Journal

After Christmas we were back into the swing of things and finally managed to receive our depth sounder, one of the last pieces of business that was keeping us here. Carolyn also got a FedEx package to us which we always look forward to except for sorting out all that financial stuff from three months.

We were undecided re New Years, having several options which would include Ken and Nancy. Our neighbours next door invited us to their boat in the evening as well. We knew that great happenings would be taking place in town. Walking around during that day we saw a platform being erected in the Plaza Santo Domingo, probably for a band. Many restaurants had special dinners arranged and others were putting out tables and chairs on the street outside their places. We had a wonderful lunch in a very special restaurant called 'La Vitrola' which is very well hidden behind a solid door marked 'escuela' meaning school. That's Cartegena for you.

We joined several couples on our neighbour's boat talking mainly about cruising, Columbia, home towns etc. At midnight the sky all around the city was lit up with wonderful fire works. We had a terrific view across the bay with no obstruction. The fire works appeared to be coming from several locations and gave us a colourful concert for 15-20 minutes. The full moon under a clear sky helped set the atmosphere as well. Music filled the air from many sources but not to grate on our nerves as can be the case in other harbours.

Today we are taking it easy and made a last minute provisioning for our departure tomorrow. The weather so far has been cooperating so we will plan to use that opportunity to sail west.

Wednesday, January 2:

We left the marina mid-morning with lots of help from our neighbours who untied lines from the dock and pushed us off carefully to keep the boat from hitting anything from our med mooring position. Motoring into the harbour toward Boca Chica gave us lots of opportunity to see a last glimpse of Cartegena and its beautiful surroundings including at least two other forts guarding the Boca Chica entrance.

Our first stop was to be the Rosarios, a group of islands about 20 miles SW of the city and a good starting point for the San Blas Islands. We had a decent sail most of the way but had to motor the last two hours to reach our destination in good light. We found our anchorage on Grandes Island working our way through the reefs and dropping the anchor in front of a resort for the wealthy Columbians who powerboat out for the day or weekend from Cartegena. The security was excellent since on the shore was a large tower with a guard who kept track of the surroundings with his binoculars and a huge spotlight shining down on the beach during the night.

Our plan was to leave in the afternoon giving us a 2 night and a day sail the 200 miles to Panama. During the morning we were offered a large crab from a local fisherman. Since he offered to have it prepared by the local restaurant we had a great lunch of fresh crab with wine etc. That was a good send off from Columbia, a country that has had poor publicity but as we will remember very fondly on our travels.

We got on our way in the afternoon as planned leaving the bay in enough light to see our way around the shallow parts. The winds were light enough for the first 24 hours to keep our large sails up and stay at a reasonable 5-6 K in good seas. As we got closer to the other side of the wide stretch of waters between the two countries the winds changed to 20K and the waves were 6-8 feet. Al had found a piece of hardware on the bow and wasn't sure if it belonged to one of the halyards that kept one of the headsails in place since it was the same kind of hardware that held up our main sail. For that reason we reefed our main and only sailed with it causing the boat to roll much more but we couldn't take the chance of losing one of the head sails. Then I heard another clunk on the deck and on inspection Al luckily found a large bolt that hadn't fallen off and which helped attach the boom to the mast. Now that would have been a real disaster. The fickle winds at the beginning of our trip put a lot of strain on the boom and loosened the fitting until we put on a preventer.

Saturday, January 5:

We arrived in the San Blas around 5AM which was too dark to enter the cluster of small islands with their many reefs and coral heads. Instead we decided to sail west along the northern edge and wait for a passage in to shelter away from the rough seas. After working our way into the channel with help from the charts we dropped anchor in a well protected bay called Snug Harbour, about 4 miles from the Kuna town, Playon Chico.

Soon we were visited by dugout canoes called "ulus" paddled by the Kuna Indians who live and govern the San Blas Islands. They live very simply on fish, coconuts they own, and gardens that are cultivated on the mainland. The women make the beautiful molas which are famous, take months of work, and can be very costly. Depending on where one is anchored you can get many people visiting your yacht or you could be left alone. If you are lucky they might have a lobster or crab which you can buy or some fruit and vegetables. On the whole the provisioning here is very sporadic and I have resorted to cans etc. Sometimes a nearby village will have someone who bakes bread or rolls. I have eaten bread made from coconuts which were very tasty.

Tuesday, January 7:

Today after the winds decreased we moved west to an interesting island which is the town of Tigre. It doesn't look like much from the anchorage since all the outhouses face that way but we motored in and walked around to a lovely village, very traditional but crowded with grass huts divided by sand-covered streets. After walking a few blocks we came to the windward side and its strong winds and breaking waves. The women of the town crowded around and showed me their molas which were hard to choose since I hadn't seen any before and couldn't decide which were the best buy. When I would pick one the other women would look really disappointed and make a face. They were very colourfully dressed in their red scarves, bracelets covering their arms and legs, mola blouses, and wrap around skirts.

Thursday, January 9:

We moved on to a cleaner anchorage called Green Island which is a very popular place with lovely breezes, surrounded by small islands and snorkeling and swimming close by. We noticed that we would find boats that stayed there for weeks maybe leaving for a short time to provision in a nearby town. Our goal is to be in Colon by the beginning of February so we planned to keep moving west.

Saturday to Monday:

Since the town of Nagana was close by and there were supposed to be some stores there we motored south and spent two days trying to find some food. All the 'stores' were basically out of private homes so in order to look for a tomato for instance we would have to go to many places before finding some. I took the better part of a day to wander around for a few vegetables which became like gold when the boat has no more fresh food. It reminded us of Cuba.

Al was having trouble with the dinghy motor again and a friend of ours from Britain came over on Sunday, took the carburetor apart, cleaned it out, and it's been working ever since. I observed carefully and hope I could do the same if ever there is a need.

Monday to the following Wednesday:

The rest of our stay in the San Blas continued to be very relaxing and enjoyable. One day we bought 2 lobsters from a Kuna fisherman. I had read that if you stab the beast between the eyes before putting it into boiling water it is more humane. Al punctured the head at least 1/2 " and the thing kept trying to stab him so in he went to the pot.

It will be difficult to leave this area with its clean water, breezes and beautiful islands. As the days went by we continued to move west until we reached the farthest point called Chichamee. The was only a large reef between us and the vast Caribbean where the winter trades were blowing over 20K and the waves were pounding over the reefs 10-20 feet. There were a few native huts on these islands and the families lived very simply on next to nothing except for handouts the cruisers often provided.

Monday January 28:

Since many boats have gone toward Colon we decided it was our turn to go the 50 miles across the coast of Panama in the open water after being in the shelter for so many weeks. The weather had been so much windier for the last 10 days as it so happens to be in January in this part of the Caribbean. The pilot charts show that 30% of the time the waves are over 15' in January. I had to get to civilization since we had finished up our orange juice, tonic water and beer and what we would be using for happy hour. Next to go will be the propane.

Monday to Wednesday:

Reached Portobelo that day and anchored in a lovely harbour surrounded by hills with 2 forts overlooking the bay. This town had to be protected by the Spanish as it was the town where much of the gold and silver that they had stolen was being shipped to Europe. Many pirates tried to steal the treasure including Sir Francis Drake and Morgan. The forts have been partially reconstructed and make an interesting setting. Unfortunately the bay is noted to be one of the rainiest places in North America and we had rain every day to confirm that. At least we got the salty water off our boat.

Thursday, January 31:

Took off in the morning for the 25 miles to Colon and the beginning of preparing the boat for the transit of the canal. We are sitting in a very rolly anchorage just close to the start of the canal going south and therefore get a view of all the ships passing through. Next journal our passage across Panama.

February 1- 28, 2002

'The Flats', outside Panama Canal Yacht Club

Since being here Al has officially entered his crew and boat into the country of Panama giving us 30 days on a cruising permit. The marina was full and although it was possible to find someone leaving a spot and take their place we decided to stay out here on the rolly anchorage. At least the wind generator is providing lots of power in the 20+ winds. For two days after arriving it was really rough out here and the waves kept pounding our boat making it difficult to handle the dinghy jumping up and down beside us.

The next step in the process was to have a port official admeasure the boat, checking how much space we take and if we have all the correct equipment for transiting. As far as we know we will be transiting this Saturday, February 9. Al has gone with another boat today (Tuesday) to learn the ropes as a line handler. We must have 4 line handlers lined up before we go. Pardon all the puns. It is important that the 130' lines attached to the top of the canal sides keep the boat in the center as well as control the boat when the large ship going through with you starts to churn up its motor and cause great waves. Cruisers are usually rafted together in twos or threes. I shall be able to speak more knowledgably after we have done our transit.

Al came back the same day after helping Dave on Amonetas on his boat to Flamenco. He felt it was a great help going through beforehand and knowing what to expect. We had large tires fastened to the sides which one could buy from one of the local guys. We also rented 4 large lines that would come the day of our transit and be returned. The next was to find the line handlers. As it turned out we ended up with a very international crew for the day. We had Philippe from France, our new crew, Dave from New Zealand who was bumming around and looking for the experience, Selcuk
from Turkey who had a beautiful catamaran anchored behind us, a Panamanian who was bringing the ropes, ourselves from Canada, and the advisor who was Panamanian. We also finally had a slip to go to at the Pedro Miguel Boat Club which was filled up most of the time. Everything was put in place except we were told we wouldn't transit until Sunday. On Saturday the anchorage looked like a swimming pool and the fog smothered the shoreline and out toward the canal. The change was incredible but the winds came from the west bringing all the garbage smells toward us that were being burned along that shore. It would have been nice to leave that day.

Finally Sunday arrived and the advisor who acted like a pilot came on board before 5 AM and we had to be ready before that. Dave and Angel slept on the boat Saturday night and Al picked up Selcuk in the early morning. We were now a boat of 7 people that I had to feed and water for the day. The 'pilot' for our boat had a bad reputation for giving boaters a hard time but he did get us through the locks with me especially having to treat him like a king.

Our boat was centered tied which meant that we had to stay in the middle of the lock by keeping the 4 lines at each corner of our boat evenly tight and adjusting them if the boat got off centre. We left at 5 in the morning and arrived at Pedro Miguel Boat Club in the afternoon.

Since then we have been very busy getting the boat ready for our passage across the Pacific. Al has ordered spare parts and other boat items from Florida and I have to buy enough food for 4 adults to last 12 weeks. We are expecting another crew member at the end of this month and then we'll be on our way via the Galapagos, Marquises, Tuamotus and Tahiti before reaching New Zealand.

This is a very social place with pot lucks, volleyball, communal kitchen etc. that keeps everyone from being lonely. Sometimes it is hard for some boaters to leave so they stay here for months and never get into the Caribbean or the Pacific. We are tied to a pier which is only a few hundred feet from the canal so we see all the large freighters coming through as well as cruise ships. Needless to say we begin to rock back and forth when the tugs push them into the lock and churn up the water nearby.

It's now February 20th and we have been here just over a week. We can now get around by bus into Panama which is fairly far away. Once there the taxis cost less than $2 around town. The supermarkets resemble those at home but each one varies as to what is available. Al's order from the US is about to arrive and our other crew is due to come on the 28th. If all is well we should be on our way by the beginning of March.
We can listen to others who have reached the Galapagos and all must go through the doldrums and cross the equator on their way. Each one has experienced different weather so you never can tell what to expect at this time of year.

One more pot luck, one more week-end and one more game of dominoes. Then we're off. Look for smaller entries as we go on our way as we will be on radio mail and have to limit our time due to power needs when sending.

February 23-March 11, 2002

Panama to the Galapagos

Pedro Miguel Boat Club is a real funky place but it grows on you. Many friendly people from all over the world and a good place to provision in Panama. One takes a 50 cent bus ride into the city centre of Panama city and then a taxi for 1-2 $ to various locations spread all over the place. Since I had to provision for 4 adults I had many pounds of rice, flour, potatoes, onions, cabbages, grapefruits and oranges; some carrots and squash for 3 months plus 10 dozen eggs. Where to put all this stuff is a real challenge. Al ordered parts from West Marine in Florida so we had to wait for them to arrive and Carolyn was sending a courier package. When it arrived I was pleased to see some Christmas cards and various letters from friends who don't e-mail. We didn't receive John's package with family pictures unfortunately.

Our second crew arrived, another Philip, with powdered eggs for our passage and power bars for our ditch bag. He also came equipped with all sorts of gadgets and goodies including 3 dozen anchovy cans, leaves of seaweed for sushi, a sextant, painting materials etc. An interesting assortment. These 2 Philips are very different which will make for an interesting trip. They are both willing to take their part in the work around the boat however.

