Captains-Blog

23 October 2016
03 October 2016
13 September 2016 | Pangaimotu Tonga
08 September 2016 | Pangaimotu
27 August 2016 | Big Mamas Yacht Club Tonga
27 August 2016 | Big Mamas Yacht Club Tonga
21 August 2016 | Big Mamma Yacht Club at Pangaimotu in Nukualofa, Tongatapu, Kingdom of Tonga
06 August 2016 | Marsden Cove Marina
06 August 2016 | Marsden Cove NZ
14 July 2016
11 May 2016 | New House.
27 November 2015 | Southern Pacific Ocean , Berthed Masden Cove Marina Whangeri
25 November 2015 | Southern Pacific Ocean 250 miles to Whangarei
24 November 2015 | Over half way to NZ from Fiji
19 November 2015
08 November 2015
02 November 2015

Still in Tonga

08 September 2016 | Pangaimotu
Still hanging out in Tonga, where it has been sticky but pretty nice overall. Next few days will be rainy and very humid causing that dripping glazed skin effect and meaty odour all to familiar with life in the topics. No anti aging creams required down here. Gwen just made another batch of perfect yogurt by just leaving it sit on the counter, no additional heat required. Yup pretty warm. We have been sourcing out a solution to the radar issue without success so far. You may wonder, since I usually just get things done, how can you not just order and get one and be done with it? A new modern system is in order but to install it requires removal of the stainless arch a substantial bit of structure, only achievable with a crane or forklift. Not happening out here I am afraid. So we need to somehow repair the existing one before moving on. The Radome appears to be the problem and an easy swap considering, but it is so large freight costs to get one here or close by are in the thousands USD plus plus. We can afford it but that is real money and we are struggling to rationalize that expense for a used and older system that we would replace in the near future when proper facilities are available. So we have been searching for one where the seller is competent enough to be able to and willing to, remove the guts and package them up and send those to American Samoa via US postal service a much more affordable option. We have had a few tantalizing possibilities but those fizzled like a wet match and burned up a couple of weeks of getting our hopes up. Now waiting on a guy in Florida who sells used marine electronics and said yesterday he would test the radome he has and is willing and capable to disassemble and ship once it checks out. Hopes are up again! The time and day difference adds to the challenges and of course Internet is not what you might think out here. Not quite two coconuts and a string or even long distance drums which do work by the way, but it is spotty and slow and can indeed be frustrating to the point of testing patience somewhat. So we will continue that quest for now. If no solution presents itself we are likely to sail back to NZ where anything can be accomplished then have a shot at the traditional Tahiti route next year. A much longer and challenging route to be sure. If we do alright with this present possibility it would mean shipping it to American Samoa, hint, American and US Postal Service, which is about 500 nm N East of here so we can wait for a weather window and sail up. Pago Pago, pronounced Pango Pango is a very commercial port, based around the Pacific fishing fleet and canneries and all the pleasant stuff associated with being a previously sort of abandoned US territory where back in the departure days all manner of stuff was simply dumped into the harbour creating a foul anchorage not conducive to hanging out in a proper yacht. We hear reports of fouled anchors that have gone through the window of an old car, hooked on a washing machine or plastic kids pool and so on and many tales of poor holding when your anchor finally finds the bottom and dragging anchor in moderate winds etc... Not really attractive. There are reports of a major clean up and closing of one cannery recently but nothing verified. I think our plan would be to head for Western Samoa, 65 nm West of there and another special place with wonderful people well worth visiting, then take a ship over to Am Sam claim the package and return to Samoa proper where I can do the swap out of equipment reasonably easily at anchor. There is the very tempting big box store shopping excursion possibility in Am Sam which will be difficult to resist but we have equipped fairly well in NZ so are not really wanting for all that much. Cheese could be a problem with only a couple of kilos of NZ tasty cheddar remaining but we can stretch that out a little. The plan to sail back to the Americas appears to be moving out of reach with this delay and soon will vaporize as the change of season occurs in the North Pacific bringing on the cold fronts and nasty low pressure systems that pack a wallop and are not to be confronted by the conservative mariner with more than two brain cells functioning. Maybe a blessing having just watched the tropical storm pass Hawaii and curve up through the North Pacific still intact which is very very unusual where it is making landfall on the BC coast still very potent. No big deal except it followed nearly exactly the course I have plotted from Hawaii to BC. While it was moving very quickly and would have overtaken and left us within less than a day I fear the gift it would bring would not be very welcome and I am relieved we did not find ourselves in the same area of sea to experience the conditions that would have accompanied a real tropical storm, near hurricane event. Shudder and pucker just does not cover it and would be of little use during the beating in those pure survival conditions. No thanks. So as that option fades new ones open up and tomorrow the sun will come up, not visible here mind you with a trough (dark low cloud, rain at times very heavy,squalls and humidity) dominating the next several days but it will be there and we will continue the adventure in some other way. No problem keeping busy with refrigeration servicing and repairs for Big Mamas as well as installing new lighting throughout their bar and repairing this and that at the yacht club to help them out which all takes time and feels good to give back. In return they accept us as part of the family, spoil us with suprise meals and beer and other kindness which is their "Kustom", and is a large part of the gift of being here. Caught a really nice yellow snapper off the back of the boat here at anchor the other day and brought it in to Big Mamas where they were happy to have it. Tongans love all kinds and all parts of Fish. We stopped in and had a bite and it was prepared perfectly and delicious. Mama, demonstrated how to eat the best part as she sucked the eyeballs out in a big slurp followed by a satisfied sigh and smacking of the lips. She ate that head clean down to the white bone to the point it looked like it had been in the desert sun for years. How they love their fish! The meat line is back out now dangling a tantalizing bit of bacon in hopes of attracting more sea food snacks we can contribute. They said when they cleaned it they were surprised to find a cucumber in the stomach! A vegitarian snapper? Now tell me,,,where does a snapper get a cucumber,,,, way out here?
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Vessel Name: A-TRAIN
Vessel Make/Model: Sundeer 60
Hailing Port: Vancouver Canada
Crew: Gwen and Russ Hobbs
About: currently, Aug 2016 ready to depart NZ for warm waters North
A-TRAIN's Photos - Main
229 Photos
Created 3 July 2015
50 Photos
Created 29 November 2014
9 Photos
Created 29 November 2014
2 Photos
Created 29 November 2014
18 Photos
Created 29 November 2014
30 Photos
Created 29 November 2014
6 Photos
Created 15 August 2014
12 Photos
Created 10 August 2014
19 Photos
Created 25 July 2014
5 Photos
Created 14 July 2014
34 Photos
Created 29 June 2014
8 Photos
Created 29 June 2014
21 Photos
Created 29 June 2014
12 Photos
Created 4 June 2014
5 Photos
Created 30 March 2014
One of the nicest Islands in the Sea of Cortez on the Baja side. We flew over it and got a photo from the air, Cool!
20 Photos
Created 6 March 2014
Punta Chivato, a shell collectors dream come true, most people just stand there shaking their head and wondering how it could be possible that so many shells could be in one location. WOW! Gwen collected a few but it was better to just look and leave them there.
13 Photos
Created 6 March 2014
Cabo, Bahia Los Frailies, Los Muertos, La Paz, and North to San Gabriel, San Juanico, Puerto Escondido and across the Sea to Guyamas and San Carlos
20 Photos
Created 6 March 2014
misc photos of getting ready to shove off, various stops along the way and rounding up into Cabo San Lucas
20 Photos
Created 6 March 2014
Misc photos to catch up Blog
59 Photos
Created 5 August 2013