11/10/2009
Summer of 2009
We are in the throes of winterizing the RV at Bear Run and heading to Portland in the next two days. On the 18th of November we fly to Kansas City to spend Thanksgiving with the Edwards clan. Something we've not done for many decades. Praying that the snow will hold off or we will freeze with our Mexico clothing. On Dec. 2 we fly to Mazatlan to visit friends and pickup some equipment that has been driven down for us. Stay tuned for the journey from Mazatlan to Huatulco as we have a few ideas but nothing worked out on getting to the boat. It is an exciting time of year, but always hard to leave family and friends.
What a year we've had: highlights include attending our grandson's State Championship baseball game in Eugene, hosting 49 visitors from Memorial Day to Labor Day, taking up "letterboxing," camping with our two grandchildren for a week at Ft. Stephens, Oregon and sailing from Vancouver, B.C. to Sydney, Australia via Hawaii and French Polynesia. In between we had numerous "happy hours" and campfires with our neighbors, Pat and Susan / SV Perpetua, enjoyed taking the jeep on the beach every time we went to the grocery store, watching professional kite flying (Art and Rose / SV Summer Rose were here to enjoy) and sand castle building while keeping our eyes open for the ever present black bears.
Sometimes an opportunity arises that just can not be passed up. Such was the trip from Vancouver, B.C. to Sydney, Australia. The last two summers we have joined our daughter, Tawni, in the Caribbean as visiting her onboard ship is the only way to get in a visit. This year she is on Rhapsody of the Seas owned by Royal Caribbean which cruised Alaska from May through mid-September. She had asked us in May when we visited in Florida if we wouldn't consider taking the repositioning cruise when the ship was moved to Australia. She didn't have to press us too hard and we caved and bought the tickets. On September 18 we flew to Vancouver, B.C. and the ship left that afternoon for Hawaii. Beautiful seas, weather and, of course, we enjoy the entertainment as our daughter is in the cast of the Royal Caribbean Dancers and Singers. As a bonus many of the young entertainers accompany us to dinner or for a walk on deck.
We've always enjoyed ship life as there are so many things to do. Every evening we would note which activities we wanted to attend, whether we should go to the movie, how about swimming, should we go walk the mile track and, of course, when to eat. Believe it or not, we usually end up loosing a few pounds as we try not to take an elevator, try to limit meals to two a day and get in a great deal of walking just getting to and from activities. On the first leg of the cruise, I rehearsed and performed for the "Gotta Dance Team" and Tawni and I participated in the scavenger hunt which forced us to attend specific events to get our next clues. Whew, we were busy.
Once in Hawaii the ship went to Lahiana, Maui (our favorite), Hilo, Hawaii, Nawiliwili, Kauai, Kailua-Kona and Honolulu, Hawaii. We had not been back to Hawaii since we left there in 1971 when Tom left the Navy. Of course, the city had really grown, but our little house in Pearl City was still there and we found familiar buildings at Barbers Point Naval Air Station that was closed in 1999 and took our daughter snorkeling at Hanauma Bay.
The second leg of the cruise took us through Papeete, Moorea, Raiatea, and Bora Bora in French Polynesia. The color of the water was everything the brochures picture and better. The little mushroom huts out of the water and warm breeze blowing through the palm trees was beautiful. We spent a lot of time just soaking in the scenery at the various beaches.
Sydney is awesome. One of the most beautiful cities we've seen. The transportation system made it easy for us to get around. One day we bought a $17 pass that allowed us to go on any bus, train or ferry. We opted to take two different ferries and went from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay (where the Opera House is located) and then a 30 minute ferry ride to Manly Beach. Another day we took an open air bus tour and we were able to see the famous Bondi Beach.
The majority of passengers from Hawaii to Sydney were Aussies. At one point, a woman commented to us about the poverty in French Polynesia and stated that they don't allow homeless in Australia. We thought that was an odd comment as we know from experience that in most cities we visit in the US we are always panhandled and there are numerous homeless. Well, we are not sure what they do in the "Down Under" but we kept our eyes open and were never panhandled and saw only one person with a sign asking for help. She was right, they don't seem to have the problem.
We did not have October 13th but went from the 12th to 14th on the ship when we crossed the International Dateline. On returning to the West Coast, we left at 9:00 pm on Oct. 20 and landed at 4:30 pm the same day in LA. That and crossing the Equator and going from Pollywogs to Shellbacks were firsts.
Our hats are off to those sailors that cross the big waters. We had, according to the captain, one of the best crossings he has made in his career. Some days we looked at those swells and the squalls that came through and were happy to be aboard Rhapsody and know that we would get a good night's sleep. We are more cruising sailors than voyaging sailors.
Hope you will check out our pictures and now we are off to our sailing adventure - who knows where we will end up this year?
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05/04/2009, Hualtuco, Mexico
Ahwahnee has been put to "sleep" for the season and is resting in the canal at Marina Chahue. As Tom did engine maintenance when the fuel tank was out, the effort to put the boat away seemed less this year. The heat was escalating so work was done early morning and late afternoon with reading and large glasses of iced tea at arms reach during siesta. The last week we had three afternoons when dark clouds moved in and the temperature dropped. The last day we even had a few sprinkles. The locals had told us no rain until May and they were right.
We took Interjet from Hualtuco to Mexico City. With the H1N1 virius shutdown in Mexico City, the airport was very quiet. Our body temperatures were scanned via infrared and health questionnaires filled out. We felt very secure in the airport as everyone there had passed the scan. From Mexico City we took Mexicana Airlines which stopped in Cancun. We had to get off the plane, go through security again and then back in our same seats. Surprisingly, when we got to the US we weren't asked anything about health. We were geared up for questionnaires, etc. but nothing.
We are now in Miami and today went to the Royal Caribbean rehearsal studios to watch "run-throughs" of two shows Tawni's cast has just completed. We were treated like royalty and sat right in the front of the studio near the mirrors with the singers and dancers within a few feet. What talented young people.
Off to visit Kip & Kathy (Portland sailors) now living in Englewood, FL. The next few days will be spent exploring moorages, boating consignment stores and reminiscing over coconut rum.
Warm up Pacific NW. We're almost there for the summer.
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04/12/2009, Hualtuco, Mexico
Great news! The engine is back in its home and it STARTED. Should have seen the grins on our faces. Tom did a great job and I know he is very relieved. From the day we started unloading fuel until the engine was back in the hole was five weeks. Almost three of that was waiting for the tank to be repaired but Tom took the opportunity to check parts, redo some gaskets and perform maintenance. We've spent three days putting tools away and reorganizing. Today our cockpit looks spiffy. Great feeling.
We've started our "shut-down" list as Ahwahnee will be staying in the canal in Marina Chahue for the summer season. Our window became too short to go any further this season. We like to be home in May with family and so fly out of Hualtuco to Mexico City to Miami on May 2. We will visit our youngest daughter, Tawni, in Miami and some Sauvie Island friends in Englewood, on the West Coast of Florida. While there we will explore marinas to haulout the boat next summer. After a quick week, we'll fly to Portland and get to Bear Run in time to host the annual family Memorial Day camp.
We've almost been in Hualtuco for two months and have really enjoyed the area. We usually walk into town a couple of times a week and in between find other areas to explore. Weekly, there seems to be a mega-yacht that comes in, a circumnavigator and sailors on their way to Panama or coming from the East Coast. Makes for many interesting stories.
Wishing you a Happy Easter,
Tom and Kathy
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