Category Archives: Cruising Life

Describes an experience regarding the boating lifestyle of our travel.

Selemat Jalan (Goodbye) Kupang

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Last night when we got back to the boat, it was rocking so much we felt like we were on passage in the South Pacific. This morning when we got up we were still undecided as to whether we should leave Kupang today or tomorrow. On the stay side was: after 8 days at sea, it would have been nice to stay anchored longer. There were more sights we could go see in Kupang to entertain ourselves. Eric’s eye was looking better after using some drops we had on board that soothe irritation, but it wasn’t completely healed and could need a different medicine. On the con side: it was rocky on board, the beach landings were not fun, and we were more interested in seeing sights in other places.

We headed to shore at noon where Continue reading →

Check In to Kupang

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The ride inside the channel was pretty. There were islands on all sides of us. As we got closer to the islands in the channel to Timor, we could see that, while there is a lot of foliage, it is actually pretty dry, with much of the shrubbery brown. From 10 miles away we could see the tall structures of the city of Kupang in the distance to the right. We could easily pick out a refinery, with it’s big smoke stack. All the other surrounding islands have few structures, maybe one or two low buildings here or there.

Kupang has a population of 350,000 people. The refinery must be on the edge of town. We passed the refinery and moved towards the heart of the city, looking for the anchorage. The shore line is pretty sad looking. There are a few extremely nice buildings, but most need some serious work, and a few are dilapidated shacks that look like they will collapse at any second. There are several half built buildings that you get the sense will never be finished.

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We were pretty sure that Continue reading →

Australia to Indonesia – Day 6 & 7 with Squalls

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Yesterday the bird left mid-morning, after having stayed with us a good 20 hours or so. The bird was not a good houseguest and left quite a mess behind. Eric had a lot of fun cleaning it up.

We had another unique sunset last night. The horizon was cloudy, and the clouds were a blue-gray color. The sky turned orange-gold, and the color contrast of the blue and orange was quite pretty. The sky slowly darkened to an orange-red before turning pink in the last rays of sunlight, all still contrasted by the blue-gray clouds. The spectacular colors brought on another moment of awe at the wonders of Mother Nature. The moon is almost full and gives off so much light that you can’t see the stars.

Sea conditions were about the same as last reported, though they did get better for a few hours. Even at its rockiest, it still was a much smoother ride than in the Pacific. That is, until about 04:00 in the morning. All night there were several dark, ominous clouds Continue reading →

Australia to Indonesia Day 4 & 5

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The really good conditions lasted until yesterday afternoon, then the wind died again and the seas went back to fantastic. We know we keep saying it couldn’t possibly get any better, but it did. The swells dropped from 1 -2 feet to only one foot and came at slightly longer intervals, meaning smaller rocking less often. So great. For us, at least. Our friends on the sailing boat Fafner are at sea, too, and they are hating life with no wind.

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Last night, Christi got off watch at 20:00 (8:00 pm). At that point, the ¾ full moon was high in the sky and not giving off much light. When she came back on watch at midnight, the moon looked Continue reading →

Australia to Indonesia – Day 2 & 3

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Yesterday the conditions were identical to what we last reported. We were loving life, thinking it couldn’t get any better. But then it did! Early this morning the wind died completely, leaving the ocean smooth and glassy. The clouds in the sky were reflected on the water. The swell was still there, but with the wind chop gone, the ride was smoother. It stayed calm until sunset. Then the light wind returned and conditions went from fabulous back down to only really good. And, Eric saw a Leopard shark, which was icing on the cake.

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Our only complaint is Continue reading →