Kelefesia was magical, the most ideal anchorage in Ha'apai in my opinion.  The island has striated limestone cliffs topped ...   more »

The Ha’apai Group, Tonga

October 19, 2006

 

Our eight hour passage from Vava’u (northern Tongan group) to the central ...   more »

TONGAN FEAST

 

The Kingdom of Tonga is the only Polynesian country never to be colonized by a major world ...   more »

TONGA Vava’u

 

After sailing for hundreds of miles between small harbors offering limited shelter, Vava’u is a great relief....   more »

NIUE

 

Niue (NEW-way) is a single island 8 miles by 10 miles, one of the world’s smallest self governing ...   more »

For you web surfers who hunger for more cruising stories, please check out a few friend's sites: Tom and Amy on sandpiper38.blogspot.com  and Jim, Emma, Phoebe and Drake on www.thevoyageofbluesky.com.  We have been traveling with a wide variety of boat people.  The friendship of fellow cruisers really enhances our new experiences.  Check them out!

 

 

 

THE ROULOTTES

Oops! Late posting of June 26

 

My preoccupation with and love of good food has been severely challenged while visiting in French Polynesia. The cheap food is basically anything white, and the colorful stuff that I crave like salad fixings and vegetables are prohibitively pricey. Generally, a mediocre restaurant dinner costs $28 per entrée, side salads are a la carte. Imagine my delight and surprise when we discovered the night roulettes (full service mobile restaurants) that gather side by side along waterfront at the Quai d’honneur in downtown Papeete just after dark.

These ‘pop-up’ restaurants serve everything from savory filled crepes, grilled steaks, seafood, chow mein and Greek gyros, to banana splits and whipped cream topped Belgian waffles.  The size of a newspaper truck, they carry the driver, chefs and waiters, foldup tables and stackable stools, all the food and drinks and the charcoal grills and menu boards and outdoor lighting. Inside, is a complete kitchen with counters and sinks, refrigerators, pizza ovens and cabinets containing the dishes, cups, pans, silverware and kitchen utensils needed for the evening. Bright lights illuminate the kitchens and twinkle lights add to the cheerful ambience once the heavy duty cords are plugged into electrical posts in the square.

We chose a table at a creperie. My whole wheat crepe was filled with bacon, spinach, eggs, camembert cheese and mushrooms. Chris ordered a Roquefort and walnut crepe that was killer! The dinner crepes came with a large green salad!! We shared an order of hot, fresh frites (French fries) and Claire inhaled her banana and chocolate crepe in practically one breath. Alcohol is not served, so we had sodas. Our entire bill was less than $30 and I was more than happily satisfied.

By one a.m. the roulettes are gone, the square is cleaned and falls quiet until the cruise ship tourists gather for their assigned tour busses the next morning.

We’ll try another truck tonight, and most likely, bring our own beverages!

 

kelley

 

NIGHT WATCH by Claire

 

            One night on our way to Rarotonga, my dad and I were looking at the stars.  We were trying to find the Southern Cross.  While my dad was in the middle of relaxing, I yelled “Daddy look, a ship!”  He was so startled he thought we were going to hit a boulder.

            My dad and I tried to decide where the ship was headed.  W tried to call the ship on channel 16.  Then we tried channels 13, 14, 15 but he didn’t answer.

            Since he didn’t answer we decided to look him up on the radar.  We found the ship.  So we plotted his range and bearing, which means you plot down how far away he is and where he’s headed.  My dad thought he was headed for us.

            While my dad was fixing the steering wheel or, as we cruisers call it, the helm, I heard something on the radio.  I yelled “Daddy, there’s someone on the radio!”  My dad called him back.  It was the ship.  We asked the cruise ship his name and where he was headed.  He was going 11 knots, passing our port and his name was the Tahitian Princess.  He was going to Bora Bora.

            The Cruise Ship was lit up with fascinating bright, white lights.  It looked like a sparkling princess to me!  I felt nervous when it passed us, but it was super fun plotting him on the radar.  I shall always remember this time.

RAROTONGA

Cook Islands

August 10-14

 

After four days sailing with a mixed bag of sea conditions, we arrived in ...   more »

BORA BORA

 

We finished our tour of French Polynesia with a visit to one of the most exotic islands ...   more »

MOOREA AND HUAHINE

July 10-July 22

 

We enjoyed up a gorgeous week in Moorea with our buds, Tom and ...   more »

PAPEETE

June 29-July 10

 

Our 14 day stay in the Capital of French Polynesia was about 10 days longer ...   more »

July 5, 2006

Arue, Tahiti

Hi all!

Happy July 4th and best summer greetings from the crew of Sensei. I'm sitting in the shade with a cold one at the Tahiti Yacht Club. France just made it to the finals in the World Cup and the joint is jumpin' in a celubrious mode.  I, on the other hand, have been working diligently, adding lots of photos to the picture column of the blogsite. Check us out!

