Atlantic crossing - day 16

Back on track. I fell asleep after that philosophy session we had the other night and slept all those hours I missed in the last two weeks. Man, that was some good sleep. Although extremely rolly and bouncy (25 knots of wind here now for the last 15 hours). Alex woke me up today around lunch and said: "Baby, get up now, you're boring when you're sleeping - let's make some corned beef and pasta!" That must seriously have been the most hilarious thing I've ever heard in a similar kind of situation. Just woke up after dreaming of dinosaurs, this blog, christianity and all kinds of other strange stuff and when I wake up I see my man in front of me asking for corned beef. Ha!! It made my day and also it somehow made me realize, once again, how amusingly disturbed this world is with all its paradoxes. What to worry about when you have love and corned beef, eh? 

Now 1359 nm left to Barbados. If we keep up with this tempo we will be there in no time. 135 nm made today and finally finally we're inside of that much longed for tradewind belt.

/Taru

Le visite guidate ai sotterranei di Palazzo della Ragione entrano a far parte del sistema museale cittadino

I sotterranei di Palazzo della Ragione entrano a far parte del sistema museale cittadino e si aprono al pubblico in forma più stabile. Lo ha deliberato la Giunta su proposta dell'assessore alla Cultura Andrea Colasio.

Visto il successo delle visite al termine dei restauri, che hanno registrato il tutto esaurito, si è deciso di dare continuità all'iniziativa.

Leggi tutto...

Atlantic crossing - Day 14

If we weren’t confused before this trip we certainly may become. Our discussions in the dark, moonless nights consists of topics such as: was there human beings in the times of the dinosaurs and did they try fighting them? what exactly is the consistence of the lava inside of our world and is the lava really neccesary to keep the world in motion? Does all planets have this type of burning substance within them? Why do you think religions were founded, besides of making money and keeping people in order and under control? Why are some of the stars above us more lit than others? If love is the strongest of powers, why aren’t the world a better place and what would happen to the world and it’s citizens if, hypotetically, all the value of money and trade was gone? Would it even be possible to survive and what would be the strongest forces then in war, politics, international relations and over all in the world? Those things wouldn’t even had to exist?

We might think we have came to a whole lot of conclusions but I fear that it all just’ve made us even more puzzled. Dangerous topics to even begin with as one might as well realize that nothing really makes sense in the end. Who are we to question such fundamental things anyway: two people in love, sailing on a boat towards what they believe is right and easily avoiding everything which aren’t, utterly convinced that they found the right religion and faith already. Our contemplations would probably not make much difference in the end and that is more or less how our midnight discussions ends, most of the times. We always end up saying: ah, fuck it, we don’t get anywhere with this so what’s the point? Let’s focus on our own happiness instead. And so we do. Going to bed, feeling happy and content that we at least have a free will and the possibility to think, act, feel, reflect and question all by our selves without too much of influence by any God, norms made by the society, other peoples values and opinions and so on. That’s what must count the most in the end and that is, I believe, what makes us feel so endlessly much more for this beautiful thing called life.

Now: 1580 nm to Barbados. /Taru

I concerti di "Domenica in musica" degli Amici della Musica a Padova. Ultimi appuntamenti il 27 febbraio e 6 marzo

Riprendono anche per il 2011 i concerti di "Domenica in Musica" degli Amici della Musica di Padova. Il nuovo ciclo di appuntamenti comprenderà 6 concerti, ogni settimana dal 30 gennaio al 6 marzo ed è dedicato, com'è tradizione, alla presentazione di giovani solisti e ensemble affermatisi in importanti concorsi nazionali ed internazionali.

Con il patrocinio del Ministero per i beni e le attività culturali, l'Assessorato alle politiche culturali e spettacolo del Comune di Padova, la Provincia di Padova, l'Assessorato alla cultura, l'Esu di Padova e l'Università degli studi di Padova.

I concerti avranno luogo presso la Sala dei Giganti del Liviano, piazza Capitaniato a Padova alle ore 11.00.

