Tropical Sailing Adventures

Vessel Name: Maestro
Vessel Make/Model: 72' Custum Irwin Ketch
Hailing Port: Dover, Delaware
About:
"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and wihtout borders, where life is lived in the present. [...]
18 February 2016 | Mexico - Puerto Vallarta
08 February 2014
23 October 2013 | Phuket, Thailand
02 October 2013
22 August 2013 | Raiatea, French Polynesia
22 July 2013 | Island of Huahine - least commercial island in French Poly
26 June 2013 | French Polynesia
01 June 2013
25 May 2013
13 May 2013
11 April 2013 | Marquesas
02 April 2013
30 March 2013
21 March 2013
19 March 2013
15 March 2013 | Galapagos
03 March 2013 | Galapagos
24 February 2013 | Galapagos Islands
07 February 2013 | Ecuador
Recent Blog Posts
18 February 2016 | Mexico - Puerto Vallarta

19 months & counting

Trenten Reef Paul turned 19 months yesterday and I can hardly believe how quickly the time has past since his birth in Papeete, Tahiti. We have been on quite an adventure, as always.

08 February 2014

Thailand/Malaysia

Severely behind in my blog update but we've been busy!

23 October 2013 | Phuket, Thailand

Up on dry land

(Above photo flying into Sydney, AUS on our way to Phuket, Thailand)

02 October 2013

Bora Bora

10/2/13

22 August 2013 | Raiatea, French Polynesia

GOOD FORTUNE IN RAIATEA

8/22/13

22 July 2013 | Island of Huahine - least commercial island in French Poly

Huahine

7/18/13

26 June 2013 | French Polynesia

Moorea

We have, (sadly), just dropped Christina and Nicola off at the airport in Tahiti after a week out anchored off the island of Moorea. What a wonderful week full of fun. The ladies hit the spa!, hiking and swimming with Sting Rays and Sharks. The water in Moorea is really clear blue hues. We had a [...]

01 June 2013

Surfs Up Tahiti

http://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/8812-big-wave-madness-continues-in-teahupoo (10 days ago we had another big southern swell)

25 May 2013

Papeete, Tahiti

We are anchored off marina Taina in Papeete, the main city on the island of Tahiti. This is the only 'big city' (250,000) we have seen in several months. It is a mix of European French & casual islander. The large verdant island soars into the sky and is mostly surrounded by a coral barrier reef. [...]

Amazon Basin, Quito, Northern Andes

21 May 2012 | Ecuador
Traveling Ecuador hasn't been love at first sight. We did a quick 10 day trip last month and moderatly enjoyed various areas. (see photos - introduction to Ecuador) At the time I was still digesting the marina basin with swell - it was hard to sleep each night. (Things have gotten much better since) We both aggree that the politics of the country are complex and that the beach towns look like war zones. We are in Salinas, Ecuador supposedly one of the nice resort towns. It is okay - but there is not much to write home about. Cuenca - international livings newest retirement basion of 2012 is a nice colonial town of 500,000 people. Yes, you can buy a beat down colonial property in town for under $100,000 and live quite nicely on little monthly income - if its your thing. Driving into Cuenca you will see more of the half finished block housing, stilt bamboo indigenous huts, whole pigs roasting on the BBQ roadside and the smell of woodfires everywhere. The poverty and lack of community esthetics is a bit overwhelming at times. Driving up into the Andes there are beautiful highlands with alpine lakes, wild lama and snowcapped volcanoes. It is an adventure. Four lane freeways turn into dirt track up and down 12 thousand foot peeks. The maps are vague but get you there with a great deal of patience and love of comedy. If you research and time your driving right you can hit wonderful accomodations at restored Haciendas or small boutique hotels - something we love to expirence. This is definatley a country for a seasoned traveller. (No Tourists Here!) It does have a huge diversity to offer.

We are now just back from a 2 week tour of the Amazon basin, Northern Andean highlands, Quito, and Bahia De Caraquez. We really enjoyed this trip and it gave us a new appreciation for the beauty of this country. The Amazon was stunning - we didn't want to leave and hope to return for a more detailed and deeper trip into the Amazon to visit the Huaorani tribe. (working on timing and details with private guide) While in the Amazon we took a day and river rafted with two fellow American travellors. What a blast! Before we left down the river i asked what is the percentage in overboards or knockouts? The guide replied; one in one hundred. Whew, i thought - this must be the tourist run. So the five of us, (and a single kayak rescue boat), departed down the gorgeous river. The scenery was lovely with jungle mountain back drop, the roaring sound of the river, tropical birds, orchids growing on the banks and crisp, clean air. All was swell after our first few rapids - no sweat. Being the rafting rookies that Len and I are we leaned on our new American friends expertise. They have done quite a bit of rafting in the past and their tips were welcomed. Paddling feverishly through a set of rapids Len was the first to fly out of the boat in the first hour of the day! Not quite sure how it went down (Len wants me to write that I pushed him out - but oh... no - I wouldn't do THAT) but next thing we knew the boat was folding in half and Len is in the water! Not so great at first but once we had him back in the boat ~ all was back to fun! Our rescue was a little hektic but we all survived. The guide was a complete riot - joking at every turn and literatly making the most of every moment. I cant remember now if it was before or after the lunch but at some point we hit a rapid and the boat folded - everyone went separate directions. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the guide flying out the back of the boat, thinking to myself this cant be good? Next thing I knew I was in the water! I scrambled for my paddle and noticed that everyone was in the water! Our guide was downstream a little ways just watching us try to recover from this one! Fortunatley Len was the only one remaining in the boat this time! Len was so happy that he was the ONLY one to stay in the boat - he had been repreived. Of course he immedately took over the captain position and the guide, feeling a little embarrased that he too fell out, relinquished his duties for a short time. We all laughed hard once we were safely back aboard. It was a great day in the Amazon basin, also known as the Oriente.

