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28th September 2011
28th September 2011
I stretch myself in the cockpit having been chased out by the sun-heated air inside the cabin. I still have no wind and the small engine […]
Do you like it?
27th September 2011
27th September 2011
Well finally the wind has completely left me.. so I started the small engine and for the first time since we left Darwin, Guppy’s nose is […]
Do you like it?
26th September 2011
26th September 2011
After a good night sleep I set sail at dawn and watched Darwin slowly vanish in my wake until there was nothing but water left to […]
Do you like it?
23rd September 2011
23rd September 2011
To start with I want to thank each and everyone of you who wished me a happy birthday on the telephone, or by SMS and e-mails […]
Do you like it?
21st September 2011
21st September 2011
After eating so many cakes and donuts yesterday I had to spend today resting my bellie and just recovering. It is not everyday that I have […]
Do you like it?
18th September 2011
18th September 2011
After having solved all the known maintenance problems, I went looking for the still undiscovered ones and found that one of the backstays was a little […]
Do you like it?
16th September 2011
16th September 2011
I was in a good mood when I started replacing both my engines oil filters while my father was trying to solve a problem with the […]
Do you like it?
14th September 2011
14th September 2011
Today I was invited to take a look at the Netherlands’ solar powered car that will compete in the famous 3000 kilometres [1865 land miles] World […]
Do you like it?
13th September 2011
13th September 2011
It is 4 AM when the alarm clock resonates in my ears and it is cold 18° C [64,4° F]! outside. We hoist anchor and I […]
Do you like it?
11th September 2011
11th September 2011
Gradually the cruisers are departing from Fannie Bay. Henk and Sogno d’Oro have set sail two days ago for Cocos Keeling Islands or Christmas Island. Myself […]
Do you like it?
10th September 2011
10th September 2011
After I did my presentation at the Darwin Yacht Club I had a big surprise when the Carbon Club announced that it will sponsor the repair […]
Do you like it?
9th September 2011
9th September 2011
Yesterday evening I did a presentation here at the Darwin Sailing Club. First I gave it to a group of children, and then I did it […]
Do you like it?
8th September 2011
8th September 2011
It has already been two weeks or so since I am in Darwin, and my father has just arrived here to join me… I could not […]
Do you like it?
4th September 2011
4th September 2011
I have been very busy for the past days …and it looks like it will be like this for some time.I have problems with the rudder […]
Do you like it?
3rd September 2011
31st August 2011
31st August 2011
The days just fly by and I haven’t had time to be bored, not even for one second. There is plenty of work to do on […]
Do you like it?
29th August 2011
29th August 2011
There were pretty strong winds blowing as the regatta took place and right from the start I already had trouble keeping the boat upright. Even though […]
Do you like it?
28th August 2011
28th August 2011
Now that I am well rested, I could go over all I wanted to do yesterday and it went a whole lot better. In no time […]
Do you like it?
26th August 2011
26th August 2011
The Genua with a little whole A few seconds later the little hole has become huge! Passing the last Islands in the Torres Strait Bird presents… […]
Do you like it?
25th August 2011
25th August 2011
I haven’t had a chance to go to sleep yet and I feel like a whole lifetime of experiences has passed me by since I arrived […]
Do you like it?
24th August 2011
24th August 2011
Unfortunately, I did not not sleep much last night… The wind had increased to almost 30 knots So I had to take down the mizzen sail […]
Do you like it?
23rd August 2011
23rd August 2011
Bam, splash, congratulations..!I know you can turn my life onboard upside down, but could you calm down a little? WHAM!… No go! The waves have grown […]
Do you like it?
22nd August 2011
22nd August 2011
Sitting in the cockpit near the entrance to the cabin I was monitoring the fishing ship that had been sailing for half a day 2 nautical […]
Do you like it?
21st August 2011
21st August 2011
Even after a good sleep last night I still feel tired but surely better. There is still heavy ship traffic around and six monsters have already […]
Do you like it?