Sunday, March 3:

After arranging the rest of our transit, buying last minute fresh meat, produce from the market such as 50 lb of onions, 10 cabbages, 40 lb of potatoes, 30 oranges, 50 lb of grapefruit, 50 limes, 4 squash, and a sack of garlic bulbs. I also bought some things which I knew would only last a week. Later on Sunday we went through the Milaflores lock. Anyone who knew our transit time did not see us anyway. Perhaps due to a large freighter just behind us. Our pilot this time was much nicer and wasn't demanding attention although I stocked up on water this time because of a demand on our last transit. Now the pilot wanted soda which I didn't have. We were centered chambered again which was fine and as we went into Pacific waters it was customary to throw coins in the water and drop some wine in the water for good luck.
We spent one night in Flamenco anchorage after dropping off Corrine and Eric from 'About Time' in Balboa. I should have tried to hail 'Guitar' who apparently was anchored there. We had run into them unexpectantly in a hardware store in Panama not having seen them since Trinidad last September.

Monday, March 4:

We left Flamenco early for Las Perlas 40 miles away. Took a brisk swim in much colder waters. The two crew immediately got the dinghy out to explore the island of Contadora the next day. It is a beautiful island with 2 hotels, a small air strip for planes coming from Panama and beautiful homes somewhat like weekend retreats in Muskoka. The boys brought ice back for our cocktail hour. What luxury!

Another night in Las Perlas we left at daybreak for the Galapagos 900 miles away. On our first day out many things happened. First, our alternator wasn't charging the batteries. After turning all electricity off, the men studied all the trouble spots, voltage readings, the belt, etc. Nigel Calder's book on boat electricity suggested looking at the fuse. After much effort Philip got the old one free and found it was corroded. A new fuse gave us power again and the freedom to keep heading west instead of back to Panama.

I decided to make cookies to celebrate but the oven wasn't staying hot. We later found after depleting our first tank in one week that a switch knob was ineffective and not regulating the heat in the oven. We were losing all our butane quickly.
Then, Philippe caught a beautiful tuna which I cooked for supper. Philip has sushi materials and made appetizers. A good start for our first day.

Wednesday-Sunday, March 6-10:

By Sunday we are half-way to our destination. We try to go where the wind is either South or West to catch the breeze. The genikker came out on Saturday giving us 1.5-2.0K or more. This spinnaker type sail is best used on a broad reach but the steering is too difficult for our monitor (self-steering) which has performed beautifully so far. The need to hand steer is necessary.

The meals have been good due to our fresh stores of meat. We have a daily 'cocktail' hour before our early dinner which I try to make before dark. The potatoes, some carrots, onions and cabbages are still good to eat. My tomatoes are in the fridge and should last awhile. Some grapefruit has spoiled, the oranges are still good and we ate the last cantelope today. All our stored goods have not been touched except for rice, pasta and a few cans.

The watch system is working out with 3 hour shifts and gives each man a 6 hour sleep and time to catch up during the day. I don't do watches but come up during the night to chat. We all take turns doing the inside cleaning and the men take turns with the dishwashing which gives me time to bake treats when the oven is working.
I'm still talking through ham radio to the Mississauga Net who patched me into Carolyn one morning to let her know we were close to our landing. I also got a message to John after he had broken his ankle badly and had to go to the hospital. I had to tell him his parcel arrived after we had left Panama but we hope another boat can bring it along.

Monday, March 11:

Everyday runs together. The water around us is like one flat desert of water broken up by quiet rollers. At night the horizon blends with the water with eerie effects. No sound, no clouds, wonderful stars including the Southern Cross. The north star has disappeared but Ursa Major is still in the sky. Philippe heard some whale sounds in the night and for awhile we were followed by dolphins.

Wednesday-Thursday, March 13-14:

Now as we approach the Galapagos more birds show up, dolphins, one hammerhead shark and seals as well as we get closer to land. Since we haven't motored except for battery charging it has taken us 10 days to get here.

March 15 - 28, 2002

Galapagos Islands

Friday-Sunday, March 15-17:

We arrived in Academy Bay at early light. There are many tour boats here as well as other cruisers. The town of Porta Ayora is well set up for tourists. A few internets, restaurants, supermarket, dive shops, clothing and souvenir shops line the streets. It is the most congested island. We can take a water taxi for 50 cents so leave the dinghy on the boat. We had to check in with the immigration and port authority and then had time to explore and prepare our boat for the long trip west making sure we have the diesel, gas, propane and water we need.

As we sit here on the anchorage we have boobies diving all around us from high above our heads. A small hammerhead shark swims in circles looking for its mom. Seals dive around and of course pelicans abound. We didn't expect the place to be so civilized and easy to service out boat but hope that the Marquesas will be less so.

Monday-Thursday, March 25-28:

We decided to take a small eco trip for three days. It is on a catamaran and good for the men (Al and Dave on Amametus) to scuba dive and the rest of us snorkel. It was an old boat with much to desire but the land and water trips made up for the grunge. We shook all our stuff out on going back to our boat afterwards in case we brought any cockroaches back with us. The meals were good and plentiful.

On our land and water trips we saw many species of wildlife. Of course the animals don't fear humans and let you get up close to take pictures. You can see my pictures on the web here when Vicky has the time to put them on. The eco part of the excursion kept us very busy and we say amongst other things tortoises, sea turtles, sea lions, sharks, lizards, penguins, boobies with blue feet, frigate birds with the bright red breast of the males, iguanas etc.

I'm now back to Porto Ayora and taking a last trip to the internet with this entry. In a day or two we will be leaving the Galapagos for the Marquesas which is about a 30 day trip sailing around 5-8 degrees just south of the equator to pick up the trade winds.
I probably won't be sending any journal entries for awhile unless I can send something through our winlink e-mail which has been giving us problems since we need a ham contact which can relay our message on the radio waves.

Anyone planning to come here should check out the boat they are going to take. Probably the best course is to check the price as the cheaper the price the older the boat it seems. We paid only $250 for the 4 days from here but the good boats could charge $200 a day. We had a great time but we are used to grunge traveling through parts of South America. It is also possible to come to Santa Cruz island, take a hotel, arrange your cruise from here checking out the boat you want to take. That might suit some people especially the young crowd who are traveling around South America right now. We had two couples from Switzerland who are traveling to the south part of SA after the Galapagos.

It is now time for us to leave. We are getting too settled and comfortable here and want to get on the ocean again. Would you believe I've said that! I'm planning to come home for a few weeks after we reach Tongo or Fiji which should be about September or October. Our daughter, Carolyn, should have a better idea closer to the time. In the meantime we hope all is well with our readers and wish us fair winds and following seas but not too following as we sail west.

March 31-April 23, 2002

Galapagos to the Marquesas

We left the Galapagos at noon on Friday, March 31. Our departure was delayed by our stern anchor being caught under the chain of a tour boat behind us. Al had to scuba dive to free the anchor before we could lift the bow anchor. Then our dinghy had to be deflated and secured on the foredeck. I had tried to have as much fresh food as possible for the beginning of the passage so had gone to the open market on Saturday.

April 1-23:

Our passage had a few highlights and many days that ran together but which took the mileage off our trip. We had about 3000 miles to go from the Galapagos, averaging from 40 miles a day in the first week through the doldrums and up to 170 miles a day when the winds kicked in at 15-20 K. We experienced some squally weather when the rainy gusts went to 35K but that wasn't often. Usually we had sunny days with 50% cloud cover and a number of days of rain and no blue sky. On April 16th we got below the 1000 mile mark and could see the end near. On clear days the sky at night was beautiful and when the full moon appeared it lit up the night. One could almost read from it. The southern cross was easy to see and there were many brilliant stars which I didn't recognize.

How did our days go? After the night watches were over I started breakfast and also listened to the Pacific Crossing net on our SSB radio organized by the cruisers just to check our position each day with each other and let the others know that all was well. The fresh bread was gone after 10 days so we had pancakes, or cereal or biscuits instead as well as eggs. My attempts to make bread had not been too successful but the results have been tasty. Some of our produce from Panama such as the potatoes, onions, and cabbage were still edible and we started into the cans in storage.

After breakfast one was free to rest and relax or do one's chores for the day like cleaning and washing dishes which we took in turn. When the seas became rolly and bumpy it was more difficult to cook and move around the boat.

The other meals became very challenging but I think we all ate very well. My corn bread was most appetizing. As soon as Al changed the propane tank there was enough pressure to use the oven again.

At 3 o'clock or so we had our cocktail time. We each had a small drink of either beer, gin or rum. This didn't effect our performance and was a nice break in the day.

Supper was early so we could clean up before dark which usually occurred about 6 or 6:30 depending on which end of the new time zone we were going through. On our passage we went through 3 and a half changes. Now in the Marquesas we are at UTC -9.5 where Toronto is UTC -5 EST.

We saw 6 ships during our passage. I called two on my watch and was pleased to receive an answer back assuring me that they weren't on a collision course with us and gave me their exact location.

Wildlife: Al and Philippe saw a huge whale behind us one day that was bigger than our boat. Flying fish were always around and many of them ended up on our boat during the night. The dolphins came around while we were near land but not far into the Pacific. Many birds were spotted. Frigates, terns, gulls for instance thousands of miles from land. One feels so insignificant in such a vast stretch of water as well as thousands of feet below.

Significant happenings?

One day the splice in our main halyard broke off and down came our main sail. Of course it was necessary for Al to be hoisted up the mast to fetch the end of the line to reattach it to our sail. It was really scary for all of us especially Al swinging back and forth 63 feet in the air in 10' seas and 20K winds. Needless to say we all breathed a sigh of relief when he finally came down.

Tuesday, April 23:

After 23 days at sea we finally saw land. Our destination was Hiva Oa and we wanted to make sure we arrived in daylight. The day arrived with a beautiful pink sky and the high mountains of Hiva Oa appeared above the clouds. What a relief to smell the earth, trees and flowers of Hiva Oa. Since Panama we had sailed 4000 miles across the Pacific. Another 3000 miles to go to reach New Zealand.

April 23-May 18th, 2002

Marquesas to Tahiti

Wednesday, April 23 - In Atuona (Hiva Oa) it was a good start to our stay in the Marquesas. The town was a good walk of 30 minutes or more or an easy hitchhike. The local people often just stopped to pick us up. Since our radio SSB e-mail wasn't working we were glad to see a new internet at the local post office and to try out the local restaurant. It was the first time we were aware of many boats sailing down from Mexico and California including those from Vancouver and Victoria. We were the only boat from Eastern Canada. These boats would skip the Galapagos and sail straight to the Marquesas which actually was a shorter distance than from Panama by 1000 miles. With 2 groups of cruisers the anchorages were becoming crowded and the western group out-numbered us 4 to 1.
The dinghy dock here wasn't always good for the dinghy at high tide but there was a good fresh water tap with a shelf to do laundry and an open shower stall. Simple things but most welcome. This is no backward island due to French assistance. The flowers are abundant and varied and the volcanic mountains spectacular. The Polynesian women here are large and bulky not like further down the island chain in Tahiti.

One day we walked up to the cemetery to see the beautiful view below and the grave of Paul Gauguin.

Friday, April 25:

Today we left this rolly anchorage for a nearby island just SW of here called Tahuata sailing through the Bordelais channel. The bay is called Hana Moe Noa on the NW side of Tahuata. A very quiet popular bay with always a few boats there. It was a good chance to scrub off the hull that had gathered plant and animal life on its way across the Pacific.
We could start our water-making again and do some swimming and snorkeling.

Saturday, April 26:

We left for the NW coast of Hiva Oa to a bay called Hanamenu. It was very rolly there and we only spent one night. Al and Phillipe rowed the dinghy ashore to scout out the pool that was suppose to be there. As Al was about to step out of the dinghy a large wave up-ended the boat and it pitch-poled which meant it flipped upside-down and knock both into the water. They got their unexpected swim.

Sunday, April 27:

We left Hanamenu late Saturday afternoon for an overnight sail to Oa Pou 90 miles away. The harbour at Hakahau in Oa Pou had large swells coming in and since we couldn't find room behind the breakwater we had to put out a stern anchor to keep us facing the swells. We toured the village but since it was Sunday nothing was open. Other cruisers visiting the village during the week said it was a very friendly place but we decided to leave since our anchor spot was not the best.

Monday, April 28 - May 5:

We left for Nuka Hive in the morning for the 30 mile sail and arrived in the town of Taiohae Bay with its very modern post office, internet, markets, baquettes, shore shower, water and all within walking distance. There are many boats here and we have seen old friends like Pietra and Deitrich on Island Express who were near us at Pedro Miguel Boat Club, and Harvey and Jean on 'Guitar' who we saw in Trinidad last September. We planned to have them for drinks along with Hilary and Rod on Bagheera from Australia. That day I slipped off the dock and fell backward into the dinghy luckily. It shook me up for a few days and injured a nerve on my elbow but not enough to cancel our 'party'.

