08/13/2012, Port Resolution, Tanna, Vanuatu
Message to our accounting firm: Hello Mr. Walwick, I need some tax advice for our 2012 return. As you know I have invested in good camera equipment and software and photo printers, but you had said it is hard to write off all our sailing travel around the world as a business loss for James Thomsen Photography since I had no income to show for my photography. Well, things have changed and I have sold more than 50 photos this year. One was a framed print to my brother for $10.
Over the past couple of weeks I have sold more than 50 photo prints on the remote islands of Aneityum and Tanna in the South Pacific country of Vanuatu. Most were for passport size photos required for the local soccer teams to compete in the Vanuatu National games. I have also sold a number of family portraits and prints of children.
So far I have received more than 20 kilograms of bananas, 28 grapefruits, 36 papaya, 40 chockos, 10 kilos of snake beans, a couple of dozen eggs and some handwoven baskets. The photos of the village Chief I gave as a gift, so I guess that will be charged to marketing.
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Comments [1]
08/12/2012, Port Resolution, Tanna, Vanuatu
Party on Tenaya with Lori Lynn and 15 local girls!
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08/05/2012, Tenaya
Aneityum, Vanuatu 20 14â.38S 169 46â.66E
The kind people of the villages surrounding Anelcauhat Bay have captured our hearts. We arrived two weeks ago, at this southernmost island of Vanuatu, with an album filled with pictures of children we took last year. The lady in the bank said to give it to Seralyne as the little girl on the cover was her granddaughter. Seralyne was thrilled. A friendship was born.
July 30 is Independence Day. The first prime minister said, "Small is beautiful. Peace is powerful. Respect is honourable and our traditional sense of community life is both wise and practical." Among other rights, their constitution guarantees freedom of religion and on the shores of this large bay are five different churches. The people live in harmony with nature and each other. Their lives are simple. Each family has a garden, chickens and pigs. They eat what they grow. Their homes are built of woven pandanus leaves and have earthen floors covered in coconut and pandanus mats. Some cook over an open fire, others have gas burners and propane tanks. Most people have mobile phones and a few have televisions that run on solar power or generators. The school has a computer and the bank has a big satellite dish which allows them online access.
The Independence Day celebration began on Friday with football games for the men and volleyball games for the women all weekend long. People from all over the island came to Anelcauhat to watch and participate. Jim took more than 4000 photos. Each night we cleaned up the best in Lightroom and printed them out on the little Epson 4x6 printer we carry on board.
Each day a crowd would gather around our freshly distributed prints. Hardly anyone has pictures of themselves or their loved ones so these were a big deal. We were so happy to give something back to the people who welcomed us so kindly.
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Enjoy!
07/23/2012, Aneityum, Vanuatu
The passage from Opua, NZ to Noumea, New Caledonia was mostly easy and uneventful. Just the way we like them! We headed due north for 5 days to clear two lows forming in the west, then west for two days, then north for one.
While moving slowly outside the reef waiting for daylight I watched the full harvest moon set in the early morning dawn. Just as it dipped below the horizon it produced a green flash!
Nothing broke on the passage and our new sails worked really well. All the repairs held. How nice it was for the worrying prop sounds to be gone. One night the electric winch on portside sprang to life all on its own, again, but Jim was right there to throw the sheet off. Good thing he's got a supply of switches. It's probably time to replace these Lewmars with Harkens that don't have holes in the covers.
We got stuck, once more, at Port Moselle Marina in Noumea. Free wifi, unlimited hot water for showers and a wonderful daily market filled with fresh local fruit and veggies make it difficult to leave. Because New Caledonia is a French Overseas Territory with fresh baguettes, delicious wine and cheese, and those marvelous pastries, it's nearly impossible to toss off those dock lines. Our excuse? Waiting for the enhanced tradewinds to mellow out and make the trip over to Vanuatu more pleasant. Lingering through July 14, Bastille Day, just made sense.
We left July 15 for an overnighter to Lifou in the Loyalty Islands. Are we glad we stopped! A pod of bottlenose dolphins met us in the bay and escorted us into the picturesque anchorage surrounded by cave-riddled cliffs. Because the island is limestone, there is little runoff so the water incredibly clear as you can see in the picture. The snorkeling was delightful!
