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New - August 23, 2008. We arrived back in Fiji on July 7th and left Savusavu on the 14th 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 70th 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 21st 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. July 1, 2008 - 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 3rd in weapons and a 2nd 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 7th and will continue cruising through Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and onward to Australia by October. Watch for our updates.
May 5, 2008 - After a year in the states working, homeschooling and Jamie's karate, we are back on Esprit. The last month has been spent getting her ready to cruise again - lots of maintenance and repairs to "clean-up" the work we had done over the last year and a half in New Zealand. We spent a day in Auckland touring and provisioning. We had lunch at the revolving restaurant at the top of the Sky Tower where we watched the courageous bunjee jumpers jump from a thousand feet up! We are currently in Opua (where we entered NZ in Nov 2006) preparing to leave for Fiji (hopefully tomorrow). Jamie turned 11 on Thursday and had a splendid day playing hooky from school with his new Belgian mates on Bauvier. We hauled out here to reset the pitch on the prop so that we can go the proper speed - the upcoming passage may require motoring to "beat" the lows. All of us on Esprit are ready for warm weather again - it is fall here in NZ and the temperatures are dropping - especially when the rainstorms blow through (which is frequent). So hopefully, we are off to Fiji - Bula Bula!!!!
July 21, 2007 - More New Zealand pictures posted as life on land continues with Jamie earning his First Degree Black Belt, continuing to compete in Karate tournaments, finishing his first quarter of 5th grade Seton homeschool, Chay & Katie keeping busy with Criterium-McWilliam Engineers, etc....
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 4th 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 5th 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 18th. 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 6th 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…..
December 20, 2006 – Auckland, New Zealand. It seems odd to have achieved our goal of sailing to New Zealand after anticipating it for so long, but more on that later….when we last wrote, we were in the Vava’u Group of Tonga. Jamie and Chay scuba dove Mariner’s Cave and had a ball…Jamie is absolutely in love with scuba diving!....it was too deep to anchor Esprit so Katie handled Esprit just offshore of the cave entrance dropping Chay & Jamie off the stern ladder in their scuba gear and practicing her maneuvering skills. Mariner’s cave has an under water entrance that opens up above water once inside. Every time the swell comes in the air pressure builds and you have to pop your ears, then when the swell goes down a fog forms in the cave. After completing the necessary oil changes and rigging checks, as well as provisioning, we buddy’d up with “Diva”, a 62 ft DeerFoot, (German/Brazilian family with 3 boys) and moved south to the Haapai Group. The anchorages in this group are beautiful, but are not as well protected as those we explored in the Vava’u Group. We celebrated Halloween at our second stop…the boys dressed up and went trick or treating by dinghy to the other boats in the anchorage and then we all had a wonderful time on Diva afterward. We snorkeled and dove one afternoon exploring underwater caves and a wreck which was “way cool”. The first hurricane of the season occurred in October just north and west of us (earlier than the traditional hurricane season), which was a strong signal that it was time to get ready for making the passage to New Zealand. So, we stopped at one more anchorage where we rocked and rolled all night - the guide books weren’t very clear about which side of the island to be on during which weather conditions and we obviously chose the wrong side! But, we dinghy’d to the island and did some beachcombing while the boys had a ball playing on yet another shipwreck! This group of islands has many submerged reefs which are only evident from the waves breaking on them which makes navigating a bit tricky! One night of rocking and rolling was enough for us so we headed to Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga where we would fuel up and check out of the country. We anchored at Pangai Motu, a small island just off the town and used its restaurant/resort’s shuttle to go into town. Jamie enjoyed seeing his friends on O’hanakai again – cruising is a continual series of hello’s and goodbyes. We scheduled our fueling time and rafted up to Diva at the fuel dock the morning we were planning to leave. Making the decision to leave is a tricky one because the passage to New Zealand is one of the most treacherous stretches of ocean one can cross due to the continual movement of weather fronts across the area. We thought we had picked a good window, but it ended up being lots of wind (up to 35 knots) on the nose, and a few days of 15 foot breaking seas. Chay picked up some kind of respiratory flu bug before we left so was extremely under the weather for the first 5 days of our 7 day passage. Katie learned she could make most of the necessary sail changes on her own without having to wake Chay up – giving her a great boost in her confidence. Our weather router sent us on a route that we couldn’t hold and we ended up heading too far east so Chay made the command decision to forego the weather router’s advice and go with common sense – we headed west into the center of high where we found relief for about 36 hours before the winds picked back up (on the nose of course!) and seas got short and choppy. Esprit would bounce on the waves, go airborne for a few seconds, and then “BOOM”, she would crash down – it sounded awful but she held up fine! We came into Opua, New Zealand on November 