S/Y Silene -sailing around the world

All good

2009-11-30T12:51:00.002+01:00

Sorry about missing updates. Time has just passed so much quicker than expected :) We're enjoying landlife, although still not quite organized yet. However within the next two weeks we'll be moving into a rented flat and leave my mum will get her house back to herself. Jorn is in the proscess of negotiating for a good position in a company which has offices close by, and will hopefully start this week or next week. While applying for a "real" job, Jorn has been working as a temp. teacher, giving school kids a strict regime demanding hard work. Behind his back they call him "the genereal", but judging from all the drawings and presents they bring him, they're quite happy with his teaching-style :) I'm a full time student at the university, but due to the birth in early january, I won't get my exams until next year (2011). This means I'll be home with the baby for a while, without having earned any sort of financial support, so money is going to be tight for still another few years. We've had good training in managing on a budget by now, so it should be possible. My belly has grown to unimaginable propostions. Had no idea I could ever get this big, and still move (which I hardly can anymore :)). Wathcing the alianated big bump with tiny knees and feets moving around just under the skin is quite amusing. Do we miss cruising?? There are days where we miss parts of it; our friends, the freedom, beautiful places etc, but we're still thrilled to be back home. We've found that we actually like routines and find it nice to be in closer range of family and friends at home. Also we have a whole new adventure ahead of us with the baby coming, so we're very excited about the future. xxx E&J

High & dry

2009-08-25T17:35:00.002+02:00

"Silene" has been hauled out for the winter. Jorn invited his dad for a weekend with materials and tools, and within a day and a half, they'd built a perfect cradle. A mechanic has prosmised to service Faryman during the winter. Apparently he (the engine) may survive another few years :) I'm now a student again, enjoying it very much.... Jorn is job-hunting and trying to sort out all our belongings which were spread all over the country (and now all over my mum's house). Tummy is getting bigger and baby is moving -a lot :) All perfectly well!

Craving for attention

2009-08-09T18:18:00.002+02:00

Silene must have felt a bit left alone the last few weeks and decided to make bit of trouble to get our full attention again. Jorn was just getting everything ready for an after-summer-sail in the area when he discovered that one of the seacocks was badly damaged by corrosion (they were all new 2 years ago). He decided to close it to be on the safe side, but when doing so, the whole thing dissolved and the handle broke off... With a bit of help, a wetsuit and a wooden plug, he managed to seal the hole trough the hull. He keeps telling me he is confident it will hold, but I see him looking out the window all the time -too see if the mast is still upright and sticking up between the trees. So our most urgent project for tomorrow is to find out how and where to haul her out. As we're taking her out anyway, we might as well find a winter storage and work on the engine trough the winter. Seems like the dramas of cruising life is still with us, and believe it or not, it feels kind of nice (knowing it is not all over). Till next time E&J

Update

2009-08-08T09:10:00.004+02:00

Life ashore is good. Amazingly, summer is coming to an end, and we've been back a whole month already. It feels like we arrived yesterday. We've spent most of the time having catching up with family and friends. The rest of the time' we've been going trough our old stuff (clothing, furnitures etc) to decide what to keep and what to give away. Also, we're cleaning our my mums storage area -to make room for our own stuff ;) We're slowly adjusting to land life -meaning we're not saving water anymore, we go to bed AFTER 22, we struggle to get up early in the morning, we take showers every day, we eat fresh food, we drive cars for transportation etc. We even have separate e-mail adresses and mobile phone numbers. The weather has all summer been dominated by one big Low coming in after the other. Turns out that rushing home while weather was still calm, was a very good thing for us. Besides, living with mum all summer is less expensive than cruising Europe. We've startet the lenghty process of emptying Silene. A good load of equipment, sails, clothes, books, food etc has been taken out -and she's floating a lot higher now, looking real good (although a bit strange with all the gear on the stern). Jorn has planned to have another look at the engine today, so that we can take her out for a coastal sail next week. We're excited to feel the difference in performance sailing with several hundred kilos less load onboard. Job hunting is still slow as most companies still runs on holiday scedule. We had a routing ultrasound sceduled yesterday and were very excited to see the baby and maybe know wether it's a boy or a girl ;) To our dissapointment, hospital called up a few hours before our appointment and cancelled. Cause; sick midwife... Hopefully we'll get one next week. Wish you all a good weekend :)

Home, sweet home

2009-07-12T12:19:00.006+02:00

Saturday, 4. of July "Silene" sailed in the entrance to Lilleand harbour. Weather was fantastic, warm, sunny and with a nice breeze. We were met at the dock with happy greetings and homemade bread & strawberry jam. In the evenening, we enjoyed a good old-fashion BBQ with friends. The last few months have been going so fast... We raced trough the Med and even managed to put in a two week repair- stop in Mallorca. With extensive use of weather forecasts (faxes and e-mails), we sailed from Port Said in Egypt to Lagos in Portugal withouth getting any nasty westerlies (although we had to motorsail trough a few light ones). Our stops were nice. Except for morning sickness (baby due early January) and extensive engine- and hydraulic oil leaks, we had no problems. From Lagos to Dover, England, Jorn sailed non-stop with his brother as crew while I had a 10-days break from the sick-bucket in the comfort of landbased life at home. The boys had a nice trip and sailed/motorsailed along the Portugese coast and across the Bay of Biscay in light conditions and north-going current (according to the books, very unusual). Unfortunately, our spinnaker is now in two pieces, but the boys are claiming it was an accident and had nothing to do with sailing with too much canvas..... Our original plan was to sail to Irland and go trough the canals in Scotland, but with pelvic pain (due to pregnancy), going double handed trough the locks didn't seem like the best idea. We therefore decided to go trough the canal to Kiel and sail the east coast of Denmark. However, when I got back to Jorn and "Silene" in Dover, the forecast was excellent for a calm passage across the north sea, and we decided to go all the way to Lillesand in Norway. We did have a real good trip, a nice ending of our journey. Making the route back hom shorter proved to be a good decision, as Farrymann (our engine) now seems to have given up completely. The last few hours motoring, we spent more oil than diesel. We're not complaining though, as he's from -72 and has been doing a fantastic job helping Silene bring us safely aroud the world. "Silene" is in good shape, and does not look like she's just come home from a 31 000 mile voyage.... We'll haul-out to get some work done down below -and keep her for vacation- sailing along the Norwegian coast. As soon as we're a bit more organized, we'll sell off some of our cruising equipment, but for now we're busy looking for jobs, house etc. We'll keep on writing a blog to let you know how we're coping with "normality" again. But for now, we'll like to thank you all for keeping us company in our fantastic adventure. Till next time....

Ismailia< New photos published

2009-04-20T12:57:00.000+02:00

We had an exceptional sail from Hurghada to Suez last week. Took a few days to organize the first canal transit to Ismailia, where we're still waiting for good winds in the Med. Hopefully we'll be able to go soon. New photos published on our website today.

Red Sea cruising

2009-04-08T08:21:00.000+02:00

From Aden in yemen, we sailed trough the trait of Bab el Mandeb and north along the Eritrean coast in very strong winds from the SE. It was a fast ride, and we decided to keep going while the wind was in our favour. Our first stop was beautiful Khor Nawarat in Sudan. Since that, we’ve spent a lot of time wating for the weather, but the waiting paid off, and we had easy and comfortable hops up to Suakin (which was an amazing stop) and further on to Marsa Hamsiat. In Hamsiat, we were anchored in the middle of the desert, in very strong winds for 10-11 days before we were able to move on north. Crossing Foul Bay was (thankfully) an uneventful ”sail” in very light southerlies, flat seas and nice northgoing current. At this point we bacame a bit too anxious to keep going north and pushed on a bit too hard –to keep going to Hurghada in stead of stopping in Port Ghalib (as paperwork to check-in would take days –and we were scared of getting stuFrom Aden in yemen, we sailed trough the trait of Bab el Mandeb and north along the Eritrean coast in very strong winds from the SE. It was a fast ride, and we decided to keep going while the wind was in our favour. Our first stop was beautiful Khor Nawarat in Sudan. Since that, we’ve spent a lot of time wating for the weather, but the waiting paid off, and we had easy and comfortable hops up to Suakin (which was an amazing stop) and further on to Marsa Hamsiat. In Hamsiat, we were anchored in the middle of the desert, in very strong winds for 10-11 days before we were able to move on north. Crossing Foul Bay was (thankfully) an uneventful ”sail” in very light southerlies, flat seas and nice northgoing current. At this point we bacame a bit too anxious to keep going north and pushed on a bit too hard –to keep going to Hurghada in stead of stopping in Port Ghalib (as paperwork to check-in would take days –and we were scared of getting stuck there for another 10 days). Weather got rough and we paid off our pushing with a drowned engine (were litterly submerged for hours and water came in tough the ventilation for the fuel tank), broken engine mounting (now replaced with loading straps supporting the engine) and a crushed dodger (from a wave). We managed to get the engine working again after a few hours and diverted to Port Ghalib for rest and damage control. Paperwork did go a lot smoother than we’d feared and after 2 days, we were ready to go –and weather was good. We were rewarded with an easy passage in light southerlies to Hurghada were we are now in a marina for a few days. It is a treat to be able to walk on a dock, have fresh water, be able to buy fresh fruit and veggies etc. Love it. We’ll keep going –to Suez, when a weather window opens up again. Whether this can be done in one leg, or has to be done in shorter hops, will be a result of weather. ck there for another 10 days). Weather got rough and we paid off our pushing with a drowned engine (were litterly submerged for hours and water came in tough the ventilation for the fuel tank), broken engine mounting (now replaced with loading straps supporting the engine) and a crushed dodger (from a wave). We managed to get the engine working again after a few hours and diverted to Port Ghalib for rest and damage control. Paperwork did go a lot smoother than we’d feared and after 2 days, we were ready to go –and weather was good. We were rewarded with an easy passage in light southerlies to Hurghada were we are now in a marina for a few days. It is a treat to be able to walk on a dock, have fresh water, be able to buy fresh fruit and veggies etc. Love it. We’ll keep going –to Suez, when a weather window opens up again. Whether this can be done in one leg, or has to be done in shorter hops, will be a result of weather.

Red Sea next

2009-02-24T13:52:00.000+01:00

Mid January we started our passage from Thailand to Uligamo, Maldives. Passage was rough, but Uligamo was paradise. Spent two weeks enjoying crystal clear water there. Next passage was lovely (even though sailed trough sand storm last 2 days). Mostly perfect conditions and good moon light. Arrived Salalah, Oman after 10 days at sea. Salalah has been a delight. Have done several fantastic sightseeing trips by car, lots of food shopping (even have feta cheese here) and plenty of boat work. Leaving now (end-February) to go trough the Gulf of Aden and make our way up the Red Sea. As internet access is very limited in these areas, updates from our next adventures are published on Cruising Log. You can now also enjoy more photos from Thailand, plus photos from Uligamo and Oman.