Sunday, May 5:

We left to explore Nuka Hiva at 2 other anchorages. One was just a few miles along the coast called Baie du Controleur, a deep bay with 3 areas for anchoring. Although it wasn't completely still we enjoyed the solitude, seeing local fishermen catching lobsters and watching a large green turtle swimming about. Philippe caught a fish which we had for supper using as bait some left-over tuna from the market. The black-tipped sharks also loved our tuna. Saw some goats and cows wandering about the shore, probably from a nearby village over in the next bay.

Tuesday, May 7:

We had a good sail up the coast, around the NE point to a popular bay called Anaho Bay. It was around this area where the 'Survivor' series had been filmed. We were followed by playful dolphins along the shore and entered a lovely quiet bay with no rolling (finally). The shoreline looked like a tropical Pacific paradise. A few houses around with people who were busy making copra (dried coconut meat which coconut oil is extracted). There is a water tap here where one can wash clothes, collect water or bathe. There is no road to this settlement so it remains very much the same.

Wednesday, May 8:

VE day in France but not a holiday here. Today we walked up the high pass to the next bay and to have lunch at a popular restaurant there. Hatiheu Bay is connected to the main town by a road, so many people live here in lovely little homes surrounded by flowering gardens. Most of the better homes are lived in by French people who have decided that this is paradise. The climb up and back taxed my useless knees brought about by lack of exercise in climbing.

Thursday - Saturday, May 9th - 11th:

Anaho Bay is a wonderful place partly because there is no village and the bay itself is very calm with many reefs for snorkeling and watching a good variety of fish.
The sail back Friday to Taiehae Bay went quickly due to brisk winds. There seemed to be many more boats and many of them were making this their first landfall after the long passage. For our trip to the Tuomotus we planned to up early to the local market for fresh food. The market began at 04:30, a ridiculous time especially when it was dark until 06:00 and one had to use a flashlight to see what was being offered. Even so most of the cruisers arrived at the dock with their flashlights and bought up what was there. I got tomatoes, cucumbers, bananas, a cabbage but no grapefruit. This fresh stuff would last our trip of 5-6 days. I went later into town to finish up the shopping and found all the 'goodies' were sold out. Too many cruisers! NO bread but I found a frozen loaf for 5F (4$ US)

Sunday -Friday, May 12-17:

Our trip to the Tuomotus took about 5-6 days for the 750 miles. It was apparent that we couldn't stay more than 1 night as we needed to get to Papeete, Tahiti. My stove wouldn't work and I had to use the alcohol stove which only takes 1 pot and one had to stand there and hold it steady in the rocking boat. It was discovered that the regulator which controls the gas to the stove had failed. We also needed new batteries although our old ones were only a year old.

It was unfortunate to have only one night as the atolls are beautiful in their own way. Many cruisers stay here for a week or more because of the excellent snorkeling, spear fishing, and getting to know the various pearl farmers. There are many sharks around but they don't seem to be aggressive.

By Thursday our 10' seas subsided and we had calmer weather and a good sail after that. We did our regular night watches as usual.

Friday, May 17:

In order to get through the pass of Toua we had to wait for slack time at 07:00 and had to slow down Thursday night. It was an incredible sight to see the churning water in front of the pass through the reef. It reminded us of the Fraser River in level 4 waves, eddies and currents. The tide going out had subsided but the wind and waves from the east brought strong forces in the opposite direction. There was enough room to pass through and there were also directional markers on the opposite side to give you the proper angle of approach.

One in the atoll the anchorage was very beautiful and quiet with protection from the ENE swells. You could see the bottom 40' down with coral heads scattered about. There were many black-tipped sharks swimming about, more curious than harmful. I saw a large green turtle swimming about, its shimmering coloured back so easy to spot. These atolls are now used for black pearl farming The black pearl is a natural phenomena from these waters and range from yellow to aqua in colour.

Saturday, May 18:

In the afternoon we left through the churning waters of the channel. We had 200 miles to sail to Tahiti and would probably reach there Monday morning.

Monday, May 20-July 5 2002

French Polynesia

After 2 days sailing our last 30 miles into Papeete was motoring as the winds died right down. For the first few days we tied up to the city dock very close to downtown, busy traffic noise, water connection, variety of restaurants, e-mail etc. Al got busy finding people to do servicing and to check with immigration for another 60 days visa which entailed a trip to the airport as well as authorities here in town. Officials don't make life easy for the cruiser. Michel from Maeve Beach solved the propane problem with a new regulator (the stove hadn't really worked properly since Venezuela) and found the original had been installed wrongly allowing salt water into the device and corroding it and the pressure valve. Finally I felt I had a stove.

Tuesday-Thursday, May 21-23:

Time to explore the city. It's very European, energetic and sophisticated with wonderful food stores and restaurants. Philippe bought us croissants each morning which wasn't good for the weight but oh so delicious. Each evening food vans called 'roulettes' would set up their tables and serve dinners, mostly attended by local Polynesians. It's an expensive place and very much catering to the tourist with more money than cruisers. The black pearls mostly harvested in the Tuomotus are sold in numerous shops in town and a major source of income. Al hasn't relaxed since arriving. Running here and there, getting stamps for immigration, finding services for our sails and batteries etc.

Friday, May 24:

Although we are hoping to anchor at Maeve Beach about 6 miles south of downtown Papeete we must wait for the sails to be picked up and for another man who is coming to reposition the engine to eliminate the vibration on the shaft.

Saturday, May 25:

Last night Philippe treated us to a wonderful French dinner at "L'O de la Bouche", a local restaurant in Papeete. He will be leaving us soon and had promised us a meal in Tahiti. We made use of our shore water while here, washing the boat, ourselves and the cockpit cushions. At 2 pm we took up the anchor and motored to Maeve Beach where most of the cruisers stay. We saw many of the crowd which had arrived just before us but even a larger contingent of western cruisers from the US and Canada. Our boat from Ontario was only two out of 30 or so that were there from Eastern Canada.

Sunday-Thursday May 26-31:

We were glad to leave the noise and dirt from the city but we have a 20 minute 'truck' ride into town with all the locals for 1.30 F ($1 US) but also a wonderful Supermarket in a new Mall close by. Internet, men working on the boat and socializing kept us busy. Philippe left on Tuesday giving the boat back to ourselves again. Although he was a good crew 4 months is a long time. Arranged new batteries with Michel and waited for our sails to come back. The winlink, our radio e-mail still doesn't work. There must be numerous messages on there since Panama which is the last time we could link up. In the meantime I contact people on our hot mail address.

Friday, May 31:

One of our neighbours arranged a group trip to a local brewery similar to our local micro-breweries at home. The factory also sells vanilla products. Vanilla comes from the orchid plant and their beans which are grown in Raiatea and Taha'a. Since there was no bar or cafe nearby for gathering of cruisers it became popular to meet at the 'Total' gas bar at the marina and have a beer and during the World Cup Soccer matches in Japan the owner of the gas bar put his TV outside so people could watch them. We met Hilary and Rod on Bagheera who are moving ahead of us and will be in Fiji when we are there.

Sunday, June 2:

We met a group of old 'friends' on Sojourner, Pete and Julie's boat. He was left alone for awhile along with many other men whose wives had gone home for a visit. It will be my turn in September from Fiji.

Monday-Friday, June 3-7:

We now have new batteries which makes a world of difference when we transmit by radio. The old ones should have lasted much longer. Today Al and I walked along the road to the Polynesian Museum. It was laid out in a very modern building showing the history of the Polynesian people, the geography and geology of the region and the insurgence of Europeans which almost wiped them out from disease. It is apparent that the local Polynesians put up with the French but want to
have no part of their culture. They can speak French but prefer their own language etc. We have found them a very lovely people who are friendly and helpful. I started provisioning again with a wonderful collection of expensive choices. These visits to the supermarket have to be spread out for carrying the heavy loads on the 20 minute walk. We could relax every day with other cruisers and new people coming and going as they leave for Moorea and beyond or arriving from the Tuomotus.

Monday, June 10:

I'm still going into town for the internet, occasional lunch in their wonderful restaurants and shopping. Until our boat e-mail works we have been relying on our canada.com address.

Tuesday, June 11-14:

Finally we received our confirmation in the marina at Gulf Harbour in NZ near Aukland. Now we can make more positive plans.

Saturday, June 15:

We went into Papeete for a final restaurant dinner before leaving Tahiti. A young couple on Pegasus joined us. They are taking 2 years to make this circumnavigation and then back to work in NY.

Sunday, June 16:

Gary, our new crew from Seattle, arrives today and we have spent time getting his cabin ready. Hope everything works out since he is 6'4" and just fits the aft cabin. I prepared a nice dinner and made a cake in the 'new' oven for his arrival.

Monday-Thursday, June 17-20:

Gary and I went to the large Carrefour, the big supermarket nearby, and made a last minute trip for fresh food to last until Bora Bora. Before heading back to the boat a heavy rain came even finding the places in the roof of the mall to wet everyone inside as well. After waiting long enough we went back soaked with the warm rain trying to keep our groceries dry. After checking out early Tuesday morning we left for Moorea just 11 miles away. It was a good start for Gary to check out the boat as the winds were light and the seas less than 1m. We found a beautiful spot
just outside Cook's Bay on the reef at 7' close to good snorkeling. All the boats we knew were in Moorea had anchored in deep water near the head of the bay which was close to stores and such.
Thursday we motored into the bay and anchored at 60'. It was sad to leave the beautiful waters around us on the reef and I was just getting acquainted with 3 box fish which loved to eat anything I fed them. Before pulling up the anchor that morning we saw a brilliant rainbow against the mountains of Moorea. Cook's Bay is very beautiful when at anchor and all around you are surrounded by high hills.

Friday-Saturday, June 21-22:

We spent our two days in Cook's Bay exploring the shore in both directions. The island is too busy with traffic to be appealing although we found an internet and on Saturday we went to a Polynesian tourist-type show with a number of other boaters from the US west coast. The show was so-so but we had to have that experience before leaving the Societies. The show was a late one and unfortunately got us back to our boat four hours past our usual bedtime. This lack of sleep would affect our over-night passage to Raiatea the next day.

Sunday, June 23:

We left for Raiatea after preparing the boat and folding up the dinghy for the 120M sail. All the way across we had 20-25K winds and 10' seas It has been awhile since we'd been out to sea and movement of the boat took getting use to again. Al double reefed the main and used our stay sail and we were still making 6K. Unfortunately Gary got sea sick soon after leaving Moorea and was out of commission for most of the trip. He gamely tried to help and felt better when we gave him the helm although we did have self-steering. The wind didn't let up all night but the moon was full and lit up the sky and our boat.

Monday, June 24 - Monday, July 1:

We arrived very early before the sunrise and had to slow down before entering the pass into Raiatea through the reef which circles the island and needs light to see the hazards. After motoring around counter-clockwise behind the reef we found some mooring balls in front of an area used for boat repairs. Mooring balls are great to find as otherwise the anchoring is in very deep water. The carenage charged us 1000f but it was worth it. Al and Gary walked into town that day and we were checked into Raiatea. We decided to circumnavigate the island for the next few days and left for another bay on the NW coast. The seas were calm within the reef and even outside due to shelter from the Lee shore. Our first anchorage was in Vaiaau Bay, a deep bay that collects the strong winds through the mountains from the east. We didn't stay another night due to these winds, deep anchorage and surrounding shallow reef all around our boat. Our next day was spent in front of a motu called Haonao Island off the south end of the mainland but close to great snorkeling where we saw many beautiful fish. There were fishermen living there who waved us away from their fishing area but that was understandable.

Our next stop after motoring around the south and eastern side of Raiatea was in Onoa Bay close to Marae Taputapuatea, a Tahitian temple which appears as an old ruin of sacrificial and fire walking platforms made of volcanic rock. It is the best preserved in Polynesia and measures 43m long and 7.3m wide. A small platform in the middle once bore the image of Oro, god of fertility and war, backrests of rock still mark the seats of high chiefs. Fires set on the marae once were used as beacons to ancient navigators. We were anchored near a very quiet village called Opoa when a charter boat came swiftly by. Unfortunately they got their keel with the skeg and fin caught on the coral, fastening them in a vise-like grip. Gary and Al spent the next 2 hours helping the family get off into deeper water. This was their first day on their charter boat and not a good beginning. Later in the week they found us again on Taha'a and went out of their way to bring us some good books to add to our meager library.

The next day we motored the rest of the eastern side of Raiatea with bright sunny weather after some days of rain. Our destination was the main town of Uturoa where we would find fuel and provisions and maybe e-mail. It took awhile to tie onto the dock as the wind at this end was pushing our boat around. Finally we found an empty spot protected from the waves and soon saw a boat we knew also coming in. It was 'Rag'n Drag'n' with John and Diane from San Diego. They had been anchored behind us in Cook's Bay, Moorea. They had just finished their passage from Moorea the last 20 hours and looked beat. This was her first passage as John had come to Tahiti with another man and she had met him in Papeete.

