Pictures of our 2009 Cruising Season St Lucia The Grenadines Grenada Trinidad Venezuela Curacao Crew’s Life Carnival Imported Line Handlers Panama Canal Panama Complete Circle Swine Flu Survivors Mexico Baja Bash & the West Coast Quick Visits
2006 Cruising Photos Seattle to Polynesian Islands	2007 Cruising Photos New Zealand to Indonesia	2008 Cruising Photos Red Sea to Mediterranean

A 4 year & 7 day journey The sea adventure is complete and our land legs are just beginning to strengthen. We pulled into Everett, July 10, 2009 and it felt kind of strange, as if we never left. The Everett marina was able to take us in (once again) as “Live-Aboards” and Moorea is moored on the same dock we occupied four years ago. Walking the pier, there were familiar faces and boats. It’s hard to describe our feelings, but at this moment in time we’re happy, no regrets have set in about us returning to our previous life, yet. For now, Moorea’s Adventures have come to a standstill. This 1974, Dufour Sloop is a good old boat. She got us around the globe safely and now sits, resting in her berth with a grand story for every scratch and bump on her hull. Nostalgic with her 33,000 nautical world miles under her keel, she looks a bit worn around the edges, but is ready for any nautical challenge we ask of her. Many thanks to all that shared in our travels. There were many people who encouraged us and through their emails, kept us company along the way.
Baja Bash & The West Coast The wind rounding Cabo San Lucas was up to 30 knots, we tore our mainsail and wondered if we should keep moving north or turn around and lick our wounds in Cabo. But the wind promised to lighten as we went north, so we kept bashing on, motor tacking our way past the cape. That was our worst bash along the Baja, pretty much the rest of the way was (surprisingly) manageable. We reached San Diego within two weeks. Our luck held out along the west coast, its notorious for 20-30 knot NW winds. We hardly had any wind against us and mostly motored our way north. Most sailors can hardly believe our good fortune. One cruisier mentioned he had previously waited out 30 knot winds in Newport, Oregon for three weeks. Our passage from San Francisco to Neah Bay, took 7 days, we were planning a month long journey. Along the way, we stopped in various ports to visit family and friends and rounded Cape Flatterly July 8^th meeting the Captain’s Dad, Rutledge and friend, Pat on their 30’ Pearson in the Straits of Juan De Fuca. Now we are back in Everett, enjoying the sunsets, trying out our land legs and adjusting to a routine on tera firma. Its good to be back. A Photo Gallery Up the Coast
Quick Visits Along the US coast, we were able to make some quick visits with a few family and friends that lived within a few miles from our anchorages. We gave short notice with a few of our stops, the weather was so favorable, we had to keep moving. Click on the photos for more information on our stops.. Click on photos to see names and locations
A Complete Circle On March 11, 2009 after 31 countries and over 30,000 nautical miles, we sailed into Bahia de Banderas (Bay of Flags) and made one full circle of this wide and wet globe that took three years and fifty days to complete. Flying all the nations flags we obtained during our trip and the celebration flags we had on board, Moorea was a colorful sight. Moorea had taken a few lumps along the way and needed to be spruced up a bit. Hauling her out in Puerto Vallarta for new bottom paint and buffing her hull, she looks a bit spiffy. Looking forward to reuniting with family and friends.