   

Prossimo appuntamento
Domenica 27 febbraio

Giuseppe Guarrera, pianoforte

1° Premio XXVII Concorso Pianistico Nazionale "Premio Venezia" 2010

Esecuzione: Aleksander Skrjabin - Sonata-fantasia op. 19; Sergej Rachmaninov - Lilacs op. 21 n. 5, Daisies op. 38, Etudes-Tableaux op. 33 n. 2, n. 5, n. 8, Etude-Tableau op. 39 n. 9, Sergej Prokofiev - Sonata n. 7 op. 83

Leggi tutto...

Barbados?

Since it shortens our landfall destination with around 100 nm, we've decided to make a first stop in Barbados when we arrive, whenever we arrive, to the Caribbean and we'll also be picking up two of our friends there. Have any of you guys been to Barbados and do you have any tips regarding that island? We are supposed to move on towards Martinique, St Lucia etc. directly, but might be there are something which we cannot miss in Barbados? Will land around 9-10 th of February. /T&A

Kathu Waterfall

Phuket has a bunch of waterfalls, not surprising since you have a combination of hills and tropical rain. Average yearly rainfall in Phuket is about 2500mm per year which sounds like a lot, but of course much of the time we have hot sunny weather. You can read more on my Phuket Weather Blog. The hills in Phuket reach up to over 500m above sea level and there are large areas of high ground especially in the north where you find Bang Pae waterfall and Tonsai Waterfall, and further south, a large hily area is found in the triangle between Kathu to the south, Kamala to the northwest and Manik (Cherng Talay) to the north. Kathu is the area east of Patong, between Patong and Phuket Town, and above Kathu waterfall is the highest point in Phuket, about 540m above sea level - see Hiking to the Roof of Phuket.

Now, don't be expecting to find Niagara or Victoria falls in Phuket. All the waterfalls here are just series of cascades through the jungle. Kathu is the easiest to get to, since Kathu is not far from Patong. We live in the area and every time we are on the waterfall road (Soi Nam Tok Kathu) we see tourists on mopeds. Renting a moped is a great way to explore the real Phuket, you can go at your own pace, don't need to rely on expensive tuk tuks and can reach parts of Phuket that tours won't take you. If heading to Kathu waterfall from Patong you come over the hill towards Phuket town, turn left at the traffic lights next to the Caltex gas station, pass the local Kathu market, go about 2km and you get to the waterfall road. Along this road which stretches about 2km, you have lots of houses, small shops, little restaurants and noodle stalls, also the cable ski and a bizarre thing called Palazzo - a new dinner and show idea which looks like a circus tent. You have to go all the way to the end of the road to find the waterfall.

Cross over a little bridge and start up the stairs ...



I did blog the waterfall before, but we went to have a look last week as a friend who lives on the waterfall road told us that the area has been given a fresh coat of paint, and so it is - about time too. At the top of the first section of stairs you come to the first falls, not big! There's a pool where kids can play, a couple of salas have been built and at the weekend locals do head up here for a splash and a picnic.



I need to come again with a tripod to get a really nice waterfall photo, but you get the idea. Some people might think "what? i drove all the way here just for this?"... But don't worry, the stairs carry on up past this first little fall, following the mountain stream that tumbles down the hillside.



(above) This is the lower waterfall. On this day we hiked up a bit further, but not too far since our son had been sick and I did not want to tax him too much! I think I'd better return on my own one day and hike up further. If nothing else, you get a very nice walk in the forest. A little way above the first falls is a smaller cascade and another little pool where a family were swimming. We went past them, up higher to a larger waterfall, where of course local kids were playing, pretending to be Tarzan or something ...



The path carries on higher, but we turned around here. If you do plan a walk, bring some water - you'll get sweaty and thirsty on a hot day. There is a little shop at the end of the road and you pass several more on the way. And if you're hungry, then on the way back down the waterfall road you'll come to a restaurant called Krua Maireab run by a friend of ours - we eat here often, good cheap and tasty Thai food. it's next to a noodle shop that I blogged a long time ago.



