tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44637675617931683762024-02-06T18:06:12.452-08:00Where are Shawn and Chris?shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.comBlogger244125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-13928530854886076072013-09-03T22:56:00.000-07:002013-09-04T08:23:06.614-07:00Wedding Day: Our Commitments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_ytrGGzsHcgD3Sge0NXUTCxHw7-7avC0SeTz-S-QaBi5zp7c8vFda8FNfNnZPlJeAKp-XAVwSxNGRA-_tOOvmBYYoCoID7cCglnobwy3usFXxiNybZCfcZ2x3XWkatBu8D9lapmxbryg/s1600/Shawn-Chris-02-FirstLook-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_ytrGGzsHcgD3Sge0NXUTCxHw7-7avC0SeTz-S-QaBi5zp7c8vFda8FNfNnZPlJeAKp-XAVwSxNGRA-_tOOvmBYYoCoID7cCglnobwy3usFXxiNybZCfcZ2x3XWkatBu8D9lapmxbryg/s320/Shawn-Chris-02-FirstLook-19.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We would like to thank you all for joining us in our journeys and to express our deep gratitude to you all for having helped to shape our
lives and who we have become today. Each and
every one of you mean the world to us. Many,
many thanks coupled with big hugs and big love. We would like to share as so many of you could not be with us at the time. Now please join us in remembering our big day (already 6 months ago!?) in San Pancho, Mexico with ocean and sunset as the beautiful back drop to our celebration... </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, in life there is celebration, there’s ritual and tradition. It’s
something we experience from the day we are born. It’s something we cherish and
hold dear to our hearts. It’s something we look forward to, we go back to, and
we always remember. March 2nd, 2013, we gathered on the shores of San Pancho,
engulfed by the mighty Big Blue. Feeling our toes in the sand, the
pulse of the Ocean's power, we embarked on a true celebration and journey of
love.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri;"><strong>THE TAO OF
SHAWN & CHRIS</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">by officiate Lisa Whisnant</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xiDSQpR0g2MZRX_CGB-pYUbhnO_p9k84H8mXrR2fW_W1Mnv3LRTMTAZPDlKxubob4DQHI_JjnlHKQwNtQaTMWqTqJTbOQIs96mq_RvCtieuAf6urO0ShXkXOYxieeF0cRYYdJ0vmqOtU/s1600/Shawn-Chris-03-Ceremony-39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xiDSQpR0g2MZRX_CGB-pYUbhnO_p9k84H8mXrR2fW_W1Mnv3LRTMTAZPDlKxubob4DQHI_JjnlHKQwNtQaTMWqTqJTbOQIs96mq_RvCtieuAf6urO0ShXkXOYxieeF0cRYYdJ0vmqOtU/s320/Shawn-Chris-03-Ceremony-39.jpg" width="228" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’d like to share a story with you all. A story of courage,
of love, of real devotion, and it takes place behind me in this vast sea, this
wilderness we call the ocean… We see a small boat on the Big Blue, the mighty
ocean rocking her back and forth, and then heeling to one side with sails full,
cutting through the swell with such precision, passion, and determination. The
hull strong and sturdy, her foundation solid. It groans with joy as it tilts
from side to side readying itself for any unimaginable challenge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">TAO ~ a
little boat engulfed by the energy of the deep sea. TAO ~ transition. To be
tossed to and fro, to ride with the currents of life, the currents of Mother Nature,
of water, whether small stream, big river, or Mother Ocean. TAO ~ the
transition of being alive and being human. On her deck, there are two plus one
small furry one and they dance in their synchronicity as one. But in the
beginning they came from different walks of life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">HE was drawn
to water, perhaps born of it and from an early age it had been passed on to him
that water and nature were his medium. He played in it, wallowed in it, day
dreamed and pursued the unknown with great abandonment. Its massive energy
calmed him, yet ignited courage. He was one with it, he was fluid.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">SHE came
from the Earth, grounded and rooted in the soil. She understood the Earth’s
energy. From seed to sapling, the perseverance of nurturing in order for growth
to succeed. Her legs were roots to the Earth, but her arms stretched endlessly
to the sky. In between there was breath, and this linked her between the two.
Her growth was radiant and it reached out like the rays of a setting sun. It
was there that she saw her reflection, her joy.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">TOGETHER,
they were complete. It is true that the Earth craves water and water craves
Earth. It is the great balance in life, the great dance. Their meeting is not a
collision in life, but a collaboration of love and respect for one another. Tao’s
crew fell in love with her as she did them. As they moved together through the
waters of time, their love grew to unimaginable depths. Relying on one another
through all the whims of the natural world, living side by side on a journey
that only echoed life in its purest form, they saw each other in every fiber of
their being. Pure, simple, and beautiful.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">TAO ~ a
little boat engulfed by the energy of the deep sea. TAO ~ transition. She moves
with ease now, strong and sturdy, the currents of the wind dictating her
course. From the belly of her hull she rides with confidence and conviction
into her next adventure, into uncharted waters… life as one, not life as two,
but life as one. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xiDSQpR0g2MZRX_CGB-pYUbhnO_p9k84H8mXrR2fW_W1Mnv3LRTMTAZPDlKxubob4DQHI_JjnlHKQwNtQaTMWqTqJTbOQIs96mq_RvCtieuAf6urO0ShXkXOYxieeF0cRYYdJ0vmqOtU/s1600/Shawn-Chris-03-Ceremony-39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri;"><strong>PROMISES</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">by Shawn and Chris</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_XJ6gMxeEDYLTN4knhD3FuDEM92snr-tkFlR2-pG_nB72Vk_Yv1eed-88iAw7JXv0Sf1e2WJUJJEitFcNJgERXPFuOm-zLWJuDcMRQVEsjEeivwr3245qPtLHm7ZZY2sKUx7wAyCup1r/s1600/Shawn-Chris-05-Newlyweds-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_XJ6gMxeEDYLTN4knhD3FuDEM92snr-tkFlR2-pG_nB72Vk_Yv1eed-88iAw7JXv0Sf1e2WJUJJEitFcNJgERXPFuOm-zLWJuDcMRQVEsjEeivwr3245qPtLHm7ZZY2sKUx7wAyCup1r/s320/Shawn-Chris-05-Newlyweds-22.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSoS0csQvps-YcHcI5_RhULMw_8XULGN8qYj6TTrZjQBeMhBjjU-_Dgh_3RHT_1i7ZY4CdRyhNSOXToNJGqV3GGmxQxwrD5MJ4TEDIwaFrPV4vb8z3yddX2oPzxgYXtsK7ebWHwnWBXfF3/s1600/Shawn-Chris-02-FirstLook-32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">Together ~ I
PROMISE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shawn ~ to
ask for your help<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris ~ to
lean on you when I need to<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shawn ~ to
communicate fully and fearlessly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris ~ to
give you time to sort out your feelings<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shawn ~ to
make sure I'm not just hungry before I yell at you<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris ~ to
give you the benefit of the doubt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shawn ~ to
take a break from reality and let in a little romance<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris ~ to
surprise you with flowers and hold your hand<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shawn ~ to
accept you with all your faults and strengths<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris ~ to
accept you with all your faults and strengths<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris ~ I
PROMISE to pay attention to the details<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shawn ~ to
try to see the big picture<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris ~ to
remind you of your talents and cheer for your successes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shawn ~ to
respect your mind and encourage your love of learning<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris ~ to
appreciate your patience when I'm being too stubborn to admit you're right<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shawn ~ to
defend you to others, even when you're wrong<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris ~ to
tell you I love you and need you<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shawn ~ to
show you I care and that you matter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris ~ to
support you in whatever you choose to do<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shawn ~ to
support you in whatever you choose to do<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shawn ~ I
PROMISE to seek your opinions and trust your judgments<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris ~ to
ask your advice and consider your suggestions<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shawn ~ to
honor you, cherish you, and hold you in my heart<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris ~ to
respect you, hug you, and keep you in my thoughts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shawn ~ not
to keep score<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris ~ to
be responsible in our finances but not let money run our lives<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shawn ~ to
help you when you need help<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris ~ to
turn to you when I need help<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shawn ~ I
PROMISE to love you<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris ~ I
PROMISE to love you<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: red;"><strong>VOWS<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">CHRIS ~<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shawn, over
the course of our relationship, you have truly shown me what love is in all of
its splendor. Your unyielding strength, patience, and steadfast commitment to
our relationship has, and will always baffle me. Even when I have tried, in the
depths of my most hopeless moments, I could not swerve you. You have
demonstrated time and again your acceptance and patience with me, even when I
was undeserving. You are my north star * when my compass is broken. You are the
glue that holds us fast. Through your love, a portion of my soul has been
entwined with yours. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shawn, I
promise to give you the best of myself, to love and to cherish you at your best
and your worst, as you have always done for me; and, I pledge to ask of you no
more than you can give. I love you with all my heart. With this ring, I give
you myself completely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">SHAWN ~<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Together, so
close to nature, with all of these people in my life that have shared with me
their love, friendship, and guidance;<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris, I
pledge to be:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Your lover, companion, best friend<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Your comrade in adventure<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Your greatest fan and toughest adversary<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Your student and your teacher<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Your ally in conflict<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Your consolation in disappointments<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Your partner in parenthood<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Your accomplice in mischief</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKROiecpEDhd9CkeBkMcDyzX_wNtjjl2-EFUu8YkaWh84tqhyphenhyphenOUzNHIsEky8ydJQ_bhyLWek1D0jdj2Btz-MbDTSq_-5vGgksbLyZWVhyRUGqQofTJMMV3tGR1DrQZS6Ll1xQAKLJF1Ta/s1600/Shawn-Chris-03-Ceremony-73.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKROiecpEDhd9CkeBkMcDyzX_wNtjjl2-EFUu8YkaWh84tqhyphenhyphenOUzNHIsEky8ydJQ_bhyLWek1D0jdj2Btz-MbDTSq_-5vGgksbLyZWVhyRUGqQofTJMMV3tGR1DrQZS6Ll1xQAKLJF1Ta/s320/Shawn-Chris-03-Ceremony-73.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I give you
my hand, my heart, and this ring as a visible and constant symbol of my love
and my faith in our strength together. As it encircles your finger, may it
remind you always you are surrounded by my enduring love. As I join my life to
yours, with my whole heart I take you as my husband. I CHOOSE YOU, YOU ARE MY
PERSON.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri;"><strong>PROUNOUNCEMENT</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With all of
the love that is right here, right now amongst your dear family and friends and
along side the endless rhythms of the mighty Big Blue, I now pronounce you<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Husband and
Wife, Wife and Husband<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Partners
forever<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Seal it with
a kiss</span><br />
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shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-69803115147300881582013-05-31T14:33:00.001-07:002013-06-02T16:00:29.128-07:00Tao goes Aussie, Part 2<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TVy7YIVMJ2F_n5gJH-13PKXwEjZpUfeWCrv54wjeJvY028RMhVs5YQW0a23V2YlCFqE8YcGWBq2nr8j76V98F5XFW4EgGuk-ZYD8E90ggrmz2x_OYugbiILnehWJIi1UkgkOEskrGFFP/s320/IMG_2495.JPG" width="240" /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369990612655_1906"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369990612655_1905"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369990612655_1915">Now that Tao is officially Australian, what does that mean for the crew and our adventure? We have been mulling over cruising plans for more than a year and have been deeply divided about this very emotional topic. Frequently, we discuss the other half of a circumnavigation of the Pacific- NE Australia, Indonesia, Japan, and back across the Pacific via Alaska to the west coast (the next leg around to complete the other half of a global circumnavigation just did not appeal to us as the Pacific). However,</span> for now, we both agreed the time was right for us to move back to land. After 4 years of preparation and 5 years of marvelous, phenomenal, life-changing cruising, there are still many additional adventures in life we want to attempt (not to mention, over this last incredible year, we've missed Grizzly!).<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369990612655_2068"> So, although we have absolutely loved our dream trip, the downside of our big plan to continue cruising across the Pacific was that we knew at the other end we would likely have to look for new owners for Tao- or at least have that option available.</span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369990612655_2064"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369990612655_2063" style="text-align: center;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369990612655_2062"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369990612655_2061"></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369990612655_2064"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369990612655_2063" style="text-align: center;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369990612655_2062"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369990612655_2061"><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpK8ik_Ap3QKKgoBe3S1LPpJckcLk8cinWw_O9UTg-WzSw4q80vPJ_IG9wxrcUkbe6aKmjlnUJIW7HHB-HCy-r5HsgxDtGrNI2-auWUcURCd6ZS2s901LyFbbRYj25BbKTdKRV1no43vF/s320/IMG_2594.JPG" width="320" /></span>A tumultuous time, we organized Tao and marched forward with our additional tasks; wedding planning, applications for Chris to one year intensive Master’s of Education programs, and yoga. Early on Chris had pushed us to make a decision about a date to fly back. We didn’t have all the details, but narrowed down approximately when would be good to provide us enough US pre-wedding planning and graduate school interview time. Chris found some decently priced and timed flights from Sydney and we purchased them. We hoped to have enough time to head to Sydney early and see sites along Australia’s eastern “Gold” coast along the way. We continued with selling big ticket items, final wedding dress fittings, more yoga, and worked with our boat broker (Anita Farine), providing detailed information and beautiful pictures of Tao to be added to her online page. The marine garage sale was a poignant whirlwind, and we continuously organized our gear, dividing what to carry with us and what to ship slowly east. As we pulled the blue tape off the glistening newly varnished woodwork, our broker brought an interested party to look at Tao. We took extra time to show her around the details of Tao that other interested parties would indeed want to know about. It was a busy and painful time. Suddenly, and not surprisingly, our stateside flight was just around the corner and we didn’t want to leave Tao any earlier than necessary, so we made reservations on TransCountry train for a one day trip from Brisbane to Sydney. We washed the upholstery once more, transferred what had been the invaluable bicycle and trailer to its new owner, relocated the pile of boxes we had packed at our storage unit to a shipping company, closed out the storage unit, returned keys to the marina and laid down for a few moments of unsettled rest.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369990612655_2061" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSqGkRXaaK9LCwkpyS6IbfiaothO3rBO23tKw_p9Rr6e_EbumzslASt8p3ry4af9vEwztFGXGYlaidAIRe3NS22RX478bYdnhF5KhFRTnx5iwlGBQ_7ygmKGmM3IAzx1OgRLnpRH2fukM4/s320/IMG_6510.JPG" width="240" /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369990612655_2064"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369990612655_2063" style="text-align: center;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1369990612655_2062">Saturday 12 January our alarm woke us at 0330. Darkness was shrouded with clouds and a misting rain. Not good weather to carry several 50-lb bags and a wedding dress (carefully covered so Chris would not get a glimpse) the half mile uphill to the TransLink train station where we planned to catch a city train to the city center to board our 12-hr CountryLink train set to depart at 0630 for Sydney. Fingers crossed, we called a local taxi for a 0430 pickup and took our last look around. As Chris waited in the mist, Shawn ran back inside and unable to stop herself, lemon oiled a few more spots of the interior before finally snapping the lock shut on the weatherboards. Together with our gear in the wet darkness, we touched Tao once more, and tears already shed, without looking back, we headed for shore. Punctually, our taxi driver, an Indian named Ruby, lighted our sad mood with his constant chatter and crazy driving getting us to the city center in record time leaving us plenty of lead time to return our TransLink passes, collect money still on them, and catch our cross country train.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The 12-hr train ride was surreal, racing away from busy city into open countryside of rolling hills dotted with eucalyptus (aka Gum) trees and ocean crashing into land to the east. Record temperatures soared igniting blazes across the country and we watched from air conditioned comfort of our seats as we sped (though slower than normal due to heat restrictions) along the railway. Very little cell service, at one of our stops we received a message that our broker was showing Tao that afternoon at 1400. We were a little perturbed that we had not been previously informed of this, and had buttoned Tao up as we would for months of absence with canvas covers and shade tarps in use, but were happy that Tao would have visitors so soon after our departure. A mere six hours later as we pulled into Sydney and exited our train we received word from a voicemail that the viewer had already made an offer and committed by signing a sales agreement and paying a deposit of 10%!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It was night now in a new city, with all our gear, we made our way to our pre-booked “Great Southern Hotel,” a half mile walk from the train station and attempted to catch our breath. This was way too fast. Tao was supposed to sit around and wait for our return! Checked into our room, we got internet and found more awaiting us. The buyer was in a hurry and had offered us slightly less than our asking price. Anita was being persistent that this was great, we should accept immediately and had already emailed us a sales agreement and set up a sea trial, survey, and haul out for Monday. Chris was ecstatic and ready to sign. Shawn, less trusting (and maybe less ready to let go), was pissed. We own this beautiful vessel, we have the upper hand, we do not need to be rushed or bullied into signing anything. Plus, the difference in price was not much to Anita (who we had discussed with at length that we were not willing to go much below our requested price) only a bit less in her pocket, but it would pay her ridiculously large percent! Equally stubborn, Shawn slowed everything down and requested the details, who is the buyer, why are they in a hurry, why do they think any less than our requested price is okay? Could we counter offer? And slowed it down even more by saying we would respond by the next evening. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXoUiIDJjiMsyNAvTmj-zdnsNUwJpF0c4DljSR63UHVxf8d46u3bF9jaWi7olEqdQd7uS-rt7tWcErKx1HnPeW__7wx4ZfKzhBqBQBDCpiVY4X_mgVG7aMg02BtW2tujJCg56NUPPvj7-s/s320/IMG_6543.JPG" width="240" /></span>One day we had to enjoy Sydney, Sunday 13 January, and now all was overshadowed by impending decisions. The morning dawned grey and stormy, reflecting our moods. We jammed in with tons of other tourist onto the free shuttle just up the street from our hotel and were whisked to Sydney Harbor. After making our way through hordes of tourists watching fire throwers, aboriginal didgeridoo players, and countless other interesting diversions, we finally found a place to have lunch (nowhere served late breakfast) outside. Situated on a little finger of land nestled between the famous Sydney Opera House, we had a looming view of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Determined to soak in Sydney as much as we could during our brief visit, we decided against an adventure to any of several close Bikram studios. Instead, as we watched ferry traffic, walked along the shore, through the opera house, adjacent gardens, and climbed atop the Sydney Harbor Bridge Pylon where clouds finally descended upon us, conversation went around in circles about accepting or declining the offer.