Leaving Bora Bora this morning and heading to Tonga via Nuie. It is 1200 miles should take 7-12 days. Had a great three months in French Polynesia here are our impressions:

• 1. People are really friendly especially the Polynesians
• 2. The French are not as arrogant as we thought them to be.
• 3. It is really, really expensive here.
• 4. The scenery and water are fantastic
• 5. Have maintained friendships with a lot of other cruisers that we have run into along the way.
• 6. Too many dogs
• 7. Money is too big or my wallet is too small
• 8. Fresh baguettes are fantastic
• 9. Getting minor repairs fixed on the boat is very aggregavating and frustrating.
• 10. Did I mention that it is really, really expensive.

--
Jim & Dianne
SV - Prairie Oyster

Holy crap Batman!

I am always proud of the fact that I try to carry spares for everything because when you are the middle of nowhere bad things happen. I have a spare alternator, spare starter, spare water pump, spare impellers, filters, hoses, etc. We were about 250 miles out of Bora Bora heading to Niue another 600 miles ahead - the weather has not been kind to us. Not our best trip by far. I was pumping out our holding tank which holds 25 gallons of you know what, the rubber diaphragm on the pump split and the results were putting it mildly horrific. It sprayed the whole head compartment with liquid spray of you know what. Do I have a spare rubber membrane for that pump? No of course not - did not think of that. Had to bypass the holding tank and pump the head directly out. This was done in 30 knot winds and 15-18 foot breaking seas. Another thing my baseball hat collection was in that compartment - I was going to trade hats for fruits with the natives down the road I hope they like hats with a bit of an aroma to them. Anyways for 5 days we had 30 knots and big seas, we had a triple-reefed main and the jib about 40 percent and we were still doing 7.5 knots. Took waves over the cockpit on a regular basis. Wind died the last day and we sailed into Nuie and took a mooring ball. We were absolutely exhausted. We can see the bottom in 95 feet of water.

Nuie is a great place and plan to spend about a week. Have joined the Nuie Yacht Club and everyone is so friendly.

More on Niue later - Take Care

Jim and Dianne
Prairie Oyster

Reflections from Niue - or Close Encounters of the Humpback Kind

It is with a little sadness that we leave Niue and head for Tonga. We only spent six days here but could have easily spent a month. The people were friendly and helpful everything was close by and easily accessible. We were on mooring balls that were put up by the Yacht Club (which incidentally none of the local members have boats). To land your dinghy you had to go to the big freighter dock and then jump on the stairs in between the swells. There is a hook hanging from a crane and you attach it to the bridle on the dinghy. You then operate the crane and lift the dinghy onto the dock - otherwise the dinghy would be smashed against the dock in an hour. It is a great setup once you get use to it. The visibility in the water is 50 meters that is why the diving is so good. Divers fly in from all over the world to dive in Niue. We rented a motorbike and went around the island which took about 3 hours. There were lots of sites to see such as caves that lead to the ocean and salt water pools protected from the crashing waves. There are no beaches here as the island is a black coral formation approximately 80 feet high and flat. There was a cyclone here in 2004 and some of the homes that were perched 60 feet high on the cliffs were destroyed by giant waves. There were 5000 people here but many left to New Zealand and now there are only about 1500 people. We joined the Niue Yacht Club which is really neat - $10 and you get a life time membership. The Commodore joked that they they have about 1500 members and when the membership exceeds the population of Niue they are going to mount a take over. The club is extremely friendly with instructions and directions, etc. There are functions at the Yacht Club every week - last Thursday we had Sausage Sizzle Night and had about 20 people there - it was a great night. There are a lot of whales around here a Niue is on a migration path. On our third night we had a whale underneath our boat for about an hour. He was moaning and making those high pitched sounds. We were terrified that he had mistaken our boat for whale of the female persuasion since they are about 40 tons and we are about 8 tons we knew we would come out second best. Anyway he left and we slept after that. Whales were always around during the day as the divers swim with them. We know people on a sailboat called Swan who left Niue a week before us and they hit a whale at night. No damage but it threw Rhonda out of the bunk and shattered Dave's nerves. Anyway they arrived safely in Tonga. There are presently 6 boats here and 3 of them are Canadian.

After the cyclone the Canadian government built a new roof and patio for the primary school. Which is greatly appreciated by the locals - it is decorated with Canadian flag all over it. They also bought new fishing gear for the local fishermen, they are extremely grateful for all the Canadian help - nice way to see your tax dollars at work. Leaving for Tonga and will be in touch later.

