Go One, Go All!

Sunday November 30th, 2008
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

The day of departure for our Atlantic crossing has finally come. We have filled every nook and cranny with food, topped up on fuel, finished the last load of laundry, repaired, replaced or rendered every project that needed to be done. The exception for that would be the new head sail. That project never came to fruition so we'll roll along with our newly 13 patched marvel, attach the storm sail and hope for a nice down wind run. Though there is visibly no wind around here at the moment, we may have to motor out a day before it fills in. Then according to our weather faxes it's filling in nicely out of the NNE. Just the way we like it. As the old sailing adage goes, "Sail south until the butter melts, then head west". This is supposed to be the best way to find the trade winds that are to take you off to the Caribbean. Again though, according to our weather faxes, it ain't quite filling in yet. The risk of waiting too long is that we might not make landfall before Christmas and we would like to avoid that. If we get stuck in the doldrums it could take a really long time. 2700 miles to go and we carry enough fuel to make it roughly 160 motoring hours, or about 7 days, so we certainly want to conserve that as much as we can.

The Atlantic hurricane season officially ends tomorrow. 2008 proved to be a record breaker as the weather officials had predicted. For the first time on record, six consecutive tropical cyclones (Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike) made landfall on the US mainland and a record three major hurricanes (Gustav, Ike and Paloma) struck Cuba. This is also the first Atlantic season to have a major hurricane (Category 3) form in five consecutive months (July: Bertha, August: Gustav, September: Ike, October: Omar, November: Paloma). Now that it's over on paper, let's just hope mother nature realizes this and doesn't throw in a late in the game hit like 2005 which delivered one after Christmas. We always pray for wind, but now we're going to be specific, not too much, not too little. Picky aren't we.

Go one, go all! So there are many ways to get across on ocean or around the world. You can single hand it like the competitors in the Vendee Globe Challenge. They solo sail their 60 ft. beauties easterly around the world. They departed from France in November, with their newest technologies and designs they are even trying to set records of making it around the world in 80 days! Then there is the mass exodus of the ARC or Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. A rally, as the name suggests, promotes strength in numbers. Numbers they certainly have, 240 of them. We wished them well and waved them off as they departed out of Gran Canaria last Sunday for their own Atlantic crossing. What a zoo that was. For many it is their first ocean crossing, for some, repeat offenders. We are sure we'll be seeing many of them once we have reached the other side.

For us, this crossing is the beginning of the end in some ways. Our last major puddle jump. We can hardly believe that 8 months ago we were working our way across the Indian Ocean and in 8 months time we are likely to be back at home. 4 years in the blink of an eye. It is a dream journey to be on. We will be sending out regular journal entries to this mail list and the blog site. You can also track our daily position from the tracking link on the front page of our web site. With all this time on our hands, hopefully we will catch up the web site and upload the last few countries at our next internet connection. Time will certainly be on our side, lets hope the wind and waves play along.

So that's it. Feel free to write us any time. We love to stay connected. We'll be thinking of you all while you chop down those Christmas trees and shop till you drop. See you on the other side!

Won't you join us and ... Sail on!

When in Rome

August 27, 2008
departing Fiumicino for Sardinia, Italy
coordinates 41 46.307N,012 14.252E

After our exciting entrance to Fiumicino, we were happy to find more safe haven up the channel and under two lifting bridges. Boats tied up three deep on either side of the channel, we found the Constellation Nautica, a marina in name sake only. There are quite a few boat yards available, free internet and showers for a tie up fee of 30 Euros a day. A perfect place to use for our home base to head in to see Rome.

After a bit of walking in circles we found an unmarked bus stop that sits nearly across the street from the marina. The bus that arrives at 10 and 40 minutes after the hour will give you a free ride to the Leonardo di Vinci Airport where you can then purchase a metro ticket for 11 Euros, that no one will check, but will take you directly to the center of downtown Rome. We dropped of our backpacks in our hotel room and hit the ground running! By the end of the afternoon we had covered the Colosseum,
the Roman Forum and part of Capitolene. Still to cheap to pay for a guide we enjoyed the sights on our own. So much information there so will give one of our favorite facts, they used to fill the Colosseum up with water and stage naval battles there! There are some interesting open air bus rides that can give you an all access ride around Rome, and different price scales on the metro, but with a strong pair of legs and a bit of determination, we can attest that one can cover the whole thing on
foot as well.

The first item on the agenda was the Piazza di Bernini situated just down from the US Embassy to get more pages placed in our passports. From there we headed straight for Vatican City and decided that if ever there was a place to splurge for a guide this was it. Lorna, from the east coast of US was our spectacular guide and worth every cent. Her professionalism along with her fun personality, great story telling ability and keeping the boys included and engaged was magnificent. We learned so
much within the walls of the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, the crypts, St. Peter's Basilica, absolutely awe inspiring and had fun all along the way. Viewing the works of Michelangelo, Rafael, Bernini, Dali and so many more is a very special feeling. Calling them masters is an understatement. Again, history comes to life before our eyes. That afternoon we head for the bone church decorated entirely out of 4000 monks skeletal remains, intriguingly creepy. We counted the number of Spanish
steps at Piazza di Spagna and then enjoyed a cool and peaceful moment within the walls of The Church of the Trinita dei Monti, viewing the Volterra masterpiece fresco of the "Decent from the Cross".

Next day we made our way over to the Piazza Venezia and the Vittoriano, topped by the equestrian statue of the king and colossal bronze chariots, one can also view the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier there. Over to the Fontana di Trevi, water gushing from every point of decorated bas-reliefs and statues. We tossed our own coins in ensuring a safe return to Rome some day. We spent considerable time within the Pantheon, just taking in the grandeur that still stands today as the city's only architecturally
intact monument from the classic times. Built by Agrippa and redesigned by Hadrian in the 3rd century. The remains of many of Italy's most famous Kings and artists buried here including Rafael himself. The simple dome design, powerful marble columns and the open oculous in the ceiling seems are a vision to behold. Up the road a little farther you find the Piazza Navona and the Fountain of Rivers. It's shape traces the Stadium of Domitian where the long oval site once held 30,000 spectators to
watch chariot rides and naval battles. Another half dozen blocks and across the river is the Castle Sant'Angelo. Favorite fact, it contained the famous passetto or passageway, built by Pope Nicholas III in 1277. The corridor ran atop a wall that encircled the Vatican and led to the castle afforded the pope a safe walk way between the two.

One of the last items we found so interesting all throughout Rome was the omnipresent Egyptian Obelisk. Each one brought over by various emperors or Popes of the time they can be found in the Vatican, the Pantheon, and nearly every other Piazza we visited. Covered by their typical hieroglyphics they have a beauty of their own but seem so out of place here.
Whew, just scratching the surface here we look forward to returning someday for a much deeper look.

A Port in a Storm

August 15th, 2009
Fiumicino, Italy
coordinates 41 46.220N,012 13.521E

We departed the Pontine Islands to head for safer anchorages because our weather faxes indicated that some severe winds were coming. We decided to head towards Rome and kill two birds with one stone. We had a full day sail of a beautiful wing on wing, down wind run. By the middle of the afternoon the winds began to pick up and come around out of the north. It appeared as though the forecasted gale was coming a day early. We headed for our first choice, a marina in Anzio. The guide books stated
in calm weather one could anchor just outside but that clearly wasn't going to be an option this day. The seas at this point were already stacking up and as we neared the entrance something felt all wrong.

In the states the saying is "red right returning", which simply means that the red buoy markers should be kept to your right or starboard side as you enter a marina. In much of the rest of the world it is the opposite, green markers are kept to your right as you enter marinas but clearly the waters were looking much too shallow on that side to enter. Desperate to get out of the increasing winds and seas we slowly made our way but quickly figured out the markers here were wrong. A large series
of waves began to carry us toward the entrance and we watched the depth meter drop, 10 feet, 9, 8, 7, we draw 6.8 feet. The large waves then proceeded to pick us up and pile drive us into the sand bottom like a new WWF wrestling move. We saw 5.5 feet. Three times we hit harder than ever before. Driving the engine as strong as she could go we utilized the next series of breaking waves to wiggle off and get out of there. Checked the bilge, not taking on water, we began our motor up the coast for
another 3 hours in search of an alternative.

