b.c.bound

Vessel Name: mistletoe
Vessel Make/Model: fraser 41
Hailing Port: victoria b.c.
Crew: chris and jen clarke
09 August 2009 | b.c.
09 August 2009 | hawaii
08 June 2009 | kauai
08 June 2009 | kauai
28 April 2009 | mx
28 April 2009 | mx
09 April 2009 | mx
26 March 2009 | mx
26 March 2009 | mx
16 March 2009 | puesta del sol
15 March 2009 | costa rica
15 March 2009 | costa rica
27 February 2009 | panama
27 February 2009 | panama
27 February 2009 | panama
16 February 2009 | panama
15 February 2009 | san blas
12 February 2009 | caymans
19 January 2009 | cuba
16 January 2009 | cuba
Recent Blog Posts
09 August 2009 | b.c.

hawaii to victoria

Nawiliwili is a few miles from the nearest town so without a bus service we knew it was going to be tough to do what we always need to do in every port. Internet, laundry, provision etc etc. we hitched a ride to town, which was easy. Getting a ride back to the marina was going to be tricky and we decided [...]

09 August 2009 | hawaii

lahaina to kauai

Marty was such a big part of our successful stay in lahaina that we wanted to do something nice for him. He accepted our invitation to sail with us to lanai. The wind finally started blowing in its normal pattern and we had a great sail with Marty steering all the way. We were worried it might be like [...]

08 June 2009 | kauai

maui to kauai

Maui has proved to be one of our best stops of the trip. We were planning to skip all the islands and go directly to Kauai. Due to lack of wind we pulled into lahaina to have a break from two days of solid motoring. We got in after hours so were not able to talk with the harbour master. Some locals were [...]

08 June 2009 | kauai

mx to hawaii

We cast off our lines from Nuevo Vallarta marina at around 5.00 p.m. We were planning on a gentle motor over to the marina in la cruz, about 5 miles north. The wind decided to pipe up as soon as we left the harbour and within a few minutes, we were covered in salt again! We snuck into the fuel dock as [...]

28 April 2009 | mx

p.v.

Finally getting to P.V. after such a slog up from Panama was a huge relief and we both felt like we had come to another one of those milestones along our journey. One thing this leg has taught us. Going up the west coast of the U.S. is definitely not an option for us. Reality has hit me in the face. [...]

28 April 2009 | mx

z-what to p.v.

A few days in z-what and we were ready to roll again. We weighed anchor early and motored a couple of hours around to Ixtapa marina to fuel and top of water tanks, wash salt off etc. Once done, out into a windless ocean and the grim prospect of many more hours of motoring. The wind gods were kind to [...]

t-peck

26 March 2009 | mx
chris
It was three hours before Jenny Wren arrived. We used the time well. The bottom hadn't been scrubbed since colon. Hove to, in this light breeze, mistletoe was moving ahead very slowly. I threw a jib sheet over the side, just in case. Jen was sleeping below. I have heard the stories of boats sailing away on their own when wind has piped up unexpectedly! The water, clear and a nice 28 degrees. Boy, I had no idea the bottom was so bad. Small barnacles had attached themselves all over. An hour later I was done, as well as the bottom. Jen cooked up the fish we had caught earlier, a beauty with yellow spots which we have not seen before. White flesh done in bread crumbs and lemon. Mmm. We must have more of those!
We made sail and pulled alongside Jenny Wren. Merrill had been unable to contact Enrique for an updated forecast but we were comfortable with the conditions and that our 3 day old one was still good. We had rigged the stay sail and reefed main to try and match speed. We were pretty even until Merrill furled his genoa and went with his staysail also. Sod it! Make hay while the sun shines. Up with the genoa and off we go. The wind gradually faded. We held on as long as we could but the chop was killing us. Motor on as J.W. eased past. We lost their light during the night but spoke at 8.00 a.m. they were about 6 miles ahead. Managed to sail most of the next day and as the wind died, decided to cut the corner off and head straight across to marina chahue. This goes against the policy of 'one foot on the beach' but with light s.w. breeze we deemed the risk very low and the savings in fuel and time worth it. After motoring all night, we were rewarded with the sight of J.W. 3 miles off our starboard beam. Having being out of radio range at 8.00 the previous evening, we were now well and truly level again. That corner was definitely worth cutting. We were motoring with the genoa set, doing quite well. I was desperate to shut down the engine, the wind appeared to be building, so i began preparing to set the spinnaker. Jen, who was comfy, reading, was not amused. She has seen this movie before. Sure enough, just as the shute popped, the wind died and we were left wallowing in Merrills wake. After eating a small amount of crow, we cleared up my mess and resumed the journey the way it had been half an hour, and a bit of sweat, before. I popped my head up for a cursory look about, not expecting to see anything. To my surprise, a warship, moving slowly, just off the port bow, converging with us. It appeared to be from the first world war. Old but still pretty. I could picture the guys on the bridge. 'Sailboat with nobody keeping watch. Let's scare the shit out of them!' They would come very close, safely, of course, and blow the loudest steam horn they had, right in our direction. If I had survived the heart attack, I would have been concussed as I tried to scramble out of the cabin, smashing my noggin on the hatch. Sorry to spoil your fun marinaros. They crossed leisurely across our bow, did a slow right turn and were gone. As I write this, we have lost J.W. in the smog ahead. The navigation system is telling us that we have 20 miles to go, a 1 to 2 knot adverse current, and it will take 6 hrs to cover the ground. Well, I will not complain. This, after all, is what we planned so carefully for. No wind and flat seas. We will take it over the alternative. If we had got it wrong, I would not be sitting comfortably at the chart table, typing.
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