Other waterfalls in Phuket :

• Bang Pae Waterfall and the Gibbon Rehabilitation Center
• Tonsai Waterfall

Yesterday's lunch and some stats of day no. 12

It was a Mahi Mahi of course. I had it grilled with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Served it with basmati rice cooked in garlic and coriander. Delicious!

Some stats of today:

1899 nm to go to Martinique. 

Position: N 14°02. W 28°42.

Water temp: 30°. I'm soon in. 

Amount of fish caught so far: 1 only! Catastrophe.

Knots of wind in this very moment: 5-7. Engine on. We can see some stronger tradewinds on the grib a bit further West and we have around 200 nm to go to be able to pick them up. Hoping this will be the end of motoring for this journey. 

Amount of flying fish landed on deck: 1

Squalls encountered so far on this crossing: 5? 6? Luckily we got stuck in a big one last night which gave us some good speed forward for a couple of hours. And it also gave a good wash of the teak, thank you weather gods for that one.

And that would be all for now. Don't forget to check out our position and route on the Spotwalla website. /T

Ti piace il restyling del sito?

Cosa ne pensi del restyling del sito di Padova Eventi? Un rinnovo sia strutturale sia grafico.
Esprimi il tuo parere, invia un consiglio o un suggerimento, segnala qualche disservizio...
   
Puoi dire la tua:

• contatta la Redazione
• utilizza i Social network

Oppure vota il sondaggio proposto qui sotto!



Ultimo aggiornamento: 28/01/2011

Atlantic crossing - Day 11 - Today's lunch

What is all that hacker thing that some of you've mentioned in the comments by the way? Can't keep an eye on the blog all the time from here so please inform me. /T

In Mindelo marina

Look what we found in Cabo Verde. A dismasted Imoca 60 which had to end the (Barcelona World) race because of it’s loss of the mast. What a big fucking thing, it is. Never seen these beasts IRL before. Must be such a tremendous, amazing adrenalin rush to fly over the ocean in one of these in 25-30 knots. Hoping to be able to try it out, one day. /T

SA

Sailing Anarchy = Always making sure to zoom in on the most important of news! 

Al via la rassegna "Este Teatro 2011" con cinque spettacoli dal 26 gennaio al 20 aprile ad Este

Quest’anno la consueta rassegna teatrale si presenta quanto mai varia nei contenuti e di forte valenza culturale per il livello degli artisti coinvolti.

La tipologia degli spettacoli programmati comprende tutti i generi che lo spettacolo dal vivo possa offrirci. C’è il balletto classico, sempre molto gradito ed apprezzato dal nostro pubblico, che proponiamo nell’interpretazione di prestigiosi artisti internazionali, e l’operetta, un appuntamento molto atteso che abbiamo voluto confermare. Accanto a queste proposte molto tradizionali, ci sono spettacoli come il Gian Burrasca di Vamba che sembra fatto apposta per l’irriverente cantante/attore Elio. Con lo spettacol o ironico e divertente di David Riondino su Cavour abbiamo voluto essere partecipi del 150° dell’Unità d’Italia, anche per arricchire il programma di iniziative culturali organizzate per l’importante ricorrenza. Completa il programma una serata di prosa con un classico, diretto dallo scrittore e regista estense Giancarlo Marinelli, interpretato dalla grande attrice Ivana Monti.
   
Prossimo spettacolo
Mercoledì 9 marzo

Elio (di Elio e le Storie Tese)

Gian Burrasca

Leggi tutto...

Quick stop in Cabo Verde

We made a landfall in Mindelo last night to fill up the fuel tanks and to get some fresh oranges and other fruits and veggies. These island(s) seem to be a very interesting community with it's eclectic atmosphere, the colors, the music, the colonial history... everything feels intriguing and it is certainly a pity that we couldn't stay and explore it all some more. Maybe on our next turn around the world. But now we're more than ready to move on West again! /Taru

"I giovedì d'autore" a San Giorgio in Bosco. Ultimo appuntamento il 17 marzo 2011

Giovedì 20 gennaio a San Giorgio in Bosco iniziano "I giovedì d'autore". Ogni terzo giovedì del mese, fino a marzo, saranno accolti in sala consiliare Antonia Arslan (20 gennaio) con il suo nuovo libro, Ishtar 2 Cronache dal mio risveglio, Alessio Tavecchio Con una marcia in più (17 febbraio) e Roberta Sorgato con Cuori nel pozzo(17 marzo). In primo piano la rinascita dopo la malattia, il valore della vita dopo un incidente stradale e le tragiche condizioni del lavoro in miniera: sono temi che dovrebbero favorire la riflessione e il confronto tra quanti decideranno di trascorrere un giovedì davvero diverso!
Leggi tutto...