The next marina we came across had 6-10 foot breaking waves running perpendicular to the channel, the wind speeds now 30-35 knots. We called the manager to ask the safety of the entrance and before looking out his window said it should be no trouble. Upon looking out his window he called back and said it was our call, i.e. he is taking no responsibility when we crash upon his rocks. We witnessed a large luxury power yacht try to negotiate the channel. With all it's power, bow thrusters and extra
engines it got tossed around within the channel like a rubber duck in a whirlpool. We watched it get turned 90 degrees when hit by waves not once but twice inside a channel no wider than itself, and breaking waves splash OVER it's 18-20 foot profile. It made it in but we got our answer, we weren't.

Last chance, another hour up the road was the Fiumicino Channel. The winds were now up to 45 knots and blowing out of the due west, the seas steep and confused. The depths around the shores were only 45 feet adding to the ability of these waves to stack up at the entrance of this channel, which of course also runs due west to east. It was going to be our only opportunity for a safe haven for the night or we would have to try to hove to and wait the storm out in the middle of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Even with the advantage the longer day, it was now nearing 9 pm and the sun was beginning to set. We tried repeatedly to contact the marina within to no avail. It was going to be all or nothing now.

We lined up with the entrance, setting ourselves between the very steep and very close set waves, 10-12 foot waves every 6-10 seconds apart. The channel entrance, though large enough and clearly marked, was now nearly impossible to distinguish. When we were in between the waves, from the bottom of the trough you couldn't see it any more and no longer knew if we were lined up appropriately. Due to the steep degree of the waves, steering the boat down the face is incredible difficult and once you
begin to turn out of it there is no controlling the ability to go straight again. If you aren't lined up properly, you may end up on the concrete breakers.

We placed all four of us, with our life jackets on, either sitting in the cockpit or near the entrance so if we needed to get out of the boat quickly we would all have a clear access. We let a set of waves pass by and then made our attempt. Lined up and ready to, no longer able to see the entrance, a wave picked us up and we started in. Afraid we were too far to the left and going to hit the breaker the boat was hit by a wave and began to turn left so we finished tried to steer our way out and
waited for a smaller set. We cleared the breaker and lined up for a second run. There were no smaller sets so we lined up for our second attempt. There are no words to describe the feeling when you look behind you and see a sheer wall of water, picking you up and sending you down a path you aren't sure where it will end. Looking in front of you seeing only the back side of it's sister wave. We were reaching speeds of 14 knots down the face but this time we felt we had a good line up and continued
to ride each succeeding wave right down into the channel. No more discussions, no more instructions, just quiet prayers that nothing would happen to our family or our home. Just a safe landing, please.

We made our way down the channel and the waves began to give way to what was more like confused seas inside a channel, but with the boat in neutral we were still speeding along at 5 knots down the 500 yard long stretch. A large fishing boat was sitting perpendicular at the end of the channel. What we also hadn't realized, until this point, was that we had amassed quite an audience who by this point were yelling and cheering us on. Arms waving and clapping, thumbs up all around! Afraid we weren't
going to be able to slow down in time, Bruce began to negotiate the boat to spin it around and at least face into the wind so we could have more control. The rest of the crew sprung into action to get fenders and dock lines ready. Then we realized a few of the people on the docks were the Coast Guard and had then begun to wave us into an opening on the side of the channel that emptied into a small marina and the Coast Guard Station. We maneuvered our way in and they proceeded to tie us right up
to their Coast Guard ship. No less than 8 of these marvelous men took over tying us off, made sure were all ok. They let us know they all thought we were crazy and then, bless their hearts, took us in and gave us a wonderful dinner, warm showers and lots of fun story swapping. Many thanks Cmdr. Julio Cavalo, Cmdr. Joseph Bufalini and their whole crew of the Fiumicino Coast Guard. We spent a wonderful night, yet still tumultuous due to the storm, tied up to the safest place in the marina.

Our "crazy" escapade won us a bit of fame for the following week, people would still give us thumbs up if they happened to recognize us or our boat. Even when you are prepared sometimes there is no avoiding the weather. Next time, we'll talk about what to do "when in Rome".

The challenges of Italy

August 14th, 2008
Isole di Ponza
coordinates 40 54.265N,012 57.832E

The challenge is that, surprisingly, this is the first country where relatively few people speak English. Or if they do, they choose not too. When they realize we don't speak enough Italian, I swear they speak faster waiting for us to kick into gear and all of a sudden comprehension will roll over our faces. The boys think it is hilarious to watch their mothers face as comprehension never quite appears. It is easy enough to point and use our limited Italian when ordering food, but it is another
story when trying to find places to anchor. The second factor of the great challenge.

After leaving Stromboli a couple weeks ago we made our way up the coast line looking for decent places to anchor and explore the mainland. The potential anchorages are few and far between up this side of the coast. Our plans and their back ups not always working. We were often finding ourselves still desperately searching as the sun set. Not a position you want to be in when sailing around a foreign country. Sometimes this equation ends up costing a lot of money as when our back up plan included
what was to be a tiny run down fishing marina but turned out to be a brand new fancy, Marina di Stabia, costing us 130 Euros a night. OUCH!

We eventually find spots suitable but have had some very rolly nights, such as anchored off the lovely town of Positano. From the water it has amazing charm, with all the buildings tucked into a rocky valley. Climbing up the mountainside and utilizing every inch, it is covered in colorful homes and verandas over looking the sea. From the shore it is an equally amazing tourist spot. Every one of the charming buildings lining those charming winding roads was actually an expensive boutique just
waiting to separate you from your Euro. We are quickly learning a few tricks to hold on to our Euro's a little longer. Number one, order all your food for take out. There is a little fee they tack on to your meal and it seems to be arbitrary as to the percentage of the take out fee. One day we spent as much to sit and eat the pizza as the pizza itself cost.

While we were in that spendy marina we decided to make a quick run into Pompeii and it was fascinating. As a kid I think we always pictured it as a few people and homes partially uncovered but it is a full standing, sprawling city. Entire mosaic floors, giant stone grinders for making flour at the bakery, public baths, and beautiful frescos still intact. They had raised cross walks out of giant stones so the locals didn't have to step down into the street with the donkeys and the equivalent of
water fountains at nearly each corner in town to refresh yourself. Entire neighborhoods, a local theater and stadium where the gladiators honed their talents still stands tall. We did later see on CNN that they are concerned with the state of the ruins and if not cared for better will disintegrate rapidly in the future. We think it would be fun to see it come back to life like Old Colonial Williamsburg. Quickly, we made haste through the ruins since we couldn't afford to spend another night in
that marina. Again, we struggled with the local metro system since no seemed to be able to tell us if or where the closest stop was to our marina. Though we started only 3-4 miles away from the marina we now found ourselves 2 miles in the opposite direction. Nothing a brisk walk won't do for you.

Along with all the water loving Italians who are on vacation this month, we really enjoyed the islands off the coast of Naples. Isola di Ischia, Ventitene and Ponza were delightful anchorages despite the throngs of people flocking to their favorite get-away's. The only down moment would come when Lisa jumped off the dinghy one day onto a boat ramp, missed her footing, falling flat on her right cheek and knocking herself out cold momentarily. A blazing headache, a beautiful black eye and a mumps
like profile were all she had to show for it. Luckily, no broken bones sustained nor stitches needed. It is quite a conversation starter though, with the locals always giving Bruce the questioning glance. Poor guy.

From here, our weather faxes indicated that the winds were really going to be picking up so we wanted to get somewhere comfortable before they arrived in a few days. We set out for Rome the next day. Next time I'll let you know what happens when the gale arrives early.

