Author Archives: Rob

No one likes passages. Okay, maybe some people do but most people don’t. Leading up to this trip, I didn’t realize this. We spent a lot of time preparing for this trip. We worked on the boat. We upped our sailing and navigation skills. We read many books and websites of those that have doneContinue reading “Passage to New Zealand: Fading Memories”

We have returned to the town of Russell after some time exploring Kerikeri Inlet and further north to Whangaroa Harbour. Kerikeri Inlet is on the north side of the Bay of Islands. It’s a secure anchorage from which we dinghied a few nautical miles up the inlet to the town of Kerikeri. We spent twoContinue reading “Whangaroa Harbour”

Culturally, we like heroes. The hero’s journey is a common storyline in movies and literature. An explanation of the hero’s journey can be found here or an explanation as it applies to The Hobbit, here. Heroes are not only found in movies or literature. Sports have their heroes–their legends–too. Hockey has Wayne Gretzky and BobbyContinue reading “Heroes and Legends”

We find ourselves in New Zealand’s magnificent Bay of Islands. It truly is spectacular. There are countless anchorages to explore with little more than five or ten nautical miles between them. We have only spent a few days exploring them, so this is by no means a comprehensive guide to the area but so far,Continue reading “Bay of Islands: Gorgeous!”

That’s a good question. It’s one of the first things we are asked when we meet other cruisers. We ask them the same thing. We have all just completed what can be a challenging passage. New Zealand is a decision point for many cruisers. Do they keep going and circumnavigate? Do they circumnavigate the Pacific?Continue reading “New Zealand: Now What?”

We have loved our time here in Tonga but it’s time to head south. We checked out of the country this morning. We’ll pick up the anchor and move to one of the outer islands for the night. We’ll leave tomorrow. I’m not sure we’ll have internet access from now until we get to NewContinue reading “All Good Things…”

Here are a few clips from our time hanging at Foa Island in Tonga.

Note: Here’s another post that was originally made to our tracking page. Here it is with some photos. Sharlene has celebrated another lap around the sun. Technically, it is still her birthday back home but here in Tonga it is the day after. A lot has happened since her last birthday. Last year we celebratedContinue reading “Sharlene’s Birthday–Mac”

Note: We have had very limited internet access in the Ha’apai Islands so I posted this to our tracking page a few days ago. We have service now so here it is on the main blog. We are currently anchored off Uoleva Island in the Ha’apau Island, Tonga. We are waiting for a good weatherContinue reading “And Now We Wait”