The next day we used the morning to get more diesel and groceries and go to the internet. The supply ship had come in the harbour just the night before and all the local people came from all over in ferries, small motor boats etc. to do their shopping. The store hadn't finished unloading the supplies so they were scurrying around trying to fill the shelves as fast as possible. I saw cockroaches all over the store and made sure to spray and wash everything before putting it on our boat.

Monday-Saturday, July 1-5:

After doing all our errands we motored across to the other island within the circling reef called Taha'a. Our first stop was in front of a motu sheltering us from the wind and waves. There was a large resort, on the motu called Taha'a Pearl Beach Resort which appeared to be under further construction as we saw nobody there but workers. The close reef didn't have any interesting fish so after a day we moved to a bay just across from the motu.

Monday night we didn't forget Gary's birthday and I made a chocolate cake for dinner. We also toasted Canada Day at cocktail hour. All these special days keeps us from forgetting the days of the month.

This bay was deep and required anchoring at 60'. In the morning we took the dinghy in to see what the small village Tapuamu had to offer. It wasn't much although we saw a funeral procession on the road as we were walking and noticed that the burial was taking place in someone's property. They don't seem to have cemeteries here on the island. Everyone we saw were Polynesians. The French people don't seem to be here and it is pleasant to see what it use to be like before there were so many French. We continued our walk along the shore and getting very hot. I saw a restaurant close by and suggested we stop for a drink. That is when we met Louise. She was very persuasive and before you know it she had driven us back to our dinghy and said that the mooring balls in front of her place were free and why don't we come over there and have dinner. So that is where we have been the last two nights. From her we learned about vanilla since she had plants on her property. She also picked some large grapefruit for us. She runs a very matriarchal family where the men seem to be in the background and her daughters run the place with her. This is very typical of a Polynesian family group and has been since the beginning. Before we leave here tomorrow for Bora Bora I must bring her a gift as thanks for all her generosity. We also had to toast July 4th as well as put the American flag on the boat. That seemed to conclude our celebrations for awhile.

This journal has been long and I thank my readers for their patience. The next entry will probably cover Bora Bora and our journey of 10 days or more to Western Samoa.

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July 11-24

Bora Bora to Suwarrow

Thursday, July 11-18:

After last minute preparations we were ready to start our passage to Suwarrow in the Northern Cooks a distance of 750 miles. Zephyr had left just before us so we expected to arrive at about the same time.

Gary and Al took the Sturgeron before we left but the first 24 hours was in light winds of 12-15 K and the seas not too high. No one was sick, either due to the conditions or medication. I reported twice a day to Des on Russell Radio from NZ giving him our positions and other statistics and he tried to let us know what to expect the next day.

As the days progressed our winds lightened and backed to ENE to N. By Sunday we had flat seas and 351M to go. By Monday and Tuesday we had literally stopped. (dead calm). Our 2-3 days floating were very interesting. Twice we put down the ladder and had a dip in the ocean holding on to the ladder just in case of sharks. The seas rolled silently by and looked like dunes in a desert. One night the sunset glowed with multi-hued colours colouring the sky 360 degrees. The stars were reflected in the water with pinpoints of light once the sunset disappeared.

On Tuesday Al saw a whale in the distance but it had disappeared. But a few minutes later it came around to the other side and swam close to the boat to have a look at us. A beautiful sight! It was a 25' Minke whale, green coloured, sleek and quietly blowing. The water around us was so crystal clear that anything a few feet down could be seen. Three colourful fish were also swimming around but too fast to catch.

We picked up more wind on Wednesday and made 100 miles giving us 175 miles to our destination. Zephyr arrived that day as they had motored on those quiet days while we sat. We decided to speed up the next 20 hours (putting up full sails) so to arrive in daylight Thursday. The 18-24K winds put us at 34 miles to go by early Thursday morning. The change of weather unfortunately also brought rain and some squalls.

Thursday, July 18:

The seas were choppy outside the atoll but with careful navigation we made it through the reef and anchored in a quiet place in front of the only inhabited island (motu) in Suwarrow.

July 19-24 Friday-Wednesday:

After a good rest yesterday the guys put down the dinghy and Al went to the beach to check in with the Park Rangers. This atoll is not an official entry for the Cook Islands but a National Park so the $50 fee helps in its preservation of wildlife. The two 70 year old rangers are here month after month and become very self sufficient as the supply boat only comes periodically from the Southern Cooks (Raratonga). In their small clearing they raise chickens, grow coconuts and bananas and try to plant other crops but the place is filled with rats which they can't control. They did acquire two cats which ran away as soon as they arrived. John, who has lived off and on since 1972 does all the fishing of crabs, fish, and lobster. He has a large scar on his leg from a shark bite during a spear fishing expedition. Fernando does the cooking, plays a guitar and is the extravert with many tales of his women around the world and multitudes of grandchildren.

Saturday -Wednesday, July 20-24:

We are staying here until a weather window opens to procede to Samoa. All day Saturday it rained with gusty winds. I heard Rag'n Drag'n on Russell Radio heading for America Samoa with high seas and winds that we managed to avoid having left a week earlier.

On Sunday the cruisers were invited for lunch to meet the crew on a patrol boat heading back to Raratonga from Nassau. The two NZ men had been doing some research and project work for the NZ government. We had another splendid meal. Fernando was going back with them for medical reasons.

Since we're boat bound there are projects to do. No one goes swimming with the numerous sharks swimming around the boat except Al who wanted to check our anchor. Most of the sharks are black tipped and harmless.

On Tuesday the three of us dinghied in and the Japanese family had set up a traditional lunch for John and invited us to join. They had homemade noodles with mushrooms, fish and broth, sweet bean soup and rice. Ken and Yuki did the preparing. Most men on cruise boats do some cooking so I'm disgusted with my two men who can only warm something up from a can. They'll get a rude awakening when I leave in Fiji.

Later in the day John took us all in his skiff to a remote motu to catch coconut crabs. John's skills as a Cook Island native could outshine any young man of today. He used to free dive 20-30 fathoms for pearls as a young man and can still climb coconut trees by tying his ankles with palm leaves and shimmying up the trunk.

The huge crabs live under the ground around the roots of the coconut trees. You have to poke holes with a stout stick and find their hole. John was able to dig a hole and grab the front claws of the crab and pull it out. He would then proceed to pull off the legs until there was just the body left. After awhile we had a bucket filled with crab parts to take back to our boat for supper.

Before leaving the motu John climbed a palm tree and cut off enough coconuts for everyone to have a drink. If you wanted to eat the soft meat inside he chopped the shell open, cut off a slice of the shell for a spoon and then you could scoop out the inside which was soft since these were young and green coconuts.

It was near sundown when we got back to the boat to cook our share of the crab. What a treat! Suwarrow was unique especially meeting John with his skills and probably a way of life soon gone. Few cruisers stop here and that is a pity.

Wednesday July 24-August 8

Suwarrow to Apia, Samoa

As the weather had improved we decided to leave for Samoa, a 4-5 day sail of 500 miles. The pass out was turbulent and hard to see the reefs but we used our charts and eyeballed it. Once out the swells became a regular 2M with easterly winds.

That night it was very beautiful with a full moon lighting up the sky, no rain and continuing trades. By the third day of passage routines were established and our sea legs comfortably settled. My fresh food was almost gone except for some onions and potatoes, 1 cabbage and a couple of apples along with a little more chicken.

Thursday:

Another moonlit night and I play 'Moon River' on my CD walkman. How fitting! The trades are still 15-20K but more cloud and a little rain during the day.

Friday, July 26:

Back to checking in with Des on Russell Radio who said our winds should start backing from E to ENE and then N which should alter our tracking somewhat. Zephyr has gone ahead about 30M and is taking a more northerly route then ourselves.

Saturday, July 27:

127 Miles to go to Apia. We should arrive on Sunday about noon. Our moon is gone and the clouds have taken over. Rain off and on all day with an occasional squall. During the night there were flashes of lightning in the distance. One time I saw a large fire ball which lit up the sky like a spot light. A boat ahead of us told me later that she was surrounded by these fire balls and found it scary. I've never seem them before.

Sunday, July 28:

We experienced very little winds during the night and into the morning. Finally we had to motor the last 14 miles into Apia harbour, Western Samoa. The island of Upolu, where Apia is located is about 700 sq. miles in size. Savaii is a little larger. These are 2 islands out of 9 which comprise Western Samoa.

New Zealand spends millions supporting W. Samoa which is now independent but poor economically. There are very few cruise ships docking and the major hotel chains are not building due to exorbitant land-use fees. About 89% of the population of Samoa are full blooded Polynesians the 2nd largest in the world. Many have emigrated to NZ and the US. The family group is communal where the individual must give way to the extended family group (Aiga) which are autonomous.

The churches over the years have a strong hold on Samoa. Each village has 1 or more churches and the pastors live more affluently at the expense of their congregation and much pressure is made on the villagers to contribute money for these modern elaborate buildings.

Sunday, noon, July 28:

We found 10 or so boats anchored in this easily accessible harbour. After getting settled in we were invited on 'Free Radical', the only other eastern Canadian boat along with several other boats and a full fledged party began. Boats anchored here come from all over, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, Canada and of course the US.

Monday, July 29:

Time to check in and scout the city which offered all the services we needed - showers, laundry, internet, groceries and small restaurants all at much lower prices than French Polynesia. Several multi-storied buildings seem out of place and are used by the municipality, banks or governments. The lavalava or wrap-around skirt are worn by both men and women. Business men wear more conservative colours but also wear brightly patterned ones casually, both types accompanied by a shirt over the top. Sandals are universal. Even the police have their lavalavas, overshirt, and sandals plus a white 'bobby-type' helmet.

The police parade every morning as a large group with a band to raise the flag at the government building. It's quite a sight.

Wednesday, July 31:

We decided to see the Robert Louis Stevenson home which is now a museum which opened in 1994 after being rebuilt following a devastating hurricane 2 years before. He called his home Vailima which is also the name of the local popular beer. Although he only lived in Samoa for 4 years he made many friends with the local people. His grave sight is a further climb from his home, quiet and peaceful.

In the evening we took in the Wednesday show at Aggie Grey's hotel which has been a tradition since 1942 when the US troops arrived during the war years. She is now gone but her granddaughter did a traditional dance which is more subdued, has delicate hand movements and conservative full length costumes instead of the hip hugging skirts for the women that we saw in Fr Polynesia. The men's dance is very much like those in other Polynesian countries. They dance to fast drumming and use strong arm gestures and jumping movements. The show was followed by a buffet with all you could eat. All for 44 tala (15$ US).

Thursday, Aug 1:

We visited the open market and saw lots of fresh produce brought in every day. No need to go before daylight like in the Marquesas. I must make a trip just before leaving here.

Saturday-Sunday, Aug 3-4:

Al and I got up about 5AM to catch a bus to take us to the ferry to Savaii, the neighbouring island with no large towns. After some mix-up we caught the last bus which left from a different place than where we were told and found we had seats but the driver kept stuffing people in until there was 1 person sitting on someone's lap at each seat and others standing for the hour long drive.

At the ferry there was plenty of room for all the people and we sat in rows of seats all facing a TV set showing a terrible Kung Fu movie.

The boat was filled with Polynesians taking the long weekend as Monday was labour day. We were definitely the minority on this ferry. My shorts were out of place so I went to the local market in Savaii and bought a lavalava for myself and the girl helped me tie it on.

The 10 minutes we were told would take us to our car rental turned out to be 10 minutes by car so I left Al to continue walking and took a taxi. On arriving I found there was no car for us but the taxi driver arranged to take us around for 120 Tala or $40 US for the day and we picked up Al on the road. We wondered later whether all this had been set up ahead of time.

It was a beautiful island filled with small villages but volcanic eruptions in 1905 and 1911 buried much of the fertile land on the north side and can still be seen with little vegetation covering it. Our driver couldn't speak much English or didn't try to understand so we missed many of the sites where you had to walk from the highway. With our own car that wouldn't have happened. It was a good place to view the various homes called fales that consisted of a cement platform surrounded by supporting poles and covered with a grass or tin roof. The older fales were completely open with no privacy except for the grass awnings that were pulled down for windy or rainy weather. The modern fales could be filled in with walls of wood or grass matting. Each village had a larger community fale used for meetings of men or gatherings of women working together. Also for village meetings of all the people.

