Captain's log August 13, 2008

I admit it; I haven't done real well keeping you posted on what's going on. You have to understand it is very busy out here. Where will we snorkel today? What boat will we watch the sun set on? What's for dinner? Why is the moon so bright? Busy, Busy, Busy.
We are at the end of our stay in French Polynesia. Hard to believe it has been 3 months since we got here. If you read my last blog Barbara and I were a little down with all the boat mechanical problems. But soon after the last blog we got everything working and we have been that way ever since. Water maker completely is overhauled and working. In fact it is working and making water better now than it ever did. Our dinghy went to the dinghy hospital and had a major healing. The fuel leak fixed and nonexistent. All is well TODAY; tomorrow that can all change.
Our stay in all the islands has been very memorable. A few of my highlights. I will never forget the first land fall in the Marquesas. After being on the open ocean for 21 days and seeing the island of Fatu Hiva with its lush green valleys and mountains. What a welcome sight. It was a tremendous sense of accomplishment to sail that far and hit the target. The modern world of navigation is really great. The Marquesas were like going back in time very rural and rustic.
Our next stop was the Tuamotu's. We had a great time there because Barbara and I checked into a luxury resort hotel and stayed 3 days. These islands are very different because they are really reefs that have formed a big circle with a lagoon in the middle (called an atoll). The reef part has developed enough to support trees and land for growing things and a few villages. I don't think there is anything quite like these islands anywhere in the world. We were lucky to be able to spend a few days there. One of our highlights was doing a dive at one of the passes into the atoll of Rangiroa. They drop you off outside the pass and then the current swipes you through the pass and then they pick you up on the inside. The water on the surface is rough and the current is even rougher. Under the water it is a different world. It would be like swimming in an aquarium. The fish and coral are so abundant it literally takes your breath away.
After a few days we were off to the Society Islands with Tahiti being our first landfall. Seeing Tahiti for the first time was really inspiring. This is one of those life goals that were finally coming true. Barbara and I kept saying to each other, "we are in Tahiti". One of our main goals in Tahiti was to get the boat fixed and working again. We were very lucky to be able to get a slip in the largest marina in Papeete. Normally we anchor out from land but with what we needed to do to get the boat fixed it was great being at the marina. In 2 weeks we were all well and ready to go again.
From Tahiti we sailed to Moorea, just 10 miles but a world apart. This island is truly what you think about when you think about French Polynesia. The bays between the mountains and the reefs with all the colorful fish. We liked it so much we stayed here for 2 weeks. A high point for me was being able to swim with the Stingrays and sharks. Sounds pretty intense but was a very serene experience being a part of their world for a few moments. The rays would come right up to you and allow you to touch them. A really awesome experience.
During the middle of July we were blessed to have Jeri Lyn and Jeff Martin, close friends from Denver, join us for a few days sailing and exploring the other islands. As luck would have it for them the weather was not very kind to them. Three of the 5 days they were on board it rained. In spite of all that it was memorable to me because they came all that way to see us. They were great sports and we had a great time anyway. On their last night with us in Bora Bora we had dinner at a restaurant that might have been the best food I have ever eaten. The restaurant is Villa Mahana and we want to thank Mac and Pamela Buckland for the recommendation.
The days pass quickly in these islands. It is now time to go to a new land and a new adventure. One thing stays constant, the people we get to associate with our like no other. It is a very special community of people where everyone watches out for each other. We feel lucky and blessed because of it. We are both excited about what tomorrow brings. You have to be careful and not get ahead of yourself. Very important to live in the moment probably want be this way again. I hope this gives you a perspective of my last 3 months. It's been a great time but I can't wait for the next land fall. Destiny back to 1-6!

Captain log update 6/18/2008

A lot of people have been writing in wondering where my updates are.  Barbara reminds me every day that I need to do the update so finally I feel compelled to write.  It has been a long time so I will try not to repeat too much.