Tyrrhenian Sea

Tyrrhenian Sea
August 7th, 2008
coordinates 39 59.932N,015 25.721E

At least from the water side point of view, Italy lives up to it's romantic visions of terraced hillsides and fertile grounds, villas hidden in between the larger towns of apartments and hotels and the drier rocky mountains. The water is much warmer than the Ionian Sea at a balmy 82 degrees and the air a very warm 90 degrees with just enough humidity to make you wish for a bit more wind. The hazy days make way each afternoon for ominous thunder clouds over the land that occasionally create enough
noise and even visible lightning to make you think they might get to you, but they don't. The smaller more quaint, quiet and yet untouched towns look much like Greece with their colorful red and purple bouganvilla and geraniums, perched on blue covered porches and doorways.
August, we have heard, is when all of Europe goes on vacation, and we would have to add to that, they all own a water craft of some sort and flock to the sea. They race out at sunrise and don't retreat until sundown, which is near 10:00pm. It is wonderful to see them take advantage of the time they have to share together and the resources at their feet.
We have managed thus far to avoid the expensive marinas and found plenty of comfortable and safe anchorages to lay our own hook.
We had the fortune of making our way through the Straight of Messina with the current rather than against. It can get up to 4 knots in there. Homer wrote of Odysseus in the Odyssey, fearing the great sea monsters here. Scillia had long legs that sucked vessels and sea creatures right up into the sky and Charybdis swallowed them down into the ocean. In truth is it possible that water spouts could have occurred in the straight when the winter storms and gales are howling seeming to suck them into
the sky. There was a whirl pool, the guide book states, under the town of Scillia created by the strong currents could wreak havoc on unwary ships but in an earthquake in 1783, changes the underwater topography lessened it to menacing eddies.
From Messina we made a bee line to Stromboli Island, home to yet another perpetually active volcano. It experienced a large eruption in 2002-2003 that caused a large strip of the western side to slide into the ocean. Flowing and spewing lava and ash into the sky and sinking into the water as well, helped to create a 10 meter tsunami that covered the shores of Stromboli itself and Sicily. Today it sends out mild smoke signals at regular intervals visible during the day and exciting fireworks displays
of lava and red hot boulders at night. The island, still inhabited enjoys it's fame and runs a very nice little tourist industry of it's own there. Understated but getting the job done, you can take day time and evening hikes to the crater's edge to view the show. Free to anchor there, we were happy to watch from the water.
Back to the main land we have dotted our way up the coast as we head toward Naples. Our stay last night at Punta di Degli Infreschi was a very popular spot with the locals for a day get away with fun caves to swim into and explore. Likely 40 some odd boats crammed themselves in this cove for a delightful stay only to find the Ohana Kai Klampets already on a mooring there hanging all their laundry out to dry. Lovely. Upward we go toward Naples, Vesuvius and Pompeii.

Buon Giorno!

August 2, 2008
Italy
coordinates 38 13.753N,016 21.021E

Buon Giorno,
We wrapped up our stay in Greece by taking a week to relax around the islands of Lefkada and Meganisi. We spent a few days provisioning on the north end near the marina. These islands are reminiscent of Tonga due to the sheer numbers of charter boats milling around the waters. The calm flat crystal clear waters and wonderful consistent wind between the islands provide the perfect cruising grounds and quiet get away's for people from Europe. The Onassis family owns a private island tucked in the
middle which of course draws everyone to sail by for a peak. So much for privacy. On the south end of Lefkada is the bay of Vasiliki, wind surf heaven. A large bay, it is perfectly calm until about 1pm where nearly every afternoon the wind whips up on cue. Hundreds of wind surfers can be seen skimming back and forth the waters. We decided they look like little leaf cutter ants diligently marching back and forth carrying their prized possession across the water. Bruce even had chance to join
in on the fun.

We waited for the right weather window and slipped across the Ionian Sea to make landfall in Cape Rizzuto, Italy, down between the toe and heel of the boot. The greeks had colonized the southern part of Italy and Sicily around 11BC creating the Magna Graecia Era which attracted many great philosophers such as Homer and Pythagoras to spend decades here. One lovely overnight sail 10-20 knot winds N/NW and we arrived. A few dolphins ushered us into the country. One night on anchor and the second night
we moved down to Roche Ionica and found a free marina and our first slice of thin crust pizza. Delicious, we have traded in our cravings for feta to mozzarella. We are working our way down around the toe through the Straight of Messina today and look forward to see just how far north we will make it with the boat.

Aegean Sea, Greece

July 18th, 2008

Chios to the Gulf of Corinth, Greece

Our next step was to traverse the Aegean Sea. The first stop was all of 5 miles off the coast of Turkey. You never realize just how close all these lands are. No wonder they kept arguing over what belonged to whom. With the winds constantly against us we were only making short trips each day. Hopping island to island, we made quick one night stops on the island of Chios, Kea and then the south eastern point of mainland Greece at Sounia Point. Here is located a temple to Poseidon. We have been
busy dusting off the memories of Greek history from our childhood and some extra reading to find out that Zeus, Hades and Poseidon were all brothers. Splitting up the world evenly, Zeus took all the heavens, Hades the under world and Poseidon the water world. Being the savvy tourists we have become, we realized that adults had to pay and children got in free to view the temple. Quickly give the kids the cameras, make them run up the hill and take the photos, problem solved. As kids will do, they
even figured out how to use new settings on the maiden voyage of our newest camera.

This particular anchorage didn't look quite sound enough for an overnight so we moved up the coast to Vouliagmeni. The original modern marina to be built in Greece. We soon found out it wasn't really a place to anchor either and the price was much to high to stay in a marina. The bay is home to every water sport imaginable. They have club sports here for wind surfing, slalom water skiing, and Optimus dinghy sailing. We attempted to officially check into the country here and found it nearly impossible
to do. No one had any great answers on how to efficiently complete the task so after hours with no reward we gave up and found our way up to Piraeus, the town just next to Athens and the Acropolis, our destination.

Much like our experience in Vouligameni, Athens proved to be even more difficult at finding a place to rest our heads. There was either no room in the inn or marinas simply wouldn't answer their radios. We could hear them speaking to each other, we could float right outside their entrance and see them sitting in their towers. After two hours of burning precious fuel we tied ourselves up to the most likely place, walked up to the office and pleaded our case. They couldn't say no. For 35 Euros
a day, no water or electricity how could it hurt them. We are curious about the usual customers they keep though as an armed guard escort in bullet proof jackets and motorcycles helped the guests of the lovely large motor boat across from us, leave the docks.

Early the next morning we gathered our maps and attempted the metro system. Thank goodness it is a forgiving system since we got on the wrong one and still managed to end up in the right place. The Acropolis was fun to see but we have to be honest and say viewing it through and entire cage of metal scaffolding with thousands of our closet friends is a bit of a disappointment, especially after viewing Ephesus up close and personally. It was difficult to imagine Alexander and Aristotle sitting around
discussing the fates and muses. Again as savvy tourists, we are not ashamed to say that we have learned the art of dividing and conquer. Each person attaches themselves to tour group with an English speaking guide, we reassemble and share the bits of knowledge we have gained. The grounds and gardens are lovely to tour, the small museum we could enter had great artifacts to view, and the fascinating part would be the continuous archeological digs that are going on all around you. You can watch
them chip away at the earth and pull up still more shard of pottery.

Next stop, the Corinth Canal. Not having much information on it we weren't sure what to expect. Large container ships to small boats alike pass through a canal cut right into the rock that once joined Peloponnese and the main land Greece. At it's tallest the rock stands 63 meters high and the water only 8 meters deep. We motored right into the canal and figured they would let us know what to do. Luck was on our side this day. We tied up to the dock, the manager hung his head out of the traffic
control tower and with a megaphone hailed us up to the office. Bruce and Kelly boy ran up, we paid our fees of $250, and apparently couldn't get back to the boats fast enough as the canal manager hung his head out the window once more with the megaphone and yelled, "Captain, HURRY". A giant container ship passed just before us and we were to follow him closely. Bridges up ahead that lets auto traffic traverse the gorge were waiting on us all. The high stone walls are breath taking but I doubt
the young gal bungee jumping off one of three bridges that cross the canal had time to stop and look at them as we did. Tristan rode the canal with a birds eye view from the top spreader. The gates at each end of the canal rise up from under water, again to provide a road to cross and stop unwanted travelers when needed.

Once through the canal and into the gulf we used the wind as our friend to sail toward many other famous destinations such as the Delphi. Home to the most famous and heralded oracle of the time. Though she spoke in only gibberish, the priests would translate the persons future for them. On the Peloponesse side are such famous sites as Sparta itself, and the original site of the Olympic games in 1000 B.C. to name just a couple. We found a treasure of an anchorage on the tiny island of Trizonia.
Trizonia coordinates 38 22.053N,022 04.753E
A public marina that appears to have been started many years ago but never finished, and it was FREE. A joyous thing in our world. We found inexpensive and fairly reliable internet there with kind locals and fresh produce. A hike around the island, the Moorea crew painted their water line and the boys had the opportunity to ride the Kelly's bikes around the dock for 3 days. It was the perfect stay before we headed out into the Ionian Sea to round out our time in Greece.
until next time,
your Ohana Kai crew

Marmaris to Kusadasi, Turkey

July 5th, 2008

Marmaris to Kusadasi, Turkey
coordinates 37 52.113N,027 15.748E

We can certainly see why many cruisers get stuck here in Turkey and spend a season or two. The cruising grounds are beautiful and they make it amazingly comfortable and convenient for one on land. There are quite a few marina's, though a little expensive for our pockets. There is just so much to see and do.