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Oh Oz, not a sight you would see in the US!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUR_ylxtWhCchJWBhqUx16GWjF4bfg9_obtik1r8RtwyepiZFK0ulQeozaxu6HIO9iWu1tYwoyiP0TuqjcklaiHyj2MzocqqAaV78mXU0jX2aizT5qbT_mrlPgHiCZbTKWE4SkgAvpISp/s320/IMG_6614.JPG" width="240" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">That <span style="text-align: center;">evening from our hotel room we spoke again to Anita. If we wanted to sell to this buyer (she was very persistent about this likely being the best offer we could hope to get) we had two options; either we hold steady with our requested amount and expect to lose up to what the offer was in nit-picky things the buyer might find in the survey or we accept the offer- as is meaning that we will not sell for any less no matter what they find in the survey. The latter seems to show good will between buyer and seller. If we were to go ahead with the sale, and hence the survey and sea trial, Anita all of a sudden requested proof of insurance- which seems like a late request and something she should have previously collected from us, but we were able to provide her proof of it digitally. </span><span style="text-align: center;">We weighed our options again and again, and reluctantly (at least Shawn) we decided to move forward with the sale. The next morning, Monday 14 January, from the Sydney Airport, Chris filled out, digitally signed, and e-mailed the sales agreement contract with an added condition regarding the buyer paying for propane gas set up that we knew would have to be upgraded to comply with Australian regulations. We requested that Anita be clear with the buyer that we were firm at their offer price. In a dreamlike state, we boarded our flight, headed first to Fiji, then continuing on to LA.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Photo from the air of the Malolo Group of Mamanuca Islands in Fiji where we anchored many nights in deep Musket Cove</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfYjq08WkCKStKy3JiRC889s51DHBgFgr6yOuZmoRsax1iVlgsFwdGVRRrgK0m8BLiMpGW7XfcIYvbkgK0RdpAHDTU7cp28FHmlhRV6YzsMFPpI16hyMzEBHkdM9ZMECBpUIpZthIUaqq/s1600/IMG_6644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfYjq08WkCKStKy3JiRC889s51DHBgFgr6yOuZmoRsax1iVlgsFwdGVRRrgK0m8BLiMpGW7XfcIYvbkgK0RdpAHDTU7cp28FHmlhRV6YzsMFPpI16hyMzEBHkdM9ZMECBpUIpZthIUaqq/s200/IMG_6644.JPG" width="150" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgki7YXWFQSqDSxtHa8_nDngbmolsSfkSzCP2Os3OYc2mPjlfTyyj5tcd71r_OyXWqYsW09eRitOKFxt35xCtBo9jHq2cWctsyfu5KR_Q3y_Bb8Cm1zmneX8W2KdWAPuERxRzHMNVdmrX7g/s1600/IMG_6650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgki7YXWFQSqDSxtHa8_nDngbmolsSfkSzCP2Os3OYc2mPjlfTyyj5tcd71r_OyXWqYsW09eRitOKFxt35xCtBo9jHq2cWctsyfu5KR_Q3y_Bb8Cm1zmneX8W2KdWAPuERxRzHMNVdmrX7g/s200/IMG_6650.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgki7YXWFQSqDSxtHa8_nDngbmolsSfkSzCP2Os3OYc2mPjlfTyyj5tcd71r_OyXWqYsW09eRitOKFxt35xCtBo9jHq2cWctsyfu5KR_Q3y_Bb8Cm1zmneX8W2KdWAPuERxRzHMNVdmrX7g/s1600/IMG_6650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fJWz008rIQaAedxkjPb2Cz6pZKoMAnO0tVD64U5l_OE5ljqbS7YDgz11qpkAYQzC5pomTKJQgfEOLFkXisYgNEwqZ0RkmJnW_avbxQVegJ1e_ZkdCr8SKAALxEX8Jmfwjr19dgKdzbWD/s1600/IMG_6654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fJWz008rIQaAedxkjPb2Cz6pZKoMAnO0tVD64U5l_OE5ljqbS7YDgz11qpkAYQzC5pomTKJQgfEOLFkXisYgNEwqZ0RkmJnW_avbxQVegJ1e_ZkdCr8SKAALxEX8Jmfwjr19dgKdzbWD/s320/IMG_6654.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Enjoying brief moments of Fijian sunset</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDstVzAQWc2JvjhMwewt8qnGMr9Lestf38hxYkc8J5HcI0kDZtQrBT4mKDA7PJ4JJOjje__5ef7oJ9w5wEsdJonRxUlFm-s0iGK6Mr2lwWgRAiMrUzAZ-sEfmEEw7bjgte4M8BoOCSSMye/s200/IMG_6656.JPG" width="150" /></span>During our flight, Tao was surveyed, hauled out, and taken for a sea trial. Once we got to LA- still Monday 14 January with the time changes- we had troubles getting in touch with Anita to find out how all had transpired. Finally she contacted us saying all was well and that the buyer had decided to go ahead with the offer. After some prodding, she provided us more details regarding the survey (demonstrating to us once again that surveyors indeed miss big issues and tend to focus on items quite unimportant for true safety at sea) and sea trial. Apparently, there was concern about water in the cockpit during the sea trial, but when the extremely windy conditions were described to us, it was obvious that Tao had been way over-canvased and she would have moved much more efficiently with no water entering the cockpit if they had simply reefed the mains’l...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzVUQmTBQTZDEgHlYVvZUAplMGVZ4jG71H7MVI_6Br0Y608UGhf5D4geKHj1Iud8ziep1byKIS20SrSZi78m5e_w22FTsySgs9RFX_2Z2jo5psCwruI2XcLlhPnmKbbctynteHsDuJbl5/s200/IMG_6702.JPG" width="150" /></span>Our first week was a rocky re-entrance into the US, overshadowed by lingering requirements of the deal gone through. Bill of Sale filled out and notarized, USCG deletion process (how traumatic does that sound?!) started, international money transfers and snail mailing original documents across the Pacific. It may not sound like much, but it was indeed emotionally taxing as well as our broker hounding us for additional papers to prove the Australian Import and telling us the buyer wanted to move aboard immediately, yet our bank account hadn’t yet received a penny of payment and we were working like dogs to get things moving through appropriate channels, still wondering if we were even ready to sell.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Things finally started feeling better 28 January when we were provided the new owner, Preston’s, e-mail. Chris wrote a very nice note congratulating him on his new boat and offering our information if they ever had any questions (one of the things that we really missed out on when we bought Tao was a decent connection with the previous owner). The next day, Chiara, Preston’s Italian partner wrote us a wonderful e-mail and she included pictures of their particularly large dog Mannie aboard Tao. Now we knew that Tao was going to be well looked after and loved, allowing us to start the difficult process of letting go. Since then, Chiara has been frequently in touch (usually during the 6-week stints when Preston leaves the boat to go back to Darwin and work as a tug boat captain) asking all sorts of questions allowing us to keep connected to Tao- now renamed Ithaca. It has been quite bittersweet but we never wanted Tao to be one of those unloved boats sitting in a marina awaiting some attention from an otherwise occupied owner. Chiara has started a blog through which we will be able to follow Tao's continuing adventures (</span><a href="http://storiesfromithaca.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://storiesfromithaca.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Over the past two months we have been unbelievably busy, and Shawn has been avoiding writing this post as it really solidifies that our adventures with Tao and on the ocean for now are currently on hold. However, we hope to spend time reconnecting and processing our amazing journeys as we get re-acclimated to land-life. Please check back for updates- next we'll fill you in on our amazing Mexico wedding!!</span></div>
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shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-64391880038095915792013-03-21T08:47:00.000-07:002013-03-21T11:59:05.772-07:00Tao goes Aussie, Part 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZALoxsSVJ48pY0Jyb9_GIif-6QWXFO0Ma4Sbhls3pR-NLA-rK-ki7bazPVEC1ZPsHvhUbeXdvmA58xLZYBwrO8qlfghlJGgN75qCGeGEKywylgmCSDa1TiBhR-ZXu0KPqi7Or9AuCl508/s1600/IMG_6196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZALoxsSVJ48pY0Jyb9_GIif-6QWXFO0Ma4Sbhls3pR-NLA-rK-ki7bazPVEC1ZPsHvhUbeXdvmA58xLZYBwrO8qlfghlJGgN75qCGeGEKywylgmCSDa1TiBhR-ZXu0KPqi7Or9AuCl508/s320/IMG_6196.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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We had set a date (definitely a cruising faux pas), 2 March 2013, that we agreed to be back on the other side of the
Pacific (obviously not via sailboat). Our excuse to setting a date seemed reasonable to us: to get married, in Mexico, nearly a year and a half after getting engaged. So, after landing 15 November 2012, time was tight and we knew we were not
going to be able to even scratch the surface of exploring Australia as we would
like to. After a quick two weeks up the Brisbane River recovering, we set to work. To test the waters, we invited a highly recommended boat broker to visit Tao before
leaving the pile moorings and decided on the spot to have her do a “Valuation.”
Throughout December and early January we struggled through the Australian
Import process, getting Tao more beautiful than ever, and figuring out what to
do with all of the gear we have accumulated over the years. The downside of our big plan to cruise across the Pacific this past year was that we knew at the other end we might have to look for new owners for Tao. We have (at least Shawn) mostly avoided even thinking about the possibility since it was (and still is) too painful to bear. Chris, though, has been instrumental at pragmatically moving us forward. To this day we have not fully processed the emotional side of this whirlwind. Instead, together, we determined what needed to happen to keep our options open, making Tao both legal and as attractive as possible to find a new owner in Australia if necessary, and proceeded to move forward on the massive amount of tasks.<br />
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<b>Australian Importation</b>. Chris
spearheaded getting Tao imported into Australia. It took perseverance, but with
patience, was manageable. First we lodged an import declaration with Australian
Customs and AQIS (Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service) which included:
filling out a ton of paperwork including a five year history of every country
Tao has visited- with dates, providing proof that Tao was built in the USA
(a letter from Chuck Burns, her naval architect) to satisfy requirements for the Free
Trade between Oz and US, and determining Tao’s GST goods and services tax (10%
on the valuation minus several elements of costs regarding “shipping” the boat
to Australia). For Biosecurity clearance, a timber inspection of our “highly
suspect” (i.e. very wood based) interior was required. We thought we would have
to hire the one, very expensive dog in Australia that is trained to sniff out such
bugs, but after research, we found that we were able instead to have a licensed
pest controller with a Termatrac device (<a href="http://www.termatrac.com/" target="_blank">http://www.termatrac.com/</a>
using radar, thermal, and moisture sensors for motion detection), supervised by
DAFF (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) staff for the
inspection. It was quite a process to organize around the New Year holiday the licensed pest controller with two DAFF staff in
bright yellow shirts required to carefully observe him and to get all the gear out of the interior so the pest controller could test all wood. Of course Tao passed with flying
colors, and was cleared from any quarantine hold. Finally, not to be forgotten,
we had to pay for all inspections and the GST to obtain “Authority to Deal.”<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8nvzqCjpOVgsR9JBq0Ib84krFOn35gUYAh4404qXaCKd9vXzlTxsqqWAW1WYNv-8fP1lIKGvSctxDZBkghumqQQ-ZXXYrv4lRRudml5UMo6TZHoicyUmpHgb2225d8mX4qp0RwWlHALx/s1600/IMG_6384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8nvzqCjpOVgsR9JBq0Ib84krFOn35gUYAh4404qXaCKd9vXzlTxsqqWAW1WYNv-8fP1lIKGvSctxDZBkghumqQQ-ZXXYrv4lRRudml5UMo6TZHoicyUmpHgb2225d8mX4qp0RwWlHALx/s320/IMG_6384.JPG" width="320" /></a><b>Tao upgrades</b>.
Over the years, there have been projects that have continually been shuffled to the bottom of the list as being form versus function.
Since Tao was basically in the best functional shape of our tenure when we got to
Australia, we chose to finally put time into some form projects that would make
her look even hotter. Of course we still did all routine maintenance including one
more Yannie oil change and bottom clean. But mainly, our work included triaging the well-worn varnish-work, sanding and
painting the aluminum portholes (shout of thanks to Britannia for helping), polishing stainless parts around the deck (with acid), getting our gear out of every nook and cranny inside Tao, and making maintenance lists of Tao’s history for others to follow. We even *finally* made
a mast boot cover in terracotta, so the shift from blue to red, started with
our big bottom job in 2010 was finally complete. When these projects were done
we took pictures of Tao looking spectacular inside and out and wrote up
detailed information for our brokers website: <a href="http://farine.net.au/sail/sb351/Nor-West-33.html">http://farine.net.au/sail/sb351/Nor-West-33.html</a>.<br />
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<b>Our stuff</b>.
As anyone that ever visited us aboard Tao knows, we have a ton of stuff.
Our excuse is that we never want to get caught in the middle of nowhere without
the right toy or tool or food. Rarely did we want for anything. However, a deep
cleanse was necessary for Tao to look her best. So, we started the painful
process of determining what needed to be sold with Tao, what we could sell
separately, what could be given away, and what we wanted to keep for the future.
We (okay Chris) bought a bicycle and pet trailer and rented a storage unit a few
miles from our slip to move gear off the boat. Days were spent pulling gear out
of Tao, taking pictures, putting valuable items for sale on GumTree (the
Australian equivalent of Craig’s List) and Ebay-Australia, and trip after trip were
made between Tao and storage unit with chosen items that brought together made our
cubic meter of gear that we decided to have shipped (via cargo ship) back to the States
(tons of tools and boat paraphernalia that will indeed be used in the
future as well as memorabilia). <o:p></o:p><br />
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Australian phones turned out to be invaluable to take calls from Aussie parties
interested in viewing/buying our GumTree items (unlike in the States, if
someone was interested enough to call on an item in Oz, they were likely to buy it).
We put together a flyer of all of our amazing gear, set a “Marine Yard Sale”
date, and many of the bigger ticket items (sextant, dive gear,
desalinating hand pump, Fortress anchor, Gale Rider, 2 sweet surf boards, Elna
5000 sewing machine) found new homes long before the date. Saturday 5 January
and our yard sale came too quickly. A brief spit of rain just after we’d mostly
set up discouraged us but did not slow the selling of items. Before we were able
to completely set up most valuable gear had been claimed; flopper stopper, anchor rhode, hyside
pump, 9X9-ft Kelty tarp, dry bag back packs x3, and just like the last painful
garage sale we had in Berkeley, someone offered Shawn a pittance for her entire
art supply box. Luckily fellow cruisers Brittania, Convivia, Celiydah and their
kids came by, bought up all sorts of left over canned goods and tequila, and
made the yard sale a pizza party. It was a sad day as we transferred Fatty to
Convivia. We hope to sail her next in Maine after she makes it the rest of the
way around the world. On a happier note, after this boat cleanse, Tao’s water
line was a good 7-inches (yes seven!) higher in the water!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX99gFIWKvDqotVkBHNQUjzfcfFxDPtk7hL-A4ZPJOJu3xsjdgyU2YJduTiQw9HzXsqZ7Pfd88MoQFDhvWWVo8fH8cMs4MDg1gpupMkMOGw-NZp0SBb6pgvOWwuEHqAvJ-594sp6Fco3ee/s1600/734212_10151195928331361_1305823982_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX99gFIWKvDqotVkBHNQUjzfcfFxDPtk7hL-A4ZPJOJu3xsjdgyU2YJduTiQw9HzXsqZ7Pfd88MoQFDhvWWVo8fH8cMs4MDg1gpupMkMOGw-NZp0SBb6pgvOWwuEHqAvJ-594sp6Fco3ee/s320/734212_10151195928331361_1305823982_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So much less traumatic with friends...<br />
Love that you can see the yard sale reflected in Amanda's sunnies.</td></tr>
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Although we've now opened the option of selling Tao, on several levels we hope that she will await our return to continue our journey together...</div>
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shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-50363378255913873322013-02-22T12:24:00.000-08:002013-02-22T19:01:25.571-08:00Warp Speed: Move to Manly and Aussie Christmas 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09Dc-A4_ijJ8fFZr0cSYHna_0f9ChaLlNhIob5_2kUXqFqcfwq4DRWubqLPHmPz4XiUL5tCtPt3cadPRWCGKLxUhqveTmJQLNx2ITfUrcVDKzFi2RnOKCoPKllo849XiI3n_OYb0iVMHh/s1600/IMG_5320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09Dc-A4_ijJ8fFZr0cSYHna_0f9ChaLlNhIob5_2kUXqFqcfwq4DRWubqLPHmPz4XiUL5tCtPt3cadPRWCGKLxUhqveTmJQLNx2ITfUrcVDKzFi2RnOKCoPKllo849XiI3n_OYb0iVMHh/s320/IMG_5320.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poinciana tree, Oz doesn't have poinsettias... But these are stunning</td></tr>
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Traumatic, tumultuous, tears of sadness and joy. So much of
importance has happened in our lives over the last months, we have not been
able to keep up with ourselves (or the blog). Still, since this blog is our log of our
adventures, though we’re actually currently in Mexico preparing for our wedding
in 1 week (!), we’ll go back to where we left off… We hope to get several
installments on line soon to catch up with the present day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNGTpbX4IvuG1-SU9fiZpS3OcK2jonQpYEWI2IWpLWeyWFPw7upqE7Z_eVkfo1tows1AxlSS7Y2RFyh8VBWZht6kvFzSckow2zDIenWaKjRQyO0bj0SV8utKDybGjuiUAOpO0palAwfmK/s1600/IMG_5555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNGTpbX4IvuG1-SU9fiZpS3OcK2jonQpYEWI2IWpLWeyWFPw7upqE7Z_eVkfo1tows1AxlSS7Y2RFyh8VBWZht6kvFzSckow2zDIenWaKjRQyO0bj0SV8utKDybGjuiUAOpO0palAwfmK/s320/IMG_5555.JPG" width="320" /></a>On Saturday 1 December, we chose to head out of the river.
We timed dropping our mooring as the tide shifted from flooding to ebb to carry
us out the river to Moreton Bay (and managed to save our space and the space
two boats down for incoming Britannia and Convivia with the help of neighboring
s/v Celiydah). What started as a mellow motor turned into a relaxing motor sail
as we retraced our path under the Story Bridge then the Rivergate Bridge down the
river near its terminus. By late afternoon when we reached the exit of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Brisbane</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">River</st1:placetype></st1:place>, the passage culminated in a
windy/wavy/busy river exit. With current now strongly ebbing out and brisk
afternoon winds howling in, steep waves were created in the less than 0.1-nm
wide channel. Already a challenge before adding multiple fast large powerboats
entering and exiting the river, an incoming sailing vessel under spinnaker, an
exiting motoring sailing vessel mere boat lengths behind us, and the final
cherry on top, cargo ship traffic. Chris was excited by the adventure and
motivated Shawn (a bit under duress having expected a relaxing passage) to
short tack upwind in steep seas in the busy reef flanked narrow channel. Memories
of short tacking up the fairway in Berkeley Marina flashed through our minds as
we worked, Chris at the helm and Shawn on the jib sheets, like a well
oiled machine. Tao, of course, negotiated the situation with ease. After
several heart pounding short-tacks, we finally made enough way upwind to fall
off out of the channel to enjoy a <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Moreton</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Bay</st1:placetype></st1:place> sail, surprisingly
reminiscent of the SF Bay with similar shallow depths and weekend warrior filled
conditions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPt2ybA1wr08LQQFO04L8dM5XASAok6Ujz62EZJtwao95zvyvjwgvycGIxXwo9PD3gAuSd-1k7wN3h6X-4-gIcJFHLwBDtXpgW6qng-4l-udM2hbRvjIdAxYev9vjzdOHX3AdxpicfQDQo/s1600/BrisbaneRiverMouth.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPt2ybA1wr08LQQFO04L8dM5XASAok6Ujz62EZJtwao95zvyvjwgvycGIxXwo9PD3gAuSd-1k7wN3h6X-4-gIcJFHLwBDtXpgW6qng-4l-udM2hbRvjIdAxYev9vjzdOHX3AdxpicfQDQo/s320/BrisbaneRiverMouth.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brisbane River mouth, check out our dotted yellow tacking track!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXRwgV1W6uvP4l3ju_rwOKYLUIdV_h-3BYTfsp1I7U_I4HzWzi0kZEkBqKU6Z25p3GsM-gsQjT_8G1YcULlL7mZS59ybDLI_qq8RaqRU25Ib7x9s6TOkhQOxUmXHxbV2gvA39m-43ulF8/s1600/IMG_5469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXRwgV1W6uvP4l3ju_rwOKYLUIdV_h-3BYTfsp1I7U_I4HzWzi0kZEkBqKU6Z25p3GsM-gsQjT_8G1YcULlL7mZS59ybDLI_qq8RaqRU25Ib7x9s6TOkhQOxUmXHxbV2gvA39m-43ulF8/s320/IMG_5469.JPG" width="240" /></a>Having spent two blissful weeks up the river watching late spring blooms, eating fresh food, hiking around the city, riding the CityCat and CityHopper ferries, sailing Fatty and doing yoga, we decided it
was time to point our bow toward <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Moreton</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Bay</st1:placetype></st1:place> and an available
marina space to start preparations for our next steps. After being moored in
the flat river (side to nearly continuous ferry wakes), we sailed Tao from the heart
of <st1:city w:st="on">Brisbane</st1:city> out
the River into <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Moreton</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Bay</st1:placetype></st1:place> and ultimately to an
available slip at East Coast <st1:city w:st="on">Marina</st1:city>
in a town named Manly. As the sun lowered into the Manly hills, we fired up
Yannie and pulled our triple reefed mains’l down as we motored into the huge <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Manly</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Harbor</st1:placetype></st1:place>.