Take care,

Jim and Dianne
S/V Prairie Oyster

Greetings from the Kingdom of Tonga. I love the sound of that. The Kingdom of Tonga, The Kingdom of Tonga, The King..... never mind that is enough. We have been here 4 days and it has been wonderful. I know we have said that before especially the last few places we have been, like Niue, etc. but it is really great. Compared to French Polynesia everything is half price. Lots of restaurants and bars and the meals are reasonable. In Tahiti a glass of wine was $7.00 US and here it is $3.00 US. There is great market everyday (except Sunday) with fresh produce and local crafts. There are about 30 sailboats in the main harbour and more out in the anchorages in the Islands. They have their own cruisers net with lots of information. We have caught up with a few boats that we have not seen for a few months. So it is nice to trade stories and yarns. Met a nice couple on the boat beside from England who have an Oyster 54 (sailboat) and we have been socializing with them. That is the great thing about cruising people on $100,000 boat like us can get along with people like them that have $750,000 boat. We all have the same problems and needs. We are going to stay in the main town for about 5 days and then will go to the outer Islands for 5 days - we will come back to re provision and then go back out again. Plan on staying Tonga for 3 weeks. We are currently on a mooring ball in front of the Vava'u Yacht Club it costs $7.00 US a night which is cheap and it is better than anchoring as you do not have to worry about getting your anchor caught in coral. Only problem we have had was last Friday night they had a DJ come in and played DISCO music until 2:00am we had to shut the hatches and turn the fans on to deaden the noise (I guess we are getting old). There is an Internet cafe close by the we can use. Good news about Australia - after about 2 months of inquiries we have secured a berth at a marina in downtown Sydney. It is going to cost us $1200 Cdn per month but it so handy to be at a dock - we could have got a mooring buoy for $350 per month but then you have to row to your boat every night and if you have been drinking , sooner or later something bad is going to happen. All we have to do now is get to Australia. We are going to Fiji after Tonga and plan to stay there 3-4 weeks and then onto New Caledonia to wait for a weather window to make the jump across to Australia. We plan to clear in in Brisbane and work our way down the coast to Sydney. A lot can happen between now and then so we are keeping our options open. Last Friday they had the new King's coronation and it was a really big deal - it was on TV most of the day. It was at the capital down South but we heard he is coming up here next week. I told Dianne I would like to meet him if he came here - she said what would we talk about, we have nothing in common to talk about. I told that I could tell the King that I had met Gordie Howe once and that would impress him. Oh well must go now there is a party tonight and the rum punch is to die for. Good thing Dianne can take the dinghy back to the boat.

--
Jim & Dianne
SV - Prairie Oyster

It has taken us a year but we have finally figured out how to cut down on our laundry.

--
Jim & Dianne
SV - Prairie Oyster

BULA, BULA. Arrived in Suva, Fiji on the 27th after leaving Tonga on the 23rd with 2 other boats (Swan & Gingi), it was nice to talk to them on the VHF for a couple of days until we started to pull away (I love saying that). The first day out we had 25 knots of wind and 8-10 foot seas and we were just flying. The first day (from noon till noon) we did 166 miles and the second day we did a respectable 153 miles. This with a double reefed main and 100% jib. I was really enjoying myself but Dianne was sick for 2 days. Then we sailed into a horizon to horizon squall that after it lifted were left with no wind for 12 hours so we motored a bit to get away from a couple of small islands. The third day we did only 80 miles. As it was we would get to Suva during the night so we dropped the main to slow us down. We arrived at Suva and entered the pass just after 9:00 am. We plan to stay here for a week to provision, but a spare prop for the outboard and material for the settees (Dianne is making slip covers for the settees � yes she is getting domesticated). We then plan to go to the west coast where the swimming and snorkeling is much better. Suva is an industrial harbor so it is not that clean as what we have been use to for the last few months. We plan to leave Fiji by the end of the month and then go onto New Caledonia. Take care all and we will email again before leaving Fiji.
Jim and Dianne
S/V Prairie Oyster

Leaving Tonga, August 22, 2008
Leaving Tonga today after 3 wonderful weeks and will definitely be back next year when we go to New Zealand. Fantastic place with all the cruisers and neat little shops and restaurants and a great outdoor market. Met several cruisers from Australia and New Zealand as this is a stopping spot for a lot of them as well. We will keep in touch with many of them. From here most are heading to New Zealand and there are just a few of us going to Australia. We traded 6 t-shirts for 2 beautiful carved Tongan masks and got a bunch of hand woven coasters and bowls.

Fiji is about 500 miles and we should make it is 4 days if the wind Gods cooperate. We have used 10 gallons of diesel in the last month so that is pretty good. At $10 a gallon we try to sail as much as possible.

The King showed up for 4 days for his coronation ceremonies here and it was pretty good. Full military parade and high school marching troops and bands, etc. He was in an air conditioned car and did not even look at the crowd. Looking at all the kids, people and town all dressed up made it worthwhile. There was a street dance one night and we never got back to the boat until 1 in the morning. I can not take these late nights - I must be getting old.