Marmaris coordinates 36 49.539N,028 28.596E
We made landfall here and found a beautiful basin. For those familiar with Lake Tahoe in California, it is very reminiscent of it. Pine forest right down to the waters edge and just like Reno, scores of resorts and small music thumping, blaring night clubs, lining the North Shore. Our two weeks here were spent doing a few boat projects. There are so many chandleries here that if you can't find the part you need, you must not need it. We were introduced to more tasty versions of kebob and kofte,
a spicy meat ball of sorts, and marveled at their traditional style sail boats called "gulets". They have a marvelous design and size that we have not seen in any other boats to date. Nearly every major point or port has a citadel or castle to mark the spot so we enjoyed the views to be had from the top of the one built here. A few days of wake boarding for the boys and practicing the art of dodging carpet sellers. Turkey is famous for their woven "double knot" style of weaving and the works are
beautiful. Best thing of all, the older they are the more valuable. You don't get that equation often.

One of the greatest experiences in Turkey for us has to be the opportunity to watch their football (soccer) team through their eyes as they competed in the European Championships. They made it as far as semi finals, a huge feat for any one. Each game they won you would have thought they had taken the final trophy home. So much pride and joy is infectious. After each win a parade of cars, scooters, all the towns buses, and any one on foot who could walk carrying larger than life flags, flares,
fireworks. You name it, they filled the streets until all hours of the night in celebration. Without fail, to make each game more suspenseful, all the action happened within the last two minutes of the game or the overtime.

From there our pals on s/v Moorea reunited with us and we slowly made our way up the western coast to Kusadasi where we planned to see the ruins of Ephesus. Amazingly each point or town has it's own little set of ruins and ancient citadels overlooking each bay. There is always something fun here to go explore. So much history and culture we are getting dizzy.
There are a multitude of anchorages to stay in and luckily they are all within a days hop so no overnight sails for a while. Alexander the Great, Homer, Socrates, famed sculptors and thinkers all walked here. The only down side would be the wind direction. Which ever direction you want to head there will be your wind. We have perfected our tacking skills and our plotted course is a perfect zig zag.

Ephesus proved to be as wonderful as the guide books exclaimed. We rented a car and made our way inland. To visualize the 3rd century BC. men, women and children draped in their robes and walking from the city councils agora or meeting place to the public bathroom or pool and the library, each step lined in white marble is fascinating. Though much of it is simply the foundations of buildings left standing, there are enough columns and symmetrically carves cornices and capitals, bits of colorful
glass mosaics and beheaded statues to make it feel real. A full amphitheater complete with back stage tunnels to walk through and get out your first night jitters before performing on stage was a lot of fun. You can certainly imagine the splendor of the library and see the men sitting on the steps debating the latest theory. In it's time, it was a leading port city and sea trade center. Today it stands miles inland after silting filled in the shores leaving it land locked. As it's various attackers
each took their turns of ruling, it passed from worshiping the greatest Greek gods, Christianity and then to Islam. Each member adding a new worship center or minaret as it saw fit. Neighboring sites and towns hold the believed chapels and homes of St. John and Mary, the mother of Jesus.

A final stop at a rug making center completed our stay in Turkey. We had the chance to watch how they removed the silk from the cocoons, and then to see the women practice the art of "double knot" techniques. The value of the carpet is gauged by how many knots per square in one can tie. The thinner the thread the more knots. They roll them out covering the floor and insist that you walk around on $80,000 rugs. We nearly had heart attacks. Despite the fact that the salesman knew that we could
never afford to buy nor store such a treasure he took his time to personally teach and talk with us about these breath taking and intricate designs.
until next time,
the Ohana Kai crew

Not our finest hours

May 27, 2008
Mediterranean Sea
Coordinates
It isn’t often that you will hear me complain because it is extremely rare that I cannot find the silver lining to any situation. This was as close as it gets out of the nearly 3 years out thus far.
We were exhausted after all our travels through Egypt after not taking much time to rest. We thought the next 3 day passage to Karpathos, Greece would be the time to catch our breath. Not so. As we exited the Suez Canal, I Lisa, began to feel achy which I though was simply due to the late night, 3 crew soccer game that had ensued until the late hours the previous evening. But by the end of my first night watch I hurt from my eyelashes to my bone marrow. By the next morning I couldn’t get two feet from the bathroom. Conveniently for me, there is one always two feet away on a boat. By that next afternoon poor Bruce had joined me in my misery with the extra component of nausea. Egypt’s parting gift to us was some terribly nasty intestinal thing which we will just call evil.
That following evening we were hit by 25-35 knots of wind that we were try desperately hard to sail nearly directly into. Close hauled and trying to put a second reef in and pull in some head sail between our night shifts at 1am, we came to find that the bashing had loosened the cover for our storm sail and sent it long lost over board, the sail itself was now dragging half in the water and one sheet to the head sail was wrapped around the surf boards and out of it’s blocks, and the dinghy was coming loose. It was about this time that Bruce began vomiting. We got things in order and got him to bed, when we took a large wave over the bow, which found its way again under the dinghy and through the two hatches that were not shut tightly enough. We took in enough water to soak the bed, all of Bruce’s clothes and leave another ½ inch floating around our feet. Under any other circumstances this night would have been uncomfortable and certainly inconvenient but tolerable. This night it was all we could do to remain conscious. If we had the strength at this point we would have taken all the sails down and just floated for a while but we couldn’t move anymore. We lay there taking turns blinking at the radar and faithfully, God blessed us with not one single piece of shipping traffic to deal with for the next 24 hours. For awhile, I tried to keep us close hauled but the wind would shift, we would round up, loose steering and tack on our own. Finally I set our course off far enough that I didn’t care if we ended up in Cyprus or Turkey. With the morning came the sun, calm seas and little wind so we were able to motor directly at our destination and sleep the day away. The boys thankfully never contracted this evil bug and took to foraging for nuts and fruits on their own. Matthew even rallied to cook spaghetti for them with little direction. He did voice his concern when he realized just how serious things can be when both mom and dad are out of commission. It is easy to say that was our worst night ever but thankfully, silver lining here, it was only 36 hours, we are both back on track now and we have great faith in our crew.

The Suez Canal

May 24, 2008
It is rather fun to run with the big boys here. You are surrounded by the largest container ships you can find of every possible shape and size. They say that two times a year someone runs aground there and we had the fortune of front row seats for one of them. The first cruise ship to be exiting the canal at the south basin suddenly called something out over its speakers, dropped anchor in a last effort to save itself and ground to a halt. We watched as the other ships began to stack up behind it trying to slow their progress toward it. In about an hour, a tug managed to pull it off and the flow was going again, but impressive none the less. These big boys can’t really stop on a dime.

First we anchored in the South Basin and our blessings continued. We managed to arrive on a Sunday at 1pm and were out the next morning at 10am with our fuel having been delivered at 11:30 pm under the cover of darkness for just the right price. In the morning, we were boarded by out pilot to help us navigate. It is really just a technicality since it is a very deep and wide straight shot to motor through. We heard stories of it taking people 10 days before they were allowed to transit. Apparently the canal closes frequently due to “our” military ships going through it. In short, it looks a lot like any other canal you have ever seen, irrigation or otherwise, flowing water with a sandy bank on each side. It does flow north though which surprised us. Only this one is 50 to 90 feet deep, wide enough for a container ship and a sail boat to pass each other, 121 miles long and, dotted with young, bored, military men every half mile. Good thing they gave them binoculars for something to do and us to wave at as we go by. There are the occasional tent towns and tanks as well and a tunnel somewhere that goes under it. Surprisingly there is a lovely suspension bridge that goes over it, and a second one that can twist to connect the two sides of Cairo to the Sinai Peninsula each day. At the north end, the Port of Said is just like any other hustling busy shipping port complete with cranes, cruise ships and ferries.

Half way up is the town of Ismailia, a small harbor where we med moored for a few days before finishing our transit of the canal. It must be the first upper middle class town we have seen in about a year. From here we again with our pals on Luna, we made a quick one day trip inland to Cairo to wrap up our Egyptian experience, complete with camel rides right up to the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. Very fun and very worth it but Bruce says it is his last camel ride. It is inspiring to view these monumental hand built creations 3 to 5,000 years old still standing. Just as in the temples of Karnack and Kings it looks as though Disney has opened a new wing in their world to explore, just standing there for you to touch, original rocks, colors and paintings. The Sphinx was a bit smaller than we expected and the sprawling metropolis of Cairo literally across the street is a bit odd but the splendor of the pyramids standing amongst the camels can hardly be dampened.