Our life aboard for the last 3 weeks has been consumed with the fact that our water maker didn't work.  At first it would work in the evening then it would work for 8 hours and then nothing for a few days.  It was very frustrating.  I spent many hours taking the thing apart to try and determine where the problem was.  Finally it quit all together.  We were still in the Marquesas and were getting ready to head to the Tuamotus but we had no water on board to make the crossing.  On a whim we decided to go over to a little island in the Marquesas that we hadn't been to yet and see if we could get some water and then make the crossing.  When we got to the harbor on this island we found out that if we waited till high tide we could tie the boat to the dock and hook up our hose and fill the water tanks.  The water was not drinkable but at least we would have water for bathing, doing dishes and running the toilets. I can't tell you what a God send this was.  By the way, in all the islands in the Marquesas this is the only one that had a dock that would allow us to do this type of fill up.  Without this we were looking at many hours of going back and forth in the dinghy filling water jugs and pouring them into the water tanks one by one.  Ok, water issue solved for at least 2 weeks if we were real careful how we used it. 

It seems that when one thing goes wrong something else happens at the same time.  As the water maker was dying on us Barbara kept telling me she smelled diesel fumes on the starboard side of the boat.  We had just filled up with fuel so I figured there might be a pocket of fumes that had developed during the fill up.  We had very rough seas after we filled up and made our way over to the island to get water. The diesel fumes got worse and finally we started going through every compartment to see if we had a leak.  It didn't take long for us to discover the problem.  We had a break in the fill line from where we put the fuel into the boat on deck to the fuel tank.  This break in the line had allowed fuel to wash up from the tank and out the break and into several compartments and into the bilge. In one of the compartments that the fuel had leaked into we found probably a gallon of fuel.  On a boat where the fumes cannot escape easily a few drops of diesel will stink up the whole boat.  We really had a mess on our hands.  I really had no way to patch the leak and as long as we were at sea in rough water the fuel would continue to wash up that line from the fuel tank until we used up enough fuel so it couldn't reach the break.  So we turned the main engine and generator on and started using fuel.  Doing this for a couple of days got the fuel level down enough so we didn't have any more spillage.  Problem, resolved for the time being.

I cannot tell you how stressful this is on captain and crew.  Cruising the islands was suddenly not much fun.  The boat stunk and we worried about the water running out.  We decided to throw the towel in and head for Tahiti and get this stuff fixed.  On the way we would stop over in Rangiroa in the Tuamotus and then proceed to Papeete the main port in Tahiti.  It took us about 3 days to cross between the islands and get to Rangiroa, which is the largest atoll in this group of islands.  The anchorage here was just offshore from this beautiful resort the Kia Ora Village resort.  This place is exactly what you would think of if you pictured a south sea island resort.  It was perfect and of course it was Barbara's birthday so we got a room (bungalow), for 3 nights.  This was the perfect place at the perfect time.  Can't tell you how much we enjoyed those 3 days away from the issues of the boat and our way of life on the boat. 

After our stay in Rangiroa we did an overnight sail to Tahiti where we are now, working on getting things fixed, replaced or whatever it takes to make life on the boat good again.  How could I forget our last problem.  Our dinghy has a big hole in the front tube.  I have tried to patch it but have not had great success.  About 4 times a day I would have to pump up the tubes so we could use the thing.  To fix the problem we need to have the dinghy out of the water for a few days and have them use some special glue that needs to dry inside to work.  To do all that we needed to be in the marina so we could tie up and let them take the dinghy away to be fixed. This is the time of year that everyone comes to Tahiti to sail and charter so the marinas are completely full.  I just happened to be at the right place at the right time and the marina manager said he had a spot that just opened .  My lucky day!

So here we are in a marina in Papeet ,Tahiti.  The parts for the watermaker have been ordered and should be here by the end of the week. They will come get the dinghy tomorrow and fix the leaks and the rest of our little problems are getting resolved.  In spite of all the problems I can't believe we are here.   It just doesn't seem possible that a few months ago we were in the cold and snow of Denver and now we are in French Polynesia.

I know this report seems a little gloomy but there are 2 sides to this life style.  When everything is working and the weather is right this is a wonderful experience. On the other hand when things are not working this can be a real challenge.  We are very thankful we have more of the good days. That's it for now from the South Pacific. This is Destiny back to 16.                        

 

Captain's Update May 27, 2008

It doesn't seem possible but we have been in the Marquesas Islands for 3 weeks.  As a first landfall after 21 days at sea this isn't too bad.  Lush green islands with fruit trees everywhere.  The native people of the islands could not be nicer. They are always smiling and welcoming you to their village.  They have the patience of Job dealing with people like us who know no French and have a hard time with the language.  Somehow or another we both figure out what the other wants and we end up with a mutual understanding.  You get the point this place is very unique; both the land and the people.

