The end of this adventure and on to a new one.....

Hello everyone,

As my wise and cherished friend Kathi reminded me of a quote from Winnie the Pooh, "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."  It is an understatement!  We are now in our last 3 weeks here in New Caledonia and have been running around packing boxes and getting ready to leave our floating home for our land home.  It is a very emotional time for me.  I am really excited about seeing all our friends and family and the simple conveniences that land life brings.  The ability to get in and out of your home without getting wet and sandy, a washing machine, grocery stores that you know, less maintenance issues, and going for long walks in a straight line... as I sit here I realize how little my list really is of the simple conveniences and now looking back they actually seem like pleasures instead of annoyances.  I am looking forward to sharing a morning coffee with a friend and a long walk if anyone is up for it.

As we have mentioned a few million times, sailing community is outgoing, friendly, helpful, generous and some of the most amazing people we have come across. Unless you are on the same sailing path the bonds you make are a strong connection for a short time period and it isn't the same as a permanent residence.  We kept running into "Fearless Fred" a 74 year old single hander.  He reminds me so much of my dad that we had an immediate connection.  Super sweet guy and amazing man with so many crazy stories.  He is a decorated Vietnam veteran on his 3rd circumnavigation.  We started running into him in Tahiti, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand and now shared dock space in New Caledonia.  We had dinner the night before he left and saw him depart to complete his circumnavigation... we will definitely be in Port Angeles when he arrives to finish his journey in a few years with big welcoming hugs...

We are always on the move and going in different directions.  There are so many wonderful cruising families that are out on the water and we have been fortunate enough to meet and spend time with many.  You never forget your friendships out here and often wonder what and how they are doing.  I am afraid to list them all because I don't want to leave anyone out (Apropos, Field trip, Little Explorers, Javalot, Bob the Cat, Por Dos, Ohana, Breeze, Sarita, Lorien, Miss Good Night, Miss behaving, Tinkerbell to name a few) Reading their blogs, or facebook posts and keeping in touch and sharing their experiences whether you have done the same things or not is really fun.  There are two families that we bonded with immediately and were fortunate enough to be on the same path almost daily and to share anchorages/ grocery shopping/ diving/ sunsets/ beaches/ snorkeling/ routes/ destinations/ weather/ customs/ boat repairs/ parts/ kids/ dinners/ books/ movies/ walks/ drinks/ advice/ school/ anxieties/ appreciation and the list goes on.  We have really been lucky to cruise with them for months and our bonds are like family and we think of them very often and are excited to reunite... Shine and Pelagic.  We also were lucky to have them split our time half with Pelagic all through Mexico and the other half with Shine from Tuamotos to Fiji.  As a family cruising, and you here this from many other families, when you connect with another kid boat you stick to them like glue for the companionship/friendship/sisterhood.... I will just say now sorry for stalking both of you guys... I know there were times that you tried to shake us and we caught up to you... there is no hiding behind other boats in the bay... even without AIS Patrick!  We will always find you.. hee hee.  Both of you were and are such a blessing for us and made our adventure/journey so special.  You are in our hearts forever!

  Our first time meeting them, we convinced them to play Dibble with us... I knew they were crazy and would be our soul mates!  Good on ya mate!

Zihuatanejo our last day with Pelagics as they continue traveling south and us going west... Our endless Tiki battles are some of my most favorite memories along with the spicy soup giggle fest... it always puts a smile on my face remembering..

We have a wonderful couple that is looking at buying the boat so we have been going through the process with them, boat showing, test sail, surveys, haul out... it is quite a process.  It is a lot of work as anyone who has sold a house.  The boat isn't sold yet, everything is going well, there are still a few conditions outstanding but it looks like it may be a good fit.  In any case it is always nice to meet new people and learn of their stories and why they want to take an adventure like this.  I am excited for them and for the start of their new journey and hopefully choosing to take family circus into new waters.  It is always nice to imagine the house that you have spent so much time caring for and attaching yourself too because she has brought you safely across so many ocean miles... about 14,000 I think, will continue on giving another family enjoyment and bring new opportunities for them to connect and experience life like we have.