13th at 11:30 PM – 7½ days after leaving Tonga. Landfall never felt so good! It felt great to have accomplished our goal of crossing the South Pacific from Ecuador to New Zealand – a goal we had been working towards for 3 years! It was worth the effort! After clearing into the country the next morning we moved into a slip in the marina – this was the first time we had been in a slip in almost 3 years! Opua is a charming little port town where the people are extremely friendly. Jamie attended the local school for 3 days and really enjoyed the experience. We cleaned up Esprit, visited the quaint town of Russell just across the bay from Opua, and prepared ourselves for our last passage of the season down to Gulf Harbour Marina in the Hauraki Bay (30 miles north of Auckland). After a very cold overnight trip with decent winds we pulled into our slip in Gulf Harbour Marina which will be Esprit’s “home” for a while. The weather has been less than “fine” most of the time…they keep telling us summer is coming – we’re not holding our breath. We have settled into marina life…have purchased a “klunker” car to get us around…have moved a lot of our cruising stuff into storage…decorated the boat for Christmas…done lots of boat chores (when weather permitted)…home schooled Jamie…explored the area – New Zealand is a beautiful country with green rolling hills…we will fly back to the states in January for a few months to get things in order there and try to make the big decision of what to do next in our cruising life…stay tuned!
October 15, 2006 – we are still enjoying the Vava’u Group of Tonga and its many anchorages. It has been a challenge getting in and out of a couple of the anchorages due to coral reefs, but with careful conning on sunny days we managed with no problems. The first anchorage we went to was “16” – the Moorings charter company has numbered all the anchorages and published a nice laminated chart showing them all. Without this chart and numbering system it would be difficult to talk about where to go as the names of the anchorages are very difficult to pronounce – mostly all vowels. At “16” we enjoyed snorkeling the “Coral Garden” with our friends on Lawur and then Chay dove the outside edge of the reef there with Robert on Lawur. The most stunning thing we saw was bright blue star fish. We enjoyed a bonfire on the beach with an almost full moon – very pretty! One day as the weather turned rainy, we were swarmed with boats coming into the anchorage all at once. The charter boats (vs cruisers) were coming in full speed to beat out the cruisers who were approaching a bit more cautiously – had to make sure they got a good spot! We guess you sail a bit differently when it’s not your boat. We wanted to experience a Tongan Feast so we moved over to “11” on Saturday morning. The Tongan Feast was excellent – it started out with a small craft fair, then we moved onto the Kava Tent where we enjoyed the music and tasted the Kava. Even Jamie tried the Kava which tastes like muddy water and has a numbing effect on your mouth, similar to Novacaine. We understand that if you drink enough of it your arms and legs will also go numb; none of us found out whether that part was true or not. They then brought out the feast served on mats woven from palms. All the food was local – fish, pork, lamb, crab, fruits (lots of watermelon here), etc…. and all was served in some sort of natural bowl, such as heart of palm, banana leaves, coconuts, etc. Many of the meats were wrapped in spinach before being baked in the fire pit. We all sat on the ground on woven mats – there were about 20 of us – and ate with our fingers! No utensils here! Fortunately they did bring out a bowl of water at the end so we could wash our very sticky hands. We took a hike the next day just to see what the island looks like on the interior – very simple jungle with scattered homes. Our next passage to “30” was a bit tricky but we maneuvered through the reefs and anchored safely behind the motu where we had a pasta potluck/bonfire with 5 other family boats – a great way to get new pasta recipes! We explored a cave with a brackish water pool at the bottom of it (the kids and big boys all swam), and took a hike to the other side (a whole 10 minutes) to see what the island looks like on the ocean side. It has very steep limestone cliffs which reminded us of northern California. The weather was supposed to turn bad so we headed back to Neiafu (the main anchorage) and picked up a mooring ball. We’ve spent the last few days provisioning, extending our visa, and running various other errands in the rain! The highlight was on Friday when they held the first annual Governor’s Cup Regatta – the King and Prince of Tonga were here so this event was put on for them. The Prince watched the race from the Mermaid restaurant and attended the awards festivities. He ate all by himself at a special table – the life of Royalty!? Chay and Jamie raced in the dinghy race in our sailing dinghy – they came in 4th or 5th , but the smiles on their faces showed how much fun they had! Jamie won a copy of the new Jimmy Buffet CD and Chay won two tickets to the movies – they show movies at the hotel here on Thursday and Sunday nights, so we will go tonight. Jamie has been rowing his dinghy around quite a bit – even tried fishing from it today but found rowing and fishing in a head wind was not the greatest. He’ll wait to try that again until a calmer day. Chay dove on the SS Clan McWilliam wreck this afternoon and we went whale watching yesterday – saw two whales breach, but did not get to swim with them. We then went to Mariner’s Cave and Swallow’s cave. Chay was the only one who successfully dove Mariner’s and they took the boat into Swallow’s so we all got to swim and play in Swallow’s. We plan to start working our way south through the Haapai Group to Tongatapu (where the capital city is) in a week or so and hope to leave for New Zealand, weather permitting, the first week of November to take advantage of the full moon.
