New - June 12, 2009

May 7, 2009 - 

Since our last update we snuck in a visit to Chay's mom.  Jamie had fun playing with Grandmas dog tigger (he really wants a dog!).  We brought home strawberry plants from Grandma's garden and planted them outside our front door - we'll see if they do as well as the carrot plants.  Chay & Jamie then went on their annual fishing/camping trip.  This year they went to Beaver Dam State park (about 4-5 hours north of Las Vegas); they were treated to a beautiful snowfall upon their arrival!  Jamie learned how to chop wood, as well as how to shoot a bb gun.  Not many fish were caught, but memories were made.  A few days after they returned home, we left for Australia (April 15^th).

Hard to believe we've been here in Bundaberg almost 3 weeks already.  Chay & Jamie finished the work on Esprit's bottom including some fiberglass repair and bottom paint touch-up.  We got the sails back on without blowing out of the hard stand and gently splashed back into the water a little over a week ago.  Oh, it is so nice to be back on the water again.  We've been busy getting Esprit ready to cruise - the biggest challenge was getting the electrical transformer installed and wired to allow us to use Australian power.  Between West Marine & Chay, it is now working properly.

Jamie has been enjoying playing with his mate Henry in their fort in the sand/dirt pile down the road from the marina.  If not there, they are skateboarding/rip-sticking around the marina.  Jamie turned 12 on May 1st - we took him & Henry go-karting; Jamie has a new love in go-kart racing!  Henry & his family joined us for pizza and cake that evening.  Summer school began May 4^th and, although it isn't Jamie's favorite activity, he's getting in the routine again and doing well; this is just the warm up for 8^th grade which will begin after the 4^th of July holiday.

On the weekends we have rented a "rent a wreck" and have been able to not only grocery shop, but have been able to attend church on Sunday morning (7AM!) and then have gone to the large open market at the Shalom Catholic High School where they have wonderful fresh produce.  Bundaberg has multitudes of farms which grow all sorts of fruit and veggies in addition to the ever present sugar cane.  So, slowly but surely we are getting Esprit's galley well stocked.

We were treated to a kangaroo sighting one Sunday morning - apparently they hang out at the Heads right in our "back yard".

Since our arrival, the Australian's have celebrated two public holidays - ANZAC day (similar to our Memorial Day) and Labour Day.  ANZAC day is taken very seriously - most everything was closed - and the church's have special services and the people march in honor of their veterans.  It started after the Great War (WWI), but now honors all veterans.  The other refreshing thing here is that most stores also close on Sundays.

One draw back so far are the mosquitoes and sand flies!  If not careful, you can start to look like you've come down with a case of the chicken pox - especially if you scratch!  Needless to say, we are taking extra precautions.

Our plan right now is to stay here through Mother's Day, then head out, weather beholdin, to cruise to Lady Musgrave Island as our first stop as we work our way up the reef.

