Time to get Moonraker prepared for crossing the Atlantic into the Caribbean for Xmas. Many jobs to do in addition to the usual anti fouling etc. rigging needs to be inspected, life raft serviced and the dinghy needs some work doing to find that elusive leak !!
Just been dropped off at the airport to fly out back to the boat. Plan to get the boat back in the water on Fri 4th Apr after polishing the hull and applying some antifouling. Hopefully the life raft has been serviced while we have been away over the winter. Matt arrives on Thurs to help launch Moonraker. Once in the water, I do need to get the repairs to the fridge done before we sail for the Carinish Canal
Managed to get the boat in the water without too much hassle. Matt arrived and we set sail on Sunday to get to Agina where we moored overnight. We met the Welshman Chris who we met last year. He was very interesting and helpful regarding our up and coming Atlantic and Pacific crossing having sail to most of the islands and then on to New Zealand. We departed Agina after an early start sorting out a dragged anchor during a thunderstorm associated with a deluge of rain. Unfortunately the wind died and we motored all the way on to and through the Corinth Canal to mooralongside in Corinth Harbour for the night.
The last four days have been a bit of a battle upwind to get under the bridge at Rion joining the mainland with the Pelopenese peninsula. Due to the wind on the nose we had an early start today at 6am to motor up under the suspension bridge. We moved on to Mesolongion to moor alongside the commercial quay. The locals were having a parade to celebrate a long remembered attle with the Turks. We plan to move on tomorrow to Ithica and then on to Cephelonia and then Zante to drop Matt off at the Airport on 17th Apr 14. The next crew arrive in Cephelonia on Sat 19th Apr 14, so I have a few days to myself.
End of phase one bringing the boat through the Corinth Canal to the Northern Ionian. 290 miles of windless or upwind sailing days. Off to Cepheplonia tomorrow to pick up Carl & Lewis who will help crew the boat to Catania on Sicily.
A great days sail today. Left the northern tip of Zante late morning to find that yet again the wind was on the nose again. I initially reefed the main with staysail due to some heavy winds associated with rain showers, but later a steady 15 to 20kn wind allowed a great beat to windward with full sails. I really enjoyed sailing on my own but tacking upwind was challenging for one person. Arrived at 4pm and have managed to moor alongside the Town Quay. A few jobs to do tomorrow before Carl & Lewis arrive to help me sail onto to Sicily.
Great downwind sail to Ithica where we anchored in Skinos Bay. Walked over to Vathi where had a sundowners beer and evening stroll back to the boat. Great Chilli made by Lewis
Just arrived in Preveza in Greece as our last stop before sailing over to the foot /toe of Italy tomorrow. Disappointed at how far I have to walk to the bar !!
Just covered 215 miles overnight from Preveza. We sailed through a low pressure system and had the benefit of strong winds, but they were associated with considerable seas giving us a wet experience. We now need to get down the foot of Italy and cross overt o Catania on Sicily.
We ended up doing another overnight sail from Italy to Sicily arriving at 7am in Ognina Fiishing Harbour. What a contrast to the previous overnight sail which was very testing. Forcing us to stay an extra day in La Castella Italy to put the boat back together again. Saw a shark swimming quite close to the boat and some dolphins playing around some distance from us. The arrival on Sicily was breathtaking with first light revealing Mount Etna still clad in winter snow except for a few new larva streaks. I will be sailing on my own to Syracruse tomorrow to pick up Laurie, Sandra, Liz & Sue for the next leg to Naples.
A very pleasant sail from Catania to Syracruse on my own. Anchored in the bay and went ashore to try and refill my American gas bottles. The shop that I managed to get service from two years ago has now gone out of business and no longer trades, so I have a bit of a problem. I will have to ask around to see if anyone else will fill my canisters. The problem is that it is illegal in the EU to fill the type of bottles that I have so I will have to go underground.
Hi from Laurie, now back on the boat. Chris now has an all girl crew as we are joined by Sandra, Liz and Sue. We are sailing up the east coast oF Sicily in warm sunshine though the evenings are cool. The imposing snow capped Mount Etna is clearly visible. Currently in Catania we are heading up to the straits of Messina to mainland Italy via the Aeolian Islands.
The girls enjoyed the busy market in Syracruse and stocked up the boat, along with some fresh sea bream for the BBQ tonight. Got away for an afternoon sail up to anchor in a bay near Augusta. Great meal !!!
We had great sail up the coast to Taormina Bay to anchor overnight. Great views and surroundings but turned out to be.a bit lumpy overnight desire using the kedge anchor.
Arrived at the Island of Vulcano to anchor in the bay just before it went dark the main volcano was smoking away with a good whiff of sulphur. Decided to have a rest day and hire a mimi moke to explore the island. Went in to the hot spring mud bath promising to take ten years of me. It didn't work and I came out with red & painful eyes which only settled when an old Italian lady squeezed lemon directly in to both eyes. I realised the meaning of making your eyes water.
