Sailing Danica
We will be adding to our blog as we sail from Turkey to St Lucia in the Caribbean in 2018 and with the World ARC 2019/2020 from St. Lucia to St. Lucia
31 May 2020
24 March 2020
20 March 2020
12 March 2020
21 February 2020
21 February 2020
18 February 2020
15 February 2020
14 February 2020
12 February 2020
27 January 2020
23 January 2020
21 January 2020
09 January 2020
08 January 2020
08 January 2020
06 January 2020
04 January 2020
02 January 2020
25 December 2019
Santa Cruz - Last few days in Galapagos
04 March 2019
Glen and Mary Wilson
Galapagos Islands - Santa Cruz
Today is Monday, March 4, 2019. Yesterday Captain went on another dive on Santa Cruz island. I stayed on Danica, posted lots of photos on our blog and made sure we were prepared for the fuel delivery. A water taxi with a driver and Suzanna from the ARC's team stopped by our boat around 11 am. We filled all the jugs and topped Danica's fuel tank. In the evening, before the Happy Hour at the Hernan's, we dropped a couple of bags of laundry. Gemma from Aurora B organized the "ARC Ladies" dinner at Lemon and Coffee restaurant which was great. Afterwards, Captain and I spent a wonderful evening with Jim and Mary from Lake Tahoe on Danica. We will definitely visit their Ranch in California. What a delightful couple.
Today's itinerary includes Glen's haircut, picking up the laundry and buying some more fruit and vegetables for the long journey to Hiva- Oa in Marquesas. In the evening we will attend the World ARC prize giving ceremony and dinner in addition to the Skippers' meeting which will outline the next leg of the journey from Santa Cruz to Hiva-Oa in French Polynesia. The World ARC fleet will set sails on a 2980 NM passage at 12:00 noon on Wednesday.
Tomorrow we will join Laura and Lars from SV Sweet Dreams on a glass bottom boat tour around Santa Cruz island. I am looking forward to touch base with this charming couple.
Before we leave, I plan to post another album of the activities in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz island. Over the upcoming 3-4 weeks' passage I will send our progress to the World's ARC website for posting. The summary of the Pacific Ocean passage will be added to our blog as soon as we get a decent internet connection - Late March or early April ?? Stay tuned.
Today is Monday, March 4, 2019. Yesterday Captain went on another dive on Santa Cruz island. I stayed on Danica, posted lots of photos on our blog and made sure we were prepared for the fuel delivery. A water taxi with a driver and Suzanna from the ARC's team stopped by our boat around 11 am. We filled all the jugs and topped Danica's fuel tank. In the evening, before the Happy Hour at the Hernan's, we dropped a couple of bags of laundry. Gemma from Aurora B organized the "ARC Ladies" dinner at Lemon and Coffee restaurant which was great. Afterwards, Captain and I spent a wonderful evening with Jim and Mary from Lake Tahoe on Danica. We will definitely visit their Ranch in California. What a delightful couple.
Today's itinerary includes Glen's haircut, picking up the laundry and buying some more fruit and vegetables for the long journey to Hiva- Oa in Marquesas. In the evening we will attend the World ARC prize giving ceremony and dinner in addition to the Skippers' meeting which will outline the next leg of the journey from Santa Cruz to Hiva-Oa in French Polynesia. The World ARC fleet will set sails on a 2980 NM passage at 12:00 noon on Wednesday.
Tomorrow we will join Laura and Lars from SV Sweet Dreams on a glass bottom boat tour around Santa Cruz island. I am looking forward to touch base with this charming couple.
Before we leave, I plan to post another album of the activities in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz island. Over the upcoming 3-4 weeks' passage I will send our progress to the World's ARC website for posting. The summary of the Pacific Ocean passage will be added to our blog as soon as we get a decent internet connection - Late March or early April ?? Stay tuned.
Comments
| Vessel Name: | Danica I |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Fountaine Pajot Belize 43, Maestro, Catamaran |
| Hailing Port: | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Crew: | Glen and Mary |
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Danica I 's Photos - Main
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From Grenada- via Barbados- St. Lucia- Toronto-Vancouver- Nanaimo
9 Photos
Created 24 March 2020
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We are social distancing these days due to Corona virus. Spending time at Clark's Boat yard cleaning and polishing the boat. Having minor meltdowns in between....I will definitely miss her and our adventures. Trying to figure out what life will be on solid ground again....
26 Photos
Created 20 March 2020
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This long and challenging passage is over. We have arrived to Grenada after 19 days of pretty uncomfortable journey. Squalls and beautiful sunsets....Our last passage
47 Photos
Created 13 March 2020
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Witnessing the preparations for the Carnival we have some idea of what is to come. I am not a big fan of loud and unruly crowds, but it will be interesting to see the parades tonight at the restaurant 's balcony. Again, Helmut found us a perfect and safe spot to feast in sounds and sights of this big party.
15 Photos
Created 21 February 2020
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A couple of photos from Sunday's dinner at Marius, and a visit to Rio's Botanical Gardens. The original estate became publicly owned in 1957 and is now used as an art school, restaurant and gift shop for budding Brazilian artists. Quite cool.
We enjoyed another amazing lunch at Churrasqueira restaurant , a couple of hours on the Hotel's terrace by the pool and then we took Uber to the airport - we arrived back in Salvador on Danica at 1am, Monday morning.
49 Photos
Created 18 February 2020
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Sunday's excursion with Babsea to Hippie Market was very nice. Barbara found some nice gifts to take home and I came across an authentic bag that had my name on it. There was also a matching hat for complete outfit.
Helmut was again in charge of fine wining and dining and both, lunch and dinner deserve 5 stars. I will remember Rio for the best food in our WARC cruising, for sure.
25 Photos
Created 16 February 2020
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Strolling down the Copacabana beach with Barbara and Helmut from Babsea we witnessed a sea rescue of a fellow who got stranded behind the breaking waves. The red flags on the beach warned the swimmers of strong undercurrents, but some brave souls still ventured too far. We stopped at the fort and museum and then took Uber to old part of the city where Helmut discovered a great Brazilian restaurant on TripAdvisor. We were impressed with the food and service. Captain noticed a couple of burned out lightbulbs, but the rest of us were too busy enjoying our food.
46 Photos
Created 15 February 2020
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A side-trip to Rio de Janeiro has been a fun experience. We enjoyed a guided "Best of Rio" tour that Barbara from Babsea organized. BBQ lunch was an awesome experience for all meat lovers. Too bad I forgot to snap photos. Well, Christ the Redeemer, Selaron Steps and gondola lift to the Sugarloaf mountain have definitely teased our tastebuds for this beautiful city.
89 Photos
Created 15 February 2020
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This passage was quite uneventful, except that I practiced my ukulele every day over the past week and two fish that got away. Light winds stretched the sailing to 15 and 1/2 days. We arrived to Salvador at 10 pm local time. The city panorama at night was absolutely magnificent and the full moon above added a special touch. We got greeted at the dock and waited for Charm for a couple of hours. Afterwards we all gathered on Danica and enjoyed some midnight snacks with beer and wine.
31 Photos
Created 12 February 2020
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We followed the steps of famous Napoleon....
68 Photos
Created 25 January 2020
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I think our birdie found his Castle Garden and his Princess....
