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. [...]

Bora Bora

02 October 2013
10/2/13

More Photos Here

We are back in Papeete, Tahiti, the main hub of the Society Islands, after a blissful month anchored in Bora Bora. The first two weeks the weather was calm as one could possibly imagine in these islands, not a breath of wind. The lagoon was glass and you could see down into the crystal waters at least 60 ft. Mornings were spent doing yoga with cruiser friends on a deserted white sand beach island looking up at the glorious Mountain of Bora Bora. Afternoons we took the dinghy around to explore, eat lunches at several of the nice restaurants available, snorkeling and even had a spa day to top it all off! I enjoyed paddleboarding in the mornings and liked to count the sting rays and eagle rays along the way. We were unfortunate to hit a shallow coral reef and knocked out forward gear on our outboard. No parts & no repair in Bora Bora so repair had to wait until Tahiti. (Just had her fixed) Our smaller dinghy did the job until the wind came up and produced some sizeable waves inside the lagoon. We managed for a couple weeks but it wasn't dry transportation!

Getting to Bora was the pinnacle of our dreams in the South Pacific and she did not disappoint. We had heard cruiser whispers through the travel vine that she was commercial and a bit run down. Over the years we have learned to take advice and perspectives with a grain of salt and each day can be a different experience. It is true that the town of Bora was not paved with gold as one might imagine after years of planning to come to this oasis in the middle of the Pacific but we enjoyed her rustic charm and if you get off the beaten path it's not hard to find a lot of local flair. We met a family on one of the beautiful islands inside the lagoon of Bora who invited us many times for day long BBQ's and Tahitian fare. It was a truly special friendship and we appreciated their welcoming hospitality - something we have been looking for quite some time now. It was the perfect cap to a great first season in the South Pacific. The snorkeling, food options, hospitality of the people and sheer beauty of the islands truly made the entire trip. Please enjoy the photos which I hope speak volumes.
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