5° Centenario del Tiziano nella Scuola del Santo: visite guidate gratuite alla Scoletta ogni prima domenica del mese

Nel 2011 ricorre il V centenario della dipintura da parte di Tiziano Vecellio degli affreschi raffiguranti il Miracolo del Neonato che parla, il Miracolo del Piede Riattaccato e il Marito Geloso nella Sala Priorale della Scoletta del Santo in Padova.

Per celebrare l'evento durante l'anno si effettueranno visite guidate gratuite ogni prima domenica del mese.

Leggi tutto...

Atlantic crossing - Day 8 - Ghosting around

I was speaking a bit too fast. Just when I had uploaded last post for you with the information of that we will not have to stop in Cape Verde, Alex came down to show me his new discovery from the new grib file. Now the trades seemed to have died out and the further down South we would get, the lighter winds would we encounter. And would we make a turn to the West now, the trades and some stronger winds would equally not appear for at least the next five-six days or so. 5 knots of wind where it was supposed to be established tradewinds for weeks ago? And how is it possible that the whole goddamn ocean is dead calm in every reachable direction of our route? The tradewinds are conspiring against us! Not much else to do than reroute, make that annoying turn back to the East and refuel in Cape Verde. We really had romanticized a picture of making this crossing in around 20 days and we were so happy to have waited until January for the trades to have the time to fully establish, but obviously they are still not at all in balance and once again we're getting hold back by higher forces. The elements does what they want in the end, and we are just a couple of people sailing on a small sailing vessel, desperately waiting for the right winds to arrive. 

So next stop Mindelo, Cape Verde tonight and we'll be leaving from there with full fuel tanks and perhaps some fresh vegetables in the early morning of tomorrow Tuesday. Seems like we'll then have to motor our way from there a bit further down SW for at least a day or two and then, yeah then we might be in the belt of some favorable trades for the last leg towards the West.

Alex is fishing now for the first time on this trip. Sushi for lunch would be nice. Wish him luck. /Taru

Atlantic crossing - Day 7 and 8 - 2130 nm to go

Rain is gone. Although it took around 15 hours to get rid of. Fantastic how different the world can appear in different lights. We are now definitely in the tropics, with a position of N 19.20° W 24.55°, and finally have those warm nights arrived, making the watches much easier to go through. I'm thinking by the way of having a swim in the deep blue sea very soon as the heat is quite unbearable at times. Alex tells me there might be sharks and tries to scare me but I don't intend letting either him or the movie "The Reef" stand in between me and my mid Atlantic dive, for there can't be sharks in the middle of the deep Atlantic ocean, can there? And if there is, how great would the risk be to have a hungry one just around our boat when I dive in? The Reef was by the way a good movie, thanks for the tips whoever that was of our dear readers suggesting us to see it. A bit frustrating though to watch people taking such stupid decisions like the ones taken in the movie.

No flying fishes here yet as far as I am concerned, only a very strange fish swimming along with us next to the hull of our boat, just like a dog or some other type of pet following it's owner. Please let me know if anyone can identify this weird animal. Is it eatable?

We have now been out here for seven days and only two ships have we met. Definitely thought there would be a bit more traffic around here, although we do not mind the loneliness at all. Feels good to have the ocean all to ourselves. Definitely better for the tan as well, as we're able to be naked as much as we want to without curious eyes watching. Speaking of tan, the tone of my skin is slowly turning into something reminiscent of raisins, I might look like an old, dry grapefruit when we're done with this passage although everything is better than the pale white winter look I was sporting earlier.

