25/10/2006, Praia, San Tiago
All fresh produce bought at the Praia market had to be inspected and washed before coming aboard, in case of roaches or other creepy crawlies. The dinghy makes a good quarantine station.
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24/10/2006, Praia, San Tiago
Tonaka is a friendly fisherman who looks after visiting yachts and their dinghies. Here he takes charge of Archie, our trusty inflatable.
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19/10/2006, Tarrafal, Sao Nicolau
As a baking novice I was so amazed after turning out these two loaves; I had to take a photo. Just as well, they did not last long!
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14/10/2006, En route to Sao Nicolau
Raoul caught this beautiful Dorado shortly after sunrise. Lightly battered and fried in olive oil it made a delicious breakfast.
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13/10/2006, En route to Sao Nicolau
Hand steering has its disadvantages as I found out when a stray wave found its way into the cockpit. Jim, our Aries wind vane seen in the background, is having a break while Raoul trims the sails.
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11/10/2006, Sal, Cape Verde Islands
We were happy to drop anchor after a week on passage. Angelika and Gerd from Germany invited us for dinner aboard their boat where we met Connie, their charming cruising companion.
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08/10/2006, En route to the Cape Verde Islands
Breakfast anyone?
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06/10/2006, En route to Cape Verde Islands
Our daily skeds with Scott and Herb on the HF radio are an important part of our day. It is good to receive messages from family and friends and talk about life on board. Here Raoul shares a joke with Scott.
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30/09/2006, Santa Cruz, la Palma
There is always a number of small jobs that need doing. Raoul modified our dodger (spray hood that protects the companion way and keeps the person on watch dry in bad weather) using a hand-cranked sawing machine.
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21/09/2006, El Paso, La Palma
We've had a great time ashore with Gesine and Gerhard, Raoul's aunt and uncle, at their beautiful holiday house in El Paso. Relaxing in their lush, tropical garden, and sleeping in a proper bed have given us lots of energy to get on with the few boat jobs that need doing before the next leg of the journey.
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16/09/2006, Enroute to La Palma
Less than 100 nautical miles to go, on what turned out to be a very pleasant 6.5 day passage with steady NE trade winds. Note the lanyards on our glasses, a necessary precaution, after Raoul lost a pair overboard.
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11/09/2006, Enroute from Azores to La Palma
This was one of the most dramatic sunsets with Pico (the highest mountain in the Azores and Portugal) as the backdrop.
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10/09/2006, Praia da Vitoria
We've had a few overcast days, and the beach is deserted.
Soon we will follow the sun south, to the Canaries, with a brief stop in Madeira if the winds serve.
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07/09/2006, Praia da Vitoria
All foreign boats are required to fly their flag. Our Australian flag was starting to look rather tattered, so we painted a flag on the windvane that Jim kindly built for us in Horta.
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30/08/2006, Faial to Terceira
We left Horta today after a very pleasant 3 week stay. The sailing was excellent for the first few hours, and we had a squall that produced a stunning rainbow. The wind failed in the evening and we motored the rest of the way to Praia da Vitoria.
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26/08/2006, Horta, Faial
Leaving a boat's name on the seawall is an old tradition in Horta. I was rather daunted by some of the elaborate designs, luckily a couple of local children helped out and we got the job done to everyone's satisfaction.
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16/08/2006, Horta, Faial
We were fortunate to meet William and Arne, the proud owners of Hesper, a gaff rigged Channel pilot boat. We had a great sail over to Pico and back, while Raoul and I got to lounge in the mainsail.
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10/08/2006, Horta, Faial
After a 2 day windward passage we arrived in Horta and the festival is in full swing. Most of the Mini transat boats have arrived and the harbour is vibrant with food stalls, live bands and buskers into the small hours of the night.
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04/08/2006
Raoul, Andy and I caught the supply boat to Corvo, a neighbouring island. With only 420 inhabitants it is smaller than Flores, but has a very impressive caldera. On the return trip we were joined by a cargo of 22 cows.
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29/07/2006, Faja Grande
We had a great walk along the North-East coast of the island today. Ancient stone walls and hydrangea hedges hid steep cliffs that plunge into the ocean. We also met some friendly locals!
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