Hello friends,
Just a quick note hear to let you know that we'll keep this blog, but most of our current posting will be on our Wordpress blog. You can find us at:
http://www.svcheers.wordpress.com
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Welcome to 2012! Or, Our Departure Date Nears
Sitting here in Marina Mazatlan, Mexico, and welcoming 2012, it’s interesting to reflect on the past year and our preparations for this big voyage. In a little less than two months, we plan to depart from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, bound for the Marquesas Islands. The passage is approximately 2800 nautical miles, and we expect it to take 23 to 29 days, depending on our average speed and how long it takes to cross the ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone). Our current voyage plan takes us through part of French Polynesia – the Marquesas, Tuamotus and Society Islands – then on to the Cook Islands, the Samoas (Western and/or American) and the Kingdom of Tonga. We’ll spend approximately a month in each island group (including the passage from one group to the next). Then, in October, we plan to leave the tropics and sail south to New Zealand. All together, we expect to sail more than 6200 nm in 8 months. We’ll keep you posted on how our itinerary evolves... This is a voyage that Mark has been dreaming about since his mom gave him the book Dove, by Robin Graham, when he was 9 years old.
I imagine at least some of our friends thinking, “Aren’t they gone yet? They’ve been talking about this for ages!” It’s true, it does feel like we’ve been preparing for a long time, but this isn’t the sort of trip that one plans in a week. The preferred time of departure from Mexico is late February or early March, so that we don’t arrive in the South Pacific before the end of their cyclone season. Since we’d committed to work part of this past summer in Greece once again, we certainly weren’t going to depart last March. So, we’ve used this time to prepare Cheers, and ourselves, for long ocean passages and months away from easy, inexpensive supplies (hardware, boat parts, groceries, etc.). Once we leave Puerto Vallarta, we don’t expect to stay in a marina until we reach New Zealand. While we’ll certainly have access to supplies at various points along the voyage, we expect they’ll be expensive, so we’re trying to be as self-sufficient as possible. We’ve added more solar panels and batteries, to allow us to be off the grid and not have to run the engine so much. We’ve exploited every square centimeter of storage space, for spare parts and provisions. Mark’s been obsessed with maximizing the output of our water-maker, so we can be more comfortably self-sufficient, even with our small water tank.
Since we decided to make this voyage, we’ve spent about 7 months total time working on the following:
- replaced propeller shaft, cutless bearing, rudder and shaft packing
- completed fiberglass work on rudder, skeg and keel to address water intrusion
- replaced grounding plate
- removed all old bottom paint and replaced with epoxy and new anti-fouling paint
- repainted blue stripes on hull
- repainted boat name and hailing port on transom
- added 2 new batteries to the house bank (included fiberglassing in a new tray to hold them) and added a new battery monitor and shunt
- added 2 new solar panels and a stainless mount on top of the dodger
- moved the starter battery
- replaced the engine mounts, rear seal and forward crankshaft seal
- realigned the engine (several times, Mark’s really good at it now)
- replaced the engine room insulation
- replaced old alternator with new high-output alternator and a regulator
- acid washed heat exchanger and coolant system for the engine
- installed new saltwater pump in engine
- installed new starter and had old starter rebuilt to keep as spare
- installed new VHF at nav station
- installed new GPS units at nav station and in cockpit
- added a second fathometer
- varnished and painted our teak caprail to seal it from water intrusion and reduce maintenance time
- varnished (6 coats) teak handrails and main companionway
- added a new inverter
- replaced 2 faucet fixtures in the head (both sink and shower)
- added a fresh water foot pump in head to minimize water consumption
- added a salt water foot pump in the galley for washing dishes while at sea
- replaced all interior lights with LED bulbs or fixtures
- installed 2 new watertight hatches in head for storage
- installed a watertight port in the shower for accessing plumbing
- replaced insulation in top of refrigerator
- sanded and applied teak oil to winch boards in cockpit (10 coats)
- painted hull interior in quarter berth
- replaced large side windows
- installed 2 small hatches in coach roof to act as dorades (ventilation for galley and nav station)
- installed new electric autopilot
- replaced sea valves in head
- fiberglass repair in bilge
- replaced all standing rigging
- replaced mast boot seal
- replaced 200 feet of anchor chain
- replaced old genoa
- installed new LED masthead nav, strobe and anchor light and ran wire down the mast
Michelle's sewing projects
- new cushions for cockpit
- new bags for main sheet and traveler lines
- new covers for cockpit VHF, GPS & other instruments
- covers for all water and diesel jerry cans (to protect against UV damage)
- “hammock” for Mark’s clothes
- cover for Michelle’s clothes shelf
- cover for Lifesling
- storage cover for outboard engine
- UV cover for mast boot
- mesh hanging “wall” for galley
- salon curtains and throw pillows
- “chaps” for dinghy for UV and chafe protection (this was the most advanced project I’ve ever done and they came out so well I got offers from other sailors to hire me to do theirs!)
