Lemme Get This Strait
Leaving Indonesia, heading to Malaysia. First, we had to manoeuvre our way across the Singapore Strait. After a week of shore-rest, there’s nothing quite like that shot of adrenalin that you get from being out there in your 43-foot sailboat among hundreds, even thousands, of 900-foot freighters. Gets you right back into the groove of…
Amazing Singapore – No Messing Around
Our last stop in Indonesian was Nongsa Point Marina, just a single skinny degree north of the equator. A convenient spot to complete the official paperwork required to exit the country. The marina is part of a larger resort complex, and we were invited to avail ourselves of its various amenities. The pool was a…
Lifelong Learning
Over my 70 years, I’ve learned many words. Sometimes new words are added – lifelong learning! – but it’s not often anymore that I encounter a new word, one that I really didn’t know before, one that I have to look it up. So I was grateful recently when Bill taught me a new word…
Visiting our Cousins in the Jungle
It was a slog getting to Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. Rain and contrary winds are pretty much par for the course at this time of year. Sailors with any sense are all on the other side of the equator enjoying dryer conditions and more favourable winds. After a full month…
Bali to Belitung
Eighteen days and 670 miles ago, we left from Bali. Not before passing a pleasant day with driver, Bli – his enthusiastic but limited English was so much better than my Bahasa. We’d hired Bli for basic provisioning – agreed to pay him 500,000 rupiah, about $41 Canadian – to take us around for a…
Lombok to Bali
The title of our last post “Launching Turtlebones 2026” was somewhat misleading. While we really were launching our 2026 cruising season, Turtlebones had not yet left the dock. Since then, we’ve got ourselves underway. We’ve made only two hops so far. Both of them short, and both motoring all the way. The first was excruciatingly…
Launching Turtlebones 2026
It’s been a while, but we’re back on board. Bill takes to it immediately, he’s right in his element on Turtlebones. It takes me a little longer to really feel at home, but I’m getting there. Quite a long journey to get this far – to get back to Marina Del Ray on Gili Gede,…
Indonesia – The Homeward Leg
Our arrival in Indonesia marks a major transition to a completely different part of the world. We’ve now reached Asia. Home to 5 billion people – over 60% of all living humans. For us, time is tight. We’ll have less than two weeks in Indonesia, before it’s time to fly home. The rub is, having…
Long Passage Completed
With appreciation to all who stuck with us on this long passage from Vanuatu. After bearing with us through the trudgery and the drudgery of it all, the big prize at the end of the journey is this news of our safe arrival at Kupang harbour. For the last three days of the journey, we…
My Torres Diary
Today I salute all my septogenarian loved ones. Both proud and relieved that I’ve lasted long enough to join this august company – and thankful that I’m well enough to be loving it! This day, being the last of my first seven decades on the planet, is beyond special – and I’ll get to the…
Big Hop Update – The Strait Awaits
Sharon and I were both feeling a little apprehensive about leaving Vanuatu. Our next passage westward to Indonesia would be long – over 3,100 nautical miles. To put that in perspective, flying directly from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Vancouver is only 2,712 nautical miles (or 5,023 KM). Depending on the wind along the way, we…
Breathtaking Vanuatu
Imagine, going to what friends – serious foodies – have said is the best restaurant in town. You’re intrigued, but wonder whether it can live up to the billing. You go, and are knocked-out by the amazing food, the charming ambience, and the impeccable service. How could anything be better? You want to go back…
Farewell Unforgettable Fiji Farewell
Port Denarau would be our last Fijian port of call, before Turtlebones and her crew sets out on the 500+ mile passage westward to Vanuatu. Wow, talk about a contrast! Its nothing like the Fiji we’ve come to know and love while exploring this amazing nation of islands during the previous six weeks. This, and…
Fiji Circumnavigation
In the last 3 short weeks, we circumnavigated the Fijian archipelago. We could just as easily have spent 3 months or 3 years cruising Fiji, as many sailors do. And now we know why. Cruising around Fiji is simply exquisite. Exquisitely beautiful and warm – both outside and in. Outside, the lagoons and passes and…
Dream on Sailor
It was time. Having spent our first two weeks in Fiji enjoying the comforts of big city life in Savusavu – population 3,400 – we were ready for a change of pace, and place. Next stop: the Lau Island group. A remote, sparsely populated, necklace of small, exceptionally beautiful, coral-fringed islands. The northern-most island in…
SAVUSAVU DIARY
Two weeks ago, when we landed here at Savusavu, we thought we’d stay a few days, reprovision and move on. But a few factors converged to keep us here a little longer. And happily so. First of all, it’s a chill place to be. Fijian people are super-welcoming, helpful and friendly. Which is not to…
Land Ho!