New Caledonia is a gem and we are loving it here.  It truly is unspoken because they don't need to advertise for tourism.  It isn't one of their economic factors because nickel is their primary income, they are the 5th largest producer and have about 10% of the worlds nickel on this tiny little island.  With that being said there are a crazy amount of permanent boats here that many french, kiwi and aussies use for vacationing or permanent residence.  One of our concerns for the end of our trip was where to store the boat.  If we weren't able to sell her we needed to find a home to store her and keep her safe and watched over until November.  During our process of hauling out we found a wonderful community of people at the boat yard we hauled out at.  It turns out there are only 2 yards that are able to lift a catamaran and one had a broken lift.  So we were directed to Carenocean a tiny boat yard at the bottom of a cliff.  As we pull up to get hauled out Raul comes out in his dinghy, directs us where to go then says he has to change and tells us to wait until he motions us to move forward.  He jumps on his boat and then comes out with swim trunks and a waterproof remote control.  He jumps in the water and swims to the lift and tells us to drive over him and then hands us straps to the lift and then begins to guide the boat onto the ramp by standing on the ramp and maneuvering the boat with his hands underneath... and then with the remote begins to move the boat out of the water.... literally a one man operation and it was the smoothest haul out we have had.

We had the boat pressure washed for the survey because the hull had to be clean.  The next morning Chris goes to check on the hull before the surveyor comes out and what does he find but little muddy hand prints in decorative designs all up and down the keels and hull... Hee Hee kids and boat yards... it is always fun to play in the mud and find the junk to build stuff.

After we were all set we asked Raul about space in the water right in front of the yard to store the boat.  They had a few boats tied up with people living on them permanently.  As it turns out there was a spot for us to leave family circus with this lovely little community of people at the bottom of the cliff.  It is completely safe because they all live there and will watch over the boat for us.  I was so giddy that I literally ran up to get the deposit for the spot.  After Raul invites us to a pot luck dinner at his house in the yard.  His older daughter was visiting and leaving the next morning.  It was wonderful meeting all the people in the yard.  There are two aeronautical mechanic students , an older woman (70ish) on her own the sailed around australia on a worm cat with her four kids when they were small, an older french couple (again 70ish) refitting their boat and living on it, a father and daughter (about 15) living and fixing up their boat... and a few more... Let's just say that as soon as I laid that deposit down knowing our boat would be in good hands I bought our plane tickets home.  Chris ended up staying at the dinner until we hours of the morning making friends and drinking port and dancing.  Temo, Raul's wife, got everyone up and dancing and Chris said EVERYONE... it was so fun to see and it never ceases to amaze us at the energy of the older sailing community.  They put me to shame and I end up going to bed before them.  It truly is a very healthy lifestyle that keeps you young.  Good on ya mate!


So we have started packing up our boat for shipment home.  This was also another concern and was a challenge finding a reasonable company where they would store our boxes for a reasonable price and put them on a container ship to arrive in Oakland at some point in the next 6 months.  As luck would have it we came across Frederic that has been a god send and is a true pleasure to work with.  He works for a shipping company here called IES.  He told us where to get our boxes, and once packed he came to pick them up at the marina here and store them for us until the ship leaves on 8/3.  We have to get him our second and final shipment pick up by Thursday this week.  Let's just say our waterline has come up by about 4 inches.  Taking off all of the school books, games, toys and such makes the boat look so uncluttered and clean... I wish we could have cruised with less and after packing some of the items I KNOW we could have cruised with less.

Tristan is taking his finals and trying to finish up school so at least he will have a couple weeks break before he starts back school at home.  Schooling on the boat has been one of the most difficult but rewarding parts of our trip.  I can see why people choose to homeschool.  Being able to discuss and learn together has been a lot of fun and seeing them make connections from what they learn to real life it definitely more rewarding than I thought it would be.