Filled with several marinas berthing hundreds of vessels, we were happy to
have confirmed what space was available for us with a map. Winds still very
fresh, Chris expertly maneuvered Tao into the tight slip and Shawn proficiently
wielded fenders and with the help of friendly neighbor boaters, snubbed Tao to
a stop and tied her to her first floating dock since <st1:country-region w:st="on">Mexico nearly 2 years prior</st1:country-region>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JDtkRcv0NX4J1aTcapwHIvmCPAkwThd25Y-x5vCtjWYE3cG02BqAoXabFxdJHobXDXZZ1HpxBxAbzt_ufCFN8-jb3MwXQ0vendFdB135cQXLOvjHXvRIAHclsEFV33kiqeUsVmkQDUyZ/s1600/IMG_6259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JDtkRcv0NX4J1aTcapwHIvmCPAkwThd25Y-x5vCtjWYE3cG02BqAoXabFxdJHobXDXZZ1HpxBxAbzt_ufCFN8-jb3MwXQ0vendFdB135cQXLOvjHXvRIAHclsEFV33kiqeUsVmkQDUyZ/s320/IMG_6259.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post wedding dress purchase pizza party!</td></tr>
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Though there is so much to do in Oz and so many places to
see from a sailboat, it was time for us to start lining things up for our next tranche.
Both of us put energy toward wedding planning- the big event (at that point) a
mere three months away in Mexico, oceans away physically and figuratively!
Chris persistently tediously worked on essay laden applications to Masters of
Education programs at Harvard, Stanford, Santa Barbara and a teaching
internship at Punahou (in Honolulu, where Obama went to high school).
Meanwhile, Shawn busily taught yoga, visiting Brisbane area Bikram studios,
figuring out the Brisbane public transport and successfully (with invaluable
help from Britannia’s Amanda) found her wedding dress just before Christmas!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4SWzhYVuS06_UbPTLEhMMKl2NskC1FVQfwtiTmqZgLeiL-OoDMlhGr2gv-5sHCujOKX99lHPFXCYcnH7WbT7Kbbf-8Lqrpqttx9WSzkNuQqUTYnC1mxCIX634rQkhX2POC0B41kAsdbxq/s1600/IMG_9127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4SWzhYVuS06_UbPTLEhMMKl2NskC1FVQfwtiTmqZgLeiL-OoDMlhGr2gv-5sHCujOKX99lHPFXCYcnH7WbT7Kbbf-8Lqrpqttx9WSzkNuQqUTYnC1mxCIX634rQkhX2POC0B41kAsdbxq/s320/IMG_9127.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lorikeet! Picture captured by Tucker s/v Convivia</td></tr>
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Although connected to the city with public transport trains,
ferrys, and buses, strong will was required to leave the quiet non-ferry waked
marina to head back the 1.5-hrs into town. Luckily friends and yoga studios drew
us to the city as Britannia and Convivia arrived in Brisbane the day after we
moved to Manly. We switched off trips with Britannia visiting at each other’s
boats and forging lasting friendships. We also joined the Convivia crew for an
unforgettable trip to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where we all acted like
kids (okay, maybe just Shawn) and interacted with koalas (FYI they are not
actually bears), kangaroos, platypus, laughing kookaburra, lorikeets, Tasmanian devil,
wombat, and emu. Until now, these had just been words of strange animals in a
far off land.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjF71Z2sJD3PEzkXoSPPU3RRun5C1GdL5eURtorGPidhSfwLR-7gqI4mFUy1_gFfsOoW3QMOBKwsWfYEERVf017XAwTSf6m9bQKlIMPBy_XdEMRpx5o9uNUib4zZNPKF3-Y2deX3gXU5A/s1600/IMG_5857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjF71Z2sJD3PEzkXoSPPU3RRun5C1GdL5eURtorGPidhSfwLR-7gqI4mFUy1_gFfsOoW3QMOBKwsWfYEERVf017XAwTSf6m9bQKlIMPBy_XdEMRpx5o9uNUib4zZNPKF3-Y2deX3gXU5A/s200/IMG_5857.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUN6exVUBoQgcuR8aTr3ExgugUlAikpAhsTP_CxLwVwaQhN7zBWK6k2CtzCgB32tfp_ZefsWPSSU-ONEK-rxRiYniQAxVdkz0BhJniig4Yz62gmt8jDrVy0ZnlCt7CevtWOEJ3tSDqTmk/s1600/IMG_5853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUN6exVUBoQgcuR8aTr3ExgugUlAikpAhsTP_CxLwVwaQhN7zBWK6k2CtzCgB32tfp_ZefsWPSSU-ONEK-rxRiYniQAxVdkz0BhJniig4Yz62gmt8jDrVy0ZnlCt7CevtWOEJ3tSDqTmk/s200/IMG_5853.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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koalas everywhere!</div>
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Chris and a baby kangaroo. Note the huge emu above the kanga!</div>
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laughing kookaburra and lorikeet</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjhnEAB8LLTpwYKFx5Oa3DwN__ecaxFQLykOWcgLiqYuNukC_lREgqMVzOPGRI5lcKLo54hckDzZ3iTHGDX_dWhdUGuuVUEw1Umk2KDQ95ecHO5JXq-OeiKalJc416L3RpCHDaONOcP60/s1600/IMG_5976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjhnEAB8LLTpwYKFx5Oa3DwN__ecaxFQLykOWcgLiqYuNukC_lREgqMVzOPGRI5lcKLo54hckDzZ3iTHGDX_dWhdUGuuVUEw1Umk2KDQ95ecHO5JXq-OeiKalJc416L3RpCHDaONOcP60/s200/IMG_5976.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYhLJxMGQMdLKGxzC_-TmXh968_b_sVDISSI07Dr-TxTdXuk25dp4UfZqjR7QXk59NyAh0g6yip-2eE_v4JMEQOo9c891ud-0ZI9UBQvfovvjdZ4egyBdL1rewfW9bU-ea7NN9JtdBprdv/s1600/IMG_5967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYhLJxMGQMdLKGxzC_-TmXh968_b_sVDISSI07Dr-TxTdXuk25dp4UfZqjR7QXk59NyAh0g6yip-2eE_v4JMEQOo9c891ud-0ZI9UBQvfovvjdZ4egyBdL1rewfW9bU-ea7NN9JtdBprdv/s200/IMG_5967.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<o:p> fluffy chickens and a Tasmanian devil noshing</o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqj6FVgtKVj5jRiL1IAmDT44tD9OvPCuZwxaKNRsj53IuKbTW1wUfqySy6bByODy0g891jVGYlkcoZOW4JQQE0pGLBL4APqr-osaSC7PrETKSFo-9cdnvrjsc3c8LTgUU8hi008zjcljAS/s1600/IMG_5971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqj6FVgtKVj5jRiL1IAmDT44tD9OvPCuZwxaKNRsj53IuKbTW1wUfqySy6bByODy0g891jVGYlkcoZOW4JQQE0pGLBL4APqr-osaSC7PrETKSFo-9cdnvrjsc3c8LTgUU8hi008zjcljAS/s200/IMG_5971.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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This does not look comfortable!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EWdQeJLyuZmE8I0xiuJTKtBDVbHwZ6V04-K0bRfOGsdu1iQXr5L72nFR8iffXz3s_Kyf0sRvSaCxk-sf3FQXNGgT68LE5Jj0n2q5XhCHohj3rP5VBOHxPAVSiYdgRLQe53CpHHOSWwqY/s1600/IMG_5821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EWdQeJLyuZmE8I0xiuJTKtBDVbHwZ6V04-K0bRfOGsdu1iQXr5L72nFR8iffXz3s_Kyf0sRvSaCxk-sf3FQXNGgT68LE5Jj0n2q5XhCHohj3rP5VBOHxPAVSiYdgRLQe53CpHHOSWwqY/s320/IMG_5821.JPG" width="240" /></a>And all of a sudden, Christmas was upon us. It is always fun to
celebrate holidays alongside different cultures. We pulled out our Charlie
Brown Christmas tree again, and though in our Tao upgrades we removed our
everyday LED strings of lights that needed replacement, Chris added some super
bright USB powered lights to deck the little tree. With so much to do and the
sun out, it sure didn’t feel like Christmas. It felt more like Fourth of July
in the States, so we were rather Scroogey. Since the locals flocked to the
outer islands and beaches, we planned to just nestle down in our slip and
continue to try to get things organized. On Christmas proper, we managed to motivate
against the crowds into the city, usually very busy, it was bizarrely still and brilliantly
sunny. We joined the crews of several cruising boats in the Botanic Gardens at
a Christmas potluck for which we supplied hot buttered rum. Luckily that was in
a thermos, but all the open wine bottles littered around the picnic table drew
the “Blue Heelers” (the term used for police officer in Australian, after the
Australian Cattle Dog, because it accurately describes the personality and blue
uniformed appearance of an Aussie police officer). The nice fellows asked us to
at least hide all the alcohol in the public park right next to a playground and
said “Merry Christmas.” Australian culture is surprisingly different. One moment we will would think we were in the US and the next we’d realize we hadn’t understood a word being said. In Australia, Chrissy = Christmas, lift = elevator, carpark = parking lot, and holiday = trip. These seem easy enough, but people sure looked at us funny when we said “Happy Holidays” since they usually weren’t going on a trip.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2ZidjtUd3-zobLo1qnTGg01czdub-yzUpyJ7FMlKEaOnxh2NY56HST8Yn56VUabe6KLXV__Zbd-Ll9aUokLbMSNbOjV8KoWp4ZtwbtIQ6XwOUc1cbthyphenhyphenQ2vYnT2e62pFERigLw7QzDhu/s1600/IMG_5805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2ZidjtUd3-zobLo1qnTGg01czdub-yzUpyJ7FMlKEaOnxh2NY56HST8Yn56VUabe6KLXV__Zbd-Ll9aUokLbMSNbOjV8KoWp4ZtwbtIQ6XwOUc1cbthyphenhyphenQ2vYnT2e62pFERigLw7QzDhu/s200/IMG_5805.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHOoMCHYOpOGr7jOKOjg8U4OH5OxJxb_rmCkUohsWTPLwLqjemycSutMGI835tzQSRaaCsskbmwu3avYp5tSKCXYqlGmVe3B5aZ9zisTYSr0Ni1Ckx_v10vzQHm7_9QRhmLUMMfslIN5MV/s1600/IMG_6281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHOoMCHYOpOGr7jOKOjg8U4OH5OxJxb_rmCkUohsWTPLwLqjemycSutMGI835tzQSRaaCsskbmwu3avYp5tSKCXYqlGmVe3B5aZ9zisTYSr0Ni1Ckx_v10vzQHm7_9QRhmLUMMfslIN5MV/s200/IMG_6281.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Britannia visiting Tao and a mess of Christmas cookie making (note the olive jar rolling pin)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9w8YjbOidQWt1WRcunqTIYjlMlY1epngvuBJWk6-duQNzjDCnWc4GKuxfE_5eExXjV4GGQ9l_kjCKbDP2HaJ7jNu4iooiKTVYh_nda1JyoNxqEvdDMcH0BMvxeMJiQ-yNB2hlAQne8AD5/s1600/IMG_6285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9w8YjbOidQWt1WRcunqTIYjlMlY1epngvuBJWk6-duQNzjDCnWc4GKuxfE_5eExXjV4GGQ9l_kjCKbDP2HaJ7jNu4iooiKTVYh_nda1JyoNxqEvdDMcH0BMvxeMJiQ-yNB2hlAQne8AD5/s200/IMG_6285.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkk-XBJ3CIrQkd-pO0ZtnPaxcHtnQ1RKOkQP33TnoamZKAx53Q5iXvaK6ndJ6uBgcy_KUqAvb5AKJMX0TvgNX_BTVxlWgq-v4tTqtPrF1QdxA_fUkzkW92-wPOTWGOJ9d3okg8olO_S4uE/s1600/IMG_6329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkk-XBJ3CIrQkd-pO0ZtnPaxcHtnQ1RKOkQP33TnoamZKAx53Q5iXvaK6ndJ6uBgcy_KUqAvb5AKJMX0TvgNX_BTVxlWgq-v4tTqtPrF1QdxA_fUkzkW92-wPOTWGOJ9d3okg8olO_S4uE/s200/IMG_6329.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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Christmas Eve and Boxing Day dinners</div>
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All of this excitement on its own would have been
manageable, but add on top of it the most contentious, emotional, and time consuming project of all... (drumroll please)... getting Tao prepped to sell, and the past months have been a roller coaster in
warp speed.<o:p></o:p></div>
shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-63665567920036833752013-01-02T01:15:00.000-08:002013-01-02T17:53:32.885-08:002013 Already?!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdV3i_Q80Go3T-3Mki6sV6t7h6xGqCLazSYNazMScuHoJw6ZLzB_qDUCkmRitZpICUhBQyOFlwC6vCOZIp_xBbknCBlvbqCAZKKjUE-n0mfUt9ZpT3S4toe3hz_oOMzsB_MlK7Z-KdZV_V/s1600/IMG_6347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdV3i_Q80Go3T-3Mki6sV6t7h6xGqCLazSYNazMScuHoJw6ZLzB_qDUCkmRitZpICUhBQyOFlwC6vCOZIp_xBbknCBlvbqCAZKKjUE-n0mfUt9ZpT3S4toe3hz_oOMzsB_MlK7Z-KdZV_V/s320/IMG_6347.JPG" width="240" /></a>2012 was AMAZING making it hard to imagine what wonders 2013 will bring. Happiest of New Year to you all wherever you are around the world. It was wonderful to celebrate in Brisbane. We followed New Years around the world, noting that the residents of Fanning Island, Kiribati and Apia, Samoa, both places we recently visited, were the first to herald in 2013. Then Tonga, and Fiji an hour later, and a mere three hours more it reached us in eastern Australia before continuing on. It really sunk in how far we are away from the US mainland when we realized our family on the east coast would not celebrate for another 15 hours, it would be another 18 hours for our friends on the west coast, 19 hours for the Alaska cohort, or 21 hours later if we were hiking Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii again as we were last New Years Eve. Only American Samoa and Midway Islands celebrate later, one more hour before the New Year had reached everywhere in the world. <span style="text-align: center;">The month of December zoomed by and we'll get a post up soon with all of the craziness for us in Oz that has included transitions, koalas, kangaroo, </span><span style="text-align: center;">kookaburra, computer crashes, platapus,</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">tazmanian devils, friends, yoga, school, summertime Christmas celebrations, and generally revolved around Tao.</span>shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-18851718013757983972012-11-22T01:03:00.001-08:002012-11-23T23:46:46.959-08:00A trip up the Brisbane River<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHswg7bMa5JaWpLSLJcLaHNKzhtFT4vPSoPsHDPUqo7GZyTFuy3B83vXWu1BE1ZrFGQi2R0DZwh979HAKIcXyWru6v6939ZbUXTCeoy3INf98oRR1pqwECJrxaO0nH7X1t9sEBatw6GQR/s1600/IMG_5216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHswg7bMa5JaWpLSLJcLaHNKzhtFT4vPSoPsHDPUqo7GZyTFuy3B83vXWu1BE1ZrFGQi2R0DZwh979HAKIcXyWru6v6939ZbUXTCeoy3INf98oRR1pqwECJrxaO0nH7X1t9sEBatw6GQR/s320/IMG_5216.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlnd9oXmfnUGfA1fA5Qq-auaa2s4kiM5MorOfwpp9EjXRpnLcPuB-JnnMxOpHibKPi9UPpun7h_0FNQ2dYwfOjVDeLEXXJfzXEFaBfBA-64zX64NyDa8opjAF8THaTnOYGHZdbz3MS4ZMo/s1600/IMG_5139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlnd9oXmfnUGfA1fA5Qq-auaa2s4kiM5MorOfwpp9EjXRpnLcPuB-JnnMxOpHibKPi9UPpun7h_0FNQ2dYwfOjVDeLEXXJfzXEFaBfBA-64zX64NyDa8opjAF8THaTnOYGHZdbz3MS4ZMo/s320/IMG_5139.JPG" width="320" /></a>Tao could have
kept on going, but after 15 days we needed a break! Rivergate, where we checked
into Australia, is an upscale marina where Customs/Quarrantine has fenced off a dock
end. After being checked in, the marina folks graciously allowed us to use
their facilities where we took the most luxurious clean, hot water showers that
we have had in the last year! Late afternoon with winds up from one direction
and current strongly moving the other, conditions at the dock were very choppy
and all fenders were deployed and working. By evening, however, winds relaxed and tidal
swing mellowed creating a smooth environment allowing for great sleep. Very
grateful for a safe night of sleep, we did not want to overstay our welcome, so
early the next morning after a cup of tea and a brief chat with neighbors on
Barracuda (who had landed several hours after us), we pushed off the dock into the
Brisbane River. With knowledge gleaned from other cruisers that have visited before
us, our sights were set up river under several large bridges toward the Brisbane
City center.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJCzC53kZcyKukMVl0uJ6Lfc0awUsL71Gx7iDlT_TQ4SUPXgnbM9RIKp4mrUiabIAl8k0-G8JYCtVuGUSKz63hqYzPrdSdyHGSRVGGQIOk2TdEr7KEhGtGWTKqnI7WtdO7dwLda0Fkm7b/s1600/IMG_5175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJCzC53kZcyKukMVl0uJ6Lfc0awUsL71Gx7iDlT_TQ4SUPXgnbM9RIKp4mrUiabIAl8k0-G8JYCtVuGUSKz63hqYzPrdSdyHGSRVGGQIOk2TdEr7KEhGtGWTKqnI7WtdO7dwLda0Fkm7b/s320/IMG_5175.JPG" width="320" /></a>The river
was just starting to flood, so we moved up the swirly brown current with no
sails and needed very little engine assist to travel at 6-knots. We immediately
noticed City Cat motor ferries rapidly darting from one side of the river to the
other carrying their passenger loads, their drivers unfailingly waved back. A
highway ran alongside the north bank of the river and vehicles (on the wrong
side of the road, mind you) raced along. Both sides of the river were overrun
by fun colored houses, subtropical vegetation, and large buildings with Jacaranda blooming in front, were
built literally at the water’s edge. Heading westward, inland, up the
meandering river, boats were moored and anchored along each inside bend. After
a brief hour, Brisbane City came into view. Large skyscrapers huddled on both
sides of the river connected with large metal bridges. We continued on under what
our chart called Story Bridge and finally came to our goal: Brisbane City
Botanic Garden where we had heard tale of reasonably priced pile moorings. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5dws58nBmsALt0hV3KQwE_1ZskaIGJkJiQIPXXV-xfhl0b-y6z6hBLsroU51d5suxAbWvGfJvZs7jIcqUbJM822uYSvqbyzA3-RF8fC8vxvVM7Btpcsmu_AhRv3j4YbhQgbSLZzcKRPY/s1600/IMG_5187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5dws58nBmsALt0hV3KQwE_1ZskaIGJkJiQIPXXV-xfhl0b-y6z6hBLsroU51d5suxAbWvGfJvZs7jIcqUbJM822uYSvqbyzA3-RF8fC8vxvVM7Btpcsmu_AhRv3j4YbhQgbSLZzcKRPY/s320/IMG_5187.JPG" width="320" /></a>Unlike any
harbor we have seen thus far, there were four long rows (A-D) of pile moorings,
each with a boat tied bow to one and stern to the next, with rows in between just
large enough for a boat to pass. Since we had arrived on a New Moon, the river
was now flooding quickly (with 8-ft+ tidal swings), so we ferried around with
Tao as we scoped out the scene. It was very interesting maneuvering Tao on a
fast flowing river. Another larger sailboat had arrived just before us and was
homing in on one of the few available moorings. They filled us in that the inside
“A” row is for smaller vessels and if there are lines between the moorings,
even if there is no boat, they are reserved. After circling the four rows and
finding plenty of depth (15-ft at high tide) and one space that we believed was
available, we decided it was prudent to put Fatty in the water and attach a
line to the up-current mooring to make securing Tao in tight quarters with strong current safer. Seeing our quandary,
one of the locals hopped in his dinghy and offered us a ride; we were very grateful!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURK6BrbqdnNTwdX_ME0MmrvReiTX0I-xxoeLdajAKMrtbm6QS-dAFsf9-jELPleHY2nSsAtrTiMxVnVZW-2fE-hP6W_MHVRe47EDxtPf2x5MqmOfHc4fYIPGibbI-AAv2vKanB9LD5LkJ/s1600/IMG_5251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURK6BrbqdnNTwdX_ME0MmrvReiTX0I-xxoeLdajAKMrtbm6QS-dAFsf9-jELPleHY2nSsAtrTiMxVnVZW-2fE-hP6W_MHVRe47EDxtPf2x5MqmOfHc4fYIPGibbI-AAv2vKanB9LD5LkJ/s320/IMG_5251.JPG" width="240" /></a>With
approximately 50-ft between the moorings, we picked up our floated up-current
bow line, and reversed back to attach a line for the stern on the down-current
mooring. Yet another mooring situation tackled, we breathed a sigh of relief
and sat back to look around. We found ourselves tied up in the smaller, shore
side line of moorings, with a boardwalk along the City Botanic Gardens a mere
60-ft to our port, literally in the center of Brisbane! Turns out we lucked out
getting a space here, apparently a man who has disappeared had abandoned a
small motor cruiser here and it sank just two weeks ago (and was subsequently removed by the city for $45K). After an introduction to the area by several interesting
characters rowing by toward the dinghy dock, we made our way to the city office
to pay for our space in what the shore-side sign proclaims as the “Garden Point
Boat Harbor”. Intended for transients such as ourselves yet mostly
filled by local live-aboards, these moorings and their onshore restroom,
shower, laundry, and garbage facilities are a steal for a mere $70AUS per week. It
is quite special to be located in the heart of this city with our own personal
waterfront apartment!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-kQluvagdQSD2TEzr1gOBpLC-HFMGkCsd8sfOI2vEEogBg1zZESJ4oApvjXFXLRYT7FB1iYjX4kFwjdx2-0rC7bJLhgbT2ik8VafVG7SZXolg9KvWK16nIx2ZDjDVEZdqx-CdqUr-hXy/s1600/IMG_5191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-kQluvagdQSD2TEzr1gOBpLC-HFMGkCsd8sfOI2vEEogBg1zZESJ4oApvjXFXLRYT7FB1iYjX4kFwjdx2-0rC7bJLhgbT2ik8VafVG7SZXolg9KvWK16nIx2ZDjDVEZdqx-CdqUr-hXy/s320/IMG_5191.JPG" width="320" /></a>We were
surprisingly efficient that first day of transition. On our initial trip ashore
we gaped as we walked among the towering buildings. First stop, yummy fresh and
fast Asian food to fuel us. Second stop, local cell company Telstra, to purchase a SIM card with
data so we can get connected (HAM radio isn’t working in the busy/noisy city). Third
stop, a bank to exchange our left over Fijian dollars, though later we saw
plenty of street exchanges that may have been more economical. Next, we made
our way through the city swarming with people, many of whom were very helpful
when we asked how to find the correct department to sign up for our moorings.