Must go we will email again in Fiji.
--
Jim & Dianne
SV - Prairie Oyster

Bula Bula, August 30, 2008
BULA, BULA. Arrived in Suva, Fiji on the 27th after leaving Tonga on the 23rd with 2 other boats (Swan & Gingi), it was nice to talk to them on the VHF for a couple of days until we started to pull away (I love saying that). The first day out we had 25 knots of wind and 8-10 foot seas and we were just flying. The first day (from noon till noon) we did 166 miles and the second day we did a respectable 153 miles. This with a double reefed main and 100% jib. I was really enjoying myself but Dianne was sick for 2 days. Then we sailed into a horizon to horizon squall that after it lifted were left with no wind for 12 hours so we motored a bit to get away from a couple of small islands. The third day we did only 80 miles. As it was we would get to Suva during the night so we dropped the main to slow us down. We arrived at Suva and entered the pass just after 9:00 am. We plan to stay here for a week to provision, but a spare prop for the outboard and material for the settees (Dianne is making slip covers for the settees � yes she is getting domesticated). We then plan to go to the west coast where the swimming and snorkeling is much better. Suva is an industrial harbor so it is not that clean as what we have been use to for the last few months. We plan to leave Fiji by the end of the month and then go onto New Caledonia. Take care all and we will email again before leaving Fiji.
Jim and Dianne
S/V Prairie Oyster

Bula Bula, September 23, 2008
Bula, Bula!!

We are leaving Fiji after a wonderful month of relaxing, socializing, shopping, etc. We are currently at Musket Cove and we will leave after sampling the bar, pool, etc. We took a bus back to Suva to pick our 6 month Australian visa so we are all set for Australia. I had a problem with our anchor windless and had no power to the motor. John from the sailboat Gingi came over and we found out that the solenoid was shot due to salt water corrosion. He wired up a jumper to bypass the solenoid so we now have up but no down. We just free wheel it to let the anchor fall. We will try to get a new solenoid in Noumea or Sydney. Most of the cruisers we have met here are going to New Zealand in the next 3 weeks and only a few of us are going onto Australia. Gingi and us are leaving about the same time and we will hang out in Noumea. Funny thing her at Musket Cove at the pool - most of the people staying here are Australians and New Zealanders and they are white as a sheet because it is winter where they came from and here we are two Canadians from the Great White North and we are both very brown - go figure. Also since we have been in Fiji there has been an outbreak of dengue fever (no cure) it is transmitted by mosquito's and they have had about 750 cases this month. Since it can be fatal (2 deaths) we have been careful where we have gone. We checked out on Monday with Customs and we have 24 hours in which to leave the country. We were going to leave on Tuesday but there is an intense low off the Solomons where it is suppose to create a squash zone of 40 knots plus, decided to hang out a few more days here to let it sort itself out. Besides lounging around the pool for a few more days can not hurt. When we arrive in Noumea we will be joining the Noumea to Bundaberg (Australia) rally. it only costs $50 and you get 2 free nights at the marina and a party with food and drinks. The real reason we are joining the rally is that you get speedy Customs and Immigration clearance. Diesel here is about $10 a gallon so we have tried to sail everywhere no matter how slow it goes. We have only used 10 gallons in the last month which is really good. I have also had about a gallon of dark rum also. I like to keep the diesel to rum ration about 10 to 1. Any deviation of this ratio and bad things tend to happen. Anyway it is off to New Caledonia. More later from there. Jim & Dianne
SV - Prairie Oyster

Noumea, October 25, 2008
BLACK SUNDAY

It started out okay - we left Musket Cove, Fiji about 10:00 am with another boat (Gingi). It was quite brisk about 25-30 knots on the nose the first day. Not big waves (12') but they were 6 seconds apart and we were just pounding. That night the main back winded about 4 times which is unusual considering the wind vane was doing the steering. The boat also appeared sluggish. The next day everything seemed okay sailing along smoothly. Making good time. Saturday afternoon it started getting overcast and huge black clouds surrounding us. Around 6:00 pm the rain came in buckets, then the wind came. We had 45 knots plus. The furling jammed on the jib so I had to go on my hands and knees and take it down. Finally got it down and wondering where I could secure it - I noticed a frayed line coming out of the anchor locker - then I noticed there was no anchor. I opened up the anchor locker and there was no 350 feet of chain either. I guess in the pounding on the day before broke free the gypsy and it all ran out. I have the bitter end on rope but you could see where it sawed through on the toe rail. Good news is I had plenty of room in the anchor locker to store the jib. We ran off with triple reefed main for 12 hours. We got partially knocked down once which caused a real mess down stairs. The wind vane steered us the whole night with no problems. We also lost our life ring which is also on the stern. It was the worst weather I have ever encountered and I do not want to go through it again. I considered the parachute anchor and was eying the life raft but only for a moment. Anyway we ran off for 26 miles off course and took us 2 days to get back in touch with Gingi the boat we were travelling with. They had their lee cloths ripped out and their main sail ripped apart. I have spending to do in Noumea. That's what cruising is about - fixing your boat in exotic places.

