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updated August 18, 2010
Where To Next
If you are interested in the whereabouts of CanKata, check out the web site http://www.winlink.org/. In the first section, click on “position reporter” and when prompted, type in VA3LME. You will see an “x” that marks the spot of where we last reported to Winlink where CanKata was situated. You can zoom in and out. It isn’t “live” but it will give you a good idea of where we are close to. You can zoom in and out. Another web site also tracks CanKata’s position: http://shiptrak.org/ (you will need to type in VA3LME). It plots each position report in chronological order so you can watch us move from the Caribbean all the way to our current position.
Click on the section
you want to read:
Nothing new this update.
The Circumnavigation
Our circumnavigation will start in March 2007. Our route will take us west through the Panama Canal, the South Pacific, New Zealand and Australia, Indonesia, the Indian Ocean, up the Red Sea, through the Suez Canal, into the Mediterranean, through the Strait of Gibraltar back down to the Caribbean. How long will it take? – Four to ten years or more, by our careful calculations.
Most of this time will not be in the wide-open sea. Yes, we will have some big crossings:
Across the South Pacific, from Panama to the
Marquesas - roughly twenty-five days (3600 nautical miles)
Up the coast of Australia
Through the Indian Ocean
From Gibraltar back to the Caribbean
(St-Martin) roughly 20 days (3000 nautical miles)
So we are expecting some excitement, adventure, and an accumulation of stories to tell. We hope you enjoy sharing our adventure.
After the Circumnavigation
After we have travelled around the world,
we plan to make the Caribbean our home.
Based on immigration rules, we won’t be able to stay at any one country
longer than six months, so we’ll be hopping around, which isn’t difficult in
the Caribbean. For instance, on the
island of St‑Martin, we can stay six months on the French side of the
island, and then spend the next six months on the Dutch side of the island, and
hop back and forth until we decide that we’ve had enough of St-Martin, if that
should ever happen.
We have made this plan before seeing Fiji,
the Chagos, and countless other islands that could become our home base.
From Trinidad to Grenada – November 16, 2005
We arrived in Trinidad on September 16 and discovered that this was a terrific place for boat maintenance and repairs. We have stayed much longer than originally planned, but now have just about everything done on CanKata that needed doing, including such things as new trampolines, house batteries, a water maker, and an additional solar panel.
Two months in Trinidad! It is common amongst cruisers to get stuck in a nice place – I guess we’re no different from the rest. We have to give the weather some credit for our delay in departure. “Tropical Depression Number 27” has created some unsettled weather, and we have heard from a cruiser who left before us that he has encountered some “brutal” weather. We have decided to wait until winds and waves calm down a bit.
Our next stop, Grenada, is about a 15-hour sail from here. We plan to leave Trinidad at 3:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 17, weather permitting, so that we arrive at Grenada well before dark. The beachfront restaurant in St. David’s Harbour will no doubt be open and serving refreshments!
We still hope to be able to help with the rebuild, and will be anxious to see what progress has been made on the island since the devastation of Hurricane Ivan last year. We’ll let you know.
Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia
“Safe and Sound in Grenada” on our news page will fill you in on what happened in Grenada.
Our trip up the chain of islands is going well, and the following shows when and where we have been:
November 17: arrived Prickly Bay, Grenada at 5:00 p.m. (14-hour sail)
November 28: left Grenada at 7:00 a.m., slow sail to Carriacou. Arrived there at 5:00 p.m.
November 30: moved to Sand Island, just a short sail away. Still part of Grenada
December 1: dinghied to Hillsborough to clear out of Grenada. Pulled anchor at 11:00, arrived at Union Island (entry for St. Vincent and the Grenadines) at 12:45. After clearing in, moved to Tobago Cays to anchor for a few days.
December 3: Moved around the corner to Salt Whistle Bay – a little more protected.
December 6: Weather seems to have settled a bit. Had a bumpy four-and-a-half hour ride to Bequia (still part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines). Anchored between our friends on Alaté and Cat Tales. Very windy.
December 11: Pulled anchor at 5:15 a.m., arrived in Soufriere, St. Lucia at 2:30 p.m. after a rough sail.
December 13: Moved up St. Lucia to Rodney Bay. Saw 200+ boats that have arrived from Europe with the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC).
December 14: Sailed from St. Lucia to Le Marin, Martinique – a five-hour sail. No fish, but a pleasant ride.
Dominica then Guadeloupe
In Martinique, we also visited Petit Anse d’Arlet – one of my favourite little bays – and St. Pierre – an exciting little village that still shows sign of volcano damage from the early 1900s. After that, we had a good passage to the island of Dominica, which we hope to visit at great lengths some day. As it was, we just stayed overnight in a protected bay then left in the early morning to Guadeloupe. (Company is coming!) We had a pretty rough sail, but thankfully it was only four hours long. We found a quiet little bay in Les Saintes, just outside of Guadeloupe, and spent a peaceful afternoon and night. Most of the other boats in the anchorage are locals on Christmas vacation.
From Guadeloupe to St-Martin
After a fun-filled week with Larry and Sue Dyer from Northern New York (fellow-cruisers that we met on the Virginia-BVI run last year), we decided to head straight to St-Martin. We left the pretty little island of Marie-Galante (part of Guadeloupe) at 9:00 in the morning on December 31 and sailed for 27 hours, arriving in St-Martin at noon on January 1. Some of the sailing was pretty rough, but we arrived safe and sound and now can put our sails away for a month or so while we enjoy one of our favourite Caribbean islands. We will have a variety of guests aboard for 5 weeks and are looking forward to showing them what the cruising life is like.
In St-Martin
Dates that CanKata is in St-Martin during the winter of 2006:
January 1 – February 7
February 17 – end of April
And loving every minute of it.
Visiting St. Kitts
While in St-Martin, CanKata snuck away for a trip to St. Kitts (a seven hour sail to the southeast) to visit colleagues/friends Ken and Sue Ann, and friends Donald and Cathy. We stayed there from February 7 to 17 – ten wonderful days at this beautiful, mountainous island. It wasn’t exactly cruiser friendly – very few anchorages with sandy beaches, virtually no dinghy docks except at the marina – but that didn’t stop us from having fun. We are going to try our darnedest to make our rendezvous with this group an annual affair.
Southbound
We left St-Martin on April 19, 2006. We won’t be back until after our circumnavigation. But we will be back, because St-Martin is one of our favourite islands – great beaches, friendly locals, safe anchorages, interesting and varied sites, easy access by air (for our visitors), delicious baguettes, cheap ribs, cheaper wine, crystal clear water, good snorkelling grounds, and more. We have told too many people about it and now they have to expand the airport, so please keep all of this information secret.
Our trip down the chain of islands went very well. Here is how it unfolded:
April 19: pulled anchor at 0600 and by 0830 I caught a big Dorado -- our first fish in a very long time. Two little dolphins swam in our bow wave. Anchored at 1730 in Nevis, next to a yacht that had a busy helicopter.
April 20: pulled anchor at 0530, had fish for lunch and coleslaw dressed with homemade yoghurt – see recipes page. Something very big got away with Darrel’s hook and 80 pound test line. Anchored in Deshaies, Guadeloupe at 1700. Watched a beautiful sunset – see photos page.
April 21: pulled anchor at 0600. Anchored in Portsmouth, Dominica at 1600 after seeing a large pod of dolphins. It was a noisy night on the beach – the locals love their weekend.
April 22: pulled anchor at 0600, and anchored in St. Pierre, Martinique after a great sail on a broad reach at 8.5 knots. Fish and coleslaw were on the menu again. Customs was closed but we did manage to buy five bottles of French red wine for a total of $18 (Canadian). It went great with my homemade sardine pâté (cost = roughly $1 Canadian). We live the good life.
April 23: pulled anchor at 1300 – finally, a morning off. Darrel made pancakes then we cleaned the salt off the boat while it rained. Check in at customs was smooth – in a little café that also offered Internet access. We also checked out at the same time and they gave us two days to hang around the island, with a couple of days’ flexibility. Enjoyed chicken from a roadside stand and then bought some pineapple – the best in the world, I’m sure. Caught a barracuda while underway. This time, it didn’t bite Darrel but we did bite it (small enough and far enough south to be poison free). Anchored at 1600 (short trip) in a lovely little anchorage – Petite Anse d’Arlets – and watched another breathtaking sunset. Lots of locals were on the beach, enjoying their Sunday off.
