boat. Today we had a welcome ceremony at the town hall of Papeete with the mayor, the welcome included native dance performances which everyone enjoyed.  All of the children (and some adults) participated in the dancing and really enjoyed it.  Before that we had a outrigger sailing canoe demonstration and the kids rode repeatedly.  We also had a talk on the Society Islands, recomendations of where to visit, anchoring, where to snorkel.......   It was great to catch up with some people we really. read more...

Kinship - Time Out for the Captain

Rumors of a mutiny on Kinship are greatly exaggerated. The crew did NOT throw the captain in the lazaret... rather they think that, due to the scarcity of suitable bunk space, the captain graciously gave up his primo bunk and retreated to the lazaret. The crew isn't sure whether this is a gesture of his magnanimity, or whether that is where he stashed his Oreo cookies.. read more...

Hanami II - 3 eme jour toujours ans vent ...

06 05 2012 11:15 UTC 21 41 09 N 64 38 13 W Encore une nuit avec tres peu de vent et en route au moteur a 2200 tours, Il va falloir reduire a 1800 car, a ce train la, nous serons a court degazoil avant d'avoir boucles les 850 NM du voyage et il n'en reste que 625environ. Un peu de vent s'est leve et avec 7N reels, de travers ou presque, et 1800tours nous arrivons a tenir les 6N de moyenne ce qui nous fait 4 jours et demipour arriver. Il faut esperer que d'ici la nous aurons un plus de vent. Le seul avantage et que sans vent, avec un mer plate, dormir sans gite estbien plus reposant et agreable. Quelques cargos croises cette nuit, par l'arriere et plutot pres, a moins de6 miles et se dirigeant vers l'ouest. Sur l'arriere aussi, un beau grain, tout seul dans le ciel, bien visible auradar a. read more...

Anastasia - Papeete yacht quay

Yesterday afternoon we moved from Taina marina to the yacht quay inside the port in the centre of Papeete.  The yacht quay is very convenient for shopping and visiting museums, so the World ARC arrange a get-together here for a few days.  The only downside is that it is next to a fairly busy road, so we will probably go back to Taina in a couple of days for some more peace and quiet, but at the moment we are enjoying being at the centre of the "big city madness".   We motored the 5 miles up from Taina to the main port, going outside the reef so we could refill our water tanks on the way.  On the way we passed yet one more reminder that you need to be careful where you sail in these waters. EB. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World... the byproducts... (Presently moored in Knysna, S.A.)

Saturday, 27th November 2010 07.00hrs All up and about, Skipper did the usual blog and emails, but just could not get the blinking computer to send the messages, nothing would work. Sooooo apart from using some heavy engineering .... like hit it with a hammer........ (which it clearly does not like) decided to leave the thing there. By the time we come back on Sunday night, it surely will have sorted itself out..... 08.30 hrs Skipper and Mrs H. jumped in the rib and took off to meet Sham and Emily for breakfast at "Il de Pan" on Thesen Island. The distance was short by rib, and so was the walk to the restaurant. But, but, the clapboard buildings were lovely and the walk was welcome early in the morning. We all had scrambled eggs, smoked bacon, toast, and a few. read more...

Anastasia - Getting some chores done

Now we are in Tahiti we have an opportunity for restocking, servicing and repair work.  Today Andrea, Bertie and Estella went to Carrefour and bought a month's worth of wine, beer and soft drinks.  We will do our food provisioning in a couple of days when they have recovered from this outing.   Andrea defrosted the fridges which contained big blocks of ice created from the humid air.  She was throwing the ice overboard until I pointed out that it was a danger to navigation and it would be hard for a passing yacht to convince their insurance company that they were sunk by an iceberg while inside the lagoon in Tahiti.     Bertie and Estella have been earning their keep (well actually their booze) by cleaning the deck and. read more...

Wild Goose - Much Calmer today Tue May 7 on Wild Goose

dwere in yesterday and it feels relatively comfortable. We just had our morning SSB check in and we contacted the four sboats that left from Hampton with us.We talked to David on First Edition, and he was able to talk to Sage on the VHF radio and communicate his position to us.We are in AIS Range of Outer Limits, meaning we could see him on our chartplotter and so we were able to call him on the VHF radio. He is about 5 miles behind us. It looks like we are all in a pretty close pack.Everyone said the trip so far had been "rough," especially yesterdays Gulfstream travels with the sloppy seas. There are some people on board are seasick or close to it.We have one "issue" we are dealing with.We discovered diesel fuel below the engine last night and we have a small fuel leak from the return. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World ( Presently in Knysna, South Africa )