Noumea is a big city with lots of shops, etc. We were anchored out the first day because the marina was full - it blew 25 knots all day and all night and we were on a 15 kg bruce and 200 feet of rope. I was worried but we held on. We have since moved into a nice marina which is only about $130 a week so we can do all our repairs at our leisure. A boat came in the other day with no mast as he had to cut it off. His pulpit and doghouse were all damaged - our troubles are very small compared to that poor bastard. We have 2 weeks here and then we will be heading to Australia with 30 other boats.

Hope all is well with all of you. Take care.

--
Jim & Dianne
SV - Prairie Oyster

New Caledonia, October 17, 2008 We are getting ready to leave New Caledonia. We had a pretty good time here other than the first few days where we had to buy new equipment etc. Unlike French Polynesia there are more French people here than native people. Lots of restaurants (expensive) and lots of sightseeing to do. The big down side is that everyone smokes (any public place). Lots of boaters here and lots of different boats. I have never seen so many catamarans, steel and aluminum boats. There are about 20 boats leaving here for Bundaberg so we should have company along the way. It is about 800 miles or so and if we average 100 miles a day we should be there next weekend. There are lots of parties and festivities in Bundaberg which lasts about a week . After that we have 3 weeks to get to Sydney so we plan to harbour hop along the way. My new anchor and chain is so nice looking I open up the locker every few hours just to look at it. I have also hooked up the inner fore stay so I can put a small storm jib on it in case we run into a storm. New Caledonia is a fairly big island with the second biggest lagoon in the world. There are hundreds of places to go and anchor so we will see them next year before we go to New Zealand. Lots of boats from here are going to New Zealand also. The cyclone season starts November 1st so there will be a mass exodus in the next week. There was a 40 foot boat that left for Australia last month and has disappeared without a trace. There is lots of speculating as to what happened. Apparently the boat was a fixer upper and was picked up cheap and the 2 boys were heading to Bundaberg but have not arrived. We are eating baguettes again as they are wonderful - just like we did in French Polynesia. I am not a big bread eater but they are fantastic. Dianne tries to get one every day. We are not stocking up much on any fresh food as you have to get rid of it before you get to Australia. We have enough canned goods to last a couple of months. I should not have to buy diesel as my tanks are full and should not have to buy any until we get to Sydney.

PS - this is Saturday morning - we checked out yesterday and it only took 2 hours which is really good. Plan to leave early Sunday morning. Our friend John on Gingi got a weather forecast for 5-6 days ahead and it looks good. Other than next weekend where the winds are forecast for 30 knots - 100 miles off Australia - the wind and the waves will be with us so it should not be a problem. But we have heard that before. We are prepared as we can be so it is off to Bundaberg. Here is my top 10 list from New Caledonia:

• It is a really big island
• Noumea is really big and spread out city
• Baguettes and pastries are wonderful
• It is pretty expensive (Dianne loves the shoes and cried because she could not buy any)
• Lots of cruisers (good for information)
• Good check in and out (Customs & Immigration)
• Marinas are excellent
• Nobody has breakfast - just croissant's, etc.
• Everyone smokes
• Seriously everyone smokes

Bundaberg, October 29, 2008
Greetings from Australia

Finally arrived in Bundaberg, Australia. Voyaging hardly works out how we plan it. We are often very small in the big picture. We left Noumea with a decent weather window and two days later than we had planned. There was a big low off Australia producing 30 knots winds and 20 foot seas. Our first day was good 18 knots on the port quarter and we made 150 miles that day. Then it got light and we only made 100 miles. Then it got lighter and we sailed for a day making only 2.5 knots - our buddy boat Gingi started motoring 12 hours before us and when we lost all wind we started motoring also. The first day was good no swell no wind. Then the wind came on the nose at 20 knots - motored for 30 hours at an average speed of 3 knots pounding into waves. Could not tack off to either side because there were reefs on each side. Finally had enough and hove to for about 12 hours waiting for the wind to change. Finally the wind came around to SE and we started sailing again. Dianne was sick for the first 4 days (a record!!) - she missed some of her watches and I was in the cockpit for 24 hours straight on period. Heard 3 or 4 boats on the radio and they were hove too also. Oh yes the propane went out on our second day. The pressure gauge had disinegrated due to salt water and the solenoid packed it in also. I took them both off and plumed the hose straight to the stove. The prospect of eating cold Spam and cold vegetables was fine with me but Dianne was not enthused with the idea. We had another milestone on our third day out, I finally saw the green flash at sunset and also the log on the GPS went out at 10,000 miles and started at 0 again. It is hard to believe that we have travelled 10,000 miles since we left Canada ion 2007. One of the boats heading to Australia hit a reef north of us and the people had to abandon the boat and go into their life raft. Fortunately there was another boat 8 miles away and picked them and put them on their boat and took them to Bundaberg. They lost their boat and we feel for them. Anyway arrived into Bundaberg at 1:30 in the morning after navigating up a river 3 miles to the marina. Customs, Immigration and Quarantine were fantastic and painless. Plan to stay for a week and check out the sights before harbour hopping our way to Sydney. Take care.