Although we were earlier convinced that we had found those tradewinds, they quickly died out on us after a few days. It's been some slow and frustrating last 24 hours here with ultra light winds and terribly uncomfortable rolling seas. I can't believe I once was dreaming of dead calm mid Atlantic days, they are the worst to ever have to encounter. Especially when we've decided to not make a stop in Cape Verde to refuel. Will the fuel last all the way to the West Indies is the question of the day. Or no, that is actually not a question any longer, it just has to last as we do not have other options any longer. We're now heading further down SW to catch up with the established trades which we've found on the grib-files and we're having some 300 nm to go before we can turn completely to the West.

I can by the way see that we have +200 new friend requests on Facebook, unfortunately we can't accept them from here so bare with us for two more weeks, will you. Also we're sorry that we can't answer much emails and comments from the sea, will take care of it all when we're back on normal Wifi connection again.

/Taru

Mostra "L'obbiettivo e la città" dall'11 febbraio al 13 marzo 2011 a Padova

Terza edizione della mostra di fotografia e video su Padova e il suo territorio attraverso immagini e filmati di taglio giornalistico, un modo per vedere la nostra città in modo diverso attraverso l'occhio esperto di fotografi e teleoperatori. La mostra espone le opere di professionisti che hanno immortalato, attraverso i propri strumenti di lavoro, eventi accaduti a Padova e nella sua provincia nell'ultimo anno. Viene inoltre realizzato un catalogo della mostra con le schede biografiche di tutti gli autori, una foto rappresentativa delle opere di ogni fotografo e un dvd con tutti i filmati. Le opere riguardano eventi legati a Padova accaduti tra l'1 gennaio e il 31 dicembre 2010. La consegna delle opere che compongono la mostra è terminata il 15 gennaio 2011.
Leggi tutto...

Atlantic crossing - day 6

Rain, rain, rain....

Phuket Mining Museum

If anyone is at all interested in the history of Phuket, and at the same time interested in getting a little off the beaten track (due to the back-road location), the Phuket Mining Museum is very much worth a look. I took our kids there a year ago, when it was not really open, but we were allowed in, and at the time it seemed to be almost ready to fully open. Kids liked it, and I am happy that they liked it - kids learn by experience not just from school books! Since that visit, the kids have asked several times to go again, and since the museum is only a few km from our house in the Kathu area of Phuket (see location on Google Earth) we have driven past a few times in the last year, only to find it closed. The location is a bit odd - on a road that many people don't know about that winds through the hills between Loch Palm Golf Club and the British International School. Now they say that the museum is fully open, although only from Monday to Friday. I have not seen any official announcement or any great publicity, but I certainly do recommend a visit. Entry fee only 100 Baht for adults, 50 Baht for kids.



We took the kids on children's day - a Thai holiday when all kind of activities are arranged for kids all over the country. I had read that the museum was now open and entry was free on kids day. My wife did not go on our visit last year, but she enjoyed the museum too. Around the courtyard (see photo above) are rooms that have been lovingly decorated and made to look like old streets or filled with old pictures or dioramas of mining techniques. Phuket got rich on Tin Mining (and rubber and fishing) well before any tourists came here. There's no mining any more, but it was tin that made Phuket, built Phuket Town and changed the face of Phuket with many immigrants heading here from China.



First thing you see - a bus, not a really old one, but something for the kids to pose on. It's parked in a room with all the walls painted like an old street, quite good artwork. The next room is filled with old furniture, photos, displays of old household items etc...

Then you have the real meat of the museum - a big educational section all about geology, the structure of the earth, very well presented, with information in English and Thai. This leads through to the history of mining in general with models of stone age people banging rocks together, and on to more specific information and life size dioramas about the tin mining techniques used in Phuket over the years.





Not done yet! From mining, you get to tin processing, a room full of technical information and photos.. and a big bench full of rocks for kids to look at. I was very pleased when my boy agreed that sand, viewed with a magnifying glass, looks like little rocks. I like that, I like watching kids learn.