Friday, 26th November 2010 08.00hrs We had a slow get up. It was a very dull day............ The Barometer was at 1012 (remember a high is 1022). The police came and checked our passports, and vere a very pleasent bunch they even managed to run out of fuel as they traveled back across the harbour.  We had a leasurly porridge breakfast as we read over the emails, Over the last few days we had emails from :- Aileen's sisters Michelle & Anne, Ian Mc Millan (Belfast), Stefan H, Paul H.Jim Murphy, Kevin Dwyer, Fergus and Kay Quinlan (now in NZ), Rory Quirke (Cook Islands), Gillian O Connell, Louis Souls (C.T.), Robin Clapham (Kevin Dwyers cousin in S.A.) Neil washed down the decks while skipper did the blog. Aileen did some washing in the Magic washing. read more...

Kalista - Deja vu all over again, or why are we living groundhog day.

We aboard Kalista are five days out from Norfolk, we are making our way down the chart slowly, and I mean slowly. I dislike the term; snail boat but in times of no wind (can you believe it) that's what our almost progress feels like. Any and all winds forecast for our location have not developed or some wind monster has eaten them.  We have more hours trying to motor sail than any of us ever imagined. (bummer dude !) At times it's been so calm Friar Dave has hung his head over-side and used the Ocean's mirror like reflection to shave himself, of course with the swells and boat motion we are about to run out of band aids and gauze due to the many cuts on his face.  Capt. John has been walking the deck like a man possessed, he's tried every trick he knows to call up the wind,. read more...

Crazy Horse - back to USA, Thanksgiving

Just wanted to let all know that Crazy Horse crew made it safely back to the USA after a long flight back from Capetown. We were amazed how many miles one can make going 900mph. Our own 8kts aboard Crazy H seems quite a different experience. The fast pace of the world certainly takes anadjustment compared to sailing along on a pleasant day.It was so very wonderful to see our new member of the family, Alex. He is only 2months old but looks to be a prospective new crew member. Our other granddaughter is growing so fast and so smart at almost 7 she might be plotting our course soon!We celebrated Thanksgiving at my sister's house and it was so special to see all the family members who gathered together. Of course we bored them all with pictures of our adventure so far around the world. But. read more...

Scolamanzi - First two days on our way to Bermuda:

First two days on our way to Bermuda:The most unwanted weather If I could give it back I will I did not order this at all!! No winds and the little bit that is coming our way is not from the right direction so the iron sails are working too much to our liking!Yesterday s highlight was the water spout (it looks like a miniature tornado on the see!) that was heading right at us! We had to change course to miss it and it only passed us about 300-400 meters on our port side! Hopefully that will be a good picture to post in Bermuda!It was great that we could shut down the engine last night after deviating off the Rum Line to catch a bit more of that wind to average about 6.5 knots with both sails upit stayed pretty steady during the night and it is always a relief if no sail changes is needed. read more...

Samsara - even paradise has its trials and tribulations.....

April 22   Day 2 - no mudslides.  Yesterday was voting day, apparently no alcohol sales are allowed (except with meals). Today there was no icecream with which to make mudslides. Paradise has its downfalls.  Kidding aside  - we spent Friday exploring downtown Papeete, yesterday playing in the pool, and today we walked for hours (no buses and few cabs on Sunday) but got a bit of work done on the boat.  Cleaned out the fridge/freezer, scrubbed the teak shelves. Did a bit of fiberclass work on the bow where the anchor did a bit of damage when it broke free on the way to Ft. Lauderdale (wind against the Gulf Stream means lots of waves!).  Lee has started pulling the old lifelines so we can install new, and tomorrow we should have the rudder looked at to know. read more...

A Lady - Avoiding the recession by sailing around the World (Presently in Knysna lagoon)

Thursday, 25th November 2010 08.00hrs Having secured everything, we had our breakfast and relaxed for a while, there are always things on board that need attention, even things like painting the bulbs of the compass with Aileens red nail varnish. Amazing how useful some of these ladies beautifiers can be in time of need............... 11.00hrs We (all three of us) piled into the rib, which we had lowered off the transome (back of the boat, as Fr Terry would say, ejitt) and headed around the sandbank (which we parked A Lady on top of earlier as we went to drop anchor) and over to the Yacht club. A lovely timber building on the eastern side of the river estuary, by the town.  We were welcomed by Rodger, a member of the club, and we wad to go over all our trip. read more...