Off road trip around the island was fantastic. We plan to visit the Plantation House and Napoleon's footsteps tomorrow.
We were impressed with beautiful vistas, birds and our guide's knowledge of the island and its history....
108 Photos
Created 23 January 2020
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Pigeon's Paradise for sure. Very friendly folks in Jamestown. Until the bank opens tomorrow everyone is wining and dining us on tabs...Ferry taxi, Immigration and customs office, Anne's restaurant.....What a welcome....
43 Photos
Created 21 January 2020
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This eleven day, 1805 NM passage was effortless - poled genoas that we furled and unfurled as needed. A stowaway pigeon was our guest after mile 1000, for the next five days. What an experience....cute actually
64 Photos
Created 21 January 2020
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We enjoyed our stay in Capetown and will fondly remember our visit. The delayed departure ensured that Danica was ready for the next long voyage across the South Atlantic. Peter from Atla helped Captain making sure our compass was pointing us in the right direction.
22 Photos
Created 9 January 2020
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While Captain is busy finishing some last minute work on Danica I spent my morning visiting the beautiful Table Mountain above the Cape Town.
This evening is a girl's sleepover on Danica - Maren and Tully from Charm and Lucia from Niobe.
62 Photos
Created 6 January 2020
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This guided tour took us to the most beautiful country side. "Vineyards in Jasper"....I chuckled to Glen when we were having lunch in town of Franschhoek.
85 Photos
Created 4 January 2020
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The World ARC boats are moored in Victoria and Alfred Waterfront Marina. We are enjoying absolutely beautiful surroundings and great amenities. Today I hopped on the City Seeing Cape Town buses and spent a few hours in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. It included a visit to an art gallery.
115 Photos
Created 2 January 2020
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We left Cape Town on Saturday December 14th and flew back on Monday, December 30. This picture tells it all - we love you guys to the moon and back....see you again in June
Canadian geese and our neighborhood, Donna and Bill driving us to the airport, stopping at the best bakery in Ladysmith on the way and brief visit (14 hr stop) in Frankfurt. Happy New Year 2020- back on Danica 1 - Cape Town
42 Photos
Created 27 December 2019
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Yesterday our family bid last goodbyes to Marica Soklic ( January 15, 1922 - December 14, 2019).You are in our hears until we meet again.....
25 Photos
Created 19 December 2019
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A few snapshots from the marina. I do not wander outside because I really do not feel safe. Pretty rough place.
A sight of homeless people living under the bridge speaks volumes of the social and economic problems. Very sad...
11 Photos
Created 7 December 2019
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A few snapshots of Richards Bay - lovely subdivision houses, gated with electric fences, speaking loudly of the security and safety issues in this country.
We reached Durban on Monday. We were told to travel by cabs.
People we met are friendly and welcoming and the Yacht Club is a great place to chill, enjoy excellent food and meet other yachties waiting for favourable weather. Playing Sequence and working on Plan B regarding our Christmas trip home. One more flight from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town and back.
33 Photos
Created 3 December 2019
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Close encounters with some very large animals on a couple of occasions were slightly out of my comfort zone. Wonderful memories, thou....
34 Photos
Created 27 November 2019
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Saturday afternoon tour's hi-light was a large herd of beautiful African Buffalo and this morning we were graced with Lions and a herd of 25 elephants in addition to birds, giraffes, zebras and antelopes that we almost take for granted by now...
80 Photos
Created 24 November 2019
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Elephants and birds were the hi- light of this morning Safari Tour
34 Photos
Created 23 November 2019
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We had a nice four hour drive to Tembe Elephant Park. Our driver enlightened us on life in this region of South Africa. From his perspective there have been many positive socio-economic changes in the past twenty years. His grandparents came from India and they worked in sugar cane fields.
We have settled into our private tent after the afternoon ride in open jeeps through the woodland plains where we saw many types of antelopes, a number of giraffes, a few elephants and a leopard at a distance. Birds and crickets are making lovely background chirping and we are enjoying the sound of African Safari. Early morning drive tomorrow. Looking forward.
90 Photos
Created 22 November 2019
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Rainy Monday morning offered a weak promise of what turned out to be a very nice day, indeed. Wet and cold start improved as soon as the clouds lifted. Our trip to the reserve started at 5am via small buses. Throughout the reserves we were transported in open jeeps from about 8am to 3pm. Breathtaking vistas with wild animals in their natural habitat. We admired sleepy lions and herds of buffalo, various types of antelopes, rhinos, African elephants and most beautiful group of zebras. Small and larger monkeys tried to steal our lunch at the picnic shelter. As soon as the vehicles stopped we were surrounded by the sounds of different birds and smell of wet grass and new growth. This part of the country received their share of rain when we were sailing between Madagascar and Richards Bay, making the hills lush and green and everything else brown. The rivers we saw were like coffee and the roads leading to small villages on our way to the reserves were covered in mud. Villages appear to be poor, with livestock, mainly goats and cows grazing around simple, concrete, brightly painted and often still under construction houses.
95 Photos
Created 19 November 2019
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The WARC family is complete as of this morning. Footloose arrived on Sunday evening and Babsea moored into their slip about 8:30 am this morning. I was happy to fix a Goodbye breakfast for Hermann and Hello breakfast for Helmut. Welcome to Africa !!!!
35 Photos
Created 19 November 2019
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Sunday evening was great fun. Children from Charm and Niobe entertained the full house with poetry, science, dancing, gymnastics, music and magic tricks. Our greatest admiration goes to amazing moms Lara and Blanca. Their children were exceptional and we all enjoyed heartwarming performance.
Lara also wrote a satiric script of the SSB Radio Net conversations . Hilarious.... The actors were gems and Pizza Pizza Danica's Captain was outstanding. Fun time....
28 Photos
Created 19 November 2019
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Eight days on the last stretch of Indian Ocean offered more challenges than most of the blue water cruising so far. Danica is lucky to have an experienced Captain and competent crew. Top notch weather router was also a big help. Danica sailed bravely through 4m waves and up to 40 knots from one shore to another. Yes, the lightening storms near South Africa are amazing, but I did not take any photos, because I kept my eyes closed when I saw the fireworks outside or heard the thunder. We have arrived to Zululand Marina in Richards Bay in record time, partially due to using engines. We maintained top speed and have arrived to our destination ahead of time. Mission accomplished....
56 Photos
Created 15 November 2019
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The WARC tour on Thursday was an interesting and stunning collection of landscapes and microclimates. The island's volcano reminded me of Lanzarore, Canary Islands.
We enjoyed delicious lunch at O'QG restaurant and wrapped up the day with a Halloween Party at Le Dodo Restaurant. Live music and great company.
55 Photos
Created 2 November 2019
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Multi faith blessing ceremony on the last day in Port Louis was a beautiful ending to our visit in Mauritius. A 143 NM passage was quite slow and we motored for about 10 hours. We left Port Louis at 14:00 on Tuesday and arrived to LePort, Reunion at 13:45 on Wednesday. Danica placed second in our division. Lars and Laura on Sweet Dream had a water pump failure and their engine overheated. They sailed slowly towards Reunion. Glen and Peter from Atla took our dinghy to meet them at the entrance of the harbour to assist them should they need help. Le Port will be a busy spot for captains getting their boats ready for the next passage to South Africa.....
