Author Archives: John

Hi All, Almost halfway….GO MYSTIC GO!!! As our girlfriend Jeanette always says when winter is over….NO MO MITTENS!!!! Yes, I have shed the sweat pants and have put on the shorts…finally and hopefully for the next 6 months!! The air temp is now mid-70’s….sweet as!!!! Another day very close to forecast and trawler like!!!! Seas … Read More →

Hi All, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!!! We get to celebrate twice…..once yesterday and once today….just love this dateline thing :)))) Another trawler like day….not perfect weather but close. Winds were in the 5-10 kt S-SSW during the day. Late afternoon and early evening there was a line of squalls that came through. Moderate rain, no lightening, … Read More →

Hi All, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!!! Let the 2015 Cruising Season Begin….yea!!!! The macro plan this year has us cruising Vanuatu for 2.5-3 months. Due to the destruction caused by TC Pam we will mainly cruise in the central to north islands. David and Dana will be visiting in mid-June. Around mid-July to end of July … Read More →

Hi All, I just wanted to post that we are leaving for Port Vila Vanuatu on Saturday May 9 around 8:30am ish….that’s tomorrow for us!! I will be doing a Captain’s Blog so hopefully you can read along as we passage this 1150nm to Vanuatu. It will take us 6+ days @ 7.5 kts. There … Read More →

April 29 Hi All, Did you hear our joyful shout as we left the dock??? Oh how it feels so good to be on our way to Marsden Cove!!!! What we thought was going to be a couple of weeks in Auckland turned out to be 4 1/2 weeks of pretty nonstop boat projects. There … Read More →

Hi All, As many may recall, Vanuatu was hit by a Category 5 hurricane on March 13 leaving widespread destruction and damage. Almost all of the 83 islands had damage, with the central and southern islands taking a direct hit. Over 50% of the 300,000 population is estimated to be without homes, farms, gardens, and … Read More →

March 26-27 Hi All, Rotorua: A geothermal wonderland…..hmmmm, maybe, but more like a huge tourist attraction….but you can see steam vents every where as well as inhale the hydrogen sulfide!!! We couldn’t tell if the “things to do” were just not that interesting/too touristy or maybe we were just tired, a bit jaded and anxious … Read More →

March 24-25 Hi All, Tongariro: We came, we saw, we kicked butt…..the ring has been destroyed….We did Frodo and Sam of LOTR fame proud!!!! The Tongariro Crossing (19.4 km, ~12 miles, starts at 3500′ elevation, climbs to 5700′ in the first third of hike, then drops to 2000′ elevation at the end) has been described … Read More →

Hi All, Seven weeks and counting and yes, we are still married:))) Kaikoura: Not a bad drive from Arthur’s Pass…when we started we decided to go see Arthur’s Pass, we thought it would be a nice lookout over the mountains…..20 min the other direction…not…it was a Pass with no views and it had started to … Read More →

Hi All, Can’t believe it has already been 6.5 weeks…..but, we do see the end is in sight and Kathy did let me know she is definitely tired of the suitcase:)))) Christchurch: Our perfect weather for Mt Cook quickly ended the morning/afternoon we drove to Christchurch…..cold, rainy and windy…..we were getting the aftermath of TC … Read More →