Water, Wind and Wine

Ships Log

2010-08-08T23:29:00.000-07:00

The following have been taken from the log I wrote on a recent sailing race from Melbourne to Vanuatu. Onboard a Beneteau First 47.7 with 7 other crew we sailed approx 2000 kms from cold Melbourne to tropical pacific island of Vanautu.

Read on to find out more....

My nickname onboard is the Ships Cat as I can be found sleeping anywhere at any time in any conditions. Meow!

Melbourne to Vanuatu Yacht Race - Day 12 - Gone Troppo

2010-08-08T23:24:00.001-07:00

Gone Troppo – Last edition

We have finally arrived in the Tropical paradise of Vanuatu.

After a loooooong slow day with very little breeze Huey (wind god) dropped out the 0.00 knots as we drifted over the finish line doing 0.01 knot - (thank the current/tide god for us finishing on the right side of the harbour leads) at 22.10 on Thursday night! Grrrrr - frustrating to say the least. Most importantly though we did make it and were all VERY happy to tie up alongside our fellow competitors (Tevake, Turbo and 51st Project) about 11pm Thursday night.

The obvious happened .......... bottles and cans were cracked and the stories got bigger and better and flowed until the wee hours of the morning. This cat hit the rack at about 1.00am and have awoken to stories of roosters being purchased from the markets and planted on various boats, crew forgetting where they were and going in search of Souvlaki and kebabs rah rah rah - the usual post race lies, fun and frivolity.

Customs, Quarantine and Immigration did their thing (in their own island time of course) and we were free to get amongst it in Vanuatu. Most of the crew checked into Irriki resort and had our first sleep in a real bed for a few weeks - very pleasant indeed!

Thanks to all those who have tuned into the cats tales, I am glad to hear most of you have enjoyed them.

The Vanuatu Races are on today and given my winning gambling form, we are going to hit them with gusto! Frocked up, feeling good and signing off for one last time on behalf of all the Samskara Crew.

Over and Out!

The Ships Cat.

Melbourne to Vanuatu Yacht Race - Day 11 - Gone Sailing / Finishing

2010-08-08T23:17:00.000-07:00

Gone Sailing / Finishing - Issue 11

As I wriggled my weary body out of my salt encrusted wet weather gear and unpacked the bulky contents of the jacket, (torch, personal EPIRB, strobe light, knife, head light, dye kit and half eaten muesli bar), for what should be one last time this morning, I felt a sense of relief mixed with apprehension and disappointment that the journey is coming to an end.

Samskara has provided us with our own private, self-contained universe that not only has all of the facilities to keep eight of us warm, clean and well fed she has also carried us over 1800 nautical miles (approx. 3,600 kms) through mixed conditions with only a few hissy fits along the way. It seems strange to feel so fond of an innate object but somehow yachts have soul and personality and after looking after each other for so long it is hard not to feel a real companionship and a sense of pride in her. Yachts like to be sailed rather than tied up in marinas and I can't help thinking that Samskara has enjoyed lifting her skirt, barrelling out of the Melbourne Heads and opening into a canter for this passage. Although still creaking and moaning she feels as sound and comforting as the day we left.

As for the crew, although in high spirits we certainly look and feel a bit rougher than when we left. Rougher, but in a sense a little healthier and fitter, it's amazing what getting up every 4 hours does for you along with not drinking or eating to excess! We are all sporting some colorful bruises in odd places and are a little weather beaten not to mention hairier (the boys anyway!) and I am sure smellier. Manky clothes are being sealed in plastic bags and sea boots aired in the sunshine. Everyone is re-iterating the same thoughts - very happy to be arriving and seeing their friends and families but also a little disappointed such an awesome trip is coming to a close.

The wind has dropped out to 5-10 knots as if teasing us so close to the finish. With just 70 miles to go we are sailing along so slowly and gently averaging 5 knots boat speed. Ironically the day we are too excited to sleep the bouncy castle is offering a gentle rocking ideal for snoozing! If we had the same wind strength as yesterday we would definitely arrive in time to clear customs tonight but with these new light conditions it looks like party time on the customs buoy this evening. Three other boats should be joining us so a bit of fun to be had and a nice close finish to celebrate!

We have just passed competing yacht "The Secretary" who are doing this race two handed and we have heard that George has had a fall and hurt his back, so Robin is doing most of the steering, poor buggers, that would be tough going! They have just VHF radioed to let us know their HF radio has gone down and asked if we can do the 1615 scheds if they are not back up and running by then. Robin had just written her daily blog and went to send at the time the radio decided not to work - lets hope she hasn't lost her material.

We are now in search of "51st Project" who were 27 miles ahead at the 4.15am scheds, a big call but we have the new number 1 up and are making ok speed given the conditions.

We are all particularly excited about arriving in Vanuatu. For us Australians to sail to a foreign port is certainly a unique experience. With such vast distances from our island nation, we often fly overseas but to sail aboard is a rare experience and we are looking forward to immersing ourselves in the island's culture and celebrating the journey.

Current Situation:
Jack Johnson piping through speakers, Stoopy doing our arrival papers, Rick totally absorbed in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" we've lost him I think (he just piped up and said he can't wait to get there to buy the second book in the trilogy), Jesse steering, Fo, Mike, James and Leon on deck.

The Tucker:
Chilli Beans and fresh bread ala Mike for lunch yesterday filled us all so full of food and air we just had noodles and cuppa soups for dinner. Bacon, egg and cheese omelette ala ships cat this morning.

So this ends the blogging at sea, I'll miss my daily routine of sitting / bouncing around the navigation station sliding off the seat while trying to type away. I will try and do one last update tomorrow to advise our safe arrival and report any stand out performances at the mooring party tonight... I can hear a few cans cracking already - could be interesting...

Signing off on behalf of the Samskara Crew, With a huge Cheshire Cat Grin, The Ships Cat.

PS: Log saying arriving around 8pm tonight - guess who wins the "Estimated date and time of finishing" competition??!! Hee hee, I wont start bragging until reality - still 68 miles to go but looking good!

Melbourne to Vanuatu Yacht Race - Day 10 - Gone Sailing / Reef Hopping

2010-08-08T23:13:00.000-07:00

Gone Sailing / Reef Hopping - Issue 10

As the weather was looking stable (and our sudden compulsion to try even harder to mow down some boats in front of us), we decided on taking the quick route through the reef in between the main island of Noumea and the southern Isle of Pines group. The passage is around 8 miles long and 4 miles wide at the start then narrowing to 2 miles before popping out the other end. It is a reasonably well marked pass but with waves breaking over gnarly reef on both sides and shooting through doing 8-10 knots under spinnaker in the middle of night made it another 'all hands on deck' affair.

We were all set up for it and everyone was looking forward to a bit of action despite it being the middle of the night. It was an exhilarating feeling - kite up, deciphering the blinking navigational marks, peeling to the number 3 headsail for the short dog leg beam reach then back to kite as we shot out of the narrow northern gap.
Amidst this excitement there was a radio sched that again confirmed we have clawed back a few more miles on competing boats. This combined with the first sight of land in 8 days as the sun peeped over the horizon had the happy hour bell ringing all before 6.30am. A celebratory sip was complemented by bacon and egg sandwiches ala Jess and Nick. A great way to start the day!

Our welcome to the tropics:
We had an enormous ferry/cruise ship heading straight for us this morning doing about 30 knots. After making radio contact to ensure he saw us, he confirmed he was just coming over to say hi and give his passengers a closer look at us. Big arms waved from both vessels as he gave us a toot and warm greeting. Very odd but very pleasant welcome to the islands.

Current Situation:
Dave Gray's tunes are filtering through the boats speakers, the sun is shining, the spinnakers full and the mild sea state and angle has the bouncy castle working in slow motion allowing us to open some hatches and air the good ship. Bloody beautiful! It really is one of those "you wouldn't be dead for quids" moments and reminds you why sailing is so special!

Everyone is in go slow mode after a long night on deck - Leon is asleep in the saloon quarter berth - he has been the main navigator through the night so would be feeling a big sense of relief, Mike is in the forward cabin catching zz's, Rick in port aft cabin and James in starboard aft cabin snoozing too - it's an opera of snores sounding like a country fair wood chopping contest! Jesse is in the shower sprucing himself up, captain Stoopy is on the wheel and Nick on deck reading, keeping him company and doing the odd sail trim. A very happy mellow ship!

The Tucker:
Dinner last night was another Easy Foods meal of lamb and current stew, this was complimented with fresh bread made by our resident "masterbaker" Mike from bread mix kindly supplied by Lynda - many thanks Lynda, it was like heaven after days of eating the bland mountain flat bread!

Nature Spots:
Flying fish galore - literally hundreds all around us.
Islands and reef!

Tropical paradise:
I think today will mark the last of thermal underwear and we will be sailing the last 280 nautical miles in shorts and t-shirts - the moment we have all been waiting for! If we maintain our current speed averaging 8-9 knots we are now thinking we will arrive tomorrow night (Thursday). If after about 4pm we will be too late to clear customs so will have to spend the night on the customs buoy and do the formalities Friday morning. Everyone is getting very excited about arriving and particularly seeing family and friends who are flying across specially to meet us!

We are now approaching the Loyalty Islands and all we have to do is miss Lifou Island and Mare Island and do some more reef hopping through a few coral islets in between and we are on the homeward stretch.

Looking very forward to our arrival!!

Signing off on behalf on the Samskara Crew, The Ships Cat.

Melbourne to Vanuatu Yacht Race - Day 9 - Gone Sailing / Pondering

2010-08-08T23:11:00.000-07:00

Gone Sailing / Pondering - Issue 9

After another 24 hours of bobbing around the ocean doing much of the same as the past few days (changing and trimming sails to suit the wind strength and direction, eating, reading, wriggling in and out of wet weather gear while trying to keep your balance, bouncing off walls, writing, sleeping etc) has got me pondering more about this journey.