March 15, 2009 - Time sure does fly!  We had a calm, quiet Thanksgiving at our cabin in Big Bear....we enjoyed family time as we decorated both the Big Bear and Boulder City houses for Christmas...once again we (as Criterium-McWilliam Engineers) participated in the Boulder City Christmas Parade of Lights with the Porsche decked out in lights and Jamie sitting through the sun roof throwing candy canes to the kids....We took our granddaughters Trinity (6) & Tasha (3) on the Santa Train Ride here in Boulder City....Tasha loved the trains, but wasnt too sure about Santa!...Our Criterium family joined us for our annual Christmas party....Nueva Vida (our cruising friends from Vancouver Island, Canada) were able to visit for a few days.... it was great to spend time with them....Amy & Beau and their two daughters joined us for Christmas dinner....Tasha just loves running the trains with Grandpa and Trinity loves playing with Uncle Jamie....Chay & Jamie were treated to a night at the UFC fights with Amy & Beau quite the experience!...off to Buffalo for our 16^th wedding anniversary.....it was coooolllllldddddd!!!!..but great to spend time with Katie's mom and brother and his family..Katie's niece Sarah joined us for ice skating at the outdoor rink in downtown Buffalo and had a great time... it even snowed lightly, adding to our wintertime experience....Katie's mom threw a surprise party for our anniversary so we were able to see most of Katie's Buffalo family including aunts, uncles, and cousins galore which was a really good time....We had a  pleasant visit with Chay's mom and sister at the end of January....Jamie competed in the National Black Belt tournament in Los Angeles bringing home a first & third....since Jamie was studying about the Catholic missions in California as part of his history class, we visited the Mission San Juan Capistrano with Chay's mom - truly a peaceful bit of history.....Valentine's Day was spent in Vancouver Island, British Columbia with our friends Nueva Vida on their boat.....snow and ice on the docks!!...Jamie was able to share his taekwondo competition experience with Arlene, Nathan & Tyler .....he took two firsts!....We once again had a great time visiting with this wonderful family....Jamie got certified for scuba diving - his instructor said Jamie could be his dive buddy any day!...Chay & Katie took a wreck diving class so now we can all enjoy the adventure even more!...we've been busy with annual doctors appointments as we prepare to return to Esprit....Trinity & Tasha enjoyed a couple of sleep-overs with Big Daddy, Grandma & Uncle Jamie....Jamie successfully tested for his 2^nd degree black belt which included knowing all of his lower rank material and breaking 4 boards....Katie moved from purple belt to blue belt but not before successfully breaking her first board (and getting a very bruised arm).....Jamie completed 7th grade and is now an 11 year old 8^th grader... he and Katie are enjoying their school break.....Jamie ended his tournament year at Spring Nationals here in Las Vegas with a first in weapons and second in forms....Katie walked in the "March for Life" to raise funds (she raised over $1,000!!!) for First Choice Pregnancy Services, a pro-life Christian clinic in Las Vegas....All of this is in addition to tending to our business... Chay has taught many continuing education classes for Realtors and continues to do inspections....We head back to Esprit in April for a season of cruising the Great Barrier Reef and other wonders of Australias eastern coast....

December 1, 2008...Well, here we are back in Boulder City, NV.  Since we last wrote we enjoyed the very French city of Noumea including attending Mass at the Cathedral, visiting the Aquarium and New Caledonia and Maritime Museums, and of course consuming too many croissants especially the chocolate ones!  Jamie had his McDonalds fix and was able to spend some more time with his friends on Bauvier and Wakalele.  The anchorage was the race course for the New Caledonia yacht clubs weekly "beer can races" this made for some exciting moments as the racing boats maneuvered through and around those of us at anchor.  We all enjoyed one last traditional Friday night pizza night on Esprit before going our separate ways.  Wakalele returned to New Zealand to start a new life as innkeepers of a ski lodge and Bauvier followed us by a week to Australia where they were headed to Sydney for the holidays with cruising friends they met on their 2006 crossing.   Our trip to Australia was a good one and we celebrated our land fall in Bundaberg with our traditional beer and chips, but only after clearing customs and quarantine which proved to be straight forward.   They didnt take our buttered microwave popcorn as we had feared they might guess we didnt need to eat 3 bags before customs arrived!  We saved the champagne to share with our friends on Bauvier who arrived a week after we did.  Our time in Bundaberg was short but fun it is a delightful city much bigger than we thought.  We took in the Shalom High School Market (swap meet), attended church, and did some sight seeing of the surrounding area.  Jamie made a new friend, Henry, and along with the boys on Bauvier spent hours "just playing." Everyone is extremely friendly and helpful and everything is cheaper than in New Zealand or the islands.  When we werent playing tourist we were preparing Esprit to be left on the hard for a few months while we traveled back to the states for the holidays.   We cleared the decks and  took everything down on the outside including sails, dodger, cockpit enclosure, surfboard, etcThe haul out went smoothly and the yard did an extremely professional job of putting Esprit in the cradle.  Hauling out is always a nerve racking experience especially for Chay who has to do the maneuvering of Esprit while Katie makes sure we stay off the pylons.   We missed Jamies on-board assistance this time since he was on shore photographing the haul-out process rather than helping us on board.  Then we began our long trip back to the states3 nights in a motel in Bundaberg since we couldnt stay on Esprit in dry storagea shuttle bus trip to Hervey Bayan airplane trip to Sydney1 night in a motel in Sydney2 flights home from Sydney to Las Vegaswe think making a passage is easier!  Since we arrived home in Boulder City on October 28^th we have celebrated Halloween and taken a trip to the mountains of Big Bear, CA where it unexpectedly snowed and Katie & Jamie had to push the car up the hill!!  Jamie is continuing his home schooling, attending youth group at church, and is getting back into his Karate routine.  Chay and Katie are busy marketing our business to keep it going through these down times and now we are getting the house ready for Christmas and the holidays.  We spent the Thanksgiving Holiday in Big Bear and are looking forward to spending time with family and friends, including the crew from Nueva Vida, over the Holidays.