A quick update to say Hallelujah! We have arrived in Fiji. We sailed ever so smoothly yesterday afternoon into the gentle waters of Savusavu Bay. Best Friday the 13th I can recall. Bill’s last post was written at sea a few days ago, but he couldn’t post until yesterday due to our having had no…
Food Tells the Tale of a Passage
Halfway to Fiji. The sun just dipped below the horizon for the fourth time. And finally, we’re having a proper dinner. Since Turtlebones stays relatively flat when sailing, we usually cook much like we do at home. While many sailors pre-cook ‘passage meals’, we prefer the full-on, from scratch, approach. Either can produce scrumptious…
Turtlebones at sea!
Turtlebones has left the marina. Once again. Finally underway. Farewell, New Zealand. Haere ra, Aotearoa. We have loved our time here. Once again, we’re setting out on a multi-day crossing. Back on April 5, 2023, we left the Puerto Vallarta marina and embarked on our first ocean crossing. It was a long but gentle crossing…
NoForeignLand
To say we don’t do social media very well would be an understatement. Neither Bill nor I is on facebook or instagram or anything like that. Hence this old-school blog that gives us a window from which to shout out from time to time to our friends and family. But a fellow cruiser recently introduced…
Ode to Tender
Bill confesses that, for years, he has lusted after something he couldn’t have. His forbidden fruit was only available in a tiny place far away. Oh not to worry, nothing clandestine or nefarious. I knew all about it – and I mean, ALL about it, every fine detail. Early on, I resolved to help usher…
Threading the Weather Needle
It’s five-thirty, and the sun has already slipped below the horizon. Sunrise doesn’t arrive until after seven in the morning. And, night-time temperatures are consistently down into single digit territory. All, clear signs that it’s autumn here in northern New Zealand. We don’t mind cool nights. But there comes a point when, in the absence…
Hunkered Down in the City of Sails
The noise and motion are unrelenting. It’s day-three of a nasty easterly gale that’s been hammering New Zealand’s North Island. The worst has passed here in the Hauraki Gulf, but today’s forecast is still pretty sobering – winds 40, gusting 55 knots (101 Km per hour), heavy rain, and very rough seas. We left the…
Splish Splash
Finally. We “splashed” Turtlebones this past Wednesday. It wasn’t our first attempt. To re-cap. Bill and I left home January 1 to resume our South Pacific journey, arrived in New Zealand on Jan 3rd and spent a month living on Turtlebones “on the hard” – meaning, up on blocks in the boatyard in Whangārei. There…
Heroic Circumnavigators
The Vendee Globe is one of my favourite sporting events. Sometimes called ‘the Everest of sailing’, the rules for this gruelling event, are simple: solo competitors sail, unassisted, around the world, non-stop. It’s the ultimate test of human endurance and cutting-edge sailing technology. Each four years, the race starts from Les Sables-d’Olonne in France. The…
Last Day on South Island
We’re now heading back over to the North Island, catching the ferry in Picton tomorrow morning. Our South Island adventure is coming to a close. It’s late summer here. The very few true deciduous trees are changing colour. It’s harvest time in wine region. For our last night, just like our first night on the…
Bluff Oysters
I was terrified they’d be the best oysters I’d ever eaten. And they were! Even nicer than the French Belon oysters enjoyed in Paris – many decades ago, BS, before Sarah. And even nicer than the Kumamotos – that is, the Sea of Cortez version of these Japanese beauties served up with pride by Roberto…
Driving in New Zealand – Six Observations
We humans have an enormous capacity for adapting. Put us in a new environment, and at first, everything seems alien. We notice all the differences, each nuance, regardless of how trivial. Then as the days pass, we tend to stop noticing. Pretty soon, it all feels, more or less normal. It’s one of the…
The sun sets in the east