New Sept 14, 2006.we are in Tonga now, but before arriving here we have been enjoying the islands of Moorea, Raiatea, and Tahaa for the last 3 weeks. While in Moorea we anchored in Cooks Bay and took some hikes from there as well as attending mass on Sunday where we once again enjoyed the singing! Cooks Bay is surrounded by mountains and is very calm it felt like we were on a mountain lake, rather that an ocean bay. We treated ourselves to a very nice French dinner where we had a water side table and were able to watch the Rays feed at night it turned out to be a very fun family time! After a few days there we move over one bay to the north Oponohu where we anchored in 15 feet of perfectly clear water and were able to enjoy snorkeling the highlight was snorkeling with the Sting Rays. One of them even gave Chay a hug in anticipation of getting fed the sardines we brought along. After here we did an 18 hour overnight passage to Raiatea where we were going to be hauled out in order to put our new depth sounder in. The haul out went smoothly and we went back in the water and started exploring the islands. We hooked up with another family boat named Lawur they have two boys just Jamies age. We buddy boated with them for a couple of weeks, enjoying their company. After Raiatea and Tahaa we left for Bora Bora where we anchored in a beautiful anchorage and Jamie & Chay were able to scuba dive. Jamie enjoyed making a sand castle 20 feet down! The last time we were in Bora Bora was our honeymoon 13 years ago. We revisited the Hotel Bora Bora and Bloody Marys Restaurant and celebrated Katies birthday with lunch and dinner respectfully. With the next weather window, we headed to Tonga where we arrived yesterday after 9 days at sea. It was a great passage. We are excited to start exploring these islands which are full of caves to snorkel/dive in and it is whale season!
August 6, 2006 – we’ve come a long way and had lots of adventures since we last wrote…we left the Marquesas and had a great passage to the Tuamotus – the wind was perfect for Esprit to sail her best. Although nervous about entering our first atoll, the entry through the pass at Kauehi went smoothly; however, our buddy friends on Hawkeye were a few hours behind us got stuck in a squall right before approaching the pass and then their engine quit. We helped them anchor under sail and then enjoyed the next 3 weeks on the hook enjoying snorkeling, participating in the local church (beautiful singing), barbecue on the beach with other cruisers, and meeting the locals and international set of cruisers; many from the Scandinavian countries! We visited a pearl farm and learned how black pearls are made – fascinating! Once Hawkeye received the parts to repair their engine, Chay assisted in the repairs, and then we were underway to Fakarava. We arrived at the north anchorage of Fakarava on Bastille Day (July 14th) and were able to enjoy some of the local festivities – dancing, spear throwing, and basket/hat weaving with palm fronds, as well as some snorkeling. The water at the pass was so clear we could see down 90 feet – it was breathtaking. After a few days, we took a leisurely sail down the 30 mile lagoon to the south pass anchorage which was idyllic! We did a drift snorkel through the pass – WOW! This pass was even more breathtaking than the north pass! Visibility was 100 feet and the bottom looked like a blanket of coral. Mark the local dive instructor took us all on drift scuba dive through the pass – we went down to over 40 feet and saw black tip white tip and grey sharks, as well as all sorts of tropical fish big and small. Jamie loved it! This was his first dive this deep! We continued to snorkel almost every day – the sea life was incredible. Annabel, the owner of the resort at the pass, put on two great dinners for us and then invited us for breakfast one morning as well! We didn’t want to leave, but our visa time was running short so we sadly departed for Papeete where we safely arrived after a two day sailing passage. Again, winds were fair until we rounded the point on our approach to Papeete harbor – then the winds picked up to 30 knots and we were sailing 9.5 knots! The fastest we have ever gone. Katie had the challenge of bringing down the main sail in 30 knots of wind (gale force) – quite the adventure! After clearing through the pass and down the channel past the airport runway we dropped the hook in between Maeva Beach and Marina Taina. We have spent most of time walking around Papeete in search for pieces and parts for the boat, as well as for provisions. As is typical with cruising, we were partially successful in our quest for parts, but provisioning was successful. The weather has been cool and rainy a lot of the time. Last Friday, Chay and Jamie donned their foul weather gear to assist another boat calling for help on the radio during gale force winds (again!) and driving rain – the boat had drug anchor and was hitting another boat…Chay and Jamie got into our little dinghy to rescue them! Chay said Jamie was the ultimate seaman…He was really proud of him…We are now waiting for one more FedEx shipment to be released from customs and for our visa extensions. Then we will get more fuel and move on to explore the other Society Islands.