New -  October 19, 2008 - almost exactly five years after embarking on our adventure from San Diego with the 2003 Baja Ha Ha we have completed our crossing of the Pacific Ocean!!  We arrived safe & sound on October 14th after a 5 day downwind sail into Bundaberg, Australia.  This most recent passage marks the successful completion of our crossing of the Pacific Ocean with over 20,000 nautical miles under our belt - from San Diego, through Mexico, Central America, Ecuador, Galapagos, Marquesas (four islands), Tuomotus (two atolls), Tahiti/Moorea/Raiatea/Tahaa/Bora Bora, Tonga (all three island groups) , New Zealand, Fiji (seven different islands), Vanuatu (three islands), New Caledonia (four islands), to Australia. During our 5 years of cruising the Pacific we have sailed the Sea of Cortez, Gulf of Tehuanapec, Gulf of Panama, Tasman Sea, Koro Sea, and Coral Sea.  Esprit has more than demonstrated her sea worthiness as she took us through the spectrum of sea and weather conditions - from becalmed flat seas en-route to the Galapagos from Ecuador, to boisterous, confused, washing machine-like seas with 45 knots of wind en-route to and from New Zealand. The adventure has had unexpected surprises, many boat repairs, some disappointments, but overall it has been an experience of a lifetime and an education for Jamie unlike no other.  We have made many new friends from all around the world and are looking forward to exploring more oceans and new places, as well as to
meeting new folks as we continue our adventure.

October 2008 – Since we last wrote, we checked out of Fiji. After walking around Lautoka a bit and spending a restful night in Momi Bay, we departed for Vanuatu Monday morning August 26^th. We had an uneventful, quick, 3 day sail to Tanna. However, we couldn’t slow Esprit down, so we arrived at 1:00 AM! Due to the numerous reefs at the entrance, we hove to outside Port Resolution and waited for daybreak to head into the anchorage. We were excited to find our friends on Jade anchored inside whom we hadn’t seen for over 2 years!!! The highlight of Tanna is the volcano which is quite active – we were able to visit it one late afternoon/evening and witness its awesome power – smoke, flaming boulders spewing out, and lots of loud, rumbling noise as we stood on the lip of the crater! It was quite the incredible experience. On Monday we, along with the crew of 7 other boats, took a “taxi” to Lenakel to check in. It was quite the ride in the back of a four wheel drive pick-up truck through rough jungle, mountainous barren/ashen desert, and coastal terrain. We only got stuck once! We made several stops to complete the check-in process, did some shopping at the fresh produce market, and had a nice lunch at a small local restaurant, and then made the three hour return trip to the anchorage. We took several walks through the village, visited the small, but informative museum, and explored the beach, including the wreck of a sailboat that didn’t make it through the reefs during a storm. The anchorage got very rolly due to a large ocean swell caused by a huge 1049 high pressure system south of us, so we headed north to the next island in Vanuatu, Erromango, where we anchored in Dillon’s Bay which was protected from the swell and quite calm. We went ashore and greeted the chief who welcomed us to his village. The village is in a very pretty river valley that we took a hike along and got to see the locals doing laundry and taking a dip in the fresh water. Chay helped one of the local men troubleshoot/repair is solar panel charging system. They are given technology to use, but aren’t given the training they need to operate and maintain it. We sailed from there to the busy, city port of Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu. We spent the first few days (including Katie’s birthday) anchored around the corner at Hideaway Island before obtaining a mooring at the marina. Port Vila is a bustling town with a European feel to it. Jamie enjoyed spending time with several “kid boats” and making new friends from Belgium, New Zealand, and Australia. Unfortunately, we had to say our farewells to Jade who are working their way north to Japan and home to Hong Kong! We decided to join a rally to New Caledonia because it was going to the beautiful, atoll/lagoon of Ouvea in the Loyalty Islands where a special check-in had been arranged. As this was one of the main islands we wanted to visit, it was a pretty easy decision to make. The only drawback was that check-in was for Monday, Sept 15^th, which meant leaving on Saturday during a very squally, wet weather window. We saw 35 knots of wind on the nose much of the way, and blew out (shredded) our genoa foresail about 4 hours out of Ouvea! Everyone in the fleet (35 boats) said it was one of the worst passages they had ever had! Ouvea was just as beautiful as everyone had described it! We enjoyed a Kanak feast (local New Caledonian), a tour of the island that unfortunately was a bit of a bust, but a good way to get to know the other cruisers, and a barbecue on the beach with several of the other “kid boats”. Several local children joined us which made it all the more special. A few of the girls took a liking to Baden, on Chaotic Harmony, and Jamie – uh-oh! The boys were quite embarrassed and wanted nothing to do with it. Our next stop was the Island of Lifou where we anchored with 5 other boats from the rally. We were able to catch a ride to the town of We to do some provisioning, get some money, and see the small marina where several cruisers stop. The kind man who drove us was a Swiss teacher who was on sabbatical doing research on integration of Kanaks into the French schools. At Jamie’s suggestion, we enjoyed a dinghy raft up lunch with 4 other boats, all from New Zealand, who had never done that kind of dinghy pot-luck event before! It was fun to pass on a cruising tradition. We were anxious to catch up with our friends on Bauvier, so we did an overnight trade winds on the nose passage (23 hours) to the Isles de Pins at the southern end of New Caledonia. However, when pulling up anchor in Lifou our windlass broke so Chay & Katie had to bring the anchor up by hand with Jamie at the helm. We were greeted by Bauvier who hosted a wonderful extended happy hour on their boat, where we, along with the family on Wakalele, were able to share stories and catch up, and the children enjoyed playing together. Of course before we could enjoy that gathering we had to anchor by hand which turned out to be extra difficult because the chain was all tangled in the anchor locker after our rough ride south – so with Jamie at the helm again, Katie in the anchor locker below deck, and Chay on deck feeding the chain out we finally set the anchor! Jamie is getting to be such a great skipper, able to easily maneuver a 33,000 lb. boat in tight quarters! Needless to say Chay spent the next two days fixing the windlass! During the rest of our stay in Isle de Pins we enjoyed crepes and coffee on Wakalele, a barbecue on the beach, pizza night on Esprit with Bauvier and Wakalele, and a torrential rainstorm which of course hit at night with high winds! We also took several hikes around the island exploring the old prison ruins (where French political dissidents were sent in the late 1800’s) and trying to find the path to the top of the “mountain” (we never did find it). Jamie enjoyed playing on the beach – especially in the tree that they could climb in and build “houses”. We are now anchored in Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia, where we arrived yesterday after a beautiful sail! We broke the trip up into two parts from Isle de Pins – the first night we anchored in a very muddy, but fairly calm, anchorage that was full of flies! We closed the hatches and stayed below decks! We are preparing for our passage to Australia with the usual long list of things to do before leaving on that 800 mile passage. We are already watching the weather and trying to time the next high pressure system (hopefully not too high) that comes across from OZ.….Next time we write will be from Bundaberg, Australia…

