SAILING YACHT KINABALU

2012 PROGRAMME FOR 'KINABALU'

2011-11-07T23:57:00.001-08:00

Next year's programme will focus on Crete, Peloponnese, Ionian, Adriatic and places further west in the Mediterranean. October onwards, probably back across the Atlantic via the Cape Verde Islands.

Join us for some fun and fantastic cruising. Charter berths are available, both double and single cabins. Let us know where and when and we'll see what we can do! We can be contacted on info@howisonmarine.com at any time.

Our very best wishes for the festive season.

Bob and Judy Howison

KINABALU spends the winter in TRNC...Blog to be continued end of March 2012

2011-11-07T23:19:00.001-08:00

We've had a wonderful 18 months on board "Kinabalu" and she has held up fantastically well - a season in the Caribbean, four regattas, crossing the Atlantic Ocean twice and a quick sprint across the Mediterranean.........with some cruising from time to time!

She's been prepared for a four and a half month lay-up, and with just a few more small jobs to do, we'll leave her in the very capable hands of Deniz, the Karpaz Gate Marina Manager and fly out on Thursday morning, 10th November.

First stop Scotland to visit Millie and Margaret and our friends and family there, then to Singapore for some "maintenance" and on to Australia for a huge family reunion (James and Becky fly in from the States on 8th December) and to welcome a sister or brother for Saskia and Zara in February! Doing the same thing in reverse mid March!!

Exit Turkey - Enter Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)

2011-11-06T22:48:00.000-08:00

We made an abrupt exit from Turkey at Finike where we needed an agent to handle the processing - Immigration and Customs told us they were not permitted to handle money! It was a 21 hour motor + 3 hour sail to Girne (Greek Kyrenia), the point of entry to TRNC. Karpaz Gate Marina (KGM) were expecting us but are not yet a point of entry. Almost there!!

Just before we docked we had a text from Alistair and Maureen who, just by chance, had seen us from where they were having lunch. They came to see us next day, whisked us off to a supermarket to provision (KGM are a long way east on the pan handle of Cyprus), and then took us to their super hotel for dinner (The Hideaway).

Next day we motored for 7 hours through an increasing swell to KGM and tied up on the sea wall for water and power. The Marina had suffered a setback and were waiting final tests to put the power and water back on! Alistair and Maureen drove to see us and took us out to the Karpaz, a magnificent wilderness of long sandy beaches, huge sandhills, pristine waters, wild donkeys and the remains of Greek settlements. We passed through two small towns with both churches and mosques and there are small resorts with holiday cabins, but the area is well protected environmentally. It would be exciting to be here in the spring to see the sea turtles coming in to lay their eggs and then two months later to see the baby turtles hatch and make their way to the sea.

We're looking forward to coming back at the end of March and doing some more exploring.

Making Pancakes - Ucagiz

2011-10-21T06:15:00.000-07:00

We ate two of these in the little square opposite - delicious, filled with spring onions and crumbled feta cheese!

Back to Nature - KEKOVA ROADS

2011-10-21T05:38:00.000-07:00

Nestled at the western end of Ucagiz, Kinabalu swung freely at anchor in this wonderful sheltered bay. We explored by dinghy early in the morning or at dusk and marvelled at the unspoilt natural beauty and wondered at the ruins of early civilizations.

WONDERFUL TURKEY

2011-10-17T23:47:00.001-07:00

We've just said goodbye to our Scottish friends, Nic and Mo, after a fabulous two weeks' cruising from Sogut to Kalkan and now meandering our way from Kas to Fineke where we "exit Turkey" and head for TRNC (Turkish Republic of Norther Cyprus) to winter "Kinabalu" in Karpaz Gate. Fly to Scotland on 10th November and don't return until end of March next year!

AMAZING RUINS OF ANCIENT PERGAMON and the AESCULAPIUM

2011-09-23T01:16:00.000-07:00

Scenes from Gallipoli

2011-09-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

We had intended to cross the Sea of Marmara and spend a few nights at a marina just outside Istanbul. But each day brought 20- 25 knot winds on the nose and 3 knots of current against us. We were through the Dardanelles but decided that this was no fun at all!

Instead we spent two nights in the harbour at Canakkale (at the narrows in the Dardanelles) and took a six hour tour to the Gallipoli site in the company of 24 Aussies, 2 Kiwis and 1 young Japanese guy! It was really quite a moving experience and we had an excellent Turkish guide who told horrifying stories of "trench warfare". It was unclear to us whether or not there had been a tactical error in landing at the wrong beach. To have landed on Brighton Beach, the Turkish guns would have had to have been taken out, which would have meant shelling from the Allied ships, which would have alerted the Turkish ground forces who were occupying the high ground. This would have given away the element of surprise. What was clear was that the overall operation suffered from inadequate planning through a lack of detailed information . It was a tragic loss of life, and I guess that if the Allies had achieved their objective, there would have been even more fatalities.

