14/8/18 : Chagford

We had some frustrating news last week: The project management and guardinage service we had instructed to maintain and monitor Tumi let us know they were no longer in business. Well technically the sleeping partner in the business had reappeared to take over the reins and the people we had been dealing with resigned. Everything is now up in the air and so we are speaking to other companies to take over as it turns out none of the work we'd wanted doing on Tumi has been done, nor the maintenance. Fortunately we still have three months to go before we splash back in on 5 November so there should be time to get things done but we could have done without the aggravation. Long-distance boat ownership is not without it's challenges!

On a more positive note we have paid our deposit for the Pacific Islands Circuit rally which we will join in June in Fiji and leave in November in New Zealand. Exciting!

22/7/18 : Chagford, UK

Some information about places we'll be visiting ....

Santa Marta, Columbia

We should also be able to visit Cartagena, Columbia



The San Blas Islands

Through the Canal ...



... and onwards to the Galapagos islands



where we hope to see  lots of ...

but not too many ...



We're also hoping to see ...



Then it's the loooooong leg to the Marquesas, Tuamotus and Society Islands (including Tahiti and Bora Bora)




The Marquesas, where the dress sense is relaxed ...

the anchorages are pretty spectacular

and it's bound to leave its mark on us!

Then it's on to Tahiti and Bora Bora



where the crystal clear waters are full of







Next come the Cook Islands ....

to see lots more atolls and coral islands, and sample the local way of life



Then Niue Island











Not so keen on the sea snakes!


And Tonga



where we might get close to



and where we might see some



Onwards to Fiji, our last destination with the World ARC before joining the Pacific Island Rally to explore the Fijian islands in depth.

21/7/18 : World ARC Itinerary

We thought it might be interesting to post our itinerary for the Pacific. Our current plan is to remain with the World ARC as far as Fiji and then leave it to spend more time exploring French Polynesia with the Pacific Islands rally, returning to New Zealand with them in October. Exciting!

WORLD ARC 2019-20 Itinerary

Leg                                                                        Miles     Days       Start                
Saint Lucia – Santa Marta, Colombia                     815        4-6        Sat 12 Jan    
Santa Marta – San Blas Islands, Panama                280        2-3        Wed 23 Jan
Sail independently to Colon, Panama                       80           1
Transit Panama Canal                                                                         3-7 Feb
Sail independently to Las Perlas Islands, Panama    45
Las Perlas Rendezvous                                                                       Thu 14 Feb
Las Perlas – San Cristobal Island (Galapagos)       850       6-8          Fri 15 Feb
Sail independently to Santa Cruz (Galapagos)         45
Santa Cruz Island - Hiva Oa (Marquesas)            2980    15-24         Wed 6 Mar
Cruise Marquesas to Nuka Hiva
Nuka Hiva rendezvous                                                                        Wed 3 Apr
Cruise Tuamotus and Society Islands                   1000
Bora Bora rendezvous                                                                         Thu 16 May
Bora Bora - Suwarrow (Cook Islands)                   690                       Sun 19 May
Suwarrow - Niue                                                    540
Niue - Vava'u (Tonga)                                            230                                        
Cruise Tonga and Fiji                                             580                       Thu 13 Jun
Musket Cove rendezvous                                                                    Wed 10 Jul

And then the Pacific Islands Rally

JULY & AUGUST
Explore Lau Islands (Fiji) and Western districts (Fiji is divided administratively into four divisions which are further subdivided into fourteen provinces). 
Depart Lautoka, Fiji for Anatom, Vanuatu                                      Tue   13 Aug
Arrive Anelghowhat, Anatom                                                          Fri    16 Aug 
Then explore southern Vanuatu Port Vila, Efate 
Explore northern Vanuatu                                                                                            
Depart Port Vila, Vanuatu for Lifou, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia
                                                                                                         Mon  16 Sep
Clearance into Lifou, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia                  Thu    19 Sep                 
Welcome feast and local weaving demonstrations                          Fri     20 Sep
Explore Loyalty Islands and eastern Le Grand Terre Isle de Pins Explore Southern Lagoon and southern Le Grand Terre                                                                                                           
Muster Noumea for farewell party 

LATE OCTOBER 
Depart Noumea for Opua, New Zealand Arrival party - Opua 

Exciting!!!

18/7/18 : Chagford, UK

Amazingly half of our 7 months at home this summer has now gone and the balance will pass in no time. So, with that in mind, I decided to get around to a job I've been putting off: Making new covers for the saloon seating. The ones I made 4 years ago have done a great job of protecting the cushions from seawater, sweaty bodies (yuk!) and suntan lotion but are in need of the replacing. Three made, another three to go. At least I'm halfway!

14/7/18 : Chagford, UK

Back in early March we visited Mustique, a beautiful and exclusive island in the Grenadines but renowned within the sailing community as being a very rolly anchorage. That was the case this year when a large swell surged into the bay rocking all the boats and making it difficult to go ashore, not that we let that stop us! Unfortunately when we returned to the dinghy tied up to the dock, the swell had forced it underneath the jetty and it was well and truly trapped. Not good at all. In his attempts to free it Paul pushed down with his feet, simultaneously pushing up against a cleat on the dock with his arms. Whilst doing this he heard/felt something in his shoulder give.

Over the months since his shoulder has gradually got worse to the point where he can't raise his arm above his head, reach round behind his back and is in quite a lot of discomfort, waking him up if he rolls onto it when he's sleeping. Something needed to be done so this week he finally got appointments to see an orthopaedic surgeon and also have an ultrasound scan to find out what the problem was. It was a big relief to discover that nothing was torn and so surgery wasn't necessary. Instead he had a steroid injection into the shoulder and was advised it would be another 6 months before it's back to full strength.

This has rather put our plans to join the OCC rally from Bonaire in mid-November up in the air but shouldn't impact the World ARC which doesn't depart St Lucia until mid-January. No final decision yet ... watch this space.