- removable shade cloths for the cockpit
- vinyl water collector, for funneling rain water into our storage tank
- lee cloths to make sea berths for sleeping while on passage
- new shower curtain
- vinyl bag for paper product storage in head locker
We still have a list of projects that we’d like to accomplish before our departure, but it feels very manageable. We look at each other just about every day in disbelief that we’re finally this close to departure. It’s a very exciting time for both of us, despite the terrible daily headlines and the pervasive feeling of global malaise. We’ve saved our pennies for a long time to make this happen, and are certain that this is the time to do it – while we’re young and fit enough to enjoy and appreciate it, as well as to do it safely. We’re incredibly grateful to have this opportunity, and hope we can share some of the adventure with all of you.
I’ll post a photo album of some of our projects, and look forward to sharing more interesting and picturesque photos once we really start sailing. We’ll post photos only when we have an internet connection, but will be able to post to this blog while we’re at sea.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Spring in the Gulf of California
We finally departed La Paz on April 11th, after 14 weeks of extensive boat projects. Although there was a fresh breeze from the north, we decided to go anyway, just to cast lines and get out of the marina. It's amazing how that simple act can so radically change your attitude. The focus shifts from "to do" lists, projects and the fishbowl-like life in the marina, to what's right in front of you. Sun, water, wind and the boat, simple as that. It always feels good to cast off, but this time was especially sweet.
During our time in La Paz, we managed to get A LOT of work done on our boat / floating home. Mark put weeks into our electrical system, installing new batteries and solar panels, rewiring old solar panels, relocating our starter battery and installing a new alternator on the engine. He also spent weeks on the engine, rebuilding the starter, going through the entire cooling system, re-insulating the engine room and aligning our new propeller shaft (a VERY time consuming and delicate business). There were also days of plumbing, replacing overhead panels, installing new electronics and more. I spent weeks at the sewing machine, to the point that some of our dockmates starting teasing Mark that he was running a sweatshop and keeping me at work below decks :) On a boat of this size, everything needs to have its place, and everything needs to be secured for sea. So, I made "hammocks" and hanging pockets and storage bags of various shapes and sizes to stow our clothing, galley items and found extra stowage in the head. On a more "homey" note, we had new cushions made and I sewed pillows and curtains to match. In short, it was a super productive time, and we were able to reap the benefits of our work almost as soon as we began our trip in the Sea.
For the first day of our voyage, we just went a few hours north of La Paz, and anchored in Puerto Ballena, Isla Espiritu Santo, at a place we call The Cliffs of Insanity. The feeling of being anchored in a beautiful bay, with just one other boat in sight, is indescribable. Mark and I have decided that we wish we could bottle the feeling and share it with family and friends. We spent one more night at Espiritu Santo, then sailed north to Isla San Francisco, to hole up for a few days while a strong northerly wind blew through. Our first night there was graced with a magical sunset, pink clouds over glassy lavender water (photos forthcoming). Sitting at anchor, and waiting out the blow, I took time to actually read... for pleasure... two whole books, in three days! Although some may have found it frustrating to stay in one place, we took the opportunity to switch gears and RELAX.
