Croatia - October 2007:

Some of our particular highlights include:  our overnight in Komiža where we climbed to the Church of Saint Nicholas atop the hill and later met for our delicious ‘welcome dinner” at Konoba Bako; in Vis at the local winery ROKI where we learned about the traditional form of cooking called PEKA and supped on succulent dishes of veal, lamb, fish and octopus, each variety roasted together with onions, tomatoes, eggplant and potatoes until glazed with the juices. 

In Hvar, we strolled the beautiful town square adjacent to the bustling harbor, and then climbed up the hundreds of polished stone steps through the old town, through an iron gateway, and up a serpentine path lined with shrubs and agaves.  The view of Hvar harbor got better and better as we climbed the gentle zigzag to the entrance of Fortress Spanjola.  This qualified Carolyn, Bob and MJ, Steve, Bud and Irene, and Matt, Sabrina and Roubik  for the “PKDMS.”  Remember the beauty of Korčula, its great wide staircase leading up to the entry gate and cafes lining the walls and overlooking the sea; in Pomena on Mljet, all the excitement of the ”iron man half marathon”; and of course fabulous Dubrovnik, approaching those impregnable walls first by sea, and later on foot. 

Thailand - January 2007:

 A pilot from Sunsail is on each boat to lead us from the lagoon on a circuitous route marked by 20 ft.-tall cement pilings.

We try and make sense of the charts and soon learn some useful Thai words:
Noi – small Yai - big Rai – an area of land
Ko – island Ao – bay Hin – rock
Kawb Kun Ka - thank you
Long tail boats zoom past, their graceful bows curving skyward, car engine perched on stern with drive shaft about 10 ft astern. But the NOISE! – all conversation boomed out by the stentorian engine roar off the volume charts.

We look forward to getting farther north into the National Marine Park, farther from the vacationland of Phuket. Ko Rang Kai is a small gentle island right off the lagoon. Two hills are a backdrop to a white beach where we’ll have supper tonight at the thatched restaurant.
Monday—11am
How we are entranced by our first sight of Ko Sup, and later sailing amongst even more impressively stunning karsts, monoliths of limestone which charge up, up from the ocean like huge WHALES!! We marvel at the extraordinary scenery of Phang Nga Bay. A perfect photo-op unfolds as a colorful local fishing boat, mounded with green fishnets, motors in to complete the quintessential Thai picture. Lunch in 10 meters of water on the western side of Ko Yao Yai. N8° 03.82N, 98° 32.28E.
On to Ko Phanak, where there is a classic hong, a secret inner chamber, open to the sky, fully surrounded by the limestone walls of the island. We try at 4pm to enter but our weak flashlight
ight is no match for the dark cave and the tide is too high. So we turn, exit and stop by “PASO DOBLES” for an impromptu cocktail hour.
The next morning with local skipper Paul’s expert timing, we snake through the ominous blackness, crouching under the last threatening jagged overhangs to the secret, cathedral-like hong of Ko Phanak, complete with macaque monkeys.
The day has just begun. Still to come are “James Bond Island”

and most memorably our longtail boat ride to Ko Thalu Nok, the Muslim fishing village and the cliff paintings at Khao Khian. Just this one day is so full of fabulous sensory experiences!
And more days followed, equally rewarding, right up to that beautiful dinner ashore at Porto (having luxuriated in a REAL shower) and our last magical day in Bangkok. What an exciting trip it was! Thailand certainly lived up to our expectations as a great chartering location. And where else can you get a massage for $7!

SEYCHELLES and AFRICA March 2007

It seems to have taken us quite a while to “decompress” from this latest adventure in the Seychelles and Tanzania (and beyond!), but we are still on a very vivid “high” from the fascinating natural beauty of the Seychelles, the excitement of our spectacular safari, and the exoticism of Zanzibar.

We had the most exhilarating sailing ever in the Seychelles. It was great to be on the water and in the water with all those wonderful fish and sea turtles, and on land stroking those amazing tortoises! Our tour of the Vallée de Mai’s treasure of cocos de mer palms was absolutely great; Michael, a born teacher, totally drew us in with his enthusiasm and vast knowledge of that World Heritage Site. Who could forget the exciting beach landing on Cousin, where our excellent naturalist guide shared the fascinating story of Seychelles’ unique natural phenomena, including “George” and the nesting white-tailed tropicbirds. And what an amazing place to celebrate Al Meyer’s birthday as Mango, Corossol, and Tranquillity rafted together in Laraie Bay on Curieuse.