There's more! My wife's favourite part of the museum is a mock up of old Phuket, a whole street with shops, a little cafe, a shrine and more. It's very well done, you can see that the people involved here take a lot of pride in their work. Here's the tea lady making a nice cuppa...



And here's me inside an old house (well, a room made to look like an old house, full of old household items, I know my mum will want to have a look next time she's here!)



The artwork is very good. Many walls are painted with street scenes, with receding perspective so you feel like you could just step into the painting and take a walk through old Phuket. My daughter tried ...



I hope the museum really really is open now, we had a work with them about opening on weekends.. I think the problem is that the museum is basically a government building, the construction was paid for by Kathu municipality and is staffed by people who are used to working 5 days a week! We pointed out that a lot of local people would like to visit with their kids, but can't do that during the week of course, because kids are at school. I hope the museum gets a few tourist visitors too. The low entry fee is good, although it's not the kind of place a tuk tuk driver will want to take you (no commissions!). Will suit nerdy tourists, my kind of people who actually want to learn something and see more than beaches. This is Phuket too, you know, and Phuket has a long and interesting history.

• More photos on Flickr : Phuket Tin Mining Museum

Other museums in Phuket:

• Thai Hua Museum
• Thalang National Museum
• Post Office Museum

Also of interest historically:

• Phuket Heroines Festival
• Phuket Heritage Trails
• Phuket Baba Weddings

Atlantic crossing - Day 5

Our gennaker/cruising chute have graciously carried us over the ocean in lighter winds in a comfortable and non rolling fashion for the last few days. It is quite impressive thinking that this little piece of nylon of just a few kilos is able to carry our heavy (8,5 tons) ship in such a smooth and relatively fast ride.

We have by the way rediscovered how wonderful it is to actually have the time to just be and enjoy the moment without having millions of projects, schedules and appointments breathing down ones neck so we have decided to postpone our Panama Canal transit and the South Pacific tour until next season and instead we'll be staying around to discover the best of the Caribbean islands and Central American countries for at least the next 6-10 months. We're feeling much content with this decision for now and we are also looking much forward to reevaluate some of the interesting invitations and collaboration proposals we've received in the last couple of months concerning this mentioned area of the world.

Definitely on our must-visit-list besides all the beautiful Caribbean islands are: Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Honduras and more.

Consider the Caribbean Sea as our new home for 2011. 

II Stagione lirica in alta definizione. Prossimo appuntamento il 3 marzo 2011 con il "Don Giovanni"

Rassegna lirica che, grazie al supporto tecnologico del "Digital network microcinema", trasmette, in alta definizione, le grandi opere liriche direttamente dai più prestigiosi teatri internazionali presso il Piccolo teatro Don Bosco, via Asolo, 2 - Padova. Iniziativa patrocinata dal Comune di Padova. Ecco il programma completo.

   

Prossimo appuntamento
3 marzo, ore 20.30

DON GIOVANNI, opera di Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in differita dal Festival di Salisburgo

Leggi tutto...

Atlantic crossing - Day 4

Your prayers made a good impact, thank you very much. We've been sailing along with an average speed of 6 knots since the last 12 hours and we've done a good 129 miles progress on the route in the last 24 hours. The NE tradewinds are already encountered although they've been pretty light until midnight last night. Our best approach for this downwind condition have so far been mainsail out to leeward and jib poled out to windward. Getting a steady and good speed like this.

Some statistics of the first 72 hours of this Atlantic passage:

Total route to make: 2850 Gran Canaria-Martinique

Sailed of the actual route so far: 310 nm (total sailed: approx. 360 nm)

Engine used: 18 hours.

Average speed the last 24 hours: 5,3 knots over ground.

If we keep on with the speed of the last 24 hours, we will soon get up in an average distance on 130 nm/day. Hoping that the tradewind is fully established with stronger winds the more SW we get and that the conditions will stay at least like the one of today. We haven't really had the need of using the engine since Monday night thankfully but we'll need to get in on later tonight to top up the batteries and for using the watermaker for an hour or two.