The common goal:
It seems a simple mission, get the boat from A to B as quickly as possible without breaking anything or anyone. Sounds simple but the enormity of such a task is more than meets the eye.

Firstly there is getting the boat ready for the trip, the Melbourne crew and helpers have spent months working through the ever growing jobs list to ensure the boat meets all of the required safety standards, an expensive and extensive mission in itself. Then there is all the extras to fit to make the journey as comfortable and safe as possible, additional water tanks, fuel tanks, new electrical and navigation systems, adding additional storage and refrigeration, testing all of the rigging, installing emergency rudders etc etc etc.
The list literally does go on and on and hats off should be made to anyone who has the patience and determination to work through this and get their boat to the start line of any offshore race. The ever increasing rules and regs and associated costs is definitely seeing fleet sizes dwindle for races such as these, but I guess it's all in the name of safety.

Then there is the people element, a journey of any sort can be made or shattered by the company you keep. In the yachting world it is a common scenario for best mates not be able to sail together as for some odd reason some people's personalities can change from mild and reserved to captain Bligh by simply putting a yacht wheel in their hands and an ocean under their boat. An odd phenomenon but a common one. There are also cases that the people you love and want to spend time with would rather stay home and poke hot forks in their eyes than go sailing. Sea sickness, fear and boredom are often reasons for spouses, friends and children not wanting to join in with your idea of a great time.

This results in people who don't necessarily know each other well sailing together and strong friendships are often forged after sharing such adventures. The nature of the beast requires you to live, eat and breath in extremely close quarters (there is no getting off or places to hide), run on little and disrupted sleep, recognise and rely on each others skills and strengths and work as a team to achieve the "common goal". A lot of the time on a long trip there is not much happening, the sails are set and the wind is constant so you find yourself sitting around, on the rail or in the cockpit (often wet and
cold) having conversations with people you simply would never have in any other situation. You certainly do reach deeper into people than at a typical cocktail party.

With all that said, I scoped the Samskara crew to find out their motivation and reasoning for undertaking this trip. What is it we are all seeking, is it ego driving us, the appeal of risk, the fun or the simple need for adventure?...

The answers were varied in depth and humor but the common threads were these:

"Sailing with mates" - its like doing anything with good friends, simply its bloody good fun! Everyone mentioned they wouldn't do it with just anyone - All

"Personal challenge - the simple challenge of being able to compete in and complete the trip" - James

"Great opportunity and adventure - a rare and amazing opportunity, trips like this don't happen everyday - very thankful and happy to be here!" - Jesse

"The overall challenge - competing in what equates to more than three Sydney Hobarts with longer offshore distances and challenges is an awesome challenge" - Nick

"Good friends, good food, good fun" - Rick

"Using the boat, sailing into a foreign port and sailing with good mates" - Captain Stoops

"The conversations, the ever changing conditions but mostly the piss-up at the other end" - Mike (surprise surprise)

"Why Not - a few weeks sailing - love it!" - Leon

For me it is all of the above along with the my infatuation with tropical paradises, I have never been to Vanuatu and am very much looking forward to the warmth, the people, the palm trees, my sarong and those quirky swim-to cocktail bars. I must admit if the race was Melbourne to Antarctica for example I too would be at home poking hot forks in my eyes!

So there you have it, pretty simple reasons for competing in a not so simple task. I hope this has given a better insight into what many find unfathomable or madness and it will perhaps ignite some pondering of your own to consider sailing away some time soon too?!

Must go as we have crew rehearsals on deck for our cabaret performance at the presentation night. It seems any race placement trophies are out of reach so we are going for gold on this one!

Signing off on behalf on the Samskara Crew, The Ships Cat.

PS: Oh yes and our progress... we should go through the pass between Noumea and the Isle of Pines tonight around midnight. After this we then have the last leg - 280 nautical miles to Vanuatu!! All is well everyone catching lots of sleep today as it will be all hands on deck tonight, the pass is only a few miles wide and surrounded by reef, so we will be all up double checking each other and ready for any weather changes that may occur. We are all looking forward to the sight of land!

Melbourne to Vanuatu Yacht Race - Day 8 - Gone Sailing / Maintaining

2010-08-08T23:10:00.001-07:00

Gone Sailing / Maintaining - Issue 8

Another day sails by with a respectable 180 nautical miles covered in the past 24 hours. We have completed 1265 nautical miles of the 1885 mile trip and are maintaining consistent speeds so the finish line is becoming a more discussed topic.

We have some decisions to make about which route to take around New Caledonia, Noumea. The lead boat, "Tevake 2" is enroute to leave New Cal to starboard meaning it is going around the northern end and then across to Vanuatu. The other options are to leave New Cal to port and either slip through the pass between the main island and The Isle Of Pines, or leave them all to port then shoot north east to Vanuatu. The passage between Isle of Pines and main island of New Cal looks the most scenic but more reading and research will have to be done before we understand the tides and currents. There would be nothing worse than parking in there for a few days no matter how scenic it may be!
Once we clear New Cal it is about 260 nautical miles to the finish.

Contrary to the forecast, the breeze has swung more south for us allowing us to crack sheets a bit more and enjoy some fast beam reaching with the number 2 headsail. Unfortunately we have had to keep a roll / reef in the main-sail since our outhaul issue the other night, the roll taking the load off the fitting and acting as insurance it wont come away again. We are still maintaining an average of 8-9 knots boat speeds which is a happy thing in these conditions and we have clawed back at a few of the other boats which is exciting.
Last night was a sloppy sea state but it seems to have abated a bit this morning and we are enjoying riding the long, wide rolling ocean swells.

Two lure's trailing out the back still in search of Mahe Mahe, we would even settle for a tuna today. We passed 3 floating bouys this morning which we think may be long line fishing nets - seems a long way in the middle of nowhere for these but no real other explanation could be made. Unless they are drug drops ready for a ship to pick up?.. We are fortunate we did not catch one on our keel or rudder as we scooted past it early this morning, sharks or drugs hanging off the end - neither do we need not to mention the hassle of unhooking it!

The Tucker:
"Easy Foods" lamb shanks has had rave reviews from all the crew since they were served with mash potato, carrots, corn topped with rosemary and red wine sauce last night. Well done Mike and Stoopman - this has been a real highlight and the effort to serving it up while walking on walls outstanding!

Notable moments:
The remaining smelly people treated themselves to showers this morning and more undy ceremonies performed.
Crew member number 4 did number 2's which resulted in an emergency evacuation of the saloon - sadly our canary who was left inside perished!

Right here right now:
Rick in saloon in quarter berth enjoying his new found love of reading, Jesse in the galley washing up the brunch dishes, oh and Rick has just jumped to his assistance, Nick steering, Mike in cockpit reading, Stoops, James and Leon all catching zzz's.

Leon has again been continually maintaining the good ship, he has fixed the leaking windows so we are now not taking on buckets of water, the HF radio has been pulled apart repaired and reset so we are now transmitting and receiving on cue rather than randomly, he had the sail repair kit out yesterday and re-sewed a tear in the number 2 headsail. Champion effort!

That's about it for today, we are all settled in as we will be on this heading for about the next 40 hours or so. Let's hope the wind god
(Huey) stays happy and keeps spitting the 15-22 knots of breeze on the beam for us so we can continue to maintain this speed. Not only because it is a more comfortable bouncy castle like this but it is making my estimated arrival time looking pretty good! I better start talking up the prize for the winning bid!

Signing off on behalf on the Samskara Crew, The Ships Cat.

Today's unfinished Crew Song (sung to tune of Hotel California)

On a dark pacific ocean
Cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of lasagne
rising up through the air

Up ahead in the distance
I saw the New Caledonia light
We hope the breeze stays in
and we don't park for the night

Welcome to the hotel Samskara
Such a lovely boat (such a lovely boat)
It's a fridge afloat (it's afloat)
Plenty of room at the hotel Samskara
You will find rum here, also wine and beer..

the remaining lyrics to be censored and continued...

Melbourne to Vanuatu Yacht Race - Day 7 - Gone Sailing / Gaining

2010-08-08T23:08:00.001-07:00

Gone Sailing / Gaining - Issue 7

11.30am this morning marked our complete week on the water, some parts seem to have flown by and other moments (usually the uncomfortable
ones) have felt like an eternity. The pluses, no phones ringing, no traffic jams, no deadlines, no appointments to meet, no meetings to attend, just us, the good ship and the big blue. Maintaining the ship and keeping her moving at optimum speed, along with sustaining everyone's health and sanity / normality the mission of each day. The other race competitors are out here some where but we haven't seen any of them since day 2. But we do know that we are finally gaining some ground on them!

Thank goodness it is getting warmer as the inner thermal layers and socks are getting tired of being attached to bodies and are starting to walk around the boat by themselves.. ew! Most of us shouted ourselves a one week wash today, we have been very careful to conserve water but with the finish in sight the bodies have had a wash down (thank god for the baby wipes prior to this!). I'll leave the description of what it is like to shower in the forward compartment of the bouncv castle for another edition..

We are still watching our water usage and have not had enough rain to fill the tanks so the hair will have to wait until closer to the finish, we are all sporting the nice greasy dread lock look! Down below is starting to permeate that over lived in smell, and there is too much water still coming over the deck to open any hatches to properly air it out. Luckily we are mainly dry, wet weather gear dry, boots etc dry, otherwise by now the smell would be far worse.

Too much information perhaps?? Back to the sailing...

Our latest position report has shown us finally gaining ground on some of the other boats which has given the crew a pump up. Each watch is not only trying to go as fast as possible we are now also trying to out run the previous watches speed and distance. Bids have been taken on estimated time and date of arrival with mine being the most optimistic of 0900 Friday 16th July, and the most pessimistic (uncharacteristically) is Nick with 1406 Sunday the 18th July, everyone else is somewhere in between. We'll see, mine is definitely wishful thinking as the sooner we get there the more time I have to enjoy Vanuatu before heading back to being a common old working cat!