A few weeks ago, still on the North Island, we hadn’t yet crossed over to the South Island. Left Rotorua, headed east to the shore of the Bay of Plenty, and then up and over the Huihara Mountains to Gisborne – at the northern end of Hawke Bay. Hawke’s Bay is one of NZ’s premier…
Land Cruising – New Zealand-Style
We arrived in New Zealand with two goals; get Turtlebones ready for another South Pacific cruising season, and explore this beautiful country by land and by sea. After five weeks of living in a boatyard – more on that topic later – attending to what seems like a never-ending list of boat projects, Sharon and…
Icebreaker
(I said to Bill the other day. If one of us doesn’t post a blog soon, we never will. So here it is, the icebreaker, just a little verbal stretch to get us back in the groove …) When I was a girl growing up in Lachine Quebec, stores closed early most days and nothing…
On Polynesian Design Brilliance
I marvel at Turtlebones. This amazing assemblage of technologies that has enabled Sharon and me to sail across the immense Pacific Ocean in relative safety and comfort. While she may have been built in France using modern high-tech various materials, the foundational DNA of her design, is uniquely Polynesian. As are all multihulled vessels –…
First Week in Aotearoa New Zealand
We don’t have a lot of time here in New Zealand. We fly home on September 30 – can’t wait to get home to be with family and friends after so many months away. But in the meantime, we’ll make the most of our last few days here. Easy to do in this beautiful…
Pacific Crossing Musings
Sail across the Pacific – Mexico to New Zealand. That was the objective. Actually, more of a long-held dream, decades in gestation. Years ago, aboard the original Turtlebones, I arrived in Colon on the Caribbean side of the entrance to the Panama Canal. The urge I felt to keep on going and sail into the…
Arrival in New Zealand
We arrived today in New Zealand, a little bedraggled, but safe and sound. Turtlebones is absolutely no worse for wear – the crew, however, could use some rest. After eight days at sea, we completed the last leg our Pacific crossing. Pretty exciting. And also bittersweet. As the sun began to settle in the west,…
NZ Crossing cont’d
A quick update to Bill’s lively description of our raucous ride. A quick note to our loved ones to assuage any worries or queasy stomachs. In a word, it’s over. Not the ride – the ride continues, pleasant and smooth. Just the tempest – the tempest timed out overnight. Winds are light now, just 7 kts. The…
The last lap – sailing to New Zealand
The passage south from the tropics down to New Zealand is one most sailors dread. Not just because it represents the end of cruising the idyllic south sea islands. Complex weather systems are at play. It is, after all, still early spring in New Zealand. Powerful lows routinely slide north from Antarctic waters, between Australia…
Tonga Update
It’s coming up on 3 weeks since we arrived here in Tonga. At this moment, as we prepare to leave tomorrow morning for our big crossing to New Zealand, we pause to think about our time here. This is not an immediate place. Takes some time to get the feel of it. And only a…
Vava’u (va-vow), Tonga (tong-uh, the G is silent, like song)
Vava’u is both an island and an island group, consisting of the island of Vava’u and 40 other smaller islands. It’s near the northern end of the Kingdom of Tonga, which itself is a long string of 171 islands. (More correctly, Tonga is made up of two parallel island strings – the western string are…
Approaching Tonga, Reflecting on Niue
It’s just approaching midnight. Sharon is tucked into her bunk for an all too brief sleep. I’m on watch until 2am. We’re bouncing along, with a moderate breeze on our stern quarter. In these conditions each swell kicks us a little, or a lot, sideways. The ‘corkscrewing’ sensation is tightened by the darknes. There’s little…
Niue rising, still rising
We arrived at Alofi Bay, Niue late yesterday afternoon. Now, that was a bit of a nail biter. Nothing dangerous. But definitely touch and go on the way in to the anchorage. After several days at sea with little to no wind, we’d been motoring for more than 12 hours – which is considerably more…