Mark and Ann						Swine Flu Survivors We had visitors to help celebrate our return to Puerto Vallarta. My cousin Ann and her husband Mark, commented, that they could get Swine Flu in Minnesota, so why not go down to Mexico. They had to rebook their flight, since the first one was canceled. In fact, many flights and cruiseships were canceled going to Mexico due to the Swine Flu Pandemic. Unfortunately with the bad economy, narcodic border wars and the influenza scare, Mexico’s tourist destinations have been hit hard. Most hotels are at 10 % occupancy and many have shut down for the season. Walking the streets of PV was worse than a ghost town, at least in a ghost town, there are remaining spirits. Being some of the few Gringo tourists, we were hit up constantly for time shares & adventures, souvenir shops and restaurants all seeking our business. We took it easy swam in their hotel’s pools and even had a boating day on Banderas Bay with snorkeling and sailing on Moorea. An Influencing Photo Gallery
A Moorea Make Over The paint in many places on Moorea’s bottom was missing and barnacles were having a hay day, attaching themselves to her bottom. The rudder was especially bad. To keep costs down, we sanded, painted three coats and repitched the Max Prop within 48 hours, which we would have preferred four days, but since the yard was charging $50 per day, we were motivated to move. We pulled out at Opequimar in Puerto Vallarta, one of the few places we could do our own work. Very professional and helpful staff. Photos of Moorea’s Bottom
Ol Mexico Back in Mexico and happy to be here. The fresh tortillas, cheap eats and colorful flowers are always a treat to experience. Off the coast, the sea life is abundant from Panama to Mexico, turtles floating on the surface, some with birds on their hard shell backs, were so numerous we bumped into a few. The dolphins are the ambassadors of the sea, visiting us and playing chicken with our bow. Sting Rays, jumping out of the water, many doing back flips, happy to be alive. Sailing along the coast, the water is bright blue and smells of the land come wafting to our boat. Some pleasant, like a citrus musk eminating from the thick jungle shore or other aromas, a little pungant, like guano (bird droppings) from a rock island packed with Pelicans and Cormorants. Sailing through milllions (not exagerating) of tiny jelly fish was puzzling to the eyes, we heard the turtles eat them. Check out some of our photos and see some of our favorite images of Mexico. Favorite images of Mexico
Panama “Abundance of Fish” Panama means, Abudance of Fish which the indigionous Indians call this nation. There are also 940 bird species, 1518 islands of its two coasts, and a rain forests just minutes from Panama City. These are a few of the natural attractions to this country, but we came here to transit the Panama Canal and reunite with the Pacific Ocean. The Canal transit is one of our most remarkable experiences thus far, maybe in part, because Kelly Girl’s family could share this piece of the journey with us. Dan, Sheryl & Emily came down as line handlers for the transit and then we toured parts of Panama City during their stay. Photo Gallery of the City & Bush						Rojo Diablo “Red Devil” This country has color and feels lively. The Rojo Diablo (Red Devils) are one example of it, the elaborately painted buses that provide cheap transport for locals. Unfortunatle they may soon be coming to an end, since the government will be bringing in a new style of transport to the region. I am glad we had a chance to see them in operation.
Emily slacking the line		Imported Line Handlers Direct from the states, Dan, Sheryl & Emily were all too happy to escape the confines of winter for the opportunity to line handle through the Panama Canal. Once on board, they adjusted quickly to their lowly position of swabby, as the First Mate enjoyed commanding her Father, Step Mother, & Niece to the day’s tasks, only to find some had time to read the paper while in transit. It just goes to show how smooth our transit went with the help of our imported crew. We had a blast with them as we made our way through the canal and their stay in Panama. Photos of Family & Fun					Dan & Sheryl peruse the news
Panama Canal The two Transit Guides that the canal provided to guide us through the canal were very professional. We were prepared to deal with (or tolerate) our guides, since in our past experience with officials they can be rude and demand extra tips for their services. All we were required to have on board for our guides were the following: drinking water, a toilet and a meal, since they were on our boat for more than 4 hours. We paid $610 to transit the canal and an $800 deposit for any mishaps, like breaking down in the locks or not meeting our lockage time. Basically anything we did wrong that would cause delays, we would have been fined. We also needed four line handlers, (Dad, Sheryl, Emily & First Mate Kelly), a captain (Kelly Boy), four lines of 125’ in length, and about 10 tires used as fenders. We were also required to go 8 knots under power, which is impossible for most sail boats, so like the rest of the yatchies, we lied and said we could. I find it amazing that we even have to lie about it, since the Transit Guides know most sail boats, especially cruisers with loaded down boats, don’t go that fast. We made about 5 knots, bushing Moorea to make our lock time. In fact the Catamarans that we were transiting with had to wait about 15 minutes for us to catch up at the Miraflores Locks. We also went through the Canal with Ohana Kai on March 18^th and were glad we did, since it gave us a heads up on the process. Our Route We transited late afternoon, Tuesday, March 24^th at the Gatun Locks, went up 80 feet. Spent the night on Gatun Lake, (the first advisor was picked up), then the next morning, the second advisor was dropped off and we crossed Gatun Lake, about 24 nautical miles distance. Went through San Pedro Miguel Lock, then another mile to the Miraflores Locks, going down about 80 feet to meet the Pacific. Canal Photos
Alert to Cruisers, The Panama Yacht Club is no more. The Panama Canal Authority owns the property the PYC was located on and decided to shut down the business. Officially the PYC had till March 31 to evacuate, but some restless official, sent bulldozers early in March to tear down some of their buildings. The restaurant, bar and office were flattened when we arrived and only a few buildings and docks remained. Thankfully the PYC was still able to service the yachts looking to coordinate their canal transits, but by April 1 all services were shut down. Now yachts must use the expensive Shelter Bay Marina, located 20 miles from town, to coordinate transit details and dates. Good luck to future cruisers.