"Anzac Cove" is just a tiny bay and yet thousands upon thousands of ANZAC troops landed there and set up their base for the supplies to the trenches. A small boat took us along the shore into Anzac Cove above the remains of the hull of a landing vessel and then we "coach hopped" to each of thecemeteries and memorial sites, sometimes walking along the trenches. It's
said that each Turkish family lost at least one family member during those eight and a half months, the Turkish casualties were so high and their artillery so limited. What was particularly moving was the piece included in Attaturk's speech in 1932 when he referred to the
countless numbers of the Allies' lost young lives buried on Turkish soil, "....your sons are our sons'.

Farewell to Greece

2011-09-07T23:25:00.000-07:00

Sailing in Dodecanese and the Eastern Sporades archipelagos has been fantastic and we look forward to visiting more Greek islands next year.

After the regatta finished in Rhodos we had a few minor repairs and headed north for our rendezvous with Sue and Peter Condos in Mytilene, Lesbos. It wasn't all "plain sailing" with the Meltemi blowing from the NE, N and NW every day, sometimes with avengeance. At least we knew the islands and where the gusts were likely to come from, but on the first day, Sunday 28th August, as we headed for Kos Marina in the north of the island, the Meltemi picked up between Turkey and Kos. In gusts of 32 knots our main no 1 reefing line broke and we changed to the no 2, finally taking the main down in the lee of the island where there was some calm water. The next day was a full on work day, turning the reefing line and splicing 3m onto it. Judy went up the mast to assist in refitting the lazy jacks, washed the dodger and refitted it, picked up some more gas and then wandered into town.

Nisos Kos is the birthplace of Hippocrates, the father of western medicine and also where the Cos lettuce originated! The harbour is quite spectacular with the medieval Castle of the Knights of St John outlined against the distant mountains. The old town is amazing but overrun by tourists and we would love to revisit during the "off season".

We then headed for Nisos Leros and ended up in Patmos, having made excellent progress. Found a wonderful anchorage to the east of the town and settled down to a good night's sleep. We were underway at 7am with a light breeze which eventually died completely so it was motoring all the way, through Nisos Fournoi where we'd spent a couple of wonderful days previously, arriving at an anchorage in the north of Nisos Passa with good shelter from the NE and NW and good holding.

Arrived in Mytilene, Nisos Lesbos the next afternoon and Sue and Peter met us at the dock. They could see us entering the harbour from Peter's stepmother's apartment and were texting us. The next four days were a whirlwind of wonderful local tavernas where Peter "ordered" the best fresh fish dishes and vegetables that we'd tasted in a long time. The little fishing villages and harbours were still quite busy but we found the village dairy for fabulous sheep's yoghurt in earthenware pottery, high in the hills. The visit to Peter's grandfather's village of Akrasi with it's famous "platia" was a highlight (see photos). Sue was the "guest chef" on our day cruise to the Bay of Geras and created a wonderful capers and lemon sauce for my lamb fillets.

(See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frMHMnDiZHI for a great little film of this village).

The public marina wasn't up to much, but itwas the best place to leave We got to know all the nooks and crannies of the ancient city of Mytilene and were sad to leave "Kinabalu" while we went sightseeing.

3rd Overall in ORC Club Aegean Regatta 2011!

2011-08-29T05:08:00.000-07:00

What a regatta! Mostly downhill, lots of islands to negotiate, fickle winds and ghosting in the dark, but fun. And we were over the moon with our result.....3rd overall in our class, ORC Club, out of 34 boats and 2nd in our division of 12 boats. Lots of spinnaker work and Saskia worked her butt off. Bob and Grant shared the helm and even Judy got to do a leg in gusty conditions and across the finishing line! Iris was the star trimmer.

We all had to get to Nisos Samos and the harbour at Kalavasi is on the north west of the island, difficult in strong northerlies. Kinabalu arrived a couple of days early, Kiwis Iris and Grant came on the ferry from Athens via Mykonos and Saskia flew in from Iran via Germany!!

Samos to Leros (50nm), Leros to Nisyros (40nm), Nisyros to Rhodos (52nm) and a 12nm coastal race in Rhodos.

ATHENS

2011-08-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

We loved Athens! After a night stern to at a public quay on Nisos Salamis we motored around the north end of the island towards Athens. We had no idea that we were motoring right through the waters of the famous "Battle of Salamis", Greek naval HQ to the right and Pireaus port to the left. Busy busy waters but fascinating.... We chose Zea Marina in Pireaus because of its proximity to chandleries and marina supplies and spent a couple of days of cleaning, purchasing and maintenance. We started early each day because the sun was so hot until early evening....

Sunday 7th August I declared Kinabalu's galley "closed" and we took a 15 minute taxi ride into Athens. The new Acropolis museum is absolutely amazing (joint effort by Greek Ministry of Culture and the EU €200 million) and although I had viewed it in 1970, the Acropolis and the Parthenon temple is truly a sight to behold. I am standing at the entrance right above the archaelogical remains over which the whole museum is built. Truly amazing!! We ate and drank Greek style and embraced the ambience.

Gulf of Corinth and Corinth Canal

2011-08-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

Visibility was very poor in the Gulf of Corinth but you can just see this amazing bridge through the heat haze. We had to request permission to transit under the bridge, giving our "air height" and we were told which span to pass under and "when"!Rion-Andirrion suspension bridge 2252m wide

Phew!!