August 23, 2008.  We arrived back in Fiji on July 7^th and left Savusavu on the 14^th for our Fijian adventureour first stop was the Cousteau anchorage just a few miles from Savusavu where we cleaned the bottom of Esprit and did some snorkeling before heading out for a day passage to Makongai. We had a boisterous trip to Makongai and caught a Mahi Mahi en routewhile the winds continued to howl we explored Makongai and its bay.  By land we hiked the ruins of the leper colony (kind of eery) and the hills of the island.  By sea we snorkeled and enjoyed seeing the giant clams.  We moved on to Levuka the original capital of Fiji where we enjoyed 2 days of walking around and provisioning before moving on to Kandavu and the Astrolabe ReefLevuka was quaint it looked like an old western town.our passage to Ono in the Astrolabe Reef was an overnighter and turned out to be a quick, crazy ride .  We were glad to set the hook in the nice calm western anchorage of Ono island.  Here we were greeted by the acting chief and his family.  We enjoyed a hike with the chief and had him and his wife on board for a little bit of fishing and dinner.  With the weather about to change, we moved to the anchorage at the north end of Ono where we truly enjoyed the Fijian welcome.  One of the families treated us to a wonderful Fijian dinner in their home.  Our last stop in this island group was Daku bay on the Island of Kandavu where we visited the village and were invited to participate in the celebration of the chiefs 70^th birthday what a special experience.  Katie joined the women cooking while Chay & Jamie joined the mens kava ringChay sat up front with the chief during the mealall in all our Fijian village experiences were awesome the Fijian people are very friendly and gracious!  Next stop on this leg of our trip was the Bengga lagoon and the island of Yanuca where we enjoyed the hospitality of Sharon at her resort and were able to do two great dives.  The first dive was on a wreck at 70 feet and the second was on coral pinnacles we all enjoyed these dives tremendously!  After a few days here we moved to Natandola before the winds picked up  at Yanuca (the anchor was just sitting on the bottom and was not going to do much good in stronger winds) . Natandola was windy but fairly calm with some rolling As Jamie said,  "it kind of felt like we were underway while standing still".  After two nights we woke up and Chay said, "lets go to Musket Cove".  We stayed in Musket Cove for 2 weeks where we enjoyed some snorkeling with the biggest variety of colorful fish we have seen yet, completed boat chores,, (replaced the steering cable which was in very bad condition lucky we made it through the reefs) school, did laps in the pool, and enjoyed great cruiser barbecues each evening.  We left Musket Cove on the 21^st and headed to Port Denerau which turned out not to be a great anchorage (we dragged anchor along with a number of other boats) so we moved out around the corner in the Bay just off the Nadi International Airport where the holding is very good.  We provisioned yesterday and will do some more today.  We plan to check out on Monday for Vanuatu and leave on Tuesday if the weather holds.