Suwarrow to Niue
When a harbour is as perfect as Suwarrow Atoll, it’s hard to move on. But with another 2,800 nautical miles ahead before we reach the end of our South Pacific crossing, it was time to haul anchor and set sail for the tiny island nation of Niue – 560 nms to the southwest, directly on…
Landfall in Suwarrow
Since leaving Huahine five days ago, we’d been alone. An endless horizon without a boat in sight. No humans for god-knows how many miles. Not even any dolphins. The only other life forms being a few curious sea birds who occasioned by. Oh, and the stiff semi-dehydrated flying fish we discovered on the foredeck the…
Fast Cat, Dawdling
Turtlebones is a “fast cat”. We average 160 to 175 nm per day – 200 nm on a good day – faster than the average monohull cruiser of similar length. So, we figured on 4 to 5 days to complete our 700 nm journey from the western Societies to Suwarrow. And for the first few…
Fragile Atolls
Did you catch this featured article in today’s Globe and Mail? The island nation of Tuvalu could disappear. The government is building a digital replica in its placehttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-the-island-nation-of-tuvalu-could-disappear-the-government-is-building Tuvalu is a full 5 days away from where we are now in the northern Cook Islands – and No, we won’t be going there. But Tuvalu…
En Route to Tonga
This is the longest passage yet for Bill and me – I mean as a couple, just the two of us, no one else on board. We’re about 24 hours into it now. And all is well. Before leaving, we enjoyed an extra couple of days in Huahine. The check-out procedures involved a couple of…
Leaving French Polynesia
Sadly, we are nearing the end of our welcome in French Polynesia. Long before we set out on this Pacific crossing, Bill warned me that the usual visitor visa to French Polynesia is maximum 90 days, and he suggested we could apply for a long-stay visa for up to a year – not difficult to…
Crisis Averted!
OK, I agree, that’s a bit dramatic. It would not have been a crisis to be stuck in French Polynesia for an extra month or two. But still … it’s awfully nice to have two engines again! If you saw Bill’s recent post, you know that “repair, re-paint and re-use” won the day. We had…
The Saga Continues…
In the sailing community there are various ‘tongue and cheek’ phrases used to describe the offshore cruising lifestyle. One of the most common is “Boat Repairs in Exotic Locations”. And there is a healthy dollop of truth in that wisecrack. Boats are complex, and things are always wearing out or breaking down. Indeed, when sailors…
I feel a saga about to begin …
We’ve learned about the off-label technique for scoring a berth at the Papeete Marina. It’s simple really. You just have to know someone who is staying there in the marina, know exactly when they plan to leave, and arrange with them to barrel in there to snag their slip the minute after they leave. As…
Happy Canada Day!
We’re celebrating the day with a short daysail around the bottom end of Moorea. Rolled in our usual country flag and sporting our extra large 6-foot flag for the occasion.
Tahiti and Moorea
Last week we bid adieu to the Tuamotus. Gaston and Valentina never returned, and we never did share a lobster dinner with them – malheureusement! But no need to worry about them – we know that in these parts it sometimes takes a little longer to get the stuff you need … After a calm…
The Stuff of Dreams
This passage was going to be special. Not because it was long – only 240 miles – nor were we expecting any particular challenges. It would, however, be the first that Sharon and I would be undertaking as a couple, just the two of us. While we’ve done quite a bit of day-sailing together, all…
Toau
We’re on the atoll of Toau. Pronounced “toe ow” – which is something I often say on this boat, on this journey. Ask Bill. Well, actually, it’s just Ow! – I’m constantly shrieking Ow! – having stubbed my toe once again on some hard metal or other boat thing – always my toe, almost daily. …
From Life to Lunch, from Dreams to Disaster