Getting ready to leave

2009-01-04T07:57:00.002+01:00

We're preparing to leave thailand. At the moment, "Silene" is on the hard, having the bottom painted. Between coats this morning, we also had to get to the hospital as the skippers left lower jaw has expanded to about twice its size. The surgery site was apparently badly infected, but he got medication and should recover in a few days. Our thai-visas are about to expire, so preaparations will again be very buisy... Other than getting the boat back in the water, we'll have to stock up on gas, fuel, food and water (and all the other stuff we'll need for weeks at sea) before we can leave. We're excited about our next adventures, but sad to leave thailand.

Photos

2008-12-23T04:35:00.000+01:00

We've published new photos. Enjoy!

Thank you

2008-12-23T04:15:00.002+01:00

Thank you all for following our journey trough our websites. We appreciate your encouraging messages. Although the last year at times have been challenging, we've also had the most fantastic moments. Today, we're leaving the marina to find a nice, calm anchorage where we can enjoy beautiful Thailand beaches for the last few days of 2008 while preparing for new oceans. We'll keep you posted trough our "Cruising log". In the meantime we wish you all a wonderful Cristmas- and New Year celebrations.

Back "home"

2008-12-19T16:32:00.002+01:00

We just came back to Phuket and our loved floating home this afternoon. We've had a fantastic holiday with family at Ko Samet. It's been so nice and relaxing that coming back to the boat actually seemed a bit tough. I know many of you think of this journey as a long vacation. I can tell you otherwise. It is a very nice everyday-life, but a family vacation, without any worries about holding, weather ect. did real good. We now got the energy boost we needed to get health, boat and plans sorted to get moving early January. We have a lot of preparing to get on with, starting with food shopping and dental surgery tomorrow. We'll have to decide soon wether to visit India or the Maldives, as getting our Indian visas may take some time. Hopefully we'll make it out of the marina and to a nice anchorage before Christmas.

Krabi

2008-12-11T05:38:00.002+01:00

Were being real tourists, at Ao Nang beach, Krabi. Spending days at the beaches (Australian style -in the shade) and nights bargening for all kinds of stuff we need and don't need. The skipper is suspected to be buying stuff just for the fun of haggeling, not because he needs whatever he's buying. Spent yesterday kajaking in the mangrroves, trying our best to avoid having any monkeys jump into our kajak. Good trip. All in Krai town today. The old ones are shopping, we're trying to find smeone to make us a dinghy cover -cheap. Maybe we'll go to the Tiger cave temple later today. After a few more days here, we'll go by ferry and bus to Ko Samet via Bangkok. Looking forward to see my uncle and stay with him for a couple of days before going back to the boat.

Vacation

2008-12-07T14:21:00.002+01:00

Sorry about the late update. We've been very busy having visitors (spending most days in the shade on the beach -with a good book). It's been nice, but being in the boat and not working on projects all day feels a bit strange, like a constant guilt. We have been spending money on local health services -again. I spent a fortune getting migraine medicine..... it was so expensive, I could have travelled to Norway return for the same price. Jorn went to hospital yesteday to have two teeth surgically removed. With a sore jaw, lots of stiches and a bleeding mouth, he spent the night sitting in the sofa. Doing better today, telling himself that, at least, the procedure was cheap compared to home. He's up for more surgery in two weeks. Plans had to change because of the trouble in Bangkok, so our trip north is cancelled. Instead, we're all going to Krabi tomorrow. We'll stay there a few days before moving on to Ko Samet to visit my uncle. We'll be back in the boat in about two weeks. So long!

Playing safe

2008-11-28T08:45:00.000+01:00

As situation in Bangkok is tense at the moment, we’ve decided to cancel our Bangkok stay next week. This means that our two week central- and north Thailand journey is not happening (and probably not our Andaman Island- or India stop as we were getting visas in Bangkok). We have not yet decided what to do instead. Hopefully, our planned visit to my uncle in Ko Samet, in a few weeks, will go as planned. Meanwhile, my mum and Rolf are enjoying days at a five star beach resort (with us hanging around for a glimpse of luxury). We’ve hired a cheap car, so we can easily travel between the marina and the reseort, and go sightseeing around Phuket. Yesterday we did a day trip of combined sightseeing and boatbits-collecting (meaning that e.g. a sail loft was one of our visited sights). Today, we’re in the marina, getting work done (can’t play every day), so we can take our visitors out sailing.

She looks great

2008-11-24T10:26:00.003+01:00

Silene is now proudly shining as for the first time ever, everything; hull, deck, stainless and interior, have been given a proper shine-up. I mean, things have been done before, but not all at once. She looks good. We have filled 18 cardboard boxes plus bicycle, surfboard, bodyboard and guitar (and some other stuff) which we are hoping to get sent by ship. It is easy to imagine how we've had a stowing problem with all this onboard. It is still lots still onboard, but at least we can spot the sofas and the bunks now. If we get into rough weather now (which we're hoping not to), at least we don't have to worry about getting hit by hundreds of flying objects down below. Our jerry jugs has been on a three day SPA treatment getting relieved of all dirty muddyish slam that came with the fuel in Indo. We've spent a whole day trying to decide wether to galvanise our rusty anchor chain or not. Our budget was screaming at the thought, so the project has been put on hold. Mum and Rolf are arriving today. We've hired a cheap car (got a deal trough friends here) so we can juggle easier between working on boat projects and being tourists with them. We were hoping to take them out for a sail, but Jørn has found a wrecked seal between the exhaust elbow and the manifoil -on the diesel engine. We're looking for something to make a new seal of. Weather is not too good for vacation, but perfect for boat work. I even felt cold at one point today (but I was told not to say this to anything to people at home).....

Getting sorted

2008-11-21T05:42:00.001+01:00

No haul-out for Silene before Christmas, but we have booked a travel lift to take our out 2nd of January. We have to leave Thailand before the 10th, but there should be enough time.

Have spent the last few days going through all lockers etc and sort out what to keep and what to get shipped back to Norway. We thought this would take us a few hours, but so far we've spent three days -and we're still not trough everything. The amount of stuff we have onboard is unbelievable. Shipping items are not a budget-friendly project, but something we had to do. With help from friends in Norway we got a deal that was not too bad. Yesterday, however, we were offered the best deal of all. A swedish couple has offered to bring our stuff in their container :) They also have a car here in the marina, and are taking us to the supermarket for provisioning today. We are very happy.

Yesterday, we went to Karon beach to meet norwegian friends. It was great to meet them and we had a very nice day.

All good here in the chaos on board.

Thailand

2008-11-18T07:52:00.002+01:00

Silene arrived Phuket, Thailand about a week ago. Since then we've been spending time on local buses (although more time waiting for them), visited hospital to fix infection on Eli's foot, had a few fantastic thai meals, been looking for good canned food (never giving up on that), bought and mounted a track for our try-sail, picked up a new storm jib, bought new cables for the fridge -and cruised Phang Nga bay sorrounded by spectacular limestone islands. The islands have fantastic caves and hongs which are amazing to explore by dinghy. It's been a good few first days in thailand. Now, trying to sort out jobs on the list before leaving Silene for a few weeks when going travelling inland.

Langkawi

2008-11-04T08:08:00.003+01:00

We're currently at anchor in Bass Harbour, Langkawi. Although there are more than a hundred islands in this group, many of them well worth exploring, we've only been here on the main island so far. Yesterday, we toured the island on hired motorbikes, which was good fun. We were in company with Inga and Johan on the yacht Adriatica. It is a beautiful island. We would love to sail to the north side of the island, but the swell is coming right in to the anchorages there now. Lankawi is tax-free, and for me: a chocolate heaven. Here, you can get Dajm, Toblerone, M & M .... you name it. Had 300 grams of chocolate for lunch two days ago... Sailing the Malaysian coast did not turn out the way we hoped. With terrible weather, rough sailing and a lot less inland travel than planned (mainly because the weather was so bad we could not get in anywhere), I guess we did not get to see very much of what Malaysia has to offer. Maybe next time. Now, we're looking forward to exploring Thailand. We plan to arrive Phuket mid November and leave Silene in a marina for a few weeks while doing some inland travel with family. Hopefully, there will also be plenty of time to cruise around the many beautiful islands in the area. We also plan to do a quick routine haul out in Phuket, so we will not get bored. Plenty of stuff to do. Sometime in January, we'll jump to the Maldives or to India on our way to the Red sea. Still, any definite plan or route has not been made, but we'll try to keep you posted. As internet connections seems to be quite bad in many of the places we visit, this blog is not updated every day. For latest news, check our "cruising log" from which we also can keep you posted while sailing. See you there.

Beautiful Bali

2008-09-19T06:37:00.002+02:00

We've spent almost two months in Indonesia now. Some parts of cruising here we love, other parts are a bit harder to live with (like official stuff: rules and regulations, we do not understand them). Other than that we've found beautiful unspoiled anchorages, friendly Indonesians and stunning, dramatic nature. Sailing in light winds and flat seas has been nothing but a pleasure, having our spinnaker up most of the time. We've had a fear bit of infections and upset stomach, and Jorn got very sick from Amoebic dysentery, but all is well now. We are awaiting our passports which should have come back 5 days ago (from a visa extension process). If any luck with passports today, we'll head north tomorrow. Have not decided where though, but hoping to be in Singapore in not too long.

Indonesia next

2008-07-24T04:28:00.002+02:00

We are ready to leave.... soon. Once again we got the Panama-disease (expensive illensss, symptoms: must buy food, drinks and toilet paper until the boat almost sinks). As if people does not eat where we're going. Besides being expensive, shopping also had also challenges here: getting everything out to the boat. GEtting to and from the boat can be a thrilling and wet journey. Depending on weather it takes us from 10 to 30 minutes. Everything had to be wrapped in plastic bags to keep dry. On low tide dinghy (and all the stuff we have in it) has to ba carried about 150-200 meters on the beach. Luckily, the sailing club have a few trolleys tht can be used to get dinghys to or from the water. Today we're doing our last shopping. Tomorrow is public holiday, so not much can be done. We'll clean up in the boat and get ready to sail Saturday morning. Weather looks good. We are very excited. Follow our journey through Indonesia on our Cruising log.

