Resolute

A sailing catamaran in the Pacific

Vessel Name: Resolute II
Vessel Make/Model: Atlantic 48
Hailing Port: Sydney, Australia
Crew: The Gibson family
About: Sydney-based, land-loving family. indulging Dad in a Pacific adventure.....
16 October 2014 | Townsville
26 August 2014 | Magnetic Island
02 August 2014 | Gladstone
22 July 2014 | en route to Fraser Island
14 July 2014 | Coffs Harbour
28 July 2013 | Port Moselle
20 July 2013 | Lifou
13 July 2013 | Nouvelle Caledonie
30 June 2013 | Baie de Kuto, New Caledonia
21 May 2013 | Port Moselle
08 May 2013 | Nouvelle Caledonie
02 May 2013 | somewhere in the south pacific
30 April 2013 | Banana coast
29 September 2012 | Fiuggi, Italy (I kid you not)
30 August 2012 | Greenwich, Sydney
26 August 2012 | North of Coffs Harbour
25 August 2012 | About 300 nm ENE of Brisbane
22 August 2012 | Somewhere in South Pacific ..
Recent Blog Posts
16 October 2014 | Townsville

Louisiades

Well, we're back. Inspired, grateful, discombobulated. Three weeks in the Louisiades has been a real highlight of our time with Resolute, not to be forgotten. We sailed with long time sailing buddies, Mike and Prue, and in convoy with sister Georgina and partner Dave, on their Seawind 1160, 'Nimrod', [...]

26 August 2014 | Magnetic Island

Faarrrr North Queensland

Madam Cupcake took off her socks! Must be HOT, DAMM HOT, says I. We're in Horseshoe Bay, Magnetic Island (near Townsville, for those of you about to reach for the chart..).

02 August 2014 | Gladstone

Are we there yet?

We go north-er. Queenslanders become, impossibly, friendlier. Land of pristine beaches, stunning inlets, glorious sunsets, fierce tides and GLADSTONE. Gute Trauer! Endless lines of ships. Coal. LNG. Alumina. Did someone hit the hyperspace button??

22 July 2014 | en route to Fraser Island

The most glorious place on earth

We arrived. We met Queenslanders. They told jokes. To whit ... 'and said God: "That's Queensland, the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful people, impressive towns; it is the home of the world's finest artists, musicians, writers, thinkers, explorers and politicians. The people from Queensland [...]

14 July 2014 | Coffs Harbour

In search of sunshine

Don't you love a great quote? How's this: 'Bizarre travel plans are dancing lessons from God' ~Kurt Vonnegut. Way to go, Kurt! Just about sums up this latest trip....

30 July 2013

Rocky start to Masterchef, Season 2.

It's the much anticipated Series 2 Masterchef South Pacific cookoff ... struggling to find form. Where's the spice? Its not looking promising. First up, Glenda, the crowd favourite, failed to show. AVHD, meanwhile, failed to cook. Just barked orders to the kitchen hands from the wheelhouse, for jonah's [...]

Louisiades

16 October 2014 | Townsville
Captn Ken
Well, we're back. Inspired, grateful, discombobulated. Three weeks in the Louisiades has been a real highlight of our time with Resolute, not to be forgotten. We sailed with long time sailing buddies, Mike and Prue, and in convoy with sister Georgina and partner Dave, on their Seawind 1160, 'Nimrod', at least for the first week or so. Take a look at the video (see link on side bar on right).

Highlights? Beautiful, dignified people, who live in abject material poverty. Cyclone Ita carved the place up in April this year; since then, many communities have been short of vegetables, too, though fresh water is abundant, as are fish for those who live by the water. It is difficult to generalize, but most communities have little or no access to healthcare (to the best of our knowledge there is not one Doctor currently in the Louisiades, even on Misima), there is little or no power on most islands, and there is scarcity in everything from basic clothing to tools.

We're left confused by the role of yachts who visit. So much of what has been given in the past now is junk: torches, solar panels whose battery or charger unit has packed up; fiberglass boats destroyed by being dragged across coral... Some of the islands visited in the past years by the rally (which was sorely missed this year) have developed a culture of what amounts to begging. Certainly our meager efforts seemed to be a particularly ineffective form of philanthropy, and we're left wondering if they'd not be better off if they'd never seen a yacht. Certainly, it is not possible to turn the clock back, and one point of (relative) light is the education system - teachers are paid directly by the central government, and most kids seem to have access to at least elementary education.

Anyway, who are we to judge? There are some amazing people, real unsung heroes, who've committed serious time to working with some of the villages, really helping them build capacity. There are some missions who are providing health and educational outcomes. There is no question that the world has found the Louisiades, and so from here development is inevitable. It is really a question of how, and there are some huge questions. For example, should large scale gold mining be allowed (e.g. in Rossel?).

A lot to ponder.... Meanwhile, we take away some truly unforgettable moments. One: as we walked up the hills of Nimoa, we were joined by perhaps 30 kids, aged from about 2 to 12. The older kids carried the younger ones; we felt like the pied piper. It was a great adventure, us 'dim dims' amusing them endlessly with our lumbering clumsiness. The kids looked after each other; not a single parent in sight. What western parent would allow their child to head off for two hours with random strange adults?