I sleep reasonably well when Turtlebones is anchored. Restful, but different from the sleep I get on land. Most experienced sailors sleep with a certain amount of anxiety. Knowing, as we do, that no matter how idyllic it may seem, things can, and often will, change during our slumber. Those who sleep like a log,…
193
The number 193 occupies a big and sad place in the consciousness of Polynesians. 193. That’s the number of nuclear explosions set off by Mother France in these atolls in the name of research. From 1966 to 1996, France undertook a nuclear testing program, detonating 193 nuclear tests in the Tuamotus – specifically on the…
Tuamotu Diary, the fragile archipelago
Imagine the fragility of these atolls. Mere rings of sand and coral in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. A coral ring, formed as a fringing reef around what was once the coastline of a volcanic island. The now-sunken volcano – that erupted tens of millions of years ago – is gone, worn away. Only the…
Ships of Plenty
Most of us take for granted that everything and anything is readily available. Shops abound, their shelves filled with a mindboggling range of products. And with a few simple clicks, online shopping, like magic, brings a boundless cornucopia of stuff right to our doorsteps. Most of us didn’t give much thought to where it all…
Fakarava Diary
One thing or another has kept us here in Fakarava. First it was the weather, not just the wind, but rainy, very rainy for several days. Other boats left in the pouring rain, but that didn’t appeal to us, we’re pretty happy pinned down right here. Then it was the wind again – wrong direction,…
Paddling About Fakarava
Living aboard Turtlebones in a marina, as we did in Puerto Vallarta, really doesn’t involve much in the way of compromises. In fact, it’s a lot like living on land. There’s an endless supply of water and electricity, and simply stepping off the boat provides ready access to all of the available land-based conveniences. …
Travelling Home
I know – after that fun post on the O2 Diving you thought you were rid of me. Well one more Blog to share then I am on the plane home tonight from Papeete, capital of Tahiti, where I am now. On Monday, after the dives Sunday, we tried to cram in some final site…
Fakarava Diving with O2
At about 7:55am this morning the dive boat from O2 Diving arrived to pick up Bill and I for our second round of diving, and our first dive in the Tuamotus. Our first dive today took us outside the atoll – out through the Northern pass to the ocean, then a 55 minute dive on…
Archipel des Tuamotu, safe arrival
We arrived yesterday morning – safely, happily, easily sailing into Fakarava at first “slack tide” – which was a morning low tide around 9 am – our first stop in the Tuamotu Archipelago. I confess it made me a little nervous, crossing into the atoll, when we saw that we were part of a…
Welcome to Fakarava
Boats killing time waiting for low tide After a great (almost perfect) 3 day sail, we arrived a few miles from the North entrance to Fakarava, but had to time our entrance for the 9:30am low tide. As mentioned before, there is LOTS of water working its way into and out of the big archipelago…
24 hours to Fakarava
This is a quick 4am update so people know where we are. Unfortunately a posting in the Predictwind tracking has a future September date and so we cannot post new position updates until the helpdesk fixes it. Sharon has become very proficient at the process, so I am confident we will all have a good…
Farewell to the Marquesas
This morning, the entire Turtlebones crew was up before dawn – even Sharon – to bid farewell to the Marquesas and begin the 550-mile passage to the fabled Tuamotus. For centuries, this necklace of 78 islands, stretching over 900 hundred miles, was known as the dangerous archipelago. Our paper charts still include a huge area…
A great last day in Nuku Hiva
Turtle petroglyph in Hatiheu Today was our last day in Nuku Hiva. Yesterday we checked the winds to Fakarava – our next port of call, and we spent a long time getting conflicting data on the tide tables, but decided we could leave very early in the AM Tuesday and we should arrive early Friday…
Casualty at Sea!