Anchored in Nisis Trizonia, north side of the Gulf, fantastic little harbour with a small marina and left early morning for Corinth Canal, not knowing what to expect???

Corinth Canal: 1-3 knots of current, sometimes with us and sometimes against! €230 transit fee

GIBRALTAR TO THE IONIAN ISLANDS

2011-08-03T03:52:00.000-07:00

Wow, where to start? It's taken us three weeks, a whirlwind trip! And this morning I stepped onto the dock.....in Greece :) In fact, in beautiful Argostoli, Kefallonia, our first port of entry in Greece where we've been issued a "Transit Log", valid for six months. This is truly a buzzing place, not at all a sleepy island which we were expecting. Need some buzz after all the "togetherness" on board ;) I haven't downloaded the photos from this morning so they'll have to wait until the next blog.

So, from Gibraltar - marinas in Almeria (grows much of Europe's fruit and vegetables in huge greenhouses stretching from the mountains to the sea, Cartogena (conquered by the Romans in 209BC), busy anchorage in Formenterra (southern-most island in the Balearics), anchorage at Port Salinas, south-west tip of Mallorca (after having had to turn back during the night to seek shelter from northerly winds and heavy seas, Mahon Harbour - Menorca (great anchorage between Isla Lazaretto and Isla Cuarantina - largest deep-water harbour in the Mediterranean and 18th Century British Naval Base), Sardinia (see photos for "voted best anchorage so far"), Calabria Reggio, Italy (reputed to be a recruiting ground for the Sicilian Cosa Nostra and an experience not to be forgotten with Salverio our taxi driver!), Straits of Messina (unbelievable whirling tidal streams up to 4 knots found us travelling at 9.5 knots without even trying, and then as we moved into another stream we came to a virtual standstill) and then brief stop at a fuel jetty (0.5m under the keel in Messina, Sicily) - to a fabulous sail in NW winds 15-25 knots virtually all the way to Argostoli.

We were very very tired when we sighted the first lights of Kefallonia. There was no moon and we knew there was a "rock" to negotiate before we could breathe easily and work our way into the harbour. The rock was the easy part, the harbour having dimly lit structures built out almost into the passage, and when we finally saw yachts stern to at the quay, with winds still gusting it was all too hard and so we dropped our anchor right in the middle of the bay and went to sleep!! Kinabalu is now safely moored at the quay with stern lines and anchor (traditional Med mooring which I'm sure we'll become very slick at doing pretty soon!)

Almeria greenhouses - very hazy but you can see them even on the top of the mountains

Sunrise over Cabo de Palos, south east Spain

Small bay in Mahon Harbour, Menorca where we dinghied for my looooong birthday lunch :)

Looking towards the entrance to Mahon Harbour. Our anchorage was on the opposite shore to the left...

Birthday pressies in Mahon

"Sleeping Warrior", Teulada Bay, southern tip of Sardinia

Sunset in "perfect anchorage" Teulada Bay

Vowing to return to Teulada Bay as we head eastwards

"Tower Mail";) would definitely be faster than Sardinia's email system!

Bottom Paint in Algeciras

2011-07-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

Much needed after 11,000 ocean miles. Great yard in Isa Verde, Algeciras....upslip Monday morning, wash and clean, primer in the afternoon, antifouling Tuesday, extras to prop etc Wednesday and back in the water before noon. Now back in Gibraltar, Queensway Quay right in the centre. Having given Kinabalu a good wash and after having collecting laundry tomorrow morning plus a quick shop for those elusive items, we're heading to the Balearics. Will be out of range for at least three days, but can receive emails without attachments on kinabalu@mailasail.com through our satellite phone.

Gateway to the Mediterranean

2011-07-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

Gibraltar!! We really feel that now we're on the next leg of our "journey". Will do some exploring tomorrow and then Monday we move Kinabalu over to islaverde yacht centre in Algeciras for antifouling. We can stay on the boat while she's out of the water but I think we'll need to get into town by local bus. Last in Algeciras on our honeymoon in 1970 so have some serious reminiscing to do ;)

The overnight (24 hour) trip Lagos to Cadiz was great, but we got a taste of what the weather will be like in the Med.....we went from motorsailing in 3 knots of breeze to a broad reach in 26 knots! But it was fun :)

We loved Cadiz, the oldest city in Spain with a chequered history, but still beautiful and an absolutely wonderful cathedral with an underground crypt. Lots of Moorish influence. Found a great little bar with flamenco dancing and tapas late on our first evening!! Mostly Spanish people there so we felt quite local. (Took these photos on my iphone)

The trip Cadiz to Gibraltar was a little more interesting, sometimes tearing along at 9.7 knots with a following breeze and loads of current with us and then the tide would turn! Passed Cape Trafalgar, that very spot that the British Royal Navy defeated Napolean's combined Spanish and French fleet in 1805. Entry to Gibraltar is amazing....Africa (Morocco and Ceuta on 7 miles from the Spanish coast at one point)...shipping traffic constant in the Straits of Gibraltar and the windfarms endless on the Spanish hills.