April 25: After a day off (April 24) in Petite Anse d’Arlets that involved some flag repairs, sunning, snorkelling, eating pineapple and watching another breathtaking sunset, we pulled anchor the next day at 0815 and motored to Ste. Anne, a nice anchorage on the southern tip of Martinique, arriving at 1130, in time for a lunch aboard which included homemade banana cream pie for dessert. Darrel headed to the marina to fill our jerry cans with diesel, and then we both went ashore to shop for sarongs and limes. Great dinghy dock. Most of the town was closed … siesta doesn’t end here until 1500.
April 26: We enjoyed a great four-hour sail to Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, went into the marina to check in and then have burgers and fries, and then spent the rest of the day relaxing on CanKata.
April 27: We motor-sailed to Soufriere, St. Lucia, taking just three hours, tied up at a mooring ball beside the bat caves, and then spent some time building our abacuses. It was a lovely evening at the anchorage and we found the boat vendors to be very professional.
April 28: What a great day for sailing! We took a leisurely eight-hour sail to Bequia (part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines) and immediately celebrated the end of our marathon with steak and wine. While here, we met up with old friends on Roamer and Mirus and had some good times with them. We also finally met Melodye on Second Millennium who runs the Caribbean Security Net on the SSB Radio. From this anchorage, we are able to see both the Big Dipper and the Southern Cross.
Update
May 4: We finally dragged ourselves out of Bequia and had another great sail, just three and a half hours, to Canouan. It was nice and quiet, but not special in any way, so just stayed one night.
May 5: We left Canouan early and sailed a couple of hours to Salt Whistle Bay, Mayreau, and celebrated our arrival in this beautiful little bay by baking a key lime pie! Then we got serious and did some boat cleaning, in and out. The sunset was so spectacular that all those aboard the 12 anchored boats were standing in their cockpits admiring it.
May 7: After a busy couple of days in Salt Whistle, we decided to try out Chatham Bay – just a one hour sail but long enough for Loretta to catch a nice-sized Cero. We once again met up with our friends on Roamer, and invited them over for fresh fish. From this bay, Darrel and I hiked over the hills into the pretty village of Ashton for some supplies (tomatoes, limes, coconut and avocado). A local fisherman walked with us part way to make sure we didn’t get lost in the woods. (Thank you, Pope!)
May 9: On our way again! We stayed overnight in a nearby bay, Frigate, which was closer to the town of Clifton, where we checked out. Next morning, we were headed to the islands of Grenada.
May 10: Finally, the bananas we bought in Bequia are turning yellow. Just a short sail got us into Carriacou, which is part of Grenada. Clearing in is now easier due to a simplified one-page form, but Darrel had to report to four different locations. But we were able to buy a bunch of tasty little mangos. We dropped anchor at Sandy Island and spent a lot of time on the pristine little beach and snorkelling in the crystal clear water. Loretta saw her first nurse shark. Roamer is with us again.
May 12: A short sail – just under three hours – enabled Loretta to catch another fish – a Blue Runner this time. We were the only boat that anchored at Ronde Island, so we felt like castaways walking the deserted beach and snorkelling to our hearts’ consent.
May 13: It’s so hard to leave these beautiful anchorages, but weather is pushing us south. We are getting great days for sailing and we have to take advantage of them. We definitely don’t want to get caught north of 12 degrees when hurricane season starts – nor does our insurance agent want us to. We set sail at 0600 and at 0730 Loretta caught another Blue Runner, which was good for four meals. By 0930 we are anchored in St. George’s Bay, Grenada. Roamer is in the marina here. We went into town for some supplies and another coconut. After being in some remote anchorages, we find it convenient to be close to shops, restaurants and marine supply stores. We still find time for boat maintenance and cleaning, baking (bread, another key lime pie), learning Spanish and playing games. Our days are full.
May 17: We decide we want some quiet again, head to a secluded bay and are the only boat anchored in it. The snorkelling isn’t great and there is a diesel spill one morning, so we say to heck with privacy and move to a busier bay after a couple of days. We decide to go for a hike since snorkelling isn’t so good. We’re starting to seriously miss the pristine waters of the more northerly islands. We meet up with Roamer once again and share some more good times, including swimming, shopping and eating, but mostly playing dominoes or box crib.
May 24: A good weather window encourages us to head for Trinidad.
Back in Trinidad - May 25, 2006
We are back in
Trinidad for three months (any longer and we have to pay extra, so off we’ll
go). We had a great overnight sail from
Grenada. It took us 16 hours, which is
a little longer than normal due to calm winds and our reluctance to start the
engines. We weren’t in a rush.
We caught two fish
along the way, and saw at least 3 billion stars.
We have a lengthy
list of things we want to do while we are here. We didn’t do any touring on our first visits, so that will be a
priority. Then there is boat
stuff: another solar panel, an arch for
our collection of solar panels, new lines, a rigging inspection, new bottom
paint, and other general preparations for our sail west (including a yellow
fever shot – yuck).
We expect it will be
a hot and humid three months. We will
also be watching carefully for any bad weather that may come this way. Hurricanes generally do not hit Trinidad,
but weather has not generally been typical.
We don’t want to get caught unprepared.
Preparing for Panama
At the end of August,
we will leave Trinidad and head for Panama.
We will visit some of the islands off the coast of Venezuela, including
the ABCs (our grandchildren’s signature song as well as some lovely islands at
the northern tip of Venezuela), and then we will spend about four months in the
San Blas Islands, which is an archipelago off the coast of Panama. Then we will head through the Panama Canal
for the South Pacific.
We have hooked up
with two other boats that are heading the same way at the same time, and expect
that when we leave, others will have joined the group. Some cruisers have had boardings and
robberies off the coast of Venezuela, so we’ll travel in a pack to reduce the
risk.
We had quite a list
to get through to prepare for the next legs of our journey:
Yellow fever shots, buy malaria pills
Acquisition of charts (paper and electronic)
New standing rigging
New running rigging
Another solar panel and a stainless steel arch
to hold our three panels
Life raft inspection (it passed)
New bottom paint
New main sail track (so our sail can be
dropped quickly in a squall)
Provisioning (e.g., lots of toilet paper)
So we think we are
ready for the continuation of our journey.
CanKata is chomping at the bit.
Venezuela then the ABCs – September/October 2006
We made our way
safely through the offshore islands of Venezuela with our buddy boats, Odyssey,
Apparition and Wind Machine. We had
some terrific sails:
August 29: 13 hour sail from Trinidad to Los
Testigos
September 2: 17 hour sail to Blanquilla
September 7: 23 hour sail to Los Roques
September 11: 6 hour sail to Las Aves de Barlovenito
September 14: 4 hour sail to Las Aves de Sotavento
September 17: 9.5 hour sail to Bonaire, our first of
the ABC Islands
October 10: 6 hour sail to Curaçao
In Curaçao, we are
picking up another crew member, John Black, who will sail with us to El
Porvenir, San Blas, Panama. We will not
be heading to the “A” island of the ABCs, Aruba. We will have roughly a five to six day sail to the San Blas
archipelago, and once we are there we will be in a remote part of the world –
no Internet! We plan to stay a few
months, so there will be no web updates from CanKata for a while. We plan to send you an update when we start
making our way through the Panama Canal (around mid December).
The San Blas Islands, Panama
We arrived in the
remote San Blas Islands, Panama, on October 25, after a seven day sail from
Aruba. The journey should have taken
six days maximum, but for a few days we had strong winds on our nose, and then
the winds died to nearly nothing. This
was contrary to weather forecasts. We
had to be careful with fuel consumption so we sailed along slowly in the light
winds, only motor-sailing from time to time.
But we had no reason to hurry and we had an enjoyable time while under
passage. It was a treat to have an
extra crew member aboard (former colleague John Black) to share the watches and
to entertain us with his stories, antics and insights.