Darwin

2008-07-16T04:47:00.002+02:00

A new part of our journey is about to start. We've had a great time here in Australia (despite illness and hospital visits). The trip north from Brisbane provided mostly fantastic sailing conditions in strong winds, protected from the big ocean swells by the great barrier reef. Now, we're enjoying Darwin and surroundings and with a bit of luck we'll have time to visit one of the national parks nearby before we leave. We have already done a lot of of boat projects, but the list is still long. Provisioning involves carrying, bus and a long dinghy-ride. Not a problem, but it all takes time. Departure from Darwin is planned the 26. of July.The sail to Kupang in West-Timor will probably take between 4 and 6 days, depending on winds. As we are going with the rally, there will be plenty of boats around, even though we suspect most of them are a lot faster than us. As the next couple of months will be spent in the islands of Indonesia, internet connection will be slow, or non-existing, updates on our website will be done mainly on our Cruising Log. Keep following us there. Till next time ...... E&J

Moving soon

2008-04-22T03:03:00.004+02:00

Weather is now perfect for moving, but as always when we've been somewhere for a while -it takes forever to get ready to leave again. We didn't make it out today, but will make it tomorrow. Thursday we'll head north -and expect to cross wide bay bar Friday morning. Then we'll spend a few days around Fraser Island before continuing north. You can check our whereabouts on our cruising log (found as link on left side of front page on our website www.silene.no) xxx E&J

Climbing, the flu and IKEA

2008-04-19T04:33:00.001+02:00

We'still enjoying life living "in" botanical garden here in Brisbane. Lots of cruiser-friends have arrived this week, some of them we haven't seen since Bora Bora. We all seem to have the same overall plan -head north to Darwin and go to Indonesia.

I've had the flu this week -for the first time in years. With fever, swollen head and tight chest it was excellent to be in a shltered river-anchorage and not on any offshore passage. Joern is healthy as always.

We've finally had a chance to do some sports climbing again. It was fantastic to get started after all this time- although balance and mental state (fear) gave us both a bit of a battle.

Yesterday we were inspired by the scandinavian armada in the anchorage -and went to IKEA. It was the cheapest IKEA trip we ever had. Not even IKEA had anything we could afford to buy..

It seems like it was a very good decision to wait out the weather here in the river. Within a few days now, the wind and seas are forecasted to decrease. The way it looks at the moment, we might head north Tuesday.

Xxx E&J

Waiting in Brisbane river

2008-04-12T03:15:00.002+02:00

Our planned departure from Brisbane seems to be more and more delayed. We just checked next weeks weather and as it looks like no fun out there after monday morning, we 've decided to stay here in the river until a window opens up...maybe in a week or so. xxx E&J

We're off

2008-04-09T12:16:00.001+02:00

Summer is clearly over. The temperature at nighttime has decreased a lot lately and we’re freezing cold -although it is normally 27 degrees during the day. It is time to head north and find hot weather again. I went to see my friend, the doctor, again yesterday and had a sunspot frozen off. My skin has been checked over and over again –and everything should be fine now. The doctor was saying that I’ve been there often enough for people to suspect us having an affair, so he agreed it was time for us to leave now ;) The last few days we’ve been in Brisbane visiting cruising friends we had not seen since Grenada. At the time there was just two of them. Now they are three. David, Caylie and lovely little Will just moved back to Brisbane. It was great to get a chance to catch up- and meet Will. We hope to meet them all again in Norway when we get there. Although we still have bits and pieces of boatwork to do, we have never been more prepared than now –so we’re leaving tomorrow. We haven’t yet decided how long our first leg will be, but will let the weather decide tomorrow. Can’t wait to get out there and do some cruising again. Till next time.....E&J

Byron Bay

2008-03-13T08:54:00.003+01:00

As some friends here in the marina were headed down to Byron Bay by car last week, we decided to join them. Jorn got surf board for Christmas, but with everything that has been happening, there haven't been any time trying it. So, while Jorn tried the surf in Byron Bay, I tried my best to stay out of the sun -not being able to even go for a swim due to stitches. With lots of nice coffee shops -and other shops, keeping in the shade was quite enjoyable :) We slept three nights in the cheapest backpackers place we could find. There were plenty of Scandinavians there. If someone back in Scandinavia wonder where they all went, the young blonds -they are in Byron Bay.......Even though Byron Bay was great, it was nice to get on the bus and head home to the boat. Jorn was supposed to help a South-African skipper with repairing a damage on his keel this week. However, the damage was a lot worse than expected and the keel had taken a lot of water -and needs to dry before it can be fixed (you see, we're not the only ones with boat problems now and then). I am doing the last window today -finally. Jorn still works on the sewing machine -making a cover for our jib. We finally managed to find out when Easter is -and have found a very cheap room at the foot of the Glasshouse Mountains -for Easter holiday :) As always, we'll be in the mountains - even though snow is probably going to be absent this year. Health issues seems to be sorted for now, even though the whole ordeal has been very scary. A few more moles had to be cut out last week. Test results came out fine, so I am very happy. For the first time in 5 weeks I am now without any stitches :) Follow-ups have to be done every 3 to 6 months, but we will be able to sort that out on our way. Till next time E&J

Ups and downs

2008-03-03T08:23:00.002+01:00

Cruising -as life itself- can be quite a dram sometimes. After being back on the dock here in the marina, we had a couple of weeks working on different small projects on the boat. Joern had our new diesel tank fitted -a job that involved a bit of rebuilding and plastering. We've sanded down and varnished all the floorboard and the galley. In between projects I went to see a doctor due to an infection in my finger. He decided a suspicious mole on my chest had to be biopsied immediately. Four days later I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, locally spread.. I needed surgery and the doctor suggested to have it here in Oz, not to loose any time. I had surgery just a few days later, and now the wound is healing fine. It has been two weeks and the last stitches are planned to be taken out tomorrow. Surgery was successful and all tissue taken out had good margins of healthy tissue around. I still need to see the doctor a few more times concerning healing of the scar. As they had to take out a fair bit of tissue, the skin now feels very tight, but they say it'll stretch. I also need follow ups to check that melanoma doesn't reoccur any other places. I should be ready so that we can sail in a few weeks time. Despite my skin obviously being a bit sensitive to the sun, we've chosen to continue cruising -we are, after all, only half way around the world. With new UV-protective clothing, hats and liters of sunscreen lotion, we're being a lot more careful with the sun. This has all been a shock, but we have to be happy I was diagnosed in time -and not be afraid to follow our dreams even when there are obstacles. While waiting for my wound to heal, we are doing more jobs on the boat. She is in a really good shape for cruising now. Just a few more weeks -and we'll be out there again. Until then xxx

Splashed

2008-01-24T13:12:00.000+01:00

Silene is now back where she belongs -on water. We're happy about all the projects we got done, and rudder- and skeg-job looks good. While waiting for high tide tomorrow around noon, we're still at the fuel dock. Lots of other (smaller) projects have to be done, but we'll try to get some camping done in between jobs. E&J

Repairs progressing

2008-01-20T08:03:00.000+01:00

New plate and bolts are now in place in the skeg. The crack in the skeg itself is to be fixed tomorrow if weather holds. Crossing fingers as being on the hard is costing us a fortune every day. Silene is now polished and have got two layers of new antifouling, three along the waterline. We've got all sorts of small jobs done on rudder and hull. Within a few days she'll be as good as new. Can't tell how happy we are, not to have headed to NZ this season. No way would the rudder have been able to hang on during even the smallest storm. Two new catalogs of pictures are now published on our web page. Have a look.

New year - new problems

2008-01-14T04:00:00.000+01:00

"Silene" was hauled out today. And we've got some new challenges to work on. Among lots of small damages caused by things floating in the water and our grounding in Fiji, we discovered that our rudder was totally loose. The new plate they made for us in Portugal to support the rudder and hold it to the skeg-was not holding in any of the four attachments anymore (won't even tell you how much we paid for that job). And even worse, the skeg is broken (at the top where it comes down from the hull). Well, major work is to be done -and I guess we should consider our selves lucky -we didn't loose the rudder on passage. We don't know how to deal with this yet, but will keep you posted. E&J

Holiday is over

2008-01-12T06:25:00.000+01:00

Our guests have left the country -and we're back on the boat. No more car, shopping, hotels, appartments or restaurants. Well, chrismas holiday can't last forever -and we had a fantastic time. We got to see a lot of the country (although it seems you can never see it all -it is relly huge) and spendtime with family -and friends. We (meaning Joern) are already working on a few of the many boat projects we need to get done before leaving for Indonesia. For the last few days I've tried out one of the Australian stomach viruses (not reccommended) so I can't say I've been of any help at all. We've ordered a new glass window for the stove, and hopefully we'll get a new fueltank that fits sometime soon. Everything we need for our "hauling out week" next week is already onboard. Hope you've all had wonderful xmas and new year celebrations. Till next time E&J

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T12:26:00.000+01:00

Happy New Year everyone! We had a fantastic new years eve at Mc Mahons Pt with great view over Sydney Harbour Bridge and the city itself. Our Sydney stay is already coming to an end and we are heading north tomorrow. We are not sure where to stop, but Newcastle is a possibility. Hope you all had a great New Year celebration -and wish you all a happy new year. Till next time E&J

Road trip in the Queensland Outback

2007-12-21T13:57:00.000+01:00

We've been on the road the last couple of days, trying to get a small impression of the outback. Among the places we visited were, Charleville, Longreach, Emerald, Rockhampton, Caloundra, Surfers Paradise. Stockmens hall of fame and australia agriculture college were some of the best . Today we arrived Sydney. I will not tell you how long this road trip has been -I am evidently far better at planning passages at sea. After having had long legs in the pacific, 12 hours in a car didn't seem long at all. Well, now I know it is (and I didn't even drive). We have had a blast, but are now looking forward to our 12 days long stay here in a huge apartment on Bondi Beach close to Sydney. E&J

Visit from Norway

2007-12-11T13:17:00.000+01:00

We've been working hard trying to get some of our boat-projects started. Some projects (like ordering parts for changing the fore stay) are going well, while others are a bit stalled. Our fuel tank needs to be replaced, and we can't afford to have a new one made here. We found another on Internet, but when we called the store, they told us they would need 4 months to deliver...We'll have to work out something else. Other boat projects have been put on hold for a while as we are picking up our Norwegian-visit at the airport tomorrow. We'll be driving around -ending up in Sydney for Christmas. The 26th we'll be seeing off our Mexican friends on "Iataia" -sailing the Sydney-Hobart Race. E&J

Scarborough Marina

2007-12-07T00:27:00.000+01:00

After a few days of recovery after our Lake McKenzie hike on Fraser Island (we haven't even had shoes on for a year, and we walked 28 kilometers in hiking boots -in sand), we spent a few more days getting down the Great Sandy Strait. Weather and tide was perfect for crossing the Wide Bay Bar early morning and we had a nice sail in light winds down to Mooloolaba where we spent a week. A friend from Norway and his australian mate came to visit and we had a great time. Another nice sail in light winds brought us down to Moreton Island -with beautiful beaches and old ship wrecks -perfect for snorkeling. However, Christmas and visit from Norway was getting closer every day, so December 1. we arrived here in Scarborough marina. We're now working on the boat, trying to make the most out of being on a dock with water and electricity. We went on a very short visit to Brisbane City the other day, and can't wait to spend more time there. First we'll need to get averything organized for Eli's mum and brother -arriving here the 12.

Kingfisher Bay, Fraser Island

2007-11-18T07:35:00.000+01:00

Sunday 18/11 at 15:45
We just dropped our anchor outside Fraser Island; the worlds largest sandy
island -and one of the rare places where one can find rainforest growing on
sand. They say this is paradise. We'll do the Fraser Island Great Walk
tomorrow and find out.