Then - “Twende” (let’s go!) – time for Part Two of our adventure at Tarangiri! Journeys of giraffes greeted us at Maramboi Tented Lodge. Our days were filled with learning all about superb starlings, lilac breasted rollers, the habits of impala and water buck. In our vehicle, I dubbed myself “Bibi, the Secretary Bird” as I recorded helmeted guinea fowl, red bishops, black shouldered kites, and Pygmy falcons. And again we celebrated a birthday (George Minervini), this time with Maasai warriors dancing the cake to his table, followed by our guides and camp staff chanting birthday wishes.

We were lucky to have geologist George explain about the formation of Ngorongoro Crater on our way to our next camp. The stop at Oldupai Gorge opened our eyes about the Leakey discovery, and WE could share in Jenny Younger’s excitement of being on the site.

After hours on the road Hugo Luxury Mobile Tented Camp was a sight for sore eyes and a relief for tired bottoms. Warmly welcomed by Anthony, the camp manager, we stowed our gear and headed for a cold “Kilimanjaro.”


Quoting from Susan Murphy:

“Besides being able to see all of the wonderful animals and ‘human tribes’ in ‘their space,’ I really enjoyed the Exclusive Serengeti Mobile Camp. It gave me (without too much hardship) a feel for how the original explorers and their porters proceeded. I couldn’t believe waking up to basins of warm water in the morning and having warm water showers that the staff had heated and toted and food and laundry and campfires and Great Guides!”
        
For Peter and me, this was the underlying premise in planning this adventure – to get as close to the original safari as possible, and still to do it, within reason, to our standards of comfort today. After our behind-the-scene tour of the camp, we could truly appreciate the five days it took to set up the camp and all the amazing effort by the staff to keep us comfortable and well fed. AND YES! Another birthday cake (for Fran Sutherland) magically appeared, cooked over a wood fire in the tin box oven outside the kitchen tent!

What memories! Don’t forget another focus of the trip – the migration. When James said near Tarangire, “I’LL SHOW YOU WILDEBEEST AND ZEBRAS!”, he wasn’t kidding. To see the blackened horizon flowing en masse and to be totally surrounded by animals was an experience we will all remember, not to mention rafts of hippos, dazzles of zebras, and prides of lion – even the rare view of elephants mating and leopard, too.

Many of us continued on to Zanzibar, which was just as intriguing as its name. Ancient Stone Town with its warren of tiny streets, enormous brass-encrusted carved doors, and veiled women fascinated us, and the primitive, yet graceful dhows created perfect sunset photo compositions.

Valencia: Louis Vuitton Cup semi-finals and America's Cup XXX11

Valencia has a lot to be proud of—this ancient city created a completely new canal and boat basin to accommodate the 32nd America’s Cup and the Louis Vuitton Cup, an extraordinary feat encouraging free access for the public leading up to the “Main Event.” Eager spectators crowded the village, trying to get to each nation’s boat shed, displays and shops, coming away with shirts and hats in rainbow colors of the event, the same pastel colors on fluttering flags all along the docks. Big screen TVs near Team China on the South side and another on the North allowed visitors to view the races. Others could view the teams leaving and returning from the racecourse from a white 4-tiered layer-cake building . Children could delight in steering sail-driven “bumper cars”, visitors drank cappuccinos in sunny outdoor cafes, others took in the History of the Cup exhibit. Valencian women sold the local refreshing horchata, a cool milky drink made from tiger nuts something akin to Bailey’s without the punch.
In May 55 Cruising World and Sailing World readers on 10 boats started out for a week exploring the east coast of Mallorca, finishing by climbing to the castle/fortress standing guard on the highest peak on pristine Cabrera. Another group joined up in Valencia on week 2 for the semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Cup. 3 days on an 82-ft.spectator cat was a perfect platform to see Emirates Team New Zealand defeat Desafio Espanol and Italy’s Luna Rossa topple BMW Oracle, America’s only entry. And the winner of the Louis Vuitton...WAS….. New Zealand—at least in May!
Back in June for the America’s Cup, 78 of us filled Mundo Marino #5 again, docking out at 12:30, and sailing along with the racers as they practiced beforehand, breathtakingly close to these speed machines. Our aggressive skipper got us right on the edge of the box for the pre-race cat-and-mouse maneuvers. Steve Codraro wrote,”The skipper was a master of the ‘might makes right” school of navigation and positioned us perfectly for viewing.” WE WERE THERE!!!
At this moment we don’t know who, when, where, or what will be sailed for the 33rd America’s Cup. That’s decision is for Alinghi, who successfully defended the Cup beating the Kiwis 5-2 in very exciting races. Check the latest on scuttlebutt.com from Sailing World.