The guide book to
this area states that “the continental shelf of the San Blas area reaches out
into the Atlantic like a tray topped with gifts of countless beautiful
islands”. Well said. We were here
during the rainy season, and experienced a couple of rain storms, but nothing
serious. We saw lots of lightening
along the coast, about six miles away, but only had it around us once. A few weeks were very calm, and we were
bothered a bit by “no-see-ums” at that time, but then the winds freshened,
keeping us bug-free and cooler, and helping us generate electricity through
Jenny, our wind generator. The
temperature never went below 27 degrees Celsius. The water temperature stayed steady at 29 degrees.
There were a few
other cruisers here – maybe 30 in the entire area. We generally shared an anchorage with two or three other
boats. There are also “back packer”
boats here – the San Blas name for “charter” boats - that pick up back-packer
tourists in Columbia and deliver them to Panama, or vice versa. They know the area well and were valuable
for answering our questions about local customs and services. It was also fun to meet a few back-packers
and hear about their adventures in Central America.
We were in the San
Blas for nearly two months – not nearly long enough to see and do everything,
but certainly long enough to fall in love with the area and to make a
commitment to return again after our circumnavigation.
2006 Summary:
What a year. In a nutshell, here’s where we’ve been:
January to mid-April: St. Martin with a few visits to St. Bart’s
and a two week visit to St. Kitts
Mid-April – end May: Southbound to Trinidad
(via Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Bequia, the
Grenadines, and Grenada)
June – end August: Trinidad
Sept. – Oct. 17: Venezuela
out-islands (Los Testigos, Blanquilla, Los Roques, Las Aves), Bonaire, Curaçao
Oct. 17-24: Underway
to San Blas Islands, Panama with a stopover in Aruba
Oct. 25 – Dec. 16: San Blas Islands
Dec. 17-27: Colon,
awaiting our turn for the Panama Canal (took a side trip to the Rio Chagres
during this time)
Dec. 28-29: Transiting
the Panama Canal
Dec. 30-31: On
the Pacific side of Panama
Panama Canal
We will transit the
Panama Canal on December 28 and 29, staying one night on Gatun Lake, which is
the highest point of the Canal. Three
locks take us up to Gatun, and then three locks take us down into the Pacific
Ocean. We will probably transit with
one big ship and maybe one other private yacht. We’ll tell you all about it next update. (See our Latest News page).
We look forward to sharing our 2007 Pacific adventures with you!
Las Perlas - 2007
On January 17 we left Panama’s mainland and sailed to Las Perlas, an archipelago on the western side of Panama. We sailed around these lovely little islands until the end of February, and spent hours spear fishing, diving for oysters, beach combing, and relaxing in quite, protected bays. While the water wasn’t the crystal clear blue of the Caribbean, we enjoyed the peaceful, safe surroundings and the welcoming locals. All my log entries for January 17 to February 26 read “Perfect Weather”. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here, but we hear some other, more westerly islands calling to us. Go west! Go west!
Across the Pacific - 2007
So we are going west. Actually, we have to head south first. We don’t know if we will visit the Galapagos. We’ll wait to see how much fuel we consume – if we need to top up in the Galapagos, we’ll also do a bit of touring. If the sailing is good and we don’t need to stop, we will save a bunch of money by not having to pay all the dues and fees and taxes that the Galapagos authorities want. Then we will head directly to the Marquesas in French Polynesia.
It’s hard to believe we are already at this point in our adventure – a huge crossing awaits us, anywhere from 25 to 32 days or more. CanKata is in tip top shape, we are psychologically ready, and our larder is full. Off we go!
It’s hard to say when we’ll next have internet access to update the web site, it may be late April. But we will be in regular touch with our son Dylan through our SSB radio, so if anything incredibly exciting happens during the passage, we’ll let you know.
2007 Key Dates So Far:
January 1 – March 8: Panama
March 8 – roughly April 7: in transit in South Pacific
Roughly April 7: expected arrival in Marquesas (in French Polynesia)
French Polynesia
Finally! We arrived in French Polynesia on April 12 after 36 days at sea.
French Polynesia consists of 35 volcanic islands and more than 180 low-lying coral atolls (ring-shaped islands with central lagoons). We have three months to see as much of the area as we can.
The islands of French Polynesia are divided into five archipelagos: the Society Islands (which include Tahiti), the Tuamotu Archipelago, the Marquesas Islands, the Gambier Islands, and the Austral Islands. The Tuamotu Archipelago consists entirely of coral atolls and accounts for more than half of the territory’s islands. The other groups contain a few atolls and are primarily volcanic islands.
We first landed in the Marquesas Islands, on Hiva Oa, the largest island of the group of ten volcanic islands, and the site of the grave of the French painter Paul Gauguin.
On April 26 we had another
long passage to the Tuamotu Islands – which are all coral atolls. Those five days at sea actually seemed more
like days 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41 – too close to our 36 day passage. But it was worth the trip to get to the
Tuamotus. Even though the entries to
the atolls are all very tricky, once you are inside the lagoons it is
paradise! We spent our time at two
atolls: Ahe and Rangiroa.
On May 17 we landed in
Tahiti, and are already chomping at the bit to move on to the beautiful island
of Moorea – just to the north of us. We
can get internet access here in Tahiti, so – finally – we can do a web site update.
Exploring French Polynesia
Here is more detail of the places we visited April 12 – July 2007.
We managed to obtain a three-month visa for French Polynesia. It was a fair amount of work and expense (in Panama, in the Marquesas, then again in Tahiti) to obtain the visa and entrance clearance, but it was worth it.
The Marquesas, which are the furthest north and without doubt the most expensive (we only ate one meal out – burger and fries for roughly $40 Canadian), were breathtakingly beautiful. Waterfalls, rugged terrain, steep cliffs, river valleys, wild horses and plenty of fruit trees provided free entertainment. At the small island of Tahuata, we spent a number of days at one of the best beaches we have ever seen and with the greatest name: Hanamoenoa. At Fatu Hiva, we were invited by locals to an evening dinner and entertainment at their home, for a reasonable price of roughly $15 Canadian each. Twenty-five of us went, and they found room for us all in their small home. The best part of the meal was the raw fish in coconut milk – a Polynesian specialty. The best part of the evening was the musical entertainment – guitar and singing – by the family.
From there, we sailed to the Tuamotus, which are also known as “the Dangerous Archipelago” because of variable currents, sudden storms and poor charts, all of which add up to hazardous cruising for yachts. We are glad that we took the risk of going to a couple of the atolls, and in the end had no trouble at all with navigation, anchoring or getting around. Having said that, I must point out that upon entering the rough pass at Rangiroa, our dip stick blew out of our starboard engine and that was the first indicator that this engine was on its last leg. (See the “Redundancy” story on our Latest News page).
Atolls are amazing works of nature. Darwin came up with the theory of atoll formation: As the volcanic portion of an island subsides, the fringing reef is converted into a barrier reef. After the volcanic core has disappeared completely in the lagoon, the remaining reef island is called an atoll. For example, in 25 million years, Bora Bora will have sunk and all that will remain will be a coral atoll similar to Rangiroa.
A sailor has to be very careful entering an atoll. There are usually only one or two places (passes) where the water is deep enough so that a boat doesn’t get hung up on the reef. Tidal currents can make an entry or exit difficult, so we usually select slack tide to go through a pass. Once inside the atoll, we find calm, clear waters with beautiful coral heads and colourful fish. The “motus”, which are little islands that have formed on the reef, sometimes have villages with friendly locals and fresh baguettes. The villages in French Polynesia are generally modern and not suffering from poverty, although the poor dogs could benefit from birth control.
Rangiroa atoll had a great snorkelling spot called “the aquarium”, where we swam with sharks, eels and millions of other fish. Snorkelers feed the fish here, so they are not as timid as fish that are hunted. Sometimes we had to swat them away as they swarmed us looking for dried baguette.
