Jun 23 2008
Route
August 2001: New Home in New Zealand
Okay, it really isn’t a route, but it definitely is a route in our lives. We bought a home on the beach on a little island off the coast of Auckland. Waiheke Island has a population of about 6000, but there are relatively few residents on our end. Sounding Free now has a hefty storm mooring, and we can watch her nervously from our house!
November 2000: Fiji to New Zealand
In August of 2000 my friend Dave Boatman (yup, that’s really his name!) flew down to crew with me on the trip to New Zealand. We spent two months cruising some remote spots in Fiji, and spent 10 days on the south side of Kadavu, inside the Great Astrolabe Reef. We anchored in front of a wonderful little resort called Matava, and quickly became one of the ‘family’. The owners, staff and guests were really wonderful to us. In mid-November we sent off for New Zealand. We had a boisterous 11 day crossing, with winds right on the nose much of the time. We had several days where the wind never dropped below 25 knots, and at times it peaked to 50 knots with seas of 4 meters! Whew. But Sounding Free performed perfectly. Okay, we did get really wet down below…several unknown leaks in the forepeak! Sounding Free will be spending the next year cruising the waters of New Zealand.
November 1999: Tonga to Fiji
In November 1999 my friend Mark Jensen flew to Neiafu to make the crossing to Fiji with me. We sailed Sounding Free 600 miles to the west, crossing directly thru the eastern Lau Group. We made landfall in Suva, the capital, and spent two weeks getting acquainted with the people and customs. Unfortunately Mark had business commitments in the States and had to return. I then spent 4 days sailing Sounding Free (singlehanded) around the southern coast of the main island of Viti Levu, stopping on Mbenga island and numerous harbors on the Coral Coast. The boat spent the hurricane season sitting in a hole on shore (literally) in Vuda Point on the western side of Viti Levu, while I attended to business in San Diego. While in Vuda Point, Sounding Free underwent a major cosmetic refit, with new paint and lots of new equipment as well. Sounding free cruised the islands of Fiji for most of the next year.
August 1999: American Samoa to Tonga
In August of 1999 we sailed from Pago Pago to the northern island group of Tonga, Vavau. We had a great sail downwind virtually the entire 450 miles. We cleared customs and immigration in Neiafu, and then spent 4 months cruising the numerous islands of Tonga.
October 1998: Cook Islands to American Samoa
We were very sad to have to leave Suwarrow, but the hurricane season was fast approaching and we were worried about getting caught in the ‘flytrap’ of the Suwarrow lagoon. Our trip to Pago Pago, American Samoa was fast and comfortable, taking only 4 days.
September 1998: Bora Bora to the Cook Islands
We left Bora Bora on a beautiful, sunny morning, heading for the quite isolated atoll named Suwarrow some 700 miles to the west. A member of the Northern Cook Islands, Suwarrow was made famous by the hermit John Neal. John lived on the island for 7 years, oftentimes not seeing another soul for 18 months!
June 1998: Tuamotus to Society Islands
From the Tuamotus we set off for Tahiti, approximately 450 miles west. We spent 6 weeks in Tahiti before sailing through the Society Island group. In all, we sailed to Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa and Bora Bora. We spent almost 6 months in the Society Islands… and since these islands are some of the more expensive we will see in all our trip, we had to visit some ‘cheaper’ places for the remainder of the year!
May 1998: Marquesas to the Tuamotus
This leg of the trip was probably the most difficult navigation leg. The Tuamotus, also known as the ‘dangerous archipelago’, are a system of motus and reefs only a few feet high. Were it not for the palm trees growing on them, we would probably sail right up on the reef! Sadly, we visited only two of the atolls - Manihi and Rangiroa. Both were spectacular.
April 1998: Mexico to the Marquesas Islands
In April, 1998 we made one of the longest at-sea trips we will ever attempt. We set sail from Cabo San Lucas, headed for the island of Hiva Oa in the Marquesas Islands. Our 23 day trip was punctuated by many fierce squalls, heavy seas, and even a couple of waterspouts! After a couple of weeks, we sailed up through the Marquesas Islands to Nuku Hiva, where we sat for an entire month waiting for engine parts and a new mainsail.
November 1997: San Diego to the Sea of Cortez
In early November, 1997, we departed San Diego for Cabo San Lucas. We made many stops on the way down the western Baja coast, including: Ensenada, Bahia Tortuga, Bahia Magdalena, and Cabo San Lucas. We then sailed north to Los Frailes, Los Muertos, and on to La Paz. We spent 6 months enjoying the diving, fishing and sunshine of the islands within 100 miles of La Paz. We intended to stay in Mexico, particularly the Sea of Cortez, for 18 months or more, but got excited one day about the South Pacific, and suddenly we were on our way!
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