June 13, 2006…wow have we come a long way since our last update! We made the passage from the Galapagos Islands to Fatu Hiva, Marquesas Islands (approximately 3000 miles) in 24 days…some say this was the milk run – Jamie aptly named it the milk shake run! We experienced everything from no wind, washing machine seas, squalls, too much wind, and wind that couldn’t make up its mind during the first two weeks, to fairly steady trade winds and a good run during the last week or so. We hove-to for about 18 hours so Chay could recover from sea sickness and then hove-to again to fix the auto-pilot (a necessity for long passages)… Esprit underwent more sail changes in those 24 days than she had during the last 2 ½ years of cruising! Katie learned how to cook with a gimbaled stove and how to prevent pancake batter from flying from port to starboard – we never gimbaled the stove in those 2 ½ years of cruising – says something for the seas we experienced. Fishing was not so great underway – Chay & Jamie hooked two dorado at the same time and both managed to get away – one even took the hook & lure! Jamie learned how to take our navigation readings and got a lot of experience at the wheel – he is a good skipper! Our landfall in Fatu Hiva was breathtaking and a great relief – the passage was over – we had done it! Now it all seems so long ago and almost like a dream. We have spent the last 5 weeks buddy boating with John & Linda on Hawkeye exploring our way through 5 of the Marquesan Islands – each beautiful in its own way. The snorkeling has improved the further west we’ve come and Jamie & Chay even did some scuba diving! Chay is teaching Jamie how to scuba dive – Jamie loves it! The Marquesan people are very friendly and helpful – they have even taught us how to say hello, goodbye and thank you in Marquesan. Katie has had lots of practice speaking French; although a bit rusty it has come back to her bit by bit. We’ve seen so many things it would take forever to describe them, but here are just a few of the things we’ve seen and done….hiked to a waterfall through the very, very green jungle and swam in the pool…traded life jackets and cassette tape players for Marquesan tikis and masks as well as for fruit and fish…hand laundry under the water faucets on the wharfs…watch the locals carve their beautiful bowls and tikis….anchored in many different kinds of anchorages…discovered a washer on deck (not a good thing to find) which turned out to be from the top of fore-stay where it connects to and holds up the mast!...Chay went up the mast and fixed it and checked/secured all the other connections along the way!...had exciting dinghy landings (the swell is incredible here and doesn’t mix well with concrete wharfs)…saw the awesome volcanic spires that inspired the tiki legends…experienced the colorful and incredible Marquesan dancing…saw the beauty contest and crowning of Miss Oa Pou…dragged anchor in a tight anchorage during a squall that some say reached 40 knots….spent a week in the calmest anchorage in the Marquesas where we repaired our Genoa sail, snorkeled, hiked an hour and half to get bread and have lunch in one of the few restaurants in the islands…hung tight where we are writing you from as some weather fronts pass us by bringing high winds/gusts and rolly anchorages…dragged anchor again and bumped another boat (no damage done – phew)….experienced the beautiful Marquesan harmonized singing at mass on Sunday….provisioned…and started 4th grade! As we roll back and forth on the hook in Nuka Hiva, we wait for the weather to improve to make our next big passage to the Tuamotus (500 miles)..we are hearing that since this is a La Nina year the weather is going to be a lot rougher than normal with higher trade winds, more storms, and bigger seas…
