Banana Man

Welcome to anchorage #16 located on the island of Vaka'eiteo in the western Vava'u group. Abandoned resort to explore and a coral garden to snorkel....

Rotisserie ?

Garden next to the Vava'u marina has just the tight size piggy to fit on my rotisserie at home! One day!!

Negotiating supplies

Ben and Jaz being vegetarians took charge of boat provisioning for the ten day charter negotiating in good humor with the Tongan Farmers Market! Don't worry we have carnivorous supplies already aboard!

Double rainbow

Wake up to a double rainbow near Pangaimotu island with Jaz taking an early morning swim - had to use Photosynth to get the whole rainbow in three shots. Vava'u is about as east as you can go and be on the new day side of the dateline. Technically we are at longitude 174 degrees west of Greenwich but the date line makes a determined detour in this part of the South Pacific to the east to include us on the left hand side of the dateline. Some countries like to be first at New Year... not last! Latitude is 18 degrees South.

Tongan sunset from #5 anchorage

Captain's log Friday, October 10th....

Gift from Japan

A long line tuna fishing boat was a well intentioned gift to the Kingdom of Tonga.... unfortunately it hit a reef on its delivery voyage and the cost of repair was beyond the Tongan budget so it sits and rusts!

Picking up our Moorings 3900 in Vava'u

After 5 flights and three extended layovers we finally arrive in the northern Tonga island of Vava'u where they kindly let us slip out of the main harbour a day ahead of the charter start time! Now at anchor at anchorage #5 for the night and bread dough has been initiated for morning flatbread. Ben & Jaz luggage lost in Japan finally arrives after 6 days via Bangkok, Auckland and Tonga.

Trawler selection process

This 43 ft Menorquin has a lot of space, twin diesels and adequate guest accommodation! I like the low aspect profile and heavy 40,000 lbs deep keel, high bow and aft fantail. Only a few of these in the US! Quite a process.....

Checking out Ranger 31

TrawlerFest Baltimore... part of the line up of trawlers we want to look at and evaluate. Very full specification in a 31' hull, full accommodation, integrated nav systems, bow and stern thrusters, trailerable, dual use of many features.... but a tight squeeze in moving around the boat and a lightweight at 10,000 lbs. Not sure I could live aboard for a month!

Rivahaven Yacht Club Kitchen

Newly remodeled after 18 months of fine craftsmanship and latest tech wizardry the RYC kitchen has been put to the test for several events!

Birthdays and Anniversaries...

Another birthday

Let no birthday go by without celebrating with oysters! At Meroir restaurant run by Rappahannock River Oysters - these are Old Salts from Chinoteague! Splendid!

Birthday cruise

Capt taking me for a Rivah cruise at speed!

Wine on the Water

Perfect party venue downriver - docked out Tritoon at the Minor Farm dock for an evening with Midnight Coal Company band with Rick Garrett on guitar and an excellent wine selection to enjoy!

River Day at SMS

Called back to duty for opening the 2014-15 year we embarked several tours and navigated the highlights of the local Rappahannock visiting the Caponka wreck, the old Tappahannock wharf, fishing gill nets, Downing bridge, and the river activity pontoon where girls took turns on jetski rides... getting over 100 girls multiple on the water experience in one day takes organization!

Love those bridges and tunnels...

Always seem to be choosing routes that take us over or under the water - here we are deep under Baltimore harbor on the I-895 Harbor Throughway....

Back again at St Viatour Bagel shop

One of the must stop spots north of the Canadian border - sesame bagels from a wood fired oven....

French Regiment de la Sarre Reenactors in Montreal

Finally the two day 18th century market comes to a close and the French regiment fires off its last wad... peace in the hood! As it turns out they were in Canada only a few years and after the defeat by the British the officers were all shipped back to France leaving the foot soldiers to marry their Canadian girlfriends and start a new life in Quebec...

Covered Bridges of New England….

Checking out covered bridges in New England!   I always thought it was to keep them clear of snow in the winter.... turns out the roofs are to stop rainwater from rotting the timbers and needing to completely replace the bridge every 10 years! This bridge is in Rexleigh - New York state.....  The bridge below is on the Vermont - New Hampshire border and crosses the Connecticut river.....