Carnival Time in Curacao Kelly & I got to town early to view one of the many parades during carnival time. The sun baked our skin as we sat around for the show, since we were told it would pass by at 2:00. As the curbs started filling up with spectators, Bruce, Lisa, Tristan & Matthew stumbled upon us and joined us on the curb. Another two hours went by and finally music and brightly adorned people started prancing by. They were at the end of the 6 mile route and the exhaustion in the participants was evident, yet most were still willing to jiggle and side step a bit as they made their way to the end of the parade. The costumes were imaginative and if we wanted to join in the fun, all you have to do is purchase the costume and with the fee, you get drinks & food while you dance your heart out. All in good fun. Photos of the Carnival
A Crew’s Life Rutledge (the Captain’s Dad), Lori (Rutledge’s girlfriend) & Pat (Friend to all) joined us in Trinidad to experience a bit of the cruising life, actually Rutledge and Pat came back for more (torture), they had previously visited us in Thailand. The plan was to sail from Trinidad, to Margarita Island, then head onto Curacao Island, about a 450 nautical mile distance. The crew did great, even with the massive waves developing through the pass out of Trinidad, which we found out later, we were “going out the Serpents Mouth”. The confused large sea state created a few green faces and a day of feeding the fish over the side from two of our crew. Lori & Pat. But they still managed a smile at the end of the day. Our stops were short, but we were able to get the essence of the islands, each with their own unique flavor. In total we had three overnight passages, which was wonderful for Kelly and me since we got extra sleep during the night watch and had a buddy to chat with during our watches as well. It was fun to have these days with our visitors and they treated us to some nice dinners. A great treat. Thanks for sharing part of our trip with Kelly and me. This slide show is of our visitors and the work they did on the boat. Photos of Our Crew
Curacao A little bit of Holland Dutch is the official language of Curacao, part of the Netherlands Antilles, but the native language “Papiamento” is widely spoken, along with English & Spanish. Many locals would speak to us in Dutch and would be surprised to hear we were Americans; this is the play land of the vacationing Hollanders. The main city of Willemstad’s tall brick buildings, painted with bright yellows, red and greens, with white trim gives the look of Amsterdam and must make Hollanders feel welcome. A popular attraction is the “Swinging Old Lady”, the floating walking bridge, built in 1888. The bridge had opened up to allow a large vessel through, so we had to hope the ferry across the wharf in order to check into Immigration before it closed for the day. Our guests realized how difficult the obstacles are for cruisers when checking into a country, its not like getting off the plane and the officials are there waiting for you, many times we scour a city to find the right places. This island is charming and we enjoyed our stay here. We also had the chance to see a parade for Carnival, a fun way to spend the afternoon. Photos of Curacao
Venezuela Sí or No As we wondered the streets of Margarita Islands, many” Si o No” posters were plastered on anything standing still. Realizing that the country was going to the polls for a significant vote, but it seemed strange that the voting day was on a Sunday. Most of the island was shut down and a ban on liquor sales from Saturday through Monday afternoon was in effect. As we drove in the little rental car, through the streets of this island, many roads were blocked off for the voting stations and getting to the North side of the island was difficult. What was the vote for? A huge referendum which had many provisions for social services and Chavez threw in an indefinite term for his presidency under the guise of a socialist government. All these changes under one vote of “yes or no”. We heard “yes” won. Because the boat could only stay in the large city of Porlamar, we were concerned with the many reports of theft and boat boarding’s, some even with guns. In fact, many cruisers avoid the Venezuelan coast due to the increase in violence towards cruisers. We met a crew of three that were mugged in the outskirts of Porlamar. The city is lacking, garbage fills the curb sides. Homes and buildings, many years prior, may have looked grand, are neglected and dingy. A duty free island, Margarita was a popular stop with cruisers. Good rum cost just $4, fuel about $ .11/gallon, clothing stores & food were inexpensive, but now the talk among yatchies is to skip this place for safer cruising grounds. Most boats visit the outer, isolated Venezuelan Islands, which are pristine and safe. A few photos of our brief visit