The gloomy weather forecast of yesterday has not kicked in so we are enjoying a nice close reach (slightly cracked off the breeze) for the past 24 hours. We are still walking and sleeping on walls but not at such a severe angle as we were when hard on the breeze. The bouncy castle is still relentlessly bouncing and the creaking and groaning of the boat still humming around us.

Last night's watches were again a glamour. Clear skies showing off the blanket of stairs again pumping out an astounding amount of light which somehow makes slinking along the inky black ocean a far more friendly sight. We have not seen another ship or human life for two days other than what looked like a Jetstar plane flying over at lunch time today.

Today the sun is shining and the sea state slightly more settled and most of us have spent the morning on deck, reading, writing songs, chatting and generally milling about. The never ending toiler Leon has been busy fixing HF radios, leaks in the hull and anything else he can find that isn't literally ship shape. Every boat needs somebody like Leon, he can find, can asses and can fix anything all the while seemingly loving every minute of it!

Nature Spots:
Pod of about 10 small pacific dolphins early this morning.
No Mahe Mahe caught yet...
A few sea birds aimlessly circling us from time to time - where do they rest?? We are miles from any land..

The Tucker:
More ham and salad wraps for lunch and another amazing meal from "Easy Foods" - Chicken Tikka Masala - complimented by non gluggy rice prepared by captain Stoops - well done!

Current Situation:
Mike steering, Jesse catching zz's before his 4pm watch, must say Jesse (who hasn't sailed on Samskara before this trip) has taken to steering the big ship in any breeze at any time of the day or night like a natural - I think he's enjoying the journey, Stoopy is chucking potatoes from one end of the saloon to Leon in the galley, Stoops about to prepare Lamb Shanks in red wine and rosemary sauce, mash and veges for dinner, James, Rick and Nick on deck chatting and trimming sails.

In all a pleasurable week, we are well pleased the good ship is looking after us as we are trying to look after her by - despite some temptations - not pushing her to extreme limits. Although she has her at times discomforts and downfalls, she is the only one we have so far from any land and any serious malfunctions or breakage's could cross that fine line between an adventure and an ordeal!

Best get back on deck and keeping pushing the bouncy castle so we can keep on gaining on the enemy!

Signing off on behalf on the Samskara Crew, The Ships Cat.

Today's unfinished Crew Song (sung to tune of Hotel California)

On a dark pacific ocean
Cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of lasagne
rising up through the air

Up ahead in the distance
I saw the New Caledonia light
We hope the breeze stays in
and we don't park for the night

to be continued...

Melbourne to Vanuatu Yacht Race - Day 6 - Gone Sailing / Riveting

2010-08-08T23:06:00.001-07:00

Gone Sailing / Riveting - Issue 6

After a relatively uneventful day of 10-20 knot winds shifting from south-east to east "ALL HANDS ON DECK" was called at around 9.45pm last night. The outhaul broke away from the boom which left the mainsail flapping freely from the mast. Not a good predicament but certainly better than a torn main sail. The sail was dropped, the boom lowered and assessment of the damage made. It was decided that the metal plate that had let go was going to be easy enough to rivet back onto the boom.

Tool boxes, drills, rivets and torches were strewn through the cockpit while the handy-men did their thing. The main sail is one that furls/rolls into the boom so we then had to carefully re-thread it back into its down position before hoisting it again. The whole process only took about 90 minutes and we continued to sail under headsail at about 5 knots throughout the operation so hopefully not too much time was not lost.

The wind continued to swing in all directions all night with us mostly sailing hard onto the breeze. We are getting used to walking and sleeping on walls as we are well heeled over. This combined with a short shitty choppy sea is let’s say bloody awkward and uncomfortable down below. It's a bit like being stuck in a kiddies bouncy castle except this bouncy castle's edges are hard not soft, it’s the same involuntary jolting, the claustrophobic noisy atmosphere and the feeling that you should be having fun but all you want to do is puke on your mate who is making it bounce so hard - interesting.. and we are doing this for fun!??! On deck is the definitely the nicest place to be, that is of course until a big green wave comes over the bow and dumps 100's of litres of water over you... hee hee ... bet you all wish you were here!

Anyway with all that said, are we having fun yet?? Yes of course, as they say a shitty day on the water is better than a good day in the office any time! We are fortunate no-one suffers from sea sickness so everyone is in good spirits. Things could also be much worse the conditions are not so bad it is just an awkward angle we are sailing on at the moment, we hope to bear away from the breeze by late this afternoon.

We just did the scheds and it seems we are tending towards the back of the fleet.. long way to go yet though - we should pass half way today which will be exciting. I must say it is nice too sail with people with equal expectations, each of us have the natural competitive spirit and like to do well but the priority is getting to our tropical paradise without breaking anyone and as importantly without breaking the boat. We all know and agree that with missions such as these, its all about the party at the other end!

Tucker:
Beef Bolognaise with gnocci ala Mike - very good indeed!

Oh dear, we just heard the latest Lord Howe Island weather which told us it is going to swing north-east which is exactly what we don't want as that is where we want to go - jeez not much good news today!! Oh well, we'll push on through, everyone is a little weary after the watch system was thrown out of whack last night but have slowly migrated into the cockpit for morning coffees and reminiscences of their evening watches, seems we had a good dumping of rain, I must have been bouncing around my bunk and missed that!..

Let's hope the next update will be more riveting in the exciting sense of the word and not about pop riveting more pieces of the boat back together!!

Signing off on behalf on the Samskara Crew, The Ships Cat.

PS: Thanks to Georgie for the Peace Train Chords and lyrics, a new number is being composed!

PPS: Today's unfinished corny ditty...

We thought Saskara had pace
That's why we entered the race
Little did we now she was painfully slow So we drank till we were off our face (joke of course...)

Day 3 we were looking a glamour
then we hit the eddy slammer
from second to last not going so fast
But from here will will hammer

Taking it in turns to steer
The course we thought was clear
obviously not as we sailed into snot
Lucky we brought enough beer

To be continued....

Melbourne to Vanuatu Yacht Race - Day 5 - Gone Sailing / Pushing

2010-08-08T22:44:00.000-07:00

Gone Sailing / Pushing - Issue 5

The 0915 sched has just confirmed that we have spent the last 12 hours pushing a steam train load of current, with the wind also dying out through the night we covered just 64 nautical miles in the last 12 hours... not good! We now seem to be through the worst with the wind picking up to 10-15 knots and our speed over the ground is showing little to no current effecting us.

Although a slow night it was stunning to be on deck, clear skies with just a few small rain squalls, zilllions of stars with many of them falling out of the sky - I counted at least 5 last night. With no lights or city lume and a very small moon the stars punch out an amazing amount of light which seems even brighter than a full moon night. It is an absolutely beautiful feeling ghosting along with the bubbling of the ocean and the creaking of the boat the only sounds.
The temperature is definitely rising with everyone wearing less and less layers. I am now only in 4 layers of thermals instead of 6, possibly a bit extreme but i am a spoilt tropics cat!

On sched time we also just passed 155 degrees of longitude which meant we had to advise race control that the HF radio, all systems, the boat and crew are in good condition to continue the race. A celebrity sip was had to mark this milestone!

All the crew are fit and well except for our first minor injury with Stoopy fossicking too deeply into the fridge and knocking the spring that holds the incredibly heavy lid open with his elbow which resulted in a nice cut above his left eye. The sympathy shown from all of the crew was overwhelming with James playing nurse and decorating his melon with criss-cross band-aid action. Poor Stoops seems to be re-covering well steering us out of the current and back into good speeds.

Galley Action:
Lasagne last night went down a treat.
Jesse was the galley star this morning cooking up bacon and egg sangers for everyone - good work Jesse!

Sunset Concert:
Nick Fo lashed out on the guitar yesterday afternoon, belting out a few old favorites and composing a few new numbers to add to the ever growing Samskara repertoire. We need the chords to Peace Train if anyone can email them to us that would be great.

Nature Spots:
Dead squid on deck - keeping for bait.
Complete rainbow - if only a camera can capture that image..

Right here right now:
The Waifs tunes pumping through the speakers, all on deck, Leon rigging fishing line in search of Mahe Mahe, James searching locker for sika-flex to fix some head piping, Mike steering, everyone else trying not to laugh at Stoopy's wound!

Not much else to report other than the crew cheering that our speed over ground is now showing 10.5 knots. How quickly we are all pushing away the memories of wallowing around last night - we're back! We hope!

Signing off on behalf on the Samskara Crew, The Ships Cat.

Melbourne to Vanuatu Yacht Race - Day 4 - Gone Sailing / Reaching

2010-08-08T22:38:00.000-07:00

Gone Sailing / Reaching - Issue 4

No not dry reaching (thankfully), broad reaching since sun down last night. We had a great downhill run under kite through the day and with the wind swinging a little further east we set the number 2 headsail and enjoyed a slightly bumpy but quick ride last night averaging around 8-9 knots in a breeze anywhere between 12 and 30 knots.

We can no longer see land and are settling in to these conditions for the next few days, at least until we pass Lord Howe Island. The sea state is still a little confused making down below and off watch sleeping a little more challenging than before. Steering at night was also a bit of fun with random waves and swell picking up the bum of the boat and sending her in random directions.

Nature Spots:
A few very large Albatross soaring around us from time to time.
Flying fish trying to commit suicide by launching themselves on the deck.
Truck loads of falling stairs.

The Boat:
A few bolts came loose in the clevis on the boom, luckily noticed by Rick before it became a problem. This was spotted at sunset so a makeshift fix was rigged and more investigations and possibly the big machinery will be out today.

The Chart Plotter is miraculously working again..

The new spray dodger - this has almost become a worship item on the boat. It is doing a marvellous job of keeping the saloon and cockpit dry not to mention the wind, waves and spray off the crew. I am sure it will have a name before the end of the trip.