We left the Island of Paneria in the evening to sail past Stromboli in the dark and then across to mainland Italy. Stromboli was very active giving a spectacular show of hot larva being shot up in the air every 15 mins or so. Unfortunately it was difficult to photograph with our level of skill. We then headed across overnight to Acciaroli where we arrived late afternoon.
Stunning views as we approached the Amalfi coast of Italy. We have moored in the harbour surrounded by sheer mountains with buildings precariously perched on any flat ledge. Going to have the next morning ashore and then head over to Capri
We arrived in Capri early evening yesterday and compared to Amalfi it wasn't as impressive view from the boat. The girls have all gone ashore to explore this morning leaving me to try and mend a coolant leak in the engine. The plan is to sail around to the blue grotto at lunchtime and then sail across the bay to Naples to find a suitable anchorage within reach of the airport.
Moved across the Bay of Naples to anchor off Nisidia. Hiring a car for two days to visit Pompeii and do all the airport transfers. Sandra goes home and Sarah arrives tomorrow, Liz & Sue go home on Thurs.
Weather not particularly good which has disappointed Sarah. We have finally moved away from Naples after 3 days at anchor. Plan is to sail north to the Pontine Islands and then on to Rome in 3 or 4 days time.
Great downwind sail from Ventotene to Ponza in the Pontine Islands. anchored in a fantastic little bay sheltered from the winds which are forecast to increase overnight. On our way to Rome tomorrow a 60 mile sail, so we will be starting early.
Early start this morning to get up the coast towards Rome. Found a spare mooring buoy in Anzio harbour which should be OK for us to leave the boat whilst visiting Rome for the day tomorrow.
Great train service in to Rome from Anzio. We saw most of the main sites using the hop on hop off bus service. Memorable day !! We are off for an overnight sail to get us up to the island of Elba to chill out for a few days
We have finally arrived on Elba after a short stop over on Isola Del Giglio. Intend to have a couple of chill out days before Sarah goes home next week from Pisa.
Said goodbye to Sarah this morning in Pisa after a lovely day sightseeing followed by a meal in a unique trattoria. Spent a few days on Elba impressed with the island well worth a visit,
Now on our own for 5 weeks, off to sail to Corsica tomorrow and explore a French Isle,
Currently anchored off Marina D Campo on Elba where we are going to stay for a few days and join the festivities to celebrate the 200 year anniversary of Napoleons excile to the island. Plan to cross over to Corsica on Sunday. Spent a day exploring the island on a scooter,
We have found paradise!!! The bottom end of Corsica is really impressive with lots of bays and islands to anchor off. We are intending to go to the Maddelena Islands tomorrow after a recommendation from a British couple we met.
Moved across to La Maddelena Islands via a stop off for lunch at Isle Lavezzi where we managed to anchor right in the middle of three huge day trip boats. The island was stunning, made up of big odd shaped boulders and sandy beaches. We then moved over to anchor in a bay on La Maddalena near the main town
Hi we are now moving up the west cost of Corsica and the weather is really hot now in the 30's each day, Corsica has been a surprise very mountainous and stunning at times with lovely sandy beaches,
Today we are in Ajaccio which is the capital of Corsica and also Napoleons birthplace.
We have moved up to Girolata to a really unique little natural harbour. Moored for and aft on mooring buoys to keep the nose of the boat into the weather. We were in for a number of days of strong winds, spectacular thunderstorms and rain. The mountains were very moody. We planned to sail across to mainland France on 16th June 14 but the weather was against us and we would have had a very uncomfortable crossing. Decided to go further north to Calvin for a days R. & R before crossing on the 19th June.
We have a great time around the coast of Corsica but it is now time to head for the French Riviera. We have moored in the Marina at Calvi for some R & R before a night sail across to The south of France tomorrow.
Finally left Corsica and had great overnight sail across to mainland France. We arrived off Cannes at daybreak and anchored off to catch up with some sleep before moving up the coast to St Tropez. Aim to go in to St Tropez tomorrow and watch the England v All Blacks game.
Moved up the coast ready to sail across the Bays of Lions to Spain. We intend to have an early start tomorrow as we have 160 miles to cover and what look like variable winds. Need to go early this week as the Mistral winds arrive on Wednesday.
Finally back on Spanish soil after a very pleasant night sail across the Bay of Lions known for its strong Mistral winds. Picked up a mooring buoy in Cadaques to get some well earned rest but Ouch !! They wanted 55 euro's to moor overnight. At least the mooring buoys and lines looked all brand new so we should be safe when the wind blows up overnight.
Moved along the coast this morning to a Marina closer to Barcelona so that we could visit the city by train. Had a great day, the highlight seeing the unfinished Gaudi Cathedral. We are off to Menorca tomorrow leaving at lunchtime for an overnight sail.
Arrived on Menorca after a good overnight sail assisted by winds on the edge of a strong Mistral wind blowing out of the Bay of Lions. Anchored off Ciutadella next to an unusual coastline of low lying flat rocky coves. We plan to chill out around Menorca until the 6th or 7th July before crossing over to Majorca to meet Nice & Allan
Despite the forecast, the winds have gone south and we need to move along the northern coast for good shelter and settled nights. We moved around to Fornells which us a large bay on the northern coast. The sea was still very uncomfortable with the remaining swell from the NE Mistral. Anchored off north of the harbour which should be very settled.