Most distressing though is to see the state of every other building standing. They are either left half way completed or half way broken down to complete disrepair. There is no effort or engineering going into the housing by the looks of it and we know they have the knowledge. We’ve seen the pyramids that are still standing and the shining examples of gorgeous minaret’s all around. The capabilities are there, why not follow through?

We are so glad we had a chance to experience Egypt and we are glad it’s done. The omnipresent and omni-greedy military gets to be a bit too much. In their shining white uniforms and black beanies demanding their baksheesh, they has become as much of an icon as the rest of the historical landmarks. Baksheesh may be like a tip to them but a bribe to us. A demanding one at that and everyone wants and will have no problem telling you if it is not enough. If they ask for a shirt or shoes, and you offer them one, they will undoubtedly ask if have anything newer. They’ll ask for cigarettes and turn their nose up if it’s not Marlboro’s. The scrutinizing of passports, the waving of hands is exhausting. Though we had no troubles with them, smile and pay accordingly, things go smoothly, reap what you sow and all, we know some who did have troubles. Simply, don’t make noise or draw any attention. The citizens we met, by contrast, were beyond kind beyond reason and somehow, as always, they love America and those that reside in it!

Experiencing Egypt

Egypt
May 20, 2008

We have been busily taking in the sights and sounds of Egypt and as we finished our transit through the Suez Canal we were hoping to catch our breath during a few overnights to Karpathos, Greece. It did not quite work out that way, but that story will come later. I will give you an idea of what we’ve done hope to fill in the finer details someday soon on the web page.

After the dolphins we made a stop in a lovely marina in Hurghada, as our port of entry. They have a tower to rival any airport so they know your coming. A beautiful hotel/resort resides with showers, restaurants and a pool there as well and though the right hand and the left hand aren’t quite working together yet, we have no doubt that someday it will be a very convenient and lovely place to stop. From there we took an inland trip to Luxor and viewed the Temple of Karnac and the Valley of the Kings. This requires an early morning militarized motor convoy escort with nearly 100 other tour busses, cars and trucks. You pay a little money, you wave your passports around, you’re on your way. We are still not sure what we needed protecting from but after hours and hours of driving, crazy driving, with a few rest stops in between, our destination was worth the wait.


Valley of the Kings was spectacular and I will sum it up with King Tut’s mummy is actually sitting there in his tomb!!! We were flabbergasted. We did have to pay a little extra to see him, though we didn’t even realize he was down there. We saw Hatshepsut’s temple, Karnac temples complete with hieroglyphics, that the boys are sure they can translate now, how alabaster creations and papyrus are made. Spent a lovely night in a hotel and did the tackiest tourist thing we knew how to do. Eat at McDonalds over looking the Luxor temples itself. You should try a McArabian some day, they are very tasty. The Nile River was interesting. Honestly, it could have been the Mississippi or any other river for all we knew. I don’t know what we were expecting. It certainly does provide some luscious fertile lands for growing all that Egyptian cotton, food for the herds and a major source of tourist income as it is filled to the brim with mini cruise ships that look mildly like giant paddle boats and traditional felucca sailing vessels. In between everything else is hot, dry and sandy. The occasional Bedouin and camel can be seen wandering but fairly empty out there sans military posts.

Next was the dash up the Gulf of Suez before reaching the canal. We were able to motor sail against the winds and made fairly good time without much discomfort. We hid out in Mersa Thelemet for a night until the military there caught on to us and asked us to leave at sunset, as the winds picked up to 25 knots. They stated, “You don’t want to take your babies out into that weather, it can be dangerous, but… you can stay here tonight for $100”. We took our chances and left, finding a perfectly comfortable anchorage just around the corner on the other side of their sand bar. A couple more nights navigating through dozens and dozens of oil tankers and more impressive oil derricks, flaming away and lighting the night sky. At times though, the smell and the flies are nearly unbearable. Next the Suez Canal.

Dolphin Reef

Dolphin Reef
May 3, 2008
coordinates 24 10.157N, 035 40.521E

We departed from Ras Banas early in the morning when we awoke to the feeling of no wind. After so many days of consistent 25 to 35 knots it was a bit eerie. Traveling up the Red Sea is a bit like that game Red Light/Green Light that you played as a kid. Mother Nature is "it" and when she turns her back and fails to blow winds against you, you run like the dickens, when she turns back around and begins to throw her glances at you, you freeze right where you are and hope your not out. When she wasn't
looking we made our next dash up to Port Ghalib or Marsa Alam, but not before a quick stop in Dolphin Reef for one of supreme experiences of our entire lives. Mother Nature took a quick look at us and sent a bit more wind than we wanted to beat against so we took a quick stop in here and thank goodness for her.

As the name suggested, dolphins frequent this small bay created entirely out of submerged reef. No ground to stand on but very protected. We were fortunate that there was a large pod to numerous to count swimming within the boundaries when we dropped anchor, so we quickly donned out snorkel gear and took a swim with them. I do mean "with them". Scores of them were everywhere, calmly swirling around in only 20 - 30 feet of water. They didn't run away from us but they kept their distance initially.
As a smaller pods of them would pass by you a sentinel of sorts would break off to swim around you and check you out. They certainly were curious about us, but I don't think we are anything new to them as many, many boats stop in here and take a dive. I have heard though that some people have waited 4 days and never seen them so still we were feeling eternally blessed. It was nothing short of miraculous to watch them in their home, their own environment, no trainers, no tricks. Big ones, little
ones, mommies and babies, entire pods over us, under us, and we even had the great fortune to watch them mating. As two would begin their enticing dance together, two more would swirl around them, maybe to keep others away, we don't know. They would swim so close that we would swim with outstretched arms in hopes of just once, feeling that smooth rubbery skin but just as you were sure you were about to connect they would wiggle just out of reach. I swear they would look back at you with a twinkle
in their eye. But then it happened, as we each broke off from each other a bit in our snorkeling, nearly each person had the same experience of being encircled by 1 to 3 dolphins. As you held perfectly still, floating there they would swim tighter and tighter around you and then you realized they wanted to be touched. Our hearts began racing, as you held your hand out they continually ran their bodies under your touch, to be rubbed over and over like a cat rubbing against your leg. We could only
marvel at how comfortable they were with us and thank them over and over for the experience. It seemed to go on forever in that moment and we never wanted it to end. And then they moved on. When the adrenaline slowed it's flow did we only realize how long we had been in the water and just how cold we were.

We gathered ourselves up and back to the boats, pulled up anchor and as the sun set picked our way out of the coral to head on to our next destination, pinching ourselves all the way in hopes that what had just happened was not a dream.
until next time,
your Ohana Kai crew

First stop in Egypt

May 1, 2008
Ras Banas, Egypt
Coordinates 23 53.557N, 035 46.883E
Before heading into any new area we always do our reading and research on the best paths to follow, the best weather windows and such. Any such research regarding the Red Sea always contains some horrible stories regarding the terrible head winds of 25 to 40 knots and steep seas that sailors have ended up beating against. Hoping to avoid such a trip ourselves, when our grib files said there would be 4 days of little to no wind against us we took our opportunity and made a run for it. The up side
obviously means we make great time heading north; the down side would be that we are passing up a lot of opportunities to visit some amazing locations on land and blazing right over some beautiful waters for diving in.

We quickly left Suakin and marveled at our good luck with the weather. With light winds out of various directions over the next few days we were even able to sail a majority of this leg. We did take one quick lunch break to anchor on Jazirat Bayer coordinates 20 52.187N, 037 23.598E for a nice snorkel to view some coral, large schools of trigger fish, trevali and the occasional reef shark. Back underway to our next destination, all the boats in our fleet were quietly beginning to question the
decision to push ahead and pass these treasures up when the answer quickly arrived. The grib files were telling of the winds picking back up on the 28th but they arrived a day early. Luckily we only had a taste of 25 knots on the nose not 40. We bashed only a few hours that morning with the escort of dozens and dozens of dolphins and came to find refuge with a few other boats in a bay sheltered by the Ras Banas sand spit peninsula. Though we were hoping to make it a bit further north to Dolphin
Bay we ended up here, maybe for the better. We have heard that there is no land to stand on up there so we've been hunkered down here ever since. In fact, we have become pod people. Due to lengthy passages, weather or shore conditions, in the last 40 days we have only touched land approximately 14 times. Amazing when you realize just how small the living space is. It is a good thing we love our boats and love to spend so much time together. Our little vessel keeps us safe, sound and cozy.