Faarrrr North Queensland

26 August 2014 | Magnetic Island
Captn Ken
Madam Cupcake took off her socks! Must be HOT, DAMM HOT, says I. We're in Horseshoe Bay, Magnetic Island (near Townsville, for those of you about to reach for the chart..).

Ressie's plumb tuckered out. We've logged 1500 NM this trip, raced furiously, in a full gale, around islands and orange things to win a bottle of Mount Gay Rum, discovered that you can bury a bow without cartwheeling, and met lots of Queenslanders. Yep, they're still friendly.

Meanwhile, guru productions have been hard at work. Two new blockbusters hit the tube today - Loyalty Islands with the Kids (ok, its 12 months late), and Gurus Go North (hot off the press!). Check 'em out at:

http://youtu.be/ZaEhOQXxOgg
http://youtu.be/_C9BoEK1r3M

...or, click on the links in the 'favourites' section to the right....

We're off to Magnetic Island Race Week. Time to bury the starboard bow....
capt. K

Are we there yet?

02 August 2014 | Gladstone
Capt. K
We go north-er. Queenslanders become, impossibly, friendlier. Land of pristine beaches, stunning inlets, glorious sunsets, fierce tides and GLADSTONE. Gute Trauer! Endless lines of ships. Coal. LNG. Alumina. Did someone hit the hyperspace button??

So - stock up, move out. Well, actually, time for a quick trip down to Sydney, then back for Stage II of the odyssey. We keep asking people when we'll get to the Far North. Apparently it is a LONG WAY. Perhaps in a Different Dimension. We're already well removed from reality, so this could be quite the trip.

Baz, Jon and Gerry are now officially off watch, and the Gurus are about to hit town. There's some history here, and it involves RUM. It doesn't end well. And, we're off to Airlie Beach Race Week!

standing by....

The most glorious place on earth

22 July 2014 | en route to Fraser Island
Capt. K
We arrived. We met Queenslanders. They told jokes. To whit ... 'and said God: "That's Queensland, the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful people, impressive towns; it is the home of the world's finest artists, musicians, writers, thinkers, explorers and politicians. The people from Queensland are going to be modest, intelligent and humorous and they're going to be found travelling the world. They'll be extremely sociable, hard-working and high-achieving, and they will be known throughout the world as speakers of truth."

The newcomer gasped in wonder and admiration but then proclaimed, "What about balance God, you said there will be BALANCE!"
God replied very wisely, "Wait till you see the wankers I'm putting next to them in New South Wales."

Nobody said migration was easy. We are, after all, boat people. There are benefits, though. Sunshine and spectacular sunsets are top of today's list...

In search of sunshine

14 July 2014 | Coffs Harbour
Capt. K
Don't you love a great quote? How's this: 'Bizarre travel plans are dancing lessons from God' ~Kurt Vonnegut. Way to go, Kurt! Just about sums up this latest trip....

First things first. Ressie is resplendent - new paint, new saildrives, newly broke owner. The downside? I'm a bit precious, basically, waiting for that first big scratch or ding. Still, no excuse to stay home now the spaceship is recommissioned. And it is COLD. Time to head north. What better way to start than a perfectly-timed southerly that blew us to Coffs Harbour under double reefed headsail, loping along at an extremely comfortable 9 knots? Ok, we got sunshine, but its still cold....

The agenda? First north till warmth. Then a slow trip to the Whitsundays in time for the Airlie Beach Race Week, then the Magnetic Island Race Week, and then off to the Louisiades. Animal Mike has purchased a new (bigger and better) line. Why we'd want bigger fish is beyond me, and when he tries to explain it, I glaze over. [So have YOU ever tried fishing tackle small talk?].

standing by on ch 16.
capt.



Rocky start to Masterchef, Season 2.

30 July 2013
Captn Ken
It's the much anticipated Series 2 Masterchef South Pacific cookoff ... struggling to find form. Where's the spice? Its not looking promising. First up, Glenda, the crowd favourite, failed to show. AVHD, meanwhile, failed to cook. Just barked orders to the kitchen hands from the wheelhouse, for jonah's sake. And then there was so-called celebrity chef Richard. Talk about precious! He's basically hung up his apron after the pre-series stir fry. That left some old random sea dog and his greek mate to save the day. Catastrophe! The judges (oddly, some old random sea dog and his greek mate) were not amused. They did, however, eat the pasta.

Fortunately, the masterchef set is moving at about 9 knots in the right direction, and a new dawn beckons. Random old sea dog and his greek mate are expecting something special today.

Right now it is a grey old morning with ominous looking clouds scattered in every direction. The weather forecast is for this breeze to start to ease 24 hours from now, but that still means a few more bumps! The surprise on the trip so far has been Jon - he has a very strong stomach, and so it was him and me cooking last night, with neither Andrew or Richard having much appetite. A new day beckons ...

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