Finally, we stopped at a local grocery (Woolworths and Coles, both clothing
stores in the US are the grocery options here). Jackpot! We bought kalmata
olive sourdough bread, T-bone steak, fresh broccoli and clean white mushrooms for
dinner to be followed with yogurt for dessert; all items that have been
inaccessible to us throughout our journey.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89i8NpNl2CjUjwNspmcIqGW67ec_lGcB_BpqWID_301-lNJr3p2rd-ycMDm05CaJQUYBc3tqc5JwHIMjIc4oEiz5l681wkNnnbs4WkM6jl8Xx594J08yx3C_BPqZkqailQFk_NrCsWW0Y/s1600/IMG_5241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89i8NpNl2CjUjwNspmcIqGW67ec_lGcB_BpqWID_301-lNJr3p2rd-ycMDm05CaJQUYBc3tqc5JwHIMjIc4oEiz5l681wkNnnbs4WkM6jl8Xx594J08yx3C_BPqZkqailQFk_NrCsWW0Y/s320/IMG_5241.JPG" width="320" /></a>We are a bit
shell shocked to have been dropped in the middle of a huge city that seems like
it should be the US, but somehow everything is just different… Cut off jean
shorts and quasi-80’s styles seem to be the rage. Aside from a lot of smoking, the city is quite clean and
full of fun activities for all ages, with a plethora of gorgeous natural areas. Public transport is well established and
user friendly. All the amenities of a big city (4 million Brissie and surrounds vs 10 million in LA
and surrounds) seem to be packed in a small area with the Brisbane River right in the
middle. Straight away we had several days of thunderstorms. Amazing lightning
shows with deluges of freshwater and even balls of hail. Wonderfully less scary
when there are all sorts of taller masts, trees and buildings around us then
out in the middle of the ocean alone. Once connected, we contacted our families,
figured out where the surrounding Bikram Yoga studios are all located, and
started to make lists of everything we hope to accomplish while here. Each day we
feel more recovered, but there is so much to do and see and take care of now
that we are on the sidelines of the fast-paced world again. We are daily trying
to streamline to get a little efficient with the short time we will have here, while
still enjoying ourselves. Thus far we are doing better at relaxing than at being
efficient, with the last 2 to 3 days melting away as we do yoga and catch up on
the internet. We plan to spend a second week here in the city center before
heading back down river and out to a Moreton Bay marina where we can focus on
our next steps. We are both extremely happy and grateful to be here just in time to celebrate US Thanksgiving!<br />
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shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-41018282696534184722012-11-15T00:09:00.000-08:002012-11-15T00:11:13.189-08:00Day 15- G'Day Australia!Time: 0100 Zulu, noon New Cal, 1100 Brisbane (Thurs 15 Nov)
<br>Position: 27*27'S 153*06'E
<br>Wind: NE 12 Seas: calm(!)
<br>Avg. Course: 219-deg T
<br>Avg. Speed: 4.2-knots
<br>Rig: sails nestled in their terra cotta covers
<br>24-hr Distance noon to noon point: 67.1-nm
<br>
<br>Surprising us, after noon winds picked up from the NW, in cyclical patterns up and down. We drew closer and closer knowing that land loomed near, close enough already to smell it and attributing the inconsistent winds to its proximity. About 30-nm off shore, the water color abruptly changed from that indescribably beautiful deep off shore blue to a lighter hue with shades of green found in shallower waters. Continental shelf?! It has been since California since we've been on one of those, we are used to deep, deep, deep, then land. The VHF chatter was almost non-stop, filled with "securite" announcements from different Australian Coast Guard stations warning of impending heavy weather. As we got close enough to make out all the words, we gratefully realized not until the next afternoon winds were forecast to be up to 35-knots. This increased our already high motivation to make landfall sooner than later. 1430, our last PacSea Net check-in for a while, we marvelled at how we had checked in with them nearly every day of passage since leaving Mexico. Calculating our progress, we replaced the 100% with the 80% and reefed down to triple-reefed mains'l in an attempt to reach and cross the Moreton Bay Bar at high flood to high slack, if we were lucky maybe with a few streaks of sun left in the sky. "Land Ho!" Chris spotted it first in the cloudless but hazy horizon. Beautiful sunny sailing conditions and soon-to-meet-Australian-officials, it was a perfect time to fit in another cockpit shower. We knew it was likely to be another sleepless night, so Shawn stayed up to allow Chris to catch a few extra moments of shut eye for the upcoming marathon, using the extra time to make pizza (in an attempt to use all food stuff that might soon be confiscated).
<br>
<br>All too soon, the AIS alarm was ringing too frequently for Chris to ignore. We were close. And there were already 3 cargo ships on the horizon. We played a small game of chicken with one, turning around assuming he would keep speed and course, then slowly working our way around him as he slowed and turned toward the other cargo ships holding at the NW Moreton Bay entrance. Preparing for the hair-raising but purportedly well lit NE channel bar crossing, we rolled up the shade tarp and readied Yannie. Sunset, pizza, and a radio conversation with Britannia and Convivia and it was time. Shallowing rapidly, seas were a bit strangely rolly. At 2000, we dropped the 80% and started Yannie to assist if necessary. Following very specific waypoints that were cross checked with satellite images, we zig-zagged our way between the promised lit markers just inside of Moreton Island. Chris on deck closely followed the GPS track trying not to crash-jibe the mains'l in the squirrely seas as we moved from waypoint to waypoint being flushed with the tide at near unmanageable speeds. Shawn down below, checked our course on our chart plotter and watched with horror the seemingly never-ending stream of cargo ships working their way down the NW channel and more already located inside the bay. Finally our path met the shipping lane path, and we crossed it as quickly as possible turning off the unused Yannie. After skirting through a section among shoals, we thought we were clear of traffic, but it turned out the route we chose was actually used as a shipping lane as well. Shawn was on the radio over and over with this cargo ship and that. Once we had to turn our on spreader lights to illuminate us so a ship could avoid. Because we were not yet checked in we couldn't drop the hook, less than ideal having to ride one flood in and wait 12-hrs for the next flood to ride up the river. Purely exhausted Shawn was unable to handle even one more ship. Luckily we had made it far enough away from the transiting area and were able to heave-to. Bravo again Tao and Chris even managed to stay awake to continually scan for traffic and drift and there was always the AIS alarm to wake us if we dozed.
<br>
<br>At 0500 with the first hints of dawn in the sky, we began progress again toward our river entrance with plans to get there near the beginning of the flood and ride it in to our Brisbane River Rivergate Marina goal. With strict check-in requirements, Shawn spent nearly the entire transit cleaning and organizing down below while Chris rode the flooding river out of the Bay and into a quasi graveyard of cargo ships. In our 5-miles up the river we passed two tugs moving cargo ships and pushing them off, and finally we found the check-in having reached it just after the 0730 local start of their work day. Chris did an excellent job docking Tao against the very strong current and about an hour later two jolly Customs officials joined us. Very nice people, it was actually almost fun to check in and begin to learn little bits about Australia. After we had asked lots of questions about where to go for the night, they very nicely offered us to stay at the Q-dock free of charge for one night- citing, and rightly so, a safety concern that we looked "shattered" and "cactus" and obviously needed sleep. An hour later just as we finished with Customs, three Quarantine officials showed up and joined us aboard. They took pictures of the interior wood for future reference to assure that we do not have timber pests. The Quarrantine official confiscated amazingly less than we had expected, so though we have consumed a good portion, we still have way more than we thought we would and plenty food to work through. So we will stay here in this busy river at the foot of a large bridge to take a first go at catching up on much needed sleep. Besides some rough times in this passage, honestly planets aligned to usher us safely here filled with more amazing experiences we have yet to process. It is hard for us to fathom that we are here in Brisbane Australia, for so long such a lofty goal. Now we find ourselves half way around the world to the day four years after departing SF Bay, pinch us, are we really here?shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-12955894768554906452012-11-13T19:14:00.000-08:002012-11-13T19:15:36.818-08:00Day 14- Homing in on BrisbaneTime: 0100 Zulu, noon New Cal, 1100 Brisbane (Wed 14 Nov)
<br>Position: 26*35'S 153*54'E
<br>Wind: NW 11 Seas: NE 4-ft
<br>Avg. Course: 231-deg T
<br>Avg. Speed: 4.5-knots
<br>Rig: 100% jib, full mains'l
<br>24-hr Distance noon to noon point: 109-nm
<br>Distance to Brisbane: 40-nm (to Morton Bay entrance, another 50-nm to check-in point)
<br>
<br>Soon after yesterday's noon point, we put up the rest of the mains'l and continued to make decent way in rather light ESE winds on the northern edge of the currently dominating High. As the sun set we discussed our approach options to Brisbane over a jaipur vegetable, quinoa, asparagus and beet dinner. The point that we have been sailing toward for two weeks now is actually the entrance to Morton Bay, which houses Brisbane. To enter the bay, a bar must be crossed, possible at any tide or weather condition, but expected strong currents it would be best to enter as the tide is flooding. Once inside the bay, is a circuitous approximately 45-nm journey to the Brisbane River. The check-in station is another 5-nm up the river, which must be navigated with a flood tide and reached, of course, during business hours. We discussed several options to try to enter and transit Morton Bay in daylight as well as getting another 50-nm to the check-in during business hours. This would only be possible if we heave-to in Morton Bay for an entire night pushing our check-in date back to 16 Nov. All plans depend on how the weather holds, if we can continue making way sailing, or if we need to enlist Yannie's services.
<br>
<br>After our powwow, we popped open the sun roof (rolled up the sun cover) to reveal the heavens above. It was celestially glorious, with not a cloud in the sky, light winds pushing us along in the right direction. Stars and planets rose and streaked across the sky. In our cockpit, through both of our night watches we had stadium seating 360-degree views of the night-time skies. This is the perfection that we naively thought that most nights underway would be like, so we savor the moments that it actually happens. As we moved to the edge of the High, winds started to back to the E then ENE so we jibed the mains'l and ran wing-on-wing for a while before it continued to back and we jibed the heads'l as well for a full starboard tack. This morning we were treated to a solar eclipse! The winds continue to back N and even NW so at our noon point we are sailing upwind toward our destination. With mellow seas we are making excellent time even with a strong set to the south from a long shore current. We had forgotten how inconsistent conditions are near a large continental mass, and as we deal with constant variations in the winds, we wonder if we will catch a glimpse of the Australian coast before the sun sets this evening.
<br>
<br>Radio traffic continues to increase in frequency and we were surprised to hear crystal clear Australian military aircraft hailing boats on VHF16 requesting their information. Maybe they will hail us today? If conditions hold, with excellent charts and waypoints, we plan to enter and cross Morton Bay tonight to reach the Brisbane River mouth tomorrow early morning and ride the flood tide in to Rivergate Marina check-in. It will be a long night on high traffic alert and navigating under a [hopefully] star-filled sky, as we are in a New Moon phase. Wish us well.shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-47551261522177600902012-11-12T21:33:00.001-08:002012-11-12T21:33:40.818-08:00Day 13- from handkerchief to full sailsTime: 0100 Zulu noon New Cal (Tues 13 Nov)
<br>Position: 25*27'S 155*29'E
<br>Wind: ESE 8 Seas: SE 5-ft
<br>Avg. Course: 247-deg T
<br>Avg. Speed: 4.5-knots
<br>Rig: 100% jib, double-reefed mains'l
<br>24-hr Distance noon to noon point: 109-nm
<br>Distance to Brisbane: 150-nm
<br>
<br>What a difference a day makes! Conditions began to ease ever so slowly as the sun got closer to the horizon. Just after our nightly contact with Convivia/Britannia in the lengthening twilight, Shawn decided conditions had actually mellowed enough to raise the storm jib. Through her watch until midnight, conditions continued to gradually decrease necessitating preventing the mains'l from flogging as we rolled in the large left-over seas on our beam. Chris' watch saw more decreases in the winds and shaking of reef after reef. As the sun rose, the main came up and was soon followed by a heads'l change to our 100% jib. The front that so recently provided us all the fun weather has moved east and been replaced with a nice stable High. Unfortunately, we are near the center of that High which means very little wind. This is why we wanted to make miles in yesterday's conditions, using the winds while they're here. Too much, not enough, always in search of that perfect balance, we are definitely not complaining. It is a treat to have such calm conditions. We have been eating a ton of food, cleaning up, drying out, and starting to catch up on a backlog of sleep. Every so often we hear distant traffic on the VHF, reminding us that we draw near to a major continent. Time to start making preparations for impending landfall in the next couple days.shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-91019070243010411462012-11-11T22:54:00.000-08:002012-11-11T22:55:41.044-08:00Day 12- Blustery and WetTime: 0100 Zulu noon New Cal (Mon 12 Nov)
<br>Position: 24*44'S 157*20'E
<br>Wind: ESE 23-27 gusting 30 Seas: ESE 10-15-ft
<br>Avg. Course: 251-deg T
<br>Avg. Speed: 6.0-knots
<br>Rig: triple-reefed mains'l alone
<br>24-hr Distance noon to noon point: 41.7-nm (this is actually the distance traveled since we stopped heaving-to this morning around 0500)
<br>Distance to Brisbane: 256-nm
<br>
<br>It has been epic and still continues... After our noon point yesterday we stayed bobbing, waiting for the big wind switch for a little over 10-hrs. We each alternatively got some sleep, watched squalls roll by, and enjoyed nature's energetic sunset together. Bobbing around without a known direction the bow is pointing is very disorienting and even more so in the dark. Around 2000 Shawn pulled out the hand-bearing compass yet again after determining a bright spot was not a star. After a while she determined it was not a cargo ship, but definitely coming toward us and not answering her radio hails. An hour later, worried, as we were essentially a vessel of restricted maneuverability just bobbing, Chris managed to raise them on the radio. It turns out it was sailing vessel Knotty Lady, a boat we haven't actually met, but close friends of ours had. We had nice radio chat with them, en route to Bundaberg also awaiting the weather, and we hope to connect with them once ashore. Small world.
<br>
<br>An hour and a half later, Chris again snoring, Shawn was on deck and noted a squall was approaching. From our rather quiet conditions, she could hear it howling toward us and was hoping it was just rain. It did contain a ton of rain, but was indeed the weather reaching us and also contained a ton of wind. Side to the wind and swells, Chris was up and dressed in a flash to check out the scene. Immediately drenched, it was time to go. We decided first to pull up the storm jib and run with it. The storm roared and deluges of water fell upon us. There were no stars, no outside light sources to orient us, we were blind, feeling the weather, and literally racing along at over 7-knots, frequently surfing quickly building seas. Neither of us felt comfortable with this, who knew how much the winds would continue to increase? We dropped the jib and ran bare poled for a moment, still going over 5-knots and surfing. Decision made, we decided to heave-to. Shawn up on deck, clipped in, attached the 3rd reef point at the mast and removed the sail ties, Chris at the helm, used our forward momentum to turn us up into the wind. Up went the mains'l to triple-reef, easier than usual because up into the wind (usually we are taking it up and down as we head off the wind, so shrouds and lazy jacks catch things). Still blind, Chris using the mast head indicator got us in the hove-to position. As the wind whipped by, it took Shawn seeing the numbers on our GPS to believe our forward momentum had basically ceased.
<br>
<br>Approximately 30-knots of wind and 9-ft seas it was the heaviest weather we've hove-to in yet. It was quite amazing, really. Both of us stayed awake to monitor. Chris on deck watching the sail set, wind speeds and angle, and cloud movements. Shawn down below pouring over the GPS calculating our drift speed and direction, and chronicling it in the log book. It was our first all-nighter in a long while. Over the next 5-hrs, winds starting at 30-knots continually decreased to 25, then 20, and as the sliver moon rose with the morning star and dawn conditions, had quieted to almost 15-knots allowing us to get a bit more beam to and roll more uncomfortably. It was time to go. Time to make use of the winds and make some miles toward Brisbane. Dawn was stunning the sun lighting the front moving away from us and we were both extremely happy and relieved to be sailing in 18-20-knots under triple-reefed mains'l and storm jib at a fast clip in relative comfort considering 9-ft seas on the beam, but bow pointed in the right direction.