Moved around the coast to Mahon today. The wind was strong and on the nose the whole time which made for a demanding sail. Nicely tucked away in a very sheltered anchorage a little bit away from the main town. We may move in closer to Mahon tomorrow.
A short move this morning on to the floating pontoons off the main harbour. Managed to get a good discount, so we will be staying two nights.
On our way over to Majorca and finally caught a Tuna although the rod broke in the process of recovering the fish. Tuna for the next few days !!
A stop over at Alcudia before we move around to Porto Pollensa where we pick up Nice & Allan. Anchored off the harbour next to the main beach area.
End of a seven week period with just Laurie and I on the boat. We have covered some ground since dropping Sarah off in Pisa Italy. We have anchored in the bay just off the Marina.
Early start today to get over to Ibiza or Formentera depending on how the winds help us across. Could be a long day with fickle winds. 82 miles to go !!
Great overnight 129 mile sail from Ibiza to Mar Menor on the Spanish Mainland. Mar Menor is a natural inland sea / lagoon that is close to Murcia airport so that Nice, Allan and Laurie can go home. On my own for a few days before Bill comes out to help me move the boat to Gibraltar.
Picked Bill upon Mar Menor and we are making our way up the Spanish coast to Almerimar and then on to Gibraltar. Light winds are forecast so it will be a bit of a struggle. However, nice F3 today allowing us to get to San Jose before nightfall
Finally back in Almerimar after leaving to explore the Med 4 years ago. Disappointed that Zoe & Jourg the brokers who sold us the boat were away on holiday. We will anchor overnight and move on towards Gibraltar tomorrow.
Our initial plan today was to sail overnight to Gibraltar, but the wind let us down and we ended up motoring for most of the day before deciding to change course and go to Fuengirola to anchor overnight. Being a Sunday it was busier than normal but we managed to anchor in the outer harbour regularly buzzed by jet skiers and powerboats. Off to Gibraltar first thing tomorrow, the forecast looks good.
Finally arrived in Gibraltar after a testing upwind sail against wind and tide, a new experience while we have been in the Med. Lots of jobs to do to get the boat sorted for the next part of the adventure, off to the Canaries and across the Atlantic into the Caribbean for Christmas.
Back in the UK for the next seven weeks. Lots to do with Laurie's 60th party on the 23rd Aug and packing up the house ready for renting out from 24th September. We fly back to Gibraltar on 25th September with a view to sailing down to the Canaries in early Oct.
Thanks to all those who attended the party. It was great to see so many friends and family from all over the UK. We may be a little delayed in getting away from Gibratar which may now happen in mid Oct 14. Fortunately we have still got plenty of time to get down to the Canaries and then Cape Verde Islands before our crossing to the Caribbean in Dec 14.
We are experiencing a bit of a delay in getting away on our journey to the Caribbean. Laurie needs to sort out an unexpected last minute medical issue which still needs a working diagnosis and treatment plan. We will intend to push our flights back to the end of Nov 14 by which time we should be in a better position make a decision to start the trip. Fortunately this has happened before we set sail and not half way across the Atlantic. If we can get things sorted by the end of November, we should still be able to make our timeline to cross the Atlantic and get through the Panama in Mar 15. If not, the worst case scenario would be to winter over in Gibraltar and go across next year.
Just finished packing the boat up for the winter in Gibraltar. We have had to make the decision to postpone the Atlantic crossing until next year. Back to work at Priory part time looking after Southampton for a few months. A bit of work will help to keep me sane over what will be a long winter. Planning to return to the boat in April on my push bike Nottingham to Gibraltar. It's about 1500 miles, so it should take about 3 to 4 weeks camping along the way.
Back working part time for Priory looking after the hospital in Southampton for 2 or 3 month until they recruit a new Hospital Director. At least I'm right next to the sea, although it's not very inviting this time of year.
Well if we couldn't be in the Caribbean then Istanbul was a good second option. Just had a great weekend to celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary. Hoping to get back on the water in May 15
Finally all the pieces have come together and we are all packed up and back on the boat to start the trip. The house is now rented out and the car has been sold. Stuart is joining us for a month to get himself sorted. We are due to leave the marina in Gibraltar on 1st June 15 and we plan to sail back in to Spain for a while before heading up the Algarve and Portugal coast in July/ Aug.
Hired a car for the day and drove up to Rhonda on the route that Carl & I took coming down on our last day of the bike ride. Stopped for a picnic lunches a roadside viewing spot which was spectacular. Rhonda didn't disappoint and we had a great time exploring the town
Visited Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the Morrocan North African coast. A pretty impressive casino building and town. We are off to Tangiers tomorrow to experience the real Morroco.