We didn't feel very motivated when waking up at 03:45 this morning. Seas
were rolling up the river, and rain was pooring down. After an hour of
desiding and redesiding we headed out anyway. After a while the sky
cleared -and after the first few hours, the seas calmed a lot. We had to
motorsail all day due to headwinds, but managed pretty OK speed with just a
few tacks. We dropped anchor here in Kingfisher Bay just in time before the
current would turn against us. We've had a good day;)

Cyclone Guba

2007-11-17T03:22:00.000+01:00

The cyclone Guba is at the moment situated about 250 miles offshore the Australian north-east coast. We are off course happy to have arrived Australia without being threatened by any cyclones before we got here. It is not very likely that Guba will come as far south as we are. After more than two weeks of waiting for anything else than SE winds here in Bundaberg, we've kind of given up waiting. Tomorrow we'll give it a go even though 15-20 SE/E are forecasted (the entire next week is going to be worse). The shallow water here sets up very choppy seas (not too high but only a few second between). And additionally there is the tidal current -which is a no win situation: either you get counter current -or you get the current against the waves -none are very good alternatives for keeping boatspeed high (or rather keeping boatspeed at all :)) All the waiting has been good for "Silene" -she's been washed, scrubbed and polished and is as shiny as ever. Everyone keep saying that people normally only get this carried away whenever they're selling the boat -but obviously we did (get carried away). Now there's nothing left to polish and we're more than ready for a change of scenery. We're crossing fingers that we'll make it all the way to Kinfishers Resort anchorage on Fraser island tomorrow. If it's too horrible we'll turn around and go back to Bundaberg (at leat then we'll have a good sail back)

Still in Bundaberg

2007-11-07T23:54:00.000+01:00

We're still in Bundaberg. Waiting for a change in weather before we are heading to Fraser Island nad further south. Meanwhile we are trying to organize life again. Paying bills, managing insurance covers e.g. Jorn is hleping out on another boat on the hard for a few days. Haven't seen any cute jumping animals yet, but almost stepped on an ugly snake the other day. Almost scared me to death (at least into the water at the end of the dock). Life is good E&J

In Australia -after the best sail ever

2007-11-02T02:45:00.000+01:00

We are safe and sound in Bundaberg, Australia. Arrived last night after
having covered 1300 miles in 7 and a half day -which is pretty good for us
(average of 6 knots).

Weather was fantastic all the way. Had sun and a good breeze of 12-18 knots
on the stern/quarter every day. And the best: sea was not even near
uncomfortable. Finally we chose a good window. Had the best sail ever!

It was however awfully sad that Bill (Aquantique) hit a reef in grand
passage and had to be rescued by helicopter. Made us feel sick -and really
really sad. He was so close to home -and finishing off his circumnavigation.
He'd also had a lot of rough passages lately -and when finally getting a
good window..... well we're glad he's ok. It all makes you think...

We arrived Bundaberg last night in dark (very easy entrance) -and at 9 this
morning we were already checked in. Very nice and efficient authorities
here. We'll spend some time here -and then move slowly down the coast
(Frazer island is supposed to be beautiful). Expecting to arrive Scarborough
around 1. of dec.

Had a bit of shock yesterday after getting in. Were warming up a pizza -and
the glass in the oven exploded...... Luckily we were not in front of it and
were not hit by all the pieces of glass. Guess we need a new oven now.....

Well. we're off for a party. Glad to be in Australia.

Still in Port Vila

2007-10-24T03:10:00.000+02:00

We were all ready to go, but the wind turned westerly (pretty much on the
nose) and the seas have picked up -it's even rough in the habour today. Some
boats left yesterday, a few came back -but most of us are still waiting.
We'll give it another try tomorrow.

Next stop Bundaberg

2007-10-22T22:59:00.000+02:00

We woke up at 5:30 this morning realizing that the weather finally changed.
The sky is once again blue -and the winds are calmer. A few boats left
already -and the rest of us are getting ready. We'll head out this evening
or tomorrow morning. Forecasts are looking good for the next few days (very
light winds, but we like light), so we're crossing fingers.

Till next time

Stuck in Port Vila

2007-10-22T06:15:00.000+02:00

We are getting washed away here in Port Vila, waiting for a window to do the
jump all the way to Bundaberg. Rain is pouring down, and there is no way
anyone could get me out at sea in this weather. One boat came in last night
having had 40 knots of wind and 5 meters breaking seas the three last days.

A few boats did leave today, all the rest of us are thinking they must have
a special interest in really nasty conditions. Experts are telling boats to
delay departure to Friday (or later), our patience is saying we should have
left days ago...

Every day we're stocking up water, groceries, fruit & vegetables -and
checking weather, finding out there's no way we're off today -and therefore
have to do it all again next day. Already did my shopping today, and now
we're off to the internet cafe to check weather again.

Till next time :)

Yachts robbed in Port Vila

2007-10-20T05:33:00.000+02:00

We (and a bunch of other sailing vessels) are waiting for a good window to
go to Australia. None of the rally boats have left Port Vila yet -due to
strong vinds, heavy rain and very rough seas. Maybe next week?? Meanwhile
sailors are now starting to worry about safty after three yachts recently
have been robbed while tied up to one of the mooring balls. Tonight they are
starting to patrol the area to increase security for visiting yachts.

Port Vila has been a great stop. We've done a lot of sightsseing -and have
also got a bit time to relax and do small jobs on the boat. Now, we're
crossing fingers for a nice passage to Bundaberg -whenever we find it good
to go.

Exploring Efate

2007-10-13T03:53:00.000+02:00

We're enjoying days here in Port Vila -and have been quite a lot around the
last few days. At Hideaway Island we posted postcards at the worlds only
under water post office!! The small island also provided good "snorkeling".

Yesterday we went on a guided tour around Efate, and visited villages,
tasted Melanesian food and saw traditional Melanesian dancing. Last night
we went to a show of juggling (I think that's the word for it) with flames
and horses (yep). The nature on the island is stunningly nice and green.

Well, as we are leaving for Australia next week, it is time to start giving
Silene attention again -and make sure she is well prepared for the passage.

Doesn't feel like vacation

2007-10-07T05:49:00.000+02:00

I met some norwegians on vacation in Fiji last week. They were very envious
of our trip and thought it sounded wonderful -"to be on vacation for three
years" as they put it. Well, I'll tell you that this certainly does not
always feel as vacation to mee. Although we love the experiences and
challenges the trip gives us -the last week brought quite a bit of
"excitement".

Out last week:
We wanted to leave Fiji (for Vanuatu) on monday -due to weather. It seemed
like if we didn't leave monday -or tuesday, next window woudn't come until a
week later. Captain was down with food poisoning on sunday. We had to check
out from Lautoka and had wind on the nose going up to Lautoka -and then down
again. Couldn't make it to the pass on monday because of strong winds on the
nose -and had to anchor midway. Hit a reef or coral head next morning going
out of tha anchorage. Had to re-anchor to check for damage. Luckily there
was no damage, speed was very slow as we were uncertain where to go as one
sea marker obvoiusly was gone.

We got the anchor up again and haeaded for the pass again. Winds were strong
but we finally decided to go at this seemed like the best we could get for a
long time. The passage was not bad, but not confortable at all. We were
fighting counter current and rain and had strong winds and very confused
seas. Boat is however coping excellent in all conditions -so no problems
other than us getting a bit sea sick, wet, tired and unconfortable.

After what felt like a battle against time -and seas- we made it in to Port
Vila within daylight saturday (after 4 days and 3 hours making 473
miles -due to current). We got the very best welcome ever -by Coconut- who
brought warm burgers, cold beer and fresh bread to our boat.

As it is weekend -and we're not cleared by quaranteene, we're not allowed to
leave the boat -but are enjoing being at anchor. Luckily we got internet
access time form a boat that left today, so we're able to update everyone.

So -although we're having a great time- it sure doesn't always feel like
vacation -but more like a life with higher ups -and sometimes low lows
compared with the "safe and confortable" lifes we know from home.

E&J

Continuing west

2007-09-29T23:16:00.000+02:00

We're about to move on -and after having checked out from Lautoka tomorrow, we'll head towards Vanuatu. The distance is 520 nautical miles and weater looks good for the coming week. Crossing fingers. Till next time E&J

Lautoka -marina life

2007-09-27T03:29:00.000+02:00

After a week in Suva, enjoying the exciting city and getting our one-year-multiple-entry visa for Australia, we headed west. We had a very thrilling sail in bad weather with poorly detailed charts but got here safely a few days ago. We had to go to Lautoka to check in again, but are now at Vuda point -in a marina.

Since Las Palmas, we've only spent 5 days in marina, so this is quite luxcurious for us. We have to use our time here well, so today were washing clothes, boat, ropes -and all you can think of. Internet is free in the cafe -so trying to get some updates done as well :)

We plan to head for Vanuatu within the next weater window -hopefully in a few days. From Vanuatu we'll go to Bundaberg in Australia -as partipicants in the Port2Port rally. After checking in in Bundaberg, we'll sail south to Scarborough where we plan to stay for two months. Futher plans are not yet made -easier to see once we get there :)

Until next time E&J

Finally in Fiji

2007-09-13T05:44:00.000+02:00

We arrived Suva yesterday morning after a really nice trip. Our waiting in Tonga payed off and we had nice winds, not too much seas -and sunshine all the way. We even got to fly the spinnaker for two days. The last 20 hours, wind and seas picked up to around 20, seas got a bit choppy, but was not too bad. Once we got into the anchorage here, winds and seas picked up and got really nasty. So this time we were lucky.

We are running around like crazy to get all the papers and stuff we need for our visa application to get into Australia. Will take a few days, so we'll stay here for a little while.

Suva is nice. They have the best fruit market ever -and a movie theater. Food is excellent and not too expensive.

Harbor sickness in Tonga

2007-09-07T00:33:00.000+02:00

We're still waiting for a weather window for our jump over to Fiji. We're
happy about our last decision to stay put, cause the last week has been very
windy (30-50 knots) and rainy. At least we have our water tanks filled up by
all the rain.

Several boats are waiting to get to Fiji, and it seems like we've all caught
a bit of harbor sickness. Everyone had bad trips coming here, and are now
scared to have to face the same winds and seas again. We all want a
comfortable passage -and it doesn't seem very easy to get one.

After 9 days of waiting, we are getting a bit impatient, and as the weather
for the next few days doesn't look too bad (but not too good either), we'll
probably set off tomorrow morning. We are waiting for the internet to come
back on after being down all day (caused by a small earth crake nearby).

When we leave we'll keep on reporting positions on our "cruising log".

Since we have been delayed here, we decided not to go to Savu savu (Fiji N).
We're now heading for Suva (Fiji S) where we can get our visas for
Australia. After Fiji, we'll go to Vanuatu -and we might join a rally from
Vanuatu to Bundaberg.

