Videos
At Anchor in Thailand (Video)
In Phong Gnong Bay, near Phuket, Thailand, we drove the dinghy around the boat at sunset for a 360-degree look at both her and her beautiful surroundings.
Land Travel
Elephant Sanctuary near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Video)
Near the city of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia is the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre (KGECC). On a land-trip away from the boat in November 2002, we had a wonderful day at the center, as Alan mingled with the elephants in company with the KGECC team and some highly entertained Read more…
Passages and Crossings
Pre-Passage Checklists
In my view, successful voyaging is dependent on successful preparation. Nothing is easier or more effective than a good checklist. Here is the checklist we used prior to any departure. For All Open-Ocean Trips, Including Daysails Get weather report Print log sheets for passage & next port Set out all Read more…
Voyaging Life
In Time (Poem)
Time was once a balance beam And I a gymnast, just to stay on it; On time. Hard on its edge I ran my routine, And prayed for precision, not to fall from it — Fall behind. Now time is pretty much a bean‑bag chair; Amorphous, conforming to my derriere. Read more…
Videos
Sydney Harbour New Year’s Eve (Video)
On December 31, 2001, we were anchored in the middle of Sydney Harbour, not far from the Harbour Bridge, for the annual New Year’s Eve Harbour Party. Many hundreds of boats of every description were all around us, and an estimated one million people lined the shores. As darkness fell, Read more…
Voyaging Life
Cruising Vanuatu
Vanuatu Cruising Notes from August 2001 (Partial) **IMPORTANT NOTE: The information below is NOT intended to be complete, but rather is selective, opinionated, and reflects our own particular experience at the time.** Entry and Exit Port Vila We entered at Port Vila, Efate. The cruising guides are out of date Read more…
Voyaging Life
Cruising Fiji
Fiji Cruising Notes: June-July 2001 **IMPORTANT NOTE: The information below is NOT intended to be complete, but rather is selective, opinionated, and reflects our own particular experience at the time.** Entry Entry ports for Fiji are the following: Lautoka (western Fiji) Suva (southern Fiji) Savu-Savu (northeastern Fiji). Entry is a Read more…
Land Travel
Top 10 Land-Travel Destinations in New Zealand
Although you can’t go wrong traveling anywhere in New Zealand, here are our top 10 sight-seeing destinations in New Zealand. Milford Track (and starting-point village of Te Anau, and end-point Milford Sound). This is a hut-to-hut trek that should not be missed under any circumstances. Abel Tasman National Park (track, Read more…
Voyaging Life
Cruising New Zealand
We spent about 18 months in New Zealand, cruising and land-traveling. It is a paradise on earth. Here is some information that was current as of 2001. **IMPORTANT NOTE: The information below is NOT intended to be complete, but rather is selective, opinionated, and reflects our own particular experience at Read more…
Sea Creatures
A Dugong in Vanuatu (Video)
The dugong (DOO-gong) is a rare, nearly extinct marine mammal. A relative of the manatee, the dugong has a whale-like tail and is without question the oddest-looking creature we have ever seen underwater. It feeds on seagrass in sandy, shallow bays. We found this very amiable dugong in Lamen Bay, Read more…