Sunday, August 4:

We enjoyed our time away from the boat. Our resort was right on a beautiful beach and we had lots of hot water for a shower. It was good to get away on our own just like a holiday. Gary kindly stayed with the boat and kept the batteries charged.
By noon the taxi driver reappeared and we caught the 2PM ferry and reversed our trip arriving back at Apia by 4 o'clock. It was a good change and we're ready to do it again sometime.

Tuesday, August 6:

Yesterday was Labour Day and everything was closed. So we had a quiet day but Tuesday there was much scurrying around to get ready to leave for Tonga. The winds have come round and the seas are quiet again. The lack of wind makes Apia very hot and uncomfortable.

After the usual internet visit I managed to buy most of our non-perishable provisions today. I wanted to get my last journal to Vicky plus some pictures as I don't know if Tonga has internet service.

Wednesday, August 7:

A few boats have left today with this weather window but we needed today for fresh produce at the farmer's market. Gary and I went early by taxi and we got all we needed in an hour including a large bunch of bananas. Al stayed on the boat to prepare for our departure. On the dinghy ride back I went to help a cruiser back to his boat as his motor wasn't working. As I was trying to manoever us out of the dinghy area a noisy hoot from one of the large tugs startled us and we saw that it wanted to get out and we were in its way. I had to accelerate just to get us out and make a right hand turn. A little scary at the time as I had 2 dinghies to control.

After getting back it took awhile to clean and put away the fresh food which had to be washed in a light bleach solution in case there were any insects on them.
A last minute lunch and trip into town for shopping. We were amused to see Gary walking down the road to meet us in his new lavalava which he'll have to wear in Tonga.

It was a great visit to Western Samoa and we were glad to have had the chance to visit this interesting country. Tourism hasn't taken a great hold but it is worth visiting to see Polynesians in their true setting.

We are now ready to leave and say goodbye to a wonderful experience.
Tonga is 180 miles south and we plan to do that in a 2 day and one night passage.

Thursday, August 8-14, 2002

Samoa to Tonga

By 5am Al was ready to go even though it was dark for another hour and a half. But he pulled up anchor and we went out of Apia harbour following a large freighter through the pass avoiding the tug and pilot boat coming back. It was an easy pass through the reefs and all the lights marking the way helped us through.

We had 180M to go to Niuatoputapu in the North Islands of Tonga, a sail of two days. If winds are good we should reach there by Saturday, Tonga time. One night out doesn't get us into a routine so no one really has a good sleep. We had to motor between Samoa's two islands to find the winds outside. When they came we then had 15K allowing us to sail at 6K or more and make landfall the next day.

Our night was cloudy but no rain and by morning we had 29M to go. Tonga, although still west of the dateline at 174 degrees west still takes New Zealand time which means we had to skip a day. Before reaching the pass into Niuatoputapu the rains came and the visability was poor. All eyes were busy finding markers, marking the reefs and the way into the harbour. Two other boats came in after us but we saw them only after anchoring. It rained hard all day and we could collect pails of rainwater and our boat got a good washing from Apia's dirt.

Sunday, August 11:

We had to stay on the boat until Al could clear us in. That meant yesterday and today for sure. During the night the winds came up and we started getting constant winds in 40 knots and other reports in the anchorage saw winds to 60K. Our anchor held but the wind generator whirled around so fast we thought it would break. The harbour was well sheltered even though white caps formed around us.

I woke up Al to look around and fortunately he got up in time to see the boat in front of us was dragging right into us. With a loud yell from Al its captain quickly turned on the motor and for 2 hours or more he steered his boat back and forth across our anchor chain to keep away from our boat and Al steered back and forth to stay away from him. It was too dark and windy for him to pull up anchor and move away. Not a good night. In the morning when he finally moved we held our breath that he wasn't going to pull up our chain with his anchor. One other boat in the harbour lost his dinghy when the line holding it to the yacht got cut by the propeller. No one saw it again.

Monday, August 12:

Because of weather we were stuck on our boat for another day. The bay was rough but nothing like it was outside the break water and reef. Could catch up on our reading.

Tuesday, August 13:

Although it's raining Al went into town to get the officials to our boat before noon. Not too long after he returned with 4 officials to our boat. (customs, immigration, health, and agriculture). It reminded me of Cuba but these people at least took off their shoes.
Our food supplies were scrutinized especially the fresh produce. They were ready to take all the fresh but I convinced the officials that the vegetables and fruit had all been bleach washed. They all had to go into the fridge and the bananas had to covered with a plastic bag. There was no fresh produce on Nuiatoputapu so we were glad to keep everything. We were asked if we had had German Measles as right now there was an epidemic in Vava'u. This happens from time to time and WHO comes to inoculate.

Wednesday, August 14:

I finally got to shore. We arrived on the dock just as a Navy vessel was pulling out. This area of Tonga is very close to a 3rd world. The houses are very poor but built with modern materials. Strips of bleached pandanus leaves are seen hanging outside the homes to dry. They are used to make the famous woven mats used for wearing over their skirts or pants especially during special occasions or funerals. Often the older men and women wear them all the time. The beautiful basket work done in Tonga are in tan, black and white and woven around heavy palm stems. The other famous craft is tapa cloth which is made from the mulberry tree bark. After pounding the bark it is painted with natural brown and tan dyes. The soft white mats often used in ceremonies and formal occasions are worn around the waists and tied with a cord by the men or a waistband by the women. The women's mats are much longer and completely cover their underskirts.

I saw 3 older women in a hut busily weaving their mats, a painstaking effort. The finer ones are not usually for sale. As we walked along that day we were met by many children, dogs, a barefooted priest walking to his church, a very few old trucks, small houses among small plots of land, many foraging pigs that had the freedom to run around and of course roosters and chickens.

The village about 3K from our dock has a small administration center, a bank of sorts, a health center with a dentist, schools, playing field, a store with bulk goods but no refrigeration. Not much to keep us here except for the friendliness of the people. The communication center had a donated satellite dish which didn't work and a telephone booth with no telephone.

After getting back to out boat we decided there would be a small weather window to head south to Vava'u a 160M trip that would take us about 30 hours.

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August 15-August 17

Tonga

Thursday, August 15:

Back to the high waves as we headed out. The swells were 1.5-2m on our beam and we sailed right into a close reach with our bow constantly pounding into the waves. Since Panama we had had the winds at our back quarter and were used to the mostly comfortable ride.

Just outside the pass from Niuatoputapu we saw 2 humpback whales. Tonga, particularly Vava'u is a breeding ground for these whales before they return to the Antarctic waters for the southern summer. Later on approaching the Vava'u Group of islands we saw 2 more and the large forked tail of one lifted high in the air.

We had heavy rains throughout the night and winds up to 24K as we passed through a stationary front. But approaching the entrance to Vava'u the sky cleared giving us a good view of our 5M trip through the quiet bays of Vava'u to Nieafu. This area of Tonga is a cruisers' paradise of quiet waters and anchorages giving the boater many choices of places to stop and stay for snorkeling and swimming. For this reason there are many chartering companies here.

Friday, August 16:

We picked up one of the many mooring balls which are rented by several of the companies on shore for a reasonable amount. The bay is at least 100' deep and difficult for anchoring. The cruisers seem to meet daily at the Mermaid restaurant or sometimes Ana's depending on the day of the week. We caught up with old friends who had come before us and those who had arrived from the Southern Cook islands such as Raratonga and the independant island of Niue.

Saturday, August 17:

The winds continued to keep our wind generator working and while we stayed in Vava'u we had rain and cold weather. We hadn't been use to chilly night but they were good for sleeping.

Al and I walked into town from the dinghy dock at the Mermaid and saw a market in full swing. There were limited supplies of the usual; cabbages, bananas, tomatoes, papayas, potatoes, carrots, squash, eggs, bok choy, plus a few other non-describables. There was also a handicraft area, baskets, tapa cloth (mulberry bark cloth), jewelry, fans and large finely woven mats from pandanus leaf.

The town was quaint and poor but with a large elaborate catholic church on a hill overlooking the town. The stores don't carry much except for basics. There were 2 banks, a post office, a co-op store, a few official looking offices, a hardware and clothing store combined, restaurants, a fish market and several souvenir and handicraft shops.

In Tonga we saw more Aussies and NZ boats either finishing up their circumnavigation or on a cruise around here during their winter season. At the happy hour we met the winner of the transvestite parade held earlier this week. Many families bring up one of their male members as a girl especially if they don't have a girl in the family. It is a very acceptable practice which is also supported by the community. In French Polynesia that is also practiced and the individual is very proud of his/her role in society.

Aug 18 - Sept 25, 2002

Tonga to Fiji

Sunday, August 18:

In the morning there was a very important funeral taking place. The procession to the church included a band and 200 or so people walking behind the coffin carried by a number of men. The coffin was draped in a finely woven mat and all the mourners in black wore their woven mats around their waists. This formal wear would continue for some days or weeks depending on the personage and the position of the mourner in the community.

On Sunday everything is closed in this very church oriented country much like Samoa and Fiji. We explored beyond the town along the main road to a village called Toula. More substantial homes bordered the shore overlooking the bay where we were anchored. Pigs roamed the sides of the road with their long snouts and short stocky bodies.

After our walk we joined other cruisers for a BBQ meal at Ana's. More people began arriving from various points east so we had lots to catch up on the news.

Monday-Monday, August 19-26:

We planned to go to a few anchorages outside Neiafu and I bought a few fresh provisions before leaving. The rains continued as well as the wind. Hallelujah from Ottawa arrived. Kim and Mike and their 2 children had had a bad crossing from Aruba to Panama last February where they had a partial pitch-pole and lost everything on deck. We last saw them in Pedro Miguel Yacht Club in Panama while Mike was repairing their boat. We didn't expect them to cross the Pacific this year but there they were after a quick run to Tonga leaving Panama much later than ourselves.
On Tuesday we left Nieafu and went to a lovely quiet anchorage (#7 on Moorings Guide Book) sheltered from the prevailing SE winds. A few boats were there but the temperature was cool and not conducive for swimming. Tour boats also found this spot popular. After two days we moved to another spot close to a whale watching area.

Thursday, August 22:

We decided to move to a new anchorage further west but still in the protection of the outer reef. Gary and Al took the dinghy over to Swallow cave where one could take it right in and explore the inside. I stayed with the idling boat and kept it from drifting.

After that we found another cave called Mariner's Cave. One had to find the hole below sea level and swim through a 10' passage to an inner grotto. It took some guts to find the hole below the water but Gary was successful and said it was beautiful inside and easy to get out. Al tried hard but didn't make it like most people don't. He had dived too far down and got disoriented.
After cave exploration we anchored in Moorings #16, a lovely spot off Yaka'eitu island. There were also a few other boats there but they left the next day. It was very windy with white caps surrounding our boat but our anchor held. In the morning we saw a few whales and a whale watching boat nearby.

In the afternoon Al and I explored a long decrepit dock leading us to a path up the hill to an Austrian restaurant. We arranged an early supper but a strange one it turned out to be. We sat outside on a patio trying to stay warm and were served by a crying waitress. The dinner was so-so with little presentation. We left soon after thinking that the restaurant wouldn't last and either would the waitress.

Saturday, August 24:

Another anchorage before going back to Neiafu. This was a windy day and a narrow choppy passage through a reef to a spot behind the town of Neiafu. We saw few other boats on our travel that day probably because of the weather. I felt sorry for the charterers who only had a week or so to explore the region and had to deal with the cold and rain. We only used the stay-sail but the 20+Knots still gave us 4K on the passage.

There was no one at this quiet anchorage behind Neiafu. The tide was out and large dark grey wading birds with long necks and legs foraging with the local pigs amongst the crushed coral, sea shells and grasses left by the receding water provided us with a calm scene.

In the morning we woke up with the crowing roosters and mooing cows nearby. Later a man came by on the beach leading 2 horses. The town was across the wide bay and too far to interrupt our quiet spot. We did manage to find a good restaurant in the town after crossing the bay on the dinghy and working our way through a narrow channel into a small dock used by the fishermen.

Monday, August 26:

We managed to get Vicky by phone on her birthday. Always difficult on the satellite due to the delayed reception causing the sender and receiver to overlap the conversation .
Today we decided to head back to Neiafu and some civilization which included showers, fresh food, laundry etc. Our plan was to prepare for the Fiji crossing. Our sail back from the last anchorage was very pleasant. We used only the genoa in the good winds and made it back to Neiafu in the afternoon in time to go to the Mermaid with the regulars.

Tuesday-Wednesday, August 27-28:

Our provisioning at the market included eggs, bread and some fresh produce. We had the other supplies. On one of our evenings out we met a lovely Norwegian couple who were also cruising. They related a heart warming story. When asked how many children they had they said 4 but one just recently when they rescued a young African man who had been thrown overboard after being discovered as a stow-away. They were near the Canaries and heading across the Atlantic. He was clinging to an empty diesel container and almost dead. After picking him out of the water they sailed back to Spain, put him in the hospital to recover and later sponsored his education in Spain. They now consider him one of theirs. What a wonderful story!