--
Jim & Dianne
SV - Prairie Oyster

Mooloolaba, November 7, 2008
Greetings from Mooloolaba. Arrived here yesterday afternoon and are at the Yacht Club marina. Plan to spend a couple of days here waiting out a storm before heading onto Brisbane. This in a nice place to get stuck. Walked along a boardwalk they built by the beach - just lovely. Got to the Surfer's Club and several male kayakers were just coming in - now they looked good in Speedos (Jim had to drag me away). Had a lovely seafood dinner and then checked out the real estate prices here - we can not afford to live here a small condo on the beach is over a million. More later just wanted to let you know where we are. Jim & Dianne
SV - Prairie Oyster

We left Mooloolaba at 7:00am and motor sailed to Morten Bay in a 10 foot chop - Dianne was sick again. Then motored through the shipping channels to enter the Brisbane River. After 3 hours up the river we were at our marina - Dockside. Hookup with our buddies John and Amanda on Gingi.

The downtown is great - really busy with shopping, etc. You take the city ferries up and down the river to get places. The first weekend we were there they had a huge thunder storm Saturday night with lightning hitting a lot of the buildings around us. The news said it was the worst storm in 20 years. After a week we had to get going so we left and took the inside route down to Southport.

It was very stressful as the water is 8 or 9 feet deep even though it is a mile wide in places - you had to follow a channel. One place was only 3 foot at low tide (Jacob's Well) we went through 1 hour before high tide and had 5 inches under our keel. We only ran aground once.

Stayed at Southport for 2 days on the hook and then sailed down to Coffs Harbour. Very nice spot and we stayed there 4 days waiting for weather. Left Coffs Harbour and sailed to Sydney - it took 2 days with some beautiful sailing and the last 2 hours motoring due to lack of wind. We stayed about 6 miles off the coast due to the heavy ship traffic which stays about 12 miles off.

We cleared Sydney heads at 4:30 am and motored past the Opera House and Harbour Bridge at daybreak.

A big surprise awaited us at Woolwich Marina - there is no dock to tie to just 4 pilings which you tie the boat to and are about 3 feet from the dock - not the marina that was advertised. There is no laundry, no Internet and shopping is a couple of buses away. We spent the week scrambling to find another marina and we got into Cabrita Point for January 1st. We will have to tough it out at Woolwich in the mean time. We have been busy visiting friends and discovering Sydney all over again.

--
Jim & Dianne
SV - Prairie Oyster

Merry Christmas to all and all the best in 2009. We are having a great time in Sydney a little busier than we thought - oh hell it is Christmas! Moving to our new marina on Saturday - Dianne is really looking forward to doing laundry in machine instead of a bucket. Hope you are all well and you are having a good holiday season.

--
Jim & Dianne
SV - Prairie Oyster

Sydney

Sorry for the delay in sending emails but we have been very busy since we arrived in Sydney. Since Xmas we have entertained family who flew here from Canada and visiting old friends from when I lived here. There are not many marinas in Sydney but thousands of boats on mooring balls. The marina we are at is wonderful but at $1400 per month it should be. Had the boat hauled out the beginning of March for bottom paint and greased the propeller. The bottom paint was not too bad considering it has been 2 years but the prop was completely covered with barnacles after 3 months in Sydney. The engine over heated on the way to the haul out due to the propeller. I did not dive down on the prop because the harbour is full of bull sharks and 3 people were attacked in Sydney Harbour last month. They are survived but are missing hands and feet. We are heading off to New Zealand tomorrow and Customs cleared us out of Sydney today. There was a cyclone up in Queensland last month and it was a category 4, 270K winds and 17 meter seas, not our idea of a good time. Cyclone season ends April 1st but try telling that to a late cyclone. We envision a 10 day passage to New Zealand if every thing goes well. Dianne and I have some serious decisions to make once we get to New Zealand - it is a long haul back up wind all the way to Canada or Mexico against wind and waves. We do not relish the idea of that passage too much. We are considering other options - we will keep you posted.

Jim top things about Australia:

• 1. Big city - lots of cafes and restaurants. Fabulous food.
• 2. Sydney is a city of jay walkers and way too many smokers
• 3. Great porn shops
• 4. Great pastry shops, cheese cakes, etc
• 5. Movies are pricey ($16) but are air conditioned and when it is 42 degrees Celsius outside it is great
• 6. Public transportation is great - buses, trains and ferries ($46 for a weekly unlimited pass for all modes)
• 7. The haul out was expensive - $1500 for our boat but they did a great job
• 8. Porn are the best I have ever seen
• 9. Really friendly people, you can stop anyone on the street for directions
• 10. Huge Chinese and Lebanese influence here, especially Muslims
• 11. Flights in and around are very cheap compared to Canada
• 12. Did I mention that the porn shops are great.