Otherwise... we are enjoying the market and the sunrises while we are stuck dockside and as soon as we can get our last shipment off to Fredric and Tristan's finals taken we will be off to enjoy our last 10 days of boat life.  

Hugs and love to all and we are looking forward to coming home.

Heath

The end of this adventure and on to a new one.....

Hello everyone,

As a wise friend reminded me of a quote from Winnie the Pooh, "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."  It is an understatement!  We are now in our last 3 weeks here in New Caledonia and have been running around packing boxes and getting ready to leave our floating home for our land home.  It is a very emotional time for me.  I am really excited about seeing all our friends and family and the simple conveniences that land life brings.  The ability to get in and out of your home without getting wet and sandy, a washing machine, grocery stores that you know, less maintenance issues, and going for long walks in a straight line... as I sit here I realize how little my list really is of the simple conveniences and now looking back they actually seem like pleasures instead of annoyances.  I am looking forward to sharing a morning coffee with a friend and a long walk if anyone is up for it.

Although the sailing community is outgoing, friendly, helpful, generous and some of the most amazing people we have come across. Unless you are on the same sailing path the bonds you make are a strong connection for a short time period and it isn't the same as a permanent residence.  We kept running into "Fearless Fred" a 74 year old single hander.  He reminds me so much of my dad that we had an immediate connection.  Super sweet guy and amazing man with so many crazy stories.  He is a decorated Vietnam veteran on his 3rd circumnavigation.  We started running into him in Tahiti, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand and now shared dock space in New Caledonia.  We had dinner the night before he left and saw him depart to complete his circumnavigation... we will definitely be in Port Angeles when he arrives to finish his journey in a few years with big welcoming hugs...

We are always on the move and going in different directions.  There are so many wonderful cruising families that are out on the water and we have been fortunate enough to meet and spend time with many.  You never forget your friendships out here and often wonder what and how they are doing.  I am afraid to list them all because I don't want to leave anyone out (Apropos, Field trip, Little Explorers, Javalot, Bob the Cat, Por Dos, Ohana, Breeze, Sarita, Lorien, Miss Good Night, Miss behaving, Tinkerbell to name a few) Reading their blogs, or facebook posts and keeping in touch and sharing their experiences whether you have done the same things or not is really fun.  There are two families that we bonded with immediately and were fortunate enough to be on the same path almost daily and to share anchorages/ grocery shopping/ diving/ sunsets/ beaches/ snorkeling/ routes/ destinations/ weather/ customs/ boat repairs/ parts/ kids/ dinners/ books/ movies/ walks/ drinks/ advice/ school/ anxieties/ appreciation and the list goes on.  We have really been lucky to cruise with them for months and our bonds are like family and we think of them very often and are excited to reunite... Shine and Pelagic.  We also were lucky to have them split our time half with Pelagic all through Mexico and the other half with Shine from Tuamotos to Fiji.  As a family cruising, and you here this from many other families, when you connect with another kid boat you stick to them like glue for the companionship/friendship/sisterhood.... I will just say now sorry for stalking both of you guys... I know there were times that you tried to shake us and we caught up to you... there is no hiding behind other boats in the bay... even without AIS Patrick!  We will always find you.. hee hee.  Both of you were and are such a blessing for us and made our adventure/journey so special.  You are in our hearts forever!

  Our first time meeting them we convinced them to play Dibble with us... I knew they were crazy!

Zihuatanejo our last day with Pelagics as they continue traveling south and us going west... Our endless Tiki battles are some of my most favorite memories along with the spicy soup giggle fest... it always puts a smile on my face remembering..

We have a wonderful couple that is looking at buying the boat so we have been going through the process with them, boat showing, test sail, surveys, haul out... it is quite a process.  It is a lot of work as anyone who has sold a house.  The boat isn't sold yet, everything is going well, there are still a few conditions outstanding but it looks like it may be a good fit.  In any case it is always nice to meet new people and learn of their stories and why they want to take an adventure like this.  I am excited for them and for the start of their new journey and hopefully choosing to take family circus into new waters.  It is always nice to imagine the house that you have spent so much time caring for and attaching yourself too because she has brought you safely across so many ocean miles... about 14,000 I think, will continue on giving another family enjoyment and bring new opportunities for them to connect and experience life like we have.