Welcome to Egypt! The flat low lying sand magically makes it way to us over the water with such ease it's amazing. You can see the giant sand clouds form over the land and we are covered in fine brown silt. Everyone is trying to adjust with stuffed sinuses and a slight hacking cough. The water, though a bit cooler than farther south, is very clear and provides some nice snorkeling. And of course, since we are captive until the winds die again and we can make our way further north, make the best
of what you've got. Out came the wind surf board and kite surf gear! Vincent, Bart and Bruce have had a great time skimming the waters around the boats on their boards. Bart brought out little Soleil's wind surf board and each kid had a quick lesson. They popped up like daisies on the boards and took off. They are hooked. Looks like we will be purchasing more toys soon.
The kids, with the help of some local young military men posted out here, have also created some great sand castles. They had the opportunity, as budding archeologist, to dig up a partially exposed camel skeleton and try to recreate him. Our young military friends, though they speak nearly no English, got quite a lesson in anatomy as well.

So that's it. Our weather info claims that it will blow even worse tomorrow but then we may see a break come Saturday where we will try to make a push up to Port Galib. We have seen some beautiful lightning storms which make propagation not so hot for sending emails but slowly we get through. There are certainly worse places to be stuck.

Sudan

April 22, 2008
Suakin, Sudan
Coordinates 19 06.502N, 037 20.323E

It always amazes us when we turn a corner into a new country, town or anchorage and come to find a hugely developed civilization where we thought we would see primitive surroundings or run down ruins. Equally surprised, this time the opposite was true. We had heard and read from others that Suakin, Sudan was the place of choice to stop and check into the country. Ports of entry are usually fairly well built up with quite a few resources. Where we thought we might find a larger city we drifted
into a small, rather desolate town of Suakin. As you drift past flat dry desert plains dotted with occasional adobe or brick structures, we were excited to see the random camel walking or sitting by the waters edge. Mysterious ruins that originally were built out of coral blocks brought up from the sea floor by hand hundreds of years ago, have been left to decay. We were anxious to find the story behind these buildings in a town that is known to have been the last slave trading destination up
until WWI. We were sorely disappointed when their reply was simply, "They got old and fell down."

After a simple but slightly expensive check in, $360 USD including fuel, though the kids were free, we took a quick tour, dinner on shore and quickly came to love the feel of this simple and fairly impoverished town. The blazing heat both night and day and the wind storms have worked their magic over the town during the last few hundreds of years. Many buildings are simply left in piles of ruble and ruins until the next one is to be built. There were no trees or shrubs to speak of and only one
main road in this small corner of Sudan. Never fear though, technology has made its way here as evident by the cell phones that everyone is carrying. Even the oldest, most wrinkly little man we found could whip out his Motorola and show you his latest text message that was written in English!

Our first meal in Africa consisted of a bean dish (kidney or pinto) with cheese on top, slightly bitter and tasteless, salt helps. A whole chicken was $12 US, which was a bit rich for our budget. Instead we opted to simple bread similar to naan and a mystery meat on a stick cooked on an open flame. Enough of this tasty fare to feed 11 people for the low price. Including drinks which again as in every country has been coke or pepsi. The only thing that is found unanimously throughout the world
believe it or not followed only by plastic bags! The meat we ate that night was most likely to have been goat since they are the most prevalent animal to be seen around town besides the hundreds of feral cats, donkeys and occasional camel. Donkeys are the main source of transportation, carrying either men on their backs, or drawing carts behind them with a variety of goods including the water tanks for delivery from the Nile River we were told.
Matthew was our guide for the evening. With a name like Matthew we had to ask and yes, northern Sudan is 50% Muslim, 50 % Christian. We saw many many mosques in the less than 1 sq, mile that we walked but we never did see the other churches. We saw only one woman the first night and only a handful the next two days. Always dressed in full headdress but their faces were showing and their clothes were beautiful colors of purples, reds, and oranges, as well as black.
We visited the open market the next day where you can find just about any item of produce you might desire. Onions to oranges, beans to bananas, it was nearly all here depending on what you are willing to pay. The currency is a Sudanese pound with an exchange of 50 cents US to one of their pounds. 1 pound for 3 eggs vs. for 3 for an orange. We got eggs. 5 pounds for a watermelon and the goat meat, tasty looking though it was hanging out there in the dust, flies and sunshine was out of our price
range.

A new acquaintance Awad was our self appointed guide for the day. Amazingly intelligent with a grasp of world geography and politics that would put most American's to shame; he enlightened us on many of their ways and helped with a lot of translating and trading. He is the town's local doctor and though we never could quite understand where he went to school, he certainly knew a lot about everyone and everything there. We spent a lot of time with the local shop smith of sorts. The shop smith
was diligently working on short daggers with handles made out of ebony wood. His shop had an array of whips, bridles and saddles made out of goat hair but built for camels. We were particularly interested in some very old long swords. A quick visit to a local tea house, we each tasted a new version of cappuccino. Tiny little porcelain cups that look like they should hold sake are filled ¾'s full with sugar. Next, the coffee or tea beverage made of cardamom, ginger and cloves that has been heated
in miniature aluminum watering cans is poured right over the sugar. Adding to the charm is the open flame charcoal fire inside the brick structured stove and tea house, in already 90+ degree heat, that has no way to vent to anywhere and the dish washing system run entirely by flies. It's a whole new flavor!

We always bring our cameras but have learned over the last couple of months to carefully hold it up first and ask if we may take some photos. It is often surprising who does and doesn't want a photo taken. And it never fails that if we forget to ask first, we get in trouble or at least certainly get the finger wag and a good talking to. Kelly girl will let you know first hand that photos of military buildings are off limits.

We topped off our stay there with an Arabian nights dinner and dance party on De Pelikaan. Each boat came in costume and together we celebrated the marvelous connections we have made and the memories we share. Once we get through the canal many of our paths will be separated as we each have different time schedules to keep on the other side and none of us wants to wait until it's too late to let the other know just how special they are to us.

Traveling up the Red Sea

Suakin, Sudan AFRICA
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Coordinates 19 06.558N, 037 29.356E

We may have had the light winds getting to Yemen but we made up for it with nearly 5 days of perfect winds as we rounded through the Small Straight on the southwest corner of Yemen and headed up the Red Sea. We decided against stopping in Eritrea or Djibouti for a variety of reasons and decided to utilize the wind.

Our stops in Al Mukalla and Aden, Yemen were wonderful. We would be lying if we said we didn't think twice about stopping there once we learned it was the birth place of Osama Binladen, with all the recent government warnings regarding increased Al Qaeda terrorist activities, the evacuations of all non-emergency US citizens, the bombing of the US embassy housing and the murder of two Belgian citizens on the way to the Yemen airport but the Yemeni people couldn't have welcomed us with more open arms.
They provided us with the quickest as easiest check into their country that we have experienced anywhere around the world, complete with great smiles and a fun sense of humor. The only time we really felt a bit unnerved was leaving a restaurant on our 3rd night, we noticed 2 armed military men on the roof and a 3rd posted near our dinghies. We decided it was a show of strength in order to keep us safe. I must say, the full wall of windows we were eating in front of 2 nights in a row did make
us look a bit like food on display in the grocery store. Needless to say, we altered our routines from then on and didn't travel in a pack of 17. No need to draw so much attention.

Right away, the dramatic feel of the town is upon you as you look at how they have built their city right into the side of tall rugged rock mountains that stand as the backdrop, dotted with small caves in the sides, watch towers across the top that once guarded against intruders, and above all, the dozens of minarets that echo out their haunting chants and calls to prayers dutifully 5 times a day. The sounds reverberate over and over as they bounce off the walls behind them and float out across
the waters to us. In the evening each of them glow a soft green light.

It appears as though there is a disproportionately large amount of women to men in the town. The women are difficult to miss with their completely black bourka's as we might refer to them at home, they call abaya and tarha. Hope I have that correct. All women are covered from head to toe with only their eyes showing. Many even have their eyes covered with a see through veil and black gloves on their hands. After talking to them we hear that they wear the same old clothes as you and I do underneath.
They walk together in groups of 4 or 5 friends often in the evenings or approach you in ones and twos asking for money. They ask it of everyone, not just tourists, as giving alms is one of the 5 pillars of Islam. The lack of visible men we found out is due to the growing oil fields in northern Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Many men work the fields there, we even met a couple who trained in Texas and had impeccable English.

