off to Sydney Spit

we are heading off, leaving Victoria and heading up to Sydney Spit. Malachi is joining us -

here are a few pictures around Victoria:

Trivia: Who is this? and Who's loved this picture?

Steve meets the Law!!

Emma and her friends!

walking around Victoria with Nathaniel on our way to White Spot

guess it must get real cold here if they are putting sweaters on bikes?!

now that's a copper tan!

Land Ho!!!! Orca III home in BC waters again

Well we made it. 21 days at sea and we are finally in BC - actually we had a total 65 days at sea since we left NZ! that's a lot of sailing!! think I did enough for a while. hahaha

Steve checking in with Customs in Victoria Harbour!


the kids with Jenny from Malachi - everyone so happy to be on land and in BC!!
we are in Victoria, and getting ready to head to the Bluewater Cruising Rendezvous "farewell to the Fleet" . this will be fun!! Robert and Rose from " Tillicum" met us at the customs dock and welcomed us home!!!! What a lovely treat - they drove up from California ( that's where left Tillicum) they came and hung out on Orca III with the crew from Malachi and we had another surprise - ....................

Robert and Rose from Tillicum

Someone was calling my name from behind the gate at the marina....... who could that be?

Tamara and her girls Lidia and Isabella - friends of Maya's from False Creek Elementary !! they happened to be in Victoria, wow, we loved that!! so they came aboard and we chatted away and the kids played. Kyle , Maya and Emma all went for a swim at their hotel today! What a treat to see them!! Thanks Tamara for finding us!!!Lidia, Maya and Isabella - what a great surprise!!

Then Nathaniel surprised my by showing up at the grocery store in the trunk of Rose's car!! yep, family ask him about that... so we have been spending the day with him, another treat !! ( he is my cousin) Nathaniel even joined the crews from Orca III, Malachi , and Tillicum for lunch at .............. Guess where?!!!! do you know?

that be Nathaniel and Steve!!!the milk shakes! we all got one , and the burgers..... well triple "O" !!!

one of the many dolphins that welcomed us in! we even saw orcas too, all in the Straight of Juan de Fuca
My family watching the dolphins, we never get tired of them!!
Prepare for Battle!! the night we had a water fight with Malachi at sea!! they were prepared!notice the sling shot, very good!!
us getting closer for the fireworks display! notice how calm the water is!!

just hanging out at sea

that's our Kyle!

our stow a ways!! taken by Emma the photographer at sea

2 days and counting

current position is 47* 30' N 131* 02' W COG 074T speed 6.6 knots

we have been sailing since dinner last night. have had 25 knots of wind ( now 18) and 4-6 ft seas. the autopilot decided to act up last night around 11 pm. so we were hand steering on and off til 4 am. Steve fiddle with it , but what a pain!! none of us got very good sleep, so today has been a real low key day with everyone getting lots of rest. Mine and Steve's bodies ache.... we are healed over 10-15 degrees, it's like climbing a mountain to go anywhere on the boat. We have been spoiled the last couple of weeks - forgot what it was like.

Sun is shining and everything else is good. Malachi is off our starboard beem 1.5 nm - spotted another sailboat this morning, first on the radar and then finally a visual, hailed them but no answer - we have long since left them behind. we think we are sailing about 2 knots faster then them.

we are at the home stretch now, looks like we will be arriving Wednesday evening before dark.

tootle loo...........

4 days and counting

current position is 46* 51' N 135* 01' W COG 073T speed 7.5 knots

have been motoring since last night at dinner, however the wind has come up now and we are doing great motor sailing 7.5-8.2 knots. today was water making day, so we all got showers!!! we have been cleaning out the boat as well. dust everywhere! seems I am dusting everyday-

it was a beautiful sunny day today, now we have clouds - not long now, only 3 days - ( actually at this speed 2 days 15 hrs) caught a fish, not sure what kind but boy it tasted good, kinda like a salmon and tuna combined?!

everyone on board is great!!

hugs

4 days and counting

current position is 45* 13'N 141* 42' W COG 069T speed 7.0 knots

We can see clearly now the rain is gone! sun sun mister golden sun shining down on us!!! and we are happy to see him!!