Once the wind dropped, we set out, northbound in San Jose Channel, and had a decent day's sail to our anchorage at the north end of Isla San Jose. That night, we went out on deck in the last light of dusk and heard whales blowing nearby. It was so still, with no human sounds other than our voices. Picking out their location by sound, just at the edge of our vision, we heard and saw a small rorqual whale surface. At first, we thought it might be a Bryde's whale, since we'd seen one earlier in the day, but a minute later, we were proven wrong. The small whale surfaced again, followed immediately by a very large whale, and we realized it was a fin whale cow with her calf. The sound of their breathing in the dark stillness, the long, explosive exhalations, followed by shorter, resonant inhalations, was pure magic.
We left that anchorage the next morning, for a long day's run up to Isla Monserrate. Intermittent southerly winds meant that we were able to sail, or motor-sail for most of the day, and we made good time passing Islas San Diego and Santa Cruz. As we came around the east side of Monserrate Island, the breeze freshened, and we had an exciting run into the anchorage on the north side of the island. Locals refer to it as Yellowstone Beach, but we know it as Playa de Oro. It proved to be a great spot to explore and provided good protection from the strong southerly winds that blew every night. We took a hike one day, with some new friends from the sailboat Ladybug II, and then shared dinner and sunset with them that night. We got a tip from another sailor that the Space Station would be passing overhead one night, so we were able to watch that. Also had a perfect view of the full moon rising just after sunset, and the full moon setting just before sunrise the next morning. Snorkeled a little and swam every day, although the water is colder and cloudier than it normally is at this time of year due to La Nina conditions.
From Monserrate, we motored over to Puerto Escondido, for the one "pit stop" of our trip. We took a mooring for the night, which meant we could refill water, do some laundry, buy a few groceries and top off the fuel tank. It was a hit and run, but we made good use of the facilities. Then we found our favorite anchorage of the trip. We decided to head over to Bahia Marquer, on the southeastern shore of Isla del Carmen, and found a beautiful spot! We had a great view of the sunset behind, and sunrise light on the Sierra de la Giganta, and cool, fossil-bearing white cliffs just ahead of us on shore. We explored a little on land, and found layers and layers of fossilized sand dollars, bivalves and what I think were sea cucumber endoskeletons, very cool. Explored the shoreline by dinghy, and swam every day, but the viz was too poor for much snorkeling. A pod of bottlenose dolphins routinely cruised through the anchorage, and we were even able to see them at very close range from the dinghy. We turned off the outboard and they passed right by us. We could see their bodies in the shallow, turquoise water, as well as the mist from their blows when they surfaced in front of us. Marquer proved to be a quiet anchorage, where we were able to watch stars at night, and listen to only natural sounds for several days.
We took one day to motor up to Loreto, and anchor off of town for a quick visit. A little stroll up to the mission (first Spanish mission in the Californias, established in 1697) and some tacos for lunch, and then we were back in the dinghy, and out to Cheers. We had a great sail east toward the north end of Carmen Island, and ultimately returned to Bahia Marquer. Our next anchorage was out on the northeastern tip of Carmen, at Punta Perico. We only stayed a night, as it's a very exposed anchorage and some friends invited us to dinner back at Isla Danzante, but it was peaceful with dramatic rock formations onshore. In the morning, before getting underway, we watched what we thought was a mobula (small manta ray) being chased by a larger predatory fish, as it thrashed at the surface. Turns out it was actually three mobulas, and we think they may have been trying to mate, since they swam right up to our stern, oblivious of our presence and were practically on top of one another.