39 Photos
Created 30 October 2019
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This beautiful island in the middle of Indian Ocean has a rich history marked by sugar cane production. This industry shaped the immigration of plantation labour from parts of the world, mainly from Africa and India. We visited an amazing sugar museum and beautiful botanical gardens on our WARC tour on Saturday. Dinner with Babsea and Charm was an icing on a perfect day. Beautiful WARC girls all dressed up for dinner out.
101 Photos
Created 27 October 2019
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This was a Blue Jacket passage for the WARC fleet with Babsea in the spotlight. Everything I said in my Blue Jacket story was tested again and again..... we got through this experience bonded for life. Joe from Charm played a key part in helping Helmut and Hermann outfitting Babsea for improvised sailing. Donations of fuel by the boats close enough to either Babsea or Danica ensured that motoring across the vast ocean was also possible.Snapshots from fuel transfer and navigating through heavy marine traffic during the past couple of days was a new experience to many of us.
149 Photos
Created 24 October 2019
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Babsea and Danica took a ferry to Home island yesterday and we visited this quiet and very neat village. Because Saturdays are days of worship here, only the grocery store was open. We wandered around and had a "healthy lunch" of store bought fruit and cookies in front of a closed cafe. In the evening we enjoyed tasty pizza brought to Direction Island by entrepreneur Tony who has also been our supplier for boxes of vegetables, chocolate, eggs, milk and freshly baked bread. Today he is preparing a nice BBQ lunch for the WARC fleet before we sail off towards Mauritius tomorrow.
54 Photos
Created 6 October 2019
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Anchored in Paradise, I try to soak in as much of this beauty as I can. Wind dancing with palm branches and some brave souls kite surfing in the reef. The World ARC fleet is enjoying dinners together on shore and children have lots of fun on beautiful sandy beaches, making perfect sand castles. Very idyllic atmosphere....
46 Photos
Created 4 October 2019
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We enjoyed perfect three day sailing to Cocos Island. We enjoyed Christmas Island very much. Tully from Charm swam over to Danica before we left. Australian Border Control was on watch at Christmas Island and also at the arrival to Cocos Keeling. A few beautiful sunsets and pods of dolphins playing with the boat on a couple of occasions.
18 Photos
Created 2 October 2019
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Christmas Island is a very beautiful place. We loved our guided Jungle Tour and we learned a lot about the history of this place. Colorful birds and three different types of crabs are very interesting permanent residents.
The residents here have a funky way of letting people know what is going on . They write messages on the blackboards located on the walls of the buildings at the turning circle. The World ARC was welcomed publicly. They also advertise Breast Cancer awareness in an interesting way- bras are pinned on the rope in the centre of the traffic circle. I added my Turkish bikini to the eclectic collection of hanging "delicates".
92 Photos
Created 28 September 2019
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Captain and I celebrated my belated birthday at Oberoi Beach Resort where we were treated royally. Later in the evening the Medana Bay Marina and Tourism Lombok organized beautiful goodbye party for the WARC fleet and Hello to boats from another regatta. Traditional dancing and lots of sweet treats were enjoyed by all.
28 Photos
Created 22 September 2019
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We spent Thursday morning touring Lombok's Wildlife park with Babsea's Crew. Beautiful place that was highly recommended by Lara from Charm, who visited the facility yesterday. We got picked up by their shuttle car at the Medana Bay Marina in the morning. Each one of us received a basket of fruit, vegetables and peanuts to feed elephants, birds, monkeys and other animals. After a lovely lunch with great service the driver took us back to the marina. In the evening we went with Babsea to Tugu restaurant which was a wonderful experience "A La Aladdin" style. On Friday Captain and Babsea's crew went diving to the islands next to Lombok and I spent my belated birthday at a Spa in the Oberoi Beach resort. Danica also won a first prize for Leg 9 from Darwin to Lombok. Yeahhhhh...
123 Photos
Created 19 September 2019
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We took a day tour of the Lombok Island. What a fascinating place. The population is 80 % Moslem which is reflected in their conservative dress code. Very friendly and competent marina staff is trying their best to keep the WARC fleet happy and well fed. On today's tour we visited monkeys in the rain forest, a local produce and meat market, a couple of traditional villages known for pottery and weaving, and an interesting Hindu Temple. We enjoyed an outstanding traditional Indonesian lunch at a resort on the south shore of Lombok. A horse and buggy ride through the main town was a real highlight. I took many photos of an interesting traffic on the streets of Lombok - hundreds of motorcycles carrying various loads - from extended family to various merchandise. In the evening we had lovely BBQ feast at the Medana Bay Marina. A day full of great memories.
115 Photos
Created 18 September 2019
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The first 1000 NM of the Indian Ocean were great. Beautiful sunsets and nice sailing under the starry skies. Visits from dolphins and white birds brightened our days. We anchored in Medana Bay Marina on Tuesday morning and got our clearances on shore.
49 Photos
Created 18 September 2019
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We are motoring to Stokes Hill Wharf which will be the start line of Leg 9 - Darwin to Lombok. A few pictures from yesterday's Skipper's briefing and this morning's visit from Mr. Andrew Bishop. We got through the Cullen Bay Marina locks at about 8:30 am. The start of the next passage is in 30 minutes and I am taking advantage of the internet before we head back to the satellite communications.
22 Photos
Created 9 September 2019
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Another beautiful day exploring Northern Territory of Australia with a very knowledgeable guide Norm. He was very passionate about the history of this region. We returned back with fond memories of three beautiful waterfalls, got a close view of the termite mounds and enjoyed a different crocodile cruise along the Adelaide River with guide Patrick. Also photos of interesting signs at the toilets, practice of controlled bush fires to manage wildfires and a stroll through a beautiful trails neat Wangi Falls, Florence Falls and Buley Rockhole.
91 Photos
Created 7 September 2019
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An Amazing Australian Experience - Long day trip on a small bus to Kakadu National park included a visit to Ubirr Rock and Nabad Wetlands, Aboriginal Rock Art, Guluyambi Cultural Cruise on East Alligator River - crocodiles in their natural habitat.
We enjoyed this trip very much.
127 Photos
Created 6 September 2019
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Saltwater crocodiles or "Salties" are Australian biggest "nasties". On today's tour up the Adelaide River we were told to be extremely careful as the animals could jump out of the water and seriously harm or kill you if you leaned over the boat's railing. We all made it safely back to the City. Another once in a lifetime experience. Worth the long bus drive.
Tomorrow, Glen and I signed for another all-day tour of the Kakadu National Park and on Saturday we plan to visit Litchfield National Park. Both parks are east from Darwin and I will post more photos from those trips. Two long days of sight-seeing ahead of us.
59 Photos
Created 5 September 2019
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Captain brought Danica back to the Cullen Bay Marina this morning. More work is scheduled to be done here over the next few days. Yesterday I bought a two day bus ticket and today I decided to check out the Museum and Art Gallery as well as Bombing of Darwin Harbour and Royal Flying Doctor Service Museum.