April 12, 2006. It is great to be cruising again. We are in the Galapagos Islands preparing to depart for the Marquesas in a day or two . We departed the states on March 5, 2006 for Bahia de Caraquez, Ecuador where Esprit was waiting for us in great condition. On St. Patrick’s Day we left for the Galapagos with the evening tide. The 5 day passage was smooth and uneventful except for the fleet of fishing boats we passed (very carefully) the first night out. Unfortunately we had very little wind and were only able to sail about 12 hours. Our first landfall was Isla San Cristobal where we spent 9 days doing boat chores as well as some snorkeling with sea lions and in land touring to see the volcano and turtle preserve. Isla Floreana (Santa Maria) was our next stop in the islands – we sailed the whole way – what a treat! We anchored in Post Office Bay where the pirates and whalers would leave mail to be picked up by those that came behind them that were headed home. We were able to visit the mail barrel and lava tube here, as well hike a bit to see the flamingos in the lagoon; a short hike to a white sand beach let us see sea turtles and our first penguins! This anchorage was full of turtles as well as a hammerhead shark that Jamie spotted swimming around the boat! Next we headed for Isla Isabela where we are now – here we saw our first Mustard Rays. There are also penguins here that swim around the boats and of course Blue Footed Boobies! Their blue feet don’t look real! This island is a bit less developed and you really get a feel for the “real Galapagos”. We dinghy’d into a “reef” of lava rock and hiked around – we saw thousands of marine iguanas and several white tip sharks. Our next adventure was a pick-up truck, horseback ride, and hike up to the Volcan Sierra Negra and Volcan Chico. The former last erupted 5 months ago and the crater (6 miles across) was still steaming! It was an awesome sight. Our hike to Volcan Chico was like a step back to pre-historic times or a walk on the moon! The contrast between the green jungle on the windward side and the stark volcanic landscape on the leeward side of the island was incredible. Jamie enjoyed the horseback ride the best – he loved the challenge of making his horse go fast! A group of us cruisers took a boat tour to Cabo Rosa – a beautiful site of old lava tunnels with water all around them. We saw lots of rays and sea turtles and were able to snorkel through the lava tunnels! The ride through the breakers in and out, as well the maneuvering through the labrynth of lava, was an impressive show of Henri’s navigational and piloting skills! As we enjoy life on the hook, we will finish preparing Esprit in the next few days and then head west on the 3000 mile trip to the Marquesas – the adventure continues!
NEW July 30, 2005 - Buenos from Boulder City, Nevada....unfortunately, here we are landlubbers again...we came home to get the parts for the engine, which Chay will rebuild when we go back to Ecuador in September....it's been very hot here (117 F!)...we are back to work taking advantage of our home time to fill up the cruising kitty for our third attempt at puddle jumping next spring...let's hope that the third time will be the charm!...Jamie has jumped right back into karate and is working hard to meet his goal of being a State Champ!...he has already done one tournament and will do another August 20th...so far he is ranked 2nd in forms and weapons, and fourth in sparring...Jamie & Katie are also getting a head start on the 3rd grade home school program so that when we "jump" in March 2006, he'll be able to be on "summer vacation" before starting 4th grade....Chay & Jamie are fishing in Utah this weekend, and we will spend some time in the mountains of Big Bear, California, working on our cabin there...both nice respits from the heat!...Stay tuned for continued updates of our land adventures.....
