All times GMT. Until 10 Dec 2004 when they revert to local times. Detail of the voyage before 1 January 2007 have been removed to make access to the  site quicker.

 

Cambodia and Hong Kong  26^th March 2009 to 7 April 2009

 

Siem Reap

 

     Back in December 2008 I took advantage of a sale of air tickets on offer with  Air Asia and secured some very good deals although it did mean that we had to do 2 more flights than could have been done.

     We flew from Langkawi to Kuala Lumpur to Phnom Penh to Siem Reap all on the 25^th March and all the flights were on time. Our friends Eric and Jacqui had arrived a few hours before us and had settled in a at City River hotel where we went after a night at the Mekong Palace Angkor hotel which was not as advertised.

     By 10 am on 26^th we had a driver organised and set off for the temple of Angkor Wat which is only a few miles from Siem Reap. The Lonely Planet says “simply put there is nowhere on earth quite like Angkor Wat”.  I would heartily concur. The monument is breathtaking from the moment we set on eyes on it.  Perhaps the photos in the picture gallery will give you an idea of its stunning beauty.  What the photos can’t show is the detail of the carvings which are everywhere.

   The temple is surrounded by a 200m wide moat  some 1.3 x 1.5 km  and a rectangular outer wall 1025m x 800m. Of note here are the elephant gate and the statue of Vishnu hewn from a single block of sandstone and measuring 2.3m high

    On the ground floor there are four galleries which form the rectangular outer wall which in total is over a 1km in length. Each of the gallery walls is covered in bas reliefs of exquisite beauty and detail. One wall depicts a battle, another a triumphant battle march. The third is of heaven and hell, there being 37 heavens and 32 hells and the fourth is the most famous; the churning of the ocean of milk.

     There are 3 storeys with interlinked galleries, towers and lots of stairs which get steeper the higher you go. Pilgrims have to prostrate themselves in the presence of the gods and it’s easier to do so if the stairs are near vertical.  

     Cambodia is a mainly buddist country and all the temples we saw have and are used by Buddists but at the time they were built the Hindu faith was predominant so some temples contain all the hindu gods and deities. Angkor Wat was probably built as a temple and a mausoleum.

 

    In awe of what we had seen we set off next for Ta Prohm which has been described as the ultimate Indiana Jones fantasy. Have a look at the photos which will show you why.  Like the other temples this was built between the 10^th and 12^th centuries.  The temple has been partly devoured by the jungle and the massive trees and root systems embrace the ruins. It is a testimony to the awesome power of the jungle which was once conquered  by the temple builders but now conquers and seeks to destroy.  Ta Prohm was built as a Buddist temple dedicated to the mother of  greatest of the Kings, Jayavarman VII. We relished this magnificent temple and enjoyed the shade it offered from the midday sun.

 

    Now satiated with the magnificence and stunning beauty of the temples we nevertheless opted for more and went to see Angkor Thom which is not a temple but a great city. There are at least 4 temples within the 10 sq km enclosed fortified city and numerous terraces and a royal palace.  There are no less than 5 gated entrances  each of which is a wonder in itself.  On the approach to the South gate for examples there 54 giant statutes either side,  many of which are in spectacular condition.

We stood on the Terrace of Elephants  which is 350m long and has the most wonderful carvings of elephants, garudas and lions. The king and his entourage would stand here to watch  a grand parade  pass by along the 300m wide avenue.

Next we looked over Baphuon   which was a spectacular temple. However, before the Cambodian civil war restoration work was carried out the temple was taken apart piece by piece. During the Khymer Rouge regime all the records were lost or destroyed. Some 300,000 stones how had to be put back with no records of where they should fit. No wonder it’s called the world’s largest jigsaw puzzle.

Walking down to the centre piece of Angkor Thom we thought that the temple of Bayon  was unimpressive and jumble of stones. How wrong could we have been?   It’s a place of stooped corridors, precipitous steps and a collection of 54  gothic towers, decorated with 216 smiling, enormous faces. These huge heads glare down from every angle and as you walk round, a dozen or more heads are visible at any one time, full face or profile, almost level with your eyes or staring down from on high. In addition the extraordinary bas reliefs on the ground floor are even more extensive than those at Angkor Wat  featuring over 11,000 figures and on walls that total 1.2km in length. It’s not just the enormity of all of these temples but the quality and detail of the carvings and wonderful condition of the buildings.

It was now well after 5 o clock so we  returned to the hotel swimming pool and after a refreshing swim we strolled over to “Pub Street” the Temple Bar was our venue for the evening were I enjoyed fresh crab in curry sauce – it was wonderful – whilst the others had equally enjoyable meals which were served during the floorshow featuring an array of Cambodian traditional dances.  

The next day we went to the distant temple of Banteay Srei. A Hindu temple said to be the crown of Angkorian art. The carvings, which are extensive, were exquisite and so fine and delicate that it has been said they could only have been done by women. The stone is of a pinkish hue. It was a wonderful as anything we had seen so far.

From there we took a drive  and 2km walk to see the the riverbed carvings at Kbal Spean. The carvings on the riverbed are of hundreds of lingas (phallic symbols) and the water running over them becomes holy and is stilled used today. In addition there are some superb carvings on the rock faces strewn on the side of the river.

We saw a number of other temples on our way back to the hotel – it had been another day filled with wondrous and unforgettable sights.

Nicolette and I were up at 5am the next day to see sunrise over Angkor Wat. We arrived in the dark with few others there and watched as the sun rose over the temple – see the photo gallery  - it was a moving moment and we felt some of the heritage of Angkor. Back to the hotel for breakfast then off to see some more of Angkor Thom. Each of the smaller temples has something to offer and just walking around taking in the expanse and beauty of the whole area was wonderful. We finished up at Bayon to spend more time with the enigmatic carved faces that looked down on us from all directions.

Eric and Jaqui left the next day and we took the opportunity to visit the museum and markets and generally enjoy the town before leaving the following day by bus to Phnom Penh.  It had been an unforgettable 4 days and one which ranks alongside anything we have seen on our travels.

Phnom Penh was worth seeing but sadly it is very much a building site as the economy of Cambodia blossoms and the city, which was enforcedly  deserted during the Pol Pot regime, is regenerating fast.

It was now the 1^st of April we flew to Hong Kong and enjoyed 6 totally different days immersed in the hustle and bustle of that vibrant city. We did all the usual things, up to peak on the tram, a night at the Jumbo restaurant in Aberdeen, Temple St. the Ladies, Jade and Goldfish markets. The sight and sound evening at the Ave. of Stars and many trips on the Star Ferry. Of course we ate some delicious meals and shopped until we dropped!!

 

We are now back on Katanne and making her ready for a trip to Thailand. The water maker is working again after replacing the relief valve and a mysterious leak from the exhaust/raw water outlet has been located. The stainless steel outlet has been re-welded and hopefully the problem has been fixed.

 

 

15 March 2009 Butang Island to Rebak Marina                                                                                   38nm

            Our intention was to sail or in this case motorsail direct to the marina. However, the wind was on the nose and so we looked at anchoring in a bay on the South side but it was full and deep water. Then we had to divert to Telaga marina to get fuel since Bebak don’t have any so we didn’t arrive until 1830hrs

 

14 March 2009 Koh Rok Nai to Butang                                                                                             60nm

We motored out at 0500 hrs with distant lightning to the south which cleared as we approached it. We first went to the S anchorage which was full having passed an indifferent anchorage on the W side of the E island. Then we motored to the NW anchorage to the moorings that were no longer there so we settled behind an island in the middle of the archipelago arriving at 1630hrs.

 

13 March Ratcha Yai to Koh Rok Nai                                                                                                48nm

We departed at 0500 after a bumpy and uncomfortable night. We caught a small tuna on the way arriving at 1430hrs

 

12 March 2009 Patong to Koh Ratcha Yai                                                                                         21nm

We lifted anchor at 0900 planning to stop at Freedom Bay but the water was not clear and there was a lot of debris. Arriving at 1315 we were able to take a mooring.

 

11 March 2009 S Similan Island to Patong                                                                                       55nm

An uneventful motorsail with current against us most of the time but we did catch a nice tuna. Leaving at 0520 we arrived at1630hrs

 

8 March 2009 Koh Similan to Koh Miang , South Similan                                                                    7nm

There were 3 anchorages to choose from and we tried them all. He wind at night was totally unpredictable so despite our best efforts we still suffered rolly nights

 

6 March 2009 Similan Islands

We arrived from Port  Blair at 1030 and found a mooring buoy in the South anchorage of middle island. After an uncomfortable night with the wind from the NW we moved to the North anchorage. The  highlight of the day was the news that my fifth grandchild , Betty May was born at 0455 weighing in at 7lb 7 oz. The waters around the similans are very clear and there was some excellent snorkellikng with a wide variety of fish to be seen. Some of the coral was in good condition but too much of seemed to by struggling. 

 

The Andaman Islands 27 January to 3 March 2009

 

Rather than give a day by day account I have for this part of the voyage listed our log details and then Nicolette has written about the Andamans.

25 January 2009 Yacht Haven Marina Phuket to Nai Hairn Thailand                                                       35nm

27 January 2009 to Freedom Bay Thailand                                                                                         16nm

28 January 2009 to Ao Po Marina Thailand                                                                                        35nm

29 January – 1 February 2009 to Port Blair, Andaman Islands                                                              430nm

5 February 2009 to Chiryatapu                                                                                                          15nm

6 February 2009  to South Cinque                                                                                                     18nm

7 February 2009 to Rutland Island                                                                                                       6nm

8 February 2009 to Chiryatapu                                                                                                          10nm

10 February 2009 to Havelock no 7                                                                                                    38nm

14 February 2009 to Inglis Island                                                                                                       20nm

17 February 2009 to Outram Island                                                                                                      5nm

18 February 2009 to North Button Island                                                                                            14nm

20 February 2009 to Henry Lawrence Island                                                                                         15nm

21 February 2009 to Havelock No 1 and no 7                                                                                       17nm

24 February 2009 to Neill Island                                                                                                          9nm

27 February 2009 to Port Blair                                                                                                           20nm

3 March 2009 to Similan Islands Thailand                                                                                          350nm

 

    We left Thailand at the end of January with a bit of a false start.  Katanne was clean fuelled and full of water as we rounded southern Phuket to set off for the 490m sail to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands which lie in the Andaman sea.  Unfortunately a hose became disconnected and we lost all our 400lt  of fresh water into the aft cabin and we had to return to Ao Po on the east side to dry out and refill our tanks.  24 hours later we set off once again across the Bay of Bengal to this wonderful island group which are part of India.  These 300 or so islands lie in the Bay of Bengal 1000k from mainland India.  The island chain covers 755k from north to south and mostly uninhabited. The Nicobars are out of bounds for all foreigners as are some of the Andamans, which are home to various indigenous peoples who are being protected from outside influences and indeed are hostile to visitors..
     We had some bites to our lure and lost a few fish before finally catching one good barracuda just before we arrived in the main town of Port Blair on South Andaman.  Most of the population lives here in a thriving bustling town.  It’s full of colour with all the beautiful sari clad ladies and the wonderful Ambassador cars (morris oxfords), trucks and of course Tuk Tuks.  It’s like stepping back in time, with no real supermarket but many trading stores with huge sacks of dried goods and many small shops selling all sorts of everything.  The cows are wandering everywhere amongst the traffic and it’s really best seen at night with all the lights on and it’s much  cooler.  The simple restaurants serve good cheap food of great quality and we have had many wonderful Thali’s (south Indian lunch meal).  We had an amazing Tandoori fish at the New Light House restaurant.  A trip to the harbour master with our itinerary was a great experience as he granted us permission to visit all the islands we had mentioned.  The dept of Wildlife though decided we could not go anywhere until it was pointed out we just wanted to anchor, not necessarily go ashore.  I guess they have no idea what we are doing here but having been granted our permits and cleared with immigration and customs we were free to leave for a month’s exploration. 

     The Town of Port Blair has few tourist attractions the main one being the town jail.  The Cellular Jail built by the British to house the freedom fighters and political adjitators against British rule.  We also went to the sound and light show which gave a moving history of the cruelty and barbarism of the British Gaolers.  There is also an old saw mill standing testament to the old ways of logging with ancient machinery still in use.In the south we visited north and south Cinque islands which are very beautiful but the anchorages were rolly and uncomfortable so we did not linger.  The small village and bay of Chirayatapu on the southern tip of south Andaman provided a wonderful all weather anchorage along a beautiful forest edged beach with a great reef along the whole line of the bay, dropping down to about 15m. In the forested backdrop there are many kingfishers high in the trees.  Here I had the best snorkelling in that the corals where diverse and plentiful and the fish truly amazing.  Lion fish of all sorts where just hanging about in the open.  I saw the biggest black and white sea krait (Snake) I have ever seen and found 4 lobsters in just one swim.  Huge black and brown groupers and jewfish hug the bottom pretending to be rocks and there is a multitude of colour with so many fish of every size.

     The Islands of Havelock and Neil are the only two islands in Ritchie’s Archipelago  population and have some great resorts. Again the food was wonderful and really cheap. It is all very low key, the simple huts costing but a couple of hundred rupees. The emphasis is on Eco; this I am sure is for economy not ecology.   A couple of elephants on the beach at Havelock take visitors for rides so we had to have a go, unfortunately my pictures did not come out but it was great fun for only 20 rupees each.   It’s the only place we have been where there is elephant dung on the sand. 