The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory was a wonderful experience. I got lost in time and admired many different displays. I enjoyed the historic overview of this area and challenges the first settlers and aboriginal people faced. Life on the frontier has never been easy. Devastating Cyclone Tracy gallery was a grim reminder how powerful Mother Nature is. On Christmas eve of 1974, 70% of Darwin has been destroyed and 30,000, out of 40,000 total population, evacuated.
Other galleries included Indigenous Art Gallery, Maritime Gallery, and the Chinese experience of the Territory. Gold rush encouraged immigration to this part of the world from China and Europe.
90 Photos
Created 4 September 2019
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This album includes the glimpse of our journey, showing that we are heading into the second half. Danica is undergoing maintenance in Spot On Marina. I have been exploring the City on a Hop on hop off bus and took many photos from the top floor.
Interesting place, very dry at this time of the year, very clean, fairly simple, many amenities- green spaces, native arts, festivals, recreational opportunities, huge tides - the Fannie Bay where we were first anchored was almost dry yesterday....Lovely place altogether
The fragrant tree blossoms from my morning walk along the waterfront are for my friend Kulpreet. Since visiting French Polynesia, these beautiful flowers are worn by women enhancing their beauty and reminding us to live in the moment.
89 Photos
Created 3 September 2019
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This eight day passage was often challenging due to navigating inside the Great Barrier Reef. We mostly followed the shipping lanes all the way to Cape York. When we turned westerly, the winds shifted and their intensity increased. This caused some bumpy sailing for a couple of days. However, the sunsets and sunrises from these long passages are fantastic. Glad to share them through this portal. Smoke from the wildfires was visible during the last four days, making for an interesting photos.
52 Photos
Created 30 August 2019
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We stopped at Lizard Island National Park for a day to pay tribute to famous Captain Cook. We climbed the mountain and saw beautiful reefs around the island. The reefs are beautiful for snorkeling but quite challenging when trying to find safe passages which Captain Cook did indeed. No fancy chart plotters on Endeavor back then.
53 Photos
Created 30 August 2019
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An interesting Monday afternoon, learning more about marine life along the Great Barrier Reef as well as animals living in the Tropical Rain forest.
39 Photos
Created 19 August 2019
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Today we combined the award winning Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail Rainforest Cableway with three of Kuranda's best wildlife attractions. We strolled through an amazing aviary at Birdworld. Glen made a few feathery friends with a bag of bird feed. I loved the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, a home to over 1500 free flying tropical butterflies. We also saw cute Koalas, some lazy crocodiles and a variety of kangaroos in a beautiful Kuranda zoo- botanical garden. I took lots of photos from the trip. The train ride was very nice, but a high ride in a Skyrail Rainforest Cableway above the trees was a cool way of getting back.
100 Photos
Created 18 August 2019
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Saturday, August 17, 2019. A fantastic day spent diving and snorkeling along the Great Barrier Reef. Babsea's crew booked this excursion on the fast catamaran. We were enjoying a nice breakfast when a pod of humpback whales approached our boat. This was near the first diving/snorkeling site. During my floating over the coral reefs I saw a turtle, a spotted sting ray, a couple of black tipped reef sharks and hundreds of colourful fish that matched the coral reef where they were feeding. Very beautiful experience.
41 Photos
Created 17 August 2019
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We are so happy to be able to resume our original plans. Fast sailing from Mackay to Cairns - we will cover about 350 NM in two days to catch up with our friends from Babsea and explore this area together. Diving/snorkeling tour is already scheduled for tomorrow morning. We can not bypass The Great Barrier Reef- one of the nicest areas in the world to check out the underwater world. About 25 Nm from Mackay we saw a couple of pods of humpback whales feeding. They were very close and we had to detour around them.
42 Photos
Created 15 August 2019
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In addition to the touristy stuff in Mackay area and Airlie beach we managed to spent quite a bit of time in the Mackay Base Hospital. Glen got a complete check-up. His heart if fine and he is responding well to the medication for the blood clots in his lungs. We are happy to be able to continue with our journey and hope to catch up with the rest of the fleet, especially our buddy boat Babsea.
10 Photos
Created 13 August 2019
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Sharing some glorious sunrises and sunsets...
14 Photos
Created 7 August 2019
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The tour organized by the WARC was lovely. We left at 4 am and saw these beautiful wallabies at sunrise . A new continent and different wildlife.
24 Photos
Created 7 August 2019
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This challenging 1170 NM passage was quite an experience due to medical emergency on day three of our 7day trip.
63 Photos
Created 7 August 2019
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We spent a fun day visiting a Kastom Village with traditional dancers, hiked to a beautiful waterfall and stopped at the coffee place.
80 Photos
Created 23 July 2019
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Yachting World Marina, Stonegrill Restaurant, Farmer's Market and Bidding goodbye to Peter and Hubert from Babsea
22 Photos
Created 23 July 2019
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50 Photos
Created 21 July 2019
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School visit, Gift exchange and Traditional farewell feast
71 Photos
Created 21 July 2019
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Customs and immigration clearances on board Danica after our arrival to Port Resolution and amazing World ARC tour of the Mt. Yasur active volcano. Traditional welcome at the Kastom Village was another lovely experience.
54 Photos
Created 17 July 2019
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A beautiful start in Musket Cove and a sporty sailing until Sunday afternoon when the wind died. The ocean became calm, beautiful night skies were a lovely night companion on my watch and the rainbows in the squalls were just amazing.
51 Photos
Created 12 July 2019
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A few photos from the last couple of days before we set sails to Vanuatu
19 Photos
Created 12 July 2019
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We are enjoying the last few days in Fiji. Musket Cove Marina and Resort is a lovely place and reconnecting with the rest of the WARC boats is awesome. Yesterday we took a ferry to Port Denarau and visited the City of Nadi. We stocked up on some provisioning and gifts for the children in Vanuatu.
25 Photos
Created 9 July 2019
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We sailed 37 NM from Yasawa island to Waya Island where we are anchored in a bay with four other boats; Babsea, one American and two Canadian from Victoria. Small world. We did proper Sevusevu and met the chief of the village. We were later invited to Fijian traditional dinner, which we enjoyed very much. On Sunday we attended church service with beautiful singing. The preacher welcomed us and blessed our journey across the oceans. Then he gave a very passionate and stern speech to the audience in his native tongue. In the afternoon we did an hour hike to the cyclone cave where people hide during a cyclone. On the way back we caught a glimpse of a mother cutting her son's hair. He was not very pleased, but I found a package of cookies in my bag and he was all smiles after that. Beautiful memories from this island. Met SV Patience and Aftermath from Victoria. Enjoyed traditional dinner together on Saturday.
75 Photos
Created 6 July 2019
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We are moving westerly quite quickly. Yesterday we were anchored near a small village by Yasawa island. Glen, Helmut and I went to the village and gave a bag of kava and a bag of school supplies for the local school. This was quite informal visit with a small group of ladies who sold us a few homemade souvenirs. No kava ceremony. Today we motored 12NM to Blue Lagoon. Very beautiful place. Nice resort on the shore. Tricky navigation among coral reefs.
39 Photos
Created 5 July 2019
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We have spent a couple of days anchored at the Wananavu Resort. Glen and Helmut booked another diving tour. We also visited a traditional village and were welcomed by locals. The ladies showed us some of the handmade souvenirs and we experienced kava ceremony. Beautiful singing and dancing at the end of our visit. Children enjoyed lollipops. So glad I had a large goodie bag with me.
