05 April 2007 | Hobart, Tasmania
04 April 2007 | Off Cape Raoul, Storm Bay
01 April 2007 | Bass Strait, North of Tasmania
28 March 2007 | Near NW tip of Tasmania
09 March 2007 | S43.58 E97.22
08 March 2007 | Southern Ocean
02 March 2007 | S45.05 E83.12
28 January 2007 | S39.54 E17.55
01 January 2007 | Hout bay
25 December 2006 | Hout Bay
24 December 2006 | Hout Bay, South Africa
13 December 2006 | Hout Bay, South Africa
13 December 2006 | Off Cape of Good Hope, South Africa
09 December 2006 | En route to Capetown
08 December 2006 | En route to Capetown
06 December 2006 | En route to Capetown
05 December 2006 | En route to Capetown
23 November 2006 | En route to Capetown
07 November 2006 | En route to Capetown
30 October 2006 | En route to Capetown
We are here!!!
05 April 2007 | Hobart, Tasmania
Marketa
Thalia III arrived at 5 am local time and is berthed at Constitution Dock in the heart of Hobart. Having completed the entry formalities in record time, we are savoring all the amenities of home. These include mum's excellent cooking, hot baths, and clean sheets. It is very good to be here. We thank all of you for coming along for the ride and providing encouragement
along the way.
Arrival Imminent
04 April 2007 | Off Cape Raoul, Storm Bay
Marketa
We enjoyed a leisurly sail down the east coast of Tasmania with vistas of tantalising loveliness unfolding around each headland. Cape Raoul is one of our favorite walks and it provides a dramatic backdrop for this photo.
The Strait and the Narrows
01 April 2007 | Bass Strait, North of Tasmania
Marketa
We were very happy to sight land after 69 days at sea; King Island on the west side of Bass Strait looked positively bucolic with its gently rolling grass covered hills and grazing cows. As night fell we could smell burning bush and saw the light on Cape Wickham. Sailing conditions have been excellent, the ocean swell has disappeared and although the coastal forecasts warn of 2-3 m swell we hardly notice it. Today we have Westerly winds pushing us towards Banks Strait (The Narrows) at 6.2 knots. Banks Strait is the passage between Flinders Island and the NE tip of Tasmania. It is only 8 miles wide and tidal currents can reach 5 knots. At our present speed we should arrive 2 hrs before low tide, hopefully enough time to shoot through.
Heavy Weather
28 March 2007 | Near NW tip of Tasmania
Marketa
We are hove to off the NW coast of Tasmania, waiting for a deep low pressure system (966HPa) to pass south of us. Thalia rises up on the crest of each wave revealing a vista of white capped seas all around and then gently settles down to wait for the next wave. Compared to the gales in the Southern Ocean it's pleasantly warm here. We have enough sea-room to stay hove to for at least 24hrs and the conditions are predicted to moderate before then.
Southern Ocean Gale
09 March 2007 | S43.58 E97.22
Marketa
We spent the last 23 hours hove to in a gale. The wind was not too bad, about 35-40 knots, but the seas built very rapidly to 5 meters. It is quite disconcerting to turn around and see a wave the size of a small family home looming above you. One of these broke into the cockpit snapping our windvane and punching out a window in the companionway dodger. Not a real problem as we carry plenty of spare vanes and we can fix the dodger.
Albatross
08 March 2007 | Southern Ocean
Marketa
Albatross were our constant companions on this leg. We saw the large Wandering and Royal albatross, as well as the smaller Grey-headed and Sooty varieties. They are powerful birds and ride the wind eddies with ease and elegance.
Halfway!!
02 March 2007 | S45.05 E83.12
Raoul
Today we have passed one of those imaginary
milestones any long ocean passage abounds in: HALFWAY LONGITUDE AT 83DEG EAST. We celebrated with a 3 course dinner consisting of a green bean salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing, followed by asparagus in cream sauce with potatoes and for dessert fruitcake soaked in rum with vanilla custard.
H.W. Tilman has the right words to express the effect of dinners like this: "fate cannot touch me, I have dined today".
East is Least
28 January 2007 | S39.54 E17.55
Marketa
We had a hard time sailing east after leaving Cape Town. The prevailing wind was a southeaster, and the Agulhas current set us in a SW direction. It took more than a week to get east of the Cape of Good Hope. Raoul's starting to look a little tired.
Busking Seal
01 January 2007 | Hout bay
Marketa
This bull seal was a permanent fixture on the waterfront. An enterprising local would take advantage of the crowds that gathered by passing a hat around and asking for money "to buy some fish for my seal"!
Cruising Friends
25 December 2006 | Hout Bay
Marketa
Our stay at the Hout Bay Yacht Club was memorable thanks to the many friends we made. Special thanks to Jeremy and Yvonne from Jandy who took us sightseeing, lent us tools, and Jeremy welded a pair of fairleads for our drogue, while Yvonne was a great help with the provisioning.
Season's Greetings
24 December 2006 | Hout Bay, South Africa
Marketa
Wishing you very happy holidays and all the best for 2007,
Marketa and Raoul
Thalia arrives in South Africa
13 December 2006 | Hout Bay, South Africa
Marketa
After 49 days at sea we were very grateful to step on terra firma. Tom, our ham radio friend who followed our progress over the last few days, as well as Yvonne and Jeremy were standing by to take our lines as Thalia came alongside.
Cape of Good Hope
13 December 2006 | Off Cape of Good Hope, South Africa
Marketa
We had the most magical landfall with the Cape on the horizon and whales, dolphins and seals cavorting in Thalia's wake. We later learned the reason for this enthusiastic welcome; they come to feed on huge schools of herring that are found near the Cape at this time of the year.
Radio Days 2
09 December 2006 | En route to Capetown
Marketa
As we approached the Cape of Good Hope accurate weather information and news from home became very important to us. Much to our delight, we were able to communicate with Herb in Ontario and Scott in Halifax all the way to Capetown.
Feathered Friends
08 December 2006 | En route to Capetown
Marketa
This part of the South Atlantic had an abundance of sea birds. The shearwaters were our constant companions, and we had frequent visits from grey-headed albatross and Mother Carrey's chickens.
CME (Continuing Medical Education)
06 December 2006 | En route to Capetown
Marketa
There's nothing like an ocean voyage for catching up with current literature. After 42 days at sea I finally read my way through the backlog of Red Journals on board.
Celestial Navigation
05 December 2006 | En route to Capetown
Marketa
Raoul's all happy after catching the noon sight. Celestial navigation provided hours of fun and the occasional correct position.
Staying Clean
23 November 2006 | En route to Capetown
Marketa
We carry 450 liters of fresh water and have the ability to collect rainwater under way, but a bucket of saltwater in the cockpit, also known as the cruising man's Jacuzzi, is hard to beat.
I became less of an enthusiast as we sailed into the higher latitudes and temperatures dropped.
Crossing the Equator
07 November 2006 | En route to Capetown
Marketa
Raoul is holding up a sign with our longitude. We celebrated by opening a bottle of orange liqueur from La Palma, and made sure we gave Neptune some as well.
The Doldrums
30 October 2006 | En route to Capetown
Marketa
We experienced very light winds with the occasional squall. Our cruising chute, the biggest sail on board, was much in use.