     The dive school was at Havelock no3 (all villages are numbered) and I quickly booked a day’s diving, going to South Button Island. This group of three islands lie like a row of buttons in a line not that far from each other.  All small and South Button is perfectly round.  We did two dives there, not very deep, but truly spectacular.  The best dive I have ever had, I will have to say, both from a coral and fish point of view. There is no real anchorage there so we only sailed to Middle and North Button.  They were both beautiful tranquil uninhabited paradises and they were hard to leave.  (For those that do not know Knoop means Button in Afrikaans so I think we should rename them.)

     We have been to about 9 different islands, about 13 anchorages, and we have for the most part been alone apart from Havelock and Neil.  There are so few boats cruising and we were in areas far from the local fishermen.  It felt as if we were on the edge of the world.  It has been the best cruising ground from that point of few.
     On Inglis Island we found a family of spotted dear on the beach early in the morning out for a stroll.  On Henry Lawrence Island there is a lone dog which the fishermen feed so we went ashore with some biscuits but it was waiting for them and not interested in us at all.  The highlight for me was at Neil Island our last island before returning to Port Blair.  The National animal of the Andaman Islands is the Dugong or sea cow.  This is the animal that gave rise to the story of mermaids.  We have seen them in Puerto Rico and Australia but never as clearly as on the 25^th of February.  I was snorkelling not far from the boat when I spotted it beneath me.  I watched him grazing on the sea grass for a long while. It was about 6ft long and quite large but swam just like a mermaid, so gracefully.   A little while later he rose up for air next to the boat and swam just below the surface for ages so we could see it really clearly. 

      There were so many turtles as it is the season for laying and they are always    lovely to see.  We have seen green back and Olive Ridley turtles and also many rays.                                                                                                                                                              My underwater camera unfortunately died completely which was very frustrating as we had such clear water but I guess all the fish and corals must begin to look a bit alike.   

 

 

The winds continue to be either insignificant or against us (to be expected in the North East monsoon) so I have made little note of our sailing but instead concentrated on what we have seen and done. Nicolette has once again done the write up

 

THAILAND

 

20 Janaury 2009

 

18 January 2009 Koh Rang Nui to Koh Phanak                                                                                       15nms

Just motored up a few miles after lunch to an Island not far from Yacht Haven where we will go on the 20^th.   Dropped our anchor off a tiny beach on the steep rocky island and a long tail fishing boat approached us offering us Prawns.  They were still alive and looked wonderful.  Dinner problem solved. Later on when Tom prepared them, one was still alive so he put it back and watched it swim away. Later in the evening when I came down to the galley to cook I could see them glowing in the dark.  They were still full of luminescence but did not seem to be a problem we are both fine.  Had a nice swim to the beach and enjoyed peace and quiet of the anchorage which we had all to ourselves.  Another fisherman came by the following morning to offer us more prawns so will have to think of another way of doing them. Sailed around the  Just around the corner to next bay where there is a cave area, or Hong. Tour boats bring canoeists who venture into them in the dozens so I will have to go for a swim and see what they find.  The horizon is absolutely stunning with the many rocky islands of Phang Nga bay spreading out north of us.  The islands of the Man with a golden gun are awaiting exploration at another time as tomorrow we head back to Yacht haven marina to prepare to leave Thailand for the Andamans.

 

17 January 2009 Panwa Bali to Koh Rang Nui                                                                                         13nms

Nice beach but too many rocks to be able to get ashore from where we were anchored but had a good swim.  Nice coral but no visibility.  Tourists come daily to take mountain bikes and walk on the beautiful beach which has many coconut palms,.

 

15 January 2009 Ao Chalaong to Panwa Bali                                                                                           1nm

Great relief to be anchored on the other side of the bay near a few quiet resorts and a little beach bar with great food on the beach. 

 

8 January Ao Nui to Ao Chalong                                                                                               30nms

A full day’s sailing , the first for many months.

It is great to arrive and finally check in at the town on the Southern tip of Phuket.  A small rally event had been set up for the 9^th and we were taken courtesy of the Thai tourist authority to all the marinas on the island and shown what services are available.  Yacht Haven treated us to a wonderful lunch and we managed to get the name of a local sail maker who is now making a new 150% genoa for Katanne.  Tom is worried that the second hand large one we have will break, we now discover its made from 4 oz fabric that is used for laser dinghies.  We saw the new marina at Ao Pao and then on down to Boat Lagoon where the boat yards have every facility for repair and maintenance.  The last marina, the Royal Phuket, gave us a wonderful proper afternoon tea in the posh coffee shop with very fancy cakes, sandwiches and proper china cups and saucers.  We ended the day out back at the pier and were treated to an amazing buffet dinner , all for free including plenty of beer.  It was well worth the time because it gave us an idea of where everything is and where to get what.  They drove us through the streets of Phuket City with its lovely little houses.  The anchorage is quite windy with rough seas so as soon as all the necessary jobs are done we will move to calmer waters.  Best laundry service yet, it was line dried and ironed for very little money.  Some good supermarkets so will be able to stock up when necessary with what I need.  Better selection than Malaysia but more expensive too I think.

 

7 January AoYong Kesen to Ao Nui                                                                                        1nm

Quick 10 min trip across the bay to take the mooring at lunchtime and stayed over night in a beautiful spot which we had to ourselves.  Had great time snorkelling to the beach and around the rocks.

 

6 January 2009 Phi Phi Le to Ao Yong Kesen, Phi Phi Don                                              5nms

Just around the corner is the larger island of Phi Phi Don where we took a mooring in the centre of the bay by a busy beach.  Many monkeys played on the sand and watched the tourists come and go.  I swam ashore , snorkelled and read whilst Tom relaxed as usual with his book and binoculars.  On the other side of the bay is Ao Nui with a distinctive rock formation , Camel rock.  It hid a secluded beach with a deep anchorage but with one mooring ball in the middle of the pass which I was keen to take when all the boats had left.

 

5 January 2009  Kok Rok Nok to Phi Phi le                                                                        35nms

Amazing anchorage .  The location of the film “The Beach” it has now been invaded by the hundreds of tourists who flock here daily by speed boat and Long Tails.  We picked up a mooring in the centre of this steep sided bay facing Maya Beach which is surrounded by these huge cliffs making the bay look very small.   Managed to swim ashore early in the morning before the traffic started.  Lovely though at the end of the day when all the others had left. The huge lime stone rocks are typical of the islands around this area.

 

4 January 2009 Ko Taratau to KokRok Nok                                                                        52nms

Great Snorkeling at last.  On a mooring but should have moved around the corner as wind got up in the night and it was rolly.

 

3 January 2009 RLYC to Ko Taratau, Thailand                                                                  29nms

Finally in Thai territory, took mooring, nice to be in clear water.

 

MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE

 

21 December Telaga to Royal Langkawi Yacht Club, Langkawi                                      16nms

 

On the south of the island near the ferry terminal and not far from a small town we are in the Yacht club until the new year.  We have been able to refill our gas bottles and do some provisioning.  Not far from the YC is the ferry terminal with a great Indian restaurant and also a local sea food hawker market, so plenty of choice for meals.  There is a supermarket in walking distance and a lovely pool at the YC to cool off in.  A family of Hornbillsl live in the trees above the pool and there are plenty of monkeys to entertain us.  We booked for the buffet dinner on Christmas Eve which was wonderful and we enjoyed the company of Aquarius, Forza and Shirena who were also at the YC.  On Christmas day we all met on the Balcony with our Champagne and Prawns and had a wonderful lunch in spite of the rain which arrived.  I had gone down to the Indian to get some fresh Naan breads and everyone enjoyed the meal including the mince pies I had made.  Tom and I enjoyed some Christmas pudding that evening courtesy of Tesco’s in Penang.  New year was welcomed in in style. We served champagne and ate the last of the mince pies on Katanne before going back to the YC for a  five course dinner at the YC.  The Mashuri dancers came to entertain us and we had a very good evening with Forza and Rubicon Star.

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18 December 2008 Palau Bunting to Telaga Marina, Langkawi                                       15nms

A long day sail to a wonderful beach, not the official anchorage but perfect for us just to stop and relax.  I could swim to the beach where in the early morning and late evening the macaque monkeys roamed for crabs.  Wild pigs came to walk on the sand with the large monitor lizards and sea eagles were circling overhead and diving to catch fish.  No habitation at all as no road to the beach.  Occasionally a boat came with some tourists for the day or a fishing boat pulled in.  We stayed for 8 days, just reading and polishing the boat.  Having washed all the salt off in Penang it was good to make her shine again with lots of polish and elbow grease.  We read and I cooked which is something I have not being doing too much of as the food ashore is so good and so cheap.  It was actually hard to up anchor and move on to Langkawi. The last dinner of the rally was to be held at Telaga Harbour on the NW corner of Langkawi.  Luckily there was a small marina and we took a berth for the three days we were there.  It was very close to the amazing cable car which we went up .  The rally took us by bus inland to Kota Mashuri  a Mausoleum/Museum where food and dancing were laid on.  The story  is of a girl in about 1820 who was said to have been unfaithful and was stabbed to death and she place a curse on the island for 7 generations.  This has now ended and Langkawi prospers as some clever politician bought the land, gave the duty free status to the island and then sold the land to developers.  It’s a beautiful island with nice beaches and again great food  It’s quiet and laid back .  For me the highlight was finding Cariad in the marina.  She is looking beautiful having been fully refitted but still being worked on by 2 thai workers who have been living on her as long as my Dad sailed around the world on her in 1948.  I was able to go on board and Tom took some pictures of me sitting on the wheel house where my Dad sat so long ago.

 

There was a great dinner at the local resort where the rally participants had a final goodbye as ways are now parting and some are staying for Christmas in Malaysia whilst others head to Thailand or home to Australia for the holidays.  We are heading for the town , Kuah, to stay at the Royal Langkawi yacht club.

 

10 December 2008 Penang to Palau Bunting                                                              60nms

Georgetown, Penang is a great city with a fort and a lighthouse, many shops, Great Little India and much to do.  We walked miles to see all the sites.  As we had not passed under the bridge we did put our flags up to be dressed overall which looked very nice.  They were all the country flags made to date by me, over 40 of them.  The Boat yard invited us all  to come and see the yard and then took us to the fort which is a war museum now and then to dinner at the Chairman’s house on the hill.  It was amazing.  They had laid out tables for us, supplied beers and set up a hawker food centre.  We were able to go and sample all the best of the local dishes freshly made and they entertained us with dancers, so a great night was had by all.  We had a good buffet dinner as guests of the tourist board and the school of Chinese dancers with amazing drums played and danced for us.

 

1 December 2008 Palau Talang to Palau Jerajak – Penang                                      63nms

Stopped overnight just south of the bridge which crosses from the mainland to the island of Penang.  The rally wants us all to sail through together.  It was impossible though.  The current rushes through the channel between the island of penang and the island of Jerajak so we pressed on to the Tahjong City Marina at Georgetown. 

 

30 November 2008 Lumut to Palau Talang                                                                      14nms

Nice to have a swim in the sea and glad to be reaching the top of the Malacca strait.  No mishaps fortunately with all the logs and rubbish which seem to be causing trouble to many.

 

23 November 2008 Port Dickson to Lumut                                                                      150nms

Heavy thunderstorms and lightning close by overnight.  Small marina where we were lucky enough to get a berth so I could clean the boat.  Luckily we did not get a visit from the local rats which boarded the yachts on the  other pontoon.  Nice pool at the yacht club and a really nice little resort town which seemed to specialise in dried fish goods for tourists, Malays, to take home with them. Lumut is a rally stop and a tour and dinner where arranged.  The tour was not up too much and they took us to see a resort none of us will ever want to stay in.  They showed us a typical home stay place where you can live like a malay , the afternoon tea laid on was delicious and there was some dancing by local girls.  They took us to see a honey producer on the way which meant Tom  gave the lecture on beekeeping which was of great interest to many and the honey was delicious.

 

19 November 2008 Palau Basau to Port Dickson  (Admiral Marina)                             48nms

Delayed departure for 1 day  - bad weather

Nice marina but no power on the dock, great pool.  Good place to leave Katanne and take the bus back down to Malacca.  Booked 2 nights in Heerin Street right in the heart of the old Chinese Portugese town.  Narrow streets filled with little shops.  There were so many museums we had to be selective but we enjoyed the Maritime museum very much.  Up in the ruined church on the top of the hill I found the original grave stone for Jan Van Riebecks wife who is now lying in Cape Town castle having been moved to be buried with her husband.  We took a boat up the canal and got off near a typical old Malay house, the Villa Sentosa.  The owner of the house proudly showed us around and then took us to the bus station to return to Port Dickson.  In the small streets of the town we found a Chinese shoe maker who still makes the tiny shoes for the bound feet of the Chinese noble women that was banned in the early 1900’s and enjoyed some amazing Chinese food.  We also went round a beautiful Chinese Baba and Nonya house.  The Chinese having settled here way back in the 1500’s then mixing with the malay population combined with the portugese traders and then the arrival of the British has lead to this town having a very interesting a varied history.

 

18 November 2008 Palau Pisang to Palau Basar                                                             68nms

Longer day sail today so left earlier.  Filthy water and the boat is so so dirty.  Near to Malacca but not a good place to leave the boat and take the ferry to see the town.

 

17 November 2008 Danga Point  to Palua Pisang                                                              40nm

Day sail, motoring into head winds.  Lots of fishing boats and traps to be on the look out for.