--
Jim & Dianne
SV - Prairie Oyster

Hello everybody - still in Sydney. Two words - Gale and Storm. Had to get cleared in again by Customs as we did not leave. There was an inshore gale (35 knots) and an offshore storm (50 knots). Been there, done that, did not like it much, we will wait. We will now leave possibly Saturday. Hope everyone is fine?

--
Jim & Dianne
SV - Prairie Oyster

New Zealand

The Passage

Left Sydney April 4th, 2009 on a south east change. I thought it would be good to leave with a bit of a push start. We cleared Sydney Heads in 12 foot breaking swells and 25 knots of wind on the nose. This continued for that night and Sunday. Dianne was as usual sick as a dog and I asked her if she wanted to turn back, she said it was up to the Captain. Oh great - just what I need, more responsibility.

Anyway we pressed on, our direct course to New Zealand was 85 degrees magnetic, which was hard on the wind - not fun. Anyway on Monday we more north of our course line, then we got becalmed for 10 hours. We decided to motor to get back to the course line. We motored in flat calm for 16 hours. The wind came up again from the south east at 25 knots and we got going again on a good course but very uncomfortable, with spray and waves coming across the boat continually. This went on for 3 days until Thursday - oh yes on Tuesday the toilet plugged up, we had bought some new toilet paper that was 4 ply - rather than take the toilet apart we decided to wait 3 hours. Tried it again and it worked - what a relief. When I told Dianne that the toilet was broken - she said we should set off the EPIRB (emergency locater beacon) as we can not possible go on without a toilet (just kidding).

It got light again - oh and our GPS broke, the screen faded and cut in and out, it is probably 25 years old and served us well. We have a hand held GPS but it would not connect with the laptop and the charts, Dianne played with it for awhile and got it going. It was not a huge deal as we also have paper charts and could have plotted on position on them every 12 hours. The computer charts still spoil you and you wonder how you can do without them.

Friday morning - no wind sitting in the middle of the ocean becalmed, 500 miles from New Zealand and 500 miles from Australia, decided to phone our friend Angus (sailor friend from New Zealand) on the satellite phone. He asked where we were and we gave him our position, he told us to motor east as fast as we could and not sit there as there was a Tropical Depression off the Queensland coast heading our way. I hate motoring as it uses precious diesel which we like to save for the last part of the passage. So we ended up motoring for 2 days. A little wind came up and we started sailing again, then the depression past behind us and we had 25 knots of wind from the north. We are now 200 miles off New Zealand. The winds died and decided to motor at 4 knots. On Wednesday had a good night sailing but the course was a little too far south, had to tack back and forth every 12 hours. Very frustrating! Thursday - we hate sailing, this is so frustrating and driving us crazy. East wind 15 - 20 knots and 8 foot seas.

Friday, phoned Angus, the weather is suppose to be the same until Monday - just F***ing great. Tacking back and forth and hardly making any headway. Feel like turning north and heading to Fiji, we could be there in 7 days. Anyway we finally got past Three Kings island and decided to motor to North Cape which is 60 miles away - only have about 20 gallons of diesel left. Got to North Cape on Saturday after pounding through waves for 18 hours. A container ship came up behind us at 4:30 am and past within 300 yards of us, even after we had called them to tell them our position (bastard). We made the turn and started to sail down the east coast which I thought was going to be great. The trouble is is that the north east coast slants to the east so guess what we are hard on the wind again. Pinched our way off the coast 3 miles off. This went on all day and during the night and we are finally 20 miles north of Opua. Had to tack out to sea and then back to our original course.

Twelve miles out decided to motor to get around the Cape and at 4:30 am we are in the Bay Islands. We were able to sail right up the channel to the Customs dock, then motored on fumes - it was 9:00 am on Sunday. Customs and Quarantine were great. We are settling in here and cleaning up the mess on the boat. It is great to be here - more later.

--
Jim & Dianne

SV - Prairie Oyster

Arrived here 3 days ago after 5 weeks in Opua and the Bay Islands. The Bay Islands are very similar to the Gulf Islands back in Vancouver Island except smaller. Lots of great anchorages. Our first 14 days here in Opua it rained - just like back home. Temperature is a lot different than Australia, the highs are 17-18 C and lows are 8-9 degrees. In Opua we met a lot people we knew from the tropics who were heading back up there for the season. Had to do some boat repairs, got a new GPS antenna and needed some electrical work done on the windlass. One of the boats that left last week (Elusive) sank after 3 days but another boat we know (Scarlet O'Hara) rescued them. We stopped in Tutukaka on the way here for 4 days while it blew 30-40 knots but we were in a well protected harbour and marina. Whangarei is great unlike Opua here we are in the center of town and everything is within walking distance. We are looking for a new stove and a few other things. New Zealand is way ahead of Canada in some aspects - there are no one cent or five cent coins, everything is rounded up to the nearest 10 cents. Prices are reasonable and the people are really friendly. We plan on staying here at least a month before heading on to Auckland.