We actually passed Malachi early this morning, they are catching us - just a mile behind us now, but still we passed them!! A little friendly competition is always good. But the fact remains that they are a faster boat and will pass us again ...... we just had more sail area up last night. anyway , we expect to be in the high late tomorrow or Sunday. we will motor at that point , until then we have had a lovely sail...

all is well, just 4 days to go...........

hugs,
Orca III crew

we're still sailing, better than did before!

current position is 44* 21'N 145* 15" W COG 066T speed 6.1 knotts - we just slowed down have done 155 nm so far, ( that's in last 22 hrs still have 2 hours to go)
cloudy - very rainy this morning again and all afternoon, still 100% cloud cover

still looking at being in Victoria for July 29 -

all is well, kids and I played the game rummy tiles ( we got that from Dorothy Marie for Xmas) loads of fun!!! like that game.

we have stopped fishing as we are very full!! they kept biting like crazy yesterday and we threw most of them back, we were trying to put the lines away and they kept biting!!!

we are excited that we are almost there!! countdown............5 days 10 hrs 36 minutes to go - that of course is with the current speed, hoping not to slow down too much

we are again in VHF range with Malachi, we caught up last night - they were 20 miles ahead but now only 8 - well done Orca III ! we just kept our speed up last night , nice sail.

tttttttttttttttttttthat's all folks!!!!!!!

man are we sailing!

current position is 43 13 N 148 47 W COG 059T speed 7.5 knotts -
cloudy - very rainy this morning, no rain this afternoon but still 100% cloud cover

still wing on wing, wind is behind us. wind speed is 18-20 knots, and we have been surfing the waves at top speed of 9.5!!

at this speed we will be in Victoria July 29 - 6 days and some hours!!

have been catching albacore tuna, kept only one - the other 3 we felt were to small, yesterday morning around 5:30 am I had about 30 dolphins all around the boat during my watch!! jumping and swimming along- loved it!

our radar has been glitching, shutting its self off - Steve changed the fuse , lets hope thats the problem. Saw a freighter today, first one since Hawaii.

everyone is doing well. we have been doing suduko puzzles, word searches and codex's - and of course lots of reading. I finished " the Host" and Twilight - both by Stephany Meyer , I liked " the Host" way better. Steve has been cleaning up the files on the computer. something we really needed to do!!

We have been out of VHF range with Malachi for a few days now. so we check in with each other in the morning and in the evening.

nothing much else, oh ya, we had a baby boobie bird on deck 2 nights ago and now we keep hearing a chirping sound in the main sail. have looked but see no birds.

well thats it for now

hugs from all of us - boy we are getting close now!!!

motoring along......

current position is 38 59 N 158 42 W COG 004T speed 5.3 knotts -

calm calm seas! barely a ripple! have had the sun most of the day , now about 70% cloud cover. we are motor sailing, (after sailing for the last 2) made water all day - full! had showers , cleaned the boat and transferred all the fuel into the tanks. lots of projects done. feels good.

we are hoping the winds will pick up and will be doing our rum line to Juan de Fuca.... the gribs are showing wind, but they also keep changing.

with the water so calm we have seen lots of sail jellyfish, very cool . even saw a turtle, almost ran him over. I thought it was a bouy at first.

Kyle has been reading to Kill a Mockingbird! yeah, finally - he is liking it! Emma is in full force with her barbies and has had her dad make more swords and such, his newest creation is a sword for the head of the horse. Could be a new career for him?! hahaha Maya has finished all her books and is madly looking for more, today was a day of trying out different makeup .......

not much else to say,

this is Orca III on the side

---

moving along

current position is 35 38 N 156 13W COG 333T speed 5.3 knotts - we are heading North now to get the winds up at 40* , have been motoring and sailing all over the place....... sick of changing the sails!! genoa in , genoa out, - genoa in, genoa out.

weather is cooler now. but still sunny, seas fairly calm,

just hanging out. Steve has been playing barbies with Emma, making swords and lances and stuff out of wire. Emma loving it. Kyle and Maya have read everything here and re reading books from over 2 years ago ( Bill Bryson) and even my Nora Roberts ones.... Still can't get them to read To Kill a Mocking bird!!

watching lots of movies on the new ipod ! good fun!!

have seen lots of garbage floating by, even a light bulb!! luckily no fish nets , but lots of floats!!