RYC Barman skills

Celebrating DE's forthcoming nuptials, Dale demonstrates shaken not stirred ! Rope lights and tiki torches add to the ambiance !

Summer highlight !

Nothing epitomizes summer on the Rivah like steamed blue crabs. Crabs come up river in runs or waves and some weeks the yields are negligible and then suddenly they arrive! Ten crabs does dinner for two and needs at least an hour of picking! Delish!

Visit to Onancock - by land

Weather precluded our cruise to Onancock this summer. Having booked two nights in a B&B we headed down to Hampton Roads and the Bay Bridge Tunnel to get to the Eastern Shore. Just as well... as our return was intercepted by a fast moving killer tornado....

New dock at RYC

Nothing like a new salt treated dock to brighten up the riverfront. RYC added another finger pier to allow access go Elektra on both sides for maintenance and boarding... total luxury.... now we need a nice 10-15 knot wind to go sailing!

Elektra back on rebuilt lift

Coast Guard Services Rappahannock River Buoys

Coast Guard cutter returns to Tappahannock with buoys #76 and #78 from Port Royal - buoys are being serviced as part of routine maintenance using Tappahannock as a temporary base port.

Post Barge Collision Reconstruction

Jes and crew from Edgewater Marine sinking 35 ft pilings to replace the broken and fractured pilings from the barge "HBM 3022" and tug "Evelyn Doris" collision. New 12500 lbs lift will be installed and Elektra remounted.

Bodie Island Lighthouse

The entrance to Oregon Inlet to Pamlico Sound is under the watchful eye of this lighthouse. A splendid week in OBX (Haterras Outer Banks Islands) was a seafood delight!

Avalon Pier OBX

Walking the miles of beach you come across iconic Americana like this old fishing pier that has survived countless hurricanes and storms!

Just Gardens Tour

Upper Essex Just Gardens Tour allowed for an afternoon stroll in the Wellford Garden to admire the beautiful ponds with lilies and kois... so peaceful !

Prepping the Caponka Buoys

Getting ready for the big day when we install the three wreck buoys around the remains of the 220ft Caponka twin screw wooden steamship just off the main channel of the Rappahannock River.

Dinner Tonight!

Three different variations of Indonesian curries being served - vegetarian version, non-dairy version and my version! (Shrimp and Yogurt!)

Finally back go School!

Back to Hogwarths on the Harry Potter trail at Universal Studios!

Hogwart's Express

	Here's ex-GWR #5972 "Olton Hall" a.k.a. "Hogwart's Express" taking advantage of the Harry Potter craze for all it's worth. In actual fact, not only is the story pure fantasy, but so is the paint scheme and name on "Olton Hall!" It's a Great Western Hall Class, not a Castle Class and Great Western painted their locomotives Brunswick Green, not red!

Checking out sunset at Naples Beach

Re: Barge collision with Elektra

Purdue tug was trying to leave mid-tide with a fully loaded grain barge that draws ten feet - it hit the mud on the creek bottom and slid sideways into our dock and boat. The tide was about 18 inches lower than normal because the high winds that blew the water down river. Elektra is a classic Carl Alberg design yacht built by Pearson - a 23 ft fibre-glass hull built in 1965 and fully restored in 2002. The boat is model is Electra and we have named her Elektra - she suffered only minor scratch to the hull. Jes Sgroi with Edgewater Marine is salvaging the boat right now before high winds tonight that could displace the precarious state of the boat lift and cause much more damage.

Nautical icon!

The trident has always been an inspiration for nautical adventure and mythology of power at sea. Found this one in Islands of Adventure in Universal Studios in Orlando!

Cold night at RivaHaven Yacht Club

Winter on Hoskins Creek

After a couple of nights of 15ºF temperature,
Hoskins Creek is completely iced over allowing
our friend the fox to traverse the solid ice and
start exploring the island. Yesterday a Nutria
walked the waterfront trying to find his natural habitat....

Short side trip to West Palm Beach

How much power do you really need?

Elektra at Christmas!

Autumn colors at RivaHaven Y C

Walking the coast near Big Sur California

Ben and Jasmin - San Francisco

Quick weekend at the Tides Inn

Rivah View from the Condo

John takes Elektra out for a spin