New Caledonia is a gem and we are loving it here.  It truly is unspoken because they don't need to advertise for tourism.  It isn't one of their economic factors because nickel is their primary income, they are the 5th largest producer and have about 10% of the worlds nickel on this tiny little island.  With that being said there are a crazy amount of permanent boats here that many french, kiwi and aussies use for vacationing or permanent residence.  One of our concerns for the end of our trip was where to store the boat.  If we weren't able to sell her we needed to find a home to store her and keep her safe and watched over until November.  During our process of hauling out we found a wonderful community of people at the boat yard we hauled out at.  It turns out there are only 2 yards that are able to lift a catamaran and one had a broken lift.  So we were directed to Carenocean a tiny boat yard at the bottom of a cliff.  As we pull up to get hauled out Raul comes out in his dinghy, directs us where to go then says he has to change and tells us to wait until he motions us to move forward.  He jumps on his boat and then comes out with swim trunks and a waterproof remote control.  He jumps in the water and swims to the lift and tells us to drive over him and then hands us straps to the lift and then begins to guide the boat onto the ramp by standing on the ramp and maneuvering the boat with his hands underneath... and then with the remote begins to move the boat out of the water.... literally a one man operation and it was the smoothest haul out we have had.

We had the boat pressure washed for the survey because the hull had to be clean.  The next morning Chris goes to check on the hull before the surveyor comes out and what does he find but little muddy hand prints in decorative designs all up and down the keels and hull... Hee Hee kids and boat yards... it is always fun to play in the mud and find the junk to build stuff.

After we were all set we asked Raul about space in the water right in front of the yard to store the boat.  They had a few boats tied up with people living on them permanently.  As it turns out there was a spot for us to leave family circus with this lovely little community of people at the bottom of the cliff.  It is completely safe because they all live there and will watch over the boat for us.  I was so giddy that I literally ran up to get the deposit for the spot.  After Raul invites us to a pot luck dinner at his house in the yard.  His older daughter was visiting and leaving the next morning.  It was wonderful meeting all the people in the yard.  There are two aeronautical mechanic students , an older woman (70ish) on her own the sailed around australia on a worm cat with her four kids when they were small, an older french couple (again 70ish) refitting their boat and living on it, a father and daughter (about 15) living and fixing up their boat... and a few more... Let's just say that as soon as I laid that deposit down knowing our boat would be in good hands I bought our plane tickets home.  Chris ended up staying at the dinner until we hours of the morning making friends and drinking port and dancing.  Temo, Raul's wife, got everyone up and dancing and Chris said EVERYONE... it was so fun to see and it never ceases to amaze us at the energy of the older sailing community.  They put me to shame and I end up going to bed before them.  It truly is a very healthy lifestyle that keeps you young.  Good on ya mate!


So we have started packing up our boat for shipment home.  This was also another concern and was a challenge finding a reasonable company where they would store our boxes for a reasonable price and put them on a container ship to arrive in Oakland at some point in the next 6 months.  As luck would have it we came across Frederic that has been a god send and is a true pleasure to work with.  He works for a shipping company here called IES.  He told us where to get our boxes, and once packed he came to pick them up at the marina here and store them for us until the ship leaves on 8/3.  We have to get him our second and final shipment pick up by Thursday this week.  Let's just say our waterline has come up by about 4 inches.  Taking off all of the school books, games, toys and such makes the boat look so uncluttered and clean... I wish we could have cruised with less and after packing some of the items I KNOW we could have cruised with less.

Tristan is taking his finals and trying to finish up school so at least he will have a couple weeks break before he starts back school at home.  Schooling on the boat has been one of the most difficult but rewarding parts of our trip.  I can see why people choose to homeschool.  Being able to discuss and learn together has been a lot of fun and seeing them make connections from what they learn to real life it definitely more rewarding than I thought it would be.