20th August 2011
20th August 2011
Guppy and I rushed through Torres Strait at 7,5 knots! There were reefs everywhere but I could hardly see anything because it was getting dark. But […]
Do you like it?
19th August 2011
19th August 2011
I am really surrounded by reefs, most of which I can’t see… Guppy is now sailing very close to the wind and there are buckets of […]
Do you like it?
18th August 2011
18th August 2011
The wind is back and Guppy is galloping over the sea at a good 7 knots. There are only 50 nautical miles to go to the […]
Do you like it?
17th August 2011
17th August 2011
After a very quiet night daylight did not show up for work this morning… That is because of pitch-black clouds hanging over Guppy. The mega-squall I […]
Do you like it?
16th August 2011
16th August 2011
Today the waves are higher and they are still coming from two different directions! Guppy is like a rocking horse gone wild and I, well I’m […]
Do you like it?
15th August 2011
15th August 2011
Waves are still coming across from the side but Guppy just merrily cuts straight through them at 7 knots [13 kilometres or 8 land miles an […]
Do you like it?
14th August 2011
14th August 2011
Strong winds still blowing at an angle from side astern and I am still not sure if I should pole the Genoa out on the windward […]
Do you like it?
13th August 2011
13th August 2011
Finally after five days of bobbing, the wind is back! Yesterday evening the threatening squalls that I could see all day on the western horizon, suddenly […]
Do you like it?
12th August 2011
12th August 2011
Bobbing and flapping… 2 knots, 2,5 knots and back to 2 knots speed… There is still no wind but the sky has turned a bit cloudier […]
Do you like it?
11th August 2011
11th August 2011
Wind is getting a little better. Last night I had to run the engine for a few hours but during the day we ran under sail […]
Do you like it?
10th August 2011
10th August 2011
Still only little or no wind… Today I ran a lot to wrestle with the sails, put the pole on the Genoa rolling it in and […]
Do you like it?
9th August 2011
9th August 2011
There is very little wind. I am trying to sail a bit further with every puff there is but the speed does not get over 3,5 […]
Do you like it?
8th August 2011
8th August 2011
At opening time this morning I was already standing in front of the Customs Office door and after running from one place to another I was […]
Do you like it?
7th August 2011
7th August 2011
On our last leg Guppy became slower due to marine growth on her hull below the waterline so I dived into the water to give Gup’s […]
Do you like it?
6th August 2011
6th August 2011
During my time here in Vanuatu I have met many local people including a nice family who has been living here for many years. They asked […]
Do you like it?
5th August 2011
5th August 2011
The wind was whistling in the rigging when I awoke and it was cold – just 22° C [71,6° F]. Here at anchorage the yachts are […]
Do you like it?
3rd August 2011
3rd August 2011
Back at the beach party I saw a really beautiful music instrument, it is like a twelve strings guitar… A boy was playing it and I […]
Do you like it?
1st August 2011
1st August 2011
Today started with a bright sunshine. I give a call to the customs office on vhf early in the morning and since I had catched lots […]
Do you like it?
31st July 2011
31st July 2011
After my night at sea sailing through squalls and thunderstorms I thought that I would have a very good sleep the following night when I took […]
Do you like it?
30th July 2011
30th July 2011
Unlike yesterday, I did not sleep much last night. We were hit by heavy squalls with some thunderstorms that made for a mega-spectacular show. At one […]
Do you like it?
29th July 2011
29th July 2011
I enjoyed a very good sleep last night, the radar alarm did not go off once, not even the device that detects ships at more than […]
Do you like it?
28th July 2011
28th July 2011
Once again the wind has weakened and is blowing directly from behind. As a result Guppy is heavily rolling back and forth and everything that was […]
Do you like it?