<br>
<br>We thought we had made it through the difficult part, but soon realized there were more challenges to come. Chris grabbed a little sleep while Shawn continued on deck. Unfortunately, 2 hours later, she woke him to help with dodging a rather large squall. We were successful, as it mostly crossed ahead of us, but winds behind it filled in quite strongly. Soon winds were gusting to 23 consistently and seas were building, crashing onto Tao into the cockpit every so often. We downloaded weather, and sure enough as we moved from our [gratefully] well placed hove-to spot toward the SW, winds were expected to be strong for another 12-hrs. Chris took over again on deck and sailed us onward to the noon point. Clouds built to cover the sky, reminding him of afternoon skies on our passage en route to Hawaii. Storm jib dropped in the heavier weather, we more slowly make way in the right direction as winds gust near 30 and seas roll by at nearly 15-ft. It has been a sunny (even through the clouds), windy, blustery, exposed, energy sapping day. We are both quite exhausted and really, really hope that forecasts hold and conditions moderate just after the sun sets to more manageable "blind" night navigation conditions.shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-72333112240700841052012-11-10T20:28:00.000-08:002012-11-10T20:30:10.859-08:00Day 11- Waiting for the troughTime: 0100 Zulu noon New Cal (Sun 11 Nov)
<br>Position: 24*31'S 158*03'E
<br>Wind: light and variable Seas: Mixed with ENE 7-ft
<br>Avg. Course: 316-deg T
<br>Avg. Speed: 5.6-knots
<br>Rig: double-reefed mains'l, hove-to
<br>24-hr Distance noon to noon point: 68.6-nm (actual distance traveled approx 107-nm between noon yesterday and 0700 this morning when we hove-to)
<br>Distance to Brisbane: 297-nm
<br>
<br>It's been a bit of a stressful 24-hrs for us. When we uploaded yesterday's post, we also downloaded more weather data and it had changed (as it tends to when dealing with unstable weather). It became obvious that a Low was forming; unfortunately, right where we were headed. We did some more downloading of Spot reports in areas that looked less ominous on the GRIBs and decided where to try to position ourselves by the time the trough reached us. So, about we came about and trimmed our sails for upwind and set course back the way we had come. It has been a while since true upwind work for us, but always game, Tao raced on without pause, intent to reach her hopefully safe goal. We only took one 15-min detour, tacking at the "shipping lane" between the banks we had been the night previously, when we crossed the path of yet another cargo ship and 1-nm was a little too close for comfort. This time headed for Brisbane, the captain, though responsive to the radio hail, was not as excited to chat.
<br>
<br>About 60-nm later at 0700 we reached our chosen spot and hove to in order to assess. More weather downloads looked as good as we could expect. We hope that we are now well positioned and are preparing for heavy SE winds that will fill in with the passage of the front. The forecast is for 12-hrs of 25-30-knots followed by another 12-hrs of 20-25 and then winds petering out from there, leaving us in the non-windy center of the next High. Our plans currently range from staying hove-to (with triple reefed mains'l), to running with storm jib alone and hopefully making a curving arc toward Brisbane as the winds ease, to our back up plan of launching the Galerider to slow our speeds if necessary. The morning of being hove-to has been almost pleasant, providing us time to prepare ourselves (forcing Shawn, who has been nauseous from the stress, lack of sleep, and worry, to eat) and Tao a little bit more, and Chris even fit in a shower before hitting the bunk. At around 1100 we got some sprinkles and then a heavy deluge and winds decreased and became variable to nonexistent. Just after the noon point, Shawn pulled down the main altogether as there was no longer enough wind to actually keep us hove-to. So currently we bob and wait and we shall see what the scenario actually calls for when it gets here tonight around 0300. We suppose there is no better way to really learn about weather than actually experiencing it. Thanks for all your good thoughts!shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-35775355821218870562012-11-09T19:16:00.000-08:002012-11-09T19:17:18.167-08:00Day 10- Nervous anticipationTime: 0100 Zulu noon New Cal (Sat 10 Nov)
<br>Position: 25*20'S 158*55'E
<br>Wind: ENE 15 Seas: E 9-ft
<br>Avg. Course: 242-deg T
<br>Avg. Speed: 5.2-knots
<br>Rig: storm jib and double-reefed mains'l
<br>24-hr Distance noon to noon point: 109-nm (actual distance traveled approx 135-nm)
<br>Distance to Brisbane: 322-nm
<br>
<br>It has been another beautiful day. Tao flying along, sun out, few clouds, life is good. Unfortunately, these conditions are not forecast to stay. Weather analyses yesterday morning showed that we will have to cross a trough between the two highs. That means high winds and squalls. We requested another voyage update worried about this feature and McDavitt has routed us to head south, to avoid a stronger area of high winds to the north and instead cross where it may be wetter but slightly calmer. It is frustrating, as the original routing kept us north, to have a good angle to approach Brisbane with long shore currents. So we followed it between two banks yesterday (hard to believe in the middle of the ocean there are banks shallow enough to anchor on!), frustrating because we could have gained precious mileage south if we had not made the detour... But at least we got to pass a cargo ship at that tightest of moments between the two banks. Shawn had a nice radio conversation; they had just left Brisbane and were en route to New Caledonia. After clearing the banks, Chris turned us south and Tao has been running since. After the sun rose and we downloaded weather showing us again that farther south is better, we put up the 80% and the full mains'l and are moving along averaging around 6-knots. We expect approximately 24 more hours before the trough reaches us and then another 24-hrs of wet and windy. This extra jaunt south will add extra mileage to our voyage, but should allow us to fall off and run with strong SE winds. Anticipation is difficult and again we find ourselves looking forward to being on the other side. Please keep sending good weather thoughts and don't be surprised if we don't post for the next couple days while the weather is rough!shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-38012102873377199512012-11-08T20:05:00.000-08:002012-11-08T20:06:28.894-08:00Day 9- a thankfully mellow dayTime: 0100 Zulu noon New Cal (Fri 9 Nov)
<br>Position: 24*26'S 160*36'E
<br>Wind: ENE 15+ Seas: E 6-ft
<br>Avg. Course: 260-deg T
<br>Avg. Speed: 5.1-knots
<br>Rig: storm jib and double-reefed mains'l
<br>24-hr Distance noon to noon point: 122-nm
<br>Distance to Brisbane: 428-nm
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<br>A much needed day with sunny skies and mellow seas and winds. Still, we're ticking miles off with our storm jib and mains'l. Chris ended up with a migraine during his afternoon watch, so we pumped him up with broth, tea, and saffron rice and bean quesadillas and sent him to bed. Evening watches were also mellow with a few squally looking clouds that spit a little rain and shifted winds a bit, but nothing big. Winds did start backing to the ENE with our approach to the west end of the High that has dominated our trip. Stars abound with the moon coming up later and smaller each night. Shawn is getting familiar with Taurus, Jupiter, and Orien rising in the E off our stern- even if Orien does come up feet first down here! And the glow of one fishing vessel was spotted off our starboard, though it never got too close. The wind shift has made it difficult to hold our course, so after a stellar sunrise, we jibed to starboard tack to get back to our route line by noon point. It has been nice that some of our cruising friends are underway, so making evening radio contact with them is a comfort. PacSea check ins and upload/downloads in the afternoons and listening to Gulf Harbor Radio in the mornings continue. Looks like we're faced with one more weather feature to get through, a ridge/front as a new High pressure moves in, likely early Sunday. We continue to savor every mellow moment we can and rest up for challenges ahead.shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-71509740995909141382012-11-07T19:28:00.000-08:002012-11-07T19:33:19.766-08:00Day 8- Savoring calmer seasTime: 0100 Zulu noon New Cal (Wed 7 Nov)
<br>Position: 24*08'S 162*53'E
<br>Wind: ESE 16-17 Seas: SE 6-8-ft
<br>Avg. Course: 256-deg T
<br>Avg. Speed: 5.5-knots
<br>Rig: storm jib and double-reefed mains'l
<br>24-hr Distance noon to noon point: 131-nm
<br>Distance to Brisbane: 547-nm
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<br>We have spent much of our past day trying to decide whether to shake out another reef, then do, then get overpowered, then pull it back in, then start the process over again. A slight overall decrease in the winds/seas has made life much more comfortable out here. This allows us to eat better, clean up a bit, and catch up on sleep while the going is mellow. In terms of food, things have been a bit different this passage as Shawn pretty much makes whatever she thinks of- no reason to try to save anything or meter it out for months in uninhabited islands anymore. Last night we had a delicious raw sprout salad with roasted red peppers (a la Trader Joes) black olives and chicken. Late this morning we followed with tri-colored Quinoa, raisin, artichoke heart chicken salad. It is fun and delicious to use the precious stores that we have been saving. And mellower seas of course helps the belly be interested.
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<br>We each rescued huge flying fish today, Chris after one launched and smacked Shawn's bum as she stood adjusting Moni, and Shawn after one landed on our upwind deck. Our chosen method thus far is scooping them up with a bowl and depositing them back into their watery home. Chris has shaken and pulled reefs in the mains'l more times than we'll count and curses the downwind lazy jack every time as it snags passing battens or wraps outside of the spreader shroud. No system is perfect, but we're pretty happy with how well things are working right now. As we move west, the sun is setting later (much to Shawn's relief as the "schedule" eliminated sunset viewing for her early in the passage) and as we move south twilight lingers longer. We are extra grateful to be in the stable High as this morning we listened on the SSB to the havoc that the tropical storm (downgraded to depression) that spawned in our wake, created on the NZ bound boats over the past night. We are aware that at the same time the US electorate has been choosing a path for the next four years. It is strange to be so far removed and we are keenly aware how much the world continues to march forward while we are out here adventuring. We've heard rumors but look forward to updates on this pivotal event. Out here, we steadily focus on each task in front of us to altogether work us consistently toward our current Brisbane goal.shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-49952715350049217372012-11-06T20:34:00.000-08:002012-11-06T20:35:20.946-08:00Day 7- Already Halfway!Time: 0100 Zulu noon New Cal (Wed 7 Nov)
<br>Position: 23*37'S 165*12'E
<br>Wind: SE 16-19 Seas: SE 8-10-ft
<br>Avg. Course: 256-deg T
<br>Avg. Speed: 4.7-knots
<br>Rig: storm jib and triple-reefed mains'l
<br>24-hr Distance noon to noon point: 113-nm
<br>Distance to Brisbane: 677-nm
<br>
<br>It was fantastic to watch the stormy overcast conditions melt away behind us as Tao galloped for the blue skies ahead, then above, then around us yesterday afternoon. Both of us were a bit shell-shocked, exhausted and in need of some mellow recovery time as we continue to process our recent experiences. We each took a short 3-hr watch, Shawn checking in on the PacSea Net during what is normally Chris' watch and Chris uploading/downloading a bit later than normal to get us back to our "normal" watch schedules. A bit gun-shy (Shawn especially), we spent much longer under jib alone than necessary just to ensure a mellow ride through the heavier gusts and our daily mileage reflects that. Still, around midnight, we passed our halfway mileage of about 730-nm ahead and behind in this passage.
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<br>It turns out that we what we went through was the genesis of a Convergence/Squash Zone between the building Low and strong High (above 1030 hPa) which has now established and many boats underway to NZ are unfortunately currently experiencing similar conditions (though likely minus the lightning, traffic and land masses). We have made it to the High pressure = more stable weather. It is a large high, so winds are a bit stronger than we might choose, but they're from a favorable direction, so we'll take it any day over unstable weather associated with Lows. The large and not totally organized seas make horizon scans difficult, at times, unable to see any horizon at all from the troughs. In these higher winds we are searching for balanced sail combinations that still allow us to reef down in sudden increases. Winds have been gusty, in the lulls we could use a bit more sail area, but in the gusts we move along just fine with the storm jib and associated amount of mains'l. Tao was obviously made for this, she surges forward unperturbed as she if forced to rock one way and roll back the other in a graceful pattern as the waves roll under us. She, however, is a bit of a wet ride in these conditions. Foul weather gear is pretty much a necessity if you're going on deck. And our foulie gear is sadly decrepit. Shawn wears a pair of thin rain pants and jacket under hers to keep inner clothing dry and Chris just wears his board shorts and no socks expecting to be wet through by the end of the watch. It feels a bit like being bundled up in a snow suit, doubling the length of time necessary to visit the head. However threadbare, the foulies do still provide a bit of necessary warmth insulation with temperatures dropping as we head south and west.
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<br>We continue to work at keeping our speeds up but not overpowered and we steadily make way toward Brisbane. Continually scanning the horizon for signs of others- Chris and the AIS saw a cargo ship pass in the dark of this morning and we have both been entertained by flocks of birds masterfully gliding, fishing, and maneuvering in the wind around the peaks and troughs of the ocean waves. There are many moments in this world of constant motion where we feel at peace, in tune, connected with nature as we take a smooth ride amidst the roll, back in the groove.shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-86913828483548639392012-11-05T21:24:00.000-08:002012-11-05T21:25:28.275-08:00Day 6- Mid-passage CruxTime: 0100 Zulu noon New Cal (Tues 6 Nov)
<br>Position: 23*11'S 167*12'E
<br>Wind: ESE 18-20+ Seas: ESE 8-10-ft
<br>Avg. Course: 239-deg T
<br>Avg. Speed: 4.9-knots
<br>Rig: storm jib
<br>24-hr Distance noon to noon point: 117-nm
<br>
<br>The past 24-hrs have possibly been the most challenging of our sailing passage-making. Let me set the scene... Overcast stormy day, winds in the 20's already, seas nearing 12-ft. Add to that navigating around land, the land effect on wind and weather (promontory effect, inducing convection, and traffic fears) with less than 30-nm of sea room in each direction. Then sun sets, dark with no moon, and the coup d'etat, add lightning. Shawn has been feeling irrationally stressed about "when the other shoe would drop," and it did. We had been wooed to believe we could get far enough west to avoid the convection and would just see rain, and mostly we did avoid the majority of it. However, the edge still packed some punch. The lightning show started just as it was time for Chris to head off watch. Shawn talked him into staying to observe it for a while to ensure that we were not going to collide with it. We watched for an hour as continuous sheet lightning and random bolts lit the sky every few seconds and undiscernible distance away. Even more frustrating, we could not tell what direction it was moving if at all. Maybe it was happily over Iles de Pin? Not so lucky. Two hours later we were sure we were on a collision course with the storm. So we jibed (very disorienting in pitch black and rain). But this direction we began seeing lightning as well and it was retracing our route. Chris said aloud, "if we're going to have lightning, we might as well at least be going in the right direction." So, we jibed again and were back on our course. Over the next unbelievably stressful 6 hours we counted the space between flashes right next to our boat and rumbling thunder that shook us and both prayed a lot. Nothing like lightning everywhere to make a person feel pretty small and helpless. It was likely the most scary thing we've been through. We are immeasurably grateful to have been allowed to pass safely.
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<br>Of course this means our watch schedules are completely off, so once the flashes were less frequent, Shawn offered for Chris who had completely missed his off watch to sleep a bit and covered until 4am. It felt completely blind, cloud cover so thick, no moon light illuminating anything, moisture clouds nearly down to the surface of the water, rain dumping in sheets. Thanks to Tao, our Warhorse, and Moni for taking over, picking a safe line and galloping onward. Daylight was near when Chris took over, but rain still abound and winds picked up a bit. Just after getting SSB word from David (Gulf Harbor Radio weather guy) that we only had a little bit more to go, winds intensified. We both jumped up on deck and pulled the mains'l down completely and gaped in awe at the conditions. Coming around the end of the island must have created a promontory effect, or maybe it was a squash zone between the low and the high. For whatever reason, instead of 20+knots, winds jumped up to 28-35-knots. Seas were more than 12-ft and wind was blowing the tops off of them. Our deck and cockpit were often awash and we finally had to take down our shade tarp to avoid it ripping. Out of the frying pan, into the fire... We just had to make a little more to windward before being able to fall off 20-degrees after passing the southern most reef. Chris stalwartly manned the deck watching Tao surf 14-ft waves. And when our heavy-weather windvane paddle blade was blown off, luckily it's lanyard held, so he easily retrieved and reattached it. Before we made it past the reef, winds abated and no longer was the storm jib alone enough, so we hoisted the triple-reefed main and made to windward just enough in the large seas coming from both SE and ESE at the same time. Winds picked up again after rounding the reef, and when we pulled the mains'l down, we noticed one of the headboard slide attachments needed repair...
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<br>So, as the noon point rolled round, Chris was on deck hand sewing a loop onto the mains'l, valiantly fighting and loosing the seasick battle. And Shawn was down below catching up on computer backlog to get McDavitt's new voyage forecast waypoints into our GPS, etc. It was beyond challenging day and so much more intense and meaningful that we can relay with this quick brief post. Hopefully it was the crux of this journey to get around the SE corner of New Caledonia and break out of the low and into the high. Hopefully we're there.shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-35989991999758554102012-11-04T19:12:00.000-08:002012-11-04T19:18:36.985-08:00Day 5- Windy and bouncy rounding New CaledoniaTime: 0100 Zulu noon New Cal (Mon 5 Nov)
<br>Position: 22*11'S 169*01'E
<br>Wind: ESE 15-20 Seas: SE 10-ft
<br>Avg. Course: 235-deg T
<br>Avg. Speed: 5.9-knots
<br>Rig: storm jib, triple-reefed mains'l
<br>24-hr Distance noon to noon point: 142-nm
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<br>Yesterday this time we were watching synchronized flying fishing birds and schools of purpley-silver fish with pink horizontal stripes surfing in our bow waves. The sun was out and with increased winds Tao was out of the gates like a flash. Chris was pushing Tao, in order to make miles out of the area that will turn into convection alley with the genesis of a depression in the next couple days (which could possibly turn into the first named storm of the season much farther east of here). And Tao seemed to understand, blazing speeds in the 7-knot range. The first 12-hours of the day we actually comfortably averaged 6.4-knots, no wonder we may have just made the record for our longest 24-hr distance yet!
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<br>That was all before the seas built and the clouds set in. We had left the 100% on until 1400 when Shawn was headed to the bunk, and donned the 80% jib for the rest of the night. As the sun set Tao rocketed past questionably convection-looking clouds toward clearer star-studded skies. As midnight approached, seas jacked up and became confused and uncomfortable in the 6-ft range. A beautiful, quick, though bouncy night ensued. Morning dawned ominously cloudy and rainy and Shawn was welcomed to her watch with a sail-area reducing squall as we attempted to listen to the SSB Gulf Harbor Radio weather. McDavitt had sent an update, so we had to transfer waypoints and compare old route to new to where we actually are. All of this amid building winds and therefore seas.
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<br>Looking at the forecast for the next few days (20-knots average gusting to 30) we decided to to take our usual conservative approach. We put our doused main back up to triple-reef in order to pull the 80% jib down and replace it with our storm jib. Still making upper 5-knot range, with the mains'l up, it was much more stable, with more room to reduce sail area versus the 80% jib alone. Nearing the land masses of New Caledonia may be why the seas are so disorganized, but at the noon point we are sailing amid confused 10-ft seas; not the most comfortable ever- but Tao and Moni are handling it like champs. Though feeling clumsy with the increased motion, both of our stomachs are gratefully feeling fine as well. It does not motivate culinary excellence, however, so we are lucky it feels stormy and therefore a good soup day! 1100 and the AIS alarm went off (what a wonderful invention!). We noted that the tanker Pacific Gas will slowly (only 12-knots in these conditions) round New Caledonia's Isle de Pines as we do and will arrive in Brisbane only twice as quickly as we hope to.shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-45448950654239278622012-11-03T20:09:00.001-07:002012-11-03T20:09:59.071-07:00Day 4- Brilliant sailingTime: 0100 Zulu noon New Cal (Sun 4 Nov)
<br>Position: 20*50'S 171*07'E
<br>Wind: ESE 14-15 Seas: SW 3-ft SE 2-ft
<br>Avg. Course: 242-deg T
<br>Avg. Speed: 3.2-knots
<br>Rig: 100% jib, single-reefed mains'l
<br>Distance noon to noon point: 76.1-nm
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<br>If every day was as fantastic as this morning, we could sail forever! After yesterday's noon point winds continued to be light and we Driftered it along in the 2ish knot range for hours on end. We have had some deep discussions/arguments surrounding our lives in general from the stress of this rather large passage to that of the inescapable transition that will occur when we reach Australia. Chris pushing the transition and Shawn digging her heels in unable to think ahead of our present passage. Needless to say, in the mellow winds, we have both been thinking a lot and have come back around to enjoying the present moments. As the sunset we dropped the Drifter and replaced it with the poled-out 100% jib in anticipation of winds filling in. Quite timely, dinner was "Thanksgiving," (we sure can put back a can of cranberries some stuffing and mashed potatoes pretty easily) and we both verbalized our gratefulness for being able to make this journey and for the Universe constantly watching over us.