Cabo Trafalgar (name derived from Arabic 'Tarf al-Gharb')

Arrived in Marina Bay at dusk and after entry formalities, sat down to a large bowl of spaghetti bolognaise that I'd cooked en route and a well earned glass or two of Portuguese red wine.

Back in Lagos after two weeks of dreich Scottish weather!

2011-07-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

It gets very hot around lunchtime in Lagos...no wonder everyone slopes off for a siesta!! We resolved to do some exploring on our return to Lagos and have tramped all over this beautiful ancient maritime town. There's so much to see and do, especially Saturday mornings with the local vegetable and fish markets.

It was great to see Millie (Mils) and her twin sister, Margaret again and to see how they've been managing in their 91st year, with various ailments, including a replacement hip operation for Mils! Gardened at every opportunity (and there weren't that many!) and I think Mils is now encouraged to "get back into it" after two years of neglect. Saw a few friends and watched Wimbledon, caught up in the euphoria of urging Andy Murray onto victory. It was cold, wet and windy most of the time we were in Scotland and we still needed a siesta ;)

Slight change of plan for our journey across the Mediterranean....expect to be in Cadiz, Algeciraz, Balearics, southern tip of Sardinia, Messina, Corinth Canal and onward to the Aegean. Will endeavour to keep the blog up to date.

PS We've been listening to Radio Wimbledon who have been inviting followers to tweet them. I tweeted for the very first time which was read out during Murray's short burst of glory!

Saskia and Zara with "Bubble Magic" at home in Deni. Just love the matching jackets and that little pink hat;)

Lagos by night

Where's that beer?

Lunch at "The Witchery" - from l to r - Judy, Jane, Mils, Bobbie, Margaret

Arrived in Lagos, Portugal!

2011-06-12T05:36:00.000-07:00

We've made it!! And it's such wonderful warm weather here, after our cold cold crossing. Lagos in June is throbbing....mostly with British tourists, but it's a great marina, very friendly and a good spot for Kinabalu while we take a quick trip to Scotland on Tuesday.

Azores to Lagos took us 7 days....we didn't experience the expected westerlies and because the wind was mostly north-east and north we stayed on port tack for 90% of the voyage. Not so comfortable for the galley but we ate well nevertheless! And of course, we finally caught a fish a "Thunnus Obesus", in layspeak, a big-eye tuna with long pectoral fins....delicious rolled in oatmeal and lightly sauteed in butter! Judy put the line out, saw we had something on the line, slowed the boat down and left it to Bob and Paul to do the rest ;) It was good to be in touch with some of our friends who were crossing at the same time, email via Iridium satellite phone "kinabalu@mailasail.com".

Our week in the Azores was superb and we'd definitely go back there sometime. From Horta we set sail for Terceira, but the wind was on the nose and with the seas building, we slipped into a delightful little marina in Velas, Sao Jorge. Ate and drank at a small local restaurant and left for Angra, Terceira the next morning. Angra was a very smart town, steeped in history, and surprisingly affluent. We loved it!!

We get back to Lagos on 28th June and immediately head for Gibraltar where Kinabalu will come out of the water for anti-fouling. Then onward across the Med to reach Samos by 19th August for the Aegean Regatta. Hopefully, we can stop in Malta, Sardinia and Crete en route.

21 Days Antigua to the Azores

2011-06-02T05:16:00.000-07:00

21 days at sea is a long time but with three of us in a good watch system, we got five hours sleep at least once in 24 hours and shorter naps the rest of the time. Made the most of mealtimes and had sundowners each day;) No SSB radio so the only contact with other yachts was via our Iridium Satellite phone and email through mailasail. If you have time to contact us the email address is kinabalu@mailasail.com (no attachments). When we're ashore, this email address comes into my mailbox with the other addresses.

Lots of varying weather conditions and a couple of days without much wind at all, so motor sailed and read in the cockpit. We kept heading north to pick up the westerly wind that should have brought us to the Azores, but there were no westerlies and occasionally we even had south-easterlies. As we approached the Azores we got some strong north-easterly winds because the Azores High was located well north of the Azores. We were on the wind as we headed to the northern most island of Flores and then for the last 24 hours had a wonderful reach down to Horta in winds of 20+ knots, two reefs in the mainsail and 50% genoa, with speeds of over 7 knots. The skies were very dark hiding a waning moon and the seas were confused, often hitting us side-on sending icy cold spray into the cockpit. Needless to say we were in full oilskins, gloves and boots!! Rather like sailing in Scotland ;)

Three nights in Horta were wonderful.....straight to the famous Cafe Sport (Peter's Bar)......beautiful town with historic buildings set in a backdrop of rolling hills, volcanos and craters. Set off for Angra, Terceira but the NE winds and seas made slow going and so we headed into Velas, Sao Jorge which was a most pleasant surprise. A tiny marina, adapted from the old fishing harbour, tucked in underneath a huge cliff. Quaint little sleepy town waiting for the tourists to arrive (mostly Europeans coming for whale and dolphin watching and to explore the amazing scenic phenomena created by historic and recent volcanic activity. Another 10 hours sail and we were in Angra, ready to do some of the historic attractions. But it's raining and cold....can you believe it?