Although CanKata is travelling at the “head of the pack”, we stayed so long in Rangiroa that a number of boats caught up with us. There were so many that we decided to socialize in the evenings via a “dinghy drift”, where we all got in our own little tenders with our drinks and snacks, tied our dinghies up to each other and drifted around the lagoon while we joked and chatted and shared fishing lies. We have since broken away from the pack and now are travelling with just one other yacht – Talerra – but still doing a lot of visiting, joking, chatting, and telling fish stories.
We suffered a bit of culture shock when we got to Tahiti. It was modern, bustling and commercial. The people were very friendly and we did lots of touring around on the local busses and enjoyed some night life in the city of Papeete. Tahiti was beautiful, but we had been spoiled by the Marquesas and Tuamotus, so we didn’t stay long at this island of legend.
Our next stop, Moorea, was more to our liking – no public transit (although there were tour busses), tiny villages, rugged terrain, volcanic peaks, and excellent snorkelling. We were with the yachts Trius and Talerra here, and we all rented scooters and rode round the whole island, taking the better part of a day. Trius bought Darrel a miniature wooden scooter for his birthday. Talerra gave him reading glasses (yes, he had trouble with the map). We saw our first Polynesian dance show here for just $5 a person, and even got a bit of a lesson from the dancers. The locals were friendlier than any others to date. Polynesians have the best smiles in the world. But the poor dogs should stop having puppies.
Next stop: another paradise – Huahine (you pronounce the e). We arrived with Trius and Talerra, but had to say good-bye to Trius here. They are fast-tracking to Australia because they have to be back at work in August. We won’t be there until November.
Huahine, while not as rugged as Moorea, was just as heavenly. Again, we rented scooters and drove around the whole island. Although we didn’t think it possible, the locals were even friendlier than in the other islands. Everywhere we went, we were greeted by enthusiastic waves and hellos and smiles. The poor dogs weren’t quite as enthusiastic, unless we were offering them some of our ice cream (an affordable item in French Polynesia, along with baguettes, chicken, lamb chops and Nutella). Snorkelling just inside the reef was amazing … I’m sure we discovered new colours to add to any palette. We have become accustomed to swimming with sharks, but know that we won’t be enjoying this activity once in Australia, home of some of the most dangerous species in the world.
We could have stayed in Huahine forever, except that time was ticking on our three-month visa. Still to visit: Raiatea and Bora Bora.
Raiatea is actually two islands (cut apart by a mythical eel), with Tahaa being the more northerly one. We sailed a “figure 8” around them and enjoyed a number of anchorages and tiny motus (small coral islands on the reef). This was Captain Cook’s favourite island. Tahaa, which is shaped like a hibiscus flower, is known for its vanilla – also known as “black gold”.
June 14 found us anchored in a calm, quiet bay on the west side of Tahaa. A large hibiscus tree on shore was shedding her flowers, and they floated past us as they headed west. As we watched them float by, we saw the sun setting over Bora Bora, about fifteen miles away. It seemed impossible that we could be sitting in the cockpit of CanKata, sipping our red wine and gazing at one of the most beautiful islands in the world. There was no moon later that night, so the stars were shining brilliantly: the Southern Cross in one direction, the Big Dipper in the other, close to the horizon and pouring out good wishes for warmth, health, and happiness for our friends in the northern hemisphere.
While in Tahaa, we toured one of the most exquisite resorts we have ever seen. “Le Taha’a” is a private island and spa that is a hideaway for the rich and famous – Tom Cruise for example – who generally arrive by helicopter from Bora Bora. A very friendly staff member, a young Polynesian woman named Tiare, walked us around the buildings (all authentic Polynesian style and made of exotic woods and materials) and even let us see the over-water bungalow that Tom stayed in. The beach villas complete with private pools, tropical gardens, outdoor dining area and hammocks on a private beach are wonderful, and rent for up to $2,500 a night. We didn’t stay the night. Instead, we enjoyed the same view, water, weather and snorkelling from our very own private over-water bungalow, aka CanKata.
While in Raiatea, we learned the meaning of “embarras de richesse” – more riches than one can handle. In other words, we ended up with more bananas that we could ever possibly eat, and rejoiced when a charter boat full of vacationers anchored beside us, enabling us to give away four dozen of our embarrassment. We had been touring the Apoomau River in our dinghy, along with our friends from Talerra, when we met a local farmer. We asked him if he had bananas for sale, and we managed to get a whole stock. There must have been a couple of hundred bananas on it, all for $10.00. We also got some coconut and papaya, and later some limes, oranges and pamplemousse. Fresh fruit! Hard to believe, but it’s not too often that we have a bunch of fresh fruit on CanKata. We are not yet sick of banana muffins, banana cake, chocolate coated bananas, banana spring rolls, Jamaican rice with bananas, and a dozen other recipes that include bananas, but I fear the time is coming when we won’t find another banana appealing.
Knock knock. Who’s there? Banana. Banana who?
Knock knock. Who’s there? Banana. Banana who?
Knock knock. Who’s there? Banana. Banana who?
Knock knock. Who’s there? Orange. Orange who? Orange you glad I’m not another banana!
Another “richesse” that we enjoyed in Raiatea were a few “répétitions” – rehearsals for Heiva, the two-week festival that ends July 14 that, among other things like outrigger-canoe races and tattooing displays, includes dancing competitions.
Missionaries had once banned dancing in Polynesia, but there has been a great revival and now it is an important part of the culture. The men dance with a scissor-like movement of legs … bent knees are alternatively opened and closed, with the heels remaining together, hips are immobile and arms outstretched. The women dance with a hip movement that starts from the knees … the upper torso stays immobile, the arms outstretched, and the heels remaining together. They dance to the accompaniment of percussion instruments, a choir, ukulele, and guitar, with the rhythm recalling the beat of paddles hitting water and the cadence of tapa makers and warriors.
At the first “répétitions” we attended, we saw three categories: “les enfants, les jeunes, et les mamans”. Nearly the entire community was as the local basketball court. It was evening and the court was well lit. A few locals had set up tables to sell ice cream, cakes, drinks and an assortment of other snacks. The rehearsal lasted a couple of hours and we were amazed at the talent on display. Even the wee tots too young to compete stood on the side lines and mimicked the movements, no doubt looking forward to the day they could join the troop. A few dogs tried to join the show, too. Most of the men in this community were conspicuously absent, although a number of them did appear in the audience when the girls from 12 to 28 performed their dance routines. The few male dancers that did participate had minor roles, mostly standing still while the women teasingly danced around them.
The choreography was impressive. One woman coached all three categories, each of which had about sixty dancers. Thirteen drummers played the beats that guided the movements … slow, sexy hip glides with the slow, loud drums; quick shakes of the hips with the faster beating. This was not a dress rehearsal, but one could image the grass skirts swinging to the rhythm.
A few days later, in a peaceful anchorage a couple of hours away from our first rehearsal, we attended our second. This village had only one category, the young adults (again, about sixty of them), but this group was one-third men. And boy, could they dance. The dancers had five coaches and the choreography was superb.
We had been impressed by the drumming in the first village, but this group of a dozen drummers knocked our socks off. The energy, intensity, precision and speed were remarkable. I think I’ve run out of superlatives. We sat through two-and-a-half hours of the best drumming and dancing we have ever witnessed. What was especially nice was the way the villagers welcomed us into their community. I don’t think they get visitors to their rehearsals very often, if at all. The dancers would sometimes sneak a look at us, as though they were seeking approval. I’m sure our smiles and applause indicated how thrilled we were. “Mauruuru” is thank you in Polynesian. We said it countless times.
At the end of the rehearsal, we were swarmed by the children, wanting to know how we got there, where we lived, did we speak French (two out of four of us could), and where were we going to next (Bora Bora was the answer). We gave away marbles, which I’m sure they didn’t really want or need, but they appeared thrilled to receive a small gift from us. We parted ways with all of us waving and shouting “mauruuru, mauruuru”. My goodness we love Polynesians.
Our third rehearsal was at our last stop in Raiatea – the village of Vaiaau. We had gone ashore (again, with our friends from Talerra) to take pictures of the church and to buy ice cream, and on our way to the little store we passed a home where four people were working away at dance costumes. We stopped to watch and chat, and it turns out that one of the costume makers was the Chief of the village. He allowed us to try on some costumes and he invited us to the rehearsal that was taking place that night in the covered sports arena (we were thankful for the cover – it rained buckets that night).