Friday, August 30:

The weather fax and reports showed favourable winds for the next few days so we left Neiafu for Suva, Fiji 600 miles to the west, a sail of 4 or 5 days.

After leaving the shelter of the Vava'u Group of Islands we saw Free Radical from Canada and Sunshine an Australian sloop not far behind. There wasn't much wind the first day and we put up the spinnaker to bring us up to 3k. In the meantime the other boats motored and left us far behind. Eventually it would mean they would arrive in Suva in daylight to our evening arrival.
Gary felt sick as usual on our first days and opted to helm although our self-steering Monitor worked well.

Saturday-Monday, August 31-September 2:

The weather window gave way to a stationary front which stayed above us until our trip was over plus a trough to the south.

The wind and seas built up until we were in a gale (34-43K) lasting 3 days. The swells and waves picked up to 4 meters and tossed us about. The worst was the large occasional wave that broke over our boat which was plodding along well. Our hatches, usually well-sealed for a downpour brought the sea water in from the sides and soaked my bed in the main cabin, pushed the window through on the dodger ripping the seams and tossed away our full 5 gallon plastic water jug leaving only the handle. Gary's hatch behind the dodger hadn't been fully fastened so the water that had ripped the dodger window poured down onto his bed just as he went to sleep. A hard lesson in preparing for a passage, our first real gale.

It was hard to make meals in these circumstances and I didn't feel like eating much although Al is always hungry. We had hot soups at lunch and a pasta dish at night. I didn't want to have the stove on too long in the rough conditions.

On top of all this was constant rain, heavy and dark. In the cockpit Al wore his heavy rain pants, boots, and 2 jackets. I would take watch by the companionway and check around the boat every 10 minutes as long as the monitor kept us reasonably on track. The last night it wasn't working (later Al discovered the paddle had come undone) and Al and Gary hand steered but we should have used the autopilot even though it took up a lot of power. We put up our boards and closed the hatch to keep the waves from entering the cabin.

The last days was just as rolly and our boat tossed about but the winds went down to 25-30 knots and Al finally consented to use the autopilot so we could relax and check around us periodically while trying to keep dry. The autopilot would stop once in awhile due to wind and waves but it could be started again.

Since the autopilot keeps the boat on a steadier course than the monitor we could make better time the last day and hopefully get into Suva before dark. Our friends on 'Sunshine' and 'Free Radical' had gained time on the first day by motoring and used their autopilot much of the time with bare poles so they reached the harbour earlier in the day.

They were most helpful when we finally arrived at 6pm using their spot light to guide us in although the lights at the entrance to Suva were working. The harbour is full of derelicts and large metal buoys which aren't lit which makes entering in the dark fairly dangerous. We had been called on our VHF but didn't respond right away since we were busy looking for the reefs that bordered the entrance. We were very glad to put down the anchor for the night. Our alternative would have been to heave to and be tossed about all night in the large waves and maybe drift toward a smaller island not too far from the mainland.

I had called Des twice a day about the weather and to check in. He felt badly about the change in weather since he had predicted a much milder passage. The boats that took the northern route in Fiji entered sheltered waters sooner but some had trouble in the various channels between the outer islands and lost their sails.

Tuesday, September 3:

We slept very soundly that night and didn't notice that we had drifted a ways on the muddy bottom but had planned to re-anchor again in the morning. We hope no one noticed either.
Al got into town to check in. In fact they called us on their VHF to give us a time for checking in. The authorities are very strict here. If a boat happened to stop in an unofficial anchorage before officially checking in at the proper port they could lose their boat.

The town is a short taxi ride of $1 US or a 40 cent bus ride. It's a bustling city with former signs of English rule. A few art deco buildings, ugly modern post-60's government buildings and an infrastructure of colonialism in an independent country.

We are now meeting Melanesians, a darker, stockier people with frizzy hair. The other prominent group of people are East Indians, descendants of indentured labourers recruited a century ago. The Indians run most of the commercial establishments but have no land title. In fact many are being forced from their farms, leaving them destitute and nowhere to go. Depending who was driving the taxi we would get two different answers about how the country was doing.
Fiji became an independent republic in 1987 and ten years later again became part of the commonwealth after a constitutional crisis.

The local government is well developed with the villages and settlements grouped into districts led by a hereditary chief but individually farmed. They import very little and have become very self-sufficient with the village providing a collective security with little incentive to rise above the group.

This country is also known for former cannibalism and fire-walking. The latter is only performed in resort hotels on Viti Levu. Cannibal forks are sold as souvenirs at the local handicraft shops. The real forks are now displayed at the National Museum in Suva. Another custom still strong is the Yaqona Ceremony with the community sharing the Kava drink (dried root of the pepper plant). It is a formal ceremony also a custom of the Western Samoans, and Tongans gravely performed to mark births, marriages, deaths and often official visits. Many cruisers are encouraged to take the Kava as gifts to the local chief when they are anchored near a remote village.

Wednesday, September 4-11:

Our stay in Suva was busy especially reentering the internet. We hadn't been able to use the internet since Apia in Western Samoa since the middle of August. The prices were good and some facilities of excellent quality. Al found our Canadian Visa numbers had been compromised debiting our Visa by around $8,000. We hadn't been to an internet since Samoa but the Visa people credited us again especially since we hadn't lost our cards. Fortunately we can check our bank balances etc and would have caught the problem before that if we had been near an internet. (Tonga is a much more backward country than the other island nations). The problem meant that we had to give up our Canadian Visa cards until new ones were sent.

We visited the very comprehensive museum and got a feel for the real warrior of Fiji. Even now the men are very large and strong looking much like the Polynesians.

I enjoyed eating in the Indian restaurants and having a good curry meal. The market was large and busy especially on Saturday. I didn't buy much and many items were root vegetables and stuff I didn't know how to cook. The more expensive supermarket 'SuperFresh' up the hill was a $3F taxi and much better for provisioning.

It was possible to walk into town but usually we usually took a taxi because of pollution on the road from old cars. There was paper work to be looked after-immigration, customs, a cruising permit for the anchorages outside Suva and other paper pushing places.
I bought some souvenirs, similar to Tonga and Samoa such as tapa cloth (masi), wood carving, and shell jewelry. Other souvenirs such as war clubs, kava bowls, clay pots seemed too heavy to take home.

For gathering we had the Royal Suva Yacht Club which for a small fee gave all the cruisers access to showers, laundry, water and fuel if needed. It had a bar which encouraged the regular drinkers and a reasonable restaurant. We stopped the bar scene after a few days which seemed to be the same group of people. Others we met on passing. There were very few Americans here and mostly Kiwis and Aussies going home after a long circumnavigation. Many cruisers we know were going to New Zealand from Tonga.

Finally I was able to arrange my flight home. I must get to Nadi airport by September 28th. That means we leave Suva soon for the western side of Fiji

Wednesday, September 11:

The weather was great for a nice sail to Beqa, a small island mostly surrounded by an atoll less than 30 miles from Suva. We had to motor much of the way though due to light winds and arrived at Vaga Bay on the west side well protected from the SE and E winds. It was quiet there and free of garbage smells and mosquitoes what we were getting in Suva harbour. We spent the rest of the day and the night before leaving for Vunaniu Bay, 35 miles from Suva but 17 miles from Beqa.

Thursday, September 12:

We had a good sail to Vunaniu Bay and arrived about 1:30 pm or 1300 hours nautically. After anchoring we saw coming in just behind us 'Free Radical' and 'Sunshine' who must have had the same idea about getting to Muscate Cove to the west. We all waved at each other, went about our business, had our 'cocktail' hour and congratulated ourselves in arriving through the narrow reef-lined pass into the wave protected anchorage. Then the sky got dark and lightning was apparent. The rains came and continued all night.

Friday, September 13:

It was obvious we would be here at least another day. The front was just around us and the rains obliterated the view. Fiji was giving small craft warning for the day but better weather for Saturday. So here we were filling in time. 'Free Radical' and 'Sunshine' were also still here for the same reason. Also the winds were expected to back NW which wouldn't help for sailing west.

Saturday-Sunday, September 14-15:

The weatherman wasn't right. The rains were harder and the winds unrelenting. We now had a CZ right near and giving us stinky weather. Al was already restless, poor soul. He had swum in the water which had become muddy from the turbulence and rinsed off. The anchorage was protected by the big reefs but we were getting the wind. Sunday we went over to see Julie and Ed on FR to play Caniva, an popular Australian card game. Gary rowed us over and then picked up Trish and Ron. We stayed too late and it began to rain with brisker winds. Al and Gary rowed us back in the dark struggling hard and having trouble keeping the boat directed to Solara. The others were relieved to see us all back again.

Monday, September 16:

The winds eased up in the morning so we decided to go to Cuvu Harbour 25 miles west. We had a decent sail most of the way but later the winds came up to 35-40 knots with more rain. We moved along at 5-6 knots with only the triple reefed main. We got easily into Cuvu with the opening of the reef fairly wide. As we approached a voice on the VHF called us where to anchor. It was coming from the boat staff of a large Fiji resort. We arranged a pickup later from the restaurant in the pouring rain and after a good buffet meal had a wet ride back to the boat.

Tuesday, September 17:

We're still here at Cuvu getting the heavy rain and winds. I felt sorry for the Australians tourists who were having their school holidays. How long will this last? FR and Sunshine are still at the other anchorage.

Wednesday, September 18:

Finally the sun came through the thick clouds and we left early for our 35 mile to Malalolo and Musket Cove Marina. It was a good sail until the winds died down and we had to motor into the sheltered bay at Musket Cove . Malalolo is a small island just off the western coast of Fiji close to the Nadi airport on the mainland. We were given a mooring ball and settled in for the night.

Thursday-Wednesday, September 19- 25:

It was a great place here with many more amenities than the usual anchorage, hot showers, laundry machines, grocery store, pool, resort 'toys' for a price, beach, boat services to the mainland etc. We enjoyed everything. Met 'Kastaway' again after Cartegena and enjoyed a 'pig roast' buffet dinner with them. They will also be going to gulf Harbour in NZ.

Gary decided to leave us here. That leaves Al with Glen only but they will manage, they say. Gary seemed concerned about things at home so we weren't surprised although he had assured Al that he didn't want to let him down. We were then surprised to find that he joined another boat for New Caledonia the next day. I guess he got back to his family in time.

We met Ralph and Jill on 'Conco', a New Zealand boat but both are originally from Ontario, Toronto, and Hamilton. They have immigrated to NZ and have a house there now. Jill was celebrating the finish of a book she had been writing the past two years.

We joined a pot luck on the beach Tuesday to celebrate the book and Glen joined the boat that day and got to meet all our friends. He and Al will be sailing to the Yasawa Group on Islands NW from here hoping to visit some villages with their kava and do some snorkeling. After that they will sail to NZ which is about 1100 miles from Fiji and I will fly home to Canada to visit the family and see our friends.

I'll try to tell you all about their sail when I reach NZ in December as well as our wonderful time we will have visiting the country.

Sept 28 - Dec 7, 2002

Back to Canada

While Al and Glen investigated the Yasawa Islands North West of Musket Cove and would proceed South to New Zealand later in October I flew home to see family and friends. There were also other matters to deal with since being away for 15 months.

It was a difficult transition from boat to civilization. The first visit to a supermarket choked me with all those choices. Having a car again and going wherever I wanted to be. And receiving mail every day although most of them were bills. These were only a few conveniences I had missed living on a boat. Oh, I forgot, having a bathtub was one of the first.

It was great to see friends again and the grandchildren who had grown older and were becoming different people. It was sad to go to 2 funerals (one being a brother-in-law) and sad to find that other friends were battling serious illnesses. It was very difficult to say goodbye not knowing when I'd be back again. When are you coming back they would ask? I hoped that Al would come with me next time but I couldn't promise that.

In the 2 months I was away Al and Glen sailed 'Solara' to New Zealand arriving here the end of October and Al then arranging work to be done on the boat. She had been through a lot of rough sailing and needed many repairs. (see Captain's log)

December 9-January 18:

After a bit of acclimatizing to NZ and the boat again we planned with Vicky, our daughter who had arrived a few days after my arrival, a road trip throughout the country. Christmas was approaching and we had to plan some type of celebration. Finally we had a wonderful blow-up plastic tree and a few presents to put us in the mood in spite of green grass and flowers surrounding the marina. Vicky, being a vegetarian, made a delicious dinner and with our traditional bubbly and orange juice in the morning the day was complete.

