“I am about to spend the first night on the boat alone…yikes!” That’s what I posted on July 9th, 2008 on Facebook (thanks for the reminder internet). At the time we were tied to a dock in San Diego, far from the threat of cyclones, close to grocery stores, good internet, hot showers and all…
Grotty Yachtie or Bust?!
The other day, while standing on the side of the road outside town, I was picked up by an ex-pat. She had passed me by but then noticed in her review mirror that so had two taxis that were following her. She pulled a U-turn and asked me if I wanted a lift. I hadn’t…
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July Article
If you’re in Australia or New Zealand you can find a story about out time sailing in the Kingdom of Tonga in the July issue of Cruising Helmsman Magazine. It’s on sale now, Steve even found a copy of it in the Melbourne Airport last week! Love, H&S
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Bottle Shock and Amnesia
Before we departed Noumea I hit the grocery store and stocked up on a few things; not exactly essentials but items that make the occasional afternoon a little less ordinary. I found excellent prices on olives, sun-dried tomatoes, smoked mussels and pate- yes, I know pate, but at $1.00 a tin even we can afford…
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Halo! from Port Vila
We had a quick but bumpy passage from New Caledonia, pushing headwinds the whole way, despite weather forecasts assuring us differently. Although Port Vila harbour has leads and lights that would have made navigating in after dark we did not know what would be the state of the harbour after Pam; would there wreckage and…
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Au revoir
After two days of beating against 20-25 kt winds we are finally tucked into Port Boise just inside the Havannah Pass, almost exactly where we started from a month ago. Tomorrow morning on the out going tide we are planning to slip through the pass and point NE to Vanuatu. Winds look like they will…
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Galley Notes: Cardamom Scented Applesauce and the Good Life
We had a heck of a sail back to Noumea the other day, stronger than expected winds, low cloud, and constant rain cut visibility down to half a mile and made for a pretty bumpy ride. When we hit the grocery store late that afternoon there was a cart full of must-go’s in the produce…
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Lost in Translation
We’ve been sitting out a little bit of weather for the past four days. A big high down south and one heck of a low around Tasmania have given us re-enforced trade winds, a steady 20-25kts with local gusts upwards of 35kts, so says Meteo Nouvelle Caledonie. They’ve brought with them low clouds and lots…
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Row, Row, Row Your Boat…
We’ve been doing a fair bit of rowing over the past few days. Not because we’ve been trying to be super quiet so not to disturb the animals as we meander down that gentle stream. Or because we’ve been so close to shore it only takes three strokes to get there. It is not because…
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Happy little surprises
Every once in a while you find something unusual when exploring the anchorage du jour, as the French would say. An old boat run aground, a tree strung with washed up left flip flops, a colony of wild pigs snuffling in the sand, an abandon prison. Seldom do you find a well-built and maintained jetty,…