We continued our walk to the store, accompanied by four young diplomats who answered all our questions about their village and who picked us four beautiful mangos. We bought them ice cream.
At sunset, we dinghied ashore and witnessed an amazing show of song and dance. This group of fifty did much more singing than the other groups, and their rich voices gave us goose bumps. One of the songs, sung in Polynesian, was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes.
Since we had been invited to the rehearsal by the Chief, we were given seats of honour – front and centre (on the floor with our own boat cushions). One of our young diplomats was a dancer, so it was fun when he caught our eye, smiled one of those huge Polynesian smiles, and wagged his knees a little more vigorously than usual. Our best memories of Raiatea will be the rehearsals. It is an island of rugged mountains, crystal waters, lush vegetation, and spectacular sunsets, but these qualities are far outshone by the smiling, friendly, and musical People.
Probably everyone has heard of Bora Bora. It is so South Pacific: dramatic basalt peaks, a multicoloured lagoon, slopes and valleys blossoming with hibiscus, perfect white sand beaches, the sound of beating drums, and the sight of Polynesian dancers. There has been a huge expansion of tourism, so many of the beaches are inaccessible because of the resorts with their over-water huts. The roads are busy with car and bus traffic, everywhere there are shops selling “rare” pearls, cruise ships fill the harbour, and prices at shops and restaurants are more suitable to cruise ship tourist budgets than ours. But we were still able to find a quiet anchorage in pristine water, a rugged path to hike up a mountain for a breath-taking panoramic view, a couple of good and affordable restaurants, a dance competition, and dozens of friendly Polynesians.
Bora Bora was our last stop in French Polynesia. Our three-month visa is about to expire, so off we go on a five-day passage. Next stop: The Cook Islands. We’ll tell you all about them in our next update.
Rarotonga (Cook Islands) – July 2007
We arrived at Rarotonga on July 14, departed on July 24.
Here are some interesting facts about the Cook Islands (thank you Moon Handbooks for some of this):
- They speak English with a Maori accent.
- The Cook Islands are an internally self-governing state in free association with New Zealand (the Islanders hold NZ citizenship and use NZ dollars). Without NZ aid, the Cooks would be bankrupt.
- One-third of the tourists to the Cooks are from NZ.
- Rarotonga is the largest Cook Island. Cook himself never actually saw Rarotonga.
- The only native mammals are bats and rats. We saw neither.
- The mutineers from “Bounty” gave the people of Rarotonga the seeds for their first orange trees.
- We found that Rarotonga was one of the few places in the South Pacific where oranges were affordable.
Niue – between Rarotonga and Tonga
We arrived at Niue on July 29 after a rough and rocky five days
at sea. Being on watch was a little challenging: Is that a mountain? No,
just a wave. Is that a high-rise? No, just a wave. Is that a monster whale?
Yes, I think it is. Oh, no, just
a wave. We were glad to be on a
catamaran.
Interesting facts about
Niue:
-
They speak English with a
Niuean accent (hard to describe: NZ and Chinese?).
-
It is 259 square miles,
and is an elevated atoll, entirely of coral.
(Canada’s smallest province, Prince Edward Island, is 5660 square
miles).
-
Population is roughly 1500
– very low density.
-
Niue is totally dependent
on official aid from New Zealand.
-
Cook nicknamed Niue
“Savage Island”, but we found the people very friendly.
-
There is no transportation system
(typical of the small islands), so people offered to drive us where we wanted
to go. On our first day, the Custom
Agent drove us to a restaurant (the only one open on a Sunday) at the end of
the island, and then the owner of the restaurant drove us back to our
anchorage.
-
Most of the gravestones on the island
are new and elaborate. We are wondering
if some of the cyclone aid (Cyclone Heta) went into grave markers.
-
The shoreline of
Niue is very mean and extremely scenic.
You don’t want to wash ashore here.
We departed on August 2
and had a great sail to the Kingdom of Tonga.
We’ll tell you about our adventures there in our next update.
Tonga – August 5, 2007
We were welcomed to the
Kingdom of Tonga (the oldest and last remaining Polynesian monarchy) by
whales. Humpbacks mate in this area at
this time of year. We were thrilled one
night to be awoken by whale songs – we could here the eerie sounds through the
hulls of our boat. Nothing can compare
… to me it sounded like a mixture of high-pitched mooing, dogs whining and owls
hooting, skillfully and beautifully composed.
Tonga is the furthest
south that we have been so far, and we found the water a little too cool for
extended snorkeling, but the nights were nice and fresh. We wore sweaters a couple of times.
There are over 150 islands
in Tonga, and we visited the Vava’u Group.
Our first stop was the scenic town of Neiafu (population about 6,000)
and we were delighted to find all sorts of shops and services available,
including high-speed wifi and great restaurants. Chocolate ice cream was scarce, but the fresh lobster and tuna
compensated. From Neiafu, we could sail
to a number of scenic anchorages with beautiful sand beaches. If only the water had been a little warmer.
The routes of
westward-bound cruisers are starting to converge, so we met up with a lot of
old friends here and met many new ones.
Most of us went to a fund-raising event (dinner, entertainment,
auctions, and raffles) to support the local library and education fund. We were proud to be part of the biggest and
best of such an event held in Neiafu to date.
Fiji – August 29, 2007
We had a great sail to
Fiji – four days, three nights with an average speed of about 5 knots. Some highlights of the sail were:
-
a total lunar eclipse
-
a family of squid jumping
onto our deck and leaving all their ink behind
-
warming temperatures
-
we caught THREE fish – two
tunas and one dorado
-
S/Y Talerra and her crew arrived
a number of hours ahead of us, gave us the coordinates for the anchorage, and
were in their dinghy at our mooring ball to help us get settled for the night.
The Fijian government was
taken over by a military coup early this year.
We didn’t notice any military presence, except at Customs and
Immigration, and the people seem to be leading pretty normal lives. But we did see posters that said “Are You
Registered for the 2006 General Election?” and “Choosing Your Government is
Your Right”, and found them a little ironic.
We spent half of our time
in the smaller northern island of Fiji – Vanua Levu – and anchored in the town
of Savusavu in a well-protected bay. We
were thrilled to finally find affordable prices, and ate ashore as often as
could be arranged. And there was lots
of chocolate ice cream. We were also
able to enlist the services of a young Fijian man, Iosefu Semi, who cleaned all
the squid ink off our boat for a very reasonable price. He had to borrow rain gear from us because
he cleaned CanKata on a rainy day (nearly every day in Savusavu was rainy), so
we gave him the rain gear as a tip. We
crossed paths with him a number of times, and he greeted us like we were old
friends. We noticed that the Fijians
were much friendlier than Tongans.
We should point out that
we are no longer in Polynesia. We are
now in Melanesia, which encompasses the Fiji Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu,
the Solomon Islands, and New Guinea.
Melanesian means “black”, but there is now a tremendous variety of cultures,
races and languages that make up Melanesia.
Fiji was once known as the
“Cannibal isles” but no one had us for dinner.
We spent the rest
of our Fiji time at Malololailai Island in Musket Cove with hundreds of other
cruisers. We accidentally arrived in
time for Fiji Regatta Week, and what a week it was: entertainment from the locals, Pirate attacks, swap meets, pig
roasts, wet t-shirt contests, dressing up in costumes, races of every type
imaginable, a tug-of-war, dinghy parades, barbeques, happy hours, … all the
goofy things that cruisers long for after being too long at sea.
We left for New Caledonia on September 22, and had an incredibly speedy passage. CanKata had her fastest day ever: 177 nautical miles in 24 hours! We only had to run the engines for a few hours to charge the batteries (no sun and our hard-working wind generator, Jenny, was being blocked by our main sail and taking a well-deserved rest). We were welcomed to New Caledonia by a big full moon.