Next season we're looking at sailing to Indonesia and Singapore -and end up
in the Red Sea and Med. Well it's all far ahead, so for now we should
probably focus on getting to Fiji :)

E&J

Photos

2007-09-01T03:45:00.000+02:00

Still enjoying Tonga. More friends are arriving -and we're having a great
time. Seari arrived yesterday. We though we wouldn't meet them again so that
was a really nice surprise. We are getting buckets and rain collectors ready
for the heavy weather and rain coming tomorrow or Monday. New photos have
been published in Galapagos III, Bora Bora and Tonga.

Staying another week

2007-08-29T11:48:00.000+02:00

Due to strong wind warnings and rough seas in both Tongan- and Fiji waters,
we decided not to go for Fiji yet. It seems like we have to wait for a week
or more. Luckily this place has a lot to offer :) E&J

Cruising in Vava'u

2007-08-27T22:59:00.000+02:00

The last week, we've been enjoying the beautiful surroundings and inshore
waters of Vava'u. After being hit quite hard on our way to Tonga, it has
been very nice to be able to sail for an hour or two between
anchorages -inshore- with no big seas. We've snorkeled, seen more whales,
followed tracks in the bush -and had BBQ on beaches. We also found that the
people living on the small islands around here appreciate tinned meat more
than we do at the moment -so quite a few boxes moved out of the boat and got
new homes :)

At the moment we're back in town to check out and fuel up while waiting for
a window for doing the jump over to Fiji. There is a chance tomorrow, but it
is going to be windy in just a few days (before we arrive Fiji) -so we are
discussing whether to go or wait......

While waiting -and deciding- we're enjoying being here :)
E&J

Swimming with whales

2007-08-19T06:45:00.000+02:00

We had the most amazing experience today -on whale watching with "Whales in
the wild". We saw a mother with a 3-4 days old calf. The mother was about
10-12 meters in length. We were allowed to swim with them -and the female
whale let us come really close. It was so fantastic to see them under
water -and being so near them. I've (Eli) been working on my courage all
week -and am so happy that I did it. What a day :) Hope we got some good
photos.
E&J

Kingdom of Tonga

2007-08-15T05:57:00.000+02:00

We arrived Neiafu in the Vava'u island group, Kingdom of Tonga yesterday
afternoon just in time to do check-in before authorities closed for the day.
We're on a mooring ball in the harbor for the next few days -and will next
spend a while in some of the many anchorages on the small islands around.
Luckily, we met some nice guys from NZ yesterday. They were leaving -and
left us charts and cruising guide for all the anchorages. Perfect for us.

The 1364 nautical miles from Bora Bora took us 11 days and started off quiet
and easy with light winds. In fact the winds were so light we had to go far
north to find a bit more of it. After a few days though, we found plenty.
After days in force 6 and 7, having seas of 12-18 feet -we were hit by a
storm that came out of nowhere and lasted for 16 hours. We'd been
downloading weather twice a day -and nothing warned us of that storm, which
gave us wind on the nose.. However, after the storm, we got excellent
conditions and cruised the last days in to Tonga doing 6 knots in average.
The boat coped excellent in all conditions on our passage (as always) and we
had no problems (other than running out of Tim Tams).

We were very happy to arrive in time to celebrate our wedding anniversary,
only to discover, that the 13. of august had disappeared and it was the 14.
in Tonga. We completely forgot about crossing the timeline on our way (we
kept Tahitian time on the crossing to keep track of all the nets and radio
meetings). Well, we'll celebrate a bit anyway.

We've changed cyclone season plans a bit -and are now heading for Australia.
On our way there we plan to go to Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia as well.

-Silene in Tonga -loving it

Leaving French Polynesia

2007-08-01T08:46:00.000+02:00

After wonderful days here at beautiful Bora Bora, we are ready to head
further west. Due to instability in weather further south, our original plan
on going to Rarotonga has been cancelled. Instead we are heading for
Suvarrow, which gives us a northerly route towards Tonga.

Although very windy, our stay here at Bora Bora has been nice.We've climbed
the highest mountain and been around the island -both by hitch-hiking and by
bikes. The panoramic view from the top of the mountain made us realize how
beautiful Bora Bora actually is. Anchoring outside the yacht club has been a
social event and a good chance of saying goodbye to everyone heading in
other directions than we are.

Would love to stay longer, but it's time to move again.
E&J

Bora Bora

2007-07-27T20:57:00.000+02:00

After a lovely spinnaker sail from Tahaa/Raiatea, Silene arrived Bora Bora
the 21. of July. We are currently anchored outside the yacht club, in about
75 feet of water. This is really to deep for us, and we had to extend our 60
meter chain with rope. This weekend is forecasted to be very windy, so we
might leave for a more shallow anchorage soon.

Most cruising boats go to Bora Bora on their way towards Cook Islands and
Tonga, so we've met a lot of boats here. A lot of them we know -and some we
haven't met before.

We climbed a mountain here a few days ago, and got the most amazing view. It
is easy to see why some find this Island to be the most beautiful island of
the Society Islands -and maybe in the entire Pacific. Now, three days later,
we're all still suffering from sore arms and legs -and painful knees. But it
was absolutely worth it. We are now still exploring the island, mainly by
walking or hitch-hiking.

There is a weather system passing this weekend, so we'll stay put for a few
days, hoping that the anchor has digged in sufficiently. After that, we'll
let the weather decide whether to stay here longer, or to head west. Our
next "main destination" will be Tonga, but if conditions are good, we'll
stop at Rrotonga and Niuie on our way there.

E&J

Leaving Tahiti

2007-07-07T08:12:00.000+02:00

We are still at Tahiti Yacht Club (not in Papeete, but a few miles east,
just west of
Venus point). And it was excellent getting in here -it has been flat
calm -even with 25 knots blowing on the maeva beach anchorage. It is a
private yacht club, but when the locals are on vacations with their boats,
visitors are welcome to rent their berths or mooring balls. The guys who
runs tha YC have been fantastic to us. They phoned around, helping us to get
everything fixed on the boat -and made a space at the dock for us for having
the rigger to se our boat. We were in the marina for a day -and then moved
out on a mooring ball to save money. Lovely to have fresh water, hot shower,
internet -and a huge supermarked close by :)

Now, we've been here a week, and we have already got our two new
shrouds -and have got our VHF fixed (broke as soon as we got in here). The
overheating was due to a broken impeller, so the engine Jørn could fix
himself. Now, everything is working fine -and we've got a million jobs done
while being here. City life is, however a bit expensive for us -so even
though Papeete is nice, we'll leave for Moorea tomorrow. Hopefully we can
get some more hiking done there -without having to go to far by bus or car
just to get near the mountains. We hope to do all the society islands on our
way to Bora Bora.

Tahiti Yacht Club

2007-07-02T00:12:00.001+02:00

We are now anchored outside Tahiti Yacht Club after a horrible crossing from
Fakarava. A frontal system passed the area two dayse earlier than predicted
and we were getting slammet for the last 50 hours of the crossing. Strong
headwinds (20-35 knots) and violent squalls (with heavy showers and 50
knots) made the trip hard. We got very few hours of sleep and had very
little to eat.

Getting in a sheltered anchorage after such a trip is fells like heaven -and
we've had excellent days here. We are currently working to fix the things
that broke on the crossing (engineproblems, broken shroud, broken VHF.....)
before we move on again.

Eli og Jorn Nygaard
post@silene.no
www.silene.no

Fakarava, Tuamotu

2007-06-26T20:53:00.000+02:00

We had a beatiful sail downwind from Kauehi to Fakarava a few days ago. Once
in Fakarava we spent a few days exploring the village and surroundings
(pearlfarms etc) in the NE corner of the atoll. Jørn joined Jason, Emily and
Geoff to do a guided dive in the pass -and are still excited about seing so
many fish and sharks.

In strong headwinds, we've made our way down to the SE corner of the
atoll -in where we're ancored off a long, nice, sandy beach. The ancorage is
nice and protected with excellent holding- so we'll probably stay here
untill weather conditions have calmed down a bit. There is also lots of
stuff to see here -and plenty of sharks (for those into snorkeling with
sharks -I'm not -yet).

From what we're able to plan at the moment, it seems like we'll head towards
Tahiti sometime next weekend.

E&J

Kauehi, Tuamotu

2007-06-17T02:51:00.000+02:00

We are enjoing the beatiful atoll Kauehi in the Tuamotus. The anchorage is
flat calm in easterly winds, the locals are very nice and friendly,
snorkling is great and the surroundings are stunning. After a few more days
here, we'll move on to one or more other atoll(s) before we sail to Tahiti.

E&J

Nuku Hiva, Marquesas

2007-06-02T22:00:00.000+02:00

After a very nice crossing from Galapagos, taking 23 days, we arrived the
beatiful and dramatic anchorage Hanavave at Fatu Hiva 19/5. After a few days
of recreation we continued to Hiva Oa -and then Tahuata, before we ended up
here in Taiohae Bay on Nuku Hiva.

We were lucky, and had no damages on boat/sails/gear on the crossing.
However, we still have some small jobs that needs to be done (maintainance),
and we're trying to do it here....... It would be quite easy if it didn't
rain constantly. Looking at the bright side; we got all our tanks and cans
filled up with rainwater, and don't need to ask around for drinking
water -at least not in a while.

Probably, we'll go to Daniels Bay (5 miles further west) monday, stay there
for a few days -and continue to Tuamotu in a few days.

Getting up at 5:30 this morning we were still to late for the marked, but we
got a lot of things done before noon :)

So far Marquesas has been a very pleasent experience. The nature is stunning
and very dramatic, and people are nice and friendly (although prices are noe
very friendly). We're really enjoing being here, but there is more to see,
more places to visit......

All well, E&J

At the Galapagos Islands

2007-04-20T19:39:00.000+02:00

Silene is now in the Pacific. The Panama Canal transit was an experience. We
waited only a few days in Colon (which is very good, because we've never been
in such a horrible city) and had no problems at all during the transit. After
having done the canals in Scotland mid-season among hundreds who don't know
how to handle a boat, the Panama Canal was easy  Being anchored in Gatun lake
(in the canal), waking up of the monkey screaming in the jungle –that was
quite unique. Unfortunately, we didn't see any crocodiles.

Panama City was a lot better than Colon. We stayed there for a few days to
finish up provisioning and wait for a new fridge (ours broke down, and we
decided we couldn't live without). Now we have an external waeco box with
compressor, which works excellent and doesn't use much power at all.

Sailing from Panama to Galapagos was we actually had to sail upwind again 
However, winds were very light, and so it was quite comfortable anyway. We had
a tight schedule since we had visitors coming to San Cristobal at Galapagos.
We had light winds the entire leg, and for some days, we drifted during
daylight and motored through the dark hours. We were lucky regarding
lightening and squalls in the ITCZ, and had pretty much clear sky every day
and night. After 9 days we arrived Wreck Bay (1 day earlier than our visitors,
nice timing).