The tucker:
We had our first meal from "Easy Foods" last night, although not as tasty as Carolyn's home cooked meals the Beef Stroganoff was fantastic. Thumbs up so far from all the crew.

We have just dropped the number 2 headsail and put up the number 3 as conditions seem to be settling in at 20-30 knots and the sea state still chucking us about a bit. There are squalls of rain bringing stronger wind and the new sail plan feels more comfortable and is certainly easier to sail the rhumbline. Mike steering through the change likened it to driving a big Kenwood truck.

Current Situation - 10am Thursday
Nick Fo on helm, Mike, Jess and Stoops on deck - I am hearing the word "beer" often so not sure in what context but think I know... Leon and James catching zzz's, Rick reading what he has told me as his first book since high school, "The Girl the dragon tattoo" although perhaps a little heavy going should have him addicted to reading in no time.

I too am going to catch some sleep, I spent my off watch last night - in between bouncing towards the ceiling - sliding off the bunk under the lee cloth onto the floor, dam this starboard tack! Saloon settee for me tonight if I can't con mike to swapping bunks...

The wind angle has just swung a little more east so looks like we will be enjoy beam reaching for the next few days. Nice!

Signing off on behalf on the Samskara Crew, The Ships Cat.

Melbourne to Vanuatu Yacht Race - Day 3 - Gone Sailing / Jumping

2010-08-08T22:36:00.000-07:00

Gone Sailing / Jumping - Issue 3

We are excited to report we have done "the jump", after hugging the coast for most of the evening we decided to bear right just north of Goalen Head around 0600 this morning. This has instilled an element of excitement and a buzz amongst the crew as that liberating feeling of the start of a true ocean passage sets in. After our benign previous 24 hours, the wind gods have decided to give us a little more puff to push us up the coast - perhaps they are actually appreciating the undie ceremonies?..!?...

A consistent 15-20 knots mainly from the south-west has seen us moving at an average of 8 knots - a marked improvement on our previous 1-2 knot average. Other than a few hours of a very confused sea state (where Bass Straight meets the east Australian current - think Nemo)giving us the feeling we were cruising the coast on a pogo stick the conditions again have been exceptionally comfortable.

Right now the big kites up, with the main eased we are steering north-east (towards warmth - yippee!), averaging 8.3 knots and most of the crew are on deck enjoying the sunshine and eating freshly cooked popcorn ala Mike. Nick Fo has just entered the galley arcing up the jaffle iron for lunch time toasties, his comment "they will take a while and they wont be pretty but gee they'll taste good!". The first one has been served and I am unsure whether Mike's comment about whether he can obtain carbon credits is a compliment or that burning smell has seeped through the iron...Legend effort I say Nick any galley action is good action!

Notable achievements:
* Nick Fo - speed record thus far - 12.7 knots
* Most useful crew member - Carolyn Stoopman (again) - Vege Pie was great, I even managed to compliment it with pasta that held its shape. Have shied away from rice and pressure cookers for the moment.
* 6 out of 8 crew have had an undie change day - ewww! YOu guess who is saving themselves for a special moment...

Hallucination of the day:
Leon mentioning to watch out for Cruise ships out Shepparton... mmm???

The weather pattern for the next few days is looking good if anything a little light, we are still in the hands of the weather to determine our arrival time but a quick calculation with approx. 1450 nautical miles to go if we average 7-8 knots = 8 days this is a very rough guess and we will keep the ceremonies going to keep Huey the wind god excited!

After a good sleep catch up after watch this morning it is easy to put down the book and enjoy every moment of days like today. Watching the land disappear behind us, the feeling of sailing into the big blue yonder is hard to describe but somehow it puts perspective back into everything. With so much time for the simple things, it also makes you realise and reflect on how lucky/privileged we are to be in the position to be able to undertake a journey such as this - this humbling feeling and genuine appreciation is certainly not lost on any of the Samskara crew!

Must fly and enjoy the fun on deck!

Signing off on behalf of the Samskara Crew,
The Ships Cat.

Today's ditty dedicated to competing boat and good friends, Rosie and David from "Ingenue"
By Nick Foa

Ingenue she has many strengths
She might not be fastest,
but she has sailed great lengths
But to jump the start on an 1800 mile race,
was a move that we we all think is ace
Go Rosie and David!

Melbourne to Vanuatu Yacht Race - Day 2 - Gone Sailing / Drifting

2010-08-08T22:31:00.000-07:00

Gone Sailing / Drifting... – Issue 2

48 hours of our journey complete and we are reassessing our finish times and dates. We covered a mere 74 nautical miles over the past 24 hours, with a day and night of fickle breeze often dying out to
nothing at all.

Flat seas are making the good ship extremely comfortable but certainly not fast! We are all still looking for the Palm Trees and margaritas! It was a cold night with clear skies allowing the milky way and a small moon to light the sky and give us some steering reference. (unlike the eerily black night the night before).

During many moments of drifting with the current, we were visited by pods of dolphins who never seem to tire of playing on our small bow wake. The phosphorescence in the water making them look like fluro dodgem cars driven by teenage boys as they play chicken and whip and weave with each other and us. Two seals were also given a sharp awakening this morning as Samskara ghosted up to them and woke them from basking in the sun - they were not happy!

The sailing conditions for making progress is not ideal but is certainly conducive to clearing the saloon and enjoying a super civilized, sit down, cutlery and serviette team dinner of delicious spinach quiche with home made pastry (ala Caroline Stoopman) and some not so successful rice (first attempt using the pressure cooker – not so flash!) cooked by me (Kimbo). Think primary school clag glue... thank god for soy sauce and chille flakes to mask the taste. Oh well it has provided the source of many a joke since!

The evening was passed with a few card games with James winning two out of the three games of "Shite Head". Guitars strummed by Mike, Leon and Fo serenaded us over white castello cheese, salami and crackers at sunset. We are lapping up the good conditions while they last as we are all aware of the changing conditions we are likely to face! It would be unheard of to do a passage of this length and not get a hammering at some point....

The Crew:
Current status:
Leon steering, Mike, Stoopy and Fo on deck giving morale support and telling jokes - possibly tweaking some strings from time to time. Rick bunked in aft cabin reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Jesse in saloon making a new play list on his ipod (we might find something later than the 80's!), James in starboard aft catching some zzzzz'sss. Me writing this update, must be having computer withdrawals from work - NOT!!!

The Ship:
Still looking after us well, a gas alarm this morning created some scratching around in cupboards, not sure if wires have been cut or the issue fixed, but the alarm has stopped and no-one including resident plumber James is showing too much concern.

What we have forgotten:
Spare guitar strings. oh dear!

Special Thanks To:
Lissa Wheatley for the ships library - the books are being well read!
Caroline, Louise and Megsy again for the food - more is certainly
better than less with these conditions!
Darren for routing our emails and updating our friends and families -
you're a champ!

As I have begun to type the wind has picked up to around 10 knots and we have launched the big spinnaker and are finally making some way and averaging 8.2 knots - yippee! The last sched confirmed we had a shocker of a night but it seems most of the other boats have had the
same aimlessly drifting run, lets just hope they are having as much fun as us!

Gotta fly, the Foo Fighters version of Kung Fu Fighting is on its 3rd time round on the ipod, need to try find some new tunes to suit the new conditions.. Will know more tomorrow about arrival times and dates when this weather pattern settles in, standby...

Signing off on behalf of the Samskara Crew,

The Ships Cat.

Today's limerick:
We sail from the club Hobsons Bay
Premier offshore club of the day
We don't sail around the sticks
That's only for dicks
The ocean is were we come play.

Melbourne to Vanuatu Yacht Race - Day 1 - Gone Sailing

2010-08-08T22:28:00.000-07:00

Gone Sailing - Issue 1

The first 24 hours on the good ship Samskara complete, 10-14 to go!

The Weather:
We are all astounded by the idyllic weather conditions thus far ... So much so we keep double checking the charts to confirm we are actually sailing in Bass Straight or if we have perhaps somehow been magically transported to be sailing the pacific islands already. The sea is flat with no ocean swell and the winds peaking at maximum 15 knots - very pleasant indeed. Today the sun is shining and as I type more and more
layers of thermals are being peeled off and discarded below. If it wasn't for the number of ships and approaching oil rigs, we could certainly be somewhere more renowned for glamour conditions.

The Crew:
All settling in to the oddity of life onboard, it always takes a few days to slip into the odd sleeping and eating hours, dealing with ever changing weather and sail plan changes called by our tyrant skipper Stoopy. The one consistency on Samskara is the frequency of jokes, banter and laughs heard throughout the ship - a happy crew making for a happy passage!

Two pairs of undies have been sacrificed to the undie weather god!

Watches - The light conditions have allowed us to be 2 up through the night. We are running 2 hours on - 4 hours off - 2 hours standby (kitted up ready but not officially on watch). Teams - Stoopy & Jesse, James & Leon, Rick & Nick (team "Ick"), Mike & Kimbo.

The Ship:
The good ship is holding up well so far, still nice and dry and toasty below. Chart plotter malfunction - lucky for 3 backups! AIS ship monitoring system a real winner!

Special Thanks!
Caroline Stoopman - your home cooked "Swiss Chicken " was deluxe - many thanks - quiche tonight!
Louise & Megsy - it is a tie breaker with the Anzac Cookies if only Fo will leave some for the rest of us - thanks girls!
Jemma Stoopman - you could win master chef with that chocolate slice - very tasty - thank you and keep up the good work!
Doc Forbes - thanks for the tips on keeping Australia to starboard - Adelaide looks great.

Quote of the Day:
"The weather is here wish you were beautiful!"

Best fly and kick Foa out of his hammock before he gets too comfy.

Signing off on behalf on the Samskara Crew,
The Ships Cat.

Harmonica Playing onboard Yacht - Turkey June 2010

2010-06-14T06:02:00.000-07:00

New Years Eve 2009

2010-06-14T04:48:00.000-07:00

Mooloolaba New Years Eve

Turkey - June 2010

2010-06-14T03:59:00.000-07:00

Check out this amazing band playing at a restaurant we dined at in Fethiye, Turkey!

