Adventures on the Sailing Vessel Moorea

Moorea & Crew We cut the dock lines from Everett, WA in the summer, 2005 to embark on a world circumnavigation in our sailboat, named Moorea, a 35' Dufour Sloop. Currently at the Canary Islands and plan to cross the Atlantic this November. We will keep you posted along the way of our adventures. Kelly & Kelly Pictures Tour of Moorea Current Position Video Clips  Captain’s Log First Mate’s Journal Our Story Boating Buddies Last Update November 15, 2008 Favorite Links: Sailing Vessel/ Luna’s Web Site Sailing Vessel/ Ohana Kai’s Web site  Get country info from: Jimmy Cornell’s Noonsite See our route Shiptrak

Leaving the Mediterranean & Crossing the Atlantic As we motor sailed our way out of the Mediterranean, sailing under the means of wind power was practically an impossible feat, we made a few quick stops at Sardinia Island, Balearic Islands and along Spain’s coast with a short stay in Cartagena, where an internet connection was at our disposal. As we surfed the net, we found airfare prices to Norway from Spain to be inexpensive and the decision to send me (Kelly Girl) off to Oslo in order to visit a friend was an easy one to make. I hadn’t seen Kim in over 13 years, it was the same day she married a happy, red haired Viking named Rolf. Shortly after the nuptials, they decided to relocate to Norway. A quick break from the boat to visit Kim, Rolf and their children was heart warming and it was also the first time in three years I had experienced a chilly and colorful fall season. While I was catching up with friends and seeing a new country, Captain Kelly was battling gale force winds, riding out some bad weather at anchorage, 100 miles east of Gibraltar. Two large ships met their fate along the coastal waters of the Gibraltar area. One was a container ship caught on the rocks of Europa Point and the other along the Spanish coast. Kelly experienced two days of high winds and little sleep. Instead of walking along the windswept deck of Moorea he would crawl his way to the bow in order to check the anchor snubbers making sure they were still intact. Luckily for me the weather calmed when I met up with the Captain and Moorea in Gibraltar. Gibraltar is a small space of land, considered a part of England, where direct flights from London arrive throughout the day. The residents have an English passport, speak Spanish and consider themselves Gibraltans (or Gibs for short). British tourists and online gambling seem to be the big money makers here. In short, this land which oversees the blending of two great masses of water, the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean is unique and throughout the ages, many countries that fought for control of this strategic naval locale had left their mark. Now on the Atlantic side and reunited with our buddy boat, Ohana Kai, we are currently in the Canary Islands waiting for the hurricane season in the Caribbean to end. We also met up with another cruising couple on Sand Piper. All three boats participated in the Puddle Jump in 2005. A sailing magazine out of California writes up feature articles about sailors crossing the Atlantic. Out of 40 boats that had left Mexico, only the three of us are crossing the Atlantic this year. This next voyage will take at least 26 days and hopefully no more then 30 days, and we are looking forward to this up coming passage. Preparing to leave towards the end of November, Thanksgiving will be celebrated on this crossing. This year we give thanks for the safe miles under our keel and the many family members and friends that have encouraged us along our travels. Happy Thanksgiving. Check out the new photo galleries on the Pictures page & take a Moorea Tour. Moorea in the Canary Islands Contact Us: kk_moorea@hotmail.com