 

31 October 2008 Danga Point Jahor Bahru  Malaysia

Our arrival in Malaysia heralds the start of a new adventure.  The anchorage near the major city of Jahor Bahru was near the mussel and fish farms and close to an esplanade ;with many eating places.  The vibrant city teaming with shoppers and many malls provided great eating destinations.  Our favourite was the Restoran Muthi in Little India which served wonderful curries and vegetables on banana leaves for not much more than a $.  We were able to find and fit new batteries ours having worn out completely and also found the rectifier required to fix the wind generator which had given up the ghost a while back.  The Malaysian Rally was to begin from here and during a press conference there was a terrific thunderstorm resulting in on of our number being struck and loosing all their instruments  which is what we all fear most.  We stayed here over two weeks enabling us to apply for our Indian Visas which will be required for the Andaman Islands and to get stocked up with provisions.  There was an fantastic fish restaurant out in the river , so Tom organised a boat and over 20 of us went on the Monday night for an loveley amazing meal.  The village nearby heard we were all there and invited 50 of us to a wedding feast.  It was wonderful to see the house prepared for the bride and groom and the amazing feast laid on.  It seemed no problem having another 50 to feed as the whole area seemed to be invited and people came and went paying their respects and admiring the terrified couple.  The rally organisers took us on a day out to visit the town of Kukup and take us to the pineapple museum where research is done on the fruit .  Guess they are trying to make the ultimate pineapple.  We also were taken to a national park where the Mangrove restoration is important and we could see the start of the Malacca straight which we were now going to traverse on  the 17th.  A very frightening moment occurred when we returned to the boat one afternoon at Danga bay to find a multi coloured 3ft long thin snake trying to climb up the side of the boat.  Tom fended it off and it tried again so he hit it even harder and it luckily lost its grip and floated away, think it must have fallen off a tree in the rain.  We managed to buy some wonderful mussels from the locals nearby and had a wonderful Moules Mariniere…..

 

INDONESIA

 

We  left Darwin on 26^th July and motor-sailed to Kupang, our first port of call in what was to be a 3 month stay in Indonesia. I have not given any details of the sailing conditions during this time because there was very little wind and for almost all of the time we motor-sailed. Instead this part of the log has been written up by Nicolette who has given a vivid descriptive account of what was a remarkable 3 months.

 

31 October 2008 Departed Indonesia for Danga Point, Jahor Bahru, Malaysia             49nms

Left Nongsa Point marina in the late afternoon to anchor offshore by a small island so we could make an early morning start on our trip round to the other side of Singapore Island.  We held our breath as we went under the bridge, only clearance of 25m.  Entered the river mouth of Danga bay passing acres of fish farms and Singapore police coast guards en route.

 

19 October 2008 Batam                                                                                                   58nms

It’s wonderful that the new AIS is working and we can see the coursesand speeds of the many ships passing by.  Arrived at Nongsa point  at mid day.  Great marina still being refurbished with fantastic swimming pool and not many yachts.  Stay here 14 days or so I think until our visas run out.  Great place to visit Singopore from.  We can leave Katanne in safety and take the ferry. It’s only 23k to Singapore and a short bus ride to the ferry terminal.  Restaurant is expensive but good supermarket in town. 

 

We booked a small hotel off Orchard road and took the early morning ferry across.  Singapore has changed a lot since we were both been there but it was still fun.  Good food in the Hawker Markets.  Tom found Newton Circus to be much the same.  He bargained for Chili Crabs at Lau Pa Sat.  I found Arab Street with all the silks and Tom enjoyed the Sim Lim tower with all the electronic and computer stores.  The new Singapore Flyer or Eye is great being taller than London Eye but not so spectacular in its build.  We could see the remains of the Formula 1 track and all the other sites.  We had a fabulous three days using the MRT(mass rapid transport) seeing amongst other things the Art Gallery, South Asian Civilisations Museum, Raffles and much more.  Then it was back to Katanne.

 

 Bit of a clean and polish and washing of the decks left her sparkling and we finally said good bye to Indonesia.  This has been the most amazing and most diverse of all the places we have been.  We have been truly humbled by the warmth and welcome of these smiling beautiful people who were just so pleased for us to visit.  They are trying so hard to bring back the tourist who have been frightened away by events.  The different cultures and customs which we have seen, the way the different religions do live in harmony and everyone works really hard has been an eye opener.  The change from east to west in the wealth of the islands due mainly I suspect to the climate was also interesting.  The eastern region is suffering from water shortages which has a major impact on everything.  We have moved forward not only in miles but in time it seems.  The old traditional ways of life are more evident in the east  the west being much more sophisticated with the total contrast of Singapore just 20m away.  Batam is more like Malaysia and Singapore than the rest of Indonesia.  How long before it all changes time will tell.

 

18 October 2008 Mesanak,                                                                                                260nms

Lovely sail to a beautiful bay.  No other yachts but good stop after our stay in Belitung.  Lovely swim and peaceful afternoon .

 

11 October 2008 Belitung                                                                                                 275nms

This is the final rally stop and definitely the most spectacular anchorage with huge granite boulders.  We arrived early for the rally events but found plenty laid on for us.  A beach without a village lay off the clear water and boulders isles.  There was however a stage set up and a restaurant strip used by locals who came by the hundreds to see us.  They cordoned  a section of the beach for the dinghys.  Amazing crabs and prawns to be had at excellent prices.  We had a welcoming afternoon dance with lunch on the first day.  The Navy put on a 10k swimming race in the early morning.  I had just been for a snorkel to one of the small islands were there was lovely coral to be found and felt quite tempted to join in with the Indonesian marines.  Dancing followed yet another lunch and speeches.  We were presented with beautiful painted Javanese hats.  The next day  we were taken on a city tour to the museum and zoo .  We walked down to the beach to watch Kite flying to find a group of strange dancers on the side of the road.  A full gamelan orchestra accompanied the strange men with two dimensional horses being whipped with bullwhips getting into trance.  They worked them selves up to a frenzy, tearing banana trees up with their teeth, stripping coconuts with their teeth and breaking them open on their heads.  They were eating grass and flowers . When we walked away I was covered in goosebumps inspite of the heat.   It was a all a bit unnerving and I actually had really terrible dreams that night.  The kite flying was much nicer with many school children out to watch the fun and all wanting to take our photos.  We were given small picnic boxes once again with water and local cakes.  The hospitality is overwhelming.  Then it’s back on the bus to the local inland freshwater lakes which have swimming pools to be welcomed by the Chinese human puppets cum acrobats.  A wonderful lunch was laid out yet again on the small tables for us just to help ourselves.  Some swam  later and others just watched the dancing  which we had to join in with. 

 

The next day there was a trip to town for shopping.  Tom went and I stayed behind to do boat jobs , Going for a swim actually.  We then found we had been invited to a nearby Hindu temple at the Balinese village nearby.  They wanted us to see their festival and buses were quickly found to take those of us who had not gone to town  and we all met under the shade by the beautiful temple.  The orchestra was playing. Fruit was offered and water and the dancers began.  Beautiful little girls, boys being a bit more boisterous and elegant ladies, acrobats, all performed  for us.  In the background we could see the ladies with their offerings walking to the temple , baskets of fruit and garlands of flowers.  Again we felt humbled to be included and they allowed us to walk  in the temple before waving us all good bye.  Back to our favourite restaurant for some wonderful crabs and some Mee goreang (fried noodles). 

 

The gala dinner was excellent and as the regent did not  manage to make it speeches were a little shorter than usual.  Some more dancing was put on to entertain us.  This is the official end to the rally but we have one or two more stop before we leave Indonesia. This was one of the nicest anchorages we have been to with the whitest sand , the warmest people and wonderful food.

 

6 October 2008 Karimunjawa                                                                                           145nms

Another night sail and arrived off central Java.  Anchorage lies between a small island and a tiny one with a fish farm attached.  It is one of a group of 27 islands which are relatively hard to reach so quite isolated with lovely clear water and quiet people.  They were still celebrating the end of Ramadan and the day we had decided to try and take a bike to tour the island we found they were all going to a beach picnic so there were no bikes to be had.  We visited the fish farm instead and I swam in the resident shark pool.  There was only one small restaurant which was self service and had a great atmosphere.  Islanders seem to make their living by fishing and drying the catch or growing Bonzai..  A really lovely place with no one trying to sell us anything unlike the previous places.

 

1 October 2008 Bawean                                                                                                    211nms

Lots of fish attracting rafts on the way to Palau Bawean. This is an island off the coast of java.  Good down wind sail over a couple of days.  Beautiful bay with small village and great fishing boats.  Walked in to town to find it was Ed Il Fitri the end of  Ramadan.  Thus prayers all night.  The town was all out in the streets and everyone dressed in their finery.  Every one very happy to see us and to practise there English.  Scores of motor bikes with up to 5 on board scootered by, one crashing as it misjudged the distance as they were so busy turning to look at us.  Luckily no one was hurt.  On the 4^th we went for a stroll in the village to find the locals preparing a bbq to which we were invited.  The fresh goat skins of the meat were in the sun drying and the kebabs were on the fire.  We sat under the tarpaulin with the men to be served with sates, goat curry and rice followed by fresh watermelon.  Women and children ate afterwards which I found a little embarresing as there was no problem with me eating with Tom.  It was a wonderful occasion none the less.  Getting quite good at eating with our fingrers…..

 

17 September 2008 Lovina, Bali                                                                                           85nms

Arrived in Bali in the early morning.  Bali is more Hindu than any of the other islands and much more touristy.  Lovina beach is very lovely with a beachfront full of hawkers and restaurants.  Most evenings there was an entertainment laid on for us as well as a lovely dinner with the obligatory speeches.  We enjoyed an afternoon of Buffalo racing.  Beautifully dressed animals were driven through a paddy with a driver on a small seat behind.  They went off in pairs and it was hard to tell who the winner was but clearly it was understood by excited locals.  They put on some masked plays and some educational dramas all in Bahasa Indonesian so quite hard for us to follow but all good fun. 

We left Katanne at anchor for three days and took a bus to the ferry terminal on the west of the island at Gillilmanuk for the island of Java. .  And no, Krakatoa is not East of Java as we discover it’s actually on the west coast before you get to Sumatra.  We disembarked at 9pm and got back on the bus to head for Yogyakarta.  Java is the largest island with a population of 120 million in a space half the size of great Britain.  The two lane road was packed with buses and lorrys bumper to bumper all the way.  We hurtled through the night arriving in the early morning.  We had booked a small hotel with a little pool in the heart of the old capital..  We took 2 Becaks, a type of three wheeled rickshaw with a local driver.  Tom’s driver, Simon spoke some English and we headed off into the mad traffic to find the sultan’s palace.  Becaks have right of way as I guess they were there before cars arrived.  After an interesting tour of the Palace we found Simon and his friend waiting for us.  We negotiated a good price for the rest of the afternoon and they took us to see the Sultana’s Palace and the Water Palace.  This would have been lovely if the pools had been full of water but there is a drought.  They took us to the main shopping street to wander about looking at local crafts.  We asked to be taken to the workshops where the famous Batik is made.  I was fascinated by the whole process and loved looking at the fabrics. Then it was  back to the hotel for a cool swim before a quick dinner and then out again.  That evening we went to the outdoor theatre at Prambanan, the Hindu temples.  We saw the story of  Rama and Shinta performed by the Ramayana Ballet.  A truly amazing drama of dance and music and song with the magnificent floodlit Candi Shiva Mahadeva as a backdrop.  200  dancers and a full gamelan orchestra took part in a spectacle of monkey armies, giants on stilts and clashing battles.  One of the scenes involved the burning down of two thatch houses which burst into flame taking us all by surprise.  They rebuild them for the next performance.

 

Early the following day we set off by bus to Borobudur, one of the most spectacular Buddhist temples in the world (a colossal three dimensional tantric mandala).  Built in the 8^th century it was buried 50 years after it was built by volcanic eruption and rediscovered only in 1815.  It has been restored to its former glory and is now a world heritage site.  It was very dramatic rising out of the plane near some huge volcanoes, it covers some 60,000 cubic meters of stone.  The pilgrims walkway is 5km long and there are nearly 1460 narrative and 1212 decorated panels.  Some 432 serene Buddha stare out from open chambers and some 72 sit partially visible in latticed stupas.  It was awesome in the early morning.  We found 2 museums, one nautical and the other about the construction of the temple including the stone umbrella which would have topped the monument.  It has not been put back for fear it will be toppled again.  After a picnic breakfast supplied by our hotel we set off in the bus to visit the Hindu temple of Prambanan.

 

This temple site was erected about 50 years after Borobudur.  The site covers over 5km and has many shrines which lay in ruins for years and are now slowly being restored as best they can where they have the stones.  Many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions have cause damaged and even done so recently putting some restoration back to square one.  The proximity of the Buddhist and Hindu temples shows the tolerance of the islands and the arrival of arab traders in the 11^th centuary brought Islam to the region which makes it all very interesting.  Mostly all is very peaceful and the arrival of the Dutch and the Portuguese added Christianity to the mix.  After another good local lunch we were back in the hotel for a welcome dip.  The following day Simon and his mate were waiting for us and they took us to some more interesting batik shops and helped us clear up a blocked phone.  Another hairy bus ride through the night took us back to the ferry and we returned safely to Katanne in the early morning. 

