SomersetCat

Hello to all and greetings from Bundaberg, Also Happy T-Day to America. Well needless to say there has been a bit of a gap in the blogging, but not in the progress. Somerset Cat arrived in Bundy, at the Bundaberg Port Marina on the 19th of October sort of with the Island Cruising Assoc. so the following week was taken up with seeing off crew and partying with a lot of boats we had met along the way. So after leaving Bora Bora after 55days in French Polynesia we spent 10 days at Raratonga,5 at Tonga,Vavau, 6 weeks in Fiji, including the Yasawas and Manamucas, 4 weeks around Vanuatu, 3 weeks in New Caladonia, the atol at Ouvea and in Noumea before heading here. I promise pics before Christmas. Somerset Cat is currently for sale and ... read more

OK, got to a better spot.... read more

Greetings to all from Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia. We have been here a week already and have enjoyed a couple of dfays at a mooring at the Tahiti Yacht Club which was very peaceful as with a Thursday Public holiday and the following Monday the locals all took a 5 day weekend and nothing got done. Moved into town and finally got checked in while tied up at new docks that have only been installed 2 months before, quite rooly with the ferry wakes and really noisy from the traffic from 6am til late. Subsequently anchored off Marina Taina which is free and has some delightful snorkelling under the boat. But I digress, I left you in Fatu Hiva and we spent 4 weeks in the Marquesas really enjoying the outrageous geographical features and beautiful bays,friendly ... read more

Greetings from the Marquesas,What you say? What happened to the Galapagos, Los Pearlas? Well, we left Panama mid February and got to Isla Contadora, made famous for South American leaders conferences and the rich and famous including the late Shah of Iran who had a house here. The weather was sort of grey and we rapidly moved to the south of the group to await a “window” of weather to make the crossing. We’d hooked up with an Aussie cat “Shamara”and on the call of their weather router took off. Our grib files looked fairly good as well , however they lied and we motored for all but about a 20 hour sail arriving in San Cristobal 7 days later. Plenty is known and told about the Galapagos, but visiting by sailboat is not the greatest, ... read more

We spent 3 weeks in Shelter Bay Marina on the Colon end of the canal. It is a new facility and has the usual teething problems but otherwise a very pleasant place to hang out and haul out, which we did to do the regular bottom, but also to add keel coolers for the new Frigoboat freezer/refrigeration systems and as a treat a couple of Oceanled underwater lights. Also on the worklist was a Duogen water/wind generator to help with fuel conservation in the Pacific. We left Shelter Bay on the 31st of January, late in the afternoon to meet our advisor for the passage through the first locks. 5:30 turned into 7PM as we discovered we were to go thru with 7 boats from the World ARC plus another catamaran. Our advisor "Jose" spoke ... read more

So here we are in Sunny and warm Panama getting ready to transit the canal tomorrow. For those online you may be able to see us on the Panama Canal webcam on Friday about noon MST going through Miraflores locks. After a month comig down from Cartegna, the Columbian islands, Rosarios, with a nice aquarium and strange aviary where we were greeted by 2 Emus and many birds from aroun the world, to Isla Feurte, a great little island where I had a couple of good dives with the locals. Then on to the San Blas where we spent 2 1/2 weeks in a culture shock of wonderful friendly people and ate crab and lobster daily with some great snorkelling. Finally into Shelter Bay Marina, a really nice new outfit where we hauled the boat to ... read more

Greetings from HOT and, most of the time sunny Venezuela, often with afternoon showers, but don’t bet on a breeze. The Mare Mare Hotel and Marina is a bit fancy as far as most cruisers are concerned, however it has very pleasant surroundings, a pool, gym and spa, restaurants and air conditioned bars. Every week or so a convention. We retreat to the bar when the boat gets up to 80 inside, however if we want to stay more than an hour it is long pants time as they have the A/C cranked. Security is constant, guards passing the boat every 5 mins or so 24/7 however we can walk out and eat at the many restaurants outside the grounds without too much concern, just don’t wear the Rolex!! This has been a rather longer layover ... read more