Our last anchorages were on the west side of Isla Danzante, where we went to meet our friends Dick and Bev from S/V Mistral. We hadn't seen them since La Paz, and it was great fun to catch up. They've been cruising all over the world for the past 27 years, so it was fun to share stories, good wine and dinner. While anchored at Danzante, we saw some of the most incredible bioluminescence either of us has seen. On the dinghy ride back to Cheers from Mistral, we watched the glowing green trails of fish running away from us. Once we were back aboard, a pod of dolphins came blazing through the anchorage, leaving the same sparkling trails as they passed. Since the moon is waning, we had dark skies with millions of stars visible, and water calm enough to see the bright stars like Sirius and Betelgeuse reflected in it. We sat on deck every night there, watching and listening. On our last day, we moved south to another spot for the late morning and early afternoon, and had the incredible good fortune to see a group of bottlenose dolphins swimming back and forth in the shallows near shore. They had three very tiny calves in the group, as though three of the females had given birth very recently. Since they came very close to us several times, I was able to get some nice photos.
Now, we've started our passage north to San Carlos, leaving Baja California behind until November. It's a lake at the moment, as we motor past Isla Coronados, but we're hoping for a southeasterly breeze so we can sail some this afternoon. The forecast is calling for strong northerly winds starting tomorrow afternoon, so we'd like to get to the other side before they hit. It should take us about 26 hours, and we'll post photos when we get there.
During our time in La Paz, we managed to get A LOT of work done on our boat / floating home. Mark put weeks into our electrical system, installing new batteries and solar panels, rewiring old solar panels, relocating our starter battery and installing a new alternator on the engine. He also spent weeks on the engine, rebuilding the starter, going through the entire cooling system, re-insulating the engine room and aligning our new propeller shaft (a VERY time consuming and delicate business). There were also days of plumbing, replacing overhead panels, installing new electronics and more. I spent weeks at the sewing machine, to the point that some of our dockmates starting teasing Mark that he was running a sweatshop and keeping me at work below decks :) On a boat of this size, everything needs to have its place, and everything needs to be secured for sea. So, I made "hammocks" and hanging pockets and storage bags of various shapes and sizes to stow our clothing, galley items and found extra stowage in the head. On a more "homey" note, we had new cushions made and I sewed pillows and curtains to match. In short, it was a super productive time, and we were able to reap the benefits of our work almost as soon as we began our trip in the Sea.
For the first day of our voyage, we just went a few hours north of La Paz, and anchored in Puerto Ballena, Isla Espiritu Santo, at a place we call The Cliffs of Insanity. The feeling of being anchored in a beautiful bay, with just one other boat in sight, is indescribable. Mark and I have decided that we wish we could bottle the feeling and share it with family and friends. We spent one more night at Espiritu Santo, then sailed north to Isla San Francisco, to hole up for a few days while a strong northerly wind blew through. Our first night there was graced with a magical sunset, pink clouds over glassy lavender water (photos forthcoming). Sitting at anchor, and waiting out the blow, I took time to actually read... for pleasure... two whole books, in three days! Although some may have found it frustrating to stay in one place, we took the opportunity to switch gears and RELAX.
Once the wind dropped, we set out, northbound in San Jose Channel, and had a decent day's sail to our anchorage at the north end of Isla San Jose. That night, we went out on deck in the last light of dusk and heard whales blowing nearby. It was so still, with no human sounds other than our voices. Picking out their location by sound, just at the edge of our vision, we heard and saw a small rorqual whale surface. At first, we thought it might be a Bryde's whale, since we'd seen one earlier in the day, but a minute later, we were proven wrong. The small whale surfaced again, followed immediately by a very large whale, and we realized it was a fin whale cow with her calf. The sound of their breathing in the dark stillness, the long, explosive exhalations, followed by shorter, resonant inhalations, was pure magic.
We left that anchorage the next morning, for a long day's run up to Isla Monserrate. Intermittent southerly winds meant that we were able to sail, or motor-sail for most of the day, and we made good time passing Islas San Diego and Santa Cruz. As we came around the east side of Monserrate Island, the breeze freshened, and we had an exciting run into the anchorage on the north side of the island. Locals refer to it as Yellowstone Beach, but we know it as Playa de Oro. It proved to be a great spot to explore and provided good protection from the strong southerly winds that blew every night. We took a hike one day, with some new friends from the sailboat Ladybug II, and then shared dinner and sunset with them that night. We got a tip from another sailor that the Space Station would be passing overhead one night, so we were able to watch that. Also had a perfect view of the full moon rising just after sunset, and the full moon setting just before sunrise the next morning. Snorkeled a little and swam every day, although the water is colder and cloudier than it normally is at this time of year due to La Nina conditions.