Anastasia - We are now in Tahiti

17:35.2S 149:37.0W   We arrived in Tahiti at midday today, after an overnight sail from Rangiroa.  It is a 200 mile hop from the Tuamotu islands to the Society islands.  We left Rangiroa at 10am yesterday and the wind was 15-20 knots throughout (with the odd squall of 30-35 knots) which meant Anastasia could complete the passage in just one day.  That was fortunate because the sea was a bit lumpy (even for a catamaran) and we would not have liked to be spending two nights bumping around.   We are now berthed in Taina Marina, just outside the center of Papeete.  Docking was a bit of a squeeze because Anastasia is rather broad in the beam (quite literally) and we had to snuggle into a gap between two monohulls (Piligrim and Zoe) but we. read more...

Nora Simrad - Day 2

No wind, and the wind that does not exist blows in the opposite direction of what we are going. We postponed the engine start as long as we could, but at last, right before our ulcers reopned, we rolled the furling, erected the bimini and turned the key. SY Nora is at present a powerboat (MS Nora). Not even having storm-soup for dinner helped.   While we were in the right mode, we adjusted/calibrated the instruments.(A previous crew obviously have turned up the speed-log speed to impress themselves with high speeds through water.) The manuals are written for people with an university degree in electronics only, but with a lot of bad language, we managed to improve the settings. Since the captain lived 8 years in Northen Norway, he is pretty good at swearing,. read more...

Hanami II - 2eme jour en mer et le vent tombe ... comme prevu.

06 05 2012    13:33 UTC N 19 42.9 W 65 23.9   Hier soir diner de pates bolognaises preparees par Ian. Un vrai regal la sauce avec champignons, tomates, viande et tout le reste.   Ce matin vers 7h, plus de vent ou presque, apres une nuit passe a le chercher et durant laquelle la majeur partie des bateaux de la flotte a disparu de l'horizon. Il en reste 3 mais la plupart on mis le moteur en route avant nous pour gagner de la route.   Le fichier Grib telecharge ne laisse pas prevoir d'amelioration cote vent (inferieur a 10N et de face) et les previsions de l'ARC comme les conseils de routage de Chris Tibbs sont concordantes. Ce sera GV et moteur, cap au 48 pour revenir sur la rumb-line qui va de Tortola aux Bermudes et dont nous sommes a 45 NM a l'ouest. Cela. read more...

BRIZO - 20 April 2012

We have been in Tahiti since Monday and now expect to stay here through 11 May when we will be going back to the States for Chelsea's wedding. We are in a very nice marina just south of the airport and will leave the boat here while we are in the States. It seems that nearly half of the Rally boats are here also, the other boats are either at a small marina in the center of Papeete or are out of the water at a nearby boatyard for repairs. We have made good progress with our own repairs: the engine is running fine with a new fuel filter, and the overheating generator is sitting on the dock while a new mounting bed is being fabricated. We have decided to take advantage of our additional time in Tahiti to complete as many of our "wish list" projects as possible using the skilled tradesmen. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World

Wednesday, 24th November 2010 The Barometry was topped out at 1020, a good time to go. It was a beautiful day and the wind has shifted to the south. 08.00hrs Skipper met Mike from Jeannius crossing our deck, we had a long chat as he is going to leave shortly for Knysna, so as we were going there too, we agreed we would head off together. Jean from Jeannius has a sister living in Knysna and our friend Ian Mc Millan (from Belfast) has a friend  Bryan Kearney who also lives there, so we should have a good welcome.  08.30hrs We cleared port. That's A Lady, Jeannius, Ariane, Lady Ev VI, a dutch boat called Joe Anne, and Grand Filou. 11.00hrs The wind was SSE blowing 20 knots. It was a beautiful, chilly day at sea, but very bumpy with lots of. read more...

Jus'Do It 3 - a relaxing Sunday

Sunday 2nd AugustDuring the early hours of the morning the wind drops, the sea starts to flatten out and we’re still pointing towards Brisbane, much further north than we want to be. When possible we’re trying to bring the boat round towards Coff’s Harbour and the engine is off and on a few times as we’re running low on fuel and trying to keep consumption to a minimum until we get a chance to refuel from the canisters in hopefully calmer conditions.At 4am Ian becomes concerned about our energy situation as the batteries don’t seem to be charging – the freezer and Kevin’s anti-snoring/life support system are draining the system.  By 10am the sea has calmed to a gentle roll so the crew breathe a sigh of relief and take the opportunity to tidy up, prepare. read more...