Now, we've been tourists on Galapagos for a week. We love Galapagos. The
nature is striking and all the animals are so cool; sea lions, turtles,
iguanas, birds of all kinds….. It is really entertaining watching the sea
lions playing around the boat. For once, we are quite happy not to have an
easy entrance from the stern. The sea lions crawl into everything accessible
to them, cockpits, dinghies and even kayaks….We can hear them around the boat
all night, sneezing and couching –like humans..

Now, we have a few days working in the boat, since our autopilot broke down
during the Atlantic crossing, and never recovered. The installation of the new
one (which we got sent to Panama), should be quite easy –at least we thought so.

We've now spent 3 days disconnection the entire steering system and taking out
all the wires and cables to all our electronics….. All because one part in the
steering system appeared to be stuck. We got it separated at a mechanics shop
here, so it's ok now. We just have to redo everything. Actually Jorn does it,
and tells me where and when to hold and pull  Well, it is good to give all
stuff onboard a good overview before going the 3000 miles to Marquesas. I
actually can not wait to do the passage as we finally found the very long
waves with a huge interval between them. They're here, in the Pacific!

We'll leave Wreck Bay in a few days -heading for the Marquesas.

All well onboard

In the Pacific

2007-03-24T16:53:00.001+01:00

The canal transit was a good experience, not stressful or scary at all. We
are now ancored at the Flamenco anchorage and will probably stay here
another 5-6 days while waiting for spare parts we have ordered. Our visitors
for Galapagos are arriving the 10th of april, so we are planning on being
there by then. WE just have to do the last of provisioning -and we are ready
for cruising the pacific.

Waiting for Panama canal transit

2007-03-15T16:52:00.000+01:00

We've arrived Colon, Panama after beatiful days in San Blas -and two days of lovely sailing from San Blas here (with a night anchoring at Isla Linton). Formalities are already fixed, and we will probably get the time of our transit this evening. All well onboard

Towards San Blas

2007-03-04T23:50:00.001+01:00

Although we've enjoyed Cartagena very much, we are excited to move on and
visite some of the islands of San BLas. We are leaving Cartagena tomorrow
afternoon. We have planned to be in Colon, Panama some time next week. Until
then you can look for updates on our cruising log.

So long

Lazy days in Cartagena

2007-03-01T23:56:00.000+01:00

Jørn is around finding spare parts for our diesel engine (which is not
broken, he is being precautious and does maintainance work before the engine
shows sign of trouble). This means we are finally (and for the very first
time) on top of things that needs to be fixed on board. He bought a spare
altenator for the engine two days ago and got a good price. Today, he's
looking for other parts (I didn't quite get what we needed -not my field of
expertise).

A lot of cruisers spend a good amount of time here in Cartagena, so life
here is very social. We are anchored just outside the Club Nautico marina -
and have access to internet, showers, bar and liberary here at the marina.

I just remembered (I think) that our last cruising-log update was done in
norwegian only. The short version of the last week is that when leaving
Aruba for San BLas, we changed plan and decided to sail along the Colombian
coastline. We sailed 4-5 miles off the coast all the way to an anchorage
outside an area called Rodadero (close to Santa Marta). We had quite a lot
of wind (25-36 knots) and seas all the way, but everything went well and we
got a good nights rest at anchor before we sailed the last (also quite windy
and rolly) 24 hours leg to Cartagena. The last night we reduced sail to
almost nothing to get to the northern inlet of Cartagena harbour in
daylight. Just when light was good enough to spot the bouys, we came
motoring in calm wind and seas and entered the anchorage at 6 in the
morning.

Since our arrival here, we've enjoyed city life, but as the days passes we
are more and more eager to visit the Kuna indians at the San Blas islands.
If weather is good, we'll set sail once again on monday, and plan to arrive
one of the San Blas islands on wednesday.

Silene

Bonaire

2007-02-13T17:43:00.000+01:00

We are having a relaxing day here on Bonaire, still very happy about the sailing from Grenada; best sailing we ever had. Hope we get more of those legs. As you probably already have noticed, we are not always able to update this blog before going offhore again. Therefore, if you see that there is no activity on this blog, try our "cruising log" which we ceep updated when sailing. The cruising log (each subject) is written in norwegian, followed by a report in enghlish. You will find the link to our cruising log on left side of our homepage (see link on right side of this blog).

Still here

2007-01-21T15:00:00.000+01:00

Actually there is no big news regarding the repairs,. Not very much has happened the last week. The damage from earlier has been uncovered, and doesn't seem difficult to repair (so they say). They are still discussing whether to drop the keel or not. At the moment, it seems like not... Friday, I went grocery shopping at Spice Island mall outside St. George's. Being in the grocery store was like being in food heaven. They had it all. And since I went alone (and didn't bring my very strict economical advisor -Jorn), I ended up buying only stuff that we don't really need :) Our friends on "Menja" came to visit usFridayy afternoon, and they're still on anchor right outside the boatyard. They are thinking of hauling out here as well, which means that we'll have company for a few more days :)

The keel needs to be dropped

2007-01-16T02:43:00.000+01:00

Today, they started working on our new floors. Tomorrow, the old bad repair is being removed. We are not looking forward to see what is hidden under the repair (which we were convinced when we bought the boat, was a reinforcement and not a repair). The surveyor saw the damages today and told us exactly what we were afraid to hear: we need to drop the keel to inspect the keelbolts. The boatyard recommended this, but we were reserved concerning money and time. However, as they are all strongly suggesting that we do, we've decided to drop the keel -a hard decision to make. If the bolts are in good shape, the job is easy (almost, hydraulic engine and shaft needs to be removed). If the bolts need to be changed...it will be much much worse. The surveyor also agreed with the boatyard on what needs to be done to repair the damages. Some new floors are being made, new torsion box for the mast is being made and the rest is being reinforced. They all say that she will be stronger than ever after all this repairs -which is good, we just wish we could afford all this. Luckily our friends form Valkyrien, Øystein and Vidar, came to visit us today and took our mind off bad repairs and keelbolts for a while :)

Photos published

2007-01-14T15:35:00.000+01:00

Silene is still hauled out at Grenada Marine in St. David's harbour, Grenada. They'll start work on her tomorrow. We have been using the last few days to fix small problems onboard (always something to fix). Friday, we were in St Geaorge's to get food. After having an empty fridge for ten days, it feels good to look in the fridge, wondering what to choose for dinner today. Prices here at Grenada are not as bad as in the Grenadine islands. The last few days we've also enjoyed the good company of Paul and Anette. They left for UK today leaving Talulah (and us :)) here at the boatyard for a while. I am trying hard to recruit some of the other Norwegians to come and anchor here for a few days.... hope I'll be succesful. No big happenings lately. I quess we are doing as well as one possibly can, living in a building site. New photos have been published on our webpage. Follow the link "our photos" on this blog, or click the link "bilder" on the frontpage on our webpage www.silene.no

Facing another long boatyard stay

2007-01-10T01:16:00.000+01:00

Sadly, we've realized that fixing the crack in the hull -and the other "damages" we saw when we took of the mast today, will take weeks.... When removing the mast, we have seen constructional damage to the hull which needs reinforcement. Obviously, someone hit a rock "big time" with this boat once. The damages have been fixed and hidden well, but over the years -and after having rough seas crossing the atlantic, damages have progressed. The damages we've discovered are all fixable, however this will cost us both money and time (which we actually don't have, but will have to spend anyway). they allow us to do all the preparations ourselves to save money, and the experts will do the constructional reinforcement work. They warn us that living onboard while this kind of work is being done -will be a nightmare. We don't have a choice..... The spirit tends to be quite low at times, but we are preparing ourselves for a few weeks of really hard work -hoping that our bad luck will come to an end soon. The thought of cruising among pacific islands ceeps the bad mood away......

Good or bad news?

2007-01-08T21:36:00.000+01:00

Silene was hauled out this morning at Grenada Marine, St. Davis Harbour. Good news is that this seems like good place to be if you need work done on you boat. Bad news is that it -of course- costs money. At first sight, the keel seems to be fine. A crack just in front of the keel (in the junction between the hull and the keel), seems to have caused the leak. They say that this is a kind of "stress fracture" which is quite common. This might not be as bad as feared, but we need to take the mast down, to investigate if the foot of the mast (whatever that's called in english :)) have anything to do with the crack. Ocasionally, rough sailing conditions can cause stress-related cracks caused by movement of the foot of the mast. Jørn is preparing for having the mast lifted off tomorrow. The crack is best fixed from the inside of the boat, meaning that we need to find a temporarely home. Well, we'll think of someting. At least we know that it was a good choice to haul the boat before going into the Pacific.. And for a few days to come, we'll have access to washing machines, fresh water showers and internet :)

New challenges

2007-01-05T19:50:00.000+01:00

We left Bequia in the early morning hours after new years eve (around 10... ). Since then we've been in Mayreau, Tobago Cays and on Union Island -before arriving Carriacaou yesterday. Silene is now anchored up in Tyrell Bay, where it is (for a change) quite calm winds and only minor swell. Untill now Carribean has been quite windy and full of chartered boats -to whom we have become sceptical to after being hit by to large catamarans having dragget their anchor in Tobago Cays. It was not the dragging that was the issue, but the ability to sort out the situation. Luckily we got only minor damages on our boat, some from the knife of the skipper on one of the catamarans -who seemed to think the easiest way out was to cut off everything on our boat...... Now, a couple of days later, we can se the humor in the situation: us running around naked on deck trying to save a poor little 34 feet yacht from monsters of chartered boats with plenty of crew but no knowledge of seamanship (and when they finally woke up of us screming, knocking on their hull and yelling, they were all proper dressed -coming out all at once...... :)) Other than this (and the very expensive food), the Carribean is beatiful with a lot of good anchorages and snorkeling areas. We are having a wonderful time cruising around here. However, at the moment our main goal is to find a boatyard to haul out our boat. We have gotten a leak from the keel bolts, and need to get them inspected and tightened. As it seems now, we will go to Grenada tomorrow, and get Silene hauled out in St. Davids monday morning. In the mean time we are enjoing cruising and its social "side effects" :)

Lazy days in Cartagena

2007-01-04T23:22:00.000+01:00

Well, days aren't to slow. We have been walking Cartagena up and down for days, exploring this amazing and beatiful city. I've spent two (!) full days working to update our webpage with new photos and journey-report (which, I am sorry to say, is ony in norwegian). You are of course welcome to have a look at our photos fron Grenada, Islas de Aves, the ABC Islands and Colombia. Jørn is around finding spare parts for our diesel engine (which is not broken, he is being precautious and does maintainance work before the engine shows sign of trouble). This means we are finally (and for the very first time) on top of things that needs to be fixed on board. He bought a spare altenator for the engine two days ago and got a good price. Today, he's looking for other parts (I didn't quite get what we needed -not my field of expertise). A lot of cruisers spend a good amount of time here in Cartagena, so life here is very social. We are anchored just outside the Club Nautico marina - and have access to internet, showers, bar and liberary here at the marina. I just remembered (I think) that our last cruising-log update was done in norwegian only. The short version of the last week is that when leaving Aruba for San BLas, we changed plan and decided to sail along the Colombian coastline. We sailed 4-5 miles off the coast all the way to an anchorage outside an area called Rodadero (close to Santa Marta). We had quite a lot of wind (25-36 knots) and seas all the way, but everything went well and we got a good nights rest at anchor before we sailed the last (also quite windy and rolly) 24 hours leg to Cartagena. The last night we reduced sail to almost nothing to get to the northern inlet of Cartagena harbour in daylight. Just when light was good enough to spot the bouys, we came motoring in calm wind and seas and entered the anchorage at 6 in the morning. Since our arrival here, we've enjoyed city life, but as the days passes we are more and more eager to visit the Kuna indians at the San Blas islands. If weather is good, we'll set sail once again on monday, and plan to arrive one of the San Blas islands on wednesday.

