s/v Charabia

05 September 2019 | Jacksonville, Florida
04 September 2019 | Jacksonville, Florida
03 September 2019 | Jacksonville, Florida
02 September 2019 | Jacksonville, Florida
01 September 2019 | Jacksonville, Florida
31 August 2019 | Fredericksburg, Virginia
31 August 2019 | Madison, Connecticut
29 August 2019 | Park Ridge, New Jersey
28 August 2019 | Annapolis, Maryland
28 August 2019 | Huddleton, Virginia
26 August 2019 | Charlotte, North Carolina
25 August 2019 | Jacksonville, Florida
24 August 2019 | Jacksonville, Florida
23 August 2019 | Jacksonville, Florida
22 August 2019 | Jacksonville, Florida
21 August 2019 | Jacksonville, Florida
20 August 2019 | Jacksonville, Florida
19 August 2019 | Jacksonville, Florida
18 August 2019 | Jacksonville, Florida
17 August 2019 | Fairmont, West Virginia

On Our Way to Tahiti! Wednesday, June 27, 2018

27 June 2018 | Tikehau, in the Tuamotus Islands in French Polynesia
Helen/Mark
Had a lovely visit with Jesse and Leane. We turned on the underwater lights. Mark saw lots of fish swimming under our boat. I saw lots of small, tiny fish-like creatures in deep water over 160 feet. We watched the movie, Wing Commander, which was entertaining. We got to bed after 9:30. The wind was very light and we really weren't moving much on the mooring ball. I woke up several times. Then just before the alarm went off, we heard a small bang. Mark went up to find the second bigger mooring ball beside us, was knocking against our port hull. We got dressed and wanted to disengage from our mooring ball. It was not easy when the other mooring ball was trying to go under our boat. Mark was able to pull it off to the one side. He started both engines, while I removed the mooring lines. We motored clear of the two mooring balls and shore. It really did look like we were way too close to the ruins that once was the shipping dock. Once away from that area, I motored back into the wind, while Mark hoisted the main sail. Then we added the jib and continued motoring as the wind was light and protected by the high altitude of Makatea. Once we got clear we found a little wind. We were able to sail without engines. We saw the most gorgeous rainbow off to our port side and then a smaller one on the starboard side. We expected rain, but did not get any until mid afternoon. We dropped the main as it was interfering with the wind for the jib sail as we were sailing down wind. There was one other sailboat out on the ocean with us. Looked like they were heading to Makatea. Also, Jesse and Leane are sailing somewhere behind us, as they left later than us. We decided to fly the spinnaker. We flew the spinnaker with speeds around 4-5 through the morning and early afternoon. The wind died so we took down the sail and motored. Then the wind picked up and we flew the spinnaker again. Our speed is around 3-4 knots. The sun is fully behind clouds, so we are not getting the benefit of its warmth. Our shower bag was not hot enough so we boiled some water and enjoyed a lovely hot shower off the back stairs. The seas were pretty small thru the days, maybe 2-3 feet at most. Now, they are distanced apart. It is a comfortable smooth ride over them. We have just over 80 nautical miles to go. Will start to think about what I would like to cook for dinner tonight. We took turns having naps, as we left just after 6 am this morning. Lots of birds on the ocean today. Some were smaller and totally white. The others were boobies which had a light blue tint to their beaks as they soared back and forth looking for food. It's been a very quiet day and we would love for that to continue overnight. The sun is now shining. Mark said the wind is blowing some. We still have our spinnaker sail flying and moving us closer and closer to Tahiti!
Comments
Vessel Name: Charabia
Vessel Make/Model: Fountaine Pajot / Athena
Hailing Port: Jacksonville, FL
Crew: Mark &Helen
About:
We are both computer folks that were live aboard cruisers back in the 90s. We settled in Jacksonville Florida after escaping the great white north and cruising the Bahamas, T&C, DR and points south down to Trinidad. [...]
Extra: Charabia is a French slang word for nonsense or gibberish. It derives from Arabic "sharab" which means alcohol.When you drink (too much) alcohol, you start talking Charabia. The original owners named her and Mark liked the name so it stuck.
Charabia's Photos - Main
Photos 1 to 20 of 20
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1
Nov 2017 trip south from Jacksonville
9 Photos
Created 23 August 2018
Upgrades and maintenance to Charabia
79 Photos
Created 27 June 2017
72 Photos
Created 16 May 2015
46 Photos
Created 15 May 2015
72 Photos
Created 7 April 2015
95 Photos
Created 4 April 2015
106 Photos
Created 31 March 2015
Get the boat ready to cruise.
10 Photos
Created 14 March 2015