Otherwise... we are enjoying the market and the sunrises while we are stuck dockside and as soon as we can get our last shipment off to Fredric and Tristan's finals taken we will be off to enjoy our last 10 days of boat life.  

Hugs and love to all and we are looking forward to coming home.

Heath

New Caledonia, an unspoken cruisers gem.

Hello Everyone,

I am sitting here enjoying my coffee on our first cloudy/rainy/windy day in a long while.  We are in the midst of cleaning up the boat and sorting our personal effects to get ready to start shipping our items back to the states.  Whether you are on a boat or in a house this process always seems to be a little overwhelming and one that we have been procrastinating on.  We are donating many items to the red cross here and some of our books to the local schools that teach english.  I regret not being more organized and being able to donate our goods back in Vanuatu at some of the remote villages.  Although we donated a lot it would have been nice to be able to give more.  Then again who am I to judge who needs our used goods.  It isn't like they are valuable and if there is anything that I will take a way from this trip, it is the visions of all those happy village kids running around half naked and playing with sticks and stones and each other,  carrying around a half eaten baked fish and a mango for their snack.  Besides necessities... they don't seem to want or need much else.  I hope our kids carry this message in their hearts as they grow older and we can all keep to the "Less is more" motto.

I now understand why people choose to leave their boats here in New Caledonia marinas permanently and fly back and forth in order to cruise here.  The inside lagoon for New Caledonia offers so much in terms of a wonderful vacation.  From the easy access of flying in and out, remote islands, sandy beaches, great snorkeling and scuba diving, diverse landscapes, hiking, a boaters mecca for parts and services, easy provisioning... and so on and so on.  Not to mention the consistent trade winds for Kite surfing, surfing the outer breaks of the lagoon and sailing.  Not only can you escape the big city of noumea, within 5 miles you are at a remote island often anchored by yourself.  You can also decide to go farther out 60 miles or so to Ile Des Pins and be amongst some of the most fantastic diving and snorkeling we have seen in a long time.  The sailing is some of the easiest there is because of the break from the outer lagoon so that most of what you are sailing in are wind waves with minimal swell and you can choose to go into or with the waves depending on your destination.  And don't worry about wanting to get somewhere into the wind.  It will change and give you a down wind sail within 3 or 4 days...

I am going to start with giving credit for many of the photos that are in this blog to Mike and Shannon... I had dropped the ball and they more than made up for it with their wonderful shots above and below the water....

Mike, Shannon, Una and Liam left a few days ago and we already miss them... it was an amazing visit and we all had a great time (Once we were over the colds they brought with them, Hee Hee)  It is amazing how the boat can easily handle adding 4 more and still be roomy and comfortable.  Often there were times when it was so quite that we wondered where the kids were and then we would find them all cuddled together watching a movie, reading their books, playing chess or with the little girls playing legos.

The last week of our trip we started by heading to the marine reserve at the five islands.  It is a beautiful anchorage with a white sandy beach and lots of snorkeling close by.  They are uninhabited islands so we were the only boat there.

We had a few peaceful days of sun and playing on the beach.  There were a few Sea Eagles that nest on the island so it was fun to see them up close.  The trees are only about 20 feet off the ground with these huge nests built out of sticks and coral.

Amaia definitely takes after her dad and loves the kites

Alina, my shell collecting buddy

It is dark but I think he has the pose down... Hee Hee

Shannon getting one last snorkel in before the sun goes down...

Always fun jumping off the bimini....

Refilling tanks with the last bits of gas from Vanuatu passage...

The snorkeling was great.  I have to say that the snorkeling here in New Cal is the closest we have seen to the Tuamotos.  There are a few random spots that we came across in Fiji, like Vianni Bay with Jack (rainbow reef) and Yadu.. but otherwise this is spectacular.

"Honey, where is my supersuit?"