Before the Christmas celebration we drove up to the Bay of Island area to show Vicky where we would be in the Spring. It was about a 5 hour trip north to Keri-Keri just north of Pahia and a fruit belt area. We had a lovely self-contained Unit called Keri Gold. The Swiss-type cottage was surrounded by orange and avocado trees and we were told to help ourselves. The Bay of Islands area was crowded with holidayers since the school holidays had started for the next 6 weeks. Here one could Kayak, ride, fish, boat etc. Vicky and Al went kayaking while I found a golf course nearby. Golfing is very cheap here except for the top courses. Watering is not as much of a priority but the greens are kept in good shape.

The next day we found an interesting walk about an hour away from the town. It was a two hour walk overlooking Opito Bay . Everywhere one goes here there are marked walks, well publicized. We were fortunate to have good weather as summer had not really settled in as yet. After enjoying Keri-Keri for 2 days we headed back to Gulf Harbour stopping on the way to see Pahia and take the ferry over to Russell. I wanted to make a donation to Russell Radio and acknowledge Des who had helped us along on our Pacific passage by giving us a twice daily weather reports . Russell is a lovely little historic town and I'm sure we'll be back before leaving NZ.

December 24:

We left Gulf Harbour for our first stop in Rotorua with its smelly sulphur springs. Vicky had given me a Day at the Spa at the famous Polynesian Thermal Pool which began in 1886. We spent one afternoon soaking ourselves in the hot springs and later having a massage. She and Al rented bikes for a day and I found a lovely 2 hour walk through a Red Wood forest quiet and peaceful. I was tempted to play golf in a most interesting course with unusual hazards such as sulphur pits, boiling mud pools and steaming lakes but the weather didn't cooperate. Here we met Ken and Nancy on 'To the Moon' a couple we had known since Cuba and hadn't seen since Panama.
We had a good visit but they were staying there for New Year's and we had to catch a ferry across to the South Island that day.

December 27-29:

Our next destination was to Napier famous for its Art Deco exterior buildings. The town had been destroyed by an earthquake in the 30's and was rebuilt in the same decor. The museum there gave a very interesting account of the devastation experienced; and the courage of its inhabitants. It was a good place to take pictures of course. On our way to Napier we had stopped at Wai-O-Tapu a well-known volcanic area with its famous geyser that gushes many feet every day for an hour. As well we saw Lake Taupo a large inland lake and popular with the tourists and fishermen alike.

December 30-January 20:

And so it went for 3 weeks on the road. After Napier it was Wellington and its wonderful Te Papa Museum and seeing the second film of 'Lord of the Rings' where the opening took place a week before. We crossed the Cook's Straight to Picton and the South Island on New Year's Day and over to Nelson. Everywhere you go there are vineyards to visit with their wine tastings and delicious wines. We were developing a gourmet taste for certain wines and buying wines to take back to the boat.

West Coast from Nelson had the most beautiful scenery of our trip with its high mountains, glacier valleys, and deep fiords. We had a book that gave us the location of some of the scenery used in Lord of the Rings and passed many of these locations. In the Franz Josef Glacier region Al and Vicky went on an excursion on the ice flow while I took my first helicopter trip over the Glacier and afterwards hiked up to the base of the glacier which was an hours walk. Our next important town was Queenstown which had changed so much since we had been there 10 years ago we didn't recognize it. We saw the bridge where Al had taken his bungee jump. He was tempted to do it again but the costs of doing so didn't make sense. There was a great vineyard nearby which we visited instead.

From Queenstown to Te Anau and an excursion to Doubtful Sound which Vicky and I took for the day. It was a beautiful day with great scenery but not as exciting as Al's and my trek on Milford Sound 10 years ago which took 5 days by foot. From Te Anau we drove down to Southland through the Catlins which is a good place to find the New Zealand Sea Lions, the Elephant Seals and abundance of bird life.

Our next big stop was in Dunedin which we liked very much although the weather wasn't the greatest, but that was typical for the region. Christchurch was next and between these two cities Vicky found time to swim with the dolphins, see penguins and albatrosses and go whale watching with Al. Kaikoura was another beautiful spot especially since snow had fallen on the mountains nearby the night before and made a spectacular background to the beach town.

Kaikoura was famous for whale watching and busses came from all over with tourists to take the daily trips to see the sperm whales. From shore you could see a large pod of dusky dolphins jumping in the air with merry abandonment. From this spot which is well known for fauna it possible to see Hector's dolphins, dusky dolphin, fur seal, common dolphin, and bottlenose dolphin, blue penguins, pilot whales and many sea birds.

After that wonderful spot we prepared for an extensive day of wine tasting in Blenheim. I offered to be the designated driver while Al and Vicky had the tastings. The vineyards in the Marborough region are extensive in numbers and variety, Being very close together one could visit several in one afternoon and many of the them had very good restaurants. Altogether a decadent day.

It was soon time to take the ferry back in Picton and off we went the next day. On arrival in Wellington I was able to have a short visit with the Welshes , Linley and Peter, who are New Zealanders but had lived in Toronto for many years. Unfortunately it was all too short as we had planned to be back on our boat in 2 days with a stop in the Tongariro National Park area. We had a couple of days in Ohakune on a 'farm'. There were horses for Vicky to ride and a view of the tall volcanic mountain called Mt Ngauruhoe over 2000 m. Al and Vicky wanted to take the well known Tongariro Crossing covering a full day but the weather intervened. Time to get back to the boat.

Our trip back to Gulf Harbour was our last full day and we were glad to get back to our own beds after going from motel to motel for 3 weeks. The sad part was leaving Vicky at the airport on the 23rd and not knowing when we would see her again.

March 15, 2003

New Zealand and passage to Australia

It was with sadness we left New Zealand, a beautiful remote but friendly country. Comparing Australia with NZ is like comparing city life with town life. That is actually a compliment to NZ where one never feels a stranger and there is comfort in the isolation. It is probably why so many visitors decide to live there for part of each year or even immigrate if possible. Just as a Canadian doesn't want to be thought American one must not confuse a kiwi with someone from Oz. They are very proud of their heritage although not from so distant a period in time. Farming is still their major occupation but the larger cities are very much modern sophistication. Don't confuse the accent of a kiwi with an Aussie accent either. They aren't the same peoples although they both drive on the left, cling to many English customs especially the kiwis and are avidly passionate about their sport teams such as cricket and rugby. The Australian rules game is another sport not played in New Zealand. If I want to have a healthy life style then New Zealand is the place to be with its wonderful walking trails, kayaking, snorkeling, climbing, skiing, horseback riding and golf. I was surprised to see so many horse farms and trail riding available. As well, one could take a golf holiday there and find courses close to every town at very reasonable prices. One thing more, the Maori in New Zealand seem to have much more autonomy than the aborigine in Australia. There are problems but not for this journal to elaborate.

After our long stay in Gulf Harbour we felt the boat was now ready to go offshore. Her bottom was cleaned and painted with anti-fout, all systems checked and repaired if necessary, a thorough rigging inspection and new varnish on all her topside wood.
After our daughter Vicky went back to Vancouver in January we did take time to do more sightseeing on our own. When the 'Around Alone' race stopped in Taraunga, a days drive from Auckland we just had to pay our wishes to Derek Hatfield and his 'Spirit of Canada'. He did have serious problems on his next passage through the Southern Ocean to South America but I hope he finally completed the race at Newport, R. I. .

The America's Cup from our perspective showed a stanch support for Team New Zealand from the kiwis we met and from the newspapers. At the beginning of the final challenge races hundred of craft from all over Haraiki Bay including Gulf Harbour piled high with friends and goodies motored out to the race area. A few hours later for most of the races they returned with sober and confused faces. As many times the boats returned after waiting for a couple of hours because the race had been cancelled because of too little wind, too variable wind, or too much wind. Of the best of 9 races there was one truly competitive race where Alinghi won on the last 7 seconds, showing everyone who the best skipper truly was. Team New Zealand just had a boat that kept falling apart. So now the cup goes back to Europe where it had originated in spite of the fact that the very talented skipper, Russell Coutts and many of the crew were kiwis.

March 15:

We finally left Gulf Harbour, untying all our umbilical cords, electricity, water and phone, sold our car and headed out to the few islands in the Haraiki Gulf. We then began checking our gear and getting the feel of water under the keel. Our favourite island was Great Barrier Island, great for hiking, fishing and a few wild life such as the small brown teal duck which is almost extinct. New Zealand has a serious problem with its indigenous wildlife slowly disappearing. First the kiwi is only found in sanctuaries or remote islands. The introduction of possums was a fatal error and now you see them hunted down to protect the birds and vegetation. Other mammals such as the stoat introduced to kill the rabbits, also introduced , are a threat to the birds as well. How wonderful it would have been to see this country before man arrived and when only the birds were there and the huge kauri trees were still standing.

March 22:

We left Great Barrier Island reluctantly to head over to Tutukaka on the mainland. There is a small marina here and also Amoenitus and Sojourner , who we me in the Caribbean had been in the marina, since arriving in NZ. There was a pot luck going on that night which gave us a good evening for catching up with the news. Dave and Di were staying another year but spending the southern winter in the islands like Fiji. Sojourner with Pete and Julie who we last saw in Tonga was also heading for Fiji. It could be we wouldn't see either of them again. Unfortunately that is what cruising is about. Julie very nicely gave me a ride to a store to buy some groceries. We miss our car already.

March 25:

It was very 'choppy' outside this protected harbour but we decided to go a few miles further along and find a sheltered bay to wait out a weather system that would prove to be gale force conditions. The winds were 25K from the NE and with 3M waves it was a bumpy ride to Whangaruru bay. After moving far into the north end in quiet waters we dropped anchor although we had no shelter from the north winds which quickly went to 35K accompanied by heavy rain. We ended up in this bay for almost a week until the winds diminished and the rains finally stopped. It was impossible to see beyond 50'. Our fresh water pump that we had just bought in Gulf Harbour stopped so we gathered up lots of rain water in buckets. It was too cold to swim or shower on top.

March 30:

With the winds down and the seas calmer we finally left our 'shelter' and headed up to the Bay of Islands. It became so calm we had to motor most of the way. It was exciting to see Cape Brett always mentioned in our weather reports and the 'Hole in the Wall' , a popular tourist excursion to a large rock with a small passage through it. The beautiful lighthouse there at the entrance was a welcoming sight.
The NE winds started to blow harder so we took shelter at Urupukapuka Island amongst a few other boats. It was very pleasant there with many shags looking down at us from the nearby trees.

March 31:

Al talked me into a 5 hour hike around this large island with many precipice climbs up and down but finishing in a bay close by where we could buy lunch and take a $1 shower. I couldn't resist but the knees weren't working too well at the end without a walking stick. There were many historic Maori sites to observe.

April 1-10:

We entered Opua this day and had a good stay in the new marina here. Free Radical from Peterborough was here and kindly drove us into Pahia to shop and we would then take a taxi back with our groceries. Al finally had his tooth out in Keri Keri after many treatments since last fall.

Opua marina was clean with good services. The Opua Yacht Club held all the social events and one could eat their reasonable tasty meals. We met old friends who were gathering there for their trip north to Tonga, Fiji or New Caledonia. Hallelujah from Ottawa who we saw last in Vava'au Tonga was planning to go to Australia at the same time as ourselves.

Now we were ready with a 'repaired' fresh water pump, diesel tanks filled, water tanks filled, food lockers filled etc. for our passage to Australia. I checked weather fax and found a Low of 994 coming down our way so we had to wait for that to pass. We sat tight through the gale warning at Brett with rough seas. Des on Russell Radio would help us find the right time to leave.

April 10:

Time to go. Only 3 boats leaving today. All the others were waiting into May for different destinations. We left Opua and the Bay of Islands and started our routines with an organized schedule of each day.

1. check with Des on Russell Radio twice a day

2. chat with Julie on Free Radical in the mornings . They are meeting us in Australia after they sail to New Caledonia first .

3. talk with Hallelujah in the afternoon to check each others position

4. get 2 weather faxes from the computer daily, and

5. listen to voice weather each day from Brisbane.

Weather was an important priority and letting someone know where we are and that we're doing OK. Hallelujah took our same route each day and we were never far away from each other. Our winds were from the right direction and we could head 280 degrees True most of the time. We did 3 hour watches at night so it took some days to get use to the lack of sleep at night. Often possible to catch up during the day.

Since this was a 12 day passage we knew that perfect weather wouldn't stay with us. We had to take what comes. On the 13th we met our first front ( a front brings lots of wind and often heavy rain) just behind a Low heading for New Zealand. This made the cold front more vigorous and one to try and avoid if possible. The day before we had 20-22K from the east with 2M swells. In the evening the wind went to 25K with 2-3M seas. Our weather fax prepared us for this change and Des also warned us about the front.