 

 

10^th  September 2008 Gili Air ,Lombok                                                                               89nms

We have anchored off the jetty on the small island of Gili Air. We can see Gunung Runjani on Lombok in the east and Gunang Agung in Bali, two great volcanoes.  We saw the sunset over one and the full moon rising over the other at the same time. Gili Air is one of the nicest islands we have visited.  Its only mode of transport is horse drawn trap.  There are many restaurants and small places to stay and only white sand roads with a lovely beach and great snorkelling.  It’s one of three islands in a small group facing Lombok.    I spent one day diving with Manta Dive which was very worth while and another day snorkelling with some other yachties.  We took a local boat which took us too the best snorkelling spots to see the turtles and fish. The rally reception was held on a beach on Lombok so the yachties hired a fast boat to carry us across for the do.  Ramadan prevented any dancing but we got the speeches and some wonderful food served on banana leaves, us seated on mats of the same in small groups.  Hospitality is overwhelming still.  We took a trip with double dutch to see the monkeys,macaques, which came to be fed very politely and then we went to see the wood factory where they made carvings and bowls.  We also stopped to see the weaving and Tom was dressed up as a local bridegroom, very smart.  We stopped to see the fish farms in the river and had great difficulty finding somewhere for lunch as Ramadan is still in force.  Hid in Macdonald’s for a quick bite and went to the supermarket in Mataram.

 

The day  we were leaving gili air our mooring broke whilst  ashore and Katanne nearly ended up on the coral saved only by an anchor rope from fishing boat in the Rudder skeg. Four dinghies came to hold her off, Keishe, Island time, Nimbus and Investigator 2 did an amazing job.One of the locals called us from internet café and we rushed back to the dinghy.  Once aboard  I managed to get in the water to cut the line and tom was skilful in manoeuvring Katanne out of a disastous situation. So many things went right for us when otherwise we were in real danger of losing Katanne. All was well with no damage and we spent the night in Teluk Kumbul , the bay across the water in Lombok.  We took a trip to the town of Sengigi for a night out in an expensive restaurant with our rescuers

.

 

7 September 2008 Medang                                                                                                 135nms

An Island off Sumbawa, just an overnight stop.  Our lovely large Genoa got ripped accidently in the night.  Luckily it was all in the bottom panel and I was able to repair it with some spinnaker tape and sewing on a big patch of new sail cloth, good as new we hope. Had a nice swim though and made a pizza for lunch and baked a chocolate cake for my birthday.  Tom caught a barracuda so plenty for fish curry and fried fish in crumbs….  First fish since Australia on board.

 

6 September 2008 Gili Lawa  Laut                                                                                      18nms

Overnight stop

 

5 September 2008 Komodo Island                                                                                       18nms

Loh Liang is an amazing huge bay tucked inside the NE side of Komodo.  There was no village where we anchored and there was great snorkelling off the beach.  I managed to swim ashore and found a beautiful deer under the trees.  Wild pig came to play on the beach and in the early morning a herd of deer could be seen on the hillside.  A fisherman came across to sell us a string of pearls (my birthday present) which were farmed here.  The marine reserve is doing a great job in preserving the coral which is getting a hammering from ruthless fishermen who dynamite the reefs…  All around this area mariculture is in evidence and the farming of seaweed is one of Indonesia’s main exports.  The following morning we went to raft with Double Dutch in the passage between Komodo and Palau Padar for some snorkelling.  Amazing fish and coral but strong currents so care had to be taken.

 

4 September 2008 Rinca Island,                                                                                           17nms

Anchored just off the ranger station of Rinca Island in the Komodo National Park.  Here we were able to take an hour’s afternoon trail with Raymond our guide to see the famous Komodos Tom has been wanting to see since 1956 when a young David Attenborough first brought these creature to the world.  They are as awesome as we had hoped.  We saw one dragon who was protecting his mate chase off a rival.  There are many monkeys and buffalo and wild pigs around.  All game for the dragon.  The following morning early we returned with our guide for a two hour trek.  We were very fortunate to come across 10 or so dragons feasting on a recently killed buffalo right on the trail.  They tend to bite them in the groin and as their saliva is toxic the mighty buffalo soon fall ill and die.  The feasting beasts did not mind us coming to close they were so enjoying the feast.  We felt so privileged as it’s not a sight often seen.  It was only the third feed the guide had seen this year.  The smell was horrible and we had to leave eventually when a new dragon arrived and got a whiff of our scent.  What a fantastic day.

 

 

2 September 2008 Labuan Bajo, Flores                                                                              31nms

The last port of Flores for us but the first for many coming from the west.  We are at the western end of Flores in the Mangarai region , the stepping off place for the World Heritage site of Komodo.  It’s a bustling thriving town, falling apart and run down but with a certain charm.  We anchored firstly in the Harbour where we were able to refuel and do some shopping.  We moved Katanne to anchor off the beach to see the Kaki dancing which involved two opposing teams of dancers with bullwhips hitting each other and actually inflicting some quite serious blows causing injury under the clothes but all taken very seriously.  A wonderful dinner followed later in the evening with yet more dancing.  The population of Flores is more Christian and animist than Muslim but all are tolerated and live in harmony.  The sound of the mosque though does tend to awaken us quite often. 

 

1 September 2008 Bari, Flores                                                                                              29nm

Overnight stop, nice arriving at lunch time with plenty of time to swim, make dinner and prepare for another day sailing.

 

31 August 2008 Lingeh Bay, Flores                                                                                     33nms

Overnight stop

 

26 August 2008 Riung, Flores                                                                                              45nms

We anchored off the town  jetty .  A cluster of wooden houses on stilts,  nestled round the pier with an avenue of trees leading up to the town.  Buffalo were under the trees and the place had the air of a sleepy back water.  No market so little to be got in the way of shopping apart from eggs and a pleasant cup of coffee served on a tray with cup and saucer and out of a teapot….

We spent one night there and the next morning moved to one of the 17 islands which make up a marine reserve.  The island was sandy with palm trees and coral and some beach tables for day trippers brought from Riumg.  We could see the main island only about 20 mins by dinghy away.  We stayed for 4 days it was so relaxing.  Clear water with great snorkelling for me.  I encountered two great big cuttlefish mating off the reef which was amazing and saw many different fish and corals. I even found a small baby conch shell with host.  A couple of boats joined us, not too close by and we had a bit of a respite from the rally and all its activities.  Hard to leave our desert island.

 

24 August 2008 Ciendah, Flores                                                                                          30nms

 An overnight stop in pleasant bay.

 

23 August 2008 Mausambi, Flores                                                                                        45nms

Another rally stop in the Ende region but the conditions were so rolly we did not stay for the official events but left the following day.  Ramadan has now begun so we had extra long prayers all night.

 

18 August 2008 Maumere, Flores                                                                                        22nms

At the resort of Seaworld in the Sikka region of Flores the rally made its next formal stop.  A great welcome was laid on with all the people of the area pouring to the beach to see the dancing and displays put on for us as well as sport on the beach and rowing races.  There was a lovely swimming pool which we could use but not a lot of other tourists.  The buffet dinner and dancing with the speeches given by the regent and tourist ministers are becoming a bit of a routine but so enjoyable with amazing foods to try so well worth it.  There is so much singing and dancing , everyone being genuinely pleased to see us.  We arranged with Double Dutch to visit the Three coloured crater lakes of Kalimutu in  the Ende region.  It involved an early morning ride across the island to the south coast and up to the craters in the early morning.  It is best to see them when the sun hits them full on.  The colour of the water has changed in each of the lakes over the years due to the chemical composition of the soil and minerals in the water.  So now instead of being maroon, turquoise blue and black , they are green , brown and turquoise. It was a lovely drive through the rice paddies and farmland.  Stopped for a lovely lunch on the way back and visited a village by the sea on the south coast.  Everyone is trying to sell us a scarf….

 

17 August 2008 Besar, Flores                                                                                                24nms

A very rolly one night stop in lovely bay on the island of Flores

 

15 August 2008 Hading Bay, Flores                                                                                     42nms

The island of Flores at last.  We are going to be sailing along the north coast

 

14 August 2008 Sagu Bay, Palau Adonara                                                                     15nms     

An overnight stop only but plenty of time for a wonderful snorkel with beautiful coral and lots of fish.  Locals came out to boat looking for books and pencils and just for a look at us.

 

11 August 2008 Lewoleba, Lembata                                                                                     32nms

Lewolaba is a great bay with a nice beach front.  Here the welcome took a slightly different note.  A band of horsemen led the fleet of lorries and bikes carrying all the sail Indonesia participants round the town and nearby villages for the locals to see us.  A real cavalcade.   A dinner was laid on in the nearby restaurant and welcoming speeches by regents and ministers was responded to by Tom our elected spokesman.  The dancing was colourful and enjoyed by all.  The tour around the island to Lewolein Village proved to be a highlight.  We were shown all the traditional ways of life , from making of Palm wine , weaving and all styles of cooking .  Tom was the chief for the day and given a traditionally woven sarong to wear.  We enjoyed a wonderful lunch under the trees and dancers performed local rites and sports (Tug o War).  There was a traditional dance of sword fighting which the children started with swords and shields, Tom joined in  which caused great amusement.  After lunch they gave us a demonstration of how to catch fish by hand.

 

The villagers changed into their               work sarongs and some men went to the head of the bay to the rocky outcrop and drew their net to the shore,  all of a sudden the villages rushed, from young to old, into the sea shouting and beating the water.  They then pulled hundreds of small fish from the water, by hand and stuffed them as fast as they could into their clothing until there was nothing left.  They had caught hundreds of small fish which would then be gutted and dried and maybe sold                                                                                      

Dances were put on in the evening , the best one being one where a man ended up balanced horizontally on the top of a tall bamboo pole..  definitely something not to be tried at home.

10 August 2008 Balurin, Lembata                                                                                     57nms    Overnight stop only.

 

6 August 2008 Alors,  Alor Archipeligos                                                                           138nms

The town of Kalabahi was our destination after sailing slightly NE of W Timor and having to time our morning arrival with the tide and have the current with us up the “selat”. Useful having being giving some wonderful tide program to use. A sleepy place in the midst of a local festival and expo was our destination.  Again a huge welcome and crowds of school children clamouring for our autographs greeted us.  We were taken to the museum and the expo to see the dances of the many tribes and displays of local goods as well as weaving displays.  The variety of cultures is as diverse as its religions.  The animists with trees in hand and leaves around their heads standing next to girls in sarongs to the Chinese dragon dancers welcomed us.  A buffet dinner was laid on in the square in front of the anchorage.  I and two other ladies , dressed in local dress for the fashion show to be held afterwards.  It took 3 hours to be pinned into the Ikat clothes and we felt very special. We were also taken to visit a village up in the hills to be greeted by the chiefs with bows and arrows in hand and wailing ladies dancing in retreat in front of us drawing us up to the houses of bamboo and sticks.  They performed traditional welcomes and invited us to join in.  This was followed by picnic lunch by the sea, the local school children also came to dance for us and we all had a great time. Then in film star style we were taken to a botanical garden and each planted a tree.  A sandal wood for Tom and a Teak tree for me.  We are accompanied everywhere by a police escort and following amubulance…….

 

I managed to arrange a dive trip after a frantic and rather hairy, motorbike ride through the town in the evening with Ahmed our rally assistant, and his little girl to find the dive shop, and enjoyed two fabulous dives in clear water with great coral.  The giant frogfish and the tiny Pygmy seahorse were the stars of the day

 

30 July 2008 Kupang, West Timor                                                                                     453nms

 

Our arrival in Kupang was tremendous, suddenly after a good five days at sea where were thrust into a multitude of people all thronging to see us, saying “Hello Misterre”and the roar of motorbikes everywhere, the normal mode of transport for the Indonesians.  After being impounded by customs we had to remain for the week whether we wanted to or not until the bureaucracy of the rally was sorted out.   All a perfect waste of time and unnecessary as we later found out they had decided to treat us a commercial ships not leisure craft.  The hospitality though was amazing. We were given a bit of a tour of the island taking in the making of the stringed Sasando instrument (bamboo with up to 43 strings for plucking) from Rote Island to the south greeted by beautiful dancing girls.  We stopped for traditional cake and drinks and a bit of dancing with the locals and on to lake.  The road was lined with flags to greet us for 14km and as we approached we were overtaken by villagers on foot and bike who wanted to see us.  This was the first time any tourists had visited this spot ever they told us.  We were greeted by the chief, presented with Ikat scarves, the first of many and joined in the welcome dance.  The ladies were all dressed in their finest sarongs and the toothless smiles showing red mouths from too much beetel chewing showed the delight of them all.  A wonderful lunch followed the Regent’s speeches and prayers.  We were able to see how they wove the Ikat and walk by the lake.  Every child and adult wanted to shake our hand or have a photograph taken.

We were also feted at a special dinner by the regent and formally welcomed .  The Sail Indonesia Fleet was officially in Indonesia at last all 120 boats of 14 different countries.

 

Darwin

 

We spent a very useful month in Darwin enjoying the hospitality of the Darwin Sailing Club.  Our fridge which had broken down after leaving Seisa was swiftly repaired, a great relief as we had stocked up with lots of cheese in preparation for Indonesia. We put wheels on the Dinghy as there are such big tides it would be difficult to pull Kitten up and down the beach without them. 