A few days ago a friend wanted to know what it was like seeing land for the first time in 21 days when we arrived in the islands.  Out at sea the colors you see are very limited.  There are many shades of blue, gray and white.  At sundown we have orange, red, yellow, and pink. The one color you don't see is green.  When we came in sight of land and we could start to make out the island with its many shades of green that you see and it reminds you how much you have missed that color.  When we pulled into the little bay we were headed for I really didn't give much thought to this being the end of 21 days at sea.  Those first few minutes we were very focused on getting the anchor set and making the boat ready to stay a while.  Barbara was not feeling well so as soon as we got the anchor set she went below and took a nap. I got the deck chairs up on deck, got a cold beer and a cigar and started to think about what we had just accomplished.  It was a very special moment.  The dream of doing this for so many years was finally being realized.  The other thought I had on first seeing the island from about 30 miles out was that I could travel 2,700 miles in this giant ocean and find this little speck of land.  Technology is great.   

 After 3 weeks we are actually getting excited about going back out to sea.  Next weekend we will head SW toward the Tuamotu Islands.  These islands are about 460 miles SW from the Marquesas and about 200 miles east of Tahiti.  In fact they are the largest island chain in French Polynesia.

Since my last update the water maker stopped working again.  Spent several days taking it apart and putting it back together.  I was able to finally get in touch with the guy who installed it and he told me what was probably wrong.  When we get to Tahiti that will be one of the first things that gets worked on.  So as far as making water, when we are underway it seems to work and when we sit at anchor it doesn't work.  Such is life on a boat.   The only other thing that isn't working quite right is our dinghy.  4 days ago a rusty dock ladder put a hole in the side of the dinghy.  That's not good because air leaks out.  My first attempt at patching the leak would be graded as a C-. When we bring the dinghy back on deck I will start over and try to get the leak stopped.  Compared to other boats we are doing quite well in the area of equipment breakdown.

Some observations after joining the cruising community.  The boats and crews we met when we arrived in the islands are kind of our cruising pals all the way to New Zealand.  Good thing we like most of them.  When things break it usually happens along with other stuff at the same time.  That phenomenon greatly increases the stress level on our boat, if you know what I mean.  Even though we are surrounded by water, fresh water is like gold.  When we talk about the water maker going out you might as well be talking about sinking the boat.  It is the ultimate stressor.  The Milky Way is brilliant here and we watch it every night. Additional information - it runs east to west and you could use it to navigate.  The villagers are getting rich off of coconut oil.  Who would of thought?  The one part of our boat life Barbara and I have not mastered yet is the radio.  Our goal in the next month is to learn how all that works.  We are really not acceptable members of the cruising society until we master that aspect. 

Time to go it is way past my bedtime (9pm).  Busy day tomorrow, we move to another bay and village.  We really are having the time of our life.  Every day is new and rewarding and we look so forward to the next day and what it will bring.  Take care land lubbers and we hope your day and week will be as rewarding as ours. "This is Destiny, back to 16."       