Dec 09 - Sailing Mackay to Mooloolaba

2010-06-12T06:24:00.000-07:00

Once again we had a great run Mackay to Mooloolaba, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

So long since last post.... December catch up

2010-06-12T05:57:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been so long since I wrote on my blog - late last year.... jeez so much has happened so much to write.

Going back in time - 6-10 December 2010 - I spent time on Hamilton Island training with the Whitsunday Holidays Team. What a fab company and great team. http://www.whitsundayholidays.com.au/

We then enjoyed Mike's brother's 50th Birthday in Sydney on the night of the 12th December while staying with our friends Bill and Noel in Pymble.

This was followed by a few nights in Melbourne and finally returning to home in Busselton on the 17th December.

We had our Portavin Christmas Party followed by Christmas lunch with the kids and granny on the 21st.

After which we flew to Mackay but not without fitting in Christmas drinks with Ben at his magnificent home on Perth.

Arrival in Mackay was a welcome relief after so much travel and activity. Here was got Sandstone ready for her annual pilgrimage south for the summer. We have been doing this yearly to avoid cyclone season and this year paid off as a cyclone went directly over where she is usually moored. More on this in a later blog!

My Book

2010-06-12T01:08:00.000-07:00

A Gathering of Extraordinary Friends by Kim McKee | Make Your Own Book

Morning Glory

2009-11-24T18:22:00.000-08:00

This morning the urge to walk rather than ride overcame me and what a good decision it was.

After spending the last three days working on my computer mainly on my new green skin (more details to come in a later blog) project it was a great pleasure to take a walk along the beach. Summer is trying to arrive and the Bay is looking magical.

Check out the pics... this is my local beach, Geographe Bay on the south west coast of Australia. Nice huh!

Sunday Lunch

2009-11-22T18:13:00.000-08:00

Indian Feast at

Cullen Winery Margaret River Sunday 22nd Nov 2009

http://www.cullenwines.com.au/

Everything at Cullen Winery located on Cave's road Margaret River feels alive and vibrant. They practice strict bio-dynamic methods in their vineyard and surrounding properties.

This in short means a chemical free environment for all their produce along with planting, picking, crushing and even bottling their wine by phases of the moon. There are many other principles and techniques which are wide and varied but the end result is the most amazing tasting wine not to mention the food served with most ingredients coming from their bio-dynamic garden.

An Indian Indulgence day was staged with a fine compliment of Cullen Wine and an assortment of Indian food. Anybody travelling through Margaret River MUST stop in at Cullens and enjoy the friendly staff, fine food and the most stunning wines.

My morning ride

2009-11-19T20:38:00.000-08:00

Pic 1 - Out Riding

Pic 2 - Geographe Bay - there is a bike track all the way around the bay.

Today I only almost fell off 3 times....

The first 2 instances were big ugly barking dogs with the heads hanging out of workmans vehicles barking senselessly at anything and everything. Scares the crappers out of you and annoys you at the same time as you know their ignorant owners would get a buzz and a good laugh out of watching you jump, scream and wobble, a-holes!

The wildlife stakes were a little light on today, no swooping birds as I took the "town" route but saw, 2 dead lizards and a dead lorikeet. The last near stack was through my own stupidity when I was checking out a potential swooping bird and ran over a huge rock which almost bounced me off.... there is always something!

Got the heart started once again.

Auckland to Perth Direct Flight

2009-11-19T20:13:00.000-08:00

Last night in Auckland was spent with Bullant and Mike fully intending to be quiet and early... Excellent dinner at Vivace, Level One, 50 High Street, Auckland City

http://www.vivacerestaurant.co.nz/

Great atmosphered, open fires, Spanish style Tapas Bar with great wine list. We experienced a kiwi chardonnay followed by two awesome Italian reds and wandered home by 1.00am....

Wednesday at 2pm - Fab flight direct to Perth with Air Zealand, new plane, good seats, personal screen for inflight entertainment, good tucker and flowing drinks - well done Air NZ! Bullant and I encountered this journey as Mike has stayed on to work. We drove back to Busselton with a big storm welcoming us home.

Caught Australian Idol replay online and parked up by 10pm, uneventful day of travel really. Watched the movie "Changlings" on plane with Anegelina Jolie, rather disturbing movie!

Toast Martinborough - NZ Food and Wine Festival

2009-11-16T15:17:00.000-08:00

13th November - Gerlinde picked me up from home to drive to Perth for the Portavin opening of their new 6,500 per hour bottling line. In true Portavin style it was a great event. About 50 customers and colleagues took a tour of the bottling line followed by a full sit down, white table clothed, fine food and wine affair.

Mike's Mum did the honours of smashing the bottle of champagne off the bottling line to officially open the line. Even though she thought it was "a waste" it made some impact as the champagne was bottled by Portavin's competitors.

We then moved onto an Indian restaurant in the city for dinner prior to Mike, Bullant and I flying on the red eye out to Melbourne. A 2 hour stop in Melbourne then onto Wellington, what a stunning city! We met Bird-Man, Rob and Urzela and enjoyed a lovely Italian meal in town. Early night in preparation for the Martinborough Food and Wine Festival.

http://www.toastmartinborough.co.nz/

What an amazing day, we caught the train from Wellington, about and hour into the vineyards where buses were on hand to take us from winery to winery. Each with their own uniqueness, food, wine and live entertainment. A blast! Wineries included Craggy Range, Te Kairanga (WHITEBAIT & ALASKAN KING CRAB FRITTERS- yumm!), Alana Estate, Tirohana, Escarpment Vineyard, Ata Rangi (GOOD PINOT & STEAK And KIDNEY PIES!), Vynfields, Margain Vineyard, Muirlea Rise, Martinborough Vineyard, Palliser Estate. Fine wine, food and music a perfect blend for a big day out!

We met some new mates on the train on the way home who joined us for dinner in a restaurant none of us can remember, good seafood chowder and more pinot!

Now sitting in a hotel in Auckland (The Oaks Residencees, 16 Gore Street, quite close to some late night girly bars of anyone is interested) after a marathon drive from Wellington yesterday. Dinner at NSP in http://www.nonsolopizza.co.nz/ in Parnell which was not as good as last time we went there, perhaps monday night is the B team? You know something is wrong in an Italian restarant when the pasta is not cooked properly.... Met up with Nick (GM Portavin NZ), his wife Anna along with Chris Kelly (Ops Manager) and her hubby Paul.

Looking forward to another quiety tonight before a direct flight home to Perth tomorrow.

Home Time

2009-11-16T14:53:00.000-08:00

I spent a blissful week at home, catching up on the world. I sent my official resignation from Watercrew notification to all of my contacts this week which marks the beginning of new things in the pipe line. About 2 years ago I launched my own business called Kee Marketing and have been doing small amounts of consulting work mainly withing the marine industry.

While planning my next few months I have been riding each day to try and get a bit fit and shed some kgs that seem to have slipped on somehow...... It should be a pleasant peaceful experience but I seem to come home slightly shaken.. allow me to explain...

First it is magpie breeding season so I get swooped at least twice every ride, as I go out and back I get the same feisty bird whacking its beak on my helmet usually when I least expect it, horrid horrid things that scare the crappers out of you! After ducking the birds and madly swinging a big stick above my head to get rid of them it is not unusual for me to encounter a few snakes slivering onto the road in front of me and twice last week I saw dead rabbits and possums. Oh yeah don't let me forget the human sized Doberman that barks like it could eat you in one gulp every time I ride past his farm, thank god for the very high fence.... so after all this I am unsure why I do it, are the kgs worth it??!! Might start going a different way, the alternative is to ride into a busier car infested area so not sure what will be worse!

WA, please bring on more bike tracks!

Sailing Melbourne to Stanley (Northern Tip of Tasmania)

2009-11-12T00:47:00.000-08:00

Images: boys on pilons post long lunch at melbourne with the good ship "Samskara" Beneteau 47.7

Seals in Port Phillip Bay

Foa Bear's new hat

Captain Stoopy, Mike and Pete in background.

The crew on arrival to Stanley.

What brings me to this point i am unsure, having attempted this race 2 years prior in a howling storm and too many sick crew, i swore to myself never Bass Straight again.....

anyway... I think I was caught at a weak moment and the reasoning behind such a ludicrous adventure is to qualify the boat and the crew for the Melbourne to Vanuatu race in 2010. now we start talking about warm tropical climates and I start to get interested.

I spent the day with the skipper, good mate David Stoopman (Stoopy), provisioning and getting the interior of the ship ready for sea. Mike and Pete went off to the Melbourne Wine Show which they sponsored and I thought it a good place for me to stay away from considering the journey ahead.

It was pouring rain and windy all day and was not exactly inviting for loading our boat being the furthest along the jetty but we managed. Nothing like your wet weather gear wet before the start...

I enjoyed the day pottering on the boat and getting everything sorted so at least I knew where things were. I wasn't going to starve! The rest of the crew filtered down throughout the day and we threw the lines about 4pm and motor sailed up Port Phillip Bay for about 5 hours until we reached Queenscliffe. Too late for a countery at the pub Nik Fo found the local Pizzeria and ordered a feast. A few of the crew went in search of more grog only to have an indian cabbie take them everywhere but an open bottle shop. Lucky we provisiined well before we left.

The race started at 4am 31st October just off Queenscliffe and we sailed into a heavy fog which failed to lift for most of the day. Eerie it was, but I was happy that the breeze was not howling nor the swell running to high. We enjoyed a pleasant days sail and settled into watches for the night. We copped a bit of strong breeeze and swell just past the half way mark that did not really let up all the way to Tassy. We crossed the finish line at about 10.30am on the 1st Novemeber.

Strong weather was forecast to come from the north so we pretty much turned around and headed back for Melbourne, we had a extremely pleasant sail home with our captain getting attacked by the bundy bear soon after we finished.