28 Photos
Created 5 July 2019
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We left the Nabouwalu bay early this morning and motor/sailed to the north tip of the island of Viti Levu. Glen and Helmut have arranged for their dives tomorrow morning. Today we had a nice dinner at the Wananavu Resort.Lots of bugs everywhere, but nobody except me seems to mind. Manna for geckos. Beautiful sunsets and bright stars at night. We love Fiji.
42 Photos
Created 2 July 2019
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We spent a rather wet weekend here, but the social aspect of cruising was perfect. We met a Slovenian solo sailor and an accomplished writer Jasmin Causevic and had dinner together at the Copra marina. Today we are motoring towards the SW tip of Vanua Levu island. The storm has passed and the wind is gone as well.
36 Photos
Created 30 June 2019
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We have arrived to Savusavu yesterday in order to find a safe spot where we could dodge the storm that actually reached the area later today. We went to town this morning and got some beautiful produce and fruit at the local market. The grocery store did not have much selection and I hope the next stop will be better. Very interesting to watch local people coming to the market.
40 Photos
Created 29 June 2019
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Two days of diving for Glen and Helmut with Taveuni Diving Team. I enjoyed snorkeling yesterday along the Rainbow Reef. I have to dust off our Go Pro camera in order to take some underwater photos. Beautiful memories of this lovely island.
35 Photos
Created 27 June 2019
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Today we enjoyed a nice tour of this island by taxi with Babsea's crew- Captain Helmut, Peter and Hubert. We drove through a few villages and crossed a couple of rivers before we arrived to Tavoro Waterfalls in Bouma National Heritage Park. The hike to the waterfalls took us a couple of hours, but the views were worth the sweat. I hope the photos will convey some of the beauty we experienced today. Dinner at the Taveuni Dive Resort was a perfect way to end the day.
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Created 25 June 2019
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Danica and Babsea lifted their anchors and left the Bay of Islands on Vanua Balavu island at 3pm on Monday, June 24th. An overnight passage is lovely; we sailed double head sails most of the way. It is almost 6am and the end of my watch. I can see Babsea's navigation lights about 2 NM away. There must also be a Digicel tower close by because I am able to get strong signal- thus my early morning posting. In a couple of hours we should be at our new anchorage. More photos to follow
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Created 24 June 2019
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This beautiful spot is located about 20 NM from the Village of Lomaloma. About a dozen WARC boats have found temporary homes in many small anchorages. We have been exploring the caves and snorkeling. The evenings turned out to be special social gatherings . At dusk there are hundreds of large bats flying around this small bay. We have been gathering in our dinghies every evening to enjoy this unique experience over a glass of wine.
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Created 24 June 2019
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Vanua Balavu is a beautiful island where the WARC fleet got their clearances for Fiji. Today we ventured into the Lomaloma village and were warmly greeted by the residents we met at the store and on the street.
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Created 21 June 2019
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Beautiful 48 hour sailing with two head sails, wing-on-wing with trade winds between 14 and 20 knots from behind. Starry night skies and full moon made the night watches effortless. We are excited to spend the next three weeks exploring jet another corner of the South Pacific Paradise.
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Created 21 June 2019
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We have just returned from another nice evening spent at the Mango Restaurant. The local school band played some wonderful tunes as the group was mingling and enjoying their drinks and kava. The restaurant was beautifully decorated with fresh flowers and the food was excellent. We were greeted by Tonga's officials from the Ministry of Tourism and deputy Prime Minister. More traditional dancing after the supper. Prize giving ceremony is always fun. Danica did not get any prizes this time. We stayed too long in Suwarrow, as we arrived with the first group and left with the second.
Sad goodbyes to five boats that will be leaving the fleet here in Tonga and we welcomed two boats that are joining us on our journey to St. Lucia. We will miss Nica, Mango, Raid, Makara of Exe and Cassiopee. Fair winds my friends... hope our paths will cross again.
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Created 15 June 2019
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In addition to our visit to this beautiful Botanical Garden, we learned a lot about traditional weaving, kava making, vanilla production and bark cloth making. We enjoyed lovely lunch and a dance performance by the village children that brought smiles to everyone.
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Created 14 June 2019
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Helmut from Babsea organized a nice island tour which included a traditional lunch at the guide's house. We stopped in the morning to see how the fish and chicken are wrapped in banana leaves and prepared to be baked along with breadfruit and some other root vegetable in the earth oven. We then continued our tour of the east side of Vava'u island and returned in a couple of hours to enjoy lunch which included a roasted pig and fish, chicken and breadfruit from the oven. Sweet watermelon was a perfect dessert. The trip ended with a traditional dance. Very nice.
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Created 13 June 2019
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We are moored in Vava'u and have been dodging some heavy monsoon rainstorms at Mango Cafe. When it rains it really pours.....The pigs do not mind it....
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Created 12 June 2019
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We have arrived to Vava'u on Monday morning, June 10th and skipped one day due to time difference from Niue. Easy check-in with local officials at the town dock. Nice WARC fundraising dinner at the Dancing Rooster Restaurant made local librarian very happy. A rainy Tuesday at the Mango Cafe allows me to post this blog and photos.
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Created 10 June 2019
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Visiting this small country in the middle of the South Pacific was a was awesome. Niue's population is 1700, 500 of them school age children, about 500 work for the government, and others are involved with local businesses. Many residents left this island after the last big cyclone and now live in New Zealand or Australia. We had a wonderful visit. On Friday I returned my WiFi Gadget to Niue Telecom and met two lovely ladies: Shalom and Grace. I also stopped at the local craft shop and chatted with local artists. Last batch of Niue photos.
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Created 10 June 2019
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We are moored in Alofi Bay on the west side of the Niue Island. Getting to shore was a new experience. We had to lift our dinghy by a crane onto the concrete pier. The customs clearance on the gazebo by the pier was easy and the officers were very friendly. On Wednesday we joined crews from Endo 2 ,Makara of Exe and Taurus on a guided tour of the island. We saw some beautiful and famous spots; Togo Chasm, Anapala Chasm and Huvalu Forest conservation area.
Another interesting fact about this place- when people die, they get buried on their property, usually near the road. Grave sites with fancy headstones and flowers are everywhere. Often under a covered shelter...
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Created 6 June 2019
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The lagoon, its coral reef and the bird sanctuary were amazing places. I took my kayak and enjoyed my quiet time listening to the breaking waves and noisy birds...
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Created 5 June 2019
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Trying to find Tom Neale's spirit ....I managed to reorganize his library
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Created 4 June 2019
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The WARC fleet gathered on the shores of the Anchorage island for potluck dinners and drinks- it was wonderful to touch base with everyone. An evening party on the floating dinghies in the lagoon got interrupted by a nasty squall.
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Created 4 June 2019
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The 700 NM passage was one of the more challenging so far. Frequent squalls usually ended up with beautiful rainbows. One accidental jibe, however, caused some serious damage to our topping lift and lazy jacks. The trip took two days longer than planned. When we had wind, it came from a wrong direction. We motored more than during any other long ocean passages, but slower pace allowed me to take some nice photos of sunsets.