 

  The weather in Queensland is ideal in mid winter with lovely dry sunny days and not a drop of rain in sight.  We were able to enjoy the night markets at Mindl beach ,a stroll away, in the cool evenings with great food and street entertainers.  We visited the Museum which has a wonderful collection of beautiful Indonesian fishing boats, confiscated for fishing illegally as well as the largest crocodile captured and unfortunately died in the process of relocation having attacked the locals in Fannie Bay.  “Sweetheart” is now stuffed and preserved for posterity.   There is information about the cyclones which are prone to hit and a bit about the aborigines.  There is also a museum in the old prison and we took a day trip to the Litchfield National Park.  A trip down river crocodile Dundee style was great with many sea water crocs swimming and lounging on the banks.  We were able to go very close and almost touch them…  There were also a great variety of birds and sea eagles to be seen.  After lunch we took a walk through the bush to some old aboriginal cave drawings and to see the sacred rocks. 

 

We stocked Katanne to the gunnels with boxes of good Australian wine about 140L for our forthcoming trip as well as lots of

General provisions  for the next three months in Indonesia where Aldi and Woolworths will be missing.

 

1^st July 2008 to Darwin                                                                                                  100nms

                We left just before midnight and caught a 3kt current but no wind so we had to motor for the first 13 hours. Once clear of the Howard passage which we transited at slack water we picked up enough wind and were able to sail to Darwin. We arrived at Fannie Bay at 1345.  We were greeted that evening to a brilliant fireworks display held annually to celebrate Darwin Day. We moved position next day with spring tides of over 7 m. The fridge had ceased to work on 27^th  but we were able to get if fixed by lunchtime on the second. I also  fitted wheels to “kitten” the dinghy.

 

30^th June 2008 to Alcaro Bay                                                                                                40nms

                A 0630 departure and yet another lovely sail until the last hour when the winds died. The big genoa was put on in Somerville and this kep our speed up with lighter winds. Alcaro lies just before Cape Don and is useful as a stop to wait for the flooding tides through the Dundas straights.

 

25^th 2008 June to Somerville Bay                                                                                 569nms

                We left at 0820 and arrived at Somerville at 1645 on 29th June. We had a fantastic sail with winds from 15kts to 30kts. For the most part we had a reef in the main and the genoa poled out. The seas eased dramatically after Cape Wessel. Our best run was 145 nms in 24hrs with reefs in the main and genoa.

 

19^th June 2008 to Seisa and “over the top” via Cape York                                              45nms

                Left at first light (0615) and had a nice sail. Went through the Albany Passage making 9ts with the current. Then over the top of Australia with Cape York to port and down the W side of the cape. We were close hauled at Possession Is. But the sailing was fantastic with flat seas and winds to 25kts. We arrived at 1300. Seisa is a lovely anchorage; it’s a small town but has a supermarket and internet access and showers. We enjoyed a couple of evenings ashore  having drinks with fellow cruisers.

 

17^th June2008 to Escape river                                                                                              73nms

                An 0315 departure and a wonderful sail  with winds less than 20kts. The river was full of pearl rafts and we anchored well up the river in very calm waters. We arrived at 1600. It was miserable the next day so we stayed at anchor.

 

15^th June 2008 to Grenville Point                                                                                        46nms

                Up anchor at 0640 and a lovely  sail with reefs in. We arrived at 13.30 avoiding the shallow water that had Nimbus aground. Fixed the outboard (new plug and cleaned carb) Saw a number of manatees (dugongs) and had drinks with Double Dutch and Oz

 

14^th June 2008 to Portland Roads                                                                                    40nms

                0630 and on our way with reefs in and winds to 35kts, seas to 1.5m only and at times we were making nearly 8kts. We arrived at 12.30 averaging nearly 7kts.

 

13^th June 2008 to Night Island                                                                                          21nms

                Departing at 0915 with winds to 30kts we arrived at 1330. Saw our first and only crocodile on the beach here.

 

12^th June 2008 to Morris Island                                                                                            60nms

                An 0420 departure with light winds so we had to sail and motorsail arriving at 1515.

 

11th June 2008 to Flinders                                                                                                    15nms

                We left at 0930 with winds from 10 to 37kts with a reefed main and genny arriving at 1220  to a lovely anchorage.

 

10^th June to Bathhurst                                                                                                          75nms

                We left at 0530 destined originally for Ninian bay. We had winds to 35kts and a squall which reached 47kts. Ninian bay was untenable so we continued to Bathurst where we found a calm anchorage. We arrived at 1745.

 

4^th June 2008 to Lizard Island                                                                                              32nms

                Another great sail leaving at 0640 and arriving at 1330. I caught another mackerel 1 minute after putting the lure in the water!! Lizard Is. Is the first place we have found clear water but of course N of Cairns it is not possible to swim because of the presence of salt water  crocodiles.  Good snorkeling with plenty of Giant clams to be found.  Climbed to the top of Cooks Look to see where he had searched for a way out of the reef and also walked to the Research station.  Found some lizards for which the island is named. Winds were up to 35kts by the 6^th so 10m of extra chain laid out. We went up Cooks Lookout and to the resort and the Marlin bar and happy hour on the beach.

 

3rd June 2008 to Cape Bedford                                                                                            35nms

                Wind at last with a lovely downwind sail in 10 to 15kts. Seas are very flat now as we sail inside the great barrier reef. Caught a nice 10lb mackerel. We had a a 7hour sail arriving at 1400

 

2^nd June 2008 to Hope Island                                                                                               40nms

                We managed to sail for the first hour and then it was back to motoring. We arrived at 1400 after leaving at 0630.

 

1^st June 2008 to Low Islets                                                                                                37nm

                We had 5 very pleasant days in Cairns which is a very beautiful city. We went the cinema twice and enjoyed lots of fresh frui and veg.  However, we had to motor again with no wind and took a visitor mooring.

 

27^th May 2008 to Cairns                                                                                                         15nm

                For this short trip we just let out the genoa arriving at Cairns marina at 10.30 , a 3hr sail.

 

26^th May 2008 to Fitzroy Island                                                                                            64nms

                We left at 0315 and were pleased to do so after a very uncomfortable rolly night. We reefed the main and the no2 genoa. The winds were to 30kts easing later but we had a good sail arriving at 1500

 

25^th May 2008 to Dunk Island                                                                                          37nms

                We had to motor thro’ the channel and only got a sailing breeze in the last hour arriving at 1400 hrs.

 

24^th May 2008 to Haycock Island                                                                                         19nms

                 The overnight winds died and we had to motorsail to the Hinchinbrook Channel and Haycok Island. A secure anchorage.

 

23^rd May 2008 to Orpheus Island                                                                                           40nm

                A glorious early morning (0655) sail with the genoa poled ou. We arrived in Little Pionerr bay at 1400 and picked up a visitor mooring. Winds were up to 30kts overnight with rain squalls

 

22^nd May 2008 to Magnetic Island                                                                                    12nms

                We motorsailed to Horseshoe bay but with lots of rain showers we cancelled our plans to go snorkelling in Repulse bay.

 

19^th May 2008 to Townsville                                                                                              144nms

                A good wind to start with but then the wind died and we had to motorsail.. We made for the breakwater marina arriving at 0945 on 20^th May.

 

16^th May 2008 to Nora Inlet Hook Island                                                                               8nms

                Another secure anchorage but rain showers so Nicolette  made some country flags. We were very dissappointed  with the Whitsunday’s the re were few good anchorages and the islands are tree covered and not very interesting. Swimming and snorkelling are not an option                                         

 

13^th May 2008 to Cid Inlet                                                                                                    11nm

                A pleasant sail to a very secure anchorage

 

12^th May 2008 to Lindeman Island                                                                                        15nm

                We found a better anchorage at Coconut bay off Lindeman Island. The waters in the Whitsunday’s are very murky so we couldn’t snorkel and swimming was not inviting.

 

8^th May 2008 to the Whitsunday’s                                                                                     420nms

                We had originally intended to go only as far as the Percy Islands but ultimately decided to go straight to the Whitsunday’s.  After a variable sail with winds to 35kts at times and dead calms as well we made for Goldsmith Island but couldn’t find a  suitable anchorage there so made for Thomas Island instead. The anchorage there was poor, our first sport had us surging thro’270 degs and laying to a lee shore so we moved only to find we had williwaws up to 30 kts (katabatic winds from the shore). We arrived on 11^th May at 1430                                                                                                                         

 

6^th May 2008  to Fraser Island                                                                                               98nms

                We set sail after 6 months ashore, The wind was variable so we motorsailed  and sailed our  way there. We anchored in Pelican Inlet and celebrated my 62^nd birthday there. Nicolette made chocolate cake.

 

24^th April 2008

                Katanne is out of storage and back on the hard for our return. Over the next 5 days I applied 3 coats of antifouling and polished the topsides. We went back into the water on 29^th and I fitted the AIS receiver which I discovered needed it’s own GPS but fortunately I had a spare available.  

 

 

6^th March to 21^st April 2008

We went back to the UK

 

9^th February to 6^th March 2008

Visits to the Hunter, Mudgee and Orange wine districts and to the Blue Mountains

 

Wine summary:

We tasted 27 different wine varietals and 15 different blends, visited, 4 wine districts and 43 wineries (plus 9 more where we didn’t do a tasting) and sampled 235 wines.

 

3^rd March 2008

We have finally got rid of the camper   Hurrah.  Staying back at our friends Jacquie and Eric in Horsfield Bay.  We spent the weekend back in the Hunter  where we tried a few more wineries such as Mistletoe and Pigs Peake.  It was a short drive back to the house and comfort.   Just lots of packing to do for our flight to the UK.

 

28^th February 2008

Mudgee is a lovely town with some nice hotels and restaurants and an Olympic sized swimming pool which was near the campsite.  There are many wonderful vineyards.  The most well known was of course Wild Oats.  Robert Oatley’s boat competed in, and won, the Sydney to Hobart race we watched start after Christmas.  The weather was mostly kind to us but we did have a spectacular storm and heavy rain one night.

 

21^st February 2008

The rain returned so we headed to Orange another grape growing region.  It’s at a much higher in altitude from the Hunter so they have cool climate wines.  The area is very lovely and much more rural  than the Hunter and less touristy.  The wineries were open for tasting over the weekend which was great and we stayed until  Monday and then headed for Mudgee driving down the back roads through some national reserves.  Some of the roads were unmade but the van coped very well.

 

20^tth February 2008

After a week it was time for a pause from the drinking and the crowds who flock to the wineries for tasting and educating so we headed to the famouse Blue Mountains.  The town of  Katoomba sits on the edge of the rift valley provides a central point for walking and sight seeing.  The stunning peaks and eucalyptus lined mountain sides are amazing.  We took the Scenic cable car and aerial rides which gave stunning views of the Three Sisters and other promontories.  We were able to follow the board walk through the trees below.  Fortunately we had a lovely dry sunny day to do this.  The weather in Australia has been very unseasonal and it’s been much cooler and wetter than anyone expected.  This has been good for us otherwise we may have been baking in the van.

 

18^th February 2008

We have spent the last week in the beautiful lower Hunter Valley in the town of Cessnock.  A ovely campsite with en-suite facilities including a kitchen sink and somewhere to leave our things.  We not only tasted many wonderful wines but found the Smelly Cheese Factory and sampled the cheese and ice-creams as well.  They grow many olives which are also available for tasting along with Dukkah , a  spicy nut mix which you take on bread dipped in the wonderful flavoured olive oils made locally.   We went to the organic vineyard of Tamburlaine for a tour which gave us a great insight in to how wine is made from the time the grapes are picked.  We were able to take sips from the barrels at various stages of the process and finished up with a cheese plate and some wonderful wine.  After much swilling and tasting and pouring away the excess we got to know the Shiraz , the verdelho and chardonnays as well as many others.  Many of the vineyards are just dealing with the home market and are Boutique wineries.  Others are much bigger such as McGuigans and Tyrells but the quality and consistency of the wine astounded us.

 

11^th February  2008

Headed off from Sydney northwards to Point Stevens.  Here we camped by the river at Koala Shores in the rain.  There were no bears to be see or sunshine so we continued on to the Hunter Valley.

 

9^th Februaray 2008 Sydney Australia

We went to the one day Cricket International at the Sydney Cricket ground where Australia beat Sri Lanka.  We also took the train in one day to visit Darling Harbour and Circular Quay and the Rocks where it all began for Australia.

In Sydney house sitting for Eric and Jacqui who are holidaying in Bali.  It’s wonderful to have a place to stop and rest from the camper van for a few days.    The weather has been very wet with so much rain that it looks as if the drought that Australia has been suffering may well be over as a result of the La Ninea conditions. We’re looking after their 2 cats Sasha and Willie. In the evenings a possum has been appearing on the deck to look at us which is very sweet.

 

28th January 2008

 Now In the Kosciusko National Park in order to visit the spectacular Yarrongabilly Caves.  These are only 100,000 years old so the stalactites and mites are relatively new and growing rapidly as there is lots of moisture.  There is also a lovely thermal bath in the valley which is 27 degrees.  It was built by convict labour and wonderful to swim in.

 

25th January w2008

In the Barossa Valley with its many vineyards and other orchards, in the valley of the Murray river.  Stopped and bought some boxes of Clean Skins (excess wine bottled without labels which is sold for a fraction of the price)  It’s large green body of water snaking through the eucalyptus but it’s not that inviting inspirt of the heat.     Saw lots of emus running down the side of the road on the way to Mildura and on to Hay.  We went for a beer in the local bar which was very typical of the Australian pubs.  There is a sheep shearing shed there but there was no live display as it was a public holiday for Australia Day.  Another highlight missed me fear…..