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<br>In the near still night before moonrise, it was hard to tell where the stars ended and flashing phosphorescence began. Around 2000 the waning moon rose lighting the near cloudless though moisture-laden sky. Just before midnight, winds abruptly filled in from the south giving us a good boost for an hour before lulling again until dawn brought a steady increase in the winds from the SE. After such a lull in winds, seas are so calm that the first winds are delightful, Tao slices through near calm seas like a warm knife through butter. Since dawn, we've been flying along, first over 5-knots, and now over 6-knots. This is good since we have miles to make, as we've nearly decided to continue on in this quite good weather window to Brisbane. In order to keep from getting overwhelmed, we have been taking this passage day by day, knowing the window was good enough to get us safely to New Caledonia. Now we are mentally shifting to a bit larger undertaking. Fiji to Brisbane is approximately 1,440-nm so we are already almost one-third of the way there. We're awaiting word from our weather router and another day of weather downloads for the final decision, but keep sending your good weather energy our way!shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-61546467911676618112012-11-02T20:23:00.000-07:002012-11-02T20:24:14.771-07:00Day 3- Another Drifter DayTime: 0100 Zulu Sat 11/3 (noon New Cal Sat 3 Nov)
<br>Position: 20*14'S 1732*19'E
<br>Wind: E 8-9 Seas: SE/SW 2-ft
<br>Avg. Course: 234-deg T
<br>Avg. Speed: 3.2-knots
<br>Rig: 150% Drifter, triple-reefed mains'l
<br>Distance noon to noon point: 76.4-nm
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<br>It's been a slow and steady relaxing day. Once the Drifter was up, the flogging mellowed considerably and we ghosted along. After our last canned Alaskan salmon with capers for lunch, Chris relaxed under the shade tarp for some reading. It was so mellow that he completely forgot to check in on the PacSea Net at all. It wasn't until Shawn awoke for her evening watch and asked how check-in went that it was even remembered. So, out went a SPOT and another round of e-mails assuring the folks at the PacSea Net and our relatives who watch for and listen to the check-ins that we are indeed just fine. Still mellow out, forecasts pointed to winds increasing to a maximum of 9-knots peaking around midnight. We gambled, and chose to leave the Drifter up. Although a few rounds of ominous looking clouds gave a bit of worry throughout the night, they were each quickly chased away changing from full cloud to nearly clear starry sky filled with bright moon and shooting stars and gratefully no squall activity. Just as forecast, winds peaked and then ebbed and backed a bit bringing dawn of a second Drifter-worthy day. We hope for winds to fill in a bit more later this evening. Until then, we implement our daily tasks, wait for weather to happen, and continue to move in the right direction. Some squally-low-forming activity is starting NW of us, so we're intent on gaining westing as the system will move SE to fully form over Fiji. We are watching as a super-high (over 1030) forms SW of us and are waiting to see what the next couple days brings to make a decision about continuing on through to Brisbane or making a quick stop in New Caledonia to break the trip in two.shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-61611591488371715602012-11-01T19:32:00.000-07:002012-11-01T19:33:36.691-07:00Day 2- Drifter's Up!Time: 0100 Zulu Thurs 11/1 (noon New Caledonia Thurs 1 Nov)
<br>Position: 19*29'S 173*24'E
<br>Wind: E 8-9 Seas: SE/SW 3-ft
<br>Avg. Course: 235-deg T
<br>Avg. Speed: 4.6-knots
<br>Rig: 150% Drifter, triple-reefed mains'l
<br>Distance noon to noon point: 110-nm
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<br>Early in the afternoon, Chris spotted his first traffic- a fishing vessel. No problem, except they did not return his hails. Finally, he tightened up to change our course and the vessel passed within 0.25-nm to our stern, close enough for him to clearly see Asian characters, the name Rituna 3, and even someone on deck throw something into the sea. Scary that no one was listening to the radio. Otherwise it was a gorgeous day of sailing, and as evening approached a blanket of clouds covered the sky. Nervous about the long passage in general and having been rattled by the unresponsive vessel, Shawn was in no mood to cook much, so comfort food it was, mac-n-cheese with diced tomatoes and a can of tuna for Chris after completing updated weather downloads.
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<br>The moon is currently waning, so after sunset it is amazingly dark. Two hours later, a pumpkin orange moon could be seen between the horizon and cloud layer, before it climbed to hide behind the overcast sky. The light of the moon could then be seen through the clouds as it climbed, and later a few stars peeked through small openings. A brief increase in winds had us start the night conservatively with a triple-reefed main. The nearly 2-meter seas were forecast to decrease, and that they did, with some strange rolliness which awoke Chris to search our charts for nonexistent seamounts that might be creating the strange seas. With winds down at midnight shift change, we brought the full main back up and poled out the 100% jib to keep it from collapsing with a loud snap with each large roll. The rest of the night was pleasant as seas organized themselves and a single cloud brought some moisture and breezes around dawn, enough for Chris to reef the main once again, but soon gone, the full main was again proudly flying.
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<br>We overlapped at shift change/breakfast/weather radio hour (for that this time change has been excellent). Then off to rest for Chris, and Shawn willed the winds to continue. But as winds nearly vanished by 1000, two hours early for his watch she awoke Chris for sail changes. Down came the flogging 100% jib, up went the Drifter, down came the main to 3rd reef (for stability) and the boom's end doubled as a large Drifter-pole. Back up to almost 3.0-knots went our speeds, plenty for us, but apparently not the norm, as our weather router assumed that we would be motoring this section. Speaking of which, our weather router's information has been spot on for these first couple days. Quite amazing, really, he used an expensive but highly regarded (at least by Julia and Jacob of s/v Pisces) routing software package called Expedition. Still, we will have to contact him and have him rework future forecasts for us with our "no motor unless we have to" variable- we do not have nearly enough fuel to motor the amount he estimated for the passage all the way to Brisbane. Is this what people mean by the mellow South Pacific trades we have yet to see (well, no, actually we're in easterlies on the back side of a passing High)? Just in case, we are soaking them up anyway, enjoying the quiet as our newly patched Drifter pulls us along, Chris tends to some small deck tasks, and Shawn might even motivate to make more bread!shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-63725364013865739732012-10-31T23:57:00.000-07:002012-10-31T23:58:11.983-07:00Day 1- what time is it anyway?Time: 0100 Zulu Thurs 11/1 (noon New Caledonia Thurs 1 Nov)
<br>Position: 18*26'S 175*00'E
<br>Wind: SE 10 Seas: SSW 5-ft
<br>Avg. Course: 258-deg T
<br>Avg. Speed: 4.3-knots
<br>Rig: 100% jib, full mains'l
<br>Distance noon to noon point: 113-nm
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<br>We are thus far having a beautiful sunny light wind sail, soaking up the relaxing moments. It is refreshing to have our entire mains'l and 100% jib up (though more difficult to scan for traffic under it's low cut) as well. Together this sail combination is moving us along at a quite respectable clip considering the light winds and Moni is steering us true. Seas are steep but spaced far apart for an easy ride though we are making extra miles climbing up and down all of them... The last 24-hrs has been filled with cycles of light wind from S barely moving us along to SE and having to pull a single reef in the main two different times. We have waited out lulls and reefed down briefly twice when consistently reaching speeds in the upper 6's for an overall excellent first day of sailing. It is such a luxury that both of our stomachs are feeling fine, hopefully they stay that way! Shawn has improved her hand-bearing-compass sightings as the official ship spotter all between 1 and 2-nm; first a fishing vessel, then a cargo ship (Lautoka bound and the only one with an AIS signal), then two more fishing vessels. So many people claim to never see ships on their passages, makes us wonder how often they're looking, but then again, Chris hasn't sighted any yet either.
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<br>Things are seeming very familiar onboard. Our bodies seem to know the drill even though we haven't practiced in a while and we are quickly getting in the groove of watch schedules. Many hours of this trip have been whiled away trying to decide what time it actually is on board Tao. Of course, we always have Zulu, that time never changes, but it also doesn't fit well with the sunlight and dark hours. You have probably been on at least one timezone changing flight where everything seems a little strange and you continually calculate what time it was where you were and what time it is where you are now. Imagine doing that slowly day after day. After much debate, for this leg of our journey we have decided to shift our local clocks back to New Caledonia time (UTC +11) in order to have Shawn awake at the appropriate meal preparation times and Chris awake at appropriate weather,radio checkin, and good up/download propagation times. We'll let you know how it goes.shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-17092846362850187862012-10-30T21:36:00.000-07:002012-10-30T21:37:18.805-07:00Day 0- Full sails and mellow seasTime: 2300 Zulu Tues 10/30 (noon Fiji time Wed 31 Oct)
<br>Position: 17-deg 59-min S 177-deg 04-min E(!)
<br>Wind: SSE 10 Seas: S 3-ft
<br>Avg. Course: 222-deg T
<br>Avg. Speed: 4.3-knots
<br>Rig: 100% jib, full mains'l
<br>Distance anchor up to noon point: 34.7-nm
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<br>Planning for this passage has felt a bit different. We're not exactly sure why, but some mix of:
<br>(1) it's been awhile (nearly 2 months),
<br>(2) food management is completely different instead of packing every nook and cranny, we have bought very little fresh food and are planning to attempt to consume most of the stores that we still have before Australia where much will be confiscated. We have noticed much improved performance in Tao's sailing as provision loads have dwindled (that's less water, food, and souvenirs taken back to the US on our last visit), and
<br>(3) we decided to pay a weather router (Bob McDavitt) to back up our personal weather analyses.
<br>
<br>After hemming and hawing about whether we could check out from an outer island with a group of boats bound for NZ, we finally decided to just sail downwind to Lautoka, check out on our schedule, and retrace our tracks back upwind to exit Fiji. This has turned out to be a great decision for us thus far as we've been able to manage our own schedule nicely. Yesterday we were at the Customs/Immigration facility before the doors opened. After formally checking out with Customs, we found that an Immigration Officer needed to come out to inspect our vessel. This meant an extra round trip half mile each way rowing in Fatty. For a moment we thought we may get out of the inspection when the officer found out there was no dinghy engine and the dinghy was "tippy," apparently we are not like most other cruisers... No such luck, however, and he didn't really do much besides poke his head inside... All of this took us until 1000, no longer enough time for us to reach the exit pass during the morning ebb flow.
<br>
<br>Instead, after leaving the port within the hour, we holed up in nearby Saweni Bay and prepped. Shawn was a rockstar cooking up several feasts, from homemade pizza for dinner to curry sauce for night 1 dinner, plus a loaf of bread, a half dozen hardboiled eggs, and tending our small sprout farm. Most excitingly, for the first time, she managed to be prepared to relax with every dish clean by 2000. Chris however has been the MVP. Usually he is the one ready by 8pm, but scrubbing Tao's bottom, getting jacklines hung, navigation waypoint management took longer than expected when McDavitt sent a route of over 50 waypoints, and squeezing in one more easy shower took later into the night.
<br>
<br>After a brief restful sleep, we weighed anchor from Saweni Bay at 0400 this morning. Initially motoring, we found that our autopilot is still not working- or should we say it is overworking, as it is over-correcting taking us on a wandering path. "Good thing we're a sailboat," was Chris' response to this challenge and we turned off Yannie and put up full sail in the moonlight. Luckily the winds were excellent and the protected bay smooth so we were able to make the 20+-nm transit to reach the pass as the tide ebbed at our planned 1000 on the nose. Chris had gallantly offered to let Shawn sleep a bit and scrubbed our anchor and chain of the clinging Fijian mud (earning him bonus stars) as he sailed close to famous Cloudbreak surf spot. Shawn, up after a brief sleep, made breakfast as we closed in on Navula Pass. We easily managed to sail through, seeing speeds up to 7.2-knots, and rode the current out to the other side of the reef under one cloud spitting rain, saying goodbye to us, and otherwise mostly sunny sky. By the noon point we had replace the 80% jib with the 100% trying to keep speeds up in the beautiful light wind day. Our goal is Brisbane, Australia, but we are fully prepared to pull into Noumea, New Caledonia if the weather requires. Only time will tell, so we are enjoying the present moment with full sails and mellow seas, trying not to look too far into unpredictable future.shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-13171794905752028732012-10-28T21:58:00.001-07:002012-10-28T23:21:25.268-07:00Mamanuca Islands Fiji and Kauai's North Shore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkVH86ZsXiu82v1LotbOOTVxH3mxsitHJ2J6zLgZ-Cj53CerBbspPjZczR6rSipRkdieH0x8l_yC_EqRm8_dJwLLuBw3w2EliHFPIRSeRJR8GDkknTcVcGoZCos_v4YRi8XYiTQyrRYLC/s1600/IMG_4229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkVH86ZsXiu82v1LotbOOTVxH3mxsitHJ2J6zLgZ-Cj53CerBbspPjZczR6rSipRkdieH0x8l_yC_EqRm8_dJwLLuBw3w2EliHFPIRSeRJR8GDkknTcVcGoZCos_v4YRi8XYiTQyrRYLC/s320/IMG_4229.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"></span></div>
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We have been
fond of saying things like, “You are welcome to visit us, but you only get to
choose the place OR the date, not both.” Our cruising style firmly requires not
to have any set dates, because they tend to create a lot of stress when trying
to keep to them amid constantly changing weather. Of course cyclone (hurricane
for you northern hemi dwellers) season is one of those dates that is not too
flexible, at least it is a month long target. However, there is always an
exception to the rule and we found ourselves committed to be in Nadi, Fiji to
catch a flight to a close friends wedding on 4 October 2012 (Chris as groomsman
for a close undergraduate friend, Matt Gehrke). Since we bought the tickets while
in Samoa, our cruise track and timing decisions have been shadowed by a set
date putting a bit of a squeeze on our time. So yet again, we continue to
struggle with not having enough time to explore as in depth as we would like. Realistically
though, if we want to keep our goal of reaching Australia this season, it has
been important to keep pushing, and we realize that we have been amazingly
lucky to fit in as much as we have. Several times thus far in Fiji, we have
both felt the Universe aligning for us allowing safe weather passage, more time
than we thought in several areas, catching up with some super fun fellow
cruisers, and yes, even making our pre-chosen flight date. We are so grateful
for everything we were able to do and see and recently have felt like some
guardian angel was helping to align moon, stars, and planets to allow us to see
and do so much.</div>
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Our trip to
Hawaii, though difficult to arrange and expensive, was marvelous and totally
worth it! Admittedly it was a whirlwind and we didn’t fit as much in as we had
hoped (such as daily yoga, visiting yoga friends in Kapaa or visiting our
frequently utilized HAM station that is based there), but it was truly special
to be able to part of Matt and Carmen’s beautiful Kauai wedding, and Shawn even caught the bouquet. Of course
Chris caught some great Hawaii surf with Matt and all the fun surf friends that showed
up from far corners of the world for the wedding. In addition, besides Shawn
finally succumbing to a cold, as we laid over in Honolulu we were able to visit
Chris’ grandmother and his father Dave, mail 2 boxes of our collected souvenirs back to the mainland, as well as drop a package full of
gifts for folks on Fanning Island off at the <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/sailcargo/business-plan/island-ventures-ltd-sailing-forward" target="_blank">Kwai</a> (it showed up when we were down there and is headed back again in the next few months). Shawn even managed to fit
in a Bikram Yoga class the day before we flew back to Nadi, Fiji.</div>
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<o:p> </o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelq9x6SZ4bYcethHmx4alaNR3eExsh0m6Z-91RrCsq9pwIZ60eBdMJe6HL_hASwdOR6v0VJQWdsaKEDD0byWw_3lFdc54GnnJNeZKbCkYy3tG8hljyloT2ydcE77QWdi69uupK1jk5S-R/s1600/IMG_4181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelq9x6SZ4bYcethHmx4alaNR3eExsh0m6Z-91RrCsq9pwIZ60eBdMJe6HL_hASwdOR6v0VJQWdsaKEDD0byWw_3lFdc54GnnJNeZKbCkYy3tG8hljyloT2ydcE77QWdi69uupK1jk5S-R/s200/IMG_4181.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSe9SR7lFNUAyzn0_ifmRIZip4Csg1bMNFyjL7vnNqXji5GuEHgMna4tUqe1pFAkJJGnMB6cXKdPcmx1vsCj6c0PQ5T-bQR4hppUfZidi9KKyF4WrfnSowruCQDmGKUg3qds0lVFOEJKZa/s1600/IMG_4195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSe9SR7lFNUAyzn0_ifmRIZip4Csg1bMNFyjL7vnNqXji5GuEHgMna4tUqe1pFAkJJGnMB6cXKdPcmx1vsCj6c0PQ5T-bQR4hppUfZidi9KKyF4WrfnSowruCQDmGKUg3qds0lVFOEJKZa/s200/IMG_4195.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMHL0mBwalTerHJb2fSFrhx5lFsh8XFXmmu25qEquc4kNLOsLJLi4P-my7KbHnRtlatQEjG2f_q2KqyddYXzV2GGLyRZ0fWiuYPOKRT9cb9Hh-CcFbIWaPnmbPd8pqzbZzdAyBA9KEInB/s1600/IMG_4245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMHL0mBwalTerHJb2fSFrhx5lFsh8XFXmmu25qEquc4kNLOsLJLi4P-my7KbHnRtlatQEjG2f_q2KqyddYXzV2GGLyRZ0fWiuYPOKRT9cb9Hh-CcFbIWaPnmbPd8pqzbZzdAyBA9KEInB/s320/IMG_4245.JPG" width="320" /></a>It sure
takes a lot less time to fly from Fiji to Hawaii than to sail from Hawaii to
Fiji- 12-hrs and you get a day back versus 6 months and so many unique
irreplaceable experiences! Of course, we also lost the day again flying back across
the date line. And we were actually lucky to be let back into Fiji, because
apparently we were supposed to visit immigration before we left to get
permission to come back in with what they consider a one-way ticket. It is so
hard to follow all the rules and we really do try. Regardless, they allowed us
back in and Tao was fine after her 10-day rest. We flew in just a few days
after a beautiful weather window for heading west (which both Convivia and
Britannia took to Vanuatu), so we gladly resigned ourselves to enjoy a little
bit more of Fiji while awaiting the next window. We spent the next 4-days at Vuda Marina recovering from our vacation from our cruising lifestyle as well as preparing
the boat by implementing some sewing projects (including Drifter and weather
cloth repair and making a tiller cover), filling propane, and adding diesel for
the first time since we left Hawaii in May (only 15-gallons!).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVE44caqNdsdP9PTRE1v6OFNaxh5vlBqSYCG7w4mfXBgaQeWIfdsi9LMKJHONufU3WyA-jaX0NxUhvFAk8II79iiEBe36E7jrMaDFUcYbe5nQDEZYQScXdpZnavEXfSAeWIDGlGxlyJJQ/s1600/IMG_4253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVE44caqNdsdP9PTRE1v6OFNaxh5vlBqSYCG7w4mfXBgaQeWIfdsi9LMKJHONufU3WyA-jaX0NxUhvFAk8II79iiEBe36E7jrMaDFUcYbe5nQDEZYQScXdpZnavEXfSAeWIDGlGxlyJJQ/s200/IMG_4253.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUeR77kKa4iJkfNktH2MbTJ6qJH08BoYftlHDgGEHzlIWqKyIO4INua-zMaNoGgqAJyKhcbD_RcLrKiAbnRuUc84XaG6-82PFn6vrnAJaQ5GpX7RxLmfpl4gfYBKg96T448PDOZ-zAR7p/s1600/IMG_4303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUeR77kKa4iJkfNktH2MbTJ6qJH08BoYftlHDgGEHzlIWqKyIO4INua-zMaNoGgqAJyKhcbD_RcLrKiAbnRuUc84XaG6-82PFn6vrnAJaQ5GpX7RxLmfpl4gfYBKg96T448PDOZ-zAR7p/s200/IMG_4303.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA080DuHUwZMy2abuzv4IOtRxFyx7ESg422E3JwQoPMyQFREbe8e9iz3RmzSuS_JtLIE5WSZ4SnVZ9ByG5JLe1mHzB9ViDsy5DTUCDhp8tHhTqTgalqXBCSog4K1QSWyNsZsmZOHo9LZ6J/s1600/IMG_4368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA080DuHUwZMy2abuzv4IOtRxFyx7ESg422E3JwQoPMyQFREbe8e9iz3RmzSuS_JtLIE5WSZ4SnVZ9ByG5JLe1mHzB9ViDsy5DTUCDhp8tHhTqTgalqXBCSog4K1QSWyNsZsmZOHo9LZ6J/s320/IMG_4368.JPG" width="320" /></a>Saturday 20
October we motored out of Vuda, Chris wrestling with our “drunken” autopilot Captain Tilly, and then had a nice upwind sail approximately 10-nm SW
to Musket Cove in Malolo Island, during which Chris played with his new GoPro camera and Shawn somehow managed to get quite sunburned in an overcast but summer Fiji day. A week
quickly passed by in the safe anchorage, packed with at least 30 boats each
night. We met several fun people, talked to other cruisers that also await weather windows (many toward NZ), went to BBQ’s on shore, and generally
enjoyed the safety of the deep anchorage as a low pressure system passed south
of Fiji. One day, we even adventured in Tao out of the reefy protection to Namotu
Island at the outer edge of Viti Levu’s reefs, where Chris surfed a
small swell and we both enjoyed some clear water snorkeling. Unfortunately,
winds picked up to make the anchorage a lee shore and we had to make haste out of there in
the early afternoon back to Musket Cove, but a few days later Chris was invited to
dinghy over again for some more stellar surf. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4O67MCT4CvTegA6qWE1smc1N3NBdCVv7W7mkvPI6JWXbWonM6Sh8caar911SvjxRCRLCw5Fp6CYtS3MwvZWTJOCpD9YHoioMWpxtL3jOEHpsOIwX0d2jzFxt5zUMcTScsXOafjqCpiDv/s1600/IMG_4494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4O67MCT4CvTegA6qWE1smc1N3NBdCVv7W7mkvPI6JWXbWonM6Sh8caar911SvjxRCRLCw5Fp6CYtS3MwvZWTJOCpD9YHoioMWpxtL3jOEHpsOIwX0d2jzFxt5zUMcTScsXOafjqCpiDv/s320/IMG_4494.JPG" width="320" /></a>After spending a few nights anchored in a bit shallower (37-ft versus 58-ft) “secret spot” that
Chris found after rowing around in Fatty, we grabbed a mooring for a few days in
hopes of being able to check out with a group bound for NZ. We took the
opportunity to deep clean Tao and remove Rocky in preparation for offshore
passage. Unfortunately the outer island checkout fell through for our time-frame,
so we reattached the anchor and sailed 20-nm downwind to Lautoka to formally
check out of Fiji on our own schedule, during Fiji business hours of course. Although
we would love to visit all of our friends in Vanuatu, we feel the need to make westward
tracks to stay ahead of cyclone season. So far the weather window looks great for
the approximately week long passage from Fiji to New Caledonia. If the weather
window closes, we’ll have the option to duck into Noumea for some protection.