New Caledonia – September 27, 2007
For our first morning at anchor in Prony Bay, New Caledonia, we were treated to an incredible moon set and lovely sun rise, but a chilly cabin – just 20°C! Sweaters, slippers and porridge were called for. We were now 22 latitudinal degrees south of the equator and it was early spring, so cool mornings and nights were usual. After enjoying warm waters in Fiji, we were again in cooler water temperatures – 25°C, which is lovely for a dip but not so good for extended snorkelling.
When we checked in at the city of Nouméa, we were greeted by a young quarantine officer who takes her job very seriously. She took away all our fresh fruit and vegetables, garlic, honey, eggs, popcorn and some garlic sausage. We stayed in a marina in Nouméa for a few days – quite unusual for CanKata, but necessary for some business we had to take care of (like buying popcorn). The lack of privacy and smelly water ensured that we were not tempted to stay longer than a few nights. So off we sailed (motored, actually, with the wind on our nose) to the Isle of Pines, appropriately named since it is scattered with 60-meter-high “columnaris” – tall skinny pine trees like none we’ve ever seen. This was a stunningly beautiful place with numerous white beaches and quiet, secluded anchorages. We returned to Nouméa ten days later only because we had to check out of Customs and Immigration from that point.
So we are on our way to Australia now, about 15,000 miles, as the crow flies, from where we started. Of course, we have logged a few more miles than that.
We feel like we have rushed through the South Pacific. Therefore, once the cyclone season is over and we are ready to leave Australia, we
will probably head east instead of north – returning to Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands instead of moving forward with our circumnavigation. We think this area is worth revisiting.
But for now we are rushing to Australia, taking advantage of a good weather window and finding a safe haven before the cyclones start. No doubt we will have lots of stories from “Oz” for our next update. (See our “Latest News” page).
PEI – October 2007
Darrel and I often speak of PEI. “What’s PEI”, many a cruising friend has asked. The answer: Prince Edward Island – Canada’s tiniest province – land of red cliffs, green valleys, pristine beaches, foaming surf, and blue skies with popcorn clouds. Darrel’s mom, after visiting it and admiring its white beaches, called it “Canada’s Hawaii”.
We lived there for eight years, back when our son, Dylan, was still living at home. We loved it there. We lived in a rural setting, surrounded by trees, a short walk from the red clay beaches of the south shore, and where we could cross-country ski from our back door. We moved away when better jobs became available in Ottawa, and when Dylan was getting close to university age. Dylan was glad to move away from small-town PEI, where there were no buses to get him from place to place, where we sometimes were housebound in bad snow storms, and where we had to take a ferry to get to a large city.
“You’ll have great memories of this place”, we said to him as we flew away from the home of Anne of Green Gables, Cavendish Beach, storm days (when everything closed down because of too much snow), strawberry socials, blue jays, purple lupins, potato fields, sand dunes, and friendly, down-to-earth people.
We were right. Dylan has been drawn back to PEI. This winter, he, Laura, Tehja and Taylor are packing their bags and moving to PEI. They have bought a house close to where we once lived, and just a 3-minute drive to Dylan’s new job. We suspect that Dylan feels like he is moving home.
Still Enjoying Australia – December 2007
Here it is – the festive season. We hope everyone is having a wonderful time with family and friends, and we wish you all the best for 2008. We are having a great time! We have met up with our cruising buddies, Lynn and Nicholas from S/V Trius, and have met many new friends, including Diane and Kerry of S/V Nemo. We have no difficulty in finding someone to play with when the mood strikes us (which is often).
Our cruising ground in Australia has been mostly limited to the Gold Coast in Queensland. We have taken some road trips with our friends, but all have been within a 500-kilometer radius. Australia is a huge country, (the continent is 7,615,000 square km, Canada is 9,970,000) and it will be impossible to see much of it on our budget. We have also scratched from our list a trip to New Zealand because of the cost. But this doesn’t bother us. Our dream is to see what we can see from CanKata … we never did plan on taking many road trips. We’ve been lucky here in Australia – a number of friends have had access to vehicles so we’ve seen more sights than we planned.
We aren’t cruising in the nicest of waters. The inland waterway of the Gold Coast is actually cleaner than other inland waterways we have seen, but we still aren’t keen on doing much swimming in it, and definitely no snorkelling. The cruising grounds further north are supposed to be quite spectacular, but the box jellyfish, which are deadly, are mating there right now. Sydney harbour to the south sounds incredible, so we’ll head there in March before heading back to New Caledonia.
In the meantime, we are temporary citizens of the Gold Coast – not a bad location to spend winter. No snow, a decent amount of rain, lots of sun, and slim chance of a hurricane. Our kind of place.
2007 Summary
In 2007, we visited over forty islands in eight countries and travelled about 15,000 km. Here’s where we have been:
PANAMA: Panama City. La Playita. Las Perlas Islands: Isla Contadora, Isla Viveros, Isla Casaya, Isla Chapera, Playa De La Sueca, Espiritu Santo, Isla Cana.
FRENCH POLYNESIA: Marquesas: Hiva Oa, Atuona, Hanamoenoa, Fatu Hiva. Tuamotus: Ahe Atoll, Rangiroa Atoll. Tahiti. Moorea. Huahine. Tahaa. Raiatea. Bora Bora.
COOK ISLANDS: Rarotonga.
NIUE: Alofi Bay. Ana Ana Lookout. Anapala Chasm. Togo
Chasm. Avaiki Cave. Limu Pools. Makalea Cave.
TONGA: Neiafu, Vakaeitu, Kapa Island, Pangai Island, Euakafa Island, Mala Islet.
FIJI: Savu Savu (Vanua Levu). Makogai. Naigani Island. Nananu. Nukuivovo. Lautoka. Malolo Lailai. Musket Cove. Beachcomber Island. Namotu Beach. Momi Bay.
NEW CALEDONIA: Baie de Prony. Port Moselle Marina and Orphelinat (Nouméa). Baie Uie. Gadgi Bay (Isle of Pines). Port du Carenage.
AUSTRALIA: Manly, Wynnum, Peel Island, Horseshoe Bay, Gold Coast, Hope Island, Sanctuary Cove, Harbour Town, Coomera, Helensvale, Bums Bay, Brisbane, Blaksley Anchorage, Wavebreak Island, Runaway Bay, Tamborine Mountain, Burleigh Heads, Snappers Point, Point Danger, Springbrook Park, Town of 1770, Glass House Mountains, Agnes Waters, Noosa Heads, Bundaburg. More in 2008!
Still in Australia – March 2008
We have been in Queensland, Australia since October 22 and yes, we are anxious to get going again. Between the cyclone season, southerlies that won’t stop and northerlies that won’t kick in, we have been held captive at the Gold Coast. It’s a nice place, but a couple of months would have been long enough. We had planned a leisurely cruise down to Sydney – reportedly once of the most beautiful harbours in the world – but the winds wouldn’t cooperate.
In the meantime, our Aussie friends have generously taken us on road trips, so we now have the following places to add to the list of where we’ve been: Byron Bay, Nimbin (hippy town where they say “just say KNOW to drugs”), Tipplers, and O’Reilly’s Park near Lamington (where we walked in the tops of the trees), and the Binna Burra caves, also in Lamington Park. But CanKata has remained on the Gold Coast, snug as a bum in Bum’s Bay.
Heading North – April 2008
Cyclone season is over, our two new engines are installed and running smoothly, we have provisioned, our route is planned, and now it is time to head north, closer to the equator.
Autumn has arrived in Australia, and with it has come cooler weather, especially in the evenings. A fleece blanket is now a regular bedding item, which is unusual on CanKata. Long pants and sweaters (“jumpers” in Oz) are often needed, and this does not please the laundry lady (that would be me). While we will miss the comfort and friendliness of Bum’s Bay, we will certainly welcome a warmer climate.
We pulled anchor and said good-bye to Bum’s Bay on Thursday, April 10. Our rough itinerary is as follows:
Cairns by June 3, Darwin by July 20, Indonesia the beginning of August. We hope to join the Darwin to Indonesia rally that leaves Darwin on July 26, but haven’t received confirmation from the organizers yet. But, one way or the other, we will be leaving Australia at the end of July. We will have been here for nine months!