We've looked at Passage Weather and it seems that the wind will be more northerly and favourable for our next leg to Lagos in the Algarve, Portugal (900nm - 7/9 days depending on the wind).

Preparing to cross the Atlantic again!

2011-05-03T14:53:00.000-07:00

We plan to leave Antigua on Saturday 7th May, bound for Horta in the Azorres, 2,165nm, and the windguru forecasts light winds :( Paul Smedley, an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore, who sailed with us in Antigua Sailing Week, will be joining us on this leg and then the leg Azorres to Lagos, Portugal.

We'll do some cruising in the Azorres (looks wonderful) before the more arduous journey to Lagos - waiting for confirmation from a couple of friends to join us for this leg.

So, our plans are to visit Millie and Margaret in Scotland for a couple of weeks from Lagos (Millie has thrown away her crutches today and is making a remarkable recovery after her hip replacement operation), and then come out of the water for anti-fouling when we reach Gibraltar. The Aegean Regatta is definitely on the agenda at the end of August (already have some takers for that) and some cruising in the eastern Mediterrean before laying up in Cyprus (Karzan Gate) at the end of October. Then probably back to Scotland before making the trip downunder to catch up with family and friends (especially two little girls ;).

We'll keep you posted once we reach the Azorres, but in the meantime, we hope everyone had a good Easter break and we look forward to getting your news. We're on kinabalu@mailasail.com when we're at sea but can't take any attachments.

Saskia and Zara at home in Deniliquin just before Easter

Finally on the helm during Antigua Sailing Week ;)

Elena, a reproduction of the original Herreschoff schooner during Antigua Classics Week

Watching Classics Week from Kinabalu

"Sincerity" Italian built classic owned by Norwegians being piped out of English Harbour during Classics Week

ANTIGUA SAILING WEEK

2011-05-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

We were all feeling a bit tired and sore, but it was a great week of racing - lots of wind, averaging 20 knots with gusts to 25 and occasionally 30! Long challenging courses in a new format, lots of competition and of course, the parties!! No wonder we're tired ;) We managed to get into the most competitive class and although one day we led the fleet to the finish line, we only scored fourth. We would have done better in the class below but then we wouldn't have had such lively competition. But hey, it's all about the sailing and the camaraderie and that's what we had, in absolutely magnificent conditions. We hope to be back in two years - it certainly is a great part of the world.

James and Becky in the Caribbean

2011-04-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time with James and Becky when they flew into St Maarten for five days. All too brief of course but we packed a lot in. They came from the airport by local minibus to Marigot Bay and we checked out as soon as they arrived. Dinghied around to the lagoon for provisions and ate on board, ready to leave early next morning for Anguilla. Anguilla is a scrubby island but with beautiful sandy beaches and lots of expensive resorts. We anchored in Road Bay and celebrated James and Becky's engagement and James's new appointment as Assistant Professor, School of Information, University of Texas at Austin. "Barrel Stay" is a relaxed restaurant right on the beach, perfect spot for a double celebration and fantastic food. Snorkelled and swam with turtles, reached southward in 12 knots of breeze to Tintemarre for lunch and St Barts for dinner. Loved St Barts and spent a second idyllic night in Anse de Colombier, before leaving for Sint Maarten and dinghying James and Becky to the airport!

At anchor in English Harbour, Antigua

2011-04-22T08:37:00.000-07:00

You would imagine that we'd have had loads of time to update our blog.......?? Excuses come thick and fast, but honestly the main problem has been wifi connection. But now we have a booster, courtesy of James and Becky who spent five days with us earlier this month.

Right now we're at anchor in English Harbour preparing for Antigua Sailing Week which starts on Sunday. The crew arrive today and tomorrow, with a shake-down tomorrow afternoon. Nick and John, two colleagues of James, Saskia and Renata from The Netherlands (sailing friends from Singapore), Kay (British friend we've met en route, and Paul (Canadian from Grenada who is sailing his own boat here to meet up with us). We've had a great time so far watching and partying with the classic boats in Classics Week and meeting old friends as they arrive in Antigua.

Last night was the Mount Gay Rum party, not on the official party list, but a major event and lots of fun.

Grenada to Road Harbour, BVI

2011-03-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

Le Phare Bleu Marina and Resort

2011-02-23T15:01:00.000-08:00

Our home for over a month now....sad to leave when Bob returns on 1st March. We won two nights in the villas and once they're done we sail north to the BVIs. This is a little slice of paradise, officially opened in 2006 and offering fine dining on the light ship, Vastra Banken, as well as casual dining with music every day of the week. There's always something happening at Le Phare Bleu, or we dinghy to Hogg Island for a beach barbecue and far too many rums, or we dinghy around to Whisper Cove for the most amazing French brunch with Marie and Gilles, listening to Cecil Bartholomew on classic guitar, or we go to Nimrod's Rum Shop (Sep's now since Nimrod has died) or we taxi to Jenny's Place on Grand Anse Beach to hear our own Doc Adam's band (Doc lives at Le Phare Bleu and also runs a chiropractic clinic here).