After a welcomed uneventful run through the "rip" at the heads of melbourne we decided to head for a nice lunch located and moored at port melbourne. Lunch at the London Pub on the beach followed by Thai dinner in Williamstown and more drinks on the boat.

Next day was Melbourne Cup day, after a big vessel clean-up we watched the race at the yachty and then went mad with joey and mick from the whitsundays in some kooky local pub of fo's. great night!!

It was then off to Adelaide and home where I have been since - yay, am going to try and write at least every couple of days so I can keep on top of this blogidy log!

PS: since being home have been riding most days, now thats something, will write about the crazy things I see later...

Sailing Hamilton Island to Mackay

2009-11-12T00:24:00.000-08:00

Departed Busselton 23 October, flew to Melbourne for a night at the airport Hilton a very comfy hotel duly noted for its pillow menu (yep choose your own pillow from a selection of 10, all with different fillings)!

Early flight the next day we touch down on my old island home paradise Hamilton Island. Bliss! Boots, coats, layers off - love it! Our dear friend James is not well, has a sore leg and his son Greg greeted us at the airport with buggy. We settled in onboard our lovely yacht in the marina which always feels superb.

A visit and coffee up to James before our Italian friends flew in from Sydney. A long lunch was enjoyed at Mariners Seafood restaurant overlooking the marina, followed by drinks at the yachty then at Jame's hollywood pad. Dinner was booked at the Beach Club where we were joined by Joey Griggs and a bloke named Ian or was it Geoff?? Anyway Nellies nightclub was calling after we behaved very "un Beach Club" like and pulled up stumps at who knows what time....

Left for Whitehaven Beach the next morning (the only cure for a night at Nellies) and blew our Italian friends away with this 6 km silica white sand wonder.

That evening we enjoyed large amounts of refreshments onboard with a visit from Steph, Pat, Danielle, Chille and Huon. Very sketchy but all good fun.

Mike and I then escaped and sailed out of the marina mid afternoon bound for shaw island. We anchored up at Burning Point and chilled out. Early start following day we sailed to Scawfell Island where we spent that afternoon and night. BLISS BLISS BLISS.

Unfortunately we had a plane to catch so sailed into Mackay Wed 28th October where we spent the night sorting the boat in the marina, washing etc and a great meal at "Angelo's on the Marina" - very nice indeed!

A lunch time flight took us to Melbourne where we checked into the Medina Grand in Fitzroy Street St Kilda, one of our most common Melbourne pads, as has washing machine is in the central of restaurant mecca!

Next adventure sailing Melbourne to Tassy on Stoopy's big Beneteau 47.7... read above for more..

Tassy 21-24 September

2009-11-11T22:48:00.000-08:00

Photos - Our cabin at Piermont Retreat - Swansea

Jon, Rellie and Mike at Pipers Brook Winery

Josef Chromy Winery where we did lunch! great pies!

A work trip visiting wineries in Tassy with John and Rellie was a hoot. Flying into Launceston we drove too Tamar Ridge winery, where Rellie and I kept ourselves amused tasting at the cellar door while the boys had a meeting.

We then drove on to the cute and famous Joseph Chromy winery in relbia where we had a great lunch at the cellar door. The afternoon saw us in Pipers Brook where they make all the 9th island wine, more tasting and laughs.

We stayed in town at the Clarion City Park Grand Hotel

http://www.cityparkgrand.com.au/

which was superb. The best treat was dinner Still Water River Cafe Restaurant which served possibly the best Japanese inspired food I have ever tasted. Good wine list too!

The next day we drove along the east coast, stopped in Bicheno and stayed in a stone cabin at the Piermont Retreat http://www.piermont.com.au/display.asp?entityid=1451

near Swansea, very cosey right on the beach. It was pissing with rain and really stormy so we had the fire blazing (no help from me) and cooked a lamb roast and drank loads of red wine! Bloody lovely!

Following day we were lucky not to be flooded in to accom and coast but made it through to Hobart where we took up digs at the famous Henry Jones Art Hotel

http://www.thehenryjones.com/

We had a meal with our mates Sludge and Mrs Sludge at the drunken sailor which was fun and friendly.

Next day we flew out to Perth and came home where I stayed for whole 4 weeks! loved it. I threw in the Mandurah Boat Show 10 and 11 October where I worked for Fountaine Pajot again selling yachts where we again got a few away.

We took off on 23 October bound for Hamilton Island and a big sail from Melbourne to Tassy - see above post for details.

August / September 2009 happenings

2009-11-11T22:22:00.000-08:00

Images: My Niece Tia, Hamilton Island Race Week, The famous Chateau, North Island, NZ

After a successful boat show work we came home to our very under utilised apartment in Busselton, WA. We enjoyed a great few weeks at home getting back into the groove of normality (whatever that is??...)

We then had a stint in Melbourne before one of our favourite weeks of the year, the fun and some times debaucherous Hamilton Island Race Week. We had a great crew once again and took out a few trophies. We stayed with James my dearest 82 year old friend and Island local and his 92 year old sister who was visiting him. We were blessed to meet her and spend some time with her as she has since passed away. Very sad, she was one of lifes gems and will be very sorely missed by all.

We departed Hamilton via Melbourne and Adelaide and returned home for a whole 4 days before turning around and headed to Auckland where Mike is setting up a new bottling plant.

We also planned to slip in a few days skiing in Mt Hutt but again the weather was not so good so we chose to drive into the north island ski fields. Birdman and Caroline, Mike and I headed to Mt Ruapehu and stayed at the famous Chateau - simply stunning! http://www.mtruapehu.com/

Skiing was ok a little slushy being so late in the season but dam good fun all the same.

I then flew to the Sunshine Coast via Sydney to catch up with the family which was lovely. Met my new neice Tia, oh my she is the cutest thing on earth! see pic!

Mike met me on the sunny coast before we flew off to Tasmania for a weekend jolly with Jon and Rell Winkel! see above post for more.

Update on happenings

2009-11-11T22:01:00.000-08:00

I have been extremely slack with posts of late, last entry July so here's an update on whats been going down....

We had a great week in NZ late July where we skied a different ski field almost every day. We flew into Christchurch with the intention of going to Mt Hutt to ski first. A group of 7 of us, Greg and Kel Boller, Pete and Nina Walker, Rob, Mike and I booked cars so we could change plans should we need to. The weather looked not so good so we took off to Queenstown and Wanaka a stunning bout 4 hour drive.

We stayed at the Mecure on the Lakes in Wanaka, stunning accommodation and had an amazing meal at the Belgium Butchers restaturant. The following day we skied Cardrona in hazey weather.

Back to our digs the next day us lesser skiers took off to Coronet peak while Greg, Rob and Mike skied Treble Cone which they loved. We also had a good day on the slopes at Coronet.

This night we stayed in Queenstown and dined at a stunning Italian restaurant Luciano's

which is located at 88 Beach Street, web address http://www.lucianos.org.nz/home.html

Top food and service.

The next day half the group enjoyed Coronet Peak again while the other went site seeing. We then drove to Mt Hutt for a meal at the blue pub and delightful accommodation at Terrace Downs Resort which was situated on a stunning golf course. We stayed in a 5 bedroom house / chalet which was amazing!

We all enjoyed an amazing day skiing Mt Hutt on the last day, a tour seeming to end too soon!

We ended the tour back in Christchurch where Mike and I flew to Sydney. I stayed on and worked for Fountaine Pajot at the Sydney Boat Show at Darling Harbour where we sold a number of swisho luxury catamarans.

Avoiding SEO Brain Freeze Part 3 - Creating Terrific Title Tags | TalentZoo.com

2009-09-02T19:06:00.001-07:00

Avoiding SEO Brain Freeze Part 3 - Creating Terrific Title Tags | TalentZoo.com

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Avoiding SEO Brain Freeze Part Two - Creating a Keyword Phrase Map | TalentZoo.com

2009-09-02T19:05:00.001-07:00

Avoiding SEO Brain Freeze Part Two - Creating a Keyword Phrase Map | TalentZoo.com

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Avoiding SEO Brain Freeze Part One - Hunting For Keyword Phrases | TalentZoo.com

2009-09-02T18:54:00.001-07:00

Avoiding SEO Brain Freeze Part One - Hunting For Keyword Phrases | TalentZoo.com

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Niche Research Tools for Successful Internet Marketing

2009-07-11T05:44:00.001-07:00

Niche Research Tools for Successful Internet Marketing

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2009-07-06T19:59:00.001-07:00

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WordPress Goldmine

2009-07-05T19:50:00.001-07:00

WordPress Goldmine – Secrets to Bigger Bog Profits

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Joke of the Day!

2009-07-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

It is important for men to remember that, as women grow older, it becomes harder for them to maintain the same quality of housekeeping as when they were younger.

When you notice this, try not to yell at them. Some are oversensitive, and there's nothing worse than an oversensitive woman.

My name is Jeff. Let me relate how I handled the situation with my wife, Susie.

Since I retired several years ago, it has become necessary for Susie to get a full-time job along with her part-time job, both for extra income and for the health benefits that we needed.

Shortly after she started working, I noticed she was beginning to show her age.

I usually get home from the golf club about the same time she gets home from work.

Although she knows how hungry I am, she almost always say s she has to rest for half an hour or so before she starts dinner.

I don't yell at her. Instead, I tell her to take her time and just wake me when she gets dinner on the table.

I generally have lunch in the Men's Grill at the club so eating out is not reasonable. I'm ready for some home-cooked grub when I hit that door.

She used to do the dishes as soon as we finished eating, but now it's not unusual for them to sit on the table for several hours after dinner. I do what I can by diplomatically reminding her several times each evening that they won't clean themselves.

I know she really appreciates this, as it does seem to motivate her to get them done before she goes to bed. Another symptom of aging is complaining, I think.

For example she will say that it is difficult for her to find time to pay the monthly bills during her lunch hour. But, boys, we take 'em for better or worse, so I just smile and offer encouragement.