Captains Update, May 17, 2008, Bahia Hanamoenoa on the Island of Tahuata

Please forgive me for taking so long to give you an update. A lot has happened since the last time we talked. Before I get started I want to tell those of you who have emailed that I am sorry I haven't got back to you. Since we crossed the equator our ability to send and receive email is very limited. There is only one station that we are able to get connected with and that station will only let us be on line with them for 30 minutes a day. By the time we send some messages and then start receiving
we run out of time. That's what you get when its free so It might take awhile for me to get back to you.
We arrived in the Marquesas on May 8th. We did the crossing in 21 days and that is way above average for 2 people from Denver. The last 4 days of the crossing was like we were in a speed boat. We had 2 days that we averaged 190 nm. That probably doesn't sound like much to land lubbers but for a sail boat that is moving. A little perspective if we did 120 nm a day we thought we were doing well. So, when we got to the islands our first stop was the island of Fatu Hiva. The bay we anchored in was
like going back in time. For 6 days we never paid money for anything. Everything we got was bartered for. Seven pamplemousse (grapefruits) & a stalk of bananas was about one tee shirt and 3 small bottles of shampoo. Barbara got real good at wheeling and dealing with the locals. I probably gave too much away for what I traded for but in my mind the things we were trading were really throw aways. The best way to describe the bay we were in is to envision the movie Jurassic Park. In fact we cut
one of our hikes short because we feared a T-Rex was right down the path. Every morning I would go up on deck to have a cup of coffee and I would have to pinch myself I just could not believe we were actually here and living our dream. What a great way to start our journey in the South Pacific.
The boat has been great. We have had a few bumps in the road like the generator stopped working again and our water maker went out. Both problems were overcome and we are back with all systems normal. I am learning very quickly how all this stuff works. I better because without the generator we can't turn on the air conditioner and when the water maker goes out we can't take a shower every day. As of today all systems are working normal and that makes Barbara and me very happy.
As a foreigner we are required to check into the country and clear customs. In the Marquesas there are 3 islands you can go to that have the facilities to do that. We choose the island of Hiva Oa. We felt like we had gone into the city after being in Fatu Hiva for 6 days. We were in the largest town on the island and its population was about 1500. There was a post office, 4 little grocery stores a gas station , bank and 2 restaurants. One of the restaurants was only open for lunch. The anchorage
was a 40 minute walk into town so we rented a car for 2 days. This was the first time in over 30 days that I had to take money or a credit card out of my pocket to purchase anything. That is probably a first in my adult life. The anchorage in Hiva Oa left a lot to be desired in fact it was maybe the worst I have ever experienced. The water was only about 10 ft deep and when the tide went out and we were at low tide I probably only had about 1-2 ft of water below the keel. To make matters worse
the tides are greater during the full moon stage, which is what we are going through now. Now let's add large 4 ft rollers coming in and now the boat was rocking and rolling like we were at sea. Finally Saturday morning we were exhausted and at first light we got out of there. Next stop the Island of Tahuata which is a short 7 mile trip across the channel from Hiva Oa. We are currently anchored in a little bay with a white sand beach and water so clear you can see forever. This bay is completely
deserted with only lime, coconut and banana trees. Back in paradise! This is a place you read about in travel magazines when they talk about the islands in the South Pacific. It's beautiful and made even more so by the anchorage we just left but tomorrow we move on.
It is really hard to describe the beauty here. The sea, the people, the sky, sunsets it is too much to put into words. Got to go, its Sunday night and I have to get up and go to another little bay to sit and watch another sunset. Wishing all who take the time to read our story another great week and good health where ever you are. "Over and Out Destiny back to 16."

FW: Update!!

Hello everyone!!!
 
It's Jen, Barb's daughter. Mom and Frank have landed!! They hit shore in the Marquesas on friday...  All is well, but they have no internet :( .  They are actually in Fatu Hiva and will be doing a small halfday trip to Hiva Oa on tues or wed. Hopefully they will pick up an internet signal there :)  They asked me to send a little message to the blog, to let every one know they made it! I only get a short convo when they call, due to the cost of the sat. radio... so i only have a small amout of info to report to all of ya'll.
 
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY :)
Jen

Captain's Update May 5 @ 03.29 S, 133.25 W, 2315 GMT . South Pacific 550 NM,

You could cut the excitement on Destiny with a knife. We are not done yet but we can start to smell the tropical flowers and fruit or least Barbara can I just pretend. What a journey this has been now its not over but we can start the process of summarizing the last 65 days. it seems a lot longer than that but we have come a long way in a short time. Most cruisers don't move this quick, in fact most we have found are a little intimidated about losing site of land. In about 3 days Barbara and I join
a very elite group of sailors who have made this passage. Since leaving San Diego February 28th we have sailed over 3,700 NM with more than 2/3 of that more than 50 miles off shore. A few highlights:
Right at the start of our journey from San Diego, Captain, me, entered the wrong port in Ensenada. It was dark and hard to see, anyone could have made the same mistake. In Asuncion Bay we tied the dinghy next to the boat and in the middle of the night it was hitting the hull and the Captain couldn't sleep. So I went on deck and started to re-tie it forward. As I untied it I let go of the wrong line and the dinghy was set adrift. How in the world was I going to explain this to Barbara, "I lost the
dinghy, honey". The gods looked onto me with favor because as I contemplated diving in after it the wind blew it right back to me. Whew, that was close! In Santa Maria bay we entered on a very dark and foggy night, anchoring next to shore with only our instruments as a guide and our ears listening to the surf hit the beach. I was happy camper when the sun came up the next morning and we were exactly where we were supposed to be and not washed up on shore. Barbara gets all the kudos on that one she
did a great job setting the anchor. We caught our first fish on the passage from Cabo to Mazatlan. It was a great moment I could taste it already but as it got closer to the boat, we realized it was a shark. Now what? I could just see me bringing that thing on deck and one of us gets bitten. No need to fear catching and landing are two different things. We have got the catching part down but we have had some issues with the landing part. When the shark got right next to the boat, it took a deep
look into my eyes of terror as I was about to whack it in the head, and took off, whew that was close! For those of you who keep asking we have yet to land one yet but we are close.