 

21st January 2008

Adelaide is definitely the nicest of the Australian cities visited so far.  The campsite was a bus ride away from the city centre and the 4^th test between India and Australian was to be played here.  We did the usual Museum and Art Gallery trips. We visited the lovely botanical gardens with its amazing giant Amazon water lily pool and the National Wine Museum.  For the Test we stocked up with goodies from the wonderful food market and had a lovely day.  I am at last beginning to understand the game a little more. 

 

8th January 2008 

Off down the Great Ocean road to Adelaide. This was a little a little disappointing as much of it was inland and the bits of the coast line we could see and reach was not swim able anyway.   The flies also make sitting out or walking a bit of a nightmare and we resorted to our head nets, found in Kmart, for relief.  The rocks called the 12 apostles are now eroded away to 6 and the second of the arches of the London Bridge has collapsed so it was not that spectacular really.    We had stopped on the Otway Peninsula and camped in a eucalyptus forest.  There were some lovely walking tracks through the trees which were full of Koala Bears.  There were so many, some with babies and all very active feeding in the twilight and again in the early morning.  They are as cute as they look and just as vacant.  We were diverted back inland by a road accident on the Sunday afternoon and found ourselves at Mount Gambier with its amazing blue crater lake.  It’s really an amazing dark sapphire blue quite different from the glacial blue lakes seen in NZ.  At Keith we had kangaroos jumping past the campsite fence which was fun.  There are also large flocks of pink and grey birds called Galah’s which are  members  of the cockatoo family but quite different from the usual sulphur crested ones we have seen in Horsfield Bay.

 

12th January 2008

Off to Wilson’s Promontory and on to Melbourne. .  We did see an Echidna walking down the roadside which was surprise.  In Melbourne we used the bus to get us into town and the trams for getting about.  We did the Immigration Museum, Ned Kelly’s Goal, the War Memorial and more botanic gardens and also the Gold museum.  The city was buzzing with the Australian Open tennis being played and the weather was lovely.  There is also a very, very good fresh market with many wonderful things to eat.  

 

 2ndJanuary 2008

So it was off down the coast.  Unfortunately it’s the main school holidays and the sites on the coast are full of holiday makers so it was all very crowded.  Pebbly Beach was the first pretty spot we came too and we found some wild kangaroos and huge monitor Lizards nearby.  We were able to meet up with Keith and Christine from Poco Andante (Tom raced in her in the Bahia Redonda regatta in 2006.  We last saw them in Bonnaire, 2006) who have been in NZ working for the last year and are in OZ on holiday too.  We went on a trip into the mountains in their 4 wheeled drives Toyota, which was fun. We went for a lovely walk in the primeval virgin forest. We also saw a few dead wombats on the roadside which made a change from the many dead squashed possums on the road of NZ where they are considered pests.  We all headed inland to Canberra the capital of Australia.  Sightseeing covered the two houses of parliament, the war memorial, Art Gallery, Portrait Gallery and Museum as well as the Mint and a drive through the consular district with its distinctive houses reflecting the nationalities it represents.  We spent a day at the Manuka Oval watching an Invitation II play India and headed on down through the Tidbinbilla Reserve where we saw Emus and Kangaroos and a Lyre bird. 

 

22nd December 2007 Horsfield Bay, Woy Woy, Australia

 We are with Eric and Jacqui who have now moved into their new house around the corner from their old house.  A trip to the Sydney Opera House for the Christmas Special was a wonderful way to start the festivities  which ended with a spectacular night on Garden Island, part of Australia’s Naval base to watch the New Years eve fireworks.  We had the best view in town of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and  joined the rest of Australia to see the new year in.  A very kind friend of Eric and Jacqui’s let us stay in his apartment for the night.  Then it was off in the third of our campervans to explore South East Australia.

 

23rd  November 2007 South Island New Zealand

 

 We arrived in Wellington for two nights which gave us an opportunity to see the amazing Te Papa museum  , the Botanic Gardens and a ride in the little cable car.  We then took the ferry across the Cook Straits to catch the train down to Christchurch.  It runs along the coast for most of the way but we could see vineyards and there are also salt ponds.  Again there was an open viewing carriage for us to use and we arrived in Christchurh in the late afternoon.  Our second camper van was not available until the Friday so we had a few days just to relax in the very modern Hotel So which I think is modelled on the idea of the Japanese sleep pods.  It is a new very modern hotel in the heart of the city.  So it was more museums gardens and strolls round the shops.  Once we got our van we headed for Arthur’s Pass.  The Scenery had changed and we felt we could have been in Scotland with the gorse and rugged mountain sides.  We spent the first night by the side of a lake  on a fisherman’s track free camping, as they say, on the way down to Greymouth.  We drove north a little way to see the Pancake Rocks  and then headed south for the Glaciers.  We saw both the Franz Josef and Fox Glacier but the weather was a little disappointing with dark cloudy skies and some rain though it did brighten a bit.  We saw many lakes including Lake Hawea where Tom went fishing.  He caught one small trout which he replaced only to find that that is what they take, no wonder there are so few fish these days.  Lake Wanaka was beautiful and we did a wonderful climb past the small diamond lake to view Mount Aspiring.  Again a swim in Lake Wanaka was most refreshing. We drove on south to Queens Town and on to Te Anau were we waited for a couple of days in the pouring rain.  We wanted to go up to Milford Sound but the weather never eased and in the end we gave it a miss.  We had tried possum meat pies on the way down and here we found some good venison pies.  Deer fill the fields nearly as much as sheep and cows.  The density of animals is amazing but the grass just grows as there is so much rain. 

 

We drove to the Otago peninsula stopping to look at Dinosaur trees and a petrified forest on the shore line.  These are fossilised trunks which look like rocks. Through Dunedin and on to the Otago Penninsula which has the only mainland Albatross nesting ground in the world along with a disappearing gun built to fend off invaders which never came and we were able to view the southern Royal Albatross nesting and flying which was definitely a highlight.  Then on to Omaru home to the yellow eyed penguins found nowhere else in the world and the smaller tiny blue penguins.  The yellow eyed ones came ashore singly and manage to climb incredible cliffs to their nests.  On the other hand the smaller blue ones all come ashore together in rafts of 50 to 60 at dusk.  We watched them land and return to their waiting chicks after being at sea all day.  From there we went up through the hills to Lake Benmore en route for Mount Cook.  The clouds descended and the rain covered the mountains so no view was to be had and we had to make do with a video.  On then to Lake Tekapo, with its stunning blue colour and fields of lupins.  We visited the observatory at Mount John where there is a satellite tracking station and also the small ecumenical church of the Good Shepherd on the lake.  There is a statue to a dog called Friday which belonged to an infamous sheep rustler.  After nearly three weeks we headed back to Christchurch to catch our flight back to Sydney.  There was a lovely carol concert in the Cathedral  which put us very much in the mood for Christmas.

 

2nd November 2008  North Island New Zealand

 

After Hauling out of the water into the yard on 2nd November  we drove down to Sydney via Coffs Harbour and joined our friends Eric and Jacqui Henry in Horsfield Bay just 30 miles north of Sydney. We visited the wildlife park nearby to see the wombats, roos, tasmanian devils, echidna and other indigenous creatures we hoped to see later in the wild.  After the weekend   seeing the city and the museum, we flew to North Island New Zealand. We spent a couple of days exploring Auckland and then hired the first of our camper vans and headed north to the Bay of Islands.  The Museum in Auckland provided us with Maori Dance and insights into the culture of the Islands.  A trip up the Sky Tower gave us a wonderful view of the Bay but Tom did not think $195 was enough to make him do the bunghy jump   Wangarai and Opua are two of the ports much frequented by other pacific crossers so it was interesting to see where they all were.  We went to Waitangi where the treaty was signed with the Maoris.  We took a trip around the famous Bay of Islands where the boat squeezed through a hole in the rock which looked far to small and then headed back through Auckland to Lake Rotorua.  The famous pink and white terraces are long gone but the town remains.    We explored the geysers (they drop soap down the hole of one to make it blow for the tourists daily) and the mud baths and took the walk through the lunar landscape with its lovely different coloured pools.  We visited the Victorian Spa baths which are now the museum. There are some amazing rivers and falls too which are part of the Hydro power system which were well worth a look. We also took the opportunity to visit a breeding centre for the elusive nocturnal Kiwis.  A lovely campsite on the Blue Lake nearby was very peaceful and I was able to swim and then we headed for Lake Taupo where we did some free camping on the edge of the lovely lake. Again the swimming was wonderful and Tom and I enjoyed an amazing sunset.  We returned to Auckland to drop off the van and catch the Trans Scenic Train to Wellington, the capital of NZ.

The train was fabulous with a large viewing section in the rear carriage in which we were seated.  The mountain views and Volcanoes topped with snow combined with many viaducts and a very complicated spiral rail track to get us up the mountain provided us with spectacular views. A lovely relaxing journey and Tom was able to enjoy not driving.

 

21 October 2007 Scarborough Marina

 

 

We have been 2 weeks in the marina and during that time we have had a major service of the engine and had the rigging tuned. Lots of small jobs have been done but we have also managed to go to the cinema 3 times. The last occasion was free after I one tickets for the cinema from a free newssheet. The editor kindly drove us back after the private showing of “A Mighty Heart” and a couple of days later he offered us the use of his old Honda car so now we have wheels, We also have free WiFI on board. Nicolette is taking advantage of the free very large outdoor swimming pool and we had a great time at the seafood festival held just outside the marina. Jacarandas were in full bloom in Brisbane when we went there last week, it is a modern and very vibrant city. The surrounds of Scarborough are lovely with lots of parks within  which there are numerous free electric bar- b- ques

 

26 Sept 2007 Manly to Scarborough Marina, Moreton Bay, Queensland                                  20nm

 

 

                The next morning we had a leisurely motor up to Scarborough marina were the boat will stay until we leave for Darwin next May.   

 

25 Sept 2007 New Caledonia to Manly nr Brisbane Australia                                                   768nm

                I had spent some time trying to choose a good time to leave NC. At this time of year there is always the chance of a low pressure system running up the coast from the Tasman Sea. If this happens then you can expect 50 plus of wind and very big seas. More than one yacht has been lost in these conditions We Left at 1030 after clearing customs and immigration with a well established high pressure system off the coast  by Brisbane. We sailed for the first 24 hours then the wind died completely (which I had half expected) Over the next 5 days we motored, sailed and motorsailed. By the 30 Sept the winds had got up to 28kts but we were close hauled and bucking an adverse current. We arrived at Many Harbour Marina at 1200 on 1 Oct 2007.  ^ hours previous to that as we were entering the NE passage –which is a shallow water approach to Moreton Bay – a saw a humpback whale only 20m ahead of us , his tail clearly out of the water coming straight for us. We were in 4m of water and I was concerned that he might hit us. In the event he went under us, I could see him very clearly as he passed down and beneath our starboard side. Imagine my surprise when 2 humpbacks surfaced only 15m behind us. The other must have passed underneath and on our port side.  Customs, Immigration and Quarantine came aboard  and gave us clearance to enter the country. The quarantine officer took away some whole cloves, whole allspice, popping corn and mayonnaise (containing more than 10% egg) He would have confiscated any fresh meat of fruit or vegetables had we had any.

 

 

17 Sept 2007 We to Noumea, New Caledonia                                                                          140nm

                We left at 10.30 in order to make the Havaannah passage (south of New Caledonia) at slack water. The wind was very variable so we had to motorsail for much of the time. Once clear of Havannah the wind died and we motored up to Noumea and to the marina at Port Moselle arriving at 1400 on 18 Sept. Noumea is a modern city and very French and a worls apart from the life and culture of Tanna. We visited a couple of museaums, had a disappointing meal out but enjoyed a local festival and music in the park.

 

11 Sept 2007 Tanna to We, Lifou, Loyalty Islands                                                                  160nm

                We took up the anchor at 0600 and sailed with a reef in the main and genny. The winds were 25kts with an uncomfortable sea. We arrived at We at 0815 on 12 Sept. There is a small marina there which we enjoyed but little else to commend We.

 

3 September Port Resolution, Tanna, Vanuatu

                We were immediately taken by this lovely island. There was a village close by ; all the huts being made from  logs for the structure. Plaited palm leaves for the roofs and woven palm leaves for the sides. The villagers were most welcoming and we were able to barter for food, a meal on the beach and for a truck ride to the volcano. I had seen the bright red glow of the volcano the night before we arrived. We took a truck to a point only 150m from the caldera (in exchange for 10litres of diesel) and were able to look into the crater. Unfortunately there was no wind that night so the dense smoke obscured our view but we could hear the lava bubbling and occasionally erupting above us. We took another truck to Lenekal to check in and the route took us round the bleak base of the volcano. On the way back we stopped to witness the start of a circumcision ceremony. Boys aged between 4 and 15  are circumcised without any anaesthetic using a sliver of bamboo. Afterwards they are kept in isolation for 3 weeks and then the ceremony is held. There was a feast of food, fresh cooked pork ( and pigs waiting to be slaughtered) and lap lap which is cassava and meat wrapped in palm leaves and cooked in the ground for many hours. It was similar in appearance and texture to brawn

                We had 2 lovely meals on the beach with white sand, palm trees and a beautiful blue sea surrounding us. (some cutlery paid for one of the meals) and watched the men of the village try, unsuccessfully, to catch a wild boar using only bows and arrows, catapults and spears.

                The only problem we had was occurred early one morning when  the wind suddenly rose to something over 40kts and we dragged about 200m to a point uncomfortably close to a reef. We reset the anchor and had no further incidents.