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Created 4 June 2019
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We are setting sails towards the Cook Island of Suwarrow tomorrow at 12:00-noon. Last minute preparations included comprehensive Skippers Meeting which included information on passages and destinations as well as weather. The WARC staff took care of the paperwork saving us days of frustration, I am sure. The Yellow shirts staff is fantastic, that I know for sure.
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Created 18 May 2019
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Today we spent the afternoon with Barbara, Helmut, Peter and Fritz driving around Bora Bora island. We stopped for a drink at famous Bloody Mary establishment where we also had dinner with Nica 's Maren and Gorm and Seaside's new crew from Germany, as well as Tumi's Debra and Paul. I think this is a very beautiful place but Moorea and Huahine were in my opinion better maintained and cleaner islands. There are no designated bike lanes on fairly narrow and busy roads and I think cycling around the island would not be as much fun as I thought before.
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Created 16 May 2019
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Great day sail from Huahine to Bora Bora. Captain washed a load of towels and filled both water tanks very fast and quietly. We arrived at 4:30 pm and our friend Helmut was waiting in his dinghy to help Glen with the mooring ball. We met Babsea's new crew Peter and Hubert over appies and wine/beer on Danica and dinner at the Bora Bora Yacht Club.
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Created 15 May 2019
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Our stay on the island of Huahine was short but intense. This island is so beautiful I hope to permanently imprint its vibrant images in my heart and soul. Not sure if my iPhone photos will do the justice. One of these days I might bite the bullet and get our "still in the box" Go Pro a try, however, posting larger photos on the blog could be a problem.
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Created 15 May 2019
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On Friday, May 10th we motored from the Papeete Marina to Marina Taina to get fuel. Passing the busy airport on one side and noisy breaking waves on the other side of the narrow channel was and interesting experience. The air traffic controller managed to direct the air crafts as well as boats in the channel very well in perfect English. While we were fiddling with the fuel hose, a dinghy with two friendly faces started to admire the Canadian flag on Danica. They turned out to be Steve and his son Billy from Victoria. The family has been cruising for almost ten years. We connected with the parents over dinner on Danica, because the kids had a sleep over. On Saturday I managed to post one of my blogs and some photos before we lifted the anchor for the overnight passage to Huahine. The sailing to Huahine was fantastic, nice trade winds pushed us along under the starry skies to another Polynesian Paradise.
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Created 15 May 2019
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A day trip to the island of Moorea with our Austrian friends Babsea and Helmut was another experience that it is hard to put into words. The sweet fragrance of the flowers mixed with warm, salty air from the ocean. Beautifully manicured gardens and nice, paved roads with bicycle lanes. Lush green volcanic mountains with pointy peaks and multi-shade blue ocean with waves breaking over coral reefs.
A ferry ride with a herd of elementary school children with flowers in their hair. I wish I would have taken their "before and after the trip" photos. We rented a car and I was the chauffeur du jour. A visit of the "juice factory" was more like a 50/50 brew. It reminded me of the St. Lucian punch upon our arrival across Atlantic. The lady at the juice sampling boutique was extremely generous with the samples mellowing my passengers.
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Created 11 May 2019
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We have arrived to Tahiti last Saturday. Captain has been busy with his growing "to do list" that now includes a new water maker installation. Papeete is known to be a good place to catch up with boat maintenance. We have been exploring this lovely city and partying with the World ARC friends over dinners and drinks. On Friday we joined Babsea's Helmut and Barbara on the Jeep Safari tour of the island. The pictures speak for themselves. Over 1000 waterfalls flow into the old volcanic crater that is now green and overgrown with lush tropical vegetation. The taste of Tahiti is similar to Nuku Hiva; warm and welcoming Tahitians, clean and well maintained settlements, nice marina and services that support sailors and breathtaking beauty of the island itself.
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Created 4 May 2019
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I found French Polynesia to be very different from the rest of the world. Warm and happy people are proud of their heritage. They keep their islands and atolls beautiful beyond description. Most of the houses are very simple but the gardens are manicured and friendly smiles are permanent. The nature is breathtaking; the colours of the water and sky are a feast for any artist and the underwater world is absolutely amazing.
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Created 29 April 2019
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Exploring the south end of the atoll- floating dinghy sundowners with Chanto, Aurora B, Mango, Cassiopee, Babsea, Tumi, Cabana...Fantastic diving and snorkeling with Mateo's divers and enjoying pink sandy beaches with no end....lovely
32 Photos
Created 25 April 2019
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We are enjoying the hospitality of this beautiful atoll in Tuamotu, French Polynesia. Captain loves diving. He seems to appreciate the beauty of the underwater creatures. I had my share of fun during an excursion to a pearl farm. I bought an oyster from the harvesting basket. The guide opened the shell and picked up a lovely gray pearl that was later put on a string making a simple necklace. We also rented bicycles and covered about 50 km on two wheels. The atoll has a paved road and various vegetation covers the area between the road and water on both sides.
54 Photos
Created 20 April 2019
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This 550 NM can be described as one with amazing sunsets and sunrises, trimming the sails down to get a perfect timing for the Fakarava lagoon pass, a visit by two boobies and avoiding squalls and coral reefs. We are looking forward to discover the atoll that inspired french painter Henri Matisse.
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Created 17 April 2019
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We spent a few days in Daniel's Bay. I was impressed by the beautiful green valley. People planted citrus and coconut trees, flowering bushes and the grounds near the anchorage are manicured. Touched base with Cassiopee, Aurora B, Sweet Dream and Chao-Lay
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Created 11 April 2019
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Because the winds were too light to sail to Tuamotu we stayed in Nuku-Hiva a little longer. We sailed to beautiful Anaho Bay. En route Captain caught a large Yellow-fin tuna that we shared with other boats in the anchorage. A hike over the hill was a great experience and sun downers on Cassiopee with Heike and Udo was lots of fun. On our way back to Taiohae Bay we encountered over 100 dolphins and enjoyed their playful performance for almost an hour.
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Created 11 April 2019
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A guided tour around the island of Nuku-Hiva was a great experience. Lush green hills with with interesting geological rock formations. We enjoyed lunch in the Village of Hatiheu and had a private tour of the museum.
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Created 5 April 2019
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Taiohae Bay - Luxurious Pearl Lodge with great internet. We enjoyed Polynesian dancers and flowers and another fantastic World ARC dinner with prizes. None for Danica this time.
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Created 5 April 2019
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We sailed from Hiva-Oa to the island of Tahuata where we spent a day with Sweet Dream before an overnight sail to Nuku-Hiva.
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Created 3 April 2019
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Yesterday we had Skippers' meeting with the briefing for the Leg 4 from the Galapagos to Hiva Oa - French Polynesia. It will be a long journey of about 3000 NM. We also had a Leg 3 prize giving ceremony and wonderful fleet dinner. I am happy to report that Danica placed second in the multi haul division, behind Hanna and ahead of Mango. Sweet Dreams won the Blue Jacket.
Today we spent most of the day with Laura and Lars, first on the glass bottom boat trip and later on we enjoyed lovely dinner on the waterfront.
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Created 6 March 2019
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Amazing tour to one of Isabela's volcanoes. 99% of Isabela Island is in a protected area - National Park- unspoiled rugged place with abundant wildlife - we enjoyed seeing many bird species on the way to the volcano.