Happy New Year

2006-12-30T17:01:00.000+01:00

As you can see, I've pasted log entries from our atlantic crossing. However due to the drowning of our computer we still miss a few days. Logs from these last days will be published later. Also, We've taken a lot of piqtures which will be published as soon as we have our computer problems sorted out -probably means that we have to buy a new one which we dont'n have the money for..especially now that our SSB also is broken and needs to be replaced...We will come up with great ideas on how to solve this after crhistmas (we hope).

Log Silene 14. Dec

2006-12-30T16:58:00.001+01:00

From: Silene Date: Silene Log 14 Dec 2006 Position: N 15° 54' 0" W 52° 0' 0" Yesterday we had a maximum wind of 7 knots, mostly no more than 5. We had our spinnaker up from 12-20, but did not go very fast. Jørn is satisfied with sailing, even though we are doing only 2 knots.... he hates running by engine. I hate the sound of sails flapping in large swells and light winds. Thus, we don't always agree on when to start up the engine... usually he decides.We overheard a conversation on VHF yesterday -between Y Not and Lady Stardust. Y Not is a larger and faster boat than us, but lost their rudder last week. They were now "drifting west" with spinnaker and mainsail, doing about 3 knots. They were hoping to get landfall in St. Lucia (preferably before Christmas), and seemed to be in very good spirit. Quite impressive.Last night at around eight, the wind decided to take a break, and we had to start the engine. This morning, the engine had several drops in rpm, and it was revealed that we had used a lot more diesel than ever before (even though we've run slower now). Probable this means that there is some sort of increased resistance somewhere in the system. The engine is working to hard.Luckily the wind picked up, and we are now sailing with our two head sails pooled out. We are doing about 5.2 knots, having 12-15 knots of wind. Very comfortable sailing :)Silene

Log Silene 13.Dec

2006-12-30T16:58:00.000+01:00

From: Silene Date: Silene Log 13 Dec 2006 Position: At Sea We have been running the engine since last night. There is about 4 knots of wind, but we need a bit more to be able to sail in the swell out here.The autopilot had a breakdown during the night, and we now have to hand steer -which can be a bit of a challenge when there is nothing to bee seen around us. It is hard to keep our course when the "landscape" is completely the same -looking in all directions around you. Hopefully Jørn will be able to fix it during the day.We are not able to charge the batteries using the engine at all. Even when turning on everything that consumes energy, switching the generator on, overcharges the batteries within just seconds. We therefore run by engine, with our duogen in water mode. This seems to work ok.As soon as the wind picks up a bit, we will try to sail again. We had nice spinnaker sailing from midday to late evening yesterday.We caught a new fish yesterday -about 4 kilos - which tasted excellent. Now that we also are baking bread every day, we are eating well :)All well onboard... When wishing for calmer conditions, we got no wind at all, so I will not have any more wishes about the wind. Weather forecast say that we will be able to sail again pretty soon.Silene

Log Silene 12.Dec

2006-12-30T16:57:00.000+01:00

From: Silene Date: Silene Log 12 Dec 2006 Position: N 16° 42' 0" W 47° 54' 0" Another nice, however quite light-winded morning. We have about 6 knots of easterly wind and we are doing about 3 knots with our two headsails.We have been hand steering all night due to light vinds of variable directions. I thing we will put up our Pink Panther (the spinnaker) when the others onboard wake up.We (or, mostly I) had a frightening afternoon yesterday as four whales decided they would play with Silene. It would have been a good experience if they were further away, but quite scary when they were striking the hull (without bumping into us), going in front of the bow, and under the boat...... again and again.We tried starting the engine after a while, to see if that would make them go away, but now... There were no chance that they would leave Silene alone. After a while we realized that we would probably not collide with any of the whales, and that they would leave us alone after a while... so they did.The guys onboard found the whale visit to be the best happening of the week.Whether it was the visitors themselves or my tendency of panicking that amused them the most is still not known..I think the whales were Minke Whales or Balaenoptera Acutorostrata. They were about the same size as Silene (10 meters). And as they were surfing down the waves it felt like they would come into our cockpit........ I think I like whales better at a distance.All well onboard :)Silene

Log Silene 11.Dec

2006-12-30T16:56:00.000+01:00

From: Silene Date: Silene Log 11 Dec 2006 Position: N 17° 1' 0" W 45° 57' 0" Another beautiful day at the ocean. We have passed 2/3 of the total distance and have only 882 nautical miles left to go.We passed Lady Stardust during the night, and are now three boats within a mile.We were very lucky regarding squalls last night. We tracked among 30 of them on the radar, but none of them hit us. Atalaya which is north of us, had a bit more of a struggle, getting caught by several.We have got another challenge (not sure how to spell this eighter) to our night sleep (when the monster waves finally are gone): the heat. At night we have about 25 degrees celsius....I've just cleaned the fridge,and have to anounce that my first book will be with following title: To live among pigs in a small boat....I am baking chocolate cake to celebrate thet we passed 1800 nautical miles since Las Palmas.Almost every day we get reports of boats having lost their rudder og mast, og having other serious preblems. We realize that we are very lucky, having had only small proplems during the crossing. Now that the sea has calmed down, we have much less water coming in. It also seems to be possible to get somewhone to look at our generator in St. Lucia.All well onboard, we are enjoing our second day with a dry cockpit :)Silene

Log Silene 10. Dec

2006-12-30T16:55:00.001+01:00

From: Silene Date: Silene Log 10 Dec 2006 Position: N 17° 27' 0" W 43° 33' 0" We are having a wonderful time. Enjoying the morning, baking bread and writing my reports/logs. There are actually four of us out here at the moment: Temptation, Papaver, us -and I believe the fourth one might be Atalaya.Atalaya reported to have seen four whales yesterday afternoon, and I spent half the night being afraid to run into them. Finally Jørn managed to make me believe that our duogen makes so much noise under water that all whales will hear us miles away.......All well onboard (after writing this each day the last two weeks, I still haven't checked whether on board is one or two words).Silene

Log Silene 9. Dec

2006-12-30T16:55:00.000+01:00

From: Silene Date: Silene Log 9 Dec 2006 Position: At Sea This must be the best day we have had out here. The wind is about 15 knots from the east, and the waves are much more cooperative. They actually run in the same direction today.It was my turn to do the washing today, so I washed the bathroom and the galley this morning. Today I've also taken my first shower on deck (if you can call -Jørn throwing buckets of salt water over me -a shower). Anyhow I feel a lot more fresh, and the salt water soap actually works fine.We have put up Silenes favorite sail configuration and are now running goose winged with the genoa out and the jib on the inner forestay. Luckily we have two spinnaker poles, so we are able to go deep downwind. The windpilot is steering, although we did some self steering earlier today (mostly for fun).Temptation out-sailed us during the night (they sail really fast in the dark), but we are now just a bit ahead of them, in visible distance. This day must be perfect for all short handed crews who finally get a good chance to sleep properly.We have hade quite good sail during the night. We saw a lot of squalls on the radar, but got clear of them all -until this morning. Luckily we got a huge amount of rain, however not any critical increase in wind.We thought we might try to catch a fish, but today is Saturday. And for those who didn't know Saturday is pizza-day.All fine onboard.Silene

Log Silene 8. Dec

2006-12-30T16:53:00.001+01:00

From: Silene Date: Silene Log 8 Dec 2006 Position: N 18° 9' 0" W 39° 4' 0" The monster waves are back...... We are however doing fine. We keep our hatches closed to prevent waves from finding their way in to the boat. The closed hatches in these warm, humid conditions make it a bit hard to sleep (in addition to the fact that we are constantly moving in all directions).Temptation is sailing within visible distance. We are all doing fine, but still looking forward to calmer sea state.Silene

Log Silene 7. Dec

2006-12-30T16:53:00.000+01:00

Silene Log 7 Dec 2006 Position: At Sea Big happening in the middle of Atlantic Ocean today, when we met Temptation at 1600 UTC. We passed each other by only a short distance. We got several good photos of them, making their way through the waves. It is actually a quite impressive sight seeing a small sailboat moving up and down getting through the big waves with around 6 knots of boatspeed. We also passed half-way-distance today, and celebrated with lasagne and coke for dinner :)Silene

Log Silene 6. Dec

2006-12-30T16:52:00.000+01:00

From: Silene Date: Silene Log 6 Dec 2006 Position: N 18° 49' 0" W 34° 28' 0" At 09:00 UTCStill having several sets of waves, and the wind is east 30 knots. We are all fine, but looking forward to milder conditions. Temptation is still nearby, having a rough time being only two on board in these seas (very hard to get any sleep). We will try to ceep in close distance to them. We are probably more stable in the seas having a heavy boat, and besides we have the windpilot -who is doing a wonderful job.The sets of waves coming from the side, is said to come from a huge storm in north Atlantic and will probably decrease in the next couple of days.Fingers crossed.We were passed by a large catamaran yesterday. They were close, and we could see what a different world they experienced on board. No raingear, no hatches closed, no water in the cockpit, no safety lines and no being slammed around in the waves :)Flying start also passed near us yesterday, and promised to have a beer waiting for us in St. Lucia -even if we don’t make it to Christmas (which we of course will).I am actually gong to try to bake bread this morning. Wish me luck :)Silene

Log Silene 5. Dec

2006-12-30T16:51:00.000+01:00

From: Silene Crew Date: Silene Log 5 Dec 2006 Position: N 19° 4' 0" W 32° 0' 0" At the moment, the sea has calmed a bit..... just as I wrote that, we were attacked by a series of violent waves. We got trough the night without any major happenings. Had to escape south at two occasions to avoid squalls. The wind is also changing a bit, so we jibed (not sure this is an English world, to much sea to look for a dictionary) about 02:00 this morning. We are still trying to head 265 degrees towards St. Lucia. .I spent the morning preparing meals for the day. Cooking isn't just hard onboard, at the moment it is a very dangerous activity :) You have to be very careful about where you put things. Otherwise you'll have knifes and heavy objects flying all over the place.... If the weather calms down I'll bake some bread tomorrow.We are frequently in contact with Temptation who is quite close to us, just a few miles further north. They are also sailing a small boat, and find the conditions a bit rough. A few other boats are also around, however they are larger and will probably soon disappear.As you can see we are all fine onboard, but at the moment we aren't exacctly having a blast. We are looking forward to meet the Atlantic long, round and low frequent waves we all read about.Was not able to listen to the radio at 21 last night, so I am not sure how the boat with the medical situation is doing. I hope they are taken good care of.It is also to be said that managing these conditions without our windpilot would have been very hard. There is no need for us to hand steer even in the rough seas we have had the last couple of days. Silene Crew