Serendipity - Pacific Paradise

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Irena - Dan 2

Nic vetra, oziroma 3 do 4 vozle. Morje je kot olje in gremo naprej s pomoèjo motorja. Je jasno in toplo. Èas si zapolnimo z branjem, kuhanjem, poležavanjem. Pred pol ure smo tudi pospravili glavno jadro. Glede na vremeske karte, ki jih dobivam, nam ne kaže niè dobrega do jutri popoldan, potem pa se bo mogoèe le razvil kakšen veter. Goriva imamo za 500 milj tako, da ni skrbi. Vsaj za enkrat. Do Bermude imamo še 715 milj, malo smo tudi popravili smer. Vse skupaj smo do sedaj prepluli 154 milj, kar glede na vremenske razmere niti ni slabo. Na barki vse deluje v redu, celo zamrzovalnik, ki je vcasih prav rad nagajal. Vse je pripravljeno za kakšno ribo, vendar tudi danes nic srece.. read more...

A Lady - Who wants to sail around the world! (Port Elizabeth)

Tuesday, 23rd November 2010  Jeannius a multihull on the trip with the World ARC arrived last night and tied alongside us. The boat is sailed just by Mike and Jean and they had a tough time comming down from Durban. Whats more, their new generator (installed in that place called Mackay) still does not work. We really have nothing good to say about that place.  Early this morning, Ariane returned to P.E for the second time and Lady Ev VI arrived from Durban, plus a Contest from Holland, she left port yesterday with us, but obviously decided to return also.  Goes to show how bad things were out there. Skipper is just going to have a cup of cocoa. Did you know that cocoa originates from ancient central america, and was originally used as a precious food. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 201 - Blog Holiday

23 November 2010The blog is going on holiday. With friends Sue and Donald Fraser, we are leaving tomorrow, Wednesday, to go travelling for two weeks. Sue has made the suggestion that all those of you who read my blog should go out now and buy a book! Since Sue's arrival we have done a little local sightseeing. We followed the Chapman Peak Drive, one of the world's best ocean drives which winds its way around the headland from Hout Bay to Fish Hoek on our way to see the African penguin colony at Boulder Bay a few miles south of Simon's Town. The views were quite fantastic. After two days of heavy mist and cloud the sun came out for us and we seized the opportunity to take the cable car up to the summit of Table Mountain, where we had the most spectacular 360 degree panoramic views. How. read more...

Jus'Do It 3 - "like being in a tumble drier" (Maggie Summers quote 2005)

<!--/* Style Definitions */p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline;} span.EmailStyle17 {mso-style-type:personal-compose; font-family:Arial; color:windowtext;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --Saturday 1st AugustAt 3.30 am the wind fills in from the NW as forecast and we’re able to turn off the engine. Phil has his last cigarette (again) and the rest of us hope and pray that we have enough whisky and chocolate to see him to OZ! Throughout the day, the wind increases. read more...

Nora Simrad - Day 1

After lots of filling in forms, transport from USVI to BVI, maintainance and work on the boat to get it seaworthy is it nice to be out in open water.   We had a nice start, however several boats startet the engine right after starting line and went along. We are not very fast under power, so we try to avoid it if not neccessary. We have used the engine 42 minutes so far.   We have a cloudy sky and the wind is varying from 11 to 16 kts and from 15 to 45 degrees.This is an akward wind, since the prevailing wind is from south. We are skidding west of rumbline.   Just now we can only see one boat, and we have not a clue about where everybody are and how much engine they have used, nor how our standing in the race is. We have max 7 days to the finishline, and we are just. read more...

Wind Dancer - LOG 20: Shark Bait

  After an early morning rise, we made our way to the Northeast side of Moorea to the Tippaniers Hotel for an underwater snorkel excursion.  Though there was heavy wind and rain, our guide assured us that since we were going to be in the water anyway, it would not affect our time.  He was correct by far.  We made it over to a channel in the reef in the 7m powerboat and were welcomed by a number of Sting Rays and Black Tip Reef Sharks.  The guide informed us that they are sedentary and live in this area.  The natural channel made in the reef lagoon occurs due to the runoff of fresh rainwater from the island into the sea and prevents the growth of the coral.  Upon the four feet sand patch is where the rays were convening, with a large drop off of blue to. read more...

Jus'Do It 3 - no wind!

<!--/* Style Definitions */p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline;} span.EmailStyle17 {mso-style-type:personal-compose; font-family:Arial; color:windowtext;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --Friday 1st AugustWe’ve been motor-sailing all night, on a course of 238’, now 75 miles from our 1st waypoint at S24’30, E157.30. We’re on a close fetch, starboard tack. The wind has seldom been above 10 knots, and is now 6-7 knots, still pretty much on the. read more...

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