The weather is excellent, it's very very hot in the days with a warm sun and no clouds as far as my eyes can see, the water is crystal clear with a beautiful indigo tone. Seen tons of dolphins. The nights are still terribly cold though and I need one sleeping bag and thick jacket in the night to keep myself warm during night watches. Routines are working good otherwise. We start our night watches at 10pm and switch every second hour until 10am the morning after. We both get 3x2 hours of sleep and equally 6 hours divided by three times of watch. This is what have worked best for us since we started to sail over-night passages together in the winter of 2009.

It feels like the sea is totally ours out here as we haven't encountered almost no other ships or yachts. Last night we saw one cargo ship and otherwise there hasn't been anything else in our close surroundings for the last two days and nights. We've seen a couple of more cargo ships on the AIS but none of them has been in closer distance for us to see them with bare eyes.

It is a strange feeling to be so many hours in total peace and quietness. In a positive way I mean. No phones, Internet, people or anything to disturb the tranquility and it gives us time to reflect and to talk about things and happenings we usually don't have the time or space for. Very interesting also what type of feelings, thoughts and memories this total peace brings with it. It has struck me how much there is inside of us to discover and/or rediscover and that can best be obtained when one cuts off the normal life in a way like this. I love the whole idea of being away from it all for a while and I'm looking forward to what more my brain will encounter during these next 19-20 days on the ocean. Also we're very happy to be just the two of us, far away from all the stress we had filled our lives with from the day one we met for 15 months ago until the very day we left for this crossing. /Taru

Full Moon Over London Bridge Station

As I was rushing to catch my train after a particularly long and weary day yesterday, I couldn’t help but notice the brilliant (almost) full moon in the sky.  It really was a sight to see but alas, I only had my iPhone with me and the trusty Hipstamatic app.  How does the full moon look where you are today?

Atlantic Crossing Day 3

Hi there!

I hope you all are fine. We are. We've started to get used to this rolling now which probably is a good sign. It's been terrible little wind until now and we haven't made as much progress as we wanted to but we do hope to catch some stronger winds when we get more to the SW. Hopefully tomorrow. Wind direction has changed at least, NE now although very light, between 5-10 knots most of the times. Added to that there is a mixed swell coming from both E and N so that in total makes for a rolly ride unfortunately. One good thing is that it gets hotter and hotter for each day and we are very close to approach the tropical latitudes of the earth and today the thermometer showed above 28°C degrees already, just what we've been waiting for. It was a delightful sound to hear that Bacardi Breezer bottle(s) popping up under the warm sun earlier today. Alex was complaining: "You're drinking like a man". "Well, someone has to do it", I replied and enjoyed getting a bit tipsy three o clock in the afternoon with the beautiful navy blue water sparkling around us from every direction I turned my head. No land in sight and it will so continue for the next three weeks. Aaah those simple yet beautiful things in life. This is freedom! Then the dolphins came, the first ones we encountered on this trip. Around 30 bottle-nosed creatures jumped around us for half an hour or so.

According to our chart plotter, we have now 2653 nm left before we arrive to Martinique. That divided by an average speed of 130 nm/day (which we hope to establish very soon) would make it approx. 20 more days to go and we still think we will be able to get over to le Caribe before the 7th of Feb but we might also be one or two days delayed if the wind keeps on blowing with such a light force as it does right now.

Just like I said earlier, we are ultimately happy to not had to have used the autopilot at all, as the Sailomat windvane works fantastically also in very light winds. We have started to produce some water as well with the Power survivor and that too works just as fine and it is such great news to be able to top up the water tank whenever its starting to dry out. Shower at least every second day=paradise on the sea. And tomorrow my sprouted beans should be ready to eat, good now when we start to run out on the most of the other fresh stuff. Still a lot of fruits left though. Fishing we haven't even got started with as yet, maybe tomorrow when the meat is gone from the fridge.

Is the Spotwalla tracker working by the way? I hope so that you all can follow our (slow) ride across the Atlantic. And pray for us to get some more winds, will you. Find our position on the link to the right.