27th July 2011
27th July 2011
After a somewhat longer than expected stop in Fiji, Guppy and I are back at sea. Back home I studied the weather charts and they showed […]
Do you like it?
26th July 2011
26th July 2011
I am back from my adventure aboard the three mast schooner ‘Alvei’, and it was super! Sadly there was just a little wind so we could […]
Do you like it?
22nd July 2011
22nd July 2011
My life is really full of surprises .. As of tomorrow and for a few days I won’t have much opportunity to send in a new […]
Do you like it?
21st July 2011
21st July 2011
Icom America has sent me a brand new SSB radio directly to Fiji. It came in yesterday afternoon, and with some help from Henk of the […]
Do you like it?
20th July 2011
20th July 2011
Fiji Market The market still looks exactly the same as when I was there 14 years ago. Mum and me on the Fiji Market. Me […]
Do you like it?
19th July 2011
19th July 2011
Since my arrival in Fiji I have done lots and I have met many new people. As I was inflating my dingy people form a closer […]
Do you like it?
17th July 2011
17th July 2011
Guppy and I have come through unscathed from the reefs, and around midnight we dropped anchor off the city of Suva, Fiji – then I enjoyed […]
Do you like it?
16th July 2011
16th July 2011
Yesterday Guppy and I sailed between the first islands, atolls and reefs. I was really surprised to see a mountain rising out of the water where […]
Do you like it?
15th July 2011
15th July 2011
After calm winds for the past several hours there is now a good sidewind blowing so ‘Gup’ and I are heading for the atolls at 6,5 […]
Do you like it?
14th July 2011
14th July 2011
Guppy and I are en Route again. At first the wind seemed to cooperate but later in the day it weakened and now it is blowing […]
Do you like it?
13th July 2011
13th July 2011
Today I am setting sail heading for the Fiji Islands. Yesterday I made all the last preparations. There was a mega-pile of laundry waiting for me… […]
Do you like it?
12th July 2011
12th July 2011
There was no wind at all last night and mosquitoes came en masse to visit. So at 3 AM I was awake and I just couldn’t […]
Do you like it?
11th July 2011
11th July 2011
Thank you very much for all the e-mails and advices about my SSB radio. I was given a small handheld transmitter by another sailor, so if […]
Do you like it?
10th July 2011
10th July 2011
With Henk we tried to reanimate my ICOM 700 Pro SSB radio. He has exactly the same, and as a test we installed it in place […]
Do you like it?
9th July 2011
9th July 2011
I kept busy all day mostly doing small things aboard, like cleaning the boat again, inflating the dinghy and with one mega-task…Lately my SSB radio was […]
Do you like it?
8th July 2011
8th July 2011
I am moored in Tonga. Last night I tried to sail very slowly, but I still was too fast even after replacing the Genoa by the […]
Do you like it?
7th July 2011
7th July 2011
There is a pretty wind blowing again, but at this time I don’t really want it. Guppy is now going too fast! I have 35 nautical […]
Do you like it?
6th July 2011
6th July 2011
After many hours on a close course that felt like being on a rocking horse the winds slowly faded. Guppy made good progress and from going […]
Do you like it?
5th July 2011
5th July 2011
The wind keeps merrilly fooling around… Last night it shifted to the North, which was great. So this meant that I just had to unrig the […]
Do you like it?
4th July 2011
4th July 2011
Gup and I have decided not to stop in Niue but to go directly to Tonga. Via SSB radio all the sailors who have been to […]
Do you like it?
3rd July 2011
2nd July 2011
2nd July 2011
Yeah – wind blowing since yesterday. But it kept playing games on Guppy so I was busy all day adjusting the sails and correcting course. At […]
Do you like it?
1st July 2011
1st July 2011
Finally some winds… And they are here for awhile. Early this morning there was some light wind but by the time I had all the sails […]
Do you like it?
30th June 2011
30th June 2011
I feel much better today, so things are going in the right direction. But I can’t say it is the same with the wind although I […]
Do you like it?
