Daily Logs

Ensemble - Day 32 (Feb 10)

Greetings from yacht Ensemble!We had an easy morning doing final preparation for the Galapagos leg - and last minute emails.We were a little nervous that the anchor might have fouled on the rocks - but there were no problems.The start of the race was crawling with press - and they came out in a boat and seemed particularly interested in us (or Magali in her new pink dress and matching pink 'finger' shoes.)The start itself was spectacular and nerve racking. We fortunately had a clean start - just using the jib and the main - where as some of the more adventurous had spinakers flying and were jostling for starting positions 10Feb2012 057 The wind is predicted to be good for a couple of days and then drop to nothing. We decided the best plan was to sail to the wind and work our way south to. read more...

Samsara - And we're off to the Galapagos!

Feb 9Yesterday we spent most of the day at the beach, and last night was the dinner and prize giving for leg 1, we all enjoyed it. After the prizes were announced Sam had her little arms crossed and was tapping her toes and giving me "that look" - and she asked why don't we have a faster boat? Yeah, sometimes I wonder the same thing, but samsara is a good boat - just not the fastest.....So this morning we had to put the kayak and dinghy on the boat, tie them down.....finish laundry... and then the start was at noon. It was a bit of a slow start then the wind filled in and many of the boats launched spinnakers (we launched our beautiful pink chute) and off we went. Now we're debating leave it up or take it down? We said we were going to be conservative and not fly it at night so I suspect. read more...

Kasuje - daily log Saturday 17th May

Hi from Skipper SteveWe arrived safetly,if a little tired,in Raratonga at mid afternoon yesterday, after what turned out to be a very exciting passage from Bora Bora. More on that later. From our initial sortie onto land the Cook Islands appear just the ticket for a long stay and reprovision. Costs are back to what we consider normal prises and you do not feel as though you are subsidising the french goverment!! The locals are very friendly with customs and immigration being very easy and quick. The harbour feels and looks like a semi-derelict scottish fishing port so Kasuje feels very at home and we are moored stern to the dockside using the dinghy to get to shore. For a poorly educated boy from Jimmies end this is more my idea of paradise, great weather, cheap food and booze and for. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World (Presently in Abel Point Marina)

Monday, 9th AUGUST 2010 06.40hrs Some of us got out of the scratcher and started the engine to let it heat up, followed by lifting the rib onto the derricks. We said goodbye to our friends in the cat and set sail for Abel point, just about 16 miles away. The wind was behind and fairly light, so we kept the engine running for the journey. We observed lots of whales, who duely obliged with their magnificent tail dives and we also had a lot of Dolphins playing and dancing around the boat.. just fantastic stuff.Mary made a miraculous recovery. It must have been the magic sewing and the leg hanging from the boom for hours and she is giving Niall a hard time, and Skipper is delighted, because now its someone's else's turn and not his today,  well not now anyway. Its. read more...

Crazy Horse - Here in the land of Oz

Well, we all returned to Crazy Horse last night after a long two days of driving from Sydney. What a wonderful time we had discovering this wonderful extreme island. The people have been ever so kind to us. They wonder why we are here so far from home. When we tell them we are going round the world their eyes light up and probably know why we named our boat so appropriately.Our wonderful Aussie friends Jack and Marlene invited us into their home in Nambour on our return trip to the boat. They toured us around Nambour, the countryside and their port of Mooloolooba. They have a lovely home in amongst some valleys and hills. We even had a pizza and game night for a little competition. Jack soundly beat us all!There are wonderful birds here on this tropical part of Australia. Wish I knew all. read more...

Windflower III - Verstaendnis fuer die Meuterer der Bounty

Unser Aufenthalt in frz.Polynesien geht nach fast acht Wochen in diesen traumhaften Gewaessern zu Ende.Beginnend mit den Marquesas am 26.03,dann weiter ueber die Atolle der Tuamotus nach Tahiti.Es folgten die Aufenthalte auf Moorea,Huahine Raiatea Tahaa und zuletzt Bora Bora.Landausfluege per Auto,Fahrrad und zu Fuss fuehrten uns zu fantastischen Aussichtspunkten,im Regenwald versteckten Tikis,zu Wasserfaellen,einer Vanille-Plantage und einer Perlenfarm .Dazwischen immer wieder das Verlegen in andere Ankerbuchten,eine schoener als die andere,die uns immer wieder zum Schwimmen und Schnorcheln einluden.Die herrliche Landschaft,das milde Klima,das Farbspiel des Wassers in den Lagunen gespickt mir unzaehligen bunten Fischen,die ueppige Vegetation mit ihrer exotischen Bluetenpracht,die. read more...