Views towards Petite Martinique and Petit St Vincent from Carriacou

2011-02-23T14:45:00.000-08:00

These are amazing views from Windward in Carriacou, looking out over the reefs to Tobago Cays where we swam with the turtles. There are wrecks in places you wouldn't imagine them to be! We sailed down the eastern side of Carriacou with Nic and Mo but stayed well clear of the reefs!!

Carriacou Sailing Sloops

2011-02-23T14:39:00.000-08:00

Carriacou is part of the Grenadines and a wonderful little island with one gas station and 100 rum shops! These locally built sailing sloops are amazing and so well sailed by the locals - they compete in regattas all around the islands. Bob and I, together with Stuart MacDonald from Gourock, whom we met by chance, took a bus ride to the north west of the island to see Windward, where they build the Carriacous. Nic and Mo went snorkelling in Tyrell Bay (they'd seen it all of course, having been in Carriacou on land based holidays before.

Grenada Sailing Festival

2011-02-20T17:01:00.000-08:00

Great three days sailing under the CSA handicap system which we'll use at BVI and Antigua. There were four of us, all aged over sixty, well some of us more over than others! We sailed in the non spinnaker cruising class using 100 per cent jib and whisker pole, but will use spinnaker and choice of 100/120 per cent genoas at BVI and Antigua Regattas. Great hospitality though and some good racing. We were fourth in our class and ended up winning two nights in resort accommodation together with lots of goodies. Very good parties with Mount Gay sponsorship!!

CRUISING WITH NIC & MO

2011-02-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

Two glorious weeks of cruising with Scottish friends Alistair and Maureen Nicol (Nic & Mo) from Port Louis, Grenada on 14th January north to Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou. Rum punches on the floating "Hallelujah Bar" and then ashore for Lambi's beach barbecue and local steel band. Stuart McDonald on "Beyond" was flying CCC and OCC burgees and so we put up RGYC as well, and would you believe, he came from Gourock in Scotland! Of course he was invited aboard for dinner, chicken on the new barbecue and the next he came with us to Windward to view the "Carriacou" wooden sloop boat building. Drinks that evening at a rather forlorn Yacht Club next door to the yard where Franc's "Celeste" had been given her overhaul.

Lots of bargaining with the local vendors in Clifton, Union Island and then SWIMMING WITH TURTLES in Tobago Cays......I spotted my first turtle swimming right in front of me. A magnificent graceful turle gently moving through the azure waters with just a few strokes before surfacing for a moment or two. We could see beautiful tropical fish against a solid rock face and it was just like being in an acquarium. Later Nic, Mo and I swam out again and to our utmost joy there were young turles zipping about and more lazy larger turtles idly moseying around. The boat vendors are everywhere, offering fresh baguettes in the early morning, lobster for dinner and wonderful banana bread which needed some spiking with spiced rum and grenadine syrup before it was truly edible!

Petit St Vincent for sundowners

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-01-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's such a long time since I posted a blog on this site.....for those of you who were able to follow our journey across the Atlantic you will have seen our daily blogs on the ARC site. They are still there if you have time to read them along with lots of photos in the gallery.

Right now we're in Port Louis Marina, Grenada doing some much needed routine maintenance on Kinabalu and preparing for Alistair and Maureen to join us on Tuesday 11/01. It's not all work though - yesterday took local buses into the mountains to Belmont Estate to tour the cocoa factory. The bus ride is quite an experience - 15 people, all shapes and sizes, crammed into a minibus, driving at breakneck speed, hurtling into hairpin bends and hardly a gear change!

This morning I joined a team of sailors to help with a reading program for 30 odd local youngsters - set up a few years ago by a Grenadian lady and continued largely with the support of visiting yachtsmen. We heard that they were short on the VHF "net" which broadcasts at 0730 hours each day. I'll go back and see them again when we return in a couple of weeks.

Briefly, we survived the parties in Rodney Bay, St Lucia, said goodbye to our young ARC team and sailed down the beautiful west coast of St Lucia, past Marigot Bay and the Pitons, vowing to return. Crossed to St Vincent and weighed anchor in Chateaubelair in the dark. We could see a little red light coming towards us and it was 16 year old George with a headtorch in a mini canoe, all kitted out with life jacket and smart sailing shoes. We were the only boat in the bay and with the wind and swell from the north west, we were very pleased to have him help us with anchoring. We had caught a 5kg tuna which we cleaned and cooked for dinner. George came back before we left the next morning with fresh rolls and oranges. We wrote in his book and gave him some EC$ towards an anchor and mooring buoy.

Checked into St Vincent at Bequia where we stayed for Christmas. Christmas Eve drinks at Frangipani and dinner at Devil's Table with ARC friends and Christmas dinner on board with Canadians, Marie and Maurice. Sailed around to Friendship Bay for a couple of nights, swam and trekked ashore, and then headed off to Mustique, beautiful and unspoilt, for three glorious days. Went to Basil's Bar for his famous Thursday night "jump-up" and mixed with the rich and famous ;)

Track Kinabalu across the Atlantic

2010-11-25T08:27:00.000-08:00

Kinabalu is off and racing on the Atlatic Rally for Cruisers (ARC). You can track us live via http://live.adventuretracking.com/arc2010. We're boat 168, or you can find us in the list on the side. If you click and hold on the boat icons it shows the route we've traveled.