Trinidad “Play Mas” Put on a costume and be a part of the party This island, less than 10 miles from Venezuela is musically rich, lush in forest and unfortunately plagued with gang violence (mostly directed towards locals) & theft directed at cruisers (boat boardings), which caused us hesitation in visiting this country. As we asked cruisers that were familiar with the Caribbean about this island, we received mixed results, but since we had guests flying in to this islands, (arrangements made before we heard about the troubles in Trinidad) we planned to make it a short stop. Get our crew, spend one night and move on. Since Trinidad is below the hurricane zone, we found a strong community of cruisers and services catering to the yachties. This community provided helpful answers to our questions and made it feel more secure than we had first imagined. Putting the violence aside, the Trinis, are people rich in song, dance and costume. Calypso, Soca, the Limbo and the steel drum pans originate from here. The elaborate costumes and sense of style culminates at carnival time, where all these talents shine. We had a brief stay in Trinidad and went out on my birthday (First Mate) to celebrate. We visited Mas (masquerade) Camp, which was one of the many camps that make costumes for the Carnival and listened to few Pan yards, where the steel pan bands were practicing for Carnival as well. Our congenial guide, Jesse James, who was recommended by the cruisers, brought us to a restaurant with local fare….we ate Jerk Lamb and Chicken’s Feet. Photos of our fun in Trinidad
Grenada The Isle of Spice Grenada is the world’s second largest producer of Nutmeg (Indonesia is #1) and I found their nutmeg syrup a must in my morning oatmeal. Along with the other spices of cinnamon, tumeric, cloves and ginger, we couldn’t resist a spice necklace that is almost too frequent to wear. The island is very green and should be since it seems that everyday there is a small rain shower passing by. But as soon as it comes, it goes and the sun dries up the wet decks. We have found this place to be the best resting spot and spent some time here, relaxing and doing little odd jobs on the boat. This photo gallery shows some of the life here in St George with pictures of a few locals that we have met and some cruisers that know the island well. Grenada Spice Photo Gallery
Cruisers Haven The anchorages around the Caribbean Islands that we have visited thus far are over run with cruisers and charter boats. All anchorages are packed and finding a good spot to drop the hook can be tricky and Grenada is no exception. (except they have more bays to anchor in) I can see why we have met many cruisers that come for a visit and never leave. We have been here two weeks and are starting to see familiar faces when we walk about the town. So its time to say farewell to this lovely island and leave the free internet, the wonderful cruisers daily radio net, our favorite juice bar (banana peanut with milk) and the movie theater where there is a 2 for the price of 1 on Wednesday nights. Now I can see why these places are packed!					Carriacaou (Carry-a-coo) Island, Tyrell Bay
Follow the Rum Line The annual Grenadian Sailing Festival was held on the pristine shores of Grand Anise beach and where many small “work” boats crewed by Grenadians raced for two days. To qualify as a finish for each race, after crossing the finish line, one crew member from each boat is to run up the beach to drink a shot of rum. A fun spectator event and some of the rigging had bamboo spars as part of the rig. There was also racing for larger vessels that occurred all week long. Sailing Race Photo Gallery
The Grenadines
Beautiful Bays As we moved around The Grenadines, the bays seem to get more beautiful than the last. On Bequia we took a bike ride to The Hegg Turtle Sanctuary and some of the views from the roadside were inspiring. The colors of the ocean seem so pure and clean and the motion of the waves breaking on shore were memorizing. As we took a short hike on Union Island, the green growth covers everything and in between, the manicured lots, holding mansions and small plots with humble homes and tiny gardens, people get to live on these little isles of paradise. Grenadines Photo Gallery
				The Hegg Turtle Sanctuary We took a quick bike ride along the coast of Bequia to a sea side shelter that houses Hawksbill turtles. An effort to keep the endangered species alive, a retired skin diving fisherman takes care of these creatures until the age of five. He gathers as hatchlings and provides pools, sheltering them from predators. He has about 200 turtles to care for. Just having the chance to look at them up close was worth our little road trip. Turtle Photo Gallery
St. Lucia Piton Point, St. Lucia The Maltese Falcon Check out this website
	At a Glance We didn’t give St. Lucia much time for exploring, basically skipped along the island, making stops in various bays and just a couple of walkabouts in the villages next to where we anchored. But the little we did see of this island, we weren’t too impressed. After traveling to so many places, it seems like we can get a read of a place by just a feeling and this island didn’t stir much within us. However, I will remember this island, to be the first time we met Rastafarians. It was in Marigot bay, approached to buy some stone carvings of various sized turtles and contraband type pipes. We hadn’t any of currency on us, so we opted to trade a few items for a small turtle carving. Bob Marley phrases flowed out of our salesman, he wore a big stylish hat to contain his dread locks and had brilliant white teeth. “Everything is Everything” St. Lucia Photo Gallery