Ensemble - Day 32: We're off across the Pacific!

Day 32: We're off across the Pacific! Greetings from yacht Ensemble!Today we leave on Leg 2 of the World ARC, from Contadora Las Perlas to Baquerizo Moreno, Galapagos.  It is about 850nm – and should take us about 6 days.  Last night we went to the Leg 1 prize giving – and the locals certainly put on a good feed and a great show, complete with fireworks, fire dancing and dancing turtles!The forecast is for decent winds the first couple of days – then nothing much – so we’re anticipating a bit of motoring.  Most boats seem to be planning to sail south – staying reasonably far off Columbia – and then hang a right when the trades kick in.  Good news is that the fish are supposed to be biting –  we had a flying fish on. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World (Presently in Butterfly Bay, Hook Island, The Whitsundays, Australia)

Sunday, 8th August 2010  Another beautiful morning in Paradise, Australia, but chiiiiily. Here in Stonehaven bay, Hook Island, there were 24 boats anchored for the night, and lots of parties on various boats. Mary had an early morning swim, despite the threat of jelly fish. 10.00hrs We slipped the moorings and motored over the 2 miles to Langford Island and picked up another public mooring, this little Island was covered with small green trees and had a 1/2 mile sandy spit running SE from one corner, the sand was just a beautiful golden color, but not as nice as Whitehaven Bay which had if you can remember, a beautiful white sand, so fine it was like icing sugar. Langford Isl. also had a great selection of coral reefs for diving and snorkeling, and the. read more...

Cleone - Paddy's Day Champs

After a lengthy Stewards' Enquiry, Cleone was confirmed as the clear winners of the Paddy's Day Quiz. The Irish Cultural Attaché hailed Cleone as the outright winner of the St Patrick's Day Quiz at last night's World ARC Celebrations in Bora Bora. "Incisive intellectual rigour coupled with super accurate key-board work and subject matter focus set Cleone's entry in a class of its own", he said.  "And they knew the rules and stuck to them".  He refused to be drawn further on this subject, but the word is that complaints followed by legal representations delayed confirmation of the results.  Cleone's Spokesperson - the Senior Egghead - also refused to comment, but he said "We are delighted.  We knew we had them from the first question; we crushed the rest of them.  Before tackling the. read more...

Serendipity - Goodbye and thanks for all the Bananas

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Voyageur - Log day 134 - Reconnecting with Cairns

6 August 2010We slipped away from Dunk Island at 4am, leaving Peter to sleep. A thin sliver of moon was just enough to create a path of light over the sea. Later he stood a watch so that David could catch a few more hours himself. The north Queensland coast is the prettiest of all Australia. Lush rainforests reach right down to the shores, the Atherton tablelands rising up steeply behind, with Mount Bartle Frere at 1657metres, Queensland's highest peak, as its crowning glory. David spoke to Wolfgang (Destiny) again this morning. There really are only three of us checking in on 4Bravo. Most of the fleet appear to be still down south although that is pure guesswork as we have seen only one other rally boat, Kalliope, since leaving Mackay Marina over a week ago. Destiny, Ariane and Lady Ev. read more...

12Moons - Fw: World ARC 2012, Bericht 7: Isla Contadora

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:29:21 +0100  Isla Contadora ist die einzige Insel im Archipelago Islas Perlas mit nennenswerter Bebauung; einige große Villen stehen hier, dazu einige schöne Hotels und Appartementhäuser und es gibt einen Flughafen.  Die 'Buchhalterinsel', wurde so genannt, weil hier die geraubten Perlen penibel gezählt wurden, bevor man sie nach Spanien verbrachte. Auf dieser Insel sollen Jimmy Carter und Omar Torrijos Herrera in den 70er'n den Vertrag vorverhandelt haben, der den Kanal zum 31.12.1999 an das panamasische Volk überschrieb. Dieser wurde dann am 07.09.77 in Washington unterzeichnet   Bis vor kurzem gab auch noch ein Resort mit einem 9-Loch Golfplatz, sogar ein Yachtclub sollte dort bei 08°37,435'N und 079°02,711W gebaut. read more...