So far we are having a great trip up to Darwin, having anchored in great places with exotic names like Tangalooma and Mooloolaba. There are more crazy names to come, and we look forward to sharing them with you.
Stops along the way to Darwin
It was a long journey: Bum’s Bay to Darwin … over 2300 nautical miles. We left on April 10 and arrived on June 25, a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. We just couldn’t sit still while favourable winds were blowing.
It was a pretty amazing journey. We saw very little civilization and were surprised at the remoteness of this part of Australia. For most of the trip, the scenery was beautiful, with islands dotted here and there and rugged mountains lining the coast. We were disappointed in the water clarity and hardly snorkelled at all, but the fishing was good and the weather was fine. For part of the trip, we travelled with Sylvia and Gerd of “Daedalus”, and for another part we travelled with Diane and Kerry of “Nemo”. For the entire trip, we were constantly grateful for the comfort and safety that CanKata provided … she’s a wonderful yacht.
Some highlights:
April 12: Our first snorkel adventure in Australia took place at Tangalooma, a lovely resort spot.
April 17: Caught four edible crabs in Mooloolaba.
April 23: Crossed the dreaded Wide Bay Bar in big surf without incident, celebrated with sashimi.
See “Going to the bar” on our Latest News page.
April 28: Snorkelled at Lady Musgrave atoll. The sharks are getting bigger.
May 2: Can see the Big Dipper again, upside-down, close to the horizon.
May 6: Our misadventure in Yeppoon. See story on our Latest News page.
May 7: Starting to get nervous about crocodiles in the water (Port Clinton). Didn’t bathe off of CanKata’s scoops.
May 9: Admired yachties’ memoirs that filled up the shack at Percy Isle. We left an old Canadian flag behind.
May 10: Enjoyed coconuts and our first beach bonfire in Australia along with Daedalus and Double Dutch.
May 15: Thomas Island - our first Australian rock oysters, courtesy of Gerd (and his knife) from Daedalus.
May 16: On our way to Lindeman Island, Darrel commented, “It’s like we’re sailing through a mountain range”. Very scenic.
May 20: Bowen Marina – civilization. Got groceries, did internet, filled up with diesel, got cash, ate out.
May 21: Good-bye Daedalus. On our own in Shark Bay. Didn’t swim.
May 24: Opheus Island - visited some other boats to give away fish after landing a massive wahoo.
May 25: Heard a boat calling for assistance. They were stuck on a reef in Hazard Bay. Sounds like a place to avoid.
May 26: Did some fast sailing in 30 knot winds and 10 foot seas and found a calm anchorage at Mourilyan Harbour.
May 30: Met up with Nemo at Lizard Island, hiked to Cook’s Look Out, snorkelled again (out last time) and saw giant clams.
June 2: A “Coast-watch” aircraft hailed us on the VHF radio for our particulars (first of five times).
June 3: Saw cave drawings at Stanley Island National Park. Kept our eyes open for crocodiles, swam off scoops.
June 6: Night Island – saw crocodile tracks. Didn’t linger or swim on the beach, but did swim off scoops.
June 7: We are finally sleeping without a blanket, even though it is winter here.
June 9: Hiked to Indian Bay on a path well marked with blue-coloured debris. Found more blue debris for the path.
June 12: Cape York – hiked to the most northerly point on the Australian continent.
June 12: Seisia – many other Sail Indonesia Rally boats here. Potluck time!
June 13: Still in Seisia – another brief taste of civilization – internet, ice cream, fresh fruit and vegetables.
June 18: A full moon guided us across the Gulf of Carpentaria.
June 25: CanKata anchored in Fannie Bay, near Darwin. We are now in the Northern Territory – outback country.
Preparing for Indonesia
CanKata has joined the Darwin to Kupang rally that leaves July 26, 2008 and arrives in Indonesia about July 30. We’re pretty excited about it. There are 117 boats in the fleet, many of whom will also join a rally that takes us through Malaysia. Information about the rally is on www.sailindonesia.net .
According to the organizers of the
event, during the following three months we will be invited “to
a series of Cultural Festivals at different locations through Indonesia on the
islands of Alor, Lembata, Flores, Sulawesi, Bali, Java, Borneo and finally on
to Batam just south of Singapore. As in past years the Local Administration at
each of these Indonesian islands has planned a number of events which include a
ceremonial welcome and dinner as well as cultural and arts displays and also
dance performances. Participants will be able so see some of the more remote
parts of Indonesia away from the well-worn tourist areas, and will be able to
experience different peoples and their cultures, different lifestyles,
different arts and crafts and even different languages.”
Malaysia
CanKata joined another rally: Sail Malaysia, November 15 – December 20. We enjoyed a number of advantages of belonging to the Sail Indonesia fleet: handling of bureaucrats, no bond requirements, official welcomes, gala events with wonderful food and entertainment, organized tours, translators, radio networks, and the safety of fellow cruisers nearby. It is still possible to escape from the crowd for peace and quiet, and the price is right, so why not?
Information about this rally is on www.sailmalaysia.net . Here’s an excerpt from that site:
“From the
unique unspoiled places waiting to be discovered to world-class marinas,
Malaysia is a country full of diversity and wonderful surprises. Our role
at Sail Malaysia is to welcome you at the rally stops, coordinate events and
festivities, and offer a dose of Malaysian hospitality. Malaysia is blessed
with a combination of diverse heritage, natural marine beauty and excellent
infrastructure. Rally participants can live freely and safely for long
periods in Malaysia, able to travel anywhere around the world from any of our
marinas with ease and without worry about the security of their boats. Visiting
Malaysia is hassle-free and ideal for a long-term stopover.”
But this is
what really got our attention: “Customs
and immigration procedures in Malaysia are straightforward and not
complicated. In addition, we will also arrange one-stop centre for customs
and immigration clearance.” That alone
was worth the entry fee!
Stops
in Malaysia 2008
Here is where
we spent our time in Malaysia:
October 26 –
November 17: at Danga Bay
November 2-4: a bus trip to Singapore
November 7: a bus trip to Kuala Lumpur
November
18–26: travel from Danga Bay to Lumut
November 20: at Pulau Besar
November 21: a day-tour of the city of
Melaka
November
25-28: rally events in Lumut
November 28-30: set anchor and toured
Pangkor Island
December 1-2: long journey to Penang
Island
December
3-19: rally events, touring, shopping and dining in Penang
December 19:
expected departure date for Langkawi
December 20
to January 5: touring Langkawi
And then we will be heading for Thailand!
2008 Summary
In 2008, we visited about 36 islands in four countries and travelled about 5500 nautical miles. Here’s where we were:
AUSTRALIA: Eleven islands: Wavebreak, Morton, Tangalooma, Fraser, Lady Musgrave, Great Keppel, Percy Middle, Thomas, Lizard, Morris, and Night. Since Australia is an island-continent, maybe the count should be twelve.
INDONESIA: Twenty islands: Timur, Alor, Lapang, Kroka, Besar, Flores, Sababi, Rinca, Kellog, Komodo, Banta, Sumbawa, Medang, Gili Air, Lombok, Bali, Java, Borneo, Belitung and Kentar.
SINGAPORE: One.
MALAYSIA: Four islands: Besar, Pangkor, Penang and Langkawi.
Thailand – January 2009
We have left the predominantly-Muslim countries of Indonesia and Malaysia and are now in predominantly-Buddhist Thailand. Everything is different here – the dress, the language, the food, the water (much cleaner than Malaysia), the script (we can’t read any of the signs) and the general tone of the place. In Malaysia, we sometimes found the people loud and aggressive but still very friendly. Here, they are very friendly but much more subdued, smiling and respectful (as long as we are too). I can now go ashore is a cool sundress, showing my knees and shoulders without worrying about offending someone. But I must remember to take off my shoes before entering buildings and shops, and when my hands are free I put both palms of my hands together under my chin as a respectful greeting. “Sawaddi ka”, I sing in greeting. “Sawaddi krap”, is what Darrel says. Women end many phrases in “ka”, guys say “krap”. But it is not krappy here … not krappy at all.