Hey both Malachi and us are craving White Spot burgers!! please someone let us know if there is a White Spot in Victoria and where it is. We all so want to eat there as soon as we arrive!!!! its all about the food you know!!!

hugs
the crew of Orca III

this is CFG 7565 - that's Charlie Foxtrot Golf 7565 clear of this station

sailing ..............

33* 49' N
158* 45' W

Hey all we have been motor sailing for the last 2 days with the odd engine off short sail. winds very light, have had a couple of squalls and went through a cold front. can sure feel the coolness in the air now. We have caught up to Malachi and they are just over a mile ahead of us. We are still making northernly, hoping the westerly winds will show up soon, not looking like they will until the weekend.

have been catching a ton of mahi mahi, so all of you at home can try some. you will love it , its very nice fish! ( not a fishy taste) - we had a great night with Malachi last night . but first the girls on Malachi called us to help with their school work. they are doing a project on being Canadian, so they asked us why we are proud to be Canadian and why we love Canada! what a fun time we had with that! So now I ask you to think of why you are proud to be Canadian!!

Anyway, later in the evening we had a fireworks show, Malachi had some left over from the forth of july celebrations! funs stuff!! ( the fireworks were let of into the water, none went up high in the air) and then we had a water balloon fight!! good fun, we were a fair distance away and it was very calm last night , not to worry!! it was fun. a nice way to break up the boredom ..................

today I made homemade pizza and some fantastic brownies, I must say the brownies were the best one yet!! very chewy and moist.... yum yum!! these small things are big on a passage!!

all are doing well, we have all watched the movie Spirit Bear and are homesick for BC - you must watch this movie, its a true story taking place in BC to do with the white spirit bears on Princess Royal Island...............

hugs, see you soon!

the Tremblays or Orca III

orca III in the big blue sea

29 55 N
159 08 W
5.0 knots
COG 002T

light winds, full canvass up, next to no seas! having a great sail, caught another mahi mahi this morning. had a rainbow this evening , nice and bright and big!

we have had a very pleasant sail, managed to get all showered up , made lots of water. had a fantastic bbq pork chop lunch with these awesome potatoes I made.

Its nice to have good pork chops again!!

Its days like this I like passages! we are in VHF range again with Malachi, lost them 2 days ago. now only 10 miles apart. It's like playing cat and mouse, keeps us entertained.

Everyone on board doing very well, must go Emma is giving me a pedicure.

this is Orca III - Victor Alpha 7 Oscar Romeo Charlie ( VE7ORC) clear

first day out - July 10

Hey all,

well first day out and all is well. we have 15-18 knots of wind , seas are about 4 ft, its a nice ride. doing 6.1 knots -
our position is 24* 40' N 159* 28'W

We are not fishing yet as the freezer is too full still. Everyone is going well today, yesterday Emma and Maya were seasick. It took a day to get our sea legs. laying low, eating light, -

saw a shark yesterday! exciting, and Malachi caught a 6 ft marlin but lost it bringing it in. still was fun.

looks like we will have this wind for a few more days until we get close to the high with light winds. we did 148 miles in the last 24

not much else, for now. have to get used to being down here undersail, its not so easy to type when leaning.

hugs

Still in Hanalei Bay

We are staying one more night. We took today to pack the boat away - and just hang out. We will be leaving early tomorrow morning - looks like the pacific high is working it's way down lower , which is a good thing! I am looking forward to this passage- can you believe it? If we can maintain 6 knots then its about a 18 day passage. I want a comfortable one. nice seas and 18 knots of wind is good!!

Marg and I went to town yesterday to get a few more things - our Costco shop was not a good one. We had a great surprise when we found this nice small shopping mall - we had fun.

don't I make a great mermaid!!