 

30 August 2007 Musket Cove to Tanna, Vanuatu                                                                     550nm

                We left at 0830 and after 2 hours we were in 25-30kts winds with the seas building. Given that Tanna  is open  to any wind from the Eat we decided to make course for Port Vila.  For the next 2 days we had rough seas and winds well over 30 kts with occasional gust over 40.  However  early on 2 Sept the winds eased and moved round to the South so we decided to make for Tanna arriving there at 0800 on 3^rd September.

 

27 August 2007 Vunda Point to Musket Cove via Lautoka                                                       22nm

                We first cleared out in Lautoka and then sailed down to Musket Cove arriving at 1500. After anchoring in 15m  we were offered a mooring which we took. The resort offers free bar-b-que facilities to the yachts which we took advantage of and of the swimming pool.  We also became life members of  the Musket Cove Yacht Club.

 

24 August Waya to Vunda Point                                                                                                              35nm

                We left at 080 and arrived at 1430. Vunda point is a marina and  made a pleasant change and cost very little for the 3 days we were there. We were able to take on fresh water and top up the fuel and Nicolette spent a long time cleaning the topsides and the stainless steel.

 

16 August 2007 Suva to Lautoku Fiji                                                                                        100nm

                We left at 1300 with a reefed main and genny. The wind was soon up to 34kts which is gale force 8 but with it being abaft and with easy seas we had a very pleasnt sail.. Once we were in the shelter of the island the wind died and we motored for the last few hours. The land around Lautoka is very brown compared to Suva. They have little rain there whereas we seemed to be under a rain cloud most of our time in Suva. We dropped anchor at 1015 and went ashore to do our clearance in. The next day we sailed up to Waya and the Octopus resort (32nm). What a find. The resort welcomes yachts and allowed us free rein of all the  facilities. Eating out there was very reasonable and we took advantage of the walking tours up the hills and to the local village. The Fijians like Kava and the men will drink it most evenings if it’s available and it is customary to take Kave with you to present to village chief. We were invited to a Kava ceremony and I was elected chief of the visitors so whilst the rest of our group toured the village I had to stay and talk ( and drink Kava) it was a memorable experience. Nicolette went on a night snorkel and also went diving. The coral reef by the beach was excellent and in very good condition and so there were lots of reef fish to see.

 

5 August 2007 Fiji to Tonga                                                                                                    435nm

                We left at 0900 and for 3 days we had a most glorious sail with the big genoa poled out and the main out on the other side. Even with an adverse current we were averaging nearly 5kts. On the last day the wind got up to 28kts and backed to the south so we reefed down and continued to sail well. We arrived at Suva at 0900 on 9 July and anchored in 3m . Suva reminded Nicolette of Durban and there seemed to be more Indians than Fijians in the town which was very busy and vibrant. We went to the cinema 3 times and to a lovely rainforest and the museum. We also ate out a number of times and had some wonderful curries.

 

22 July Tonga

                Neifu lies by a lagoon which is some 7 miles from the open sea. Tonga is made up of three distinct island groups and we were in the northerly one. The town is lovely and everyone dresses traditionally with the men in long skirts and the women in skirts with bamboo wrappings. We sailed at the weekend (24^th) to Port Muella which is only 10 miles or so from Neifu and enjoyed seing more humpback whales. We went to a number of other anchorages over the next 2 weeks or so and also had a wonderful lobster meal one evening at Neifu.  Shortly before leaving for Fiji we were told that Nicolette’s brother,Gremmy , had had a serious climbing accident and had suffered severe head injuries. ( he made a good recovery and by 19 October was back at home  still undergoing therapy but improving) We also were told that my grandson, Jakaira had fallen from a tree and had a ruptured spleen ( by 19 October he was doing well but had not returned to school because of the danger of suffering a hard knock)

 

19 July 2007 Niue to Tonga                                                                                                     260nms

                We left at 0900 with light airs which built during the night and we made good speed with reefs in the main and genoa. The next day the winds eased as did the seasand we had a glorious sail with our friends on “Flight” within sight. We arrived at Neiafu at 0900 on 22 July. Note that there was no 21 July since we crossed the (artificial ) date line en route.

 

12 July Alofi, Niue

                The island of Niue is primarily of limestone and has no rivers running into the sea or any outflow of water from the land. As a result the waters round the island are the clearest in the world and one can easily see the bottom in 40m . Niue is also a breeding ground for the Humpback whales and whilst e were there we saw a number of them at close range actually swimming through the anchorage. The anchorage itself in also of interst. It’s not usual to anchor because of the depths but the Niue Yacht club have laid 40 excellent moorings. Going ashore is an adventure as well since there is no place to moor the dinghy. On arrival at the wharf it’s a case of everyone jum ping ashore leaving one person to hook the dinghy up to the hook of the crane and then after vacating the dinghy it is hoisted ashore. Except on our arrival the seas were so bad that we couldn’t get ashore and we were hoisted up with the dinghy!!.

                Niue Yacht club is the focal point with wifi and good company. The members, none of whom have a yacht, do everything possible to make life easy and feried us around wherever we wanted to go. The anchorage can be untenable in a Northerly which we had on arrival but and it was very rolly but improved the next day.

 

7 July  Raratonga to Niue                                                                                                         586nm

                We left at 8 in the morning  with all sails up to make the best of the light SE winds but by 1415 the winds haddied completely and we had to switch the engine on. The wind came up early the next morning an we continued close hauled with 10- 15kts.  The wind was variable for the next 2 days and came form most directions and at various strengths but by 10 July we had 30kts plus and were reefed down with rough seas. The wins eased a bit the next day b ut we were close hauled and not makinig our course.  We arrived at Alofi  at 080 12 July.

 

1 July Raratonga.

                We are anchored med style stern to the quay as we did in Papeete. On the 29 th we had a walk round the town and found ourselves in an exhibition of locally made bedspreads. After talking with some of the ladies we were invited to the Kai Kai which means eat eat. The next day we joined them at the Kai Kai and had a vast assortment of  foods. We tried most of them including many which  were totally unknown to us. Octopus, pork , chicken cooked a dozen different ways, fermented coconut milk, lots of unknown vegetables. We were given a plate made from a leaf and half a coconut shell , no utensils only fingers to tear away a piece of pork or octopus tentacle. It was a lovely experience especially since we were made so welcome and I was asked repeatedly if I had had enough to eat. The Cook Islanders are quite large so they probably thought I needed fattening up. One other surprise, we can buy malt vinegar here which we have not seen since Gibraltar. There are fish and chips shops and we shared a single fish and chips (lots of vinegar too) and which was more than we could manage.

 

23 Jun Bora Bora to Raratonga, Cook Islands                                                                           535nm

                The weather forecast indicated that if we didn’t leave straight away for Raratonga then we would be stuck in Bora Bora for another week. The forecast proved to only partially correct. We left at 1130 and for the first 24 hours we had rough seas and it was very rolly but we had expected this to be the case. However we made good progress making nearly 130nm in the first 24 hrs. The sailing conditions improved and it was very pleasant until wee were suddenly hit by a squall which had winds peaking to over 40kts. I managed to get a wrap in the genoa in my haste to douse the sails but also got the mizzen down without any damage. After the squall had gone through I was a

ble to unwrap the genoa. Nicolette slept through it all and only woke up as I had got everything sorted out. We then had lots of rain squalls but none with excessive winds in them but it did mean we sailed with reduced sail. By the 26^th we had good sailing conditions again with the wind backing to the North. This continued until dusk on 27^th when the wind strength increased to I put in a precautionary reef in the main. By 0500 on 28^th the wind was up to 30+ kts and was from the SW (the direction we were going in) We were unable to make any headway so we motored the remaining 90nms to Raratonga which took us over 24 hours. 2 boats only 50nm behind us were unable to motor into the seas and wind and arrived 36 hours after us. Katanne proved again to be very seaworthy when motoring into 16ft seas. Nevertheless we were very pleased to reach a safe haven and to do so without damage to the boat. The forecast weather was a predicted except the SW winds arrived  more than 24 hours before forecast.  4 days later the winds are still blowing from the SW.

 

19 June 2007 Raiatea to Boar Bora                                                                                          21nm

                We had a lovely sail arriving at 1530 and anchoring off Bloody Mary’s . It was very windy there but on 20^th I decided to take a free mooring. Unfortunately our mooring line broke in the night – I had however put on the anchor alarm  and so we were alerted immediately and I was able to clear  the reef area and set the anchor. The anchor alarm is part of the GPS and records a specific position. If the boat moves more than .02 or .03 nm from this position then  the alarm goes off. The incident was all of my making because I invariably put out 2 anchor lines and for some unknown reason didn’t do so on this occasion. The Boara Bora festival started on 22^nd and we watched some really fabulous dancing. There were 2 troupes each of about 60 dancers. They were both traditional with lots of hip wiggling and grass skirts but the second troupe were especially good and so well co-ordinated. We were thinking of moving to a less squally anchorage but the forecast winds were such that we decided to make an early departure for Raratonga     

 

12 June 2007 Mo’orea to Raiatea                                                                                                            200nm

                We left at 0900 and had a lovely if somewhat slow sail with clear skies overnight. We arrived on 14^th at 1300 to discover that the cutlass bearing Had arrived!!

                There isn’t much to do in Raiatea so we were pleased when we were able to haul out the boat at 1400 on 18^tth. I removed the max prop and rope cutter and had some help with the cutlass bearing. The old one came out easily and we had no trouble putting in the new one. Putting back the max prop took the longest time but I was pleased to note that all the cogs and gears were in good condition.  I also serviced and put back the rope cutter and managed to finish just as the sun was setting at 6pm. We were back in the water  by 0900 and went straight off to Bora Bora.

 

11 June 2007

                Still in Mo’rea and having a wonderful time but we may leave tomorrow. We had an impromptu bar-b-que with six or seven other boats and there were 11 nationalities represented. We also went to swim with the sting rays and sharks and that was awesome. There are some fabulous photos of the rays and sharks in the picture gallery. We enjoyed a kilo of locally farmed fresh (live when we bought them) prawns and also had an evening out at the nearby Sheraton resort where we watched a local traditional dance group. Mo’orea is one of our favourite spots and we’ll will be a bit sad to leave it but the fitting of the cutlass bearing has to be the priority.

 

31 May 2007                                                                                                                            18nm

                We motored out of Papeete very gently at 1000 hrs and picked up a light wind which took us to the entrance of Opunohu bay which is where Captain Cook actually anchored and not in Cook’s bay which is just to the East. Arriving at 1430 hrs we anchored in 14m but a day or 2 later moved to a better anchorage in 6m. The water is remarkably clear and the snorkelling very good. In the morning when it is flat calm you can clearly see puffer fish around the anchor chain and even an eagle ray swimming by. The land surrounding the bay is volcanic and there are massive pinnacles of rock at the head of the bay. It has to be one of the scenic bays we’ve anchored. We took a scooter round the island and saw a number of marea (sacrificial altars) and an unparalleled view of the 2 bays from Belvedere view point.

 

 

23 May 2007 Rangiroa to Papeete Tahiti                                                                                                194nm

                Fortunately we had plenty of wind for this overnight sail, in fact we had too much and spent the last 8 hours reducing sail to slow down and make a day time arrival. We had lots of rain showers and distance lightning and very variable winds. Altogether it was a frustrating sail not helped when the autopilot decided to shut down. Recycling it brought in back in short time. We moored “med” style at the town quay in Papeete arriving there 0930 hrs. “med style” means putting down an anchor then reversing to the quay and securing the stern to it. Our first attempt failed because our anchor had snagged on a very large chain but which allowed the anchor to drag. Papeete was wonderful.  We soon got used to the traffic close by which was virtually non existent in the night. Nicolette was able to hop ashore whenever she felt like it and go window shopping at her leisure. Lots of fresh water and shore power was a luxury we had not enjoyed for months. We could eat out where a number of food wagons set up each evening 300m away or get a take away from the market. Fish and Chips in a baguette for instance!! Together with Flight we hired a car and toured the island and in the process picked and bought loads of  pamplemousse from a roadside house.

 

8 May Ua Poa to Rangiroa – Tuamotos                                                                                   550nm

                A 5 day sail with little or no wind for much of the time. We used the spinnaker whenever we could but at night we had to be cautious because of the numerous rain showers and squalls. A few hours before our arrival at Rangiroa   there was a heavy noise and vibrations from the prop shaft. I thought it might be the rope cutter but we were thereafter very cautious using the engine.

We anchored in 12 m arriving on 13 May at 1500 hours which had been timed to go through the pass into the lagoon at slack water. Currents of up to 9 kts can be experienced if attempting to enter at the wrong time. The noise was caused by the inner sleeve of the cutlass bearing becoming detached. With help we were able to get about 2 inches of it back into the bearing and then Nicolette secured a jubilee clip just forward of it to stop it coming out again. We decided to haul out at Raiatea which would give us plenty of time to get a new bearing. “Flight” arrived shortly after us and together we went on a dinghy drift through the pass (3 times) which was good fun. In addition the snorkelling was excellent with black tipped sharks, rays and a plethora of different coral fish. We also had a lovely buffet at the Kia Ora hotel. Also went to a pearl farm and bought some beautiful black pearls. One for Nicolette and one each for Joanne and Kathryn, my daughters.

7 may 2007 Hakahetau to Hakamaii                                                                                        5nm

                A quick motor sail found us in a much better anchorage with no swell arriving at 0700. The anchorage is only big enough for 2 boats and is in an enclosed bay with a settlement at the head but no where to take the dinghy and go ashore.