If the window stays open, however, though we would love to explore there as well, we may bypass New Caledonia and continue on to our goal for this season: Brisbane,
Australia!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_jMytx4UVtLEahX3dw3GiI9K2FkLVAVak8EckPyTpAZD_z4e-87iQNnCpJXuDpQDe8CbIw9XEowxsRpqbcVJ1oBJu6D1e_RKAzDSnC-yuIKHOK7IzVljetoW9c1b0_rJCrCjbNp-ow9c/s1600/IMG_4511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_jMytx4UVtLEahX3dw3GiI9K2FkLVAVak8EckPyTpAZD_z4e-87iQNnCpJXuDpQDe8CbIw9XEowxsRpqbcVJ1oBJu6D1e_RKAzDSnC-yuIKHOK7IzVljetoW9c1b0_rJCrCjbNp-ow9c/s200/IMG_4511.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBVRd38wKdn3BoC1qPHxoMDC914h3qHnvf-Dpyr6tx5jcioakmaDZ3S9OSsyj1iIoIJ_Pc_tWLufzvt9Xncl2t1KazKO2egaxenF_3inT8bvE52Btj1rj5k5m6bxKV81hXXbWlNlRazyP/s1600/IMG_4532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBVRd38wKdn3BoC1qPHxoMDC914h3qHnvf-Dpyr6tx5jcioakmaDZ3S9OSsyj1iIoIJ_Pc_tWLufzvt9Xncl2t1KazKO2egaxenF_3inT8bvE52Btj1rj5k5m6bxKV81hXXbWlNlRazyP/s200/IMG_4532.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-33462307005532467382012-10-15T23:13:00.001-07:002012-10-16T23:24:58.881-07:00Great Astrolabe Reef, Kadavu, Fiji<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbb9pzyCkd2X_fjy1Ew3h5_5m240wKJGKHui8QWyr0Tvtf2BjSU8zGhtWvOgk66gkxNm0W39mzTl95zUGq6Gya1PsUb_aHCM8KDu_AahCeWXGkSOFR4Qm6tEziprwYLwz5-me_QRUU1iM/s1600/IMG_3308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbb9pzyCkd2X_fjy1Ew3h5_5m240wKJGKHui8QWyr0Tvtf2BjSU8zGhtWvOgk66gkxNm0W39mzTl95zUGq6Gya1PsUb_aHCM8KDu_AahCeWXGkSOFR4Qm6tEziprwYLwz5-me_QRUU1iM/s400/IMG_3308.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEML5ulCVOElTMaHtTS8vYjK7hbLZLI_vqXbt7TC215MoOCzKoMD2nkjXR_FKZ4f2LOF77WsDOBYfM5CEf64ifdaRRWZz7ZUqa-cXg8SLR5gFg46GF55NOPSkMwaxaa2ez__WbNbY_8PfG/s1600/IMG_3240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82fH7Sha80UejPgMfzPSZHs6bCoaIvF94O4mZz0YN_2ZfR0iKDyTj7rnTW2_qfcBKH_7xZdDkwmorJn9TZwY-iGodSuwv7K6xGGk5RBQatbeibEDe-HJZm6plQ8B3AfGUs5o1hFsB_PMb/s1600/IMG_2905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82fH7Sha80UejPgMfzPSZHs6bCoaIvF94O4mZz0YN_2ZfR0iKDyTj7rnTW2_qfcBKH_7xZdDkwmorJn9TZwY-iGodSuwv7K6xGGk5RBQatbeibEDe-HJZm6plQ8B3AfGUs5o1hFsB_PMb/s320/IMG_2905.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It felt
cathartic to pull the anchor out of the muck and head away from the city once
again. Thursday 20 September we sailed out of Suva Harbor under jib alone for a
full day (40-nm) passage to Kadavu. After passing through the reefs, we
realized the island that we had been seeing on the horizon from the harbor was
actually Beqa (pronounced Em-behngha) so we set sails farther south for
over-the-horizon places. It was a brilliant sail. The main went up and in the
light breezes, we decided to put up the 150% Drifter. After another hour of making
hull speed, we sailed out from the protection of Vita Levu into the Kadavu
Channel and increased winds. Down came the Drifter, replaced by the 80%, we
flew along toward our goal. When Kadavu finally became visible on the horizon,
we were surprised how close we already were to our intended goal, Great
Astrolabe Reef, located to Kadavu’s north was a mere 3-nm off our port. Horizon
scans found the red and white stripped lighthouse (off which we had awaited
dawn upon entering Fiji), marking N Astrolabe Reef. The days NE winds were
perfect for sailing through Herald Passage into the protection of the Great
Astrolabe Reef. We had just enough daylight time to tack upwind toward Dravuni
Island, our first intended outer island landfall. Although quite far away from
the cigar shaped island, which provided protection from E winds, we happily set
Rocky in a nice patch of sand surrounded by sea grass as the sun went below the
horizon. We were still having NE winds, so the island was not protecting us,
but the outer reef was close enough for relative comfort in the roadstead
anchorage. The next morning around 0500 our anchor alarm went off as winds
abruptly switched to the SE and we turned 180-deg. All of our forecasts said we
should be seeing NE flow, so this was a surprise, but light enough to be
manageable we decided to monitor it and prepared to head ashore for our first
sevusevu. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbb9pzyCkd2X_fjy1Ew3h5_5m240wKJGKHui8QWyr0Tvtf2BjSU8zGhtWvOgk66gkxNm0W39mzTl95zUGq6Gya1PsUb_aHCM8KDu_AahCeWXGkSOFR4Qm6tEziprwYLwz5-me_QRUU1iM/s1600/IMG_3308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4RFADILLzYvmuHDtSi_iYUrdqxGxch-Nodb2a7Olk198n09hr0nOPKykPx5m7F3sveHIvkyuG75V4sTuabOJNGZplpkO0KP9ifRphB3ScoV_PNdH4jf4C0IkcYSpmWWRgUuuarpfr1-1/s1600/IMG_3203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4RFADILLzYvmuHDtSi_iYUrdqxGxch-Nodb2a7Olk198n09hr0nOPKykPx5m7F3sveHIvkyuG75V4sTuabOJNGZplpkO0KP9ifRphB3ScoV_PNdH4jf4C0IkcYSpmWWRgUuuarpfr1-1/s320/IMG_3203.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Through the
cruiser grapevine we were informed of the sevusevu (or "gift") ritual
and thus bought 3 yaqona (kava root bouquet) at the market before leaving Suva.
The sevusevu ceremony, traditional in the outer reaches of Fiji, occurs as we
present the village's chief or spokesperson yaqona and request permission to
visit. Confused by this custom, since we had gone through the process of
checking into Fiji, it was explained to us that anchoring in waters off
someone's village is like camping in someone's backyard. The locals seem happy
to allow us to do it, and very much appreciate us respecting their traditions
and asking to be here. It turns out that this is a great way to
"force" interaction between us as tourists and the local population,
as we were invited to walk through each village we visited. Our experiences presenting sevusevu were vastly different at each village we visited.
Once we landed Fatty on Dravuni’s western beach, we were pointed toward the
chief who looked like any other fisherman busily preparing a boat for
something. Rather distractedly, he invited us into a small room where his wife
was present. They gestured that we should sit and asked to see our paperwork.
As the village chief, Kitione, was perusing the document (all in Fijian), we
spoke to his wife Maryan finding out she was from Kadavu Island and their
children were currently living in Suva attending school only to visit during
the holidays. Kitione then deemed us fine to be there, thanked us for our gift
and it was obvious the meeting was over. After the stories that we’d heard, we
felt a little let down, but also were happy to be free to explore the island.
We met one woman in the water preparing fish for lunch, but otherwise, we were
shy and viewed the village from the distance of the beach.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3229Sy4kzlbJijMA3vUZbpBUSckviCfIGfiyi0AE0Hkd_X02nU4ERrka0vrVKjbCqKm0l13gcgg-W_bbVqIBK0iMuDLl0qjcnIw93KqeDC8tDaoXdumhXn309S39_htJpAGrwa_gYoc7/s1600/IMG_3284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3229Sy4kzlbJijMA3vUZbpBUSckviCfIGfiyi0AE0Hkd_X02nU4ERrka0vrVKjbCqKm0l13gcgg-W_bbVqIBK0iMuDLl0qjcnIw93KqeDC8tDaoXdumhXn309S39_htJpAGrwa_gYoc7/s320/IMG_3284.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Back at Tao,
winds still from the SE, we decided to move toward a more protected anchorage. We
relatively quickly sailed off the hook and headed the short 2-nm to check
possible anchorage on a beach on the west side of Namara Island. Surprisingly,
we were able to tuck right into a bite in the island providing protection from
winds blowing from SE to NE. We anchored in 15-ft depth in a 50-ft diameter
patch of sand flanked by beautiful live coral. Adding floats to our chain so
there was no chain/coral interaction, we spent the next few days in this
private paradise only big enough for one boat. Chris was recovering from a cold
and the weather was forecast to be overcast and rainy so we hunkered down for 3
nights. Between stormy weather, we were [luckily] graced with sunny suckerholes
that allowed us to explore Namara by foot and surrounding small islands from
Fatty. During one sunny period, winds were so non-existent that as we rowed, we
could see straight down to the thriving coral below. We beached a fully rigged
Fatty and hiked atop Yanuyanu Loma Island, just north of Namara, for expansive
windless views from above (we haven’t had such views since hiking from Don
Pedro in Bay of LA, Sea of Cortez, Mexico). Continuing our adventure, we avoided
two islands to the east as we had noticed helicopter traffic on one (that we
later found is privately owned and a 5-star hotel is being built on).
Instead, as little breezes filled in, we sailed around to Qasibale a tiny and
gorgeous island S of Namara. With the sun shining we enjoyed snorkeling the
reef around it. Getting late in the afternoon we hopped back in Fatty to finish
our circumnavigation exploration of Namara and watched the sunset over Kadavu
Island from Tao’s deck once again.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilaxTNlSdsBO94Ux-AhWSUuiO-PQPZdVwOXgta9RIAoDmglUffS5J1tj4CD-BNAD50IwBrrnpdy4v2Orzm9bbRqWEqbt0_QNJQp32E8UCa5z2KrVYcOEP9QwiACxpvM1uU6YpKHygiDjIn/s1600/IMG_3421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilaxTNlSdsBO94Ux-AhWSUuiO-PQPZdVwOXgta9RIAoDmglUffS5J1tj4CD-BNAD50IwBrrnpdy4v2Orzm9bbRqWEqbt0_QNJQp32E8UCa5z2KrVYcOEP9QwiACxpvM1uU6YpKHygiDjIn/s320/IMG_3421.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With pressure
of both a flight to catch and close cruiser friends we were hoping to connect
with, we were prepared for that to be our experience, and were pushing to take
advantage of a small weather window the next day across the Kadavu Channel toward Lautoka. However,
convergence zone and trough activity creating stormy conditions were
persisting, and the small window we were hoping to cross in, abruptly slammed
shut. With no real choice (unless we wanted to motor through lightning storms),
we decided to stay for another several days and hope that what looked like an
opening at the end of the forecastable period provided better weather. Although
sad that we wouldn’t get to see our friends, and anxious because we had a set
flight date to make and needed to procure space to leave Tao safely moored for
10-days, we were at the same time ecstatic to have more time to explore such a
beautiful area. In the partly sunny afternoon, we pulled our chain floats and
Rocky aboard and sailed the short distance (3.5-nm) to Buliya Island where we
had heard tale of huge manta rays. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbb9pzyCkd2X_fjy1Ew3h5_5m240wKJGKHui8QWyr0Tvtf2BjSU8zGhtWvOgk66gkxNm0W39mzTl95zUGq6Gya1PsUb_aHCM8KDu_AahCeWXGkSOFR4Qm6tEziprwYLwz5-me_QRUU1iM/s1600/IMG_3308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5d4OSXPm9kZy-7uvzLUvTpJG6ckbJ44YuEpbm14gCxjmEV1tSoc1cI4z2O20nXbiue-oLjgtRKvuiNp8kcoNWjkbLSTtmnjhurRoouQspzQ8QfU3Any_8UZsnFkp8Wt9HPRutBOLr0LPV/s1600/IMG_3429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5d4OSXPm9kZy-7uvzLUvTpJG6ckbJ44YuEpbm14gCxjmEV1tSoc1cI4z2O20nXbiue-oLjgtRKvuiNp8kcoNWjkbLSTtmnjhurRoouQspzQ8QfU3Any_8UZsnFkp8Wt9HPRutBOLr0LPV/s320/IMG_3429.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We set the
hook on diamond shaped Buliya Islands SW edge in a deeper water (45-ft)
anchorage with 100-ft diameter patch of sand and added only two floats to avoid
surrounding coral interactions. Cool weather dictated hot chocolate as the sun
set in our new environs. The next morning after listening to weather and having
breakfast, we went ashore to sevusevu. This time we were pointed toward the
village spokesperson, Bill and his wife Maggie and their adorable son Little Bill.
We presented our second yanqona bouquet and they gratefully accepted. Bill
looked over our documents and Maggie, who’s English was excellent, told us
about their village and other people who routinely visited their island. Chris
requested permission to swim with the manta rays and there was a bit of
confusion about how much it was to cost per person and if we could go on our
own or if Bill needed to come with us. We worked it out and they told us we
could visit the mantas as much as we wanted and invited us to dinner the next
evening. Although bad weather was forecast and we were thinking of finding more
protected anchorage, we accepted their gracious invitation and hoped for the
best. Bill and the young village children (older children move to
bigger neighboring islands and only visit on the weekends or holidays), just out of
primary school for the day showed us around their village and walked us back to
Fatty, helping us to launch her.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichAZTFIMEMjaJIfXtEYt6-tiRbOk5SgG479qGoC3erMZr8zFaYPaFyJMoAy_PNCAfq03GcfxhlnSwqRXMuu6PkHuA5v4gAlmGrOG_eE4NvWUzeH7DMjUiCxnvo7CvzmANFafcR0sAkAgt/s1600/IMG_3434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichAZTFIMEMjaJIfXtEYt6-tiRbOk5SgG479qGoC3erMZr8zFaYPaFyJMoAy_PNCAfq03GcfxhlnSwqRXMuu6PkHuA5v4gAlmGrOG_eE4NvWUzeH7DMjUiCxnvo7CvzmANFafcR0sAkAgt/s320/IMG_3434.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A still
windless day, we decided to row to Virolevu, a small island 1-nm south of
Buliya, an area that manta rays are known to frequent. A touristy looking dive
boat appeared to be searching for the mantas, and they quickly motored away as
we and a panga from Buliya simultaneously approached. The panga driver assured us we were fine,
just didn’t want the other boat to swim with the mantas because they had not
requested proper permission. Crowds gone, we anchored Fatty, jumped in and swam around looking at beautiful
coral formations. Around a very large coral head, we had one quick manta sighting though it swam away faster
than we could follow. After swiming to land and walking the beach, we got back
into the water again and the cloudy conditions [luckily] magically cleared up.
