Search Results for:

My Worst Blunder

While I’ve made a number of blunders in my cruising life, without question the worst would be running aground on Arutua Atoll in the Tuamotus Island group of French Polynesia in April of 1998. I still remember the incident as … Continue reading

Posted in All Cruising Logs, FAQ's, French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean Logs, South Pacific Logs | Comments Off on My Worst Blunder

Five Common Cruising Mistakes

The biggest problem for many of us when we start out cruising is that we are “unconsciously incompetent.” That is, we don’t know what we don’t know. We then must learn by making mistakes, watching other’s mistakes or through reading … Continue reading

Posted in All Cruising Logs, FAQ's, Technical Information | Comments Off on Five Common Cruising Mistakes

Passage Logs: The Auckland to Noumea Race

June 5, 2004 Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour was a bustle of activity yesterday morning. Fourteen of the yachts berthed there (including Moonshadow), ranging in size from 36 feet to 100 feet, were making final preparations for the 1000-mile race to … Continue reading

Posted in All Cruising Logs, New Zealand Logs, Racing Logs, South Pacific Logs | Comments Off on Passage Logs: The Auckland to Noumea Race

Leaving the Boat

While I have greatly enjoyed (well, most of the time anyway) living on Moonshadow for the majority of the last ten years, there are times when one needs to get off for various reasons and become an earthling. I’ve been … Continue reading

Posted in All Cruising Logs, FAQ's, Technical Information | Comments Off on Leaving the Boat

Christmas in New Zealand

Christmas in New Zealand is more social than commercial, just the way I like it. One would have to look pretty hard to find a Christmas tree lot around here, as the Christmas tree of choice down here is … Continue reading

Posted in All Cruising Logs, New Zealand Logs, South Pacific Logs | Comments Off on Christmas in New Zealand

How to Reason With Hurricane Season

I’m pleased to report that I have no first-hand experience with hurricane-force winds in my cruising experiences on Moonshadow. While I’ve ridden out two hurricanes, one on a 40,000 ton ship and the other in a hotel room, that was … Continue reading

Posted in All Cruising Logs, FAQ's, Technical Information | Comments Off on How to Reason With Hurricane Season

Mail Forwarding

Email has most certainly improved cruiser’s ability to communicate and reduced the amount of paper chasing them around the world, but most of us still need and have some sort of system for forwarding “snail mail.” I had all my … Continue reading

Posted in All Cruising Logs, FAQ's | Comments Off on Mail Forwarding

Propane

How much propane (LPG in our case) do you carry? We carry two 10 kg. Bottles. Each bottle usually lasts us through about 3-4 months of cruising. What safety precautions do you follow? Bottles are stored in a flammables locker … Continue reading

Posted in FAQ's, Technical Information | Comments Off on Propane

Romance and the Cruising Lifestyle or “Sex and the Sea”

As a single man, this is probably a subject about which I could write and entire book, having spent nearly ten years cruising around the world both single-handed and with various cruising partners. To protect the innocent, I will refrain … Continue reading

Posted in All Cruising Logs, FAQ's | Comments Off on Romance and the Cruising Lifestyle or “Sex and the Sea”

Great Barrier Island: Holidays at “The Barrier”

  Twin Island Bay, Port Fitzroy The favored overseas holiday destination of many Auckland “boaties” is Great Barrier Island. Just 50 miles by water from Auckland City, “The Barrier” is a different world from mainland New Zealand, and you … Continue reading

Posted in All Cruising Logs, New Zealand Logs, South Pacific Logs | Comments Off on Great Barrier Island: Holidays at “The Barrier”