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Created 3 March 2019
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Our first tour to Cabo Rosa/ Los Tuneles was a truly amazing snorkeling experience. We saw sea horses, giant sea turtles, sleeping sharks , Galapagos penguins and colorful rainbow fish that look a lot like the ones I admired in my Manicurist's aquarium. For this underwater show I did not mind getting my hair wet.
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Created 3 March 2019
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Today, my Captain and I took a tour to the the Cerro Mesa Ecological Reserve and had a fantastic horseback ride to the volcano - lush green landscape with butterflies, birds and giant turtles makes this island quite a bit different from San Cristobal. We also visited Adriano Cabrera coffee plantation and processing establishment and tasted El Trapiche - Cane Liquor, roasted coffee beans with homemade sugar and of course their coffee. Very different process from the last coffee plantation in Colombia.
We had a big storm again this afternoon which gave me a perfect excuse to check out the local spa for a little TLC.
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Created 28 February 2019
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Snorkeling
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Created 26 February 2019
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So far we have spent two full days in San Cristobal. On Friday morning we welcomed eleven officials to complete stacks of paperwork in order to make sure we are fit to spend some fine time on these lovely islands. Glen impressed everyone by producing his official Captain's stamp and inked every piece of paper that was put in front of him. The diver checked the hulls on Danica, a couple of officials scanned the Galley and the state room. One lady examined the first aid kit and another fellow checked the flares. All the papers from the blue folder, including our passports and boat papers were checked twice and everything was in order. On Saturday Glen took a diving excursion to Kicker Rock which is famous for various marine animals, including sharks. I spent a day updating the blog and we had a lovely sushi dinner with MJ and JF from Cassiopee and their friends Tracey and Dan after a happy hours with the World ARC crews at the hotel.
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Created 23 February 2019
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We are preparing for an 850 NM journey to Galapagos and then on March 6th, a 2980 NM passage to Hiva- Oa in Marquesas. This will be our longest passage - just a bit longer than crossing the Atlantic a couple of months ago. We spent a couple of days on Taboga island in Panama and a couple of days anchored in Contadora Island from where we left to Galapagos. Photos of Contadora island- very lovely place.
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Created 23 February 2019
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This 860 nm passage included sixteen Boobies taking a night trip on Danica across the Equator - welcome to the magical Galapagos Islands
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Created 23 February 2019
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Danica's 24 hour journey from the Shelter Bay Marina on the Atlantic side of Panama to LaPlayita Marina on the Pacific Ocean. Great experience.
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Created 6 February 2019
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Today is the day. Danica is scheduled to join the second transit group for the Panama Canal crossing. The ARC staff have been briefing the fleet regularly and we are expected to do some more tweaking this morning when we receive lines and fenders.
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Created 5 February 2019
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A short passage from the West Lemon Island to the Shelter Bay Marina, Colon. We enjoyed a great 12 hour sail. Danica is scheduled to transit the Panama Canal on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.
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Created 1 February 2019
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Created 30 January 2019
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ARC dinner and prize giving ceremony in the beautiful Club Santa Marta. Delicious food, nice entertainment by local dancers and prizes for the winners: Chubby Bunny, Aurora B, Sky, Cabana, Mango, Manihi and Seaside. Well done.....
Our departure to San Blas was delayed by two days and we had more time to explore downtown.
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Created 22 January 2019
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Danica's crew enjoyed a day tour to the Sierra Nevada mountains.
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Created 21 January 2019
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This album contains photos from our first two days in Santa Marta. The ARC team organized a bus tour around the City on Friday. We visited the Gold Museum as well as a Hacienda where Simon Bolivar who is credited for the Colombian independence lived for some time and is buried there. On Saturday we spent a day in Bahia Concha in Tayrona National Park. Beautiful beaches, shaded trees, swimming and visiting with fellow ARC sailors and a fantastic BBQ meal added another string of great memories to the Taste of Santa Marta and Colombia
63 Photos
Created 21 January 2019
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This album started with a visit to Danica from Mr. Bishop, who informed us in St. Lucia that Canadians will have to pay additional entry fees to Colombia. The start of the World ARC in St. Lucia, a few photos of life on board Danica over the five day- five night passage and of course our final landing in Santa Marta, which was more challenging than anticipated.
43 Photos
Created 18 January 2019
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The World ARC office is open and the boats registered for the rally are arriving to the Rodney Bay marina. The waterfront cafes and restaurants are busy with sailors preparing for the trip of their lifetimes, safety inspections are being conducted on the 29 registered boats and seminars related to this adventure are starting tomorrow morning. Glen and Dave have completed some important jobs on the boat today and Danica has passed her safety inspection by the ARC staff in the morning. Nancy and I have enjoyed the afternoon at the Face to Face Spa and our feet are totally kissable again.
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Created 7 January 2019
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Sunday trip to the beautiful Natural Reserve on the east side of the island was a fantastic experience. The tour guide Greg was very knowledgeable. He touched on St. Lucia's history as well as introducing many interesting plants and their fruits/nuts/seeds. Zip-lines were enjoyed by all....
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Created 6 January 2019
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We have re-connected with our German friends Martina and Uli who have arrived to St. Lucia from Barbados on December 28, 2018. Great moments together include the New Year's celebration on their boat Baradal, a field trip to the Pigeon Island and town of Castries, Captains sharing fried pig tails at the local vendors and Admirals checking out the local stores and services in Rodney Bay. The Captains bonded over various projects on both boats, from the masts and sails to the electronic charts, Danica and Baradal are sea-worthy again. The four of us played endless games of Sequence and Triminos, over nibbles, beer and champagne. Fair winds till we meet again....
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Created 4 January 2019
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Captain and I have no definite schedule for this week. A few outstanding jobs for Glen on the boat and a spa day for Mary. Going with the flow.....reflect and plan for the next sailing leg
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Created 26 December 2018
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We have returned from Martinique on Saturday, December 22 to attend ARC's price giving party and to made sure that our friend Don did not miss his plane on Sunday.
Photos include moments from the ARC's party and some more.
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Created 25 December 2018
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We have sailed to the island of Martinique for a few days to get the repairs done on Danica. Le Marin port is well known for excellent tradesmen who completed the works to Captain's satisfaction. Don and I checked out all grocery stores in Le Marin. On Friday we rented a car to explore the island and were impressed by its beauty. I took lots of photos that I hope to eventually post in this album. The internet is bad or worse, so be patient
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Created 22 December 2018
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We visited the Botanical Gardens in St. Lucia on our Sunday's road trip. I think the beautiful flowers deserve their own album if I will ever be able to download their photos. Weak and slow internet makes the task of downloading my personal challenge over the holidays.... I did not dot down the names of the plants, but most of them are native to the area.
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Created 18 December 2018
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St. Lucia appears to be quite different from the images advertised in travel brochures. The Rodney Bay Marina is a nice facility and the services are good. Glen has been supervising the work done for the boat, but Sud's laundry needed no supervision. We have celebrated with fellow sailors our safe arrival to this island at the Yacht club's BBQ, which was so-so, however, the entertainment and company afterwards was great. We also took a taxi tour of the west side of the island and saw the famous Pitons- green pointy volcanic hills, botanical gardens and had a typical St. Lucian lunch in the afternoon in Sufriere. I tried to capture the St. Lucia that has its own growing pains and cultural clashes. Beautiful lush island, but they could use one or two Cesar Manriques from Lanzarote to clean up the place and have an Official Community Plan. Lots of work to make the island clean and safe for tourists- not there by far in my humble opinion.