12Moons - Fw: World ARC 2012, Bericht 6: Islas Perlas

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:14:11 +0100 Frühstück ist fertig, das Dinghi noch zu verstauen, Stefan räumt die Heckgarage auf und ich schraube den Außenborder ab. Da sehe ich, dass an der Heckklappe die Schrauben der Backbordhydraulikhalterung ausgerissen sind. Wieder einmal muss repariert werden. Denn die Klappe muss beim Segeln, insbesondere bei Lage, dicht sein. Und wenn die Hydraulik nicht mehr ziehen kann, ist es undicht. Aber neue Gewinde schneiden und größere Schrauben reindrehen ist schon Routine, mit 2 Stunden Verspätung legen wir dann ab und nehmen Kurs auf die Kanalausfahrt, vorbei an ankernden Großschiffen, später unter Segeln raumschots auf die erste Insel zu. Am späten Nachmittag ankern wir in der schmalen und ruhigen Durchfahrt. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World (presently in Hook Island, Whitsunday Islands, Australia)

Saturday, 7th August 2010 You know something. Everywhere we go and each destination has its very own identifiable features. Australia is certainly well known as having the best collection of the worlds most venomous creatures, but the Jelly fish now these are something else. There is the well known "Box Jelly Fish" and a host of others. Tiny little buggers, but deadly, they are so small that you can hardly see them, but one sting from these things, and you are history.. ohhhhhhh my gawd! The net result is, NO SWIMMING, unless you are wearing an anti jelly fish suit. Even though Mary and the Skipper went for a dip a few days ago. However, there are not so many of them around at this time of the year, as its winter.  Still, frightening stuff. It was a. read more...

Jus'Do It 3 - mora Bora Bora!

Tuesday 13th May 2008We wake up to another glorious day –Stewy and Annie have breakfast but Ian not feeling too bright this morning! We clear out the spare room and at 10am our new crew, Brian, is delivered to the boat from Tallulah Ruby, piped aboard to “It Takes A Worried Man” by Lonnie Donegan. We’ve got alternator problems and after speaking to Ronnie, Ian and Stewy turn the boat upside down looking for the spare – it’s nowhere to be found so we’ve now borrowed two alternators , very kindly lent by Andreas, Strega, and Steve, Kasugi. Brian and Stewy get busy on the problem while Ian and Annie go ashore with laundry and to book a hire car for the afternoon. At noon we set off on a tour round the island – Ian’s condition is not improving…. The tour does. read more...

Graptolite - A Plain Vanilla Day

16:36.30S 151:33.42W Wednesday PM anchored off Le Tahaa Resort, TahaaIn the morning we sailed about 6 miles across the lagoon between Tahaa and Raiatea. While going ashore in the dinghy there was an idyllic scene with waving coconut palms, yellow flowers that had fallen from trees into the blue water and two girls on a surfboard having a floating picnic. I mention this because it was only about fifty metres from the end of the Raiatea airport runway. Eat your heart out Staines! The trip to Raiatea was to do a bit of shopping for oil filters and new cameras. We had no success with either though we did bump into Jean and Jim from 'Island Prism' and had a beer. As we sailed back to Tahaa, there wasthe usual outrageous sunset over Bora Bora and also the scent of vanilla and wood smoke in the. read more...

12Moons - Fw: World ARC 2012, Bericht 5: Central Panama - Panama City

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:41:17 +0100 Da wir als Erste aus unserer Schleusung ankommen, können wir die ersten 3 Tage im Hafen festmachen. Die Liegeplätze sind auf 6 begrenzt, bei 31 Teilnehmern soll jeder einmal in den Genuss von Landstrom, sanitären Einrichtungen und direkter Bunkermöglichkeit bekommen. Die Schiffe aus der 3. Schleusung werden dann in 3 Tagen erwartet. Wer will, kann sich auch schon zu den Islas Perlas aufmachen, von wo aus am 9. März der Start zur 2. Etappe erfolgt. Vom Hafen aus sieht man die Skyline von Panama auf der anderen Seite der weiten Bucht. Auf unserer Marinainsel, nunmehr Halbinsel durch den Causeway, ist auch ein Ausstellungszentrum und eine Forschungsstation des Smithonian Instituts. Vom Veranstalter werden 2 Ausflüge angeboten,. read more...

Tucanon - Mackay, Brisbane & Bengal cat

On Saturday, the day following the Welcome Barbecue at Mackay Yacht Club, there was a wine and cheese festival in Mackay, part of the annual arts festival.Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day and the heat of the sun was more what we have become used to expecting prior to embarking on the last trip from Vanuatu..We caught the hop-on, hop-off explorer bus outside the marina at 10am, which stopped at the local main attractions, making it easy to visit Artspace and the botanical gardens as well as the town and riverside markets. Taking time out to have lunch in an Italian restaurant, we were attended by a Penelope Cruise look-alike.Arriving back at the marina just in time to attend, at 4pm that afternoon at the Yacht Club, an informal session where the local Customs and Quarantine officers. read more...