Sandra has gone home today after ten days on the boat. We have visited three countries during her stay going inland in Mooroco to visit a walled city. We are now getting ready for a 600 mile sail to Madeira. It should take about 3 nights/4 days if the winds are kind. It is one place that I have wanted to visit, so I hope it doesn't disappoint after all the effort. We hope to get away early on Thursday morning to catch the best of the tide out of the Gibraltar straight.
Returned to Morroco after not getting to Madiera due to weather and illness. Currently in a tiny little Yacht Club in Mohamomedia, just down the coast from Casablanca. Planning to visit Marrakesh tomorrow I've can hire a car.
We have moved up the coast to Rabat on our way back to Gibraltar and Spain. We managed to catch our first fish of the season after good advice from a professional Blue Marlin boat skipper. Not that big catch but is is a good start and now proves the new system works.
had a very windy and fast overnight sail back Almerimar where we purchased Moonraker. We anchored off the beach and went ashore to see Zoe and Jourghad from Yes Yachting who sold us the boat. It was great to see both of them and their lovely daughter who was only a newly born baby when we left five years ago. We also met Jay and a few of his friends who were out for a few days holiday. Now we have got to make our way back to Gibraltar in very light winds.
We have finall left the Med to go up to the Algarve and the west coast of Portugal. We have decided to stay in Cadiz for a short period to incorporate a visit to Seville. Initially we were going to motor up the river, but time tides and heat have made the decision for us to go to Seville either by train or coach. Sarah is due to fly out to Faro on 10th July so we have plenty of time to get there to pick her up. The temperatures are starting to rise significantly, but I understand that UK is sweltering as well.
We have finall reached Portugal and what beaches they have, miles and miles of golden sand inland waterways with great anchorages. We are in heaven!!! Sarah arrived tomorrow and Liz goes back on the 15th July, so we have a boat full for a few days.
Stuart and Sarah have both flown home today and the boat seems very quiet. We now plan to go up the west coast of Portugal to Lisbon and possibly Porto winds permitting. We will then be back in the Algarve during the middle two weeks of August before going down to the Canaries.
We have can horde in a lovely sheltered bay just before Cabo St Vincent waiting for the prevailing winds to settle before we head north to Lisbon. Experienced our first real sea fog last night, a sign that we are definitely out of the Med and exposed to the Atlantic.
Due to the northerly winds and south going current we decided to stay in Sines hire a car and visit Lisbon by road. We had a great day out and also visited Evlora which was slightly inland.
Arrived in Alvor just after low water which made for an interesting entry. We have anchored in the reach leading up to the town. We will be staying for at least three days and then moving on down the coast to the Quadiana river where we will go upstream for a few days.
On our way back down the Rio Guadiana anchored off a small village to recce a drying out spot, unfortunately unsuitable. We had a great morning having a ride on a Zip Wire that crosses the river from Spain to Portugal. As well as flying from One country to another, also the time zone is different so you land 59 minutes before you left.
We picked up Andy, Josh and Harry in Faro. Can't believe it ! Josh caught and fish and nearly landed a squid on on his first morning fishing. We have now moved down the coast to Portomao where we plan to visit Europes largest sand sculpture festival.
Andy, Josh and Harry have just flown home aftyer a great week afloat. We spent our time crusing around the Algarve anchoring in the many estuaries. Lots of time swimming and fishing. |Highlight was see a pod of porpoise on th last day.
Unfortunately Laurie has had to go home for 5 days for the funeral of her Aunt Qwen. Died aged 90 + what a lady !! She will certainly be missed !!. The winds are very light over the next few days so I should be able to get some jobs done on the boat. Need to be in Alvor for when Laurie and Nice come out. Hopefully, fingers crossed, the wind will return on Saturday so that I can get some more kite surfing lessons.
We are off to Madeira tomorrow having spent a glorious few months in the Algarve. We have plenty of visitors whilst we have been here and it's been a pleasure to explore the coastline in the company of family.
After 450 miles and three nights at sea we have arrived in Porto Santo an island next to Madeira. The sail over was uneventful other than very rough seas for the first 36 hrs. Saw lots of dolphins and even had a squid jump on board for a ride. We plan to stay here for a few days and then head over to Madeira before going down to Tenerife later next week.
We are now on Madeira moored in a very nice Marina called Quinta Do Lorde. Used the local bus service to get along to Funchal for the day and we have been up the cable car to get a grand view. The plan is to move down to Funchal tomorrow and then leave Madeira for the Canaries on Saturday 12th Sep. we will be stopping off half way down at an uninhabited island nature reserve about 160 miles to the south of Madeira and a 100 miles north of Tenerife.
Felt very privilaged when we got our opportunity to stop off on this remote island. We had a tour of the island escorted by the head warden Carolina. She was very knowledgeable and made our visit very worthwhile. Laurie got to see her favourite Ghekco lizards and I saw the breeding area for the Cory Shearwater's having only ever seen their skillful and graceful flight over the waves.
After a very settled time at sea with light winds, we eventually made landfall on the NE tip of Tenerife. We anchored in a very remote bay overnight before moving down the coast to Santa Cruz where we plan to stay in the Marina for a few nights. On the way down from Madiera we stopped off at a remote group of islands which are a reserve. We visited Salvage Grande ( Savage Isles) where we had a guided tour of the island where the Cory Shearwater breeds. We saw lots of chicks in their nests and Laurie got to handle a petral chick and her favourite lizard the gecko.