This week and next is the HUGE Tahitian cultural festival called 'Heiva', with native dance competitions, firewalking, chanting and outrigger canoe races. We are looking forward to catching some of the events before we head over to Captain Cook's Bay on the island of Moorea.

Last night we dined at a roadside "roulette" (aka roachcoach) outside of the yacht club gates. Our grilled steaks and chicken with heaps of hot fries and a vegetable salad were absolutely the best $$ deal in all of French Polynesia. The food was hot and edible, music was loud and to Claire's liking, and the scenery was, well, rushing by at 50 mph.

In comparison to the Marquesas and Tuamotos, the city of Papette on Tahiti, is very cosmopolitan, complete with traffic jams, litter and homeless people. On the other hand, wireless internet and marine parts are available, as well as large, airconditoned grocery stores, the likes of which I haven't seen since Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I wandered the aisles in a contented daze as I oggled the refrigerated expanse of GREEN produce and international varieties of meats and cheeses. I suffered from shock and awe at an entire wall of french wines and outrageously priced liquor. Chris and Claire headed straight for the bakery, bagging fistfulls of creampuffs and filled croissants. It's unlikely that we'll see provisions like this for a long time so we are splurging a bit, despite the asronomical prices of everything.

We'll write about the festival soon....

Au revoir!

kelley

Rangiroa, Tuamotus

June 19

The crew of Sensei enjoyed another stellar day with our newest boat friends, Renee and ...   more »

SNORKELING

By Claire

 

One day we went snorkeling on a little island in the atoll of Rangiroa. It was ...   more »

SLEEPOVER IN THE TUAMOTOS

 

Two days ago I had a sleepover with a nurse named Lydie who works on ...   more »

JUNE 6 – 13

KAUEHI, TUAMOTOS

 

Although we thoroughly enjoyed our tour of the Marquesas, it was time to ...   more »

Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia
June 4

We are currently half way through our 4 day sail from the Marquesas ...   more »

HORSEBACK RIDING IN THE MARQUESAS
By Claire

Two days ago my mom called a lady for my dad and I ...   more »

May 13

Fatu Hiva, Hanavave Bay (Bay of Virgins), Marquesas

 

I’m nursing a cocktail in the cockpit ...   more »

Hiking on the island of Fatu Hiva

By Claire

 

Out in the quiet anchorage, we were getting ready to ...   more »

The Church

by Claire

 

On Sunday, Giles on Petrel, mom, dad and I dinghied over to Eglise Sainte Marie ...   more »

May 6, 2006

Tahauku Bay (Traitors Bay), Hiva Oa, Marquesas

 

Hiva Oa is impossibly green, with ...   more »

LANDFALL

May 1, 2006

 

As we approached the end of our passage, I consulted the oracle of our Furuno ...   more »

April 28-30 - Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Nothing much new to report.  Winds have been consistently high and our passage ...   more »

SIXTEENTH DAY OUT OF PUERTO VALLARTA

FISHING

Several days ago I saw fishes jump out of the water. That inspired ...   more »

OCEAN CHARTS

 

We are using a Mercator projection of the Eastern Pacific Ocean.  I have always been ...   more »

Tuesday, April 25

Another day of creaming along in fresh wind and round seas, except today, anticipating our distinction as ...   more »

INTER TROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE

 

We are at 4 N, 126 W and experiencing a distinctly different weather system!  ...   more »

Sunday, April 23

The light rain of Saturday was just a tease for what came down on Sunday. We motored ...   more »

FRIDAY APRIL 21

 

During watch hours I get some time to think, with the Captain deep asleep behind eyeshade ...   more »

WINDVANE AND OTHER GOINGS ON

 

 

Did I mention how impressive our self steering system is?  Just in ...   more »

WHAT'S IT LIKE OUT HERE? WELL…

 

Monday, April 10

Sensei leaves the dock with much appreciated fanfare, a hearty ...   more »

OUR FIRST WEEK TO THE MARQUESAS

 

We saw pods and pods of jumping dolphins.  We also saw flying ...   more »

Since we decided to make the Pacific crossing in January, we jumped on the fast track (again) in early March, ...   more »

PHILOSOPHY

 

We have been at sea for 8 days, coming up on 1000 mile mark.  I will beg ...   more »

REFITTING

 

I am sitting under a grove of coconut palms on a cast iron bench in Nuevo Vallarta looking ...   more »

We took a 3 week visit to the coastal area of Mexico between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo known as the ...   more »

Really feel like we are cruising now. We finally let go of our moorings in PV two weeks ago and ...   more »

 

In Richmond, California we moved onto our boat.  My room is shaped like a triangle.  My ...   more »

THE KILY DISASTER

Anchored in Melanque, Mexico last night my dad and I were talking in bunk. We heard a bird chirping on deck. “I should really hang a carpet in the water,” said my dad, “in case Kily falls overboard then she can claw her way back up. Then we went to sleep.

