Just an update to say that we completed the last short trip to Hamilton Island from Thomas Island yesterday. We made an unplanned stop at the next island though. Not for an emergency or anything, I had received an E-mail from our friends on s/v Kilkea II that they, along with s/v Sea Mist, were anchored at Shaw Island about 5 miles away. We moved over there and Dave and Marian put their dinghy in the water and dropped by to visit with us. It was great seeing them again, especially under such unusual circumstances. They will be moving over to Hamilton Island soon as well. So we left after only a little while to continue our way to Hamilton.
It was only 10-12 miles to the marina and we soon arrived at the marina. They were good enough to give us a slip on the end of the dock to leeward of the wind. So we just glided up to the slip and the wind pushed us on. Easy! As a guest of the marina we have access to all the facilities on the island including the many pools. Not that I’ll be using them right now I think.
I treated Marius out to dinner for the evening, and he bought the beer. I also bought his antenna extender for our 3G device, since he can buy a replacement easily. The weather is remarkably cold due to the southerly winds we are having. We had to wear jackets and long pants.
Marius leaves today for his flight home. And has already cleaned up his room and packed. I’ll be spending the day continuing cleaning and putting things away from the passages. Karen should soon be on her way for the trip here, and arrive tomorrow afternoon. I can hardly wait to see her!
Good news that you’ll soon have your wife back, Frank, and glad to hear that all is otherwise well. Looking forward to Tahina’s continuing adventures!
Thanks Paul!
Frank,
You’re fast approaching five years and have hit the halfway mark. Congrats! I was wondering if you are willing to share/release a breakdown of the boat expenses you have experienced to date. Sails, parts, fuels and repairs. I think many of us who follow circumnavigators are more than curious. No one seems to have the nads to publish the facts. Are you the guy? thanks for your time.
@Walt: the boat expenses vary greatly between boats according to size and type of vessel, equipment (generators, watermakers, computers, electrical appliances, sails, complexity of rig, number of engines, etc.), and most importantly based on lifestyle. Some people live on very modest budgets with small boats, few conveniences, eat all their meals on board using local foods, and do very few tours on shore. Others on larger boats have complex systems, lots of conveniences, buy many meals on shore, have large liquor consumption, participate in many tours and side trips by plane, may even hire crew, etc. And there are many levels in between. You can find many examples of boats who have posted their budgets and thoughts with some Google searching. Here is one example: http://www.sailblogs.com/member/winddancer/?xjMsgID=67021 and here is another: http://scream.darusha.ca/index.php/cruising-budget-2008-2009/