29th June 2011
29th June 2011
My sore throat feels better, but I can’t remember ever suffering from such a strong cold! Also I did not know that it was possible to […]
Do you like it?
28th June 2011
28th June 2011
The wind is still weak and blowing straight from behind but all in all, I am on the right course and the sails are not flapping […]
Do you like it?
27th June 2011
27th June 2011
I am on my way to Niue Island. The wind and waves looked pretty inviting at the start but as it usually is, I was kind […]
Do you like it?
26th June 2011
26th June 2011
Everything is back in its place, the MiniCat, the dinghy, my bike is onboard and I cleared things inside Guppy’s cabin so that not everything will […]
Do you like it?
25th June 2011
25th June 2011
Last night after storing some fruits I went to the dance festival with the yacht club owner. It was pretty cold and still pretty windy- for […]
Do you like it?
24th June 2011
24th June 2011
This morning I refilled the diesel tank that of course was almost empty from running the engine during my last windless crossing. Since I had to […]
Do you like it?
23rd June 2011
23rd June 2011
Actually I had planned to set sail again when I was told by the people here that there will be a big traditional dancing festival on […]
Do you like it?
22nd June 2011
22nd June 2011
This morning I felt much better after a good long sleep, but not yet in top shape. Still with some nice wind up I could not […]
Do you like it?
21st June 2011
21st June 2011
As often happens my plans for the day ended up to nothing. I posponed my second bicycle tour around the island because early this morning American […]
Do you like it?
20th June 2011
20th June 2011
For morning exercise I cycled all around the island very early this morning. This went a lot easier than I expected because the main road that […]
Do you like it?
19th June 2011
19th June 2011
After a calm night at the mooring-buoy, today I went exploring the island. I cycled to several bays on my bike and I did some shopping […]
Do you like it?
18th June 2011
18th June 2011
After a windless crossing of 30 hours I arrived in Bora Bora. As it often is with atoll islands, I first had to sail around the […]
Do you like it?
17th June 2011
17th June 2011
Although there was not much wind, I had the travel-jitters again so I decided to head for the Leeward Islands. Too bad this means I have […]
Do you like it?
16th June 2011
15th June 2011
15th June 2011
I was up late this morning because last night I tried to upload pictures to the website for several hours, unfortunately without any success! I was […]
Do you like it?
14th June 2011
14th June 2011
Actually today I wanted to explore the island but early this morning it was already sweltering hot that I did not feel like going. From Guppy […]
Do you like it?
13th June 2011
12th June 2011
12th June 2011
Even though Guppy is very satisfied with her anchorage in the crystal clear and calm waters of Tahiti, I am planning to sail the 20 nautical […]
Do you like it?
11th June 2011
11th June 2011
After two days spent running around I moved to a slower pace, and now I have to do all of the everyday things that need to […]
Do you like it?
10th June 2011
10th June 2011
We’ve had an awesome day!! Because the stranded sailor we went to the waterfall with yesterday is away for two weeks, we could borrow his car. […]
Do you like it?
9th June 2011
9th June 2011
Up to now I have met many new people again, and one of them is a stranded sailor who has to work to earn some money […]
Do you like it?
8th June 2011
8th June 2011
After an exciting passage between two reefs with many lights and buoys I was neatly moored, exactly at midnight. When I woke up in the morning, […]
Do you like it?
7th June 2011
7th June 2011
Going outside without getting wet has become really impossible now! Obviously, Guppy enjoys practicing to be a submarine once more… but not for long since Tahiti […]
Do you like it?
6th June 2011
6th June 2011
While I was running along by the remaining atolls, the wind slowly began to pick up to a speed of about 30 knots [55 kilometres or […]
Do you like it?
5th June 2011
5th June 2011
Another hot and windless day, and I kept looking to the point on the horizon where land should be … my first atoll. And I still […]
Do you like it?