Mazu Adventures

Vessel Name: Mazu
Vessel Make/Model: Outbound 46
Hailing Port: Rainer Oregon
Crew: Mel and Elaine Bryson
About: We are from Vida Oregon (on the McKenzie River East of Eugene) Mel is a retired Dentist and Elaine is retired school adminstrator. We are sailing on Mazu, an Outbound 46.
Extra:
We started our sailing adventure on August 3, 2010 from Seattle Washington down the coast to Mexico. After sailing in Mexico for 3 seasons left Mexico March 24th to sail to the South Pacific. Currently our boat is in New Zealand after a fun cruise through French Polynesia, Suwarrow, Am. Samoa, [...]
10 March 2014
03 December 2013 | Auckland New Zealand
09 November 2013
08 November 2013
06 November 2013
04 November 2013 | Minerva Reef
31 October 2013 | Tonga
30 October 2013 | Tonga
04 October 2013
19 September 2013 | Samoa
25 August 2013 | -14 16.36S
11 August 2013
07 July 2013 | Pateete and Cooks Bay
23 June 2013 | Opunohu Bay
23 June 2013 | Rangiroa, Tuamou
14 June 2013
03 June 2013 | Tuamotu
Recent Blog Posts
13 March 2015

Outbound 46 Mazu For Sale

We have made the difficult decision to sell our beloved Mazu.

10 March 2014

Moving Blog Site

Dear friends and family,

09 December 2013

The Kingdom of Tonga, Vava'u to Tongutapu

The Kingdom of Tonga, Vava’u, Ha’apai, and Tongatapu groups

03 December 2013 | Auckland New Zealand

In New Zealand

We made it safe and sound to New Zealand. I have lots to write about the last parts of our time in Tonga, our passage to New Zealand, including more on Minerva Reef, and of course of our time here in New Zealand. I will catch up on all the narrative very soon. In the mean time check out the various picture [...]

09 November 2013

Half way there

All is well on board Mazu on our 3rd day out of Minerva Reef. We have passed the halfway point YEA! The wind picked up today so we have been able to sail most of today and this evening. The temp. has dropped about 10 degrees burrrrr. We now wear long pants and jackets on our night watches. Not in the [...]

08 November 2013

Another day closer

Position: 28 degrees 34' south 179 degrees 16' east

Suwarrow

11 August 2013
Elaine
Suwarrow, Cook Islands: July 31 to August 6th
The four day passage from Bora Bora to Suwarrow was wet, lumpy, and light winds. I am so very glad that I had pre-cooked our meals while in Bora Bora. In order to arrive in 4 days we ended up motor sailing part of the way. We arrive at the pass in the early evening and must enter before nightfall. Just as we arrive a rain squall positions its self right over the pass. We take some time to lower our sails and we hear on the VHF of a boat that just entered. We contact them to ask the conditions and we are assured that it is no problem getting in. Soon we are in the calm lagoon with our anchor set.
Wow, are we really here? Suwarrow is a small atoll in the Northern Cook Islands. While it is an atoll it looks nothing like the Tuamotu atolls of French Polynesia. This island is lush with vegetation; the waters are so very clear, you can see 30 feet to the bottom, and the color! The most beautiful shades of blues I have ever seen.
Suwarrow is a national park, perhaps the only one in the Cook Islands. Two rangers are stationed here for the six month “season”. They are responsible for the island and to greet and clear in the boats that arrive. About 150 boats pass through here each year. No passage boat comes here and no supply boats either. Sometimes a fishing boat will stop here but not usually. This makes it a very unique place. It is also famous as the island Tom Neale where he wrote of his hermit life here in the book “An Island to Oneself”.
The Rangers are Harry and Charlie, they come to our boat the next morning to welcome us and check us in. They are very nice. There are about 15 boats here at this time. Several we already know. There is to be a happy hour on the beach that night.
The happy hour is a blast! Charlie loves to entertain everyone, and he likes to drink. It turns out that he grew up on this island and he expounds that what Tom Neale wrote is and I quote; “Buh Sheet “! He and his family have lived on this island and he says Tom Neale did not live as a hermit here… well I don’t know, perhaps the truth is somewhere in the middle. Anyway we have a great time and meet some new people. We also catch up with an old cruising friend, Doug and Carla on Moon dance. We had met them in La Cruz Mexico as they were preparing to make their puddle jump in 2011. It was great to see them.
Later in the week we enjoy a potluck dinner on the beach. Charlie and two of the guys went fishing and caught tuna for the bbq. The cruisers bring the rest of the food. Charlie cooks the fish on a griddle over an open fire. After we eat Charlie and Harry sing a Cook Island welcoming song, Charlie gives us a dance demonstration (getting the ladies involved of course) and while Harry plays the guitar and sings, Charlie takes turns dancing with the ladies. Soon he is making speeches, telling us how much he loves this island and how he is here to take care of us, how he loves us all and how Tom Neale is full of “Buh Sheet”! It is a fantastic night, one that I will never forget.
The snorkeling here is utterly fantastic. Forget everything else I wrote and snorkeling this place is the best I have seen. The coral here is alive and colorful. The various formations and pinnacles are so beautiful. We snorkel the pass and I see a large (8-10 foot wingspan) manta ray gracefully “fly” by. And the fish, colorful parrot fish are everywhere.
A highlight of our stay here is a tour of Bird Island and 7 island. Charlie, for 5 liters of gas and ten dollars each will take you out in his boat. Bird Island is a nesting spot for thousands of birds. You are able to walk around. We saw many birds sitting on eggs. Also many baby birds, all very cute. On 7 island Charlie shows us the large coconut crabs that live there, they are very colorful, but scary looking. We take a nice walk around the island. After a lunch we go the reef for a snorkel. We snorkel through this coral garden full of pinnacles, columns and coral reefs. While there are not a lot of fish here to see the coral formations are unbelievable. I have never seen anything like them.
I tell you I could stay here for a month easy. But we need to move on and a good weather window is upon us. So with tears in my eyes (really) we check out and prepare for an early morning departure to American Samoa. Boy I really hope to come back here sometime….


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