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  • Doing laundry in exotic locations: Low Islets to Hope Islets
    We decided to leave Low Islets this morning and head to Hope Islets so we would break up the longer trip to Lizard island. Also the wind is suppose to pick up to 30 knots on Tuesday and last for at least a couple of days so we want to be tucked in somewhere. We planned to spend a few days at lizard island cause it is supposed to be fantastic on land and sea So it seems to work out well.

  • S/V Love Song's Adventures: Made it.
    WE'RE HERE! We actually arrived Saturday morning into the large bay on the NE side, Indispensible Strait, and when everyone was up and had breakfasted, we dropped the sails (which were flogging anyways) and we all jumped overboard! We swam and swam until we were tired, then motored off to explore the shoreline of the Florida Islands. We didn't plan on going that way, but didn't want to arrive at Guadalcanal in the dark, so we chose to amble along and try going through a couple of passes like a shortcut through the small Florida Is. group. A local man came out to greet us in his dugout canoe, very friendly and invited us to his village where there is a mooring ball, however it didn't work out to go through the pass there because there was a giant current ripping and we didn't want to loose steerage. Through the turbulent water where we wanted to go was a giant ship lying on its side along shore...so we moved on. We said goodbye to the friendly man and motored into another cove, with an entire dozen elevated grass huts and several people that lined the beach to watch us. Another local in a dugout (there were several fishing from the dugouts along the shorelines)came to tell us that this place was not for safety. He mentioned this several times so this time we abandoned anchoring and decided to drift for the night. We motored out to the middle of the bay and drifted south 10 miles between the Florida Is. and Malaita Is. and each of us stood our watch.

  • lunareclipse2: Dell's Marchand Says Encrypting Mobile Device Information Vital in Well being Care
  • Resolute: Around Town
    What was renowned “Captain Ken” doing dining with underworld icons Mad Mike, Pornstar Bill and Harsol John? Clearly the story of the night, Naked Eye tailed the infamous four to none other than that latest hot spot, the Pacific pussyCAT bar. And why such riotous partying? Dancing with mermaids

  • Bourdons Gallivant: Day three of the crossing
    The boys got stalled out in Port Angeles today, but it was all good -- they were able to update their Weathernet software (thanks to a Droid mobile hot-spot provided by Hank at Waypoints Electronics, where they also picked up a few charts missing from the library), get a shower and soak up some sunshine... oh yeah, and rig the running back stays ;) THOSE should come in handy if the waves down coast are running high.

  • Off to the Kimberley: On Passage to Exmouth
    We left Coral Bay this morning after cheerios with the Camelot Lot. Steve helped us rig the spinnaker, but right now what little wind there is is on the nose.

  • SVSTX: Day of the Dalls Porpoise
    Today has been the day of the Dalls Porpoise, the big black and white porpoises they have here. We saw numerous pods, a couple of which came and played with the boat. Amazing to stand on the bow of the boat watching them speed across the bow so close that you're sure they're going to be hurt but they leap across or under just in time! I thought we were going to get splashed by one pod of about 5 who played with the boat (bow area mostly) for about 30 minutes as they were cutting in so close!

  • New Life for Christy Lee: new holding tank secured
    Ok, so it's not hidden yet. It's secure. The frame around the front of the tank is holding the tank firmly. Next step is to find some teak plywood, all I have to do is screw it onto the front and a sliver at the top. Been a productive day. Had a battle today with my vented loop, it's sucking too much air in. The system works GREAT when you put a finger over the vent. Hmm...

  • Sailing Boat Libertas: Sailing the Oceans: This a test of the remote post
    This is a test of the remote processor. If it goes well, this message will appear in my weblog very shortly.

  • Anthem Adrift: More Pigs?
    20 May 2012

  • The Sailabout of Mauliola: Costa Rica
    The rudders are here!! we finally got our so much needed rudders. And these are made right, by the specs unlike the one that broke. Now we can go on, there is, as soon as we get all the other things fixed.

  • s/v MORNING GLORY: Underway
    We are underway. Its 8pm and we are just passing south of Isabella. COG 259mag. SOG 7.2kts. Wind about 14kts.