Bula!  Since we last wrote we have updated the website  (www.sailingesprit.com),  checked-out of New Zealand, crossed  the Tasman Sea/South Pacific, and are now safe &sound on a mooring  ball in Savusavu, Fiji. We enjoyed our stay in New Zealand primarily because of many of the  nice people we met.  We will miss them.

We watched the weather everyday and determined  it was best to go on Monday, May 5th, rather than wait a week for a  "better" window.  The thought of yet another rainy, cold week in NZ  just didn't compare to the thoughts of the warm, drizzly, tropics.  It  was so chilly in NZ that it "rained" inside the boat from all the  condensation!  We left NZ on Monday morning May 5th to rough seas and  squally weather.  Unfortunately, Chay & Jamie both came down with sea  sickness which we quickly remedied with Phenergan suppositories (they  work miracles!).  We had a huge low pressure system coming behind us  from the south that we knew we had to beat by getting as far north as  we could as fast as we could so we would not get caught in 30 to 45  knots on the nose.  As noted earlier - the properly installed prop  definitely came in handy!  We motor sailed for a few days and just  when we thought we clear of the front, it caught us!  The angels were  watching however, as the winds settled to 23-24 knots and the seas  stopped rolling just long enough for Chay to put in the second reef!   Then we noticed two things that were not good - strong gas fumes and  water flowing from the stern down into the bilge, both which caused  great concern! We quickly tore apart the stern bedroom to find the  source all while being bounced around as if in a washing machine - the  water source was from a leaking/overflowing lazarette/locker storage  area on the stern that proceeded to overflow into Chay's clothes  cubby, our shoe locker, and 3 other storage areas!  The gas was from  the dinghy engine gasoline jerry jugs which were stored in the leaking  locker. Fortunately we were able to air the boat out of the nasty fumes before anything worse transpired. Then when that was all  "settled" the front caught us and we had a couple of hours of 35-45  knot winds and rain on the beam instead of the nose (our strategy  worked!).  We took lots of green water over the deck and were very  glad to have our new dodger/cockpit enclosure to keep most (not all)  of it out.  After the front passed the seas began to calm and we had a  pleasant sail into Fiji.  Our friends on Quantum Leap caught us and we  each photographed the other before Quantum Leap passed on ahead of us  (she is a 51 foot catamaran that can go faster than us).  The only  other thing we saw was a 50 gallon drum floating along nearby - good  thing we didn't hit it.  The air was finally warm and we put the  sweatshirts, gloves, and hats away - it was shorts and t-shirts time  again, yeah!!!  At Katie's request, Chay made bagels on Mother's Day   (not so easy on a rocking boat)- Jamie beaded Katie a beautiful eye  glass holder (the kind that keeps the glasses from falling off).  We  arrived in Savusavu, Fiji on Monday, May 12th at noon - almost exactly 7 days after leaving NZ.  As Chay so aptly stated - it was like we had  died and gone to heaven.  It is wonderful to be cruising again!!! The  anchorage and weather remind us a lot of being in Bahia del Sol, El  Salvador! Tonight we will attend a seminar put on by the local  cruising "guru" where we will find out all the great anchorages to go  to enjoy the wonders of Fiji.