This time around the same large coral mound, we were joined by two huge
beautiful manta rays. They slowly, gracefully continued on, the late afternoon
sun shining through the water providing extensive views, we snorkeled along
behind and above them. For 15-minutes, the four of us swam together comfortable
in each other’s presence. It was awe-inspiring. (If you’re interested in what
they look like, check out our friend Riki on <a href="http://www.svguavajelly.com/" target="_blank">Guava Jelly’s post </a>about his visit
here- he was the one who tipped us off to the manta rays).</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqFgnkG4SjDCiE8ySuWgv8ijO59dJucC9aLIM0eEO5Ik-T0L4w7sF9AT5qjs6gbQvc8cUUN6cPQp1umVBpZmTqapWrF_TvlS5mQ19EzYovr8FNCiBNBLq-9jmEXB7K8jA4JH3PpDtOjPl/s1600/IMG_3489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqFgnkG4SjDCiE8ySuWgv8ijO59dJucC9aLIM0eEO5Ik-T0L4w7sF9AT5qjs6gbQvc8cUUN6cPQp1umVBpZmTqapWrF_TvlS5mQ19EzYovr8FNCiBNBLq-9jmEXB7K8jA4JH3PpDtOjPl/s320/IMG_3489.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next day
dawned overcast with the promise of deteriorating weather so we fired up Yannie
and motored around to the NW edge of Buliya and found protection from the
forecast winds. Shawn’s bow-watch paid off when we came closer to a near
surface coral head than expected, but otherwise, we made our way to the largest
sand patch yet anchoring in 30-ft depth and 500-ft diameter patch
surrounded by sea grass. We think due to the diamond shape of Buliya, this
anchorage (as well as the last) had a roll from a couple of directions, so we set
Floppy our flopper-stopper for more comfort. Donning our wetsuits, we hopped in
Fatty and sailed out toward Yabu Island (locally known as Bird Island after the
nesting shorebirds which we did not see) where we walked the beach and found
butterflies, hermit crabs and coconuts. We were hoping afterward to reach the
mantas again, but they were upwind and our early dinner plans didn’t end up
allowing us enough time to make another visit. </span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7QxGDcgOiWJCPSsj5yvnZe1tKDWXt537GMzXlrRdQ0MsFIdoqRZcnnaLCYWs8kTPV3x3xpk_5rUBhgIRqxtiSImePcEVICPzzms_l1_ajgX1MboO-0591mWwILqjm2oDJMGiyr-om4GRg/s1600/IMG_3546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7QxGDcgOiWJCPSsj5yvnZe1tKDWXt537GMzXlrRdQ0MsFIdoqRZcnnaLCYWs8kTPV3x3xpk_5rUBhgIRqxtiSImePcEVICPzzms_l1_ajgX1MboO-0591mWwILqjm2oDJMGiyr-om4GRg/s320/IMG_3546.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Back at Tao,
we organized fresh baked brownies to add to the dinner as well as fish hooks
and a bottle of wine that were items that had been requested as highly sought
after. We beached Fatty and walked around the shores edge trying to avoid
getting wet with the nearly full moon’s extremely high tide. When we reached
the house, we were met by a completely prepared “small” Fijian feast, for the
four of us, one “auntie” that helped prepare the feast, and two children. In
addition to decorative breadfruit leaves, beautiful Clementine-looking limes and huge papayas, there was an
enormous lobster with brilliantly marked shell, crab onion mix served in the
upside- down crab carapaces, balls of taro with coconut milk, deliciously
flavored slices of cooked eggplant, sweet potato, and several other cooked
roots to choose from. They provided forks for us, but we mostly used our hands
to eat as they did, afterward rinsing our fingers in a shared bowl of water.
For dessert we ate chocolate brownies (honestly Little Bill ate nearly half of
it!) and had delicious tea from hot water (warmed on their wood stove) over lemon
leaves. We stayed several hours talking during which they promised us all the
much left over food would be doled out among family members throughout the
village. When we prepared to leave, they insisted on walking us back to the
beach and carrying a handmade basket brimming with papaya, limes and lemon
leaves. Quite an experience!</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TE7fpD6ltfkSKG10mlvXNoGgL7olqSPIe-vpMZbsq6FlUYz2ZmN3R16ejgo8J6rqhE3D2p8cmi9A80q84TMSyqkDTHefVVIMaavzPm4YE1GrZhFteMriPgCIqNCexAYxdzyfNFWcgNj2/s1600/IMG_3560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TE7fpD6ltfkSKG10mlvXNoGgL7olqSPIe-vpMZbsq6FlUYz2ZmN3R16ejgo8J6rqhE3D2p8cmi9A80q84TMSyqkDTHefVVIMaavzPm4YE1GrZhFteMriPgCIqNCexAYxdzyfNFWcgNj2/s320/IMG_3560.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next
morning was still overcast, but with nice winds for sailing off the hook, we
gave wide berth to both Buliya and charted rocks off Yabu Island then tightened
up to sail south toward the obviously larger Ono Island. We made our way toward
Nabowalo (pronounced more like Nam-bou-walu), a deep bite in the western side
of the island near Alacrity Rocks that separate it from Kadavu Island proper.
Our tide charts were wrong again, and it was [luckily] low tide, so we could
pick a decent anchoring spot, far enough away from shallow sections most easily visible at low tide. We were the only boat anchored out in the expansive bay protected by two
arms of Ono. Since it was early enough, we went ashore to sevusevu at 1500,
hoping it was far enough before dinner. Several youth had just been brought
ashore by boat returning from middle and high school (form 1-7) as we pulled
Fatty up the beach. A few of the uniform clad teenagers led us to the village
chief, and left us outside a small cement one-room building. Poking our heads
in, the structure was packed with men and chiefs from around the entire island
of Ono, apparently in the middle of a 2.5-hr long church meeting. They invited
both of us in and ushered us to the far end of the room to sit next to
Tumichi, Nabowalu’s chief. We carefully maneuvered around the gigantic kava bowl in the middle of the
room. Most of the men were smoking, with several younger men circled
directly around the main bowl, and another in the corner straining and mixing
ground kava (previously the sun-dried root that we gifted them) for immediate
use. Commonly known as kava, this beverage is called grog in Fiji and is
traditionally drunk from the half-shell of a coconut. </span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2DvN386aMdGqChtvPY6I0VgMxxA-fuzZ09bKwo7HtDOZudiLvRoPY1LiKBuyLGtdQu7P2S6Ell7ydk2i6cOtI-u7Qaeu8SvbzR6Us03wYpwY8y0oDhoeuVNmLGywuWoKvstRyBAvzKCv/s1600/IMG_3603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2DvN386aMdGqChtvPY6I0VgMxxA-fuzZ09bKwo7HtDOZudiLvRoPY1LiKBuyLGtdQu7P2S6Ell7ydk2i6cOtI-u7Qaeu8SvbzR6Us03wYpwY8y0oDhoeuVNmLGywuWoKvstRyBAvzKCv/s320/IMG_3603.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A sevusevu
ceremony was performed in the middle of the meeting/kava ceremony, as they
graciously accepted our third and last yaqona kava bouquet as well as a
powdered packet of dry ground kava root. One of the men, while holding the
yaqona said a long bit in Fijian and the chief translated simply that they all
welcomed us and appreciated our gifts. Then the whole room, starting with the
chief, followed by an older gentleman whose position we didn't glean, then
Chris and then Shawn were individually presented and downed full “cups” of grog
as everyone else watched. Three claps before by the man that presented the cup
and another three claps after consumption from everyone else. The other half of
the room was a bit less formal with several cups of grog being downed
simultaneously. The big bowl in the center was refilled and the grog was
presented and consumed again (though the second time, they genially poured out
a bit of Shawn's for only a 3/4 cup which was good since her lips and tongue
were already tingling). Finally the chief told us we were welcome to walk
around the village and we took this as our cue to leave the meeting. Whoa, we
were blown away! We seized the opportunity to walk through the village and met
several fun characters along the way as villagers often stopped whatever they were
doing to speak to us and answer all our many questions, always welcoming. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLVsC5Jo0UjEXLdDqrKYO6TgM6UNyeZXIrUmN1-qfTNn10NOmx-SFojN0jh260afT8zUM3hkLq9B3O_AYKLL_xLqV7Px5OFbo0Yw9Ug_ryIOm7QdxkQXe3zJq2Ecwrh6RSv1_4tl5nlfq/s1600/IMG_3654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLVsC5Jo0UjEXLdDqrKYO6TgM6UNyeZXIrUmN1-qfTNn10NOmx-SFojN0jh260afT8zUM3hkLq9B3O_AYKLL_xLqV7Px5OFbo0Yw9Ug_ryIOm7QdxkQXe3zJq2Ecwrh6RSv1_4tl5nlfq/s320/IMG_3654.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next day
was wet and grey with dramatic clouds passing by. We snuggled down, did a
little catching up to organize for the following day’s passage, and Shawn
recovered from a small allergic reaction of hives that we blame on the grog. We
received word that our friends were still in the Nadi area but they urged us
not to miss some amazing snorkeling very close to our anchorage. When 1 October
dawned with sun peeking out and weather looking even a little better for
passage the following day, we decided to stay yet one more day. We prepared
Fatty to for the adventure to sail out past the outer reef to some deeper water
snorkeling on the outside of the rimming reef. When we found the spot (we had a
handheld GPS and waypoint ala Britannia) we saw spectacular columns of rock
that dropped down to depths that looked close, but were deeper than we could
dive. Chris got in the water and placed Little Rock (our dinghy anchor) on a
dead bit of coral atop one of the columns. Below the surface, it was another world with excellent
visibility, amid the steep columns topped with colorful reef. It felt very
exposed far away from land as we saw a curious white tip shark below us and
rainy clouds slowly moved our way. We didn’t get as much time to explore
there as the area deserved, but we were happy to have had sunny time there before
the clouds again engulfed us. We sailed back across the main reef at a shallow
point, and with the centerboard pulled up, we still managed to kiss the reef with our
rudder before making it back inside. At least the clouds brought wind, though
it was directly upwind back to Tao, we tacked back and forth in our wetsuits as
the rain descended. Through the rain, a beautiful beach beckoned from just outside our anchorage,
but the now chilly weather had us pushing on back to the warm embrace of Tao. We
reached her just in time to witness a stunning rainbow.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKRIz4_GWWp3xisVtiSXPQb1qcG0ei9T6BJ0XGJWfdQ4gIwvA8UXYLowSZ4pjx13jt6IEB9EiDLOw5QPa0nB220AELrEGvYi8-KUURdWhDonaq01xPik_-4HwhEKoz1CBkmpB-iUG0xW2/s1600/IMG_3767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKRIz4_GWWp3xisVtiSXPQb1qcG0ei9T6BJ0XGJWfdQ4gIwvA8UXYLowSZ4pjx13jt6IEB9EiDLOw5QPa0nB220AELrEGvYi8-KUURdWhDonaq01xPik_-4HwhEKoz1CBkmpB-iUG0xW2/s320/IMG_3767.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As
predicted, that evening, the weather cleared and the next day dawned perfect
for an overnight passage (140-nm). We sailed off anchor- being very aware of the charted
reefs around us followed our previously charted route closely under 80% jib alone out of
the Great Astrolabe Reef. Our route was headed directly downwind, so we first
set the main and then attempted wing-on-wing. However, even poled out, with the lightwinds, our jib kept loosing air and we weren’t keeping
sufficient speeds. We decided to set the Drifter alone and let the breezes
push us along. Chris headed down below to grab a little sleep and we had a beautiful
run across Kadavu Channel, closely following our set route between Vatulele and
Beqa Islands (purposefully avoiding Cakau Lekaleka reef between them) in order
to be crossing the Kadavu shipping channel for as short a period as possible.
Chris came back on deck as the sun neared the horizon and together we raised
the main to shadow and then drop the Drifter, then raised the 80% for maneuverability. Sunset
and dinner later, Shawn went to bed while Chris jibed between the islands under
a full harvest moon. Lights on Viti Levu’s south shore became visible and there was
one questionable light on the horizon at midnight watch change (Happy 11 year
anniversary to us!). As the watch wore on, it became apparent that the light
was a ship, and after finally showing up on the AIS and Shawn hailing to
determine their intensions, it turns out that it was an enormous cargo ship,
drifting downwind awaiting sunrise to enter the Navula Passage with pilot at 0600. As we
continued toward them, yet another container showed up as well and both passed
the channel well ahead of us. At 0800 we approached the pass ourselves,
and winds bent around Viti Levu in an advantageous way that allowed us to sail
through the tight pass with current ebbing out, satiating Chris’ requirement
for adventure.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7-DAINSe9bxximjaKLl4EKOiKt-OZ_l7-rU6UhhbhBekkSZmVVPEbIlNYr7gqKUldsjeuJYOQvTChOuVFEygdPevVpd1n7OqjAFUTCwcpIg6lLYsknsgx15abt2Trt_cRPzW2Tk03pAG/s1600/IMG_3859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7-DAINSe9bxximjaKLl4EKOiKt-OZ_l7-rU6UhhbhBekkSZmVVPEbIlNYr7gqKUldsjeuJYOQvTChOuVFEygdPevVpd1n7OqjAFUTCwcpIg6lLYsknsgx15abt2Trt_cRPzW2Tk03pAG/s320/IMG_3859.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Instantly we
were in another world. No longer offshore, we were in a busy area protected by
reefs. Several sailboats scurried around, most under motor or motor sail in the
small breeze that made it around Viti Levu. We had thought that Suva was the
main shipping port, so were surprised as we slowly made our way north when two
huge container ships headed from Lautoka by us and on out the pass. We kicked
back and enjoyed the slow mosey in afternoon seabreezes and calm seas toward Vuda Point Marina our hoped
for destination. We had tried several times to make reservations, but it is
apparently first-come-first-serve for space there, so we both waged internal
battles between the need to enjoy the last moments of this sail and anxiety to
get there and procure a space during our planned travels. Six hours later just
outside the harbor, we hailed Vuda requesting a waypoint for their entrance since what we saw did not match the chart. It turns out they have carved an entrance
through the reef that is marked by white flagged stakes. At just before 1500,
we pulled the center staging mooring in the circular harbor to await directions
to an open space. By 1630 we were secured Med-style between a houseboat and a
large currently unmasted sailboat, bow to the wall and stern toward the center of
the basin. A quick glance around, determined our friends were not here.
However, after checking in with the marina office, while Chris was in the water
adding shackles to remove rope to rope connections on our stern line
attachments, we were hailed on the VHF. They were [luckily] anchored a mere 2-nm away. Exhausted, we planned a gathering for the next evening in Sawine Bay with
Britannia, Convivia, and Piko and headed toward hot freshwater showers with a
grateful sigh of relief.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jVuSvjzqa_w-QfdQN4Eu_LpMH408n7Vm20vTWb-EEDD-5fawk8ZdG0cffwZfqDn4P-8ZsmmhO7v2nyD3sxtKJzVwu9ywsKQ3ObAMvIXUq7mfRyjsj-Zhx4LXQZxqAZKOUizoiz3GLiF6/s1600/IMG_3118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jVuSvjzqa_w-QfdQN4Eu_LpMH408n7Vm20vTWb-EEDD-5fawk8ZdG0cffwZfqDn4P-8ZsmmhO7v2nyD3sxtKJzVwu9ywsKQ3ObAMvIXUq7mfRyjsj-Zhx4LXQZxqAZKOUizoiz3GLiF6/s200/IMG_3118.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEML5ulCVOElTMaHtTS8vYjK7hbLZLI_vqXbt7TC215MoOCzKoMD2nkjXR_FKZ4f2LOF77WsDOBYfM5CEf64ifdaRRWZz7ZUqa-cXg8SLR5gFg46GF55NOPSkMwaxaa2ez__WbNbY_8PfG/s1600/IMG_3240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEML5ulCVOElTMaHtTS8vYjK7hbLZLI_vqXbt7TC215MoOCzKoMD2nkjXR_FKZ4f2LOF77WsDOBYfM5CEf64ifdaRRWZz7ZUqa-cXg8SLR5gFg46GF55NOPSkMwaxaa2ez__WbNbY_8PfG/s200/IMG_3240.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463767561793168376.post-82575508012063622442012-09-22T14:01:00.000-07:002012-09-22T14:03:15.842-07:00Excitement in Suva, FijiHaving motored in the pass to Suva Harbor in cloudy weather with no winds, using Yannie, we set Rocky in 15-ft of mud just before 1100 Thursday morning 13 September. We had hailed Port Control to ensure permission to enter and the pass was clear, and once in Suva Harbor, hailed the Royal Suva Yacht Club as we had been told they would organize check in with Fijian officials. First they said 1400 then amended to 1500 for the officials to visit our vessel. No problem for us, that provided time to relax for a moment with post-passage drinks and snacks, dry some gear, and get down below spruced up for the visit. The weather was a bit crazy, downpouring one moment and brilliantly sunny with big fluffy clouds the next. We managed to put the drifter up to dry it and hang our foulies to nearly dry, then raced to pull them all in before the next downpour.
<br>
<br>At just after 1400 three Fijian officials showed up in a boat organized by the yacht club. Though early, we were mostly ready, and unfortunately it started to pour the moment they boarded. One woman (handling both Customs and Immigration) and two men (Health and Quarantine) made themselves at home with both of Tao's table leaves up for maximum paperwork efficiency. We broke out a pineapple juice, having let the woman choose the flavor, and the three of them downed it as the paperwork flowed with carbon paper in duplicate. We were informed that Fiji charges the same entrance fees no matter what port you enter and they required payment right away. Since we were not allowed ashore to get Fijian money until checked in, we paid in US dollars; $165 for Health and Quarantine and $40 US for the Royal Suva Yacht Club for the organization and boat for the officials to come out to Tao in. Overall, the check-in procedures were quite painless and just after dark we fell into bed.
<br>
<br>We got a solid hour of sleep before being rudely awakened to a strange grinding sound on our hull. We leaped out of bed and onto deck thinking, "Which of the boats has dragged down onto us?" Having never dragged ourselves, it was incomprehensible that we could have dragged, and in our foggy state, Chris remembers thinking "How did that boat get upwind onto us like this? Rocky obviously couldn't have dragged." As our foggy minds cleared, we realized that it was actually Tao's hull grinding into the chain of a boat downwind of us. Chris in his boxers, Shawn in a t-shirt and underwear and the other boat owner in his birthday suit, we relatively easily fended off Tao from a gratefully stout boat. Chris jumped to start Yannie (who for a heart-stopping moment sounded as if she wanted to stall) and immediately put us in reverse. We pulled away from the other sailboat, but toward shallows. Chris was seeing 8-ft depths as Shawn was at the bow dealing with our strangely limp chain grabber and pulling in chain which was near unfathomably not taut (which usually indicates that the anchor holding). We spent the next couple hours in the middle of the night with the winds up to 20-knots, motoring by the lights of the city in search of safe anchorage in a new-to-us area riddled with stakes marking submerged shipwrecks, shallows and rafted up moored fishing trawlers. On the third round (after pulling up a muck filled plastic bag on one of the haul ins) we felt confident with the set and commenced to ride out the winds with nearly 13:1 scope in 12-ft of water.
<br>
<br>Indeed, we had dragged for the first time ever! Astounding as we had 8:1 scope out with what we thought was solid holding. This had been one of the rare times that we didn't dive on the set because (a) we wouldn't have been able to see in the murky water and (b) the water quality in Suva Harbor is highly suspect. Post drag discussion established that a combination of strangely gusty winds from a multitude of directions, swirly currents that may have wrapped our chain around itself, but it was most likely, Rocky catching up in trash on the bottom during one of the wind switches that led to us drag. The next morning we found in the past week alone there had been several dragging incidents, most going aground. At least the surrounds muck not reef rock, but still, this provided a less than ideal situation not conducive for restfulness. Overall, there was no damage to either boat, the situation was just a scary and stressful and ultimately a blow to our confidence. We suppose that there are two kinds of sailors those that have dragged and those that will. However, on a positive note, our recovery was stupendous, and really, isn't life all about the recovery?
<br>
<br>With the less-than-ideal anchoring situation, we worked to get our To-Do list done efficiently. We spent six nights there in all, constantly doing internet tasks (which required visiting the local Vodafone office and purchasing a data stick with a SIM card that provided us wireless 3-G service for our first time since Hawaii), making several trips to the gargantuan market (we're talking mazes of stalls filled with apparently never ending vegetables), and enjoying the interesting mix of Melanesian and Indian cultures that make up Suva, the largest city and capitol of Fiji. In order to receive permission to cruise the outer islands of Fiji, one day we visited the Itaukei Affairs Board in the Great Council of Chiefs building next door to the President of Fiji's estate. The Fijian woman that dealt with us was wonderful and we met a Peace Corps volunteer (from Colorado) on her first day of work. The document we received was completely in Fijian, so hopefully it says nice things about our intentions. Additionally, we walked through town (Shawn pulling Chris into every store to look at dresses from Fijian to Indian in style), rode the bus home laden with fresh veggies, took a few taxi rides, ate some amazing Indian and Chinese food, spent some time with a fun singlehanded cruiser Riki on Guava Jelly, made a final trip to market to purchase kava for outer-island village sevusevu (in which we ask permission of the Chief to cruise the area), and finally went to the Customs office to receive costal clearance to leave Suva. We paid the yacht club for our time in the anchorage ($5 Fijian daily per person for anchoring and use of dinghy dock and shower facilities), took one more hot shower (the first hot freshwater showers we've had access to since March!) and on Thursday morning, again racing the weather, we pushed off for the outer island of Kadavu.shawn and chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05900141047402705606noreply@blogger.com0