SV Panta Rhei Retirement Trip
| Vessel Name: | Panta Rhei |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Able Apogee 50 |
| Hailing Port: | Seattle |
| Crew: | Larry and Karen |
| Social: |
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18 September 2017 | Seattle
We are back in Seattle
It feels like home. Of course we are not in Silshole. Maybe we will be, someday, but there is a list and we are on it. In the meantime we are at Bainbridge Island Marina.
23 August 2017 | Prince Rupert
The dinghy holds air again
It wasn't very nice of the bear to tear the fabric across a seam. We were worried that we couldn't patch it but tried anyway. The glue had a job to do and it did it!
15 August 2017 | Anan Bear Observatory
A Grizzly Bear damaged our dinghy
We were visiting the Anan Bear Observatory south of Wrangell. It is one of the best places to visit in all of SE Alaska BECAUSE it has bears. But (as we learned) there is a dark side to this bear concentration. And of course, there is a story to tell.
19 July 2017 | Petersburg, AK
Moving On
"No matter where you go, there you are" (unknown reference). By now we have been there and done that. Most recently that included Cannery Cove on Admiralty Island. The photo shows the quiet grandeur of the setting with Ron and Suzie's boat SV Tango in the foreground. It has been like that for the last [...]
17 June 2017 | Hoonah, AK
We are in Hoonah, SE Alaska now
We got something resembling a high pressure ridge so we moved expeditously across the Gulf of Alaska. The crossing took three days and weather stayed as forecast. That was a very good thing. The weather changes in the far north far more rapidly and dramatically than we ever experienced in the more southern [...]
03 June 2017 | Seward AK
Crossing the Gulf of Alaska
We are still in Seward, AK. Now that spring has come, why not start south?
Making miles toward the Milford Track
1. Mudbaths at the Polynesian Spa in Rotorua. Hot pool soak followed by exfoliated skin followed by a massage with coconut oil under a hot water shower next to a geothermal lake.
2. Southworth Auto Museum (north of Wellington): At least hundreds of vintage cars and airplanes and motorcycles and speedboats set up for easy viewing. Quite a remarkable way to view all the machines we remember from our lives.
3. Visit the Te Papa Museum (and more friends, Rankin and Sandy Tippins) in Wellington. This is a breathtaking museum, the most beautiful in all of NZ and absolutely stunning to explore
4. Ferry across Cook Sound. This can be a big adventure, but the weather was nice for the crossing. The only difficulty was loading the ferry which involves backing the car through a maze for about a quarter of a mile (maybe slight exaggeration...)
5. World of Wearable Art Museum (How to dress up boobs!)
6. Swingbridge and Zip line across the Buller Gorge (a gentle dose of excitement on a beautiful weather day)
7. Lyell hike to a Gold diggers ghost town (History of gold mining written in the dirt of a battery [ie. a rock crusher powered by a water wheel])
8. Pancake Rocks (exquisite coastal feature)
9. Arthur's Pass (with Kia birds that eat the rubber parts on your car)
10. Cave Creek underground hike upstream in a river (A one hour self guided hike up an underground river that starts out in chest deep water and then works its way through an underground cavern uphill with half a dozen waterfall climbs finishing in an aided climb out of a deep watery hole into the sunlight). The picture shows Karen at the entrance wearing here fleece and swimsuit. There were occasional points that were very worrisome during this experience but it all worked out well.
11. Oamaru where the Yellow eye penguins and little blue penguins are viewable
12. Moeraki boulders (reminiscent of the Cocoon movie)
13. Fleurs Place for lunch (Best restaurant in all of NZ and also best location in NZ) I'm not exagerrating when I say this is the absolute BEST.
14. Northern Royal Albatross nesting area in Dunedin where we saw Albatross in flight, and nesting with chicks)
15 Invertcargill Bluff point (most southern part of South Island itself). Tomorrow we arrive at TeAnu where we leave for the Milford Track wilderness experience.