After checking in on Tuesday the 13th, most of our time was spent doing boat chores like sealing the chain plates,  repairing/modifying the lazarette drains to drain much! better,  polishing the stainless, etc. Jamie has switched to summer school which means he is only doing math and science; he'll resume his normal school year in mid-July. He was given a broken down 2hp dinghy engine in Opua which he has successfully repaired, with Dad's help, despite the fact that it was in the lazarette underwater for a week! He mounted it on his sailing dinghy and is like a boy with his first car!   He has also launched his inflatable kayak that Santa brought him so we have quite the fleet floating behind Esprit. He is anxiously awaiting the arrival of Bauvier (the Belgian boat with 2 boys his age) so they can go exploring.  The town is small but has the basics-it really comes to life on Saturday morning when the market is going strong. We were a bit disappointed in the market's fresh produce selection - all the stalls have the same selection.  We will go again this week to buy the kava root to give as sevusevu to the chiefs of the villages where we will anchor.  A proper sevusevu will break down all barriers between you and the locals and they will provide  assistance willingly; however, if you don't do sevusevu with the  locals, they will probably ask you to leave their anchorage.  We must have the chief's permission to anchor off their village as well as to visit their village.

Sunday is very much a day of rest for the Fijians so we are trying to follow the local custom as well. The only problem is it is  sunny today with no rain so we are getting a few jobs done that can only be done when it is not raining.  We roasted a chicken and had our friends John & Linda from Hawkeye over - they are the folks we buddy boated with for several months in 2006 when we crossed the south Pacific.  It was great to spend time with them again.

Katie went shopping with Dorothy (from Bauvier) and  bought Chay and Jamie their sulus to wear when we enter the local  villages to request permission from the chief to anchor in front of  their village.  Sulus are traditional Fijian wrap around skirts -  Chay got black and Jamie grey.  Katie also bought herself one, but hers is just a very colorful rectangular piece of fabric that she will wrap around her shorts to cover her legs.  We all must dress modestly in the villages which means no legs or shoulders exposed for Katie, and no hats or sunglasses for Chay and Jamie! Fortunately if you explain you are wearing the hat for medical reasons they will say ok  and you won't offend them.  On Friday night we attended a wonderful BBQ put on by the local businesses as a fund raiser for the Optimist sailing club for the local kids.  It was delicious.  Jamie then joined the local children for sailing on Saturday but there was not enough  wind so they had a paddling race! He also played rugby with them. It is fun to see him engage in the local activities. Last night a local guitar band played around a yangona bowl at the yacht club. We enjoyed their music while having the local "Inferno" pizza.  Jamie was  befriended by an older Fijian gentleman who had the band play a  farewell song for us; he also said for us to contact him when we get  back into Savusavu after our 2 week anchorage adventure and that he  would take Jamie night snorkeling! Today we enjoyed a game of Dread  Pirate, Chay repaired the dinghy engine water pump, and we will  probably hunker down and watch a movie (we have bought several  "copies" here for just $2.50 each). 

One thing we keep hearing about cruising Fiji is that there are three kinds of cruisers - those that have hit a reef, those that will hit a reef, and those that are lying about already having  hit a reef.  Keep reading to find out which category Esprit falls into....we did finally get our charts on Sunday (5/26) evening so we left Savusavu on Monday morning for Fawn Harbour in tandem with Bauvier. We had a boisterous sail, but made good time. We carefully maneuvered our way through the reefs into the harbour, only to come to a gentle sudden stop - we were aground.  The water was very muddy so visibility was poor.  Chay with a little help from the wind was able to get us off the mud/reef and back to deeper waters where we dropped the hook for the night. The next day we left Fawn Harbour for Viani Bay where we had some up close and personal looks at the reef, but this time we were able to back up in time and work our way back around to the mooring balls that local Jack Fisher has put in for cruisers to use.  We successfully hooked up to the mooring ball and settled in.   Chay went snorkeling to check the bottom for damage from the previous day's time aground. The rudder was cracked at the bottom and the keel (with its brand new bottom paint!) was scratched up pretty good.  Chay was able to repair the rudder (only after 2 days of hunting for the underwater epoxy and fiberglass repair kit - good thing we weren't sinking!). Chay, Katie, & Jamie did a check out dive to check the two moorings - all looked fine.  We have done some snorkeling on our own, as well as having Jack take us out to a site out of the bay a little bit.  He really knows these waters well!  We spotted a giant clam which Chay brought up and gave to Jack - Jack was very pleased as this would be a good dinner for him & his family.  Jack is a wonderful host and offers many services - he picks up our trash, his wife does laundry, and he will take you snorkeling, diving, or hiking for a minimal fee per person.  He also brought us some fresh fruit & vegies and a local dish which was "different" but pretty good. We have traded yangona (kava) and a dive bag in return for the services and goodies he provides. He got permission for the boys to attend the local school Jamie, Thibaut, and Olivier (both from Bauvier) really enjoyed it and made new friends - one in particular, Henry, is Jack's grandson.  The only setback was that Jamie cut his foot; he is healing quickly. When Jack took us snorkeling we saw lots of colorful fish and coral - it makes us look forward to our diving tomorrow even more than we already were.  On Sunday we went to church - Methodist we believe - the singing was typically good harmonization and was done by mostly children! The service was in Fijian except for a couple of Bible verses but the congregation made us feel very welcome. 