After a few days in the Amazon we headed up the mountain into the Northern high Andes. We stopped over at a hotsprings hotel which was a bit of a local tourist mecca but the springs were lovely. From there we headed further North and spent a few nights in a restored hacienda and visited the famous Otalvo market and Cotocachi. (the leather city) We also went on horseback into a few indigenous villages in the hills near Lago San Paulo. These parts of Ecuador we found to be more appealing that the beaches or Central Highlands of the Andes.

The Quicha indians make up about 55% of Ecuadors indigenous population and live throughout the country. 25% of the 14 million Ecuadors are of indigenous population. There are 8 different native groups each with different clothing, language and customs. Our guide Marco, who lived with the Huaorani tribe for 18 months, told us that their language is made up of simple sounds. He sampled what he learned of the language and it almost sounds like bird calls. I find it a facinating peak into a language that probably hasn't seen much change for thousands of years. Fishing and agriculture are of great importance in Ecuador and you see it reflected when at any of the street vendors, local markets or SuperMaxi (Regular Grocery Store). The selection of produce here is unmatched in our travels and we have appreciated the extremely low prices. A bag of organic green lettuce is .70 compared to $5. or $6 at home or throughout Central America. Roses are the number two export in Ecuador, (Next to Petroleum) and you can purchase a dozen just about anywhere for $2 bucks. Filling up your truck will run you $15 - 20 - nice.

Quito. The city of Quito is at 9200 ft so you can definitely feel the altitude. We had been in the mountains for about a week so that we didn't have to aclimatize to much but we could still feel the altitude while walking up hills or climbing up the bell tower of churches. Old town Quito has recently been restored. We took in the museums and churches, walked the city blocks for hours and ate at a famous peruvian restaurant. The chef is famous for restaurant in South America and has recently opened up restaurants in New York and San Fransisco so we didn't want to miss his creations. I got the courage to try a local delicacy called Cuy. Cuy in English is Guinea Pig. YIKES! (When in Rome?) Was it good? No - not really. Traffic was tough to navigate in Quito and we relied on Taxi's to follow and get us in and out of the city. Once in the city we used a tour bus and the cheap taxis. You can go anywhere in a city for about $3 in Ecuador.

After the city we headed back out to the coast to Bahia De Caraquez. The few cruisers that come to Ecuador typically base out of Caraquez as it is cheap and there is an American who helps with documentation. Bahia, as it is known to locals, has a mooring field and a little yacht club called Amistad. It was quite a nice little restaurant but again nothing to write home about. The town was cute, very rustic. We just read an interesting article in Blue Water Sailing that described crossing the sand bar into Caraquez with great difficulty. I didn't actually realize that there was a bar but knew that I didn't want to make that our destination of choice given the various other not so great reports. The article described 15 ft swell and barely making it into the mooring field. We have come to realize that we need not only to translate the language but also translate anwers that the locals give. Yes doesn't always mean yes and No is rarely ever spoken. So - Yes can either mean sometimes, maybe or no, not at all. Anyway - my point is that in the article the captain asked the harbor pilot if it was possible to enter and cross the sandbar. Of course the answer was YES. So - in this case... it should have meant no. This is my greatest greif with crossing bars in these countries or having to rely on anyone to navigate. We just avoid it at all costs. Number one rule in boating is never to rely on anyone but yourself to get your from point A to B or you are asking for trouble. Its that simple.

One other thing i would like to mention is the nature of the people of Ecuador. They seem to be extemely open-hearted. We asked for directions in one town and about 5 people almost jumped the car trying to help us. We have had that kind of overwhelming welcome to our country attitude the entire trip. They dont seem to invite you into their homes, like in Mexico as there seems to be a shyness or conservatism that does pose a social barrier. This is very apparent in particular with the indigenous. They have not figured out what all this tourism business is about yet. For the most part everywhere we see a very latin old school mentallity, for example; I grabbed the check one afternoon while at a restaurant in Quito and FLOORED the female waitress. She looked at Len and looked at me and almost didnt give me the check... She couldnt believe what was going on. There are very, very traditional roles here in the household. I assured her that it was okay... that the world was not going to come down on her, lol.

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