ARC 2010 - GRAND OPENING

2010-11-15T04:35:00.000-08:00

DANGERS OF THE DEEP

2010-11-15T04:01:00.000-08:00

Retrieved by Simon from around our prop on the crossing Portugal to Canary Islands. He thought it was a huge tentacle about to envelop him ;)

Arrived in Las Palmas

2010-11-11T07:56:00.000-08:00

Actually arrived in the Canary Islands in the early morning of 6th November after a 508nm voyage.....lots of wind and wonderful sailing for the first two days and nights with considerable swell....and then nothing with glassy seas. The beautiful little Caleta del Sebo Harbour on Isla Graciosa was a great place to unwind, looking over to the dark volcanic cliffs on the north west coast of Lanzarote. Next day we were in Marina Rubicon, very stylish indeed, with great restaurants, bars, shops, art galleries, and a very decent boatyard!

Fuerteventura boasts golden sandy beaches and little coves with beach restaurants on its eastern coast. Not so! But we anchored for lunch in a cove with black sand and a little fish cafe that looked out to the water. It was really a coastline of resort developments (some failed) and a couple of commercial ports where illicit immigrants from Africa try to enter the EU by the back door.

Left Fuerteventura yesterday morning with Simon as the skipper and had a wonderful sail with 12-14 knots of wind from the North and boat speeds of up to 8knots. Now we're part of the ARC preparations, happy hour drinks last night and the first of a number of talks this morning. Provisioning will be quite a challenge ........enough food and water for three weeks and emergency provisions for another 7 days!! Safety checks tomorrow morning and a welcome party tomorrow evening.

JOINING THE ARC

2010-11-01T03:02:00.000-07:00

Having been on the "waiting list" for the ARC for a number of months and resigned to doing the NARC and making our own parties, we were surprised and very pleased to receive an email three days ago inviting us to join the 250 boats who are taking part in this year's 25th ARC, Gran Canaria to St Lucia. See www.worldcruising.com for up to date info. Each boat will be fitted with a tracking device for real time positioning. Kinabalu has entered the Cruising Class and will race under a World Cruising Club handicap, still to be issued.

Colin and Simon arrived in Lagos last night and we are preparing for the five to six day voyage to the Canaries. The weather has been horrendous for the past few days and Starcross (Swan 42) returned to the marina yesterday after enduring 12 hours of winds gusting up to 40 knots and huge seas. www.passageweather.com shows the weather clearing by Wednesday and we'll make a decision re departure time around noon tomorrow.

Whisker pole here and being fitted to the mast and sails (no 3 genoa, trysail and storm jib) arriving in the Canaries. Chris Robb arriving on Las Palmas to make the fifth crew member and bringing some fittings from Kip Marina. Purchasing stores in Canaries for the Crossing....currently cooking for trip to Canaries.

Crew Celebration: Leixoes to Cascais

2010-10-21T05:33:00.000-07:00

White port from the cellars in Oporto , melon and jambon :)

Early morning rounding Cape St Vincent

2010-10-21T05:13:00.000-07:00

Cascais to Lagos, Portugal

2010-10-20T05:05:00.000-07:00

Finally arrived in Lagos today around lunchtime after a wonderful overnight motor sail from Cascais. Balmy weather and lovely place to unwind and relax. Will get some equipment needed for the Atlantic crossing sent here so could be here for around a week.

Agucadoura Wave Farm

2010-10-15T05:50:00.000-07:00

We got the cameras out ready to take photos at the world's first commercial wave farm but suddenly a thick thick fog came in from the sea and we had some serious pilotage to undertake. Using our trusty Raymarine C80 we were able to navigate safely outside the Cardinal Marks.....but no photos!

Porto de Leixoes close to Porto

2010-10-15T03:37:00.000-07:00

Arrived in Leixoes early evening, meeting up with several British yachts on their way to the Canaries AND a Singaporean registered catamaran! The Swan "Starcross" has some steering problems and has headed off to Fig da Foz this morning, hoping to meet Nautor guys in Lagos later in the week for repairs. Our skipper does regular maintenance and so far no real problems. Colin, Bobby McEwing and Susan have headed off to Porto to do a recce before we join them later for lunch and a tour of the "old city" by tram. Leave tomorrow morning for an overnight sail to Cascais, 30km west of Lisbon.

MRYC Bayona, Spain

2010-10-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

Amazing how some sunshine can lift the spirit! We arrived in brilliant sunshine and found a perfect spot to unwind and do some small maintenance jobs on Kinabalu. Wonderful facilitites at the Monte Real Club de Yates - photos to follow. Thanks to James we were able to get some photos onto this site but will get some more on as soon as we have a little more time. Off again tomorrow to Oporto in Portugal, home of port wine and then to Lisbon.