FYI: we can't answer any comments as it is from the sea, we'll take care of it all when we get to faster connection. /Taru

Atlantic crossing day 2 - Calm seas

Not much news from here. Wind died out last night so we had to motor for a couple of hours, very frustrating. Early in the morning it picked up again and we have now been sailing with wind coming from the SE and a wind speed of 10-15 knots for the last 10 hours. We're cruising slowly towards Cape Verde and having some 650 nm left to go South before we can turn to the West and towards the Caribbean. We're not doing much at the moment. Eating, sleeping, reading and trying to get used to being on the sea again. We are btw so very happy with our Sailomat windvane, it works totally flawless. /Taru

Atlantic Crossing day 1. Goodbye now Europe (finally)

Finally back on the sea. We are very excited and happy but also very very tired due to having to wait for and search all over the island to get a hold on butane gas which were supposed to be awaiting us at the gas station yesterday afternoon. Anyway, today we got it solved and we're now underway. We are just rounding Gran Canarias most Southern point as we speak.

Too tired for any longer contemplations right now so let's speak again in the morning. /Taru

Peang Prai Restaurant

New Years resolution number 1 - try some different restaurants for the blog, and also so we get some new experiences. Sure we have our favourites and anyway we can't afford to eat out that much, we tend to eat at home during the week, or maybe get some cheap Thai food at small places near our house (the kind of places where all dishes are 35 - 50 Baht). In fact, the next restaurant on this blog will be the cheap local place we eat at most often.. but I do want to try some new restaurants this year, and the first was Peang Prai.



Peang Prai (pronounced PeeYang Pry) is a restaurant I have meant to try for a couple of years. It's been recommended by friends, it's in a part of Phuket that we head to quite often, it always looked "interesting" ... so we finally tried it a couple of weeks ago. When I am thinking about eating, there are several considerations - 1. Location - I like a nice view, a quiet area, an interesting location - Peang Prai is at the entrance to the Bang Pae Waterfall park, well off any main road, views of trees, flowers and a lake. So it's a good place to combine with a visit to the waterfall and the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project.



(above) the view one way, and (below) the other way ...



It's not a huge restaurant, could maybe hold about 30 people, with seating on the 2nd floor of an octagonal building in the trees. A couple of tables were already occupied by Thai families - which I would normally take as a hint that the food is good here - the locals know where to go! We ordered a selection of things - our kids are normally happy with a fried rice or garlic chicken, whereas my wife and I like to eat spicy salads and local specialties - the menu was pretty big - all the normal Thai dishes but lots of Phuket/Southern Thai food which always pleases my wife.



I was a little miffed that the service seemed a bit slow - the place was not really busy and there were 4 ladies cooking in the kitchen. Sometimes you have to slow down a bit. This is a family run restaurant and this kind of laid back place can be a little too laid back for some people. You can't expect snappy service at a place like this. Fortunately, they had very cold beers, served with an iced glass too. A couple of these went down very smoothly.

Food was good too - we ordered a bunch of things, and the menu has many other dishes to try, so I am sure we'll eat here again. I had a salad called Yam Tua Pu - made with wingbeans, prawns, cashew nuts. We also got some Hor Mok, local style fish curry cooked in a banana leaf, and a similar dish made with mushrooms...





They do good coffee here too - my wife said her ice coffee was great. We had actually thought about just having a drink here and then eating somewhere else, but once we saw the menu we had to give it a proper try. I mentioned that location is important to me when trying a restaurant - so is price! Peang Prai is not cheap like a little street restaurant but most dishes were decently priced at 60 - 100 Baht, and the beer only 45 Baht. The 3rd consideration is "how good is the food?" - you don't know until you try! In this case - good enough that we will eat there again, helped by the friendly service, yeh a bit slow, but slow with a smile :)

And then we got free dessert too - fried banana done in their own way, small pieces of banana fried in batter with sesame seeds and a sprinkle of sugar ...



I think our total bill was about 500 Baht. I have some more photos of Peang Prai on my Flickr site: Peang Prai Restaurant. We like this part of Phuket. Within a few miles are a couple of other restaurants - Bang Pae Seafood and Chumchon Floating Restaurant from where you can go Kayaking in the Mangroves. This is the Phuket that we go looking for.