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

Arrived in Sydney!

13 December 2018 | Manly Cove
Helen/Mark
We changed clocks to match New South Wales time, which is one hour ahead or Queensland as they are on Daylight Savings Time. So, I ended up taking my 1st sleep at 8 pm which was really 7 pm. Got to sleep for almost 4 hours, but I woke up. The main sail was rocking the boom and making a clunking sound. Mark headed to bed as he was really tired. We were not making much speed, which was okay as we didn't want to get to Sydney too early. Just before my shift was over, the Off Course alarm sounded. I turned it off but the boat would not steer to the port side, and we were heading towards shore. The wind had changed to West, on the beam, and even higher...the boom needed to be moved to the other side of the boat. Mark woke up and helped. Then he went back to sleep for another hour. I was happy to be out of the cold breeze and into our warm cabin bed. Mark pretty much stayed up the rest of the night. He woke me up as we got close to the magnificent rock wall on the starboard side of the entrance. Very impressive. One engine was running as the wind had lightened. The second engine was added as we motored thru the huge entrance. There was a high rock walk on the port side of the entrance and we could see the high rises at downtown Sydney in behind. Saw a huge number of ferry boats going back and forth. Decided to head over to Manly Cove. I put us in the wind and Mark dropped the main sail. We motored over to where several boats were on mooring balls, plus anchored too. One pink mooring ball was open, so I snatched it up and put our two lines thru it. Once secure, we headed for a nap. I know Mark didn't get enough sleep overnight. Woke up around noon. Helped Mark launch the dinghy. Headed to shore by the Manly Pier, only to find many signs that forbade tying up to the pier. So, Mark walked the dinghy thru the shallow waters over to a penned area with netting, meant for swimmers to be safe from sharks, along the beach in front of us. He tied and secured our dinghy to the piling at the end. Then we walked up to the Manly Pier and checked out the mega number of restaurants, including McDonalds. We selected El Camino and enjoyed our delicious Mexican meals. Then took a walk a few blocks over to the ocean. The breeze was cool, but with the sunshine, the temperature was pleasant. I wore my running shoes, so I didn't go into the water. Mark dipped his feet in and said the water was cold. We walked along the beach. The water was such a beautiful color as it came crashing thru many waves towards to the shore. There were lots of people in one section, which was deemed safe by the life guard station. We walked back on a different street and found several stores, many to do with the beach. We found one store called Humphreys. Mark found a new Tilley knock off hat. When we told them our last name was the same as the store name, they gave us a shopping bag with the store name...Stopped at Aldis at the Pier and picked up a few things. Then walked back to the dinghy. The tide had gone down and we had to heave it down to the waters' edge. This time I had to take off my shoes and socks just to get in. We dinghied back to the boat. Put away our groceries. It was too late to call anyone as it was after midnight on the east coast. Mark had a bit of a rest while I posted pictures on Facebook. Thanks for your comments and messages today. Just as we were enjoying an sg&t being in Sydney, a sailboat over 50 foot motored past the boats on mooring balls and dropped a hook by the pavilion. Looks like a Christmas party on the upper balcony. Then another sailboat, 45 foot in length, motored by us and dropped their hook just off the netted area...they better hope the wind stays from the east, or they will be in the netting. There must have been fifty smaller sailboats out on the harbor racing tonight. They were not only racing but dodging the many ferry boats going by. We may take the fast ferry boat over to Sydney and experience that...walk around the downtown. Not sure if we can stay on this mooring ball another night or not. We can always anchor too. The sky looks overcast now, but there was blue in the sky today, for the first time in days.
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