From Monserrate, we motored over to Puerto Escondido, for the one "pit stop" of our trip. We took a mooring for the night, which meant we could refill water, do some laundry, buy a few groceries and top off the fuel tank. It was a hit and run, but we made good use of the facilities. Then we found our favorite anchorage of the trip. We decided to head over to Bahia Marquer, on the southeastern shore of Isla del Carmen, and found a beautiful spot! We had a great view of the sunset behind, and sunrise light on the Sierra de la Giganta, and cool, fossil-bearing white cliffs just ahead of us on shore. We explored a little on land, and found layers and layers of fossilized sand dollars, bivalves and what I think were sea cucumber endoskeletons, very cool. Explored the shoreline by dinghy, and swam every day, but the viz was too poor for much snorkeling. A pod of bottlenose dolphins routinely cruised through the anchorage, and we were even able to see them at very close range from the dinghy. We turned off the outboard and they passed right by us. We could see their bodies in the shallow, turquoise water, as well as the mist from their blows when they surfaced in front of us. Marquer proved to be a quiet anchorage, where we were able to watch stars at night, and listen to only natural sounds for several days.
We took one day to motor up to Loreto, and anchor off of town for a quick visit. A little stroll up to the mission (first Spanish mission in the Californias, established in 1697) and some tacos for lunch, and then we were back in the dinghy, and out to Cheers. We had a great sail east toward the north end of Carmen Island, and ultimately returned to Bahia Marquer. Our next anchorage was out on the northeastern tip of Carmen, at Punta Perico. We only stayed a night, as it's a very exposed anchorage and some friends invited us to dinner back at Isla Danzante, but it was peaceful with dramatic rock formations onshore. In the morning, before getting underway, we watched what we thought was a mobula (small manta ray) being chased by a larger predatory fish, as it thrashed at the surface. Turns out it was actually three mobulas, and we think they may have been trying to mate, since they swam right up to our stern, oblivious of our presence and were practically on top of one another.
Our last anchorages were on the west side of Isla Danzante, where we went to meet our friends Dick and Bev from S/V Mistral. We hadn't seen them since La Paz, and it was great fun to catch up. They've been cruising all over the world for the past 27 years, so it was fun to share stories, good wine and dinner. While anchored at Danzante, we saw some of the most incredible bioluminescence either of us has seen. On the dinghy ride back to Cheers from Mistral, we watched the glowing green trails of fish running away from us. Once we were back aboard, a pod of dolphins came blazing through the anchorage, leaving the same sparkling trails as they passed. Since the moon is waning, we had dark skies with millions of stars visible, and water calm enough to see the bright stars like Sirius and Betelgeuse reflected in it. We sat on deck every night there, watching and listening. On our last day, we moved south to another spot for the late morning and early afternoon, and had the incredible good fortune to see a group of bottlenose dolphins swimming back and forth in the shallows near shore. They had three very tiny calves in the group, as though three of the females had given birth very recently. Since they came very close to us several times, I was able to get some nice photos.
Now, we've started our passage north to San Carlos, leaving Baja California behind until November. It's a lake at the moment, as we motor past Isla Coronados, but we're hoping for a southeasterly breeze so we can sail some this afternoon. The forecast is calling for strong northerly winds starting tomorrow afternoon, so we'd like to get to the other side before they hit. It should take us about 26 hours, and we'll post photos when we get there.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Arctic Exploration
 |
| Svalbard, High Arctic, July 2009 |
Michelle and I had been on the waitlist for a voyage on the National Geographic Explorer to the arctic. The trip is titled in the Land of the Ice Bear and we were very hopeful that we would be able to take advantage of already being in Europe and one of these trips fit nicely into one of our breaks from the Panorama. Luckily for us they had an available cabin and we made the cut! July 25th we flew from Athens to Oslo, Norway and we were able to explore Oslo at least for an evening. The next day we caught the group flight from Oslo to Longyearbyen which is the main town on Spitsbergen, Svalbard. We went along with the normal group tour to explore the town and then boarded the Explorer late in the afternoon. It was great to get to see the new ship but even greater to catch up with some old friends. When we saw our cabin we were amazed. Michelle and I haven’t had that much living space in as long as we can remember. It was a lower category cabin but to us it was huge!