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

Friday, 6th August 2010 08.00hrs Skipper had a long chat with "Fats" this morning, he has arrived home to Cork safe and sound, and is in great form. That reminds me, we have not heard a gag from my brother Rom since the 26th June last. He used to be a great regular source of amusement for us all on board with his entertaining stories. 08.30hrs Chris, the guy for the generator arrived and after a couple of hours discovered that the MPU had the top taken off by something flying around in the fly wheel housing. This could only happen if someone dropped a screw or nut into that space while servicing the generator. You can't trust the staff any more, anyway, we had to order some more MPU's and  a couple of spares. The alternative was to take the generator apart,. read more...

Kasuje - Daily log Wed 14th May

Hi from skipper SteveI have eventually wrestled the computer away from the girls so that I can post a short log detailing our progress to date. We managed to complete the Tahiti Pearl Regatta in fine style and even managed to escape the wooden spoon. We all had a great time even though the racing for us was just a period of recovery from the night before. We ended the last evening with a Kasuje curry for 18!!!! quite a task when I thought I was catering for  6 only to be informed 2 hours before dishing up time that they had invited one or two others!!!We, the girls Kasuje and i are currently on passage from Bora Bora to Rarotonga some 540 nm which should take about 3 days.Sophie is leaving us there ( booooo) but Jim is joining ( Huraaaaahhhhh male company at last). It is very peaceful at. read more...

12Moons - Fw: World ARC 2012, Bericht 4: Shelter Bay Marina - Panamakanal - Marina La Playita

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:32:18 +0100 Mal wieder Internetzugang, hier der verspätete Kanalbericht Die Vorbereitungen laufen. Wir gehen noch einmal den Ablaufplan des großen Abenteuers 'Panamalkanal' durch, wie er beim 'Briefing am Vortag als Powerpointpräsentation vorgetragen wurde:1. Hafen: Check engine and fuel, check equipment, check neighbours   On 26th, listen to 9.00 morning broadcast on CH 72 - update on timing Repare tires, fenders and lines, check out marina, be standby from 1 pm on, hear CH 72 (rally control) ETD 3.30 pm   2. Start: Switch on CH 12, contact Christobal Signal Station for permission to cross to anchorage F, go to anchorage area F, try to anchor in sight of the other boats of your nest   3. Rendezvous with Advisor Ensure having. read more...

Wind Dancer - LOG 9: Panamanian Feast

It was just a quick day 'sail' down from La Playita to the anchorage in Contadora, Las Perlas, to regroup with the fleet once again. Not an hour out and the fishing line went, we slowed the boat and reeled in our first Mahi for the World ARC. We got the female (they swim in pairs) and brought her up on to the boat where Mike's trained hand took care of the rest. Once we reached our anchorage and were happy with the hook, it was ceviche, grilled Mahi on the new BBQ, pigeon peas and rice and an avocado salad. This was the perfect end of the day with little wind, but we did manage to sail a little with the spinnaker. We have enjoyed a nice walk around Contadora, and are looking forward to the skipper's briefing this afternoon to inform us of the trip down to the Galapagos. Wind Dancer Crew. read more...

Ariane - Cairns, Australien

Hallo liebe Segelfreunde Wir sind begeistert von Cairns! Hier liegen wir direkt vor dem Stadtzentrum, das wir zu Fuss leicht erreichen können. Die Riffeinfahrt nach Cairns wäre ein Klacks gewesen... Das Klima ist hier doch deutlich wärmer. Die Ausflugsmöglichkeiten sind ebenfalls sehr gut. Der etwas teurere Hafen ist wesentlich billiger, wenn man die Taxifahrten vom Hafen in Mackay in die Stadt rechnet, die je Fahrt 20 $ gekostet hatten!Vermutlich werden auch Teilnehmer der WARC 2012/13 diese Berichte lesen. Deshalb ein klarer Vorschlag von uns: Wenn die WARC immer noch Mackay anlaufen sollte, so würden wir uns ausklinken und direkt Cairns anlaufen! Dadurch gewinnt man sehr viel Zeit für Landausflüge. Bei uns war das zeitlich viel zu knapp berechnet. Ausserdem sind die Inselhäfen. read more...

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...

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