  • Queen Charlotte Islands Cruise: O Canada!
    On Friday night we went to the San Juan Community Theater presentation of The Sound of Music (Richards & Hammerstein). The lead lady playing 'Maria' was astounding. And the seven children were well played! Great performance! After our Condo Association meeting Saturday in Friday Harbor, we weighed anchor and turned north. The sunny weather was too good to pass up, so we headed for Bedwell Harbour to check through Canadian customs. Customs provides phones for talking with a Customs official somewhere in the greater scheme of things. After answering a light battery of questions, they provided a Customs Clearance number which we are to display at all times. So up went the Canadian accommodation flag, and off we went for an anchorage at Prevost Island. There were an amazing number of sailboats out sailing in 5 knots of wind. Canadians were sailing, not powering. Gas prices were taking their toll. Some of the sailboats were classics, some were racing, some were just out for the sun and enjoyment. Ferries criss-crossed. Some adventurers were on paddle boards. The place was alive! Summer had come. The weather is going to deteriorate for a few days of wet. So we're enjoying what we have for now. Tomorrow we will go into Ganges, visit the ATM, and get fresh provisions now that we past the agricultural inspection. By Sunday night we hope to be through Dodd Narrows at 1700, and tied up at the Nanaimo Yacht Club by 1800.

  • Pandion: Rotoava Village
    Our first village in three weeks! Rotoava is a really interesting village. All of the other atolls we've been to have been sparse, at best as foliage has been concerned. There are always lots of coconut palms but the coconuts have been eeensy-weeensie. They're often big and look promising but then after tearing the husk away there's a 3 inch diameter coconut inside! But Rotoava is very different. There is clearly soil here. There are tropical flowers of every kind, a few banana trees, LOTS of robust coconut palms, breadfruit trees, a few pamplemousse and others. It's nothing like the Marquesas which were bursting with water and fruit and flora but it's so nice to see so much growth again. We arrived at out anchorage at noon - just when everyone is inside for siesta but we went to town anyway and found open a little snack stand that sells ice cream. Lorca and Sage were VERY VERY happy. I asked a few questions about the village and where things are and she directed me well. We had lunch at a snack bar and I stuffed myself so full of french fries that I was uncomfortable walking back to the boat. OY! I don't need to eat French Fries again for a very, very long time. Lorca had Steak Frites and Sage had Poulet Frites and I had some crazy sandwich thing that had chicken and sweet sauce. I thought the fries came on the side but it turns out they just stuff them inside the sandwich! WHOA! I really don't need to eat fries again for a very long time. Euch! We wandered into "Top Dive" to inquire about fins - my broke not long after we left California. I was using Lorca's - they were a little big but very comfortable. After snorkeling and diving every day for three or for hours a day and sometimes more, my kicking muscles have become quite strong and Lorca's second tier fins are too bendy for me. I kick and they just kind of fold over. I found a pair of OK fins for a not so OK price, but since we'll be at Anse Amyot for a week or so and diving a lot we decided to bite the bullet and get them. I'm excited because all of the slip on fins are usually too narrow for my very wide feet and the ones they have for sale here fit perfectly. YAY! The guy at Top Dive was very strange. I spoke to him in French first and he of course responded in French. But then he heard me speaking to Lorca in English and he immediately switched to English. His English was good but every time he spoke English to me he would squint one eye closed - but he wouldn't just squint it - it was a kind of twitch-squint that would twitch while it was squinted closed to the beat of his speech. Freaky. I kept speaking in French hoping he'd switch back and occasionally he would and his he would be normal. It was so strange! He kept telling me that Tiger Sharks are not dangerous. Great Whites are also not dangerous nor are hammerheads )of the non-scalloped variety). He said the only dangerous shark is the Bull Shark because "zay rilly like zee taste of dee yoomans." Oh. OK. The other sharks are only dangerous (in his book anyway) when "zay mistaking you for eel. or when you are surFING." I'm not sure if I didn't believe him because of the eye thing or because I just don't believe him. I do believe that Bull Sharks probably think humans are tasty but the rest of it seemed a little far-fetched. I've yet to be mistaken for an eel, afterall.

  • S/V Earendil : Back
    Well we made it back. We have very mixed feelings. We’re glad the engine and prop held together and we’re anxious to get everything squared away, we’re sad the good sailing is done for a while.

  • Voyages of Petite Ourse: Day 9
    Fresh caught maui maui again for supper. A large freighter passed by six miles away headed south .at mid-day. All's well on board.

  • ARCTURUS: Rockland to Northeast Hbr, Me
    Spent a couple of days in Rockland Me. Great place to visit and tour around. Sheila loved this place and can’t wait to go back. True to his word, the dockmaster refused to charge us for our two day stay, since they weren’t 100% operational.

  • Wandering the Oceans: My Second Wife: A Tribute
    A Tribute: My Wife of 28 Years

  • Voyages of Sarah Jean II: New Zealand to Fiji - Day 3
    The stellar sailing conditions continue! On a passage that is so often an endurance event of high winds and rough seas we have been blessed by the winds gods with blissful smooth downwind sailing. Beth and I have both commented that our trip thus far is reminiscent of trade wind sailing, in particular our passage from Mexico to the Marquesas.

  • Sailing with the Andersons: 50 Shades Of Green
    5/17/2012