2010-10-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

From La Coruna south to Lisbon

2010-10-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

So far the autopilot has been able to handle everything we've thrown at it. Massive seas and winds gusting to mid 40s at times. Toughest time has been when we were being swept into the Bay of Biscay 45 degrees off course. Bob called "All Stations" and Warship 023 responded with "gale force 7 for next 12 hours. We heded for Brest/Camaret with huge follwoing seas. We've done around 700nm from Cork. So much for trying to head for Lisbon! Arrived in La Coruna happy and tired, we had worked our way along the Costa da Morte without mishap. Still Cabo Finisterre to conquer, and we leave tomorrow morning. Susan has arrived and we've had a welcome drink!

Viva Espana

2010-10-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

(via Text)

Currently 16 miles offshort from Ribadeo heading for Cape Estaca, expected to be in La Coruna midday tomorrow (Saturday). Susan joining us Sunday evening, once we've showered, laundered and cleaned Kinabalu!

Spanish National Day on Monday, so should be fiestas, good sailing at the moment, just reached 9.5 knots of boat speed reaching in wind from the SW.

Heading for Spain (via Text)

2010-10-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

Cleared Benodet Harbour. Beautiful morning after buckets of rain overnight, looks positive for the next few days. Very little wind forecast for today, but tomorrow more from the SW. Heading for Gijon on the north coast of Spain.

GALE FORCE WINDS

2010-10-03T04:14:00.000-07:00

We survived 24 hours of battering gale force winds and huge seas. Winds were south, south westerly and pushing us into the Bay of Biscay. Freezing cold and rain!! Main was reefed with just a bit of genoa to steady us, but it was uncomfortable to say the least. Friday morning we made the decision to take the sails down and head towards Rade de Brest. Not at all what we had planned.....we didn't even have a French courtesy flag!! Picked up a mooring in Camaret around 10.30pm, opened a bottle of red, ate pate, cheese and crackers, and SLEPT.

Made the voyage to Douarnenez yesterday and were safely tied up to a pontoon during winds of 44 knots and driving rain during the night. Colin's birthday today.....croissants and bowls of hot chocolate for brekky and planning to explore this famous yachting centre and find some English newspapers and good food.

Will leave for Benodet tomorrow morning through the Raz de Sein with the tide. From there we'll assess the weather once again, but it's looking ominous for the next few days.

Cork to Lisbon

2010-09-29T02:42:00.000-07:00

At Royal Cork Yacht Club Marina in welcome sunshine and clear blue skies. A beautiful morning to set off on our 800 nm/five day voyage to Lisbon. Colin joined us last night and we expect to meet Susan in Lisbon. Just a few boat jobs to do, fuel up and we're off.......

Met up with Bobby McEwing at Howth Yacht Club and next day took the "Dart" into Dublin for a Guiness lunch and then Geoff Howison joined us on Kinabalu for a bowl of chorizo penne in the evening. He's having fun, working on the "event" scene in Dublin. We had a strenuous sail from Howth to Arklow, the gale having left lumpy seas and the weather still very cold. Made good progress though and tied up early evening alongside a large fishing boat in Arklow after having found the depth sounder at zero on the pontoon!

Dodging the Equinoxial Gales

2010-09-24T03:35:00.000-07:00

After two nights in Bangor, took advantage of favourable tide conditions but headwinds all the way, 20-25 knots of wind and big seas. Fortunately the rain held off for a couple of hours as we surfed into Ardglass, a wonderfully friendly tiny marina but tight negotiating at the entrance.

Beautiful sailing conditions yesterday to Howth (near Dublin)....westerly breeze 10-15 knots with boat speeds up to 8.5 knots. Force 8 gale was forecast for the Irish Sea and we were glad to be in Howth Marina and Yacht Club for 48 hours until it blows through.

Will set off at first light tomorrow morning to continue our journey south to Cork (eta 28/09).

We have one cabin available for the Atlantic Crossing (double berth), leaving Canary Islands around 25th November. Let me know if anyone would like to join us.

Bangor, Ireland. (Update via Text)

2010-09-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

We are off!

After a quick night in Campbelltown we've headed over to Bangor in Ireland. Now enjoying wonderful fish pie at Salty Dog, before heading down the coast. Plan is Ardglass, then Houth (meeting Bobby McEwing) then Crosshaven (meeting Colin).

SCOTLAND TO THE CANARY ISLANDS

2010-09-14T02:24:00.000-07:00

Dodging the Equinoxial gales, we plan to set sail for Dublin at the end of this week (18/19 September) and be in Cork by 28 September when Colin Craig and Bobby McEwing will join us for the crossing to Lisbon. Leaving Lisbon around 11 October bound for Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, planning to stop at Lagos and then enjoying some anchorages in the Canary Islands before arriving in Puerto Calero, Lanzarote around 11 November to prepare for our Atlantic crossing. If you're interested in joining us for part or all of this journey, contact us by email.

WEST HIGHLAND YACHTING WEEK 31/07/2010-06/08/2010

2010-08-06T03:21:00.000-07:00

Alistair and Maureen Nicol, together with Chris Robb from Kip Marina Chandlery, joined us for a wonderful week of serious racing. Geoffrey Howison was able to join us for the first three days....I wished he'd stayed longer because it was the first race that we won (hands down, overall) and have a perpetual trophy to show for it.