When I was a kid I wanted to be a pilot – my dad was a pilot and some of my early memories are in small planes. Dad taught me how to sail, but not to fly. I knew I was not cut out for the armed services (2 brothers and several nephews have and…
Marquesas, one more thing
One more thing I forgot to mention. That I’ve loved every night – well, anyway, most nights. The stars. Really hard to get a good pic. So apologies, I can’t convey this magic any better. But most nights. I can’t help it, I get this big thrill. To look into the northern sky. And there…
Nuku Diving
We had asked the people at Nuku Diving if they could pick up Bill and I from the boat – we were concerned about leaving the dingy tied to the dock all day (and I assure you it was not for fear it would be stolen). We were told that because of the big ocean…
Marquesas Diary, final installment, the northern islands
Leaving Tahuata, got away by 7 am, heading to Ua Huka, about 60+ nm northwest – a 10-hour crossing if we average 6+ nts. But definitely not to be. The wind died right down, and very soon we were struggling to maintain 3 nts. We like to avoid arriving anywhere at night, especially to any…
Nuku Hiva – last stop of the Marquesas (again)
Turtlebones at anchor in Ua-Pao OK – I did it again. This is Shawn masquerading as Sharon. There is a reason! Believe it or not Starlink changed policy in May and now for ocean access Bill & Sharon had to “upgrade” – pay more, and be limited to 50 gigabytes per month of usage. 50…
Marquesas Diary, Tahuata
Arriving at Tahuata on Monday morning, after our unplanned overnighter, was blissfully uneventful. Just a few other boats in the bay, and our anchor worked exactly as it should. Population 600 on the whole island, spread out among 4 or 5 villages. We made three stops on Tahuata, the first one being the small village…
Marquesas Diary, Fatu Hiva aborted
Our much anticipated visit to Fatu Hiva was cut drastically short. By reason of weather – or what remains to me an unsolved mystery – we were anchor up and away again mere hours after our arrival. We were anchored and settled by late afternoon into the Baie des Vierges – a truly majestic harbour…
Marquesas Diary, Hiva Oa
Four days on Hiva Oa. Couldn’t have been a nicer introduction to French Polynesia. First day involved mostly chores and gathering intel about the island. First and foremost, we set about getting ourselves checked in with all the various authorities – the port captain, immigration, customs – which, in Atuona, turns out to be all…
Marquesas Diary, water baby makes landfall
On the 22nd day after leaving the dock in Puerto Vallarta MX, we sailed into the magical archipelago of the Marquesas. On arrival at Hiva Oa, the largest of the islands, we were immediately assaulted by its beauty, by the heat and humidity of the climate, and by the smell – the smell of earth…
Tahuta, Hiva Oa, Ua Huka, Ua Pau
It is Friday May 5th and it feels like the last couple of days have been a perfect example of how, no matter the plans, winds and waves win out. Last you heard, we had left the anchorage in the southwest corner of Tahatu near the small village of Hapatoni. We had been entertained by…
Learning about Paepae
This blog will be a little bit of a back story and a recent update. Hit fast-forward if it is too boring! Last you heard we were in Fatu Hiva, our anchor dragged multiple times, and after a night sail we ended up on Tahuata. So the back story! When we were on Hiva Oa…
What a drag
As outlined in the previous post, we left Hiva Oa early yesterday. We had strong winds and arrived mid-afternoon. The anchorage was busy with 11 other boats and it dropped off steeply so some boats were in over 100 feet of water for their anchors. We pulled up right in front (catamarans do not draw…
Things I learned at Hiva Oa
We have been very active since arriving in Hiva Oa – both working on the boat (again) and visiting the town and island. I wanted to get a quick update out as we plan to leave this morning for Fatu Hiva and wanted people to know the rough plan. When we leave this morining it…
Paradise found
On Day 22 after leaving the dock in Puerto Vallarta MX, we threaded Turtlebones into the magical archipelago of islands that comprise the Marquesas – one of the most remote outposts in the world. Upon arrival, we were immediately struck by the raw beauty of these towering volcanic islands, their peeks shrouded in dense clouds.…
Shawn gets tatted up!
Notwithstanding the razzing I took from Bill earlier, I was interested in getting a tattoo while here on Hiva Oa. Sharon mention that this is where the word tattoo originated and there is more “cultural meaning” behind the practice here than almost anywhere else. So, on our first day here (after checking in with the…
We avoid a Monsoon and Land Ho!
After 3 weeks at sea, where most days you only saw water and some flying fish, last night and this morning were literally like Union Station at rush hour (OK, a little exaggerated). First, on the AIS last evening after supper we saw that there was a sailing vessel that was going to pass behind…
On Final Approach
We’re now less than one hundred miles from Hiva Oa. In some ways, it doesn’t seem like we’ve been at sea for three full weeks. The boat and her crew have settled into a pretty comfortable routine. Somewhat surprisingly, neither are showing much evidence of wear and tear. There are, however, telltale signs of the…
Is any day non-eventful?
Although I had managed a shot of the crescent moon at dusk earlier, i just could not get a sharply focused one once it became darker. It is very striking as the cup shaped crescent is “on its back” and Venus is directly above it. I recalled from some of my trips abroad that culturally…
A late night blow and…
After Neptune returned to the deeps last night, Bill and I hit our racks and Sharon completed her watch. The winds died down, and when Bill rousted me at 4am the hand off was simple – light winds at about 8 knots and we are making about 4 knots boat speed. Needless to say, one…
Tadpoles no Longer!