After a night in a really remote anchorage at the tip of Tenerife, we moved down to Santa Cruz and stayed in the marina for a few nights. Lynn and Phillip visited the boat for the afternoon and then we popped over to Puerto Del La Cruz to watch the opening England game for the World Cup stopped over for the night in their apartment. A really nice time, felt like R&R after the long sails that we have had recently.
After our visit to Santa Cruz, we moved out to anchor back in our now favorite remote bay at the end of Tenerife. Having volunteering to move our anchor to allow a local boat on to its mooring, we recieved an invite to go ashore for coffee from the owner of the boat. Pepe & Angelina were renovating an old disused building next to a small dilapidated fishermans harbour. After we got ashore we were joined by the only other locals staying in the bay for the weekend and we had a great time. The beer and vino was shared around with some local fare. We were joined by a spanish couple from another yacht at anchor and we decided to go back to the yachts and bring back more supplies for the party. Rowing the dinghy back in the dark at 1.30am in the morning was a challenge after Pepe had plied me with wine all night. We popped ashore the next morning with a hangover to say our goodbye's, Angelina was keen that we come back again at a weekend afer all our travels are over.
We have now reached Fuertaventura and are currently in Corralejo before we move down the coast to Puerta de la Castillo nearer to Nigels villa which is In the middle of the island. We now intend to be around the Canaries for the next two months. Lots of jobs to do before we are ready to move south to the Cape Verde and then across the Atlantic to the caribbean.
The bank holiday weekend has attracted Marlin fishing boats from around the Canaries for a big fishing event. The atmosphere has been electric while all the boats were getting ready for the first day. Expectations were high but the Marlin's won the overall event with no catches throughout the fleet. However the partying went on throughout most the night to make up for the disappointment .
Sandra is with us at the moment and we have been up to Lanzarote and Isle de Lobos. Currently in Correlejo to watch the Rugby final. We have allowed the Scottish Soltire to be above the Cross of St George in honour of their performance in the World Cup. Well done Scotland
Where has the last 8 weeks gone , parked up on Fuerteventura. We have made some good friends whilst we have been here and I have been lucky to have been able to go flying, scuba diving and hill/mountain walking. We are about to fly back to UK to see our first grandchild currently overdue. When we return on 11th Dec 15 we will be heading south for the Cape Verde Islands and then across the Atlantic to the Caribbean.
We have finally got away from Fuerteventura after a few emotional farewells from some good friends that we have made during our stay and of course my brother Nigel. None of it would have been possible without the help of our Slovenian friends who helped with the refit of the rigging. On our way to Gran Canara to spend Christmas and pick up Stuart on the 28th Dec 15. It is then off to Barbados for the 26th Jan 16 when Liz and Sandra join us for three weeks.
We have stopped off at Morro Jable for our last stop on Fuerteventura. It is off to anchor in Las Palmas on Gran Canaria first thing in the morning
We have now settled in Las Palmas on Gran Canaria through until the 29th Dec 15. We managed to get some turkey and have a proper Christmas Dinner. Stuart is due to join us on the 28th Dec and then we leave to go direct to Barbados. Hopefully yo arrive before my Birthday on the 21st Jan 16.
we are finally off on our way across to the Caribbean. Next stop Barbados in 2800 miles. We will try and keep in touch using the satellite phone, we hope to get there for my Birthday 21 st Jan 16, but don't worry if you do not hear from us before then.
22 days completing 2860 miles, we have now arrived in Barbados. We had a great crossing with good winds most of the time. We had a slight altercation with a Sperm Whale when we hit it early on in the voyage, thankfully no damage to us, but the Sperm Whale would have had a headache.
When we visited UK before leaving on our trip, Kevin Welsh gave us a copy of the Magna Carta as a leaving present as it was its 800th anniversary of the signing of the document, plus it originated fro Lincoln. It was decided that we would try and get as many pictures of the Magna Carta in the different countries we visit in a relevant setting depicting the values of freedom and independence. This being the 50th Year of independence in Barbados it is fitting that we have a picture of the Magna Carta with a plaque of Errol Barrow who as the minister lead the country to independence.
Liz and Sandra have joined us for three weeks. We have done some exploring around Barbados and tomorrow we are off to St Lucia.
We have visited Matinique for our wedding anniversary on the 1st Feb. 41 years !!. We have had two nights in a Marina and are now leaving for St Lucia, on the way to the Grenadines.
We have moved across from Martinique to St Lucia, currently in Magiot Bay. The islands are very green compared to what we were used to in the Canaries.
Laurie, Liz And Sandra outside the local police station on St Lucia.
We have moved further south to the Grenadines and are currently on the island of St Vincent. Stuart and I have climbed the Volcano which dominates the island. Quite hard work through the tropical forest and high winds on the top. However, picking local fruits and coconuts as we went along made it even more wort while.. Off to Bequia and the Tobago Cays on the way to Grenada.