Though we really didn't have much time in either location for sight seeing we tried to take in the local culture and flavors by visiting a suq (local bazaar and tea house). Stalls of fresh jasmine flower necklaces, Arabic chewing gum, herbs, spices, yummy tea and sweet breads gave us a pretty good start. There may not be any alcohol allowed, though they didn't hesitate to ask for it and we heard it was easily acquired on the black market, they have qat. An amphetamine type plant that looks like
thick glossy basil leaves; they chew like tobacco, all day. Then they take a shot or two of whisky at night to help them sleep. This is legal no matter what your job. We originally though the town shut down between 12 and 4pm because of the heat as in the olden days but now we think maybe it is the effects of the qat catching up to them. In the malls, nearly every store is a clothing or fabric store for the most beautiful, colorful, jeweled and sequined flowing gowns that they wear behind closed
doors for family and friends. It was stunning. For $150 USD you could have a tailored gown that would put everyone to shame on the red carpet.

We wished we could have had so much more time to dive in deeper. The local people we were lucky enough to meet had so much fun helping us practice our Arabic and we were amazed and their English skills, their diversity, and their ability to progress into the future while holding on tight to their cultures, customs and history. Though arranged marriages and multiple wives still seems to be the regular practice, we also were privileged to meet 3 lovely young ladies in the grocery store each about
20 years of age and studying at the university in French, journalism and medicine…impressive.

We didn't want to wear out our welcome so it was time to move on. Just under half way up the Red Sea and about to touch the continent of Africa, we couldn't be more excited.
Until next time,
Masalama
Your Ohana Kai crew

Arabian Sea

Arabian Sea
March 31, 2008
coordinates 11 46.437N, 060 22.290E

You know you've been on passage a while when you don't know how many days it's been and you have no desire to find out how much farther you have to go. I will say we have only 683 miles left! We continue to float along at only 1.5 knots sometimes. It is only tolerable because the seas have been so flat. It is more comfortable than being on anchor at times. As a captive audience we have accomplished more school in one week that in a month sometimes. Then again, learning comes in all forms.
The down side would still be shifts and shift change. Poor Bruce and I pass each other like, well, ships in the night. (Sorry, I had to do it) We get enough sleep but it isn't always very restful and the margins between awake and asleep seemed to get more blurred at times. All's well though. No complaints and our atrophied muscles are eating very well so you can imagine how that will end up. Hopefully there will be a lot of walking to do once we hit shore.

We heard that congratulations were in order for "Catalina". The makers of our beautiful girl, Ohana Kai, recently made the 1,000th version of our Catalina 42. It is the only boat in history of our length to be made in that great of numbers. I know there are a lot of fans out there for originals and one-off boats, but in order to have a need to create 1000 they must be doing something right. Though she is not known for being an "off shore" boat she is serving us very well. People often ask if
we worry about the boat in such situations. Nope. She knows what she is doing. As Bruce often says, "It is the jockey not the horse to question."
until next time,
your Ohana Kai crew

Crossing the Indian Ocean

Friday March 28, 2008 3:00am
coordinates 09.20.492N,066.23.922E

We are 6 days into approximately a 2 week crossing give or take a week depending on this wind or lack there of. The first two days held very light winds out of many directions but not necessarily the direction we would like. It is amazing though when the sea is so flat and calm that you can get 3 knots of boat speed out of only 6 knots of wind. The currents in the Maldives are faster than this but we are not complaining. We'll take the calm sea and the forward progress with no motor any day of
the week. With a lot of tacking we are slowly making westward movement. Moorea, Luna and Pelikaan are floating nearby as well so we are in good company.

Day 3 brought even less wind so we had to break down and start the engine. Unfortunately that uses fuel but makes us "amp happy" as we say. So when the school work is done the boys get to play video games with all our extra electricity. We have only seen a couple of fishing boats but pods and pods of dolphins. Mostly Bottle nose or Spinner dolphins but you can tell that spring is in the air. The littlest of baby dolphins came leaping through the water at maybe 1-2 feet long. Adorable.
Day 4, 5 and 6 brought the slightest whisper of a wind back and though we didn't realize it was possible, we have been able to squeeze out 1.5 to 2 knots of speed out of 3 to 4 knots of wind. Thank goodness for what ever small currents are working in our favor. The boys have offered to hop in the water and kick for an extra push. We may have to take them up on that.
This is a whole new style of sailing for this crew, especially for that captain. Famous for constantly trimming the sails and refining our wind angle, speed has always been the name of our game. Normally with winds so light we would be rolling around and beating our sails to death. The sea is still literally glassy flat and smooth so we don't roll at all and are amazingly comfortable and lazy looking. Good thing too until the winds fill in because with just over 1000 miles left to go, we cannot
afford the chance to run the engine any more than necessary. We are content to float on by. At the current speed of 2 knots, it will only take 20 more days to get there. Bruce joked that it is half the distance of crossing the Pacific Ocean and may take us longer to get there. Hopefully not, there is a very strange smell on the wind tonight, we shall see what it brings.

Matthew let mom know early on that if we were off shore for the day it was her job to take over for the Easter Bunny. Those are big furry feet to fill. We celebrated with 6 colored eggs hidden, only to be found by the boys in about 60 seconds flat. The Easter Bunny is going to have to be more clever and make this more challenging next time. They are mildly in withdrawal without any jelly beans or chocolate bunnies but the Mentos, gum, and marshmallows that filled their goody bags seemed to do
them well.

We are all nicely settled into our crossing routines by now. With the calm seas, our shifts of odd sleep hours is working well. We take slightly different sleep schedules than do most cruisers. Bruce takes the first shift from 8pm to 1am while Lisa sleeps, Lisa's shift from 1am - 6am, and then they each fit is a 3 hour nap or so during the day. Bruce bides his time with reading, guitar and our radio nets with neighboring boats, until a new project on the boat arises. Lisa cooks and bakes, the
newest creations have been a delightful mango chutney and a rock hard coffee cake. School and games for the boys keeps the smaller crew members busy. The BBC does come in well on our Ham radio so it is fun to sit around it and keep connected to the worlds events. Each evening we all sit together to watch a movie and have dinner, then it all starts over again.
Such is life on a crossing.
until next time,
your crew on Ohana Kai

Himmafushi, Maldive

March 22, 2008
Himmafushi
coordinates 04.18.390N,073.33.788E
You know you are getting the lay of the land when you start to see familiar faces on the ferry ride home at the end of the day. We've met some great friendly faces here and as well as always are enjoying the company of our pals on Moorea, Luna and Pelikaan. They were right there in fact all donning their black t-shirts ready to celebrate the big 40 for Lisa. They all spent the day surfing and the night with a pot luck. Lisa caught two of the best waves of her life here. One to send out 39 and
one to ring in the new day. She certainly never thought she would be saying that anytime in her previous life. It was a great time had and best of all was the chance to share the waves with all the kids who are quickly finding their feet and styles on their boards. There is nothing more fun than to see all 5, Tristan, Matthew, River & Roxy of Pelikaan, and Soleil of Luna, following Bruce around like a small flotilla of ducklings or all 5 on Bart's paddle board at once. To watch the ocean floor
mirrored in the curve of a beautiful tube rolling by, dolphins or manta rays leaping out of the waters and even the spray of a whale is one of the treasures that we cherish the most out here.

Back in town together we all found our favorite markets for produce and shops for provisioning. There is something addicting about their tiny Maldivian Mango's. Ahamed turned us in the right direction when it came to filling our fridge's and freezers with meat. A local distributor that he uses for charters also fills orders for civilians based in Iraq at the moment, and little old us. Were we tickled pink to find Original Log Cabin Country Kitchen syrup!!! It is the simple things in life isn't
it. We also found one fantastic Thai restaurant to ease our pains of leaving Thailand behind. We held one great feast night there with all the boats to toast the next leg of our adventures.