It’s official. Having sailed across the equator, all those aboard are now shellbacks. At 2300 hours local time, as Turtlebones approached the divide separating north from south, Bill and Shawn, who were each happily snoozing in their respective bunks, rose to join Sharon who was on watch. Not only was the bubbly suitably chilled for…
Shawn jumps overboard!
Well, we knew that yesterday was going to be the lightest winds we were going to experience on the passage, and it was with a record 70nm over the 24 hours from midnight Wednesday to midnight Thursday. Even though in “the models” we say we will motor at 5kts if we fall below 3kts sailing,…
Confessions of a Lackadaisical Fisher
‘Do you fish while sailing’, people ask. It’s simple question – at least, on the surface. Without hesitation, I almost always answer; yes. And in fact, more often than not, I do fish on an ocean passage. But, deep down, I know that what they’re really asking is: ‘do you catch fish?’ The answer to…
Light up my life
When we were tied up in Puerta Vallarta and walking back to the boat at night, there were a couple of stretches of dock where there was an “oily” scum on the water but at night it became a small field of stars with purple/blue dots of light. Last night after dark (maybe 9pm), I…
The final leg, again…
Yesterday was a quiet day in many respects – we continued to proceed west allowing the transition zone south of us to continue to fill in. After a few days of heavy overcast and pitch black nights we welcomed back a brilliant heaven with stars and planets. Yesterday morning the sliver of a new moon…
Soon We Will be Shellbacks
As Turtlebones makes her way further south, the crew is increasingly aware that a significant milestone looms ever closer – the equator. Each of us are consumed by weighty questions like: will the water going down the drain really start spinning the opposite way? Countless generations of humans have similarly anticipated crossing the imaginary…
Exocoetidae
I will not start with a fish story, but a quick update. Now back to the fish story. I did dig out the GoPro yesterday to try to record the almost continuous schools of flying fish that pop out of the water as we pass. I tried the iPhone but it was almost impossible to…
Making waves & showers
I was afraid we would need to charge the PG status of the blog to R, but we remained respectable. Yesterday, since we had an almost full tank of water on the port side, it was time to celebrate with showers. As we have been continuing south I am feeling stickier and have a patina…
Approaching 1/2 Way
Today we will cross the 1/2 way point on our journey to Hiva Oa, which is only the first leg of Bill and Sharon’s adventure to cross the entire Pacific Ocean. Amazing! It’s 6:43AM and I am sitting in the cockpit enjoying a great zen like moment. Bill raised he head from below and I…
Late for Dinner
In my last post I wrote about the unlucky squids and flying fishes we find each morning stiff and lifeless on the deck. Mention was also made about the possibility that one of us could be struck by one of these projectile-like creatures when they fling themselves aboard during the night. The next evening, it…
When did that happen?
Actually a better question to ask is”what time is it anyway?” Even before we left Mexico we were struggling with Timezones. Most of our friends and family are in the Ontario and Quebec, so Eastern Time. Puerta Vallarta is in Central Time which is one hour difference. Then Canada and US went to Daylight Savings…
Darkest Night
No photos will accompany this short blurb. We’re talking about darkness. And pictures of darkness – I dunno – darkness is hard to capture with an iPhone. Here’s an example of a picture of darkness, from tonight’s watch, it just kinda’ leaves you as wanting more. But that would be missing the point.…
Creatures of the Sea
Turtlebones and her crew are now one week out of port and 1,000 miles from mainland Mexico. Persistent light winds over that last five days continue to limit our progress. As I write this, we’re loafing along at a not-so-hot 4 knots. The racer in me longs for more speed. But even I have to…
Winging it
As Bill finished off in yesterday morning’s post, he had adjusted our heading to go more southerly and set the sails to wing-on-wing. At 4am I was rousted to take the next shift. I will say Bill seems to sound the happiest I hear him all day when he wakes me up – a sing-song…
A Brief Dash of Colour as Turtlebones Veers South
After five days of having the same two sails up – the main and the genoa – we launched the colourful spinnaker late this morning. This coincided with a change in course. Up until now, we’ve largely been travelling in a westerly direction, pushed along by a fresh wind from the north. In sailing lingo…