Orca III and Malachi in Hanalei Bay

the crew of Orca III going up the river in our dingy- just got these pictures from Malachi

Hanalei Bay on the island of Kauai

We left Honlulu on Sunday, fueled up and headed off to Hanalei Bay - (in surch of Puff the magic dragon )
It was an overnighter, a taste for whats coming in order to get us back to BC - we did well.
the weather is good, only a couple of squalls but it was a rocky roly trip. Poor Emma , everytime she gets sick at least once. She is a trouper. but did say that she didn't think she could make it home and wanted to fly.......
What a pleasant surprise to see so much green! Hanalei Bay is beautiful - we went with Malachi by dingy up the river at high tide and the sites we saw!! just gorgeous. We ended the day with a potluck dinner on Orca III - we supplied the fish, yep a Mahi Mahi that we caught on the way here!!

Malachi getting bananas form the river. we got some guava too! We pulled in beside them and sent Kyle out , but it started to rain and yep , our hatches were open!
the two boats are rafted together going down the river! everyone a little tired from the passaged the night before!

One of the many birds we saw along the way,. Emma says this is a king fisher!!
up and up the river, we eventually stopped and turned around , cause it goes forever we think
kinda cool seeing coconut trees along the river!! Kyle wanted to climb them but we decided not to let him. not this time anyway!

Isn't it just beautiful. that is Malachi just in front of us. taking in the view!!

just more river scenes!

Here is the entrance to the river, only accessable at high tide and then you still need to watch for the shallow spots ! and there is lots

Ray with Kyle and Maya as Maya learns how to sail a boat - she is in irons here!!

Before that the kids had one last visit with our newest friends. They watched them sail their remote control sailboats! Right in the park behind the yacht club.These are the boats that were racing! Maya had fun trying to drive them! #7 is our friends boat

Emma and her friend Kiana - they had a good swim in the pool as a last play together

Well time to sign off for now as we are all going swimming with the turtles over by the beach!

Diamond Head and July 4 !!!

Happy July 4th

We had a great time handing out with some American friends - they invited us over for a BBQ and to watch the fireworks from their boat. They had a fantastic view! Just look at how close we were to the celebration! The Americans sure go all out for July 4! In the Ala Moana mall, there was lots of singers on the center stage throughout the day - one group of guys - all dressed in shimmering gold coats and black pants did a fantastic performance! great fun

Best seats in the house, great people and good good food!!

Earlier on in the day the kids just lived in the pool - having a great time. The pool has been a god send! Its gets so hot here and its nice to just wander over and have a dip. The kids live in it. Hours on end they are in the pool! Nice treat for us to have fresh water to swim in. Like the saltwater, but its refreshing to swim in fresh .

splash splash!! Kyle and Jocelyn

Ta Da! Lookie what they can do!! Kyle , Maya, Emma, Jocelyn and Jenny

doesn't Orca III look good all decorated. We did this for Canada Day and kept it up til the
July 4th - We also put the hug Canada flag up the mast for Canada Day!this is what we see from our boat. Those are the hotels in the background - Lots, eh?!

Here is Maya , Jocelyn and Kyle in the first tunnel

Kyle , Maya, Jocelyn, Jenny and Steve Growes all hiked Diamond Head on July 3 . the kids loved it , especially Kyle as it was used for military purposes once. There were bunkers and stuff everywhere. The view was phenomenal !!! It's about an hour and half round trip up Diamond Head and down. The kids did great! They took my camera and took some really great pictures! I was provisioning in Costco - that too was a trip!! It was so busy.............
That would be Honolulu! Look at all those tall buildings - that is one of the bunkers in the background
look closely and you will see a light house. The water is pretty clear - that's all reef underneath
Here is what you see looking out of the bunker, that water is just so blue!! what a sight
The proud hikers - They had a really good time! Glad they had a chance to see it.

Today we leave Honolulu around noon - ( Honolulu time, 3 pm Vancouver time) and head for the island of Kauai to a place called Hanalei Bay. It is an overnighter - 120 miles from here.
This is where we will leave from to head back to BC- Our time has just flown bye!! Hanalei Bay is supposed to be just gorgeous - Hanalei means " crescent" . the bay is lined by a beautiful beach - the movie " South Pacific" was filmed at the Lumahai Beach in Hanalei Bay....... hoping to have internet once we are there but if not it will be back to sending via the ham radio.

Bye for now - lots to stow a way before we leave the dock, and we must get one more swim in!!!