June 27, 2005 - Buenos Dias from Bahia de Caraquez...yes, we are still here in Ecuador...when we returned, we found an engine that would only go ¨clunk¨...somehow we got salt water in the engine and froze it up...after two weeks we finally got it to at least turn over by hand so Chay could get to the bolts he needed to get to remove the engine head...we are in need of new pistons, which are easiest and best able to get in the states, so we are headed home...but in the mean time, Chay broke a finger which is finally on the mend, we have done a lot of odd jobs on the boat which should only improve its performance, and we took an inland trip with our friends on Nueva Vida (SEE PHOTOS)...we decided to name the trip ¨In quest of a real cup of coffee¨...apparently very few ecuadorians know how to make a brewed cup of coffee, but are great at making instant!...in addition to coffee, we also found that if we had hot water we were in luck, and if the hostal had a TV we were in fat city!...there were 7 of us travelling, 4 adultos and 3 ninos. We had a ball! We rode 15 buses in as many days, but some days we were relaxing, and others we were rushing from bus to bus to bus! We visisted Salinas high up in the Andes where we visited many co-op factories including a soccer ball factory, and a chocolate factory! We all slept in the same room that night and had very little hot water...we slept in flannels with 7 blankets! From there we went to Banos where we hiked, did a 20km bike ride in the mountains seeing lots of waterfalls, relaxed in a hot spring pool, and yes, found real coffee...from there we went to Riobamba where we caught the train south...we rode on top of the freight cars...the highlight was throwing lollipops to the locals children and playing Indiana Jones to go to the bathroom!...After an unsuccessful trip to a famous Ecuadorean Incan ruin, we continued south to Cuenca where we spent 4 days exploring the charming colonial town, hunting for panama hats which are actually made here in Ecuador, checking out the beautiful churches, and enjoyed time winding down before heading back to Bahia...in Guayaquil we managed to find movie theatere with Star Wars III in english, so of course didn´t miss that opportunity!...oh, let´s not forget that Jamie & Katie have now learned how to drive the dinghy! Jamie is a natural! Now we are getting Esprit ready for our return to the states...
April 14, 2005 - we write this from Boulder City, where we are back in the "swing" of things...taxes are done...Jamie has been very busy with Karate - he will compete in two tournaments before we return to the boat ..Chay & Katie are busy working - refilling the cruising kitty...it's turning warmer here now....but the allergies are killing all three of us...we can't wait to get back to Esprit...PHOTOS HAVE BEEN UPDATED
March 31, 2005 - wow, we've come a long way since we last wrote...we "slowly" cruised our way through Panama enjoying snorkeling and scuba diving at the islands...we met a great local in Bahia Honda who had his wife bake bread for us, brought us fresh fruit, and made us tortoise shell jewelry...Jamie got to surf in Benao, and got to watch his new friends (ages 6 & 9) participate in the Panama National Surf contest!...we caught up with our good friends Nueva Vida and Otter in the Perlas Islands and then spent time with them in Panama City...Jamie got to swim in the anchorage and "skurfed" behind the dinghy while Chay drove (rode the boogie board on a tow line)...we spent most of our time in Panama City getting ready for our longest passage yet to Ecuador...but we did squeeze in a visit to the Miraflores locks at the canal and visited the ruins of old Panama...we left Panama on Monday March 21st at 4AM and arrived in Ecuador on Friday around 3:00 PM after 108 hours of motor sailing!!...we celebrated our equator crossing at 9:00 AM with champagne (most of which was poured into the ocean for King Neptune)...Jamie dressed up as King Neptune...so now we are officially shellbacks (and tradition says we should get turtle tattoos)...we are now at anchor on a mooring in Bahia de Caraquez which is a beautiful bay!...
February 20, 2005 - We finally found an internet connection that would let us update the site...we are in Golfito, Costa Rica getting ready to leave for Panama tomorrow morning bright and early at 4AM...we have been back down south for almost a month now...the first few days were spent touring the Volcano Arenal and Monteverde areas which was just beautiful...the ride down to Puntarenas and the Costa Rica Yacht Club was very very buuummmpy....Esprit was glad to see us, however we had to wait 2 weeks for the tide to be high enough to launch her back into the water....after a new bottom paint job, new varnish, a good waxing and polishing, and of course all the maintenance and new installations Chay did Esprit did great back in the water..we departed and had a great sail down to Herradura where we anchored and provisioned with some American meat including our corned beef for St. Patrick's day...then we did an overnight passage to Bahia Drake where we anchored and did a jungle tour...we saw monkeys, deer, raccoons, sloths, toucans and other colorful birds, lizards, leaf ants, and lots of green...the boat ride to and from the jungle site was great as they took us really close to shore amongst the rocks and caves - Jamie thinks Drake's treasure was buried there...we had Valentine's dinner at a very nice restaurant...we motor sailed out to Isla Cano and did a very short dive/snorkel...a good dry run for Katie who hadn't dove in a year and a half...we then went back to Drake and got ready to continue on...we headed next to Golfito where we are now...it is a very pretty, lush, jungly bay....we have pretty much kicked back here getting ready to go to Panama....