86 Photos
Created 18 December 2018
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The last stretch of the Atlantic crossing presented some challenges including frequents squalls, broken shackle on Code 0 sail and damaged rigging. For the last four days we sailed with partially furled Genoa and storm sail averaging about 4 knots
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Created 17 December 2018
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We left Las Palmas on Sunday, November 25, 2018 and have arrived to Rodney Bay on Thursday, December 14, 2018. This was the longest passage for us so far.
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Created 16 December 2018
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The Las Palmas Marina is buzzing with action. I am multitasking as well. Two loads of laundry on the go and a cappuccino at a different restaurant. I hope I will be able to post the photos of the last week in Gran Canaria. The high-lights include "A NIght in Rio" costume party, shopping with my friend Martina , Crew dinner at fancy restaurant Embarcadero and checking out of Spain at the Frontier Police this morning. We met Mr. Agustin Martin and his wife from the OCC Gran Canaria and had lunch on Danica. Agustin is the Ocean Cruising Club representative in Gran Canaria.
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Created 23 November 2018
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Life in Las Palmas Marina includes; working on the boat and spending lots of money in various marine stores, wining, dining and dancing with fellow sailors, attending various sailing seminars, a bus tour to the winery and last but not least, a memorable ARC's Opening ceremony. Will add more memories from Las Palmas over the next five days.
46 Photos
Created 19 November 2018
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We have arrived to Las Palmas. The overnight passage was not for the faint of heart or stomach, but we have happily settled in Las Palmas Marina. The ARC activities include wining and dinning, informative sailing seminars, hustle and bustle of people trying to cram last minute projects, that should probably be addressed months ago. Watching them, it feels like they are cramming for exams. I am so grateful for the high safety standard and due diligence Captain Wilson has always maintained. Danica is ready for the final ARC inspections, no sweat.
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Created 16 November 2018
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Glen completed his diving certificate while Don and I took an amazing day tour of Timanfaya National Park with breathtaking vistas, checked out the camel ride off our bucket lists, tasted some so-so wine, but really enjoyed a traditional Lanzarote buffet lunch. I managed to visit my favourite stylist in Rubicon Marina before our departure and last, but definitely not least, we connected with Judy and Jordan on SeaTurtle and spent a couple of wonderful evenings together, sipping good wine and sampling Spanish culinary desserts. A few days filled to the brim.....getting ready for the crossing to Las Palmas in Gran Canaria
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Created 16 November 2018
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Artists and sailors share a quest for freedom. Today, Tuesday, September 25th, I spent a day following the steps of Lanzarote's own Cesar Manrique, a genius with exuberant energy, passion for life and love for this island. Although he passed away in 1992, his paintings, sculptures, urban planning and public art are a dance between nature and artistic expression. I spent a day soaking in this man's passion for beauty and harmony. My soul is overflowing.
I convinced Captain to take the Sunday off and together we visited Jameos and lava caves just a short walk away. No regrets.
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Created 25 September 2018
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Another bus trip across the island to the Village of Haria where Spanish artist and an architect Cesar Manrique lived and worked from 1988-1992 when he died in a car accident. The house and his studio are now a Museum . Manrique was born In Lanzarote and returned back in the 1960's. He had major influence on the planning regulations of the island. He was also involved in the Jardin de Cactus place which reminds me of Victoria's Butchart's gardens, but much pricklier.
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Created 23 September 2018
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Lanzarote island is bicycle friendly and we did a day exploration on two wheels along the southern shore of the Island to Puerto del Carmen. We stopped three times- coffee, lunch, beer. We completed about 30 km along breathtaking ocean side admiring beautiful vacation land developments along the way.
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Created 21 September 2018
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We will spend about a month in the Canaries and I will keep adding photos as we go along. We are staying for a few days in the Lanzarote marina in Arrecife. Glen is getting estimates for haul out and some other jobs. The marina is new, well run and it appears to be a commercial hub for the town with nice restaurants, gym, many stores and boutiques.
76 Photos
Created 13 September 2018
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These photos are from our five day (124 hour) Atlantic crossing from Gibraltar to Lanzarote Marina. We have sailed for 64 hours and motored the rest. Breathtaking sunsets, pods of dolphins, many cargo freighters and tankers and two days navigating among the fishing nets along the west coast of Morocco. We experienced hours of no wind and a couple of days of cold, wet Atlantic weather with 20+knot winds and sailing in 4m waves dressed in full sailing gear with warm tuques.
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Created 12 September 2018
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This was our last (6/6) Mediterranean passage. We motored all the way and predicted fantastic winds never showed up. However, we saw many pods of dolphins that came to check us out and played around the boat.
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Created 3 September 2018
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We have left Moraira on Sunday, August 26 at 7am and sailed westerly for a 36 hour, 195 nM passage to Almarimar Marina on Costa del Sol. Original plan was to stop in San Jose, but high winds and breaking waves at the San Jose bay were unsafe to anchor. So we continued sailing to a well protected marina in Almarimar. This was our fifth overnight passage with 21 hours of sailing and 15 hours of motoring.
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Created 28 August 2018
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I am quite fascinated by many different types of boats we see on our travels and have a folder of pictures to remind me that sailing is a very small components of marine traffic. Cargo ships and ferries, tankers, war ships, fishing fleets and all kind of pleasure crafts are our daily companions that I will try to capture in this album as we continue our journey.
The boats in the marinas carry their own stories...
38 Photos
Created 25 August 2018
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I was intrigued by many beautiful statues we saw in Marmaris, Turkey. Every statue seems to convey a story and I will leave it up to the observer to imagine the plot. There are also faces of people we meet and I feel those moments should be captured somewhere.As we venture into unknown lands I will attempt to keep adding those images to this album.
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Created 25 August 2018
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This was our fourth longer passage from August 18-20, where we completed 215nM in 44 hrs: 33 sailing and 11 motoring
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Created 23 August 2018
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We made two longer passages in this timeline. The first one was from Taormina, Sicily to Acciaroli , southern Italy on Aug1-4th. We had lots of problems with engines/fuel and we motored 150nM, which took us 45 hours.
The second passage was from Salerno, Italy to Menorca, Spain on August 8-12, where we completed 500nM, 30 hrs of sailing and 80 hrs of motoring
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Created 14 August 2018
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Our first Mediterranean passage from Greece to Italy (250nm, 3days, 2 nights)
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Created 23 July 2018
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First ten days of our journey from Marmaris to Petras, Greece
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Created 16 July 2018
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Ten day guided tour of western Turkey including biblical sites of the Seven Churches of Revelation, Gallipoli Peninsula and WW1 battle in Dardanelle, and Istanbul
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Created 27 June 2018
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I had another surgery after 10 months. My flexibility had been compromised by having rods in my back. I went back to the surgeon and he agreed to perform an operation to remove them.
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Created 27 May 2018
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Who: Glen and Mary
Port: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
