SV MOOSE - Cruising the world
 "Lovely it is, when the winds are stirring up the waves on the sea, to gaze out from the land on the great efforts of someone else." (Lucretius)
Hi, we're Duncan & Irene. I come from New Brunswick, Canada and Irene is from Groningen in northern Holland. We met when we were living in Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles and got the boat bug there. For the last ten years we've been sailing "Moose", our 39' cutter around the world. Right now we're in Richards Bay, South Africa and having a great time. We bought a 4x4 and are visiting game reserves at every opportunity. Driving a car in South Africa is a bit of an extreme experience. Out on the national highways speed limits reach 120 kmph, which is not a problem in itself, the roads are generally up to it. The problems involve free-range cattle, wandering-socializing natives and the super-sonic Toyota buses. These are surmountable issues, although the reflexes of a F-16 pilot would be useful. Helpfully, the South African driver is at heart a courteous driver; he will partially pull over onto the ample shoulder if you approach from behind at speed, thus allowing you a fair chance to pass,. But since you will still need a bit more room it must come from the lane of the opposing traffic, and again this is no real problem since they will generally yield some space near the white line by moving over onto their shoulder. When the pass is successfully completed the driver of the overtaking car will flash his four-way lights in thanks. Congregations of natives and migrating cows keep a driver on his toes in rural stretches and the possibility of a four-abreast pass is always exciting. But my favorite is the triple pass executed on a single side of the road...while you are overtaking a dawdler, someone flies by on the outside, generally with the bass of the sound system whumping out house music! We're back on the boat now after a 7000 km tour of the country; it was fine but I've started gnashing my teeth in my sleep! On a much calmer level, we've taken many of our sailing experiences from the early years and spun them into a book; "Never a Dull Moment" is the title and it's out now! If you're keen on going cruising it will be very helpful. And if you're sailing now, I think it will have you laughing a lot! 
So, welcome and please check out the stories, movies and photos Send us a mail! svmoose@gmail.com Have a look at more pictures and movies at Cruisingworld Have a look at our story on the Great Barrier reef in Australia.....(you can find it in Our Diary) Called: From Bundy to Darwin, 2000 miles of busy navigating! While we were there we made a dive; it was impressive to have those big potatoe cods touching you; we were amazed by the variety of Great Barrier Reef diving tours that were available The Cruising Yacht SiteRing |
Our latest 5 diary entries
| 28th Jun 2010 | ||||
| Raccoon Hollow (Irene) | ||||
| We have been traveling, but not with Moose......We went to Holland (where we had a familyday), stayed there a bit longer because the volcano in Iceland had a fit and then we flew to Canada, where we bought a hous... | ||||
|
218 Words | 162 Reads |  | Read more | |
| 5th Mar 2010 | ||||
| Travels with Connie in South Africa (Duncan) | ||||
| Irene and I have just returned from a 7000 km road trip around South Africa; and I have no notion where to begin recounting the experience. We met many interesting and hospitable people and saw an equal number of la... | ||||
|
|
1531 Words | 250 Reads | | Read more | |
| 5th Mar 2010 | ||||
| Zeven weken en zevenduizend km door Zuid Afrika....(Irene) | ||||
| ....Met Connie, de auto. Moose is achtergebleven in Richards Bay. We hebben de zittingen achter in de auto eruit gehaald en er een matras ingelegd; al het eten, reserve onderdelen, kleren etc. liggen netjes onder... | ||||
|
|
1607 Words | 71 Reads | | Read more | |
| 12th Dec 2009 | ||||
| South Africa and Swaziland (Irene) | ||||
| Well, what can I say, the photos speak for themselves....We have bought a car and are traveling a bit here and there to see the countries. At the moment we are quite focussed on game as you can see, but I'm sure ... | ||||
|
|
132 Words | 249 Reads | | Read more | |
| 18th Sep 2009 | ||||
| Mozambique (Duncan) | ||||
| Moose made landfall at Ilha de Mozambique, an ancient island city built just offshore with the clear intention of protection. The Portuguese took over the island in the early 1500’s and the co... | ||||
|
|
1755 Words | 186 Reads | | Read more | |