I tell her to stretch it out over two or even three days. That way she won't have to rush so much.

I also remind her that missing lunch completely now and then wouldn't hurt her any (if you know what I mean). I like to think tact is one of my strong points.

When doing simple jobs, she seems to think she needs more rest periods. She had to take a break when she was only half finished mowing the yard. I try not to make a scene. I'm a fair man.

I tell her to fix herself a nice, big, cold glass of freshly squeezed lemonade and just sit for a while.

…… And, as long as she is making one for herself, she may as well make one for me too.

I know that I probably look like a saint in the way I support Susie. I'm not saying that showing this much consideration is easy. Many men will find it difficult. Some will find it impossible!

Nobody knows better than I do, how frustrating women get as they get older. However, guys, even if you just use a little more tact and less criticism of your aging wife because of this article, I will consider that writing it was well worthwhile. After all, we are put on this earth to help each other.

Sincerely, Jeff

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Jeff died suddenly on March 1 of a perforated rectum.

The police report says he was found with a Calloway extra long 50-inch Big Bertha Driver II golf club jammed up his rear end, with barely 5 inches of grip showing and a sledge hammer laying nearby.

His wife Susie was arrested and charged with murder.

The all-woman jury took only 15 minutes to find her Not Guilty, accepting her defence that Jeff, somehow, without looking, accidentally sat down on his golf club.

Get Listed in Google Quick

2009-07-03T01:23:00.001-07:00

Get Listed in Google Quick – Improve Search Engine Ranking

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Website Colors, Navigation, Quality

2009-07-03T00:05:00.001-07:00

Website Colors, Navigation, Quality – Are Your Keeping Your Visitors in Mind?

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100th Dent to Dunk Sailing Race - Whitsundays, Queensland, Australia

2009-06-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

Crew - Mike, Stoopy, Pagey, Jules, Pete, Me

Course - Start inbetween Hamilton

Island and Dent Island, Whitsundays, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia

Course - Finish - Port Hinchenrook after leaving Dunk Island to port.

Thurs 18th June - Crew gather at Hamilton Island Yacht Club for lunch followed by dinner at Mariners Inn restaurant. Biggy!

Frid 1

9th June - Working bee on boat, sail Kel back to mainland. Welcome function at Outrigger Club

for all competitors approx 12 yachts.

Sat 20th June - Race Starts 10.30am, great weather, great forecast. A few over night squalls but nothing too serious.

Sun 21st June - approx 7.30pm the good ship Sandstone finishes race. Pizza at the club then

earlyish night.

Mon 22nd June - working bee on boat fixing a few damaged items, dunny door, main hatch and traveller car.... washing and clean up before "Home made bikini competition" and function. Stoopy our token entrant gains second prize.

Tues 23 June - presentation lunch, Sandstone scores 3rd prize! Rumathon on Sandstone.

Wed 24th June - flew out of Townsville for Sydney for Rugby State of Origin!

Sailing Yeppoon to Hamilton Island

2009-06-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

24th May 2009 - Mike and I stepped aboard Sandstone in Yeppoon where we had left her the previous month and sailed north bound for Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays, Great Barrier Reef Queensland.

Our first night we dined at the Keppel Bay Marina Restaurant which was sensational as always. We had a nice sleep onboard after a hectic Sanctuary Cove Boat Show.

25th May - Set sail out of Yeppoon bound for Pearl Bay a mainland anchorage which is usually good in all weather. We experience an extremely rolly night with a big swell entering the bay. Thank goodness for our large anchor we fitted a few years ago.

26th May - Departed early and sail about 2 hours into Island Head Creek. After an interesting entrance in tonnes of swell and wind we wound our way up this glorious anchorage and found some comfort in one of the estauries. No swimming unfortunatley as it is crocodile country but we had a pleasnt day onboard relaxing and catching up on work emails etc. Although no internet service we could still sort out our inbox's! We touched the muddy bottom a low tide and had a slight heel over but nothing too dramatic at least we were out of the roll.

27th May - We sailed out of Island Head Creek in far more moderate conditions and spent the day under sail and headed for The Marble Group of Islands, finally anchoring down at Hunter Island. An anchoarge that does not look fantastic on the charters gave us great protection. We blew up the newly purchased inflatable Kayak and gave it a test run. A one man Kayak fit the 2 of us nicely!

28th May - Up anchored and sailed for our favourite destination in this region, Scawfell Island! Experience awesome conditions and didn't want to leave.

29th May - Sailed to Hamilton Island in time for drinks and dinner with our good friends.

30th May - Lunch at Toucan Tango's, sailing afternoon and Dinner at James's place with the Fitzgerald family.

31 May - We delivered the boat back to her mooring at Shute Harbour and ferried back to Hamilton Island in time to celebrate Joey Griggs 40th birthday at Mariners Inn. BIG day!

1 June - Flew to Melbourne good bye paradise!

Sanctuary Cove Boat Show 2009

2009-06-27T05:41:00.000-07:00

21st-24th May 2009, the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show was staged the Gold Coast in South East Queensland in Australia.

Despite the wet windy weather, the Watercrew Team were out and about amongst the exhibitors and had a very successful show.

The Great Southern Route, Mt Barker, Albany, Denmark, Margaret River

2009-05-17T22:43:00.000-07:00

Whilst conducting more wine customer visits, we spent a few day on the road driving what West Australian's refer to as the "Great Southern Route". Leaving from Busselton, via Nannup, Mt Barker, Albany, Denmark and Margaret River we stopped to smell the roses numerous times and to take in the highlights of this facinating region.

Mount Barker:

First stop was Ferngrove Winery in Mt Barker. We visited Kim and Vanessa who are the chief wine makers. They had just completed a great vintage and were extremely excited about the wines they are currently producing.

Mount Barker is located adjacent to the Porongurup Range National Park and within easy reach of the Stirling Ranges and the spectacular southern coastline.

The town is the administrative centre of the Shire of Plantagenet and offers ample shopping and recreational facilities. It services an expansive agricultural area, where there has been successful diversification into viticulture and the cultivation of wildflowers.

Settled very early in Western Australia's European history, Mount Barker boasts a number of lovingly preserved and unique buildings, including St Werburgh's Chapel and the convict-built Old Police Station.

We also visited Plantagenet Winery and were lucky enough to look at some wines in the barrel room. Chief wine maker John Durram showed us some new reislings and chardonnays and an older shiraz and cabernet. Tasty! Keep your eye out on those.

Albany:

We then continued on to Albany and jewell in the south west coast. Long before Europeans considered the possibility of the existence of a Great South Land, the Aboriginal Mineng people had occupied the area which surrounds King George Sound and Oyster and Princess Royal Harbours. Radiocarbon dating of material exposed during archaeological excavation of Aboriginal sites near Oyster Harbour dates this occupation as far back as 18,850 years ago.

The Albany or Great Southern Region, covers approximately 40 000 square kilometres.

The region features some of the most rugged and awe-inspiring scenery in Australia. It extends west to the famous tree top walk at Walpole, to the east as far as picturesque Bremer Bay.

The region boasts some of the finest food and premium wine production and is widely recognised as one of the cleanest and most eco-diverse growing areas in the Southern Hemisphere. The ever changing coast line can be both tranquil and beautiful or intensely dramatic.

It offers superb fishing and also provides protection to pods of Southern Right, Sperm, Humpback Whales and, on occasions, the rare and endangered Blue Whale.

Moving away from the coast, the terrain evolves into a mosaic of contrasts: pastured landscape, vineyards, forests, rolling hills and the towering peaks of the Stirling ranges.

Historic venues:

Strawberry Hill Farm

Old Goal Museum,

The Fort

Amity Replica

The Albany region is blessed by a temperate and comfortable Mediterranean climate. This means beautiful, sunny winter days and cool summer nights. What's more, is that so many of the main attractions are easily accessible to the walker, cyclist or motorist.

The Albany Region offers a dichotomy of experiences, from the spectacular, towering Karri forests, pristine aqua-blue waters of the coast, sandy beaches, frolicking whales, world-class wineries, bird life, bush walks, wildflowers, native wildlife and much more.

On the other hand if you are seeking a quiet romantic interlude, you wont be disappointed. Albany is easily accessible, it takes about 4½ hours by road from Perth, or an hour by air. There are world-class tourist facilities and accommodation to suit every budget, you will be pleasantly surprised at just how affordable Albany is!

Places of interest and other things to do:

Wreck Diving/ Granite Bommies/ Caves and Shore Dives

The Sandalwood Factory

Whale World

Wind Farm

Vancouver Arts Centre

York Street shopping

Dining out

Walk and Cycle trails

Go Taste Albany farm gate experience

Wonders of nature:

Blowholes

The Gap and Natural Bridge

Dog Rock

Torndirrup National Park

William Bay

Greens Pool

Walpole Tree Top Walk

Bibbulmun Track

Wilderness Cruises

Whale Watching

Bush Walks

Bluff Knoll

Karri Forests

Stirling Ranges

Where we ate:

Lunch - fresh unshucked Oysters from Oyster co-op at the harbour.

Dinner - Wild Duck Restaurant

112 York St, Albany, WA 6330

Ph: (08) 9842 2554‎

food@wildduckrestaurant.com

Andrew, Chef., and Kristy, Matre-de., together have created an elegant, stylish place to relax and enjoy the meals which are more like artists creations than food to eat. The food was fantastic and the service impeccable.

Rottnest Island, Western Australia

2009-05-17T21:15:00.000-07:00

Rottnest Island is located just 19 kilometres off the coast of Western Australia. The island is home to some quirky and cute, unique flora and fauna that is not found anywhere else in the world (check out the quokka and australian mountain duck photos).

Surrounded by crystal clear water the island boasts some of the most spectacular bays and beaches you will ever see.

Awesome for surfing, swimming and watersports we took eight, 17-19 year olds for an 18th birthday celebration. They surfed most of the day with food and drinks taking second priority.