Log Silene 4. Dec

2006-12-30T16:50:00.000+01:00

From: Silene Date: Silene Log 4 Dec 2006 Position: N 19° 19' 0" W 29° 28' 0" We are doing fine, but this is not a very comfortable leg at the moment. With only a minimum of genoa out, we are doing about 5 knots, heading 265 which is straight to St.Lucia.We have heard that other boats have had some incidents lately, and we have decided to sail very conservative and not put to much pressure on boat and equipment.The waves out here are highly unorganized. Silene is rolling from side to side, and at the same time waves at monster sizes are pushing us from behind, so we are constantly moving downhill.Other than lack of comfort and sleep, we are ok. We are frequently in VHF contact with Temptation which is just a few miles north of us, going with same direction and speed.SIlene has been taken in a lot of water the last few days, concerning us a bit. We have now found where the water is coming in. A manual bilge pump is leaking, probably the rubber has been dried out and cracked when we where on land in Portugal. We brought a rep. set and will get the leak fixed when the weather calms down. For now Jørn has made a temporary solution which greatly reduces the amount of incoming water.All well onboard :)Silene

Log Silene 3.dec

2006-12-30T16:49:00.000+01:00

At 11:00 UTCWho said that atlantic waves are long and systematic?? Well, they lied. I've never seen such unsystematic, braking, highly frequent waves -coming from all directions. It has been a rough night, but Silene is doing fine. The windpilot is getting us through the waves, although not always with a dry cocpit. We have a few boats in VHF range, but none in sight (sight is no longer than the next wave here at the moment).Although rough seas and 25-30 knots of wind we managed to make pizza last night -as planned for saturdays.One of our fresh water tanks (the largest one) went empty today, meaning that we really need to be more careful regarding the amount of water we use.Luckily, drinking water is on bottles, and is not affected but the fact that we have to be more strict with water usage.Looking forward to flat sea and dry cocpit ;)Silene

Christmas holiday at Bequia

2006-12-30T16:41:00.000+01:00

We arrived St.Lucia, happy and proud after being sailing for 22 days 1 hour 6 minutes and 45 seconds :) Sadly, I see that our daily logs stopped being published on this blog after 2. of december. Ill paste what was written if someone is interested in seing how our days were. Anyhow, at the moment we are in Admirality Bay, Bequia and will stay here for new years eve party at the beach before we set of to Tobago Cays, Unoin Island, Grenada -and then the Islands of Venezuela. About 60 norwegians will join the party tomorrow (although there are som non-norwegians also -luckily), and the party will probably be the last we see of most of them on this trip. The majority of the norwegians are heading north and back home, while we are still determined to continue through Panama late February. Hope you all hade a lovely christmas -and wish you a very happy new year. -Silene

Log Silene 02.11.06

2006-12-02T14:29:00.000+01:00

Yesterday we got a new fish, same type as the last one. We are not sure, but we think they are called mahi-mahi. We've heard on the radio that several other yachts report to have caught mahi-mahi. Claus prepared a lovely dinner (our second dinner yesterday). I think this is our first long leg on which we are actually gaining weight :)

The wind is back, and at the moment we have about 26 knots from NE, doing about 7 knots of boat speed. The seas are building up, and Silene is being thrown around quite a lot. The windpilot is doing a good job steering.

We are keeping ourselves entertained by looking at the wildlife out here. Getting any sleep is not very easy, but possible :)

Last night we made me a redlighted headlamp by using glass from the old navigation light, so now I can read books on my night watches without completely destroy my sight in the dark.

Looking forward to the 1200 position reporting to hear the wind conditions for the rest of the fleet.

Our problem with the diesel engine generator has only been solved temporarely. We should now be able to run the engine without charging the batteries. We need to have someone look at our generator as soon as we get to St. Lucia.

log silene 30.11.06

2006-12-01T13:43:00.001+01:00

We are having engine/electricity trouble which we are trying to sort out. At the moment we are drifting away in 4 knots of wind and heavy swells hoping to get in contact with enyone who knows about engine generators/dynamos........

Log Silene 01.11.06

2006-12-01T13:43:00.000+01:00

At 10:38 UTC

Silene is going steady 5-6 knots, heading south east. After a lot of efford trying to sort out the generator problem yesterday, we decided to continue with an emergency solution which makes us being able to run the engine without over-charging our batteries. In fact the motor will then not charge at all. A very good thing that we invested in a LED tricolour and a new 85 W solarpanel in Las Palmas. Otherwise we would have been forced to stop at Cape Verde to get our engine generator fixed.

We now have to be careful with our electricity at nigth in light winds (when we can not charge using the thowing generator).

The last nigh twatches have been very relaxing, with light winds and the moon shining.

Yesterday we drifted along wiht only 2 knots, and hardly made any distance at all. Today, the wind is better,and it seems to be a beatiful day at sea.

Log Silene 28.11.06

2006-12-01T13:42:00.001+01:00

At 20:00 UTC We got our first fish this evening. -tasted excellent. We had the last sail shift of the day a couple of hours ago, and are now sailing goosewinged with genoa and a jib. When there is only the two of us onboard, and the windpilot is steering, we usually take the main down before dark when having the wind from behind. This works good for us, so we continue the habbit even though we are four onboard for this crossing.The wind is north easterly 15 knots at the moment and we are doing about 6 knots heading 230 degrees.

Log Silene 28.11.06

2006-12-01T13:42:00.000+01:00

We are doing well out here. Last night brought us only light winds, and our speed was down to 3 knots for a few hours. Some boats passed us in the dark using engine power. Just now we have several other arc yachts nearby. The wind is ENE 15-17 knots, and we are doing about 6-7 knots heading 210. No big happenings to write home about. We'we got no fish yet.

Ready to go?

2006-11-25T12:42:00.000+01:00

We are getting there. After using the entire morning looking for a laundry, we are now going to the skippers breefing ot get the last information before departure. Our watertank had to be replaced by a flexible one which was smaller than the original tank. At least we have water now. An enomous amount of fruits and vegetables har been brought onboard. Just some small things left to do, and we'll be off in time for the start tomorrow. Daily logs will be avaliable from our webpage (use the link: criusing log). So long :)

No free space onboard

2006-11-23T18:23:00.000+01:00

Our crew have arrived the food is onboard. There is no more space. We'll have to eat fast ot have any place to sleep :) All our working-on-the-boat projects are almost done. We are getting there.. Looking forward to the start in 3 days.

Working camp

2006-11-20T12:58:00.000+01:00

We are working hard here in Las Palmas getting our boat ready for the Atlantic crossing. We get up at about 7-7:30 each morning and work for 12-16 hours a day. We also try to attend some of the social ARC events, and at last -we have visitors (friends and family) which we try to spend som time with. We've got a lot of work done these last days. Our rig has been checked. The check revaled a broken attachement for one of the spreaders. We got this piece welded, and athe rig is now good to go. A lot of other changes and improvements have also been done, and we are quite confident that Silene will be fit and ready to bring us safely across the atlantic.

Las Palmas, Islas Canarias

2006-11-10T14:46:00.000+01:00

We finally got back on the water, and after some trouble getting out og the Tagus river from Lisbon (caused by heavy breaking seas), we finally made it (friday 27. oct). Once outside the river we met the other norwegian boats Iospinno, Helmax and Vision on thier way from Cascais. Our plan was to have a short leg to Sines, and another short leg from Sines to Lagos the next day. However, when we got near Sines we had great winds from east, and decided to continue straight to Lagos. Saturday morning the wind increased quite a lot, and after a pretty wet effort of getting towards Lagos (with wind on the nose), we once again changed our plan. We decided to sail to Marocco. We arrived in Safi, Marokko with Iospinno monday evening (the other two boats went to Lanzarote) after having experienced changing contiotions (forse 6-7 on the nose, heavy thunder and lightenings to no wind at all..). Our engine showed signs of problems the last hours getting in to Safi, and we spent most of our time there to sort out the problem. Luckily the problem was fixable, and we had all the spareparts we needed. Otherwise, Safi was an interesting and exotic place to visite. Friday morning we started out leg to Las Palmas, and had very, very light vinds the first two days. Saturday evening we had a bit more wind and we had a good sail the las bit of the leg. We finally got to use the spinnaker for a bit (we have not had much downwind sailing since Ireland) -which was a nice feeling. When passing Lanzarote, we were contacted on the VHF about a beach party on the south side of the island. We decided not to let us be tempted and continued to Las Palmas were we arrived mondag afternoon. These days, we spend about 15-16 hours a day, fixing things -making the boat ready for the atlantic crossing.

Still in Portugal

2006-10-19T13:02:00.000+02:00

We are still at Tagus Yachtcenter where they are now finishing rebuilding the hull. The weather has been awful the last two weeks, depressions west of portugal are giving southerly strong winds and heavy rain. Hopefully there will be a weather window -so that we can leave for Madeira soon.

Portugal

2006-09-29T16:18:00.000+02:00

After a week of waiting (for good winds) in Kinsale, Ireland, the depressions finally passed and we got ourselves ready to cross the Bay of Biscay. However a rig check showed a brokenattachement, and replacing took the entire night. So when leaving shore, we were both tired. The first days passed without drama. We had light to good winds from behind, saw a huge amount of dolphins and learned how to thame the windpilot. The last 2 days, the Bay provided us with strong winds from east and we had a bit of a struggle to keep our course as the seas got quite rough. After five days at sea, We moored in Camarinas, Spain wery tired, but happy to have made our first "long" crossing. Due to the descovery of osmosis blisters on Silene's hull (onnly weeks prior to deparure from Norway), we had decided to stop in Portugalto get the hull treated. We had an appointement with a boatyard in the Lisbon area, but didn't have much time sincewe are joining the ARC from Las Palmas at the end of november. We therefore rushed down the coast of Spain and Portugal to get to Tagus Yachtcenter, were we have spent the last seven weeks. Living in a boatyard isn't exactly what we pictured when dreaming of going circumnavigation sailing. However, we have had a good time here. The family running the boatyard have beenvery welcoming and helpul, and the boat seems to be in exellent care. The hull has been grinded, sandblasted and dryed outwith HotVac mats. A few minor fiberglass repairs have also been performed on the skeg and upper part of the keel. And also the propeller-shaft and the rudder-stearing system have been properly maintained (with new baerings etc). Just a few more days now, and they will start building up the hull.... soon, we will be on our way to Madeira and the Canary Islands.