We have moved a short distance across to the Island of Bequia which is really laid back and chilled. No body hassling you for money to look after the dinghy or tying up a rope ashore. Time is running out for Sandra and Liz who go back from Grenada on Satuday. Still got two more islands to visit before then.
About to check out of the Grenadines with some reluctance. The Islands and reefs have been spectacular along with the colour of the sea. See are now going down to Grenada to drop Liz and Sandra off on their way home on Sunday.
Liz and Sandra go home tomorrow, so we thought we would have some luxury and have a couple of nights in the Marina. Off to Trinidad tomorrow afternoon.
We have finally arrived in Trinidad where we plan to stay at least two weeks and get the water maker serviced and operational. We have had a setback with a stress fracture in the boom which will ultimately need replacing if we can find a suitable replacement and timeframe that won't put us too far behind schedule. We have been managing with just the Genoa but hopefully a further temporary repair may allow us to user the main without the boom vang.
All the jobs finished that we hoped to get done in Trinidad. The water maker is now operational and working well. The boom repair will be sea tested as we head down to the Panama Canal. Before we get to Panama we hope to visit the San Blas Islands which look spectacular.
We have gone Dutch and are currently on the ABC Islands which are just off the coast of Venezuala. Bonaire is mostly a nature reserve and the waters are crystal clear teaming with fish. It took three days to get here from Trinidad and we caught a Maui Maui and a Tuna on our way.
We have decided to have two nights in the marina where we can use all of the hotel facilitates. Before we head off to the San Blas islands off Panama. We have at least another week at sea before we arrive at the entrance to the Panama Canal.
We have had a great time working our way down to the Panama Canal. The San Blaz islands were amazing with the Guna living in stilted homes on small remote islands. We are hoping to transit the canal on Easter Monday, but we still need to find two volunteer rope handlers to help us. Internet has been difficult so we are short of opportunity to upload some photos.
We are now through the Panama Canal which was interesting and exciting, mixing it with the big ships. We will be staying at anchor until early next week to get ready to go to the Las Perlas Islands before the hop over to Galapagos.
We are ready to head towards French Polynesia via the Galapagos. We should do it in six weeks. If not we will be relying on my fishing skills.
We have finally made it in to the Southern Ocean crossing the equator early morning at 4 am. We had a nip of rum to celebrate and offered up a bit for Neptune as well. Hopefully we will be in the Galapagos tomorrow for some well deserved R&R before the big sail to French Polynesia.
We have arrived in the Galapagos Island's after 8 days at sea from the Last Perlas Islands. We were met by the seals which appear to own the place. Need to meet more of the unique wildlife and will be staying around the Islands for about a week.
We are now at anchor on HivaOa one of the French Polynesian Islands. 25 days at sea after leaving Galapagos. Time to chill out and enjoy life in Paradise.
We thought we would just sail back Hiva Oa to dump rubbish and get some more groceries when we hooked what we thought was just a big fish. When it leaped out of the water we realised that we had a big sail fish and thought that we would lose another lure. However, Stuart managed to reel him in and we managed to get him on to the boat. Not a bad effort when it must have weighed 60kg at least. We radioed for advice on whether we could legally land the catch and were told that it was OK, so we dispatched it quickly and then managed to hang it from the Davit at the back of the boat. It drew some looks when we arrived at the anchorage. Not wanting the meat to go to waste we managed to sell the fish to a local restaurant who also cut some steaks for us. The restaurant gave Stuart 18,000cpf (£130) for the fish. Not a bad bargain for both parties.
We have finally made it in to our first Atoll which is essentially an island ring made up of coral. The waters are crystal clear and full of life. Raroia is the atoll where the Kon Tiki expedition ran ashore when they navigated from Peru to Polynesia in 1947. We had a BBQ with a few other boats on the small island where they landed. There is a small monument to mark the spot.
We have now moved up from Raroia to the largest atoll in the Tuomotu group. Mainly to get access to a shop and Internet. I plan to do a scuba dive off the pass which is meant to be legendary due to the numbers of hammerhead sharks which cruise the entrance to the atoll. We will like.y to here until next week when we move down to Tahiti.
Just had two dives off the entrance to Fakarava Atoll. It was amazing due to the sheer number of sharks cruising the passé.
We have now arrived in Tahiti where we will joining a rendezvous party with lots of other yachts who are crossing the Pacific. Should be here for at least a week or so
When we arrived in Tahiti for the Pacific rendezvous event we thought that it would be a great time to catch up with all the other boats that we have met along the way. But we hadn't expected such a spectacular venue on the Island of Moorea. The weekend was full of action and social events. We entered our team in the Rigger Canoe race, the coconut hulking competition, stone lifting and tug of war. We had the opportunity to host a local family aboard Moonraker for the rally event and had such a good time with them. Especially the lovely lunch and red wine that they brought with them.After the event, we stayed on Moorea and anchored in white sand sheltered by the reef. We managed to swim with the stingrays and black tip reef sharks, aided by feeding them cans of sardines. What an experience!!! We are now planning to go off to Bora Bora and surrounding atoll islands on our way to Samoa
We are currently on the island of Bora Bora which is a very special place. It must have been great to visit many years ago before all the stilted hotel complex's were built all around the lagoon, but you still can find a peaceful anchorage. This is our last stop in French Polynesia which has been a very special place. Certainly my favourite place so far. We are due to leave for Tonga and Samoa at the end of the week, we will make decision which one when we are at sea and depending on the wind.