We enjoyed two awesom dives on the Rainbow Reef "the ledge" and "coral gardens".  The colors of the soft corals and fish were unbelievable! The dive master/guide from Dolphin Bay Divers we had was great.  After our day of diving we headed back to Savusavu to prepare to fly home to the states for 4 weeks for Jamies World Championship Karate tournament.  Although Jamie didnt bring home a medal from Top 10, he did take a 3^rd in weapons and a 2^nd in forms when he competed in the World Tournament in the "big boy" ring (he moved up both rank and age not an easy thing to do).  We are very proud of him. 

We return to Fiji on July 7^th and will continue cruising through Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and onward to Australia by October.  Watch for our updates.

June 6, 2007 - To Bluff & Back!!  Since we last wrote we have had a great adventure cruising New Zealand by land in a Maui campervan (motorhome).  We spent 3 weeks touring the north and south islands a big hurrah to Chay who did all the driving because Katie didnt want to try shifting a diesel truck with her left hand.  As it turns out the gear shifting was a bug in Chays bonnet it liked to slip into reverse when it wanted instead of second!  Jamie loved life in the motorhome especially checking out almost all of the Top10 Holiday Parks in New Zealand he particularly liked the ones with jumping balloons or trampolines.  We on the other hand liked the well maintained/clean facilities which all but one or two were.  Our first stop was Lake Taupo where we enjoyed the hot pools and New Zealand Pizza Hut (a bit different than ours), as well as the McDonalds with a World War II DC3 airplane to dine in!  We moved on to the Napier/Hastings region where we enjoyed the Art Deco architecture and the tour of the Church Road Vineyard and winery, which was owned by the McWilliam Winery company (Australian) for several years!  Quickly we continued our trek south as the south end of the south island was our main destination and we had many kilometers ahead of us.  We visited Wellington where we walked the town, visited Parliament while in session (no different than our house or senate when in session) and took the cable car up the hill for a great view of the harbor.  Wellington is a very "government" town.  After purchasing seasickness pills, we took the Ferry across the Cook Strait to Picton on the south island the crossing was calm and we watched a movie in the ferry cinema for most of the trip.  Our first stop on the south island was Kaikura known for being the home of many whales.  We opted not to take a whale watching trip (we knew they were most likely heading north to Tonga where its warm) but walked around the very touristy seaside town.  We attended church on Sunday morning before continuing south to Christchurch where we visited the historical museum and walked the beautiful gardens in addition to touring the International Antarctic Center a very interactive museum which let us experience an antartic gale and included a ride on a Hagglund Machine which is the mode of transport in the Antarctic (it is the actual jumping off base for New Zealand, USA, and Italys exploration of Antarctica).   We continued down the east coast to Dunedin where we toured the Cadbury chocolate factory (yummmyyy!!) and took the Taieri Gorge train trip which was a fun and beautiful trip in vintage 1920 train cars!  Before heading to Invercargill we visited the Larnach Castle a gorgeous mansion overlooking the well protected Dunedin harbour.  The countryside from Christchurch to Dunedin is just gorgeous and the towns along the way charming.  This was our favourite part of New Zealand.  Next stop Invercargill and Bluff the southernmost points on the south island (47 degrees 30 minutes south).  There we enjoyed the famous Bluff oysters and seeing the motorbikes actually built and used by Burt Munro of "The Worlds Fastest Indian" fame (a great movie if you havent seen it).  Now it was time to head north along the wet, oops I mean west, coast to Te Anau where we stopped and took a coach/cruise of Milford Sound (giving Chay a well deserved break from driving) which is actually a fjord (glacier cut rather than river cut as a Sound is).  It was a chilly, drizzly day but it was an interesting tour.  Fjords werent enough cold for us so we journeyed northward to Franz Joseph Glacier via Queenstown (where we made a quick stop to take the gondola ride up the mountain and ride the luge which unfortunately was closed due to wind).  We took a guided tour/hike up the terminal/leading edge of the glacier way cool! (no pun intended).  The glaciers in New Zealand are unusual because they are in a temperate climate!  Enough cold for us, time to head north to catch the ferry back to the north island!  We stopped in Nelson and Picton along the way both are typical seaside ports/towns.  The crossing back to Wellington was a bit windier than the southern crossing, but not bad.  We watched "Wild Hogs" in the ferry cinema a fun movie.  This time we drove back to Auckland via the west coast the roads are not as easy to drive as those on the south island are.  Upon our return to Gulf Harbour Marina we found Esprit looking like shed never sail again!  The engine was completely out, the interior was all covered over in paper and plastic while the ports and combing were being replaced, and the bottom was almost done (just waiting for the right weather/dew point).  It looks like shell be on the hard for a while, but thats ok her bottom will stay nice and clean!  As our cruising friend Jim, from S/V Aurora wrote "Sounds like youve just about jacked up the mast light and built a new boat underneath!"  We managed to squeeze in Pirates of the Caribeaan III and Spiderman 3 in between inventorying the accessible parts of the boat, picking up various pieces and parts that we had out for servicing, putting the storage shed in order, and otherwise getting Esprit ready to leave again for several months.  Before leaving we will enjoy a Lebanese dinner at Olgas house (a wonderful New Zealand lady whom we met in Hawaii and it turns out goes to the Catholic church we go to here in NZ).  Oh, and by the way, the results came in while we were touring NZ - Jamie Triple Crowned (forms, sparring, and weapons) as Nevada State Champ in Karate!