We are busy learning key phrases in this totally foreign language. While many Thai speak some English, they open up to us more when we put some effort into speaking their language. But it’s tough, considering that the same word can have five different meanings depending on what tone you give it (with a steady pitch, or pitched slightly higher, or pitched slightly lower, or pitched high and falling sharply, or pitched low and rising sharply … yikes). I think I have perfected “mai kow jai” … which means “I don’t understand”.
We will be in Thailand and Malaysia area for the next year. Maybe by the time we leave I’ll be able to say “kow jai” – I do understand.
Prolonging Our Circumnavigation
I mentioned above that we’ll be in this area for the next year. Originally, we had planned to leave here mid-January of this year to continue on our circumnavigation. You may have heard the phrase about sailors’ plans being written in the sand at low tide. I guess that applies to us. We have once again changed our plans and will be staying in the Thailand/Malaysia area until December, at which time we PLAN to continue on our circumnavigation through the Indian Ocean, up the Red Sea, and to the Mediterranean for an undetermined amount of time. We have met a number of sailors here in Thailand who had planned to be in the Med five or so years ago, but have been seduced by the wonderful life style that this area has to offer. To that I say “kow jai” – I understand.
Halfway Around the World
We were doing some chart work the other day, and it occurred to us to check whereabouts we were in relation to our journey around the world. We realize now that when we were in Bali (the location where Darrel was chosen to give the rally thank you speech), we had sailed halfway around the world. It sounds significant, but it all seemed so easy.
Back to Malaysia – May 2009
We left Thailand on April 3 and took the long route back to Malaysia, arriving there on April 22. We travelled alone because we didn’t know how many islands we could squeeze into our itinerary or how long we would stay at each stop, and wanted the freedom of last-minute decision making.
We had a great journey, and while sometimes alone in an anchorage, always felt safe.
While we are in Malaysia, we plan to put CanKata in a marina while we do some land touring of S.E. Asia (Cambodia and Viet Nam to start with) and hope to have some great photos from that trip for the next update.
Cambodia and Vietnam – May & June 2009
Here are the places we visited while backpacking in Cambodia and Vietnam with Tim and Barb from “Rubicon Star” and Craig and Sara of “Crasara”:
CAMBODIA:
May 21 – Siem Reap via Kuala Lumpur
May 22 – Angkor Wat, a 12th century Hindu temple complex
May 24 – Phnom Penh
VIETNAM:
May 28 – Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon)
May 31 – Mekong Delta (Can Tho, Chau Doc)
June 3 – Mui Ne
June 5 – Da Lat
June 8 – Nha Trang
June 10 - Hoi An, including tour of My Son, Danang, Marble Mountain and China Beach
June 12 – Hue
June 15 - Hanoi
June 17 – Ha Long Bay (Gulf of Tonkin, South China Sea) and Cat Ba Island
June 20 – Train to Lao Cai then bus Sapa (not on our map, just a few miles from China – amazing mountain town)
June 21 – Mong tribe villages: Hoa Chai, Ta Van, Cat Cat, and Sin Chai
June 23 – Silver Water Falls by motorcycle, too cloudy to see Fan Si Pan Mountain, overnight bus back to Hanoi
June 25 – flight back to Langkawi, Malaysia via Kuala Lumpur
Now we are leisurely sailing around Langkawi, trying to figure out where and when we’ll renew our Canadian passports (much more difficult for Canadians than cruisers from other countries – why is that?), and PLAN to head back to Thailand in October, then start heading for the Red Sea around mid-December.
Stalled – October 2009
In the above paragraph, did I say we were heading for the Red Sea in mid-December? Then please allow me to back peddle.
Since June, Darrel and I have made a couple of significant changes in our plans. The first change was to delay our departure from Thailand until December 2010; the second change was to delay our departure until December 2011. Of course, our plans can always change – a bit of an understatement.
The first change in plans – that is to delay our departure until December 2010 - came shortly after our journey through Cambodia and Vietnam. We were then totally aware of the number of incredible places to visit in this area and of the possibility to tour around with a small budget. We then met “Been-A-Long”, yachties who have been a long time in this area, who inspired us to think about staying in this area for another year. It was a fairly easy decision: we are not on a tight deadline, the weather is wonderful, there is little risk of extreme storms, it is affordable, goods and services are readily available, and it would open the possibility of entertaining a number of visitors. As it happens, since we made our decision to stay another year, we have made arrangements with five different sets of visitors.
The second change in plans – that is to delay our departure until December 2011 – came shortly after we had our second visit with Ron of the Canadian yacht “Tigger”. Ron and his wife could name their yacht “Been-a-long-long-time”, because they have been cruising for decades, and have spent six months in each of the past seven years in the Chagos, an archipelago that I have long dreamed of visiting. Ron inspired us to think about staying an additional year. If we leave in 2010, we will not visit the Chagos because it is too far off our planned course. If we leave in 2011, we can spend January to July travelling to and from and visiting in the Chagos – far away from civilization, catching fish to survive, unable to visit internet cafes, and spending hours of each day warm, crystal clear water. We would return to Thailand and prepare for our departure to the Red Sea, scheduled for December 2011. Or so we plan.
We are quite happy to be stalled. A number of our Aussie yachties friends are also stalled (a bit easier for them because they are able to get cheap flights to visit family back in Oz) so we are part of a fairly large community, which changes every year as the rallies bring in new cruisers and as yachties head out to continue on their way. This is an interesting place to live – with Muslim, Buddhist, Chinese and Indian cultures mixing to create a very diverse people.
So as far as “where to next” – Malaysia and Thailand will be the answer for the next while.
One-Year Visa – Thailand
Darrel and I were pretty excited when we heard from fellow Canadian yachties that it wasn’t difficult to get a one-year visa for Thailand. It was a simple three-step plan:
1. Be over 50
2. Have enough money in the bank to show that we didn’t need to work in Thailand
3. Present financial statements, passports, boat papers and the fee to an agent who took care of all the rest.
While in Malaysia in early December, we took the ferry from Langkawi to Penang, where the Thai embassy is located. We needed to stay a few nights so found a “budget” hotel close to the agent and to terrific restaurants. Penang is also well-known as a hot shopping spot for yachties – all sorts of electronics, boat parts, toxic chemicals, smoked meats and other such things that we can’t live without. So we had a great time and came away with one-year Thai visas as well as the much-needed purchases.
So we’ll be living in Thailand for the next year or so. We’ll still sail to Malaysia from time-to-time for cheaper wine and gin and other important purchases, but those visits will be short. For us, Thailand will be home.
Going to Canada
Yes, despite having often said that we won’t be going back to Canada for YEARS, if ever, we are making a trip to the True North Strong and Free. This has been made possible by a generous gift from my sister Anita and her husband Graham – thank you so much you two from the bottom of our hearts!
We will leave CanKata at a safe marina in Malaysia. Then we’ll spend a whole bunch of hours travelling.
We fly out of Kuala Lumpur, landing in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan late on May 13.
On May 19, we leave Saskatchewan and land late in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
We leave Canada on May 25, and then spend a couple of days in Hong Kong,
We are back in Langkawi, Malaysia for Darrel’s birthday on May 29.
So, we’ll finally get to spoil the grandchildren.
Our excitement level is off the charts.
Boat Lagoon Marina – June 2010 and maybe until September!
CanKata needs a paint job. After receiving several good recommendations and a number of quotes, we have hired Mr. Oh Services to do the job. Besides the outsides of our two hulls, we are also having the scoops, mast and boom painted, something that has needed doing for a long time. Mr. Oh figures it will take at least forty working days, and since it is the wet season, that timeframe could stretch to three months.
So we are currently in Boat Lagoon Marina, Phuket, Thailand. CanKata is still in the water, awaiting her imminent haul-out, and we are nicely settled in an on-site hotel room that has a small fridge and an air conditioner and a very affordable monthly rate. Nearby is an affordable Thai eatery with excellent food. Even closer is a wonderful pool with sun umbrellas, lounge chairs and big towels. We even have friends nearby to play with. Sometimes, life “on the hard” isn’t really hard at all.
Until next update,
Loretta and Darrel
S/Y CanKata