We have now arrived in American Samoa where we plan to stock up with food and drink for the next phase to New Zealand. All the goods are duty free so a big difference in price from French Polynesia. Next we will be off to Samoa and will cross the international date line losing one day. At least it will put us on the same day and only one hour ahead of Sarah in New Zealand.
We are now in Samoa on the main island of Upolu. We hired a car for the day and had a great day exploring the island. The locals are really friendly and helpful. WE are heading down to Tonga on Sunday where we will stay through until early September.
After leaving the lovely Island of Samoa we have now entered the Kingdom of Tonga. We arrived and booked in on the most northerly island of Niuatoputapu not realising that there would be no banking facility. We ended up paying our quarantine fees with beer,Coke, chocolate and lollipops. The locals were lovely and we ended up having about twenty children diving and swimming off the boat. We are now on Vava'u which is made up of 170 islands, so plenty of opportunity to anchor. We have also arrived at a time when the humpback whales are nursing their calves in shallow warm water around the Islands. Stuart managed to get in the water and swim with a mother and baby. What an experience!!
After a very pleasant three weeks around the Vava'u Islands in Tonga we are now off to Fiji, about 4 days sail. We will be sad to leave Tonga as we have met some great people whilst we have been here. However, we want get the boat to Fiji and out of the water to clean her up in preparation for New Zealand.
We are now in Fiji after a great three day sail, perfect wind and sea to help us along. The weather has turned a bit since we arrived with occasional rain but otherwise we are very settled on a mooring in Savu Savu. Stuart has made his first batch of Kava which the locals drink. I'm sticking to G&T plus beer. We have now got to make arrangements to lift the boat and repainted the bottom with new antifoul to meet the standards for entry in to NZ.
We are currently pottering along the coast of Vanua Levu stopping off at various villages along the way. In Kiobo we were asked to go ashore and present our Sevu Sevu to the village chief. We offered him a small bunch of Kava and he carried out a short ceremony after which we joined the villagers to drink Kava. An acquired taste!! When we anchored off the village of Nasavu we had three ladies and a little boy visit us on the boat after they'd set their nets. They were very pleased when Laurie gave the some toys and pencils for the kids and informed us that they would bring us a fish when they collected their nets. A bit of a shock but they kept their word and we had a knock.on the boat at 3am and they gave us a fish for our lunch.
Taking the opportunity to get the boat out of the water and have a nice clean keel for NZ. We have been in the water now for nearly three years and testament to all of Stuart's hard work with a snorkel, Moonraker came out fairly clean, however with very little working antifoul left.
Laurie was thrilled when we found this stowaway in the dinghy. He now has freedom of the boat, so watch out mozzies!!
We are leaving Fiji today for NZ. Just 1200 miles to go for a well deserved rest in NZ. Farewell to Fiji, it's been great!!
We have arrived at our halfway stop for a bit of a rest. We are alongside the quarantine dock waiting to cleared on to the country.
The Bay of Islands and the Coromandel peninsular on the Northland East coast are stunning. Lots more to explore
We are now on our way down to the South Island with Nice, Allan and Sandra. Really looking forward to the scenery in the South
On our way down to Queenstown, stopped off at the observatory Lake Takapo. Fantastic views of the Southern Alps
Laurie has now returned home. I have some new crew to breakin for the next half. New Caledonia next 850 miles, hopefully about six days sailing
Feels great to be back in the Pacific, clear warm waters and settled conditions. Out with the trunks and snorkel, watch out the rest of nature.
We are now exploring the unspoilt islands of Vanuatu where the remote village tribes are really friendly. We intend to go and see the land diving on Pentecost Island and the Namber tribes on Malekula Island where the two villages are separated in to the big dick and little dick tribes. Should be interesting !!
Since leaving NZ we have failed to catch anything. However, when the spell broke we got ourselves a huge Wahoo. Back eating fish on a regular basis.
What a fantastic opportunity to stop off in Papua New Guinea. The Louiseade archipelago was made up of hundreds off small islands and reefs, many uninhabited. We met some lovely locals who live a very unchanged lifes. Bartering for food was a daily experience.
We have now reached Australia and have checked in. We plan to move to Darwin in a few days
Have now reached Darwin after some great sailing and remote living in Melanesia. The winds have been very brisk and in the right direction allowing us to cover lots of sea miles each day. Charlie and Fraser are now firming up plans for their next adventure when they leave the boat next week. Arjan is due to arrive from Belgium as crew for the next leg to South Africa. Stuart has decided that he wants to come as crew as well. We plan to leave for Indonesia during the second week of July.