May 2007 – We write once again from New Zealand….the last we wrote we were getting ready for Christmas in New Zealand….Both Chay’s & Katie’s Moms came to visit for the holidays as well as Chay’s sister, niece & nephew.   We spent Christmas on the boat (and at the hotel nearby where our guests were staying) and then headed south to Rotorua where we enjoyed a week of playing tourist and visiting with family.  Christmas in New Zealand was definitely different, but one we will always remember.  January found us heading back to Boulder City to take care of our business and replenish the cruising kitty – or at least Esprit’s maintenance/repair kitty!  We quickly fell back into the craziness of life on land.  Jamie finished up his Calvert 4^th grade program in February, just in time to enjoy a wonderful “holiday” with our good friends on Nueva Vida.  We picked them up in Newport Beach (they are working their way home to Canada) for a crazy adventure that took us to Big Bear, Hoover Dam, and the Las Vegas Strip.  Our office manager Amy (our youngest daughter) gave her notice shortly after we returned home – after almost 6 years of working for us she made the big decision to pursue her life long dream of a career with Metro police department!  Katie has been working double duty with the business & home schooling Jamie with a new curriculum for 5^th grade – we switched to Seton (a Catholic home study program).  The new program is a big change and much more rigorous than Calvert was – both teacher and student are adjusting well (we think!).  Chay has been very busy doing inspections and training two new engineers – in addition to joining Katie in marketing endeavors.  The four months really flew by as we traveled the country (and Canada) with Jamie so that he could compete in karate tournaments – we are waiting with baited breadth for the final standings to post for Nevada State Champion!  He has worked extremely hard both in his competition and regular training – he will test for black belt on June 18^th.  The tournaments are tiring, but fun – we meet lots of great people and Jamie makes friends with his competitors from around the country.  We flew back to New Zealand on May 6^th to check on Esprit and do some traveling in the motor home we rented.  Esprit is out on the hard getting a new bottom, new varnish, and new ports.  Once she is back in the water, the riggers will re-rig her with her new rigging.  In addition to this work, Chay has taken apart the engine and sent the head out for repair (she still burns oil?!)  Needless to say, unfortunately we won’t be enjoying this cruising season, but hope to head north again next year (2008).  We will enjoy the next 3 weeks of land cruising the south island in the motor home – Jamie just loves the motor home!  Stay tuned for those adventures when we return…..