This spot was great spot for a little scuba reentry for mike and a little introduction for Una.  It was only about 10 feet deep so she wanted to try it out.  They had a lot of fun hanging out down there with Lexi and Chris and even Liam got to play with our hooka set up (a long tube attached to a tank in the dinghy that he could use to float around under water.)

Liam with the hooka

Alexia's comfort under the water never ceases to amaze me

Una and Mike

Tristan and I were snorkeling the reef in front of the boat and we had come across a smallish white tip shark about 4-5 feet.  We didn't think much about it because he swam away.  We had called to our boat to get picked up because we had been in the water for awhile and I was freezing and didn't want to swim the distance back.  Mike brought Shannon out with him because she wanted to snorkel a bit.  The day before they had seen turtles and she was really enjoying it.  I remember thinking to myself... wow she is brave.  I get a little creeped out snorkeling by myself and I just won't do it.  For some reason the dang theme song to jaws keeps repeating in my head when I am out there.  Once back on the boat I kept looking out for her to see where she was.  After about 30 mins I notice that she has put herself up on the reef and was yelling for us to come and get her.  We jump in the dinghy and found out that the pesky white tip had decided to get a little territorial and was telling her that she needed to leave his home for awhile.  She said he kept swimming back and forth in front of her and seemed to be getting agitated.  So it was time to go.  They hadn't really swam with the sharks before and they always seem a little daunting when you are in the water, but those are definite signs in my mind to exit stage left.

We then started making the 30 mile passage up to the next island that is closer to Noumea.  Mike, Shannon, Una and Liam had to leave the morning of the 5th at 5am so we needed to be in noumea anyway.

Early morning passage, kids slumber party still happening

We had heard from some cruisers that a good spot to hang close to Noumea was Signal Island.  It is a beautiful, small, uninhabited island that was used at one time as a signal for the voyagers to enter the lagoon in through Dumbea Pass.  We grabbed a mooring ball close to the reef.

It has probably been one of my favorite snorkeling spots yet.  I believe it may be a cleaning station for all kinds of sea life.  One of the best things were the numerous turtles that just hang out.  They are not afraid of you and you can swim around them and they just hang or gently and slowly swim away.  It really is amazing to see these beautiful creatures in the water.  I have been on a turtle search since we have left San Francisco and until now have only seen them occasionally on the surface of the water as we are sailing or if we were lucky enough to spot one snorkeling, by the time you get the person next to you attention they have already disappeared.  So this was really special and we all enjoyed the uniqueness of it.  Not only were there turtles but sharks, sting rays, moray eels, and just loads of fish.  The reef fish were huge here.  I have never seen a unicorn fish the size of a grouper.  We spent a few days here and then unfortunately needed to head back into the business of Noumea for some marina showers, and packing before their trip in the morning.

Mike and Una in the background with the turtle

Turtle...... and Alina playing around

For Fourth of July we were able to have a little celebration on a remote island.  We didn't have any big firework celebration except for when some sort of firework exploded in our fire.  The kids had a simple night of some roman candles, sparklers and some of the floating lanterns.  Unfortunately only one floating lantern out of 4 was successful.  It has been more challenging to get these floating lanterns off the ground.  Usually the wind is either too strong, in the wrong direction or there are too many boats around us.  So it is always quite rewarding when we are successful.  

We are so glad that they were able to come and spend some time with us before our trip ended.  It is really hard to explain and describe what our life on the boat has become and how our life is now full of downtime, sunsets, music, sleep and a schedule that has no time requirements.  It was nice to get a new appreciation of it through someone else's eyes.

Their excitement of the snorkeling, remote islands, sandy beaches, shells, changing landscapes, colorful sunsets, brilliance of stars at night, and the sea breeze is something that we often take for granted now because it has become the norm.  It makes you reflect a bit and tell yourself that this lifestyle that we have enjoyed over the last few years is amazing and we are truly lucky to have been able to enjoy it for as long as we have.

Hugs and love to everyone at home,


Heath