Greetings from Auckland! Arrived here 3 days ago after a 2 day trip from Whangarei. We overnighted at Kawau Island and then onto Auckland. We were going to stay at Great Barrier Island but with a huge low on the way we decided to arrive in Auckland as soon as possible. It is nice to sit in a marina when it is blowing 50 knots outside. Our month in Whangarei was great. It is a boaters paradise, with the marina in the centre of town with restaurants and coffee shops 50 yards away. Movies, marine stores and shops are all 5 minutes walk. We got to see some people that we had not seen since Fiji and Mexico. We rented a car for 3 days and went to Rotorua, where all the hot springs and geysers are. Unfortunately it was rainy and foggy most of the weekend but still saw most of the sights. We stayed at a hotel and Dianne got to have a bath (always a plus). Went out to restaurant and then back to the hotel to relax and drink wine (really cheap), later that night I thought I was watching a porno on TV but it was only the mirror (I thought the male actor was a freak of nature). Anyway we are in the big city now and are going to try and enjoy the sights and scenes of Auckland. The marina we are at is called Westhaven and is the biggest we have ever been in. There are a couple of thousands boats here. It is a 20 minute walk to downtown where all the shopping and tourist things are. Lots of race boats in the 40 foot range. The Kiwis love their racing, we were in a Mexican cafe yesterday overlooking the harbour and it is blowing 40-50 and we watched a whole fleet of boats going out for their Saturday night racing. I bought an electric blanket to keep Dianne happy as it gets down to 4 or 5 degrees at night, it is kind of like Vancouver Island winter weather. That is all for now, er will keep in touch. We have enclosed a couple of pictures, one is of us at the lookout overlooking Whangarei and the second is an overhead view of the entrance into Tutukata Harbour. -- Jim & Dianne SV - Prairie Oyster NEW ZEALAND LIST Beautiful country, ocean, hills, pastures, like a mini west coast of Canada only greener. I dare say it the people are even more friendly the Aussies. Kiwis are like the Aussies were twenty years ago. Canadian dollar is high so it is good for us. The smallest coin is ten cents and every thing is rounded to the nearest ten cents. The boating community is huge so therefore great chandlers and boat people. I never realized there were so many different types of Kiwi fruit. Lamb is dirt cheap and a great selection of cuts. They even have lamb and mint potato chips. Car rental is great only $35 per day and that includes insurance. The roads are good but not a straight stretch of road in the country. Great to see cruisers met over the last few years and meeting new ones. Great selection of wool (Dianne), possum and wool blends are very popular. Way too may smokers here - one in five Kiwis smoke, very disappointing. Cleanest public washrooms ever. Had a great time in New Zealand and we will really miss the friends we have met over the last five months. We made a huge decision when we were in Australia and decided after much gnashing of teeth, etc. to have the boat shipped by Dockwise from Auckland, New Zealand to Mexico. It was a toss up to spend another year in the tropics and then the long slog home or to Mexico, we think this is best for us. We are going to cruise in our old stomping grounds of La Paz. We love it there and plan to cruise there for 6 months and then fly back to Canada for 6 months (sort of retire). We would like to thank everyone who has followed our journey the last two years and we loved sharing our experiences with you. Since we will not be doing anything exciting anymore we will stop sending our group emails after we get to La Paz. We will stay in touch with everyone who contacts us on a personal level. We have had many fantastic experiences - all and all it was great. Thank you for sharing our journey. Fair winds and following seas and always have blue water under your keel. PS - we are currently in Ensenada, Mexico awaiting the end of the hurricane season and then onto La Paz. -- Jim & Dianne SV - Prairie Oyster

As I said before we love the taco stands and have been eating fish tacos, beef tacos, pork tacos, chicken tacos and shrimp tacos. Came across a taco stand yesterday that said "Tacos Lengua" so I thought I would try it. It tasted good but it had a little different taste to it. I asked the guy what was in it, he said it was made from cow's tongue and eyeballs. He asked me if I liked it and I said it was okay and might try it again sometime. He said he would keep an eye out for me. Take care the picture is a view of Ensenada,

Top 10 things noticed about Ensenada:

1. Very touristy - cruise ships here 3 times a week
2. Big city 700,000
3. Great eateries and fish market
4. Very friendly locals once they know you are not on a cruise ship
5. Hot during the day - cool at night
6. Great marina (close to downtown great staff and do great work)
7. Only 60 miles from San Diego - great pick up spare parts
8. Love the breakfasts, especially Mexican Caviar (re-fried beans)
9. Leather shops are cheap and good quality (purses, wallets, backpacks and luggage)

It started out so great, we arrived at Cedros Monday night around six and anchored at the North anchorage. Had a three-day trip from Ensenada, half sailing half motoring. Next morning (Tuesday) we motored to the village of Cedros (12 miles), there was a US boat called Odyle from San Francisco anchored also. We went to see our friend Issac (the Port Captain) and had a nice visit and later had supper at their house. We also saw Tony Molina and his daughter Abigail, whom Dianne befriended and has been sending postcards to ever since. We gave her a backpack from New Zealand.