When we got to Puerto Vallarta I again went into the wrong port. Hey, honest mistake they all look alike besides I wanted to see what that area of town looked like. When we got to the right marina "there was no room in the inn" because it was Easter weekend, and everyone was in town for the big holiday, so we just took the biggest slip we could find. The marina was full and we couldn't prove our reservation to the security officer. The guard said we had to go! I said let me talk to your boss. He
said do whatever you want. That whole exchange was done in my fluent Spanish.

We have had a few mechanical and boat part failures along the way. The generator wouldn't start. Finally after 5-6 hours of trying everything the book said to try one of my marina mates called Teacup (no kidding, an English mate). This guy is in such high demand if I had tried to get this guy with his help it would have taken 2 weeks. Teacup stops by, listens, looks and in a couple of minutes finds the fuse housing in the start circuit was broken. A 15 cent piece of plastic had rendered us helpless.
He went to the local hardware store got a replacement and we were back in business. I am now an expert in generator repair. We broke a windshield not long after that. Suffice it to say I am now an expert on import/export laws of Mexico. We have had 2 shackles come undone. Never leave the dock until you are sure every shackle on deck is secured. I have been up the mast in a bosons chair while underway. I would not recommend that stunt to anyone but the view is excellent. Disney has contacted me about
making this a ride, "UP THE MAST OF TERROR"!

All in all we have had a very good 65 days. We have had problems like everyone out here and we have overcome each by putting our heads together and coming up with solutions. Bottom line, each time we faced these problems we overcame them and moved on. Two days ago we crossed the equator and both of us declared each other Shell Backs. We poured the Sea Gods a drink of our finest red wine. After a couple of hours of admiring our accomplishment we moved on. If we stopped right now the trip has been
a success Now in about 3-4 days we land in French Polynesia, a dream of both Barbara and I for many years. I am very honored and grateful to have Barbara as my first mate on Destiny as well as in my life as my wife. It has been a great adventure and will continue to be. We both can't wait to see what tomorrow brings us. We are truly blessed.

I will talk to you again in the islands where I am sure there will be more adventures. Destiny,KD0CFF,over and out.

Update from the Captaims Log Sunday April 27 2008l

We are into our 10th day out here and I am happy to report I haven't had to go back up the mast since I last talked to you. Lets hope that only happens once in a retirement. You will be interested to know that someone passed my story on to The Flying Wallenda's
and they are interested in talking to me when I am done with this trip.

We are just about to complete the north leg of the passage. The next leg of the trip is very interesting. We will be traveling through the area known as the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). This is an area that is always changing in size and position and is somewhat important to one sailing from the northern hemisphere to the southern. Most people think of this area as the doldrums and in some respect that is correct but there is more to it than that. Sailing through this area you can encounter
severe thunderstorms or dead calm seas. What ever the case you want to minimize the time you spend going through this zone. So, before we left Manzanillo we contacted a weather service that provides routing for mariners, and especially in this area of the world. They give us the coordinates to sail to and what kind of wind and seas we should expect as we make the passage. Tomorrow afternoon we will reach the position to turn south and head through the ITCZ. It leaves us pretty excited and anxious
at the same time. When we make our left turn tomorrow we have a very narrow window to sail south through. What ever we encounter we would be remiss if we didn't stop at the Equator and celebrate, which is customary and quite ceremonious, after all how many people get to sail across the equator. With all that build up I need to let you know this doesn't happen quickly. It will take almost all week for us to get to the other side of the zone. As we sail south trough the zone, we will be watching
for the wind to shift around and we then pick up the trade winds from the Southeast. When that happens we will have started the final leg of the passage to the Marguesas. This is also suppose to be the best sailing because the SE trades are very reliable. Keep watching and we will keep you updated as to what's happening.

Well there you go a science lesson right here in Frank's Notes. Will sign off now until the next update.