We had a really quick sail over to Indonesia where we will work our way down through the Islands to Bali.
We moved over to the town of Ende on Flores to access the volcanic lakes in the Kelimutu National Park. An early morning start saw us about 4500ft up on the Volcano as the sun was rising. spectacular!!
After a very fast and lively sail in to the Indian Ocean we have stopped off at Christmas Island for a few days. A bit early to see the red crab migration, we did however hire a car and get out to see all the huge variety of land crabs on the Island. We managed to see some Bobbies nesting sites with fluffy chicks in situ. A real wild island where you definitely need a 4x4 vehicle.
Arrived for a short stop over in Cocos, a beautiful reefed lagoon in the Indian Ocean. Our last port of call before Rodriguez and Mauritius. Only 1900nm!! With good wind and current it should only take 12 to 14 days.
After a very rock and rolly 2000 mile sail we have arrived in Rodriguez which is part of the French Island group of Mauritius. Very friendly people and a beautiful island surrounded by a significant reef.
We have now arrived in Mauritius. 2/3rds of the Indian Ocean under the keel. We will meet up with Laurie and have about two weeks stationary, that will feel odd.
We are now on Reunion Island which is a French Island west of Madagascar. Just confirms that the French have some of the best real estate in the world. The mountains are high and spectacular. The baguettes have improved as well. We are here until the 21st Sep and then it's off to Madagascar before going down the Mozambique channel to South Africa.
We have now arrived in Madagascar and are currently on the Island of St Marie. We will now spend the next two weeks exploring the NE & NW coastline of Madagascar. It's humpback Whale season at the moment so we see a few on our way around the coast.
We have had a very relaxing time around the island of Nosey Be NW Madagascar. It's now time to head down the Mozambique Channel to get to Richards Bay in SA. On the way, our next stop will be the French Island of Mayotte on the Comoros Islands. It will take a few weeks to get to Richards Bay, so we have stocked up with Gin (local version £2 a bottle) & the rest of the basics. We are hoping that our fishing improves in the Mozambique Channel.
Our final stop before South Africa. The French Island of Mayotte is a mountainous Island surrounded by a ring of coral reef. We will be here for about a week waiting for the right weather to get down the Mozambique Channel.
We have now finally arrived in South Afriça in the eastern port of Richards Bay. We had a long and testing sail down the Mozambique channel mostly against the wind and currents. It's now time for some R&R before the leg around the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Town. Off to a game park for a few days.
We were really made to feel welcome in Buffelo River at the Yacht Club. Initially we were at anchor in the river but tgen we got alongside a pontoon. The club held an open day to introduce teenage school children to sailing. We offered Moonraker as part of the fleet and took three South African youngsters sailing for a few hours. BBQ and beer followed and Stuart as usual ended up going AWOL and waking up in a South African ranchhouse. It was a great stay but we need to keep on the move towards Capetown.
Well, we managed to negotiate the heads at the entrance to Knysna and what but beautiful lagoon. We have slot on the jetty right next to the yacht club, so no walking to the bar!!
We have arrived safely in Cape Town but not without incident and significant damage caused by a huge rogue breaking wave. At least we are in the right place to get things back in order. The Volvo Ocean race is in Cape Town at the moment, so we have some good in port racing to watch.
We have arrived on St Helena, a British registered rock in the South Atlantic Ocean. Another place where Napoleon was kept in exile. The island is small with very steep cliffs all around the coast. A walk back from the beach is usually an uphill struggle. We are off today to hopefully swim with Whale Sharks. There are alot around at the moment so fingers crossed. We plan to leave for Tobago on the 21 at Feb 18
We have now arrived back in the Caribbean and have completed a full circle around the world. It’s hard to believe that it has only taken just over two years to complete Athey circumnavigation of the world. Amazing !!!
We are now working our way up through the Caribbean, currently in Bequie in the State Vincent and Grenadine Islands. Mark Hughes is out with all his friends to race in the regatta, I have bee to joinem as part crew.
We have moved further north to Guadaloupe. Hope to stay here for the next 5 days before a move to Antiqua to see Lorna and George. Managed to meet up with Charlie Forming and his American friend Alex who is on holiday. They came over to the boat for a day sail out to pigeon island for lunch.
Arrived in Bermuda after my first ocean solo sail. It was great, very liberating. Managed to get much more sleep than expected and the weather was kind most of the time. Got the weekend to rest up in Bermuda and then hopefully off mid next week to the Azores
What a great experience, I have just completed my first Atlantic crossing single handed. 23 days at sea fro Bermuda to Crosshaven near Cork in Ireland. The temperature was certainly different to what I’m used to and it was positively artic condition off the Grand Banks Nova Scotia. I’m here for a short stop and tomorrow I head for Conwy in North Wales where we plan to keep Moonraker. Looking forward to seeing Laurie after having now taken 5 months to come up from Cape Town
I have finally arrived home and we have moored Moonraker in Deganwy Marina near Conwy. The plan now is to move home down to North Wales to be near the mountains and the sea. Already made an offer on a cottage with the garden Laurie has always wanted.