With the main form of transport being bicycles, the island has a very casual atmosphere, and is treasured by Western Australians. It is also becoming increasingly popular for interstate and international visitors. The Mediterranean-style climate and indigenous flora and fauna of this Island provide the backdrop to a special holiday experience!

Many tours and activities operate throughout the day, including the popular Island Discovery Coach Tour, the historic Oliver Hill Train Tour onboard the 'Captain Hussey', the Underwater Explorer, Rottnest Express Eco Tour, joy flights on the Rottnest Air Taxi, Brett Heady's Family Fun Park, guided walking tours conducted by the Rottnest Voluntary Guides, the Rottnest Museum and more.

Journeys by ferry take 30 minutes from Fremantle, 45 minutes from Hillarys, 90 minutes from Perth, you can also get to the Island in 15 minutes by aeroplane from Jandakot Airport.

Facts and Figures

More than 500,000 people visit Rottnest Island each year.
The Island is 11 kilometres long, 4.5 kilometres at its widest point, and the land area measures 1,900 hectares.
It is a 24km ride around the Island. Allow at least 2.5 hours for a leisurely cycle.
The Island is an 'A' Class reserve managed by the Rottnest Island Authority.
Each visitor to the Island pays an entry fee to the Island ($12.50 for adults and $1.00 for children), which is included in the ferry fare, or as part of an annual admission fee for boat owners.

Skiing New Zealand - Mt Hutt

2009-05-12T00:48:00.000-07:00

Last snow, October 2008, we were lucky enough to catch snow late in the season at Mount Hutt - and the bonus was there were no crowds.

We stayed in the town of Methven which is only 90kms from Christchurch. I scored a super cheap flight with Virgin from Brisbane to Christchurch for only $129 ozzie dollars. Our accom was a simple apartment style place with an easy walk into town for meals.

The blue pub does fantastic local fish and has a good selection of wine.

We hired ski gear from Jas's ski hutt and it was top quality.

Helicopter Flight over West Coast of Australia

2009-05-12T00:12:00.000-07:00

Back in 2005 we went and saw Sting play in concert at Leuwin Estate winery. It was a special charity fund raising concert for people effected by the boxing day Tsunami in Thailand. It was an awesome concert in an amazing setting.

The following day, friends of our offered to take us for a fly in their helicopter over the West Australian Coast. It was a glam day, the water clear and we took in some great views of the region including the famous Margaret River vineyards.

Queenstown, New Zealand

2009-05-11T23:47:00.000-07:00

During May last year we did quick jaunt to Queenstown, New Zealand in hope of some snow. It turned out we were a little early so spent our days exploring Queenstown and the wonderful Centra Otago wine region.

The lake in the pics is Lake Wakatipu in the centre of Queenstown and the gloriuos mountains behind are just some of the ski fields.

M0re to come on skiing New Zealand soon.

Restaurant Overview - China City Garden Restaurant

2009-05-08T18:32:00.000-07:00

Located in the main street of Bunbury in Western Australia's south west China City Garden Restaurant has a casual, cheery atmosphere.

We dined in as 4 adults and 3 kids, aged 17, 15, 12 who all sport an exceptionally healthy appetite. The menu is extensive and includes all of the typical Australian Chinese dishes along with some interesting Thai and Malaysian specialities like Tom Yum Goong and Mee Goreng.

We ordered the ol favourites sweet and sour pork, honey chicken, beef and black bean plus spicy squid, satay prawns, sizzling lamb, fried and steamed rice. Oh yes entrees included a great short soup with deluxe wontons, spring rolls and steamed dim sims.

It was BYO so we enjoyed a bottle of Adelaide Hills, Pentaluma Chardonnay 2007 and a riesling we can't remember! Hope to fill in later! Oh yes it was a Tasmanian, Stefano Lubiana Riesling 2006.

Highly recommend if you are looking for a cheap and cheery evening with good quality Australian style Asian Cuisine.

China City Garden Restaurant

47 Victoria St

Bunbury, WA 6230

(08) 9721 1711

Want to work in the Marine Industry?

2009-05-07T17:22:00.000-07:00

The best part of the last 20 years I have spent working in the Marine Industry in Australia.

The reason why I have been so lucky to sail so many wonderful destinations is through my role of 10 years as Asia Pacific Marketing Manager for global yacht charter company Sunsail.

I resigned from this awesome job in 2007, and have since been working on a new business venture called Watercrew. Watercrew is basically an online job find website for the Australian Marine Industry. You can check it our at www.watercrew.com.au

It is an exciting industry and the Watercrew provides a service to the industry to help job seekers find their dream job and employers find top quality staff to fill their positions vacant.

It is our aim to introduce more people to the wonderful world of the marine industry and help guide them through a fulfilling career path. With more skilled people entering the industry the industry will strengthen and grow.

Sailing the Whitsundays

2009-05-07T02:52:00.000-07:00

I lived and worked on Hamilton Island (located in the heart of The Whitsundays) for 16 years so had ample time to extensively explore the region.

The Whitsundays are located on the north-eastern coast of Australia and are protected by the Great Barrier Reef. It is a sub-tropical climate and when the weather patterns are 'normal' it is common to experience humid, wet summers and dry (often windier) winters.

There are hundreds of islands and islets to explore, the island's are mountainous with large inlets and bays providing shelter from all wind directions.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Australian government have been very careful in limiting the development in the area and only 9 island have any human development.

Cruising In Comfort

2009-05-06T23:52:00.000-07:00

Having a natural adversity to sailing in cold conditions, I have a general rule "if I have to wear shoes, I can't sail there". Deck Shoes, seaboots whatever, it normally means cold weather.

Most of the places we sail for pleasure are in warm climates and we usually enjoy the freedom of barefoot sailing. Howevere, we have recently discovered (as has most of the cruising/sailing world) the comforts of the CROCS. Whether it is to give you some cushioning from the hard cockpit floor while on the helm for any length of time or wandering ashore to enjoy beaches or land activities the CROC shoewear is light weight, dries quickly and despite whether you think they are hideously unattractive or a cool fashion statement they are extremely comfortable!

Skiing Alleghe - Italy

2009-05-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

Alleghe is a stunning village located in the province of Belluno, Veneto, NE Italy.

For those who don't need the glitz, glamour or expense of Cortina, Alleghe is a quaint town offering a good variety of restaurants, accommodation, ski hire and a fabulous family owned and run Oenoteca (Wine Bar) in the main square.

Alleghe Lake which was formed in 1771 by a landslide from the adjacent Mount Piz boldly marks the centre of town, and when there is not too much snow provides fabulous walks around its shores.

We skied for one week in the first week of February 2009 and note it as one of the best places we have skied. Alleghe has direct access to 21km of downhill skiing, with 20 individual pistes, served by 8 ski lifts. With skiing above 2000 metres, snow cover is generally reliable.

Ski Lift Capacity :- The 8 Ski Lifts of Alleghe are able to uplift 7,000 skiers / snowboarders per hour.

There are three airports within two hours drive, so ski weekends, snowboard breaks and short ski holidays to Alleghe are perfectly feasible.

From Alleghe you can take a bus to nearby slopes including Cortina, with just one ski pass you have access to over 1200 km's of slopes!

For us Australian's the culture, food and wine topped off with a great season of snow made this an all round rip snorter of a trip!

Sailing Tahiti - Heaven On Earth!

2009-05-06T02:01:00.000-07:00

French Polynesia more commonly known as "Tahiti", is located in the South Pacific approximately 8 hours by plane from the city of Los Angeles or 9 hours by plane from Sydney Australia.

Located 260km from the main island of "Tahiti", the Society Islands in French Polynesia are the most stunning sailing grounds I have ever visited.

The scenery is mind blowingly awesome, it is often aptly described as heaven on earth! We spent most of our time marvelling at the sheer beauty of the islands, clarity of the water, friendliness of the locals and the overall good vibed ambiance of the region.

The island's sheer, eroded peaks preside more than 700 metres above sea level and hover over crystal clear turquoise coloured lagoons. The lagoons boast and abundance of marine life and are all sheltered by surrounding reef making them calm and easy to sail.

We chartered a yacht from Sunsail from Raiatea in May which was a great time of year as it offered us pleasant unwavering temperatures around 25 degrees Celsius.

Island's visited in order of our 10 day sail.

Raiatea, Huahine, Tahaa, Bora Bora.

We had 10 days, if you can take 2 weeks I highly recommend it as you will have more time to explore the natural wonders of this garden of Eden!

Restaurant Overview - Cullen Winery - Margaret River

2009-05-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

My partner is in the wine industry (lucky, lucky me!), so as part of his day to day work he visits his customers many who are wine makers, grape growers, vineyard and winery owners and workers throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Many of the wonderful Margaret River Wineries boast spectacular restaurants which take great care in presenting top quality food to match their unique wine styles. One of our favourites:

Cullen Winery

Caves Road, Margaret River, Western Australia

You can feel the sense of life as soon as you enter the Cullen Estate. The vineyards are grown using biodynamic techniques and have “A” Grade Organic Certification with the BFA which is portrayed in the lush, healthy surroundings.

The restaurant is set amongst the vineyard and in keeping with the organic philosophy in the vineyard, all dishes are prepared using fresh, organic produce that is sourced from their own "Jamie Oliver" style garden and select local producers.

The menu is adjusted seasonally to ensure only the freshest produce is served. Those with special dietary requirements will be excited by the many gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options but generally the menu and is guaranteed to delight any tastes.

General Information:

Opening Hours

10 am - 4.30 pm Cellar Door Tasting and Sales

Restaurant Open 7 days a week, 10 am - 4.30 pm

Location

Caves Road, Cowaramup PO Box 17,

Cowaramup Western Australia 6284

Contact

Ph (08) 9755 5277 Fax (08) 9755 5550

E-mail: enquiries@cullenwines.com.au

Restaurant bookings: (08) 9755 5656