December 2, 2004 - here I sit at my desk in Boulder City back to the routine of land life...burrr, it is cold here...we returned on November 21st and by Tuesday morning were in 3 feet of snow at Big Bear, CA, where we spent a quiet Thanksgiving...we did some skiing, sledding, and snowman making in addition to eating too much...see photo gallery and Jamie's page...Esprit was put safely onto the hard (without us) on Friday, November 26th....now we can sleep better!...Jamie is back in the swing of things with Karate and piano and school....we will be in the Boulder City Christmas Parade on Saturday - Jamie will hand out candy canes through the sun roof of the Porsche which will be all lit up!....now we just need to finish shopping and decorating...
November 19, 2004 - We exited Bahia del Sol smoothly and headed to Gulfo de Fonseca where we anchored a night with Nueva Vida before heading into Amapala, Honduras an old shipping port which is now abandoned and appears to be a ¨bedroom community¨ now. We checked in and out and left the next morning for Nicaruaga where we hooked up again with our friends on Nueva Vida...we spend a few days in the marina at Puesta del Sol before moving on to Costa Rica...we visited the Nicaraguan town near the marina and did some shopping after enjoying lunch at a ¨local¨ restaurant...upon our departure from Puesta, the winds picked up and we sailed for the first time in months! It was wonderful...our first stop in Costa Rica was Bahia St. Elena , a picturesque, calm anchorage we had all to ourselves...here we explored and went snorkeling for a few days before moving on to Playa del Coco where we checked into Costa Rica...we moved quickly down the coast, stopping one night in Bahia Carrillo, a very rolly anchorage...we left very early the next morning for Bahia Ballena in the Gulfo de Nicoyo...we spent a week at Los Suenos visiting with Las Vegas friends Dave and Anita, as well as driving to San Jose to vote (an accident detoured us on the back roads an extra 50 miles!)...Jamie & Chay took surfing lessons in Jaco - one of the top surf spots in the world! Jamie loves it!...we now have a surfboard on board Esprit...the next week was spent exploring the islands in the Gulfo de Nicoya - all very beautiful...we experienced 34 knot winds and high seas during one 3 hour passage!...at Isla Muertos we took a horseback trail ride through the local countryside, and rivers beds, which ended at a double cascading waterfall where Jamie & Chay mustered up the courage to swim!...the last week has been in Puntarenas at the Costa Rica Yacht Club where we are waiting to be hauled out into dry dock...they finally got equipment fixed and tried to take us out today, but we were too late and missed the high tide! We will try again tomorrow...just a bit on the frustrating side...our next adventure will be going home to Boulder City....
October 12, 2004 - we have been back on Esprit for almost a week now and have gotten a lot of getting ready work accomplished - the refrigerator and freezer appear to be working again, the sails have been rigged, which gave us a lot of room back again inside, the generator is working, the teak has been varnished, the bottom cleaned, the chain is almost cleaned and ready to be raised...today we are provisioning, tomorrow we will fuel up, and then we will wait for the boca (river entrance) to calm down enough to exit through the breakers...
October 2, 2004 - Wow, it's been too long....we've done a lot since we last updated...toured ruins around San Salvador and visited the anthropological museum - all very enlightening and educational...got the boat ready to leave for a few months which entailed taking down all sails, putting dingies on deck, vinegar washing the interior to fend off mold & mildew, and shutting down refrigeration amongst many other things...bid farewell to friends...flew home to Boulder City...went back to work...Jamie went back to piano lessons, swimming, and started Karate which he absolutely loves...went to Big Bear we visited with cruising friends "Dulcinea"...bought back our original "big red house" cabin and sold our "little green cabin" ...went to Buffalo, NY for Katie's annual family reunion...visited Niagra Falls and rode on Maid of the Mist and had Buffalo's original Anchor Bar chicken wings at the Anchor Bar...visited "Kemah" cruising friends in Reno...flew back to Esprit for a couple of weeks before Jamie started second grade...uh-oh - no refrigeration! again!...came back to the states and worked some more to build up the kitty to cruise some more...Jamie got his orange belt in Karate...flew to Colorado Springs for Criterium conference (that's our business) and visited with our daughter Becky and her family...now we are getting ready to fly back to Esprit and get her ready to move on down to Honduras, Nicaruaga, & Costa Rica....we can't wait!!!
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