Saturday Feb 26, 2011 The Great Bight of Australia Latitude 35 degrees 25 minutes’ south- Longitude 129 degrees 14 minutes' east Cruising through the Great Southern Ocean can be an ordeal that most mariners want to avoid. We have heard the stories from the local sailors that this stretch of water has a very unique sub-sea bottom configuration that makes for unpredictable conditions and treacherous cruising. I guess it would make our story more dramatic to say that we have pounded our way across the southern part of Australia. In truth, however, once we passed Tasmania and continued west the seas have been mostly in our favor. The run NW into Adelaide was before the wind and our arrival was early, uneventful and stress free. The welcome we received from the people of South Australia was ... read more

Saturday Feb 12th, 2011 Society Islands- Latitude 23 degrees 43 minutes south- Longitude 160 degrees 29 minutes west Miles traveled- 5965 Pounds lost- 14 Everyone has in their mind the vision of the perfect tropical island. Jimmy Buffett has a classic song called "One Particular Harbor". Moorea is that place. Saw tooth mountain peaks surrounding a tranquil lagoon where the coconut palms sway in the cool, fragrant trade winds. A lush paradise filled with friendly natives, cascading waterfalls and abundant flora and fauna. Now that we have been here, we know we must someday return to explore this island at a more relaxed pace. Papeete,Tahiti was crowded, congested and altogether not the same. The short 10 mile crossing to Moorea was like coming into the Polynesia of old. Much less developed, Moorea still retains its charm ... read more

Friday Feb 4th, 2011 South Pacific Ocean Latitude 26 degrees 34 minutes south- Longitude 115 degrees 7 minutes west We have left Rapa Nui in our wake as we head west. Rapa Nui is what the native people call Easter Island. We had an absolutely fantastic day exploring the island and visiting with the local people. Jane and I walked into town from the tender dock which was an easy hike of about a mile. The island is actually part of Chile so the local people speak Spanish. It began to rain and so we ducked under a covered pavilion near the waterfront. A whole group of local children emerged in unison from what looked like a school with their surfboards. We later learned that this was a surfing competition which was part of a two ... read more

Saturday Jan 29th, 2011 Off the West Coast of South America Latitude 12 degrees 47 minutes South- Longitude 80 degrees 14 minutes west We are heading out into the vast Pacific Ocean and there will be nothing on the horizon for several days. Behind us is Lima, Peru, a city of contrasts. Both poor and affluent, Lima is a huge sprawling metropolis with pollution and all the problems of a modern city. Even though it rarely rains in Lima the city is very green and lush. We found out that huge water trucks go around the city in the early morning watering all the street trees and flowers. Jane and I walked many miles shopping in the small Indian markets and moving about with the local people. They were smiling and friendly with only a few ... read more

Monday Jan 24th, 2011 Pacific Ocean: Latitude 2 degrees 17 minutes- Longitude 80 degrees 18.5 minutes The Panama Canal was easy for us, great weather and no hang-ups. It was nothing like the terrible heat and mosquitoes that killed 25 thousand people while it was being built. There were lots of huge cargo ships and iron ore tankers passing through. I only saw one private yacht in the whole 45 miles of the crossing. Our cruise ship obviously had a priority permit as there were many other ships waiting in line and we just went right in. We heard there are some families that live on small ships and just wait in line. When they get close to the front of the line, they sell their spot and then go back to wait in line again. ... read more