The sails and canvas are stitched, our windless and Moorea's alternator, both which gave up the ghost but found new life and are ready to go. We are weighted down with banana stalks, water and fuel. We have trimmed the hedges and mowed the lawn. That is the affectionate way to say that we chipped all the barnacles off the keel and scrapped the mosses off the hull. We have planned and prepared for what is potentially a bit more dangerous stretch of our trail. With all the unrest in Somalia, the
waters surrounding it are not much better at times we hear with potential pirate attacks. For precautions we have arranged to travel as close in proximity with our buddy boats, strength in numbers. We have code names if needed, (ours is Okie Dokie, the others are Lil' Mo, Moonies, and Big Bird in case you were curious) and codes for giving our positions so as to not give our locations away to others. Most importantly we will be keeping our distance from the Somalia shores and making our first
landfall in Al Mukallah, Yemen. This is the beginning of the more troublesome alley between Aden and itself. There we will regroup after the approximately 1400 mile trek. From there we will travel very closely, i.e. within eyesight if possible, for the remainder of the 200 mile jaunt to Aden. We have heard great things about both ports of call and anxiously await a whole new world for us to explore. We will be sending our much more frequent blog and tracking positions as well so you can keep
track of us too. We have emergency phone numbers and radio call frequencies should something arise but most importantly is to remember that the chances are slim to none to have such difficulties. Most vessels that approach us are simply looking for a friendly hand out of cigarettes and snacks. We plan to have a stack of cookies and a smile ready to win them over at any given moment. So don't worry mom's and dad's. All's Well.
As all the locals in the Maldives have been telling us "Winter is coming early". Bad news for us as that meant strong winds out of the north west, or more correctly, the direction we need to go. It has been a pleasant stay in the Maldive Islands but it's time to go. We have found our weather window and we're off. With so many blessing for us to count, let's remember our greatest gift in Christ, Happy Easter.
Until next time,
Your Ohana Kai crew

Hulhumale, Maldive

February 25, 2008
Hulhumale
coordinates 04.13.128N,073.32.075E

We quickly learned the one of the toughest aspects about visiting Male was going to be the anchoring. Very deep waters, swift currents and lots o' coral! Our first attempts to anchor right in front of Male consisted of settling down right in the middle of the ferry shipping lane on a 40 ft. patch of coral surround by 100+ depths with 2 knots current against us. It was here that we waited only momentarily for our soon to be new friend and agent Ahamed was to board us with all the officials and check
us into their fine country. Fast, efficient and very friendly. Ahamed would become one of the greatest links and contacts to have during our stay in these islands. As an agent of Noroonma Travel, he deals with the paperwork and issues concerning all things on many ships that enter Maldives from someone as tiny as us or as large as a cruise ship or war ship. No matter how much is on his plate, he has an amazing ability to be right there to fulfill all your needs and make you feel like you are
the most important priority on his list. We cannot give him enough thanks for all his help.

The up side to the Maldives thus far has been the wonderful sunny weather, with the occasional thunderstorm or intensely humid day. We have become very used to the hatch dance in our sleep. This is where one runs wildly around in the dark middle of the night shutting the hatches due to intense sudden rain storms. We have learned the tell tale high wind warning sounds whipping through the rigging before the deluge begins. It is great for keeping the water tanks topped off though. The crystal
clear waters offer delicious aqua blue swimming opportunities but one has to keep a close eye on the currents. It can easily reach 2.5 - 3 knots or greater at times which creates a great game for the kids. Jump off the bow of the boat and try to catch a rope at the stern before you are whisked away. Blink and they're gone. We had dinghies at the ready to go and retrieve them. It is amazingly strong and one or two kids have been witnessed struggling to make it back up the ladder or nearly lose
a pair of swim trunks to the grips of the water.
The crew on Pelikaan was even able to catch a nice size trevalli fish at anchor.

The Maldives do boast some world class diving sites. The fish are plentiful and colorful, and I wouldn't trust my pinky fingers near some of the parrot fish that are nearly as large as my kids but the coral is a bit lacking. We have found a couple of places to surf at breaks named Chickens, Sultans, Honkeys and Colas. Between school and projects we are trying to fill our lasts days with this exercise since we will not have the opportunity again for nearly 6 months. We are starting to suffer from
withdrawals already. The locals we have met have been the most gracious, helpful, friendly and kind. A 100% Sunni Muslim culture their enchanting echoes calling them to prayer faithfully 5 times a day can be heart from the minarets.

The down side is that there is no real place for us here and it is getting more expensive for the next season of cruisers to come through. Each branch of their government would like a little slice of that pie and the ministry of tourism is the latest hungry person at the table. 8$ per person per day on top of anchoring fees and cruising permits we had purchased. The anchorages are very deep making it difficult to drop the hook just anywhere. On paper we are limited to anchoring in front of resorts
but there were issues there. Either the depths were too great, it was too expensive at $20 per person to set foot upon the shore and we would not be allowed to utilize any facilities, or they just didn't want us. Other locations we have tried, we either ended up on top of a national marine park, which we surely didn't want to injure and inside an island lagoon that though to our faces we were invited to come ashore and treated with great kindness, behind our backs we found out we were not wanted
near the more remote villages and their peoples and promptly asked to leave.

This left us with two main choices of the Hulhumale anchorage next to the airport. Very, very rolly and uncomfortable with any wind, sometimes sketchy as other boats come off their anchor at times in the high winds and severe fetch created by the wind and the heavy boat traffic. This also makes it very difficult and dangerous at times to land at the dinghy dock or tie your tender there unattended. The benefit here was the easy access to the now ever familiar half hour ferry ride to the main town
of Male. A bit hot and noisy if you are in the back row like us, but always a great adventure. They have taken jockeying into position into new levels. No matter how hard we tried we never made it to the front of the line. We'll have lots of time for practice though as we prepare to provision for the up coming crossing over the remainder of the Indian Ocean as we begin our journey up the Red Sea.

Our second and more frequented choice is a lagoon inside Himmafushi. The story isn't clear but at one time this island was a jail, may still be. All we could see was a ton of boat building. Best of all it was as close to the breaks as we were going to get for surfing. A 20 min. ride in the dinghy or as we wizened up, we would bring the big boats over for the day and have a great place to rest and refuel before heading back out for afternoon and evening sessions of surf. We have had some challenges
with many a wrapped anchor chain around a coral bommie. One fast and fierce thunderstorm left all four boats having to drive around in 40 knots wind and strong currents since being on anchor was too dangerous at the time and the weather too rough to make it back into the anchorage. We can't complain though. Life is good.

Until next time,
Your Ohana Kai crew

Male, Maldive Islands

Maldives Islands
February 19, 2008

1300 miles and two time zones later we reached the Maldives Islands. Great winds the first 7 days, light winds for 2 days and no wind for the rest. Shipping traffic finally died out the last few days but other interesting things always keep us entertained. About 125 miles south west of Sri Lanka little green biting bugs that resembled aphids, we figure were blown across the water to visit us. We rounded out the crossing with some high jumping dolphins and haircuts for the boys. The two smaller
boys that is, never fear, the big one still has his Samsonian head of hair.

Male and the Maldive Islands!!! Who knew!!!
As we approach the capital of Male we were astounded to see a skyline rising up out of the ocean that could rival any major metropolis in the US, complete with air traffic buzzing all around. Float planes to giant international birds. These were not the atolls we had grown accustomed too in the South Pacific, though the word "atoll" technically comes from the Maldive language of Dihevi, flat coral islands surrounding lagoons of water and reef. They certainly have the clean water clarity as we
could spy the bottom in 50 feet at times.

The country of Maldive is made up of 1,190 islands. 192 of which are inhabited, with a total population of 300,000, 100% Sunni Muslim. Since the tsunami in 2004 many of those inhabitants have decided to move to the capital island for safety due to the fact that no one here died. 75,000 now live in Male alone. 90 various resorts throughout the habitable islands from The Four Seasons to Club Med. Therefore, use what you've got. Their number one source of income is tourism. Aside from that they
have the largest tuna in greater numbers than we have ever witnessed in our entire lives. The fish market at the end of the day is a site to behold. Everything else they need is shipped in and we do mean EVERYTHING, IPODS to ice cream, cereal to cars, including drinking water, since even that is in scarce supply.

Amazingly they have found ways to utilize every square inch of this island and planned right down to shipping out their garbage and shipping in rocks and sand from Sri Lanka in order to reclaim and build new islands if needed. The airport itself being one of those. They have really found ways to make their world work well for them. Of course we were able to sniff out the coca-cola bottling plant and the sword fish packing plants. There are lots of boat building facilities and great repair places
for what ever ails your boat.

We have signed up for one month here so time to go explore.
Until next time,
Your Ohana Kai crew