On my radio report to Des the next morning we were getting 30K from the SE but with heavy rain and poor visibility. We had gone down to triple reef main and a stay sail - a good combination giving us a steady ride and also speed of 7.5 knots. Des suggested we head more west and sure enough we saw some blue sky in that direction.

April 14:

The winds lessened, the seas still lumpy but behind us all the way. We expected another front in a couple of days but we carried on as usual. Al was always hungry so meals had to be prepared. What I served depended on conditions at the time. We hadn't sailed as a couple for more than a year as we had taken on crew for our Pacific passage. We both had more work to do but again became a team. Being stronger, Al did the heavy stuff and I helped with the sail trim, sail changes and watches. Our self-steering vane did the helming. Our boat handled well, moving into the high swells and riding down the waves. Looking back sometime I felt we were on a sleigh ride 20 feet up and 20 feet down. After passing that 'hill' another was approaching. You can't imagine how immense the seas are away from all the land mass. These waves were coming all the way from South America. Every wave is not the same size. It's the frequent breaking waves that one doesn't want crashing over the boat with a force big enough to cause damage.

Our 'head' stopped working a few days out. A pail seemed to be the best solution at the time. In these waves to take it apart seemed too much a chore and a stopped toilet wasn't life threatening. So our cosy cockpit became a temporary head.

April 15-16:

The winds died down to 10K and we began motoring to keep our course as the winds were fickle and hard to read. This usually happens before a change of weather and we knew another front was approaching. Adriatica, an Italian boat going to Sidney and who left Opua at the same time, asked Des to relay a message to us about this front. They were getting 35-40K winds from this front as it hit them before coming our way. Since they were 4 degrees south of us we expected they would get hit harder which turned out to be the case.

By the 16th the winds changed from NW to W then to SW and went up to 22K. We were sailing again. On the 17th the second front arrived. The winds went over 30K but didn't last long and we were above 30degrees south and almost into the Coral Sea. We started listening to the Queensland coastal weather report which was experiencing strong SE trade winds due to a High in Tasmania.

In spite of all our weather we were able to sail close to Hallelujah and take each other's picture. Neat!

April 18, Good Friday-Day 9:

Our 3 hour watches are working and the winds are back to 18K. We had a third front before reaching Australia but coped with that. We're needing more sleep but only have 300M to reach the entrance to Hervy Bay and Bundaberg. Looking out for ships going to Australia was a constant exercise. One day a huge tanker passed us so close we could hear their engine (100 Metres). I called them on our VHF and a Spanish voice said "Don't worry we're not going to hit you". We wondered if they had seen us before we saw them. They came up so quickly and disappeared just as fast. Des called for lighter winds for the next 3 days but we thought differently from our Brisbane weather report and our fax.

April 19, Saturday- Day 10:

Seas are very choppy but the winds a pleasant 12K from the SW. We're getting tired of our 'pail' head, and must also use up our fresh food as otherwise it will be taken away from us.

Today we went on EST in Australia giving us 2 extra hours today. Chance to rest.
We are still enjoying the calmer seas and winds but are aware that the forecast for the coast called for 20-30K with a small craft warning in effect.

April 20, Sunday - Easter, Day 11:

No Easter eggs, forgot to buy some before leaving NZ. The winds have come up to 25K with 3-5M seas and we're 80M to our entrance at Sandy Cape, the entrance to Hervy Bay.

April 21, Monday-Easter Monday, Day 12:

Last night we took 2 hour watches because of conditions and knew we would be landing soon. At 05:00 we entered what we thought would be quieter waters but we had to sail right into 33K of wind and 3 m waves for 60m to reach Bundaberg harbour. We also had a strong current against us. The boat was getting swamped and the heavy rain gave no visibility. We had to motor most of the way. When Al contacted the authorities on VHF they said it would cost $200 extra dollars on top of the $120 as the entry fee entering Australia because it was a holiday. If we stayed out in these conditions until 5pm we could enter and anchor in a quarantine section until morning. You'd have thought they would let us anchor earlier because of the weather. So we hove-to, tired and wet near to the entrance, we thought, and then would come in at 17:00. The winds and current drifted us out an extra hour away which meant we didn't put our anchor down until 19:00 that night but really glad to go to sleep after 12 hard days.

April 22-May 15 2003

Queensland coast

The next morning we had to go through customs, quarantine and immigration. All the canned pork including newly purchased pork and beans from New Zealand was taken away. All the fresh food had to go before reaching Australia waters or given to the agriculture person to take away. Eggs and honey especially. I couldn't replace the nice honey from NZ in Australia later when shopping. Any souvenirs made from natural products had to be 'sanitized' but I had taken those back home last fall.

The Bundaberg Port Marina was quite new and clean. It was cruiser friendly with a free twice daily shuttle into town 14 km away. The local bar at the marina drew locals from afar but also catered to the boaters with a weekly movie, tasty meals and a book exchange. The town had its usual central main street with a lovely treed boulevard down the middle. It is an agricultural town lacking the sophistication of Brisbane further south. We had a week here to recuperate but also to wait for this wind warning to pass. We had to replace the fresh water pump after supposedly getting it fixed in Opua and the distributor in Auckland not willing to replace the one purchased in Gulf Harbour. I felt like giving it back to them and putting it where the sun doesn't shine. Unfortunately NZ was too far away.

Bundaberg is noted mainly for its sugar cane production which is sent all over the world. It also produces rum and ginger beer, both very good. Put the two together and you get a real nice drink. We had planned to visit friends in Brisbane but the weather improved and Al felt we should start moving north the 2000 miles to the top of the country.

Tuesday, April 30:

The night before leaving we celebrated Keith's birthday, a single- hander who sails around Australia and one of many men alone that we see often on our travels. I always feel sorry for them. There are many reasons why they are alone but usually hook up with another person on their travels. I made a small cake and the local restaurant, the 'Boulevard', showed its weekly movie and Keith kept an open bar for the cruisers.
This morning the winds were down and we got ready to go, replaced our fresh water pump and prepared for an overnighter to Great Keppel Island about 160 miles north.
The wind was light but we had to motor alot as it was right on the stern or otherwise it meant jibing all night. On watch there was much to look for and big ships were coming into Gladstone Harbour at night. No change of a relaxing watch. We arrived in Great Keppel at the end of the next day just in time to anchor before dark. It is a beautiful bay and there were other boats already anchored. The water was calm and the sun just setting over the mainland.

Thursday, May 1:

At 06:00 the next morning we reluctantly left Great Keppel for Port Clinton another long day sail but a river anchorage and guaranteed to be calm. Entering rivers can be nerve wracking because of sandbars in their entrances and timing entries by the tides. We had a decent guidebook to help us in but the light was poor and our first guidepoints were difficult to find. The plot charter on deck was helpful showing where our boat was in the entrance and all the shallow parts we had to avoid. The seas outside were beginning to rise so it was good to be in a sheltered spot. We dropped anchor in 6' which was too shallow for us but the tides being 12' we would be in deeper water later since we were at the maximum low tide when entering. One also has to consider the river currents which are strong enough to turn the boat opposite to the wind.

It was very quiet in here with no other boats and Al saw a couple of turtles swimming around but few birds. This area is used for military live firing and would be closed for anchoring in a few days. The rivers are very popular with the small local boats who have lots of time to motor up the river for fishing and relaxing. We didn't have that luxury.

Friday, May 2:

Another 06:00 rise to leave this nice quiet place especially because it was high tide. We sailed away from the mainland to find an island anchorage sheltered from the SE trades. We were making good time so we decided to go to an island called Hexham which was suppose to shelter us from winds up to 25K. On arriving the winds did increase and the waves rose from 2 to 3 meters.

We set the anchor at 17', knowing that the low tide would take us down to 7'. It was quiet up to a point but swells from the NE swung our boat from side to side and the tides caused a good rock and roll. We had to re-anchor twice more and finally at 27' down to 17' at low tide before we felt we were safe from the surrounding rocks and reefs. No one else was in here and later a boater we knew asked if we had seen the wreck on the beach. I thought after, that it could have been us if we had dragged into the rocks or grounded or got swung too far. As it was we were there for several days as the weather got worse. The winds on Sunday were over 30K and the radio weather forecast called for small craft wind warning at least until Wednesday. The day we had arrived here we had been in very dark clouds and saw several water spouts in the distance, really scary things you try to avoid.

So here we were doing a lot of reading and writing in the journals and small boat jobs.

Wednesday, May 7:

The winds were still up but we decided to go to another island 40nm away called Curlew, closer to the mainland. It seemed to have a fairly good anchorage protected from the brisk SE trades. We had to be alert for we were passing many groups of islands and their nearby shoals and rocks. We were heading for the Beverley Group of islands and Curlew was one of its southern islands. The seas were still 3 meters but we had winds below 30K on our back quarter. Finally we saw the entrance to Curlew which was a wide bay but with a shallow sand bar at its rear so if one were to drag you would soon be grounded. Again there was a 10' tide so enough chain would have to be put out to accommodate the high tide. There was one small German boat but otherwise lots of room for us. Once settled we began rolling which lasted all night. Even Hexham was a quieter anchorage.

Thursday, May 8:

Another early morning got us out of Curlew for a 40nm cruise to Mackay Marina. The seas were still high with 20-25K of wind. Passing Hay Point on the mainland just before Mackay we saw 8 large freighters waiting to unload their goods at a very large dock which I was told was the largest in the South Pacific. After passing this area we finally saw the buildings of Mackay in the mist. Mackay 'Reef' marina was newly built 3 years ago. We planned to stay here for a few days to get more provisions and find out if our wind generator could be repaired. It stopped working after Bundaberg which was unfortunate after all the wind we were getting.

After docking in the marina we saw 'Antares' , a boat we knew from Bundaberg and sailing the same way. They had managed to wait out the bad weather in a marina. It was good to stop on shore after 9 days out.

Friday-Sunday, May 9-11:

The marina here is very pretty, clean and with extensive washroom facilities and laundry. The Tapa 'Sachmo' restaurant was fun as well and handy since one had to take a bus to get into town. The boat services were just beginning to take hold and there was constant building going on in the service areas as well as a condo development being built for those Australian 'winters'. We still found the weather cool here and experiencing lots of rain. Since we decided to leave Sunday we had to go into town to provision. Unfortunately the buses weren't working on the weekends so we had to taxi both ways.

The electrician here couldn't fix our wind generator so we ordered a new one from Melbourne which was suppose to be delivered to Airlie Beach (Able Point Marina) the following Wednesday, a place we were trying to avoid.

Sunday, May 11:

After Mackay our next stop would be in the Whitsunday Islands and Goldsmith Island, part of a group of islands at the south tip of the Whitsundays about 40 nm from Mackay. The weather was suppose to be about 15-20K but went up to 28K as we made our approach. Again a rolly anchorage but sheltered from the winds.

Monday, May 12:

We left Goldsmith in the morning and in the rain for Cid Harbour in the Whitsundays 30nm away. This was our best sailing day for a long time. The winds were a steady 10-15K, the sun came out, and the seas were calm. We enjoyed the sail and found a quiet anchorage in a channel called Hunt Channel sheltered in a bay called Sawmill Bay. Lots of boats were in here but we decided to stay an extra day for a needed respite.

Wednesday, May 14:

We had planned to get a new Air Marine wind generator installed at Airlie Beach (Able Point Marina) so we left our nice shelter in Cid Harbour and had a nice sail across to the mainland. Many tourist boats and charterers were coming out of Airlie Beach for the Whitsundays which have been spoiled by too much tourism, resorts, and chartering companies.

We stopped a mile from the marina and called the man who was suppose to be receiving the wind generator and installing it on our boat. It wasn't there and we didn't want to enter the busy marina. Perhaps in Townsville, our next stop, we would arrange another technician and perhaps get the generator sent there. So off we went for an overnighter to Townsville.

Before dark the RAIN came. It was the most torrential rain we had encountered in our two years sailing. We found out later that it had made a weather record. It went on for hours with winds of 25-30K and no visibility. This system had not been called for or we wouldn't have started off that night. Looking at the radar for ships all we could see was a very black area all around us and just following along with us. It had slowed down about 10 that night but it required hand steering most of my watch for 3 hours and subsequently for Al after that.

It wasn't a good night and the next morning was very overcast but with light winds and a pleasant sail into the beautiful Cleveland Bay where Townsville is situated.

Thursday, May 15:

We called the marina in Townsville for specific directions as to our berth etc. It was 11:00 now and we were really ready to tie up the boat and get our feet on solid ground. Unfortunately the tide was going down and we would have to wait until 16:30 when the rising tide would allow us to go through the shallow channel and into the marina.

You can imagine how frustrating it was just to sit out in the bay with no wind and floating around for 5 hours until almost dark. In spite of this frustration Townsville was one of our favourite places and we enjoyed the atmosphere very much once settled.