 

6 May 2007 Nuka Hiva to Ua Pau – Baie d’Hakahetau                                                                            25nm

                We left at 10.00am and had a good close reaching sail with 15kts of wind and flat seas. Arriving at 15.00 we anchored in 12m. The bay is overlooked by spectacular rock formations but the anchorage was extremely rolly  and we had an uncomfortable night.

 

29Apr Tahuata to Nuka Hiva                                                                                   87nms

                A pleasant overnight sail broad reaching with somewhat rolly seas. We arrived in convoy with Double Dutch, Flight and Wombat of Sydney. Nuka Hiva is the main administrative centre for the Marquesas but like the other islands we’ve seen is very laid back. Nothing much seems to be going on and it’s difficult to know what everyone is doing. There are 2 or 3 reasonably well stocked shops but prices are very high and even local produce is not cheap with a grapefruit costing well over a dollar (and there well laden grapefruit trees everywhere.

                I was able to buy a new replacement display head for the depth sounder and arrange for a new hydraulic drive unit for the autopilot to be delivered to Papeete 

 

27 April Fatu Hiva to Tahuata                                                                                 42nms

                A good sail until in the lee of the islands when we were hit by 38 kts squalls. Anchored in baie Hanamoena which was one of Eric Hiscock's 3 most beautiful anchorages in Polynesia. It is very pretty and a bit like Saline Bay in Mayreaux in the Caribbean. We went with friends in their dinghy to a nearby bay and had a lunch of prawns at a local restaurant.

 

22 Apr 2007 Baie de Vierges Fatu Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia

                We arrived at daybreak after the worst 24hours of sailing of the whole crossing.  The depth sounder was not working but we have a portable one so we were able to take soundings.  The baie of Vierges means bay of virgins but it’s said that originally the “i” was missing from vierges so it translated as the bay of the phalli. It’s easy to see why with massive columns rising out of the cliffs. The anchorage is spectacular and apart from the williwaws (strong squalling gusts of wind) coming off the hills it was very comfortable and a great place to settle down and reflect on our passage. Of course we overdid it by walking up hill and down dale and then suffering with stiff limbs the next day. We arrived virtually in convoy with Flight and Paws which had left just the Galapagos just after us. Other friends turned up over the following days and Wombat of Sydney was already there having done the crossing in 17 days in his racy First 47.  We had no local money but Nicolette bartered with a t shirt and perfume for a whole stalk of bananas, grapefruit and mangos and a pareo (sarong) for herself. Mike off Wombat was took apart  the autopilot motor, cleaned it out and got it back to working condition.

 

 

29 Mar Galapagos to Fatu Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia                                  3000nms

                We were well prepared for this, our longest passage so far, but set off in light airs and had to motor sail until we were clear of the islands. Until the 5 April we had indifferent winds and for long periods no wind at all. We were also going through the ITCZ (used to be called the doldrums) which gave us cloudy skies and some rain. I decided to motor at the most fuel saving speed I could which meant we made about 4kts under motor. Although we motored for a total of 80 hours we only used 120 litres of fuel. When the wind came up we were able to put up the spinnaker and then as the wind increased the big genoa on the pole which was often furled in with increasing wins. We never experienced more that 25kts and for the most part the winds, when we had them were between 10 and 20kts.  On a long passage like this the individual days are forgotten there is only yesterday, today and tomorrow. Food becomes very important and Nicolette never ceased to amaze me with the variety of meals she produced. We ate very well on the trip and unlike the Atlantic crossing I lost very little weight.

Rather than give a day by day blow I have extracted some log entries:

9 Apr Fabulous 24 hrs clear skies reaching with 12kts. 6+ kts with current, later winds down to 10 kts spinnaker up making 5+ kts

11 Apr Third day of great sailing. 10 -12 kts on the beam good seas. Big genny working well

12 Apr Autopilot failed. Rigged up tiller pilot to drive hydrovane rudder. Had to reef main and lower mizzen to balance sails

17 Apr wind 18-20kts. Genny poled out with reefed main. Lost another big marlin but very exciting to watch. Adverse current of .7kt Watching porpoises when spinnaker pole brackets flew off. Used jubilee clips to effect a repair. Autopilot back on line Yippee!!

20 Apr autopilot failed again. Back to tiller pilot. Spinnaker down ad ref in main. Tiller pilot not working well, discovered bolt missing from securing bracket. Fixed it.

                We caught and lost a number of very big fish en route. Some broke the trace and other just straightened the hook. They were too big to land anyway but we enjoyed the spectacle as bystanders. We also had a great time watching a 20m whale which came so close it sprayed me and its breath was awful. We read 20 books on the crossing but maintained watches all the time. There was very little commercial traffic but with our autopilot problems we needed to keep a close eye on the sails and on the tiller pilot.

                I had decided that with the arrival of La Nina and stronger trade winds that we had no need to go to far south before taking the rhumb line to the Fatu Hiva. I therefore took the rhumb line at 100W and 5S whilst other went as far as 10S. This paid off because we kept the wind but didn’t get the very severe rolling conditions that the Southern boats suffered. We had it for the last 36 hours and it was really awful and tiring. Others had it for most of their crossing so we were thankful that we had such a smooth time of it. We had established a net on the HF SSB radios and checked in each morning. At the beginning there were only 5 of us but by the time we arrived there were some 24 boats on the net. It was very useful to hear where the others were, the speeds they were making, the course they were taking and the conditions they were experiencing. I think it was accepted by all that the route we took turned out to be the best. We made the crossing in 24 days which was very creditable. A40 ft catamaran took 22 days as did a Halberg Rassey 47 and a Nauticat 40 took 26 days.

 

 

 

13 – 29March 2007 in the Galapagos

                During our time here we visited the Darwin Research centre, Tortuga Bay, Los Greitos, Isla Bartholemew, Isla Floreana, Isla South Plaza, Isla Isabella and a bay tour in Puerto Ayora.

                These islands are special for a number of reasons. Charles Darwin went there and realized that he could easily see that the animals and birds had evolved over many years to suit particular circumstances. He wrote the evolution of the species which turned on its head all the thinking that had gone on before and of course it was very controversial. To think that man had evolved from other primates was too many, unthinkable. The Galapagos Islands are a long way from any other landmass and so the animals and birds had all got there somehow and then adapted to the islands. For example there are about 15 types of finch which have all evolved from a single type. One of them is called the carpenter finch because it picks up a stick in its beak and uses it to pry out the grubs in the bark of trees. Another finch has a very pronounced beak with which it can crack hard seeds and another has a way of cracking open shells.

 

The Tortoises on the islands are massive and live for 100s of years; it is the only place on earth were they are found. There were 100s of thousands of them until the first pirates and settlers came along. They killed the tortoises for food and took lots of them away on their ships because a tortoise can live for up to a year without food or water so the sailors had a supply of fresh meat for many months. Other predators like the rat and the goat and the cow and the wild pig have even the fire ants have done so much damage that the tortoises can no longer breed in the wild. The rats and fire ants eat the eggs and the goats and other trample on the nests. Fortunately in 1967 breeding centres were established on a number of the islands and even though there were only 15 tortoises on one island they are now doing very well. The eggs are collected as soon as they are laid and then taken to the breeding centre to incubate. The young tortoises are kept at the centre for 4 years and then released. There are differences between the tortoises from different islands some have flatter shells than others for example. We went to see the tortoises in the wild, they like to go to farming areas in the dry season to eat and that's were we saw them wallowing in mud baths if they found one or roaming around.

 

The penguins came from Peru and are very small only about 30cms high they have adapted to the climate but unfortunately couldn't adapt quickly enough to cope with the EL Nino weather which raised the water temperature so much in 1991 that many thousands died and there was no breeding for some years. We went to see a colony but they were nearly all away at sea. That colony is now only 800 strong when before 1991 it was many 1000s and after 1991 the population went down to less than 500

 

The iguanas are really special because they have evolved to create a separate species which is the marine iguana and can only be found in the Galapagos. The marine iguanas are black and this is because the rocks on the shore are volcanic and black so they are well camouflaged. They eat under water plants but also wander about on land as well. They, like the land iguana, obviously believe in their camouflage because when you approach them they just freeze and you can get within a couple of feet of them before they move. That makes them very easy to photograph and it almost as though they are posing. It's a strange thing about all the wildlife in the Galapagos but nothing is frightened by our presence. Birds will sit a few inches away, sea lions swim to you, tortoises just ignore you and the iguanas pose and the hummingbird moth will come to the boat to drink from a can of Pepsi.

 

I had a fabulous experience swimming with the sea lions, like everything else they are totally unafraid of us. One of them came right up to my mask and nudged it then swam away and then swam round me. We also went to see a colony of sea lions. They seem to have lovely time sunbathing for most of the day them slipping into the sea to catch a fish for dinner. They are warm blooded so don't spend too much time swimming around and when they do you often see them with a fin sticking out of the water. It gets warmed up by the sun and helps keep them warm. Sometimes they lie on their backs in the water with 2 fins in the air. The female sea lions can wander off and join another colony whenever they feel like it and there are some colonies which are called bachelor colonies. The alpha male can get very tired watching over all the females and babies so he takes time off too at a bachelor colony.  Sea lions are different to seals in that they have ears and they can use their back flippers to walk which a seal can't do. They are very common all over the islands and we saw them at most of the places we went to. They don't care where they sunbath so they are often found on the backs of boats or in a dinghy.

 

The blue footed booby is another very special bird unique to the Galapagos. They look quite comical with bright blue feet but of course those blue feet have a purpose. A bit like the peacock and its spreading tail the blue feet of the Booby are used to attract a mate. The bluer the feet the more healthy the bird and therefore the more likely to attract a mate. The colour of its feet comes from the food they eat just like the pink flamingos we saw which get their colour from the pink shrimps they eat.

 

7 Mar 2007 Las Perlas to Academy Bay Galapagos                                                  880nm

                We had light winds to begin with and then for the rest of the passage we had very little winds and motored for many days. On the 9 March I noticed that the revs were limited to 2000 and changed the fuel filter. When I restarted the engine the starter battery exploded. It was quite dramatic and of course happened at night. We removed the battery and dumped it and cleaned out all the acid from the battery box. I wired the starter to the service battery and we continued on our way.  That same night we had a lot of lightning around us and at one point we had to make a big diversion to the west to avoid 3 large cells that had developed on our track and only about 4 miles away.  We celebrated my first crossing of the equator on the evening of the 12 March with champagne and smoked oysters and anchored in Academy Bay at 0800 hours 13 March.

 

5 Mar 2007 Contadora to Isla San Jose                                                                    23nm

                Another lovely sail between the islands. We discovered on arrival that the downhaul and up haul brackets on the spinnaker pole had become detached. The area around the rivets holding them had become corroded. I put in oversize rivets which seemed to work (see Pacific crossing)       

 

4 Mar 2007 La Playita, Panama to Contadora, Las Perlas                                       38nm

                So good to be sailing again and we had a good reach using the big genoa, the seas were flat so we went very well even when the wind died. I lost Nicolette’s beloved rubber bucket overboard but fortunately she was able to dive for it and retrieve it.

 

 

 

16 Feb 2007 Transit of the Panama Canal                                                                               33nms

                After picking up our friends Martin, Ian and Murray who were to act a line handlers we had the pilot come aboard then rafted with 2 other yachts Melis and Amazing Grace. We were on the starboard side. The transit through the first 3 rising locks went without incident. The locks are over 1000ft long and not designed for small boats so the potential for accidents is very real. Line handlers on the lock side take in our big lines and secure them to bollards. The line handlers on the boats then take up the slack as the water rushes in. With a nest of 3 boats we only had the 2 starboard lines to look after. We spent the night on the lake moored to a big buoy and the pilot came aboard about 6.30am the next morning. Then it was a motor for 28nms across the lake to the down locks. This time one of the yachts tied to a passenger ferry and we tied to them whilst we were in the locks. It was quite a moment when the last lock opened and we entered the Pacific Ocean.  We anchored at Playita about 6 miles from the canal and from there went into Panama City a number of times. We enjoyed an evening at the carnival although we missed the procession and went to see a number of films. Panama City is very modern and the opposite of Colon, being clean and safe. I installed an in hull transducer for the depth sounder and bought a new navigational computer

 

13 Feb 2007 Colon.  

                As I write this update we are only 3 days from our transit through the Panama Canal. We have been busy making sure the boat is ship shape. Checking nav lights and an engine service together with a massive stocking of provisions. Colon is not a nice town, it’s very run down and walking around town is not recommended. It bears no comparison with Panama City which is very modern and clean. After our transit with Linger Longer we stayed overnight in Panama City and were able to go to the chandlers, buy a small DVD player and go to the cinema.

 

31 Jan 2006 Isla Lintone to Colon (Panama)

                A lazy 0900 departure with heavy rain and low cloud. We had to motor for a while whilst I unjammed the main halliard which had caught round the mast steps. Then a broad reach to the breakwater outside of Colon. We anchored on the flats (as the anchorage is called) but when we dinghied into the marina we were met by Willi and Gloria who had an outside slip. After negotiating with the dock master we tied up alongside Linger Longer and when they left 3 days later we took their slip.  Very good because the holding on the flats is notoriously bad and a few days later a number of boats dragged with only moderate winds. We transited with Linger Longer acting as line handlers which was good fun and was a good experience prior to our own transit.