I felt a wet drip on my forehead. Then I saw Kily soaking wet, sitting and dripping on my screen hatch over my head. “Daddy!” I screamed, “Kily just fell in the water!” “WHAT?” my dad yelled. I said, “Come on deck; she’s on my screen!!” We nervously rinsed Kily off with the deck shower. Then we dried the frantic cat off with a towel.

My dad was amazed how Kily climbed five feet from the water back to the deck, and so was I. We thought Kily climbed up the stern anchor rode with her claws. My heart was pounding with fear and I was nervously shaking even after she was safe. I hope Kily doesn’t do that again.


By
Claire
Mellor

 

Paradise Village Resort at Nuevo Vallarta

Not much has happened over the last 5 weeks.  Not much, that ...   more »

I have a cat named Kily (keeley). She's from the SOS rescue shelter. She's about 1 year old. She is a very charmeing and cuddly cat. She will sleep on your chest or in between your legs. She purrs immmediately.

She is a tabby/calico/white cat. She is very tame. Nelly, my Mom's dog, gets along fine with her. Once Kily walked by, Nelly didn't even care.

The cat only plays with string toys. She eats dry food and drinks water, but she doesn't eat or drink a lot of it. she mostly sleeps. (She's a sleepy-poo!)

It really make me feel great to have Kily. I've always wanted a cat. This is a big dream come true. I enjoy Kily being a new member of the family.

Love,
Claire
Mellor

In Nuevo Vallarta the climate is very warm in the day, and cool at night. Nuevo is a big marina, and we are tied between the pilings. We are near Paradise Village, the pools and and of course, the mall. I like to go swimming at the water slides and go to the mall to shop, eat and play.

I went to a resturant called Mauricios. I ordered ribs. The ribs were really fatty, so I didn't like them. The ribs' smell and taste was very sweet and smokey. The food was OK, but not the best.

The Mexican buses aren't that clean. I've gond to Buceries and Puerto Vallarta in the stinky Mexican buses. The rides are very very bumpy and loud, but sometimes fun. They also smell very bad.

In PV at night near the Malecon is always a performance. There are usually very hideous and hilarious clowns. It's brilliant becuae there's different kinds of artwork and yummy looking desserts.

I like it here because I can be with my friends and go to the mall and the pool. I don't like it here because my parents keep fighting about leaving, but I don't want to leave.


Love,
Claire
Mellor

Hola amigos from Marina Neuvo Vallarta. We just paid for last MONTH’S rent for our space here, tied between two ...   more »

We have voyaging news. We are leaving for the South Pacific in April!

A review of our plan when we ...   more »

CHRISTMAS IN SAN BLAS
It was a dark and stormy night…
No actually, the weather couldn’t have been milder for our week here in picturesque San Blas. Occasional scrims of morning fog yielded to clear, almost hot days when walking in the direct sun. Very light winds and clear skies ironed our river anchorage to a mirror finish, thus not threatening to dislodge any of the ornaments or Belgian chocolate candies hanging from our small, artificial tree.
San Blas is south of Mazatlan by about 130 nautical miles. The town is by far our favorite in terms of an authentic Mexican experience. San Blas does not cater to gringo touristas yet has much to take in, and is small enough to navigate in flip flops easily.
Our entrance thru the shoal channel into the anchorage was guided via radio and signal mirror by the experienced Capt. Norm Goldie, a retired ex-pat commercial New York City harbor diver and sport fisherman, who is the self appointed welcoming committee of 40 years along with his lovely wife Janet. They entertained us in their home’s tropical garden, and shared maps of the town, local knowledge and their stories of helping 4, ooo plus cruisers over the years enjoy the pleasures of San Blas. Janet is a well known watercolor artist in New York and showed us her series of Huichol Indian paintings. She is hands down, the BEST watercolor artist I’ve ever seen!
With maps and copious notes in hand, we discovered the insiders view of San Blas. One very early morning we took a guided tour up the mangrove-edged river to a crocodile farm and fresh water spring. We were the first ones to disturb the wildlife and thru the light fog, motored slowly past countless species of birds and not a few motionless crocs. The tour ended a few hours later at an artesian spring that fed the river with crystal clear water. A rope swing kept Chris and Claire busy for a while, while I simply floated in the clean, warm water.
With the exception of the old church on the town square, the architecture here is not memorable, but very colorfully painted. Signage and billboards are hand-painted directly on the buildings in a riot of typefaces to identify what’s inside. It’s often necessary to visit one tienda for vegetables, another for toothpaste and yet another for cervesa. Timing is key because all shops close for the 2-6pm siesta.
Christmas in San Blas is a family affair. Nearly every home, no matter how modest, was festooned with mismatched holiday regalia. Martha Stewart would totally choke on her figgy pudding given an eyeful of these misguided holiday trappings. We cruised the dusty cobblestone and sand streets in th