but life aboard wasn't without it's unexpected challenges... four days out of samoa we had run out of water! the secondary tank (60 gallons worth) of which was filled with the hepatitis enriched well water of fanning island, had leaked out. an unfound leaking hose had bled our precious liquid gold into the bilge tank, which was then of course, pumped out overboard unbeknownst to us. that meant no drinking water, no showers, no reserves... but we had cases of soda, bottles of juice, and heaps of canned veggies and fruit. "water, water all around and not a drop to drink" [View Full Entry]

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just a few... [View Full Entry]

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a summary -- there wasn't all that much to the actual sailing really. i mean it wasn't like you see on the tv during the america's cup race with guys on the rails and cranking on sails screaming at each other. we could go long hours without adjusting a thing. also, with the trade winds blowing rather consistently and our sailing direction suitable in using those prevailing winds, it made "sailing" the boat convenient. plus, with the modern technology of gps and george (our auto-pilate), we would simply plug in the coordinates and press 'go to'. it was all pretty elementary [View Full Entry]

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made it to australia on the 7th of september at 0100. the southern hemisphere where the toilets run backwards, the summer is winter, and 'today' here is really tomorrow. not only do the toilets run backwards but the weather and water currents also run counter-clockwise. so, does the flushing of a toilet in brisbane cause a cyclone in malaysia? hmmm. anyways, i am making my way south along the coast for now digging the coastal society of australia. i spent the first week on the boat in the harbor of manly and helped clean her up and pack her away. my [View Full Entry]

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just a quick, hello. in new caldonia. internet island slow and bloody expensive... stupid french. all is well. last week sailing the south pacific. headed to OZ next... brisbane, australia, that is. well catch everyone up and touch base then... i am ready for some steady land beneath my feet. until soon. [View Full Entry]

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(sorry, forgot to send. whoops)we depart, once again. tomorrow morning, we sail to vanuatu... should be a 7-8 day journey. wish i had more time for the internet, blogging and catching up with everyone but the computer access seems to be on 'island time' (see fanning island) and i could very well spend days on it if i really wanted too... another time. i hope all is well and good with everyone. and as the sun sets softly over foreign shores, i bid you all a fond farewell and good night... raymond [View Full Entry]

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enjoy the pictures... [View Full Entry]

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It's been the better part of three weeks now since I left and had internet access... where do I begin??? Currently, I am in Samoa, home of the Samoan, land of an island. I am enjoying a steady boat, running water, showers, and environmental stimulation. No, wait a minute. Let me backup... Journal entry : July 26th - DEPARTURE! we set sail july 24th @ 830am from the hawaiian yacht club. after the sails were hoisted, after the shore lines stowed, i sent a final text to some family and friends. immediately after, i received my phone's last incoming call... seppi! [View Full Entry]

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(somewhere deep pacific) as i was sitting off to the side of the boat, sunset to my back, fiddling with my camera, i looked down across the calm water and not but ten meters (yards?) off the boat, right in front of me, there it was... a huge dorsal fin breaking the surface followed by a swaying tail fin. i hollered to ian and krysia and the three of us watched as the shark, in textbook, movie stereotypical form, swam along the surface... no ripple. no splash. just the graceful, steady motion of it's fins slowly scurrying about... an abrupt reminder [View Full Entry]

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sunburn has healed and the boat has arrived! flipping fantastic!!! i got the call three days ago that the ship was passing diamond head crater... just southeast from waikiki... i looked out my window of the hotel room and there it was... my home to be... running parallel with the shore. i greeted my boat-mates proper... fresh leihs and bottles of wine in tow. surprisingly, they seemed rather refreshed and relaxed for spending the last 17 days at sea. after the initial greeting, rounds of beer were bought, and a seafood dinner served. i will be traveling with ian the skipper [View Full Entry]

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