Another overnighter brought us to Aneityum, Vanuatu a couple of days ago. A break in the usual southeasterly trades let us sail across on a northerly, very pleasant indeed. Itâs been raining since we arrived so haven't unloaded the kayak yet - maybe this afternoon.
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06/14/2012, Whangamumu
Northern New Zealand is nice this time of year, the days are cool and crisp and the flurry of coastal activity has mostly come to a halt. 'Boaties' (that's kiwi speak for anyone on any type of boat) seem to only go out on weekends now, perhaps because it gets dark so early. Most of the cruising yachts have left for Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. It seems fitting that we spend the final few nights of our trip around New Zealand in the quite solitude of empty anchorages.
It has been two long months since Tenaya was free from docklines. During the time she was corralled in Gulf Harbour she was constantly busy. Even while we were in California for three weeks, she had regular visitors. New sails were bent on, a new canvas dodger was fitted, a new and heavier anchor replaced our bent one and a new instrument panel was installed. The bowthruster, water heater, watermaker and generator were all repaired, but not without multiple visits from the technicians. She came out of the water for new bottom paint but, to our surprise, she didn't need it. The Micron 66 from last year was holding up just fine. 4 mm of travel was detected in our prop shaft, too much according to Vernon of SeaQuip. His fix has finally quieted the disconcerting hum that came from that area.
We could have blasted up to Opua on an overnight passage but we chose to stop at Kawau Island, Tutukaka and Whangamumu to make sure everything is working properly before we head offshore. So far, so good.
Once we have provisioned, we will be ready to check out of the country and head north. It is sad to be leaving New Zealand as we've had two wonderful summers exploring by land and sea. But, we had an amazing time in Vanuatu last winter and are looking forward to continuing our travels further up the island chain.
We have finished our recap: Sailing to Fiordland and Stewart Island, what you need to circumnavigate New Zealand. Click here to download the 17 page PDF file:
Sailing to Fiordland and Stewart Island
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04/19/2012, Gulf Harbour, NZ
Sailing around New Zealand was amazing! Our best trip yet!
Now it's time to sell the guidebooks and charts. Anyone interested?
A Boaties' Guide to Fiordland 1999 Edition, Original price: NZ $61.50 NZ $30
Stewart Island Cruising Guide 1996 Edition, Original price: NZ $46 NZ $20
Cruising Guide South Island 2010 Edition, Original price: NZ $40 NZ $20
NZ Cruising Guide-Central Area 2002 Edition, Original Price: NZ $55 NZ $25
Northland Coast Boaties Atlas 2000 Edition, Price: NZ $20
Coastal Cruising Handbook Ninth (2002) Edition, Original price: NZ $55 NZ $20
New Zealand Tidal Stream Atlas Original price: NZ $8 NZ $4
Hauraki Gulf Boating Atlas 2007 Edition, Original price: NZ $82 NZ $40
The New Zealand Weather Book 2007 Edition, Original price: NZ $40 NZ $20
Charts: NZ $10 each
NZ69 - Stewart Island 2009 Edition
NZ 76 - Western Approaches to Foveaux Strait 2009 Edition
NZ632 - Bank Peninsula 2000 Edition
NZ661 - Approaches to Otago Harbour 2000 Edition
NZ6321 - Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupo 2000 Edition
NZ6324 - Akaroa Harbour 2009 Edition
NZ6612 - Otago Harbour 2004 Edition
NZ681 - Approaches to Bluff and Riverton 2009 Edition
NZ6821 - Bluff Harbour and Entrance 2009 Edition
NZ6823 - Paterson Inlet 2000 Edition
NZ6912 - Plans in Stewart Island 2001 Edition
NZ7621 - Milford Sound 2009 Edition
NZ7622 - Milford Sound to Sutherland Sound 2009 Edition
NZ7623 - Bligh Sound to Caswell Sound 1999 Editon
NZ7624 - Charles Sound to Dagg Sound 2009 Edition
NZ7625 - Thompson Sound and Doubtful Sound 2009 Edition
NZ7653 - Breaksea Sound and Dusky Sound 2009 Edition
NZ7654 - Chalky and Preservation Inlets 2002 Edition
NZ7655 - Breaksea Sound 2009 Edition
NZ7656 - Dusky Sound 2009 Edition
If interested, contact me at jim_thomsen@hotmail.com or at 021 025 68423
Pictures and stories of our time on the South Island and Stewart Island are on: www.tenayatravels.com
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