On Wednesday afternoon Issac and family picked us up and drove us to a fishing village (Waly), it was only 5 miles but took an hour in his 4 x 4 - to say the road was bad is an understatement. There we met his friend Hector and had a lobster feast (about 20 lobsters). Had a great time and were back on the boat by 9 pm.

The next morning (Thursday) about 8 am I was in the cockpit and noticed that the American boat (45 foot ketch) was moving forward so I called Dianne to come up and wave goodbye. The only problem was there seemed to be no one on deck. About a minute later the boat started turning towards us, "Oh they are coming over to say goodbye." Soon the boat was about 30 yards away and heading straight for our beam, we started yelling (no shouting), "Bear off, bear off!". The boat kept coming with no one on deck. He hit us with his bowsprit on the aft port quarter and broke our wind-generator pole. Finally they came up with bewildered looks on their faces, I shouted "put the boat in neutral!" Anyway we separated the mess and he apologized profusely. Apparently, he had started the motor to do a little work prior to leaving and was down stairs and the motor was in gear unbeknown to him.

He said he had lots of spares to help us but I do not think he has 13 feet of thin walled stainless steel pipe. I spent the rest of the day re-fiberglasing the pole back on the inside hull. I think it is okay and should last to La Paz where I will take it off, sraighten it and reinstall it. The funny thing is he said that it was "good that he hit us otherwise he would have gone past us and hit the breakwater". Good for him not for us, but it could have been worse - he could have holed us. Anyway we are planning on leaving on Saturday the 7th and continue on down the coast.

Down but not out,

Jim and Dianne
Prairie Oyster

Greetings from beautiful La Paz. We had a decent trip from Ensenada, half sailing half motoring. Had a wonderful visit with our friends on Cedros Island. Other than being rammed by another boat the rest of the trip was uneventful (half motored, half sailed). Caught three nice fish, one Yellow Fin Tuna, one Wahoo and one Mahi Mahi. We have numerous boat projects to do here that will keep us busy and visit with friends we have made here.

I would like to thank the web master (or should I say web masters) who have printed our emails on the LYC webstite the past two years. We have had dozens of emails from LYC members who have followed our journey. I hope we have shed a little light on what it is like to cruising. We will be sending no more group emails as we are now two old people cruising in the Sea of Cortez. Nothing exciting will be going on. Any one wishing to contact us please feel free to do so and we will try to answer them. We will be staying in the Sea until May or so and then go back to Canada and then we will join our boat in November and then cruise again. We plan to do this for a few years or until we get tired of it.

For all you future cruisers - GO NOW, do not wait until you have all the toys as you will never have all the toys. You will meet truly wonderful people in wonderful places and experience sights you will never see again. This is what memories are made of.

We have found trade winds and waves, strange tailed birds and brilliant fish and green coloured clouds. We have also seen the dark tree topped flatness of countless coral islands that we have passed at night. We have looked up in wonder at t planets and the stars who still find us scratching our heads in awe as the unfurl before us. All can say is clearly the last two years we have truly lived and feel fortunate to have witnessed these things. Will we go again? We can not say at this particular time - but you never know.

Prairie Oyster - OUT.

The Top 12 Memorable Experiences - in no particular order.

1. Cruising the Sea of Cortez, pristine anchorages, few boats
2. Crossing the Equator, a right of passage, dreamed of doing it, did it, got the tattos to prove it.
3. Making landfall at the Marquesas after 24 days at sea. We could smell the islands before we could see them.
4. French Polynesia, other than being terribly expensive, wonderful places, anchored when Captain Cook anchored.
5. Island of Niue, jewel of and island the people were so helpful and generous.
6. Musket Cove, Fiji, still accommadating cruisers for 30 years and a wonderful place to get lost. Actually met Dick Smith.
7. East coast of Australia. Wonderful friendly people, beautiful beaches and anchorages.
8. Sydney, revisited my youth - I lived there when I was 19 to 25, had a great time visiting old friends and places.
9. New Zealand, it's got everything. Cruisers paradise, would immigrate there in a minute if we weren't too old.
10. All the wonderful cruisers we have met in the last two years. Friendships we will remember for life.
11. Night watch in the trade winds, blowing 18 to 21knots, following sea, going 7.5 knots, brilliant starry night, PRICELESS.
12. Having a wonderful wife and soulmate who despite being sick on every passage still persevered and did her share of duties and put up with me and my odd ways.