Our first day out found us cruising in Hornsund which is one of the southernmost fjords in the Svalbard area. Two polar bears were spotted on the beach. The first was obvious but the second wasn’t spotted till much later and it was a testament to how well they can blend in. That afternoon we landed at Gåshamna (Goose Harbour) and took a hike around the area. By the time we returned to the ship the wind and chop had picked up which made it a wet and windy Zodiac ride back to the ship. Man, that was some cold seawater on my head.
On our second day out we cruised through the ice in the fog which was a bit surreal. During the day we landed at Diskobukta on Edgeoya Island for some more exploration of the area. The landing showed signs of earlier whaling days and the number of animals that must have been taken during the active whaling of the 17th century. Late in the day a polar bear was spotted on the open ice and it was a great site. He wandered around the ship and seemed a bit curious as to what we were and where we were going.
We spent the next day wandering in the ice. It was too foggy to go ashore (can’t see the polar bears) so the ship searched in the ice for wildlife. Lots of good ice and late in the day great sightings of a polar bear mom and her cub that wandered by the ship along the ice edge.
The fourth day started with some distant views of a number of polar bears on the shore at Bjorn Sundet. There were many to be observed and counted during the early hours of the morning as well as an arctic fox that arrived on the scene. Later on the ship ‘bow’d’ up to Kapp Fanshawe and the thousands of birds that lived there. From here the ship steamed north, as far north as possible. We were headed for as close to the North Pole as we could get in the time that we had. Around midnight (It never gets dark this time of year, at all) we had a celebration of sorts as the ship reached 80 40.43 N, 15 59.15 E and we passed through a section of the Polar Ice Basin. It was pretty cool to be less than 600 nautical miles from the North Pole and be able to go back to a warm bed for the night. This was a new record for the National Geographic Explorer.
Day 5 found us approaching Moffen Island to view some walruses hauled out on this isolated spot. Later on in the morning the ship motored into Woodfjorden, and made a landing at Kileneset. There was an old German weather reporting station there as well as a number of reindeer as we explored the beach and the surrounding tundra. In the afternoon the ship repositioned to Monaco glacier for an afternoon of Zodiac cruises and kayaking. I went for a Zodiac ride and Michelle opted for the ‘long’ massage for the afternoon.
On the last day we spent the morning out to the West of Svalbard in search of whales. Blue whales and fin whales appeared regularly with lots of good views from the ship. Eventually we ran out of time but not out of mammals in that they continued to appear as we made our way back towards land. Late in the afternoon, actually it was after dinner, we landed at Prince Karls Forland to view some walruses hauled out at a bit of a closer range. It was a good, last photo opportunity before we packed everything away in preparation to return to Greece.
We had a blast and it was great fun to catch up with Mike Greenfelder, Kendra Nelson, Ryan Wallace, Steve MacLean, Tom Ritchie, Jason Kelley and Kim Heacox. We boarded the group flight with the rest of the guests for Oslo and laid low in the hotel for the evening. Before we knew it we were back aboard the Panorama in a totally different geographic area with drastically different air and water temperatures. Just how did we get to and from the arctic in a little over a week? And was that really a polar bear, two, three or eight that I was looking down on? It’s crazy when you think about it. It was more than a 40 degree change in latitude and a 40 degree change in water temperature. The Arctic was great fun but we’d much rather swim in the Mediterranean when you get right down to it.
Spain
 |
| Spain, June 2009 |