Sidetracks - Big Boat Cruising

Not much activity on the boat building front due to another semester of teaching underway and some family holidays. This first holiday was "Big Boat Cruising" to Vanuatu and New Caledonia. First time for my wife and I and reason was to accompany our live wire 93 year old Aunt on a food and lifestyle experience away from the boredom of retirement home. Here's a pic of our floating home in Vanuatu harbour - a very appealing harbour with sheltered coves (apart from cyclone season I guess!) and very pleasant locals.

 Under way, I found the balcony of our cabin the place to be - listening to the waves slip past the hull and the wind past the ears - mainly from the 15 knots of engine speed.  Too far from the water up on deck 11 for me - I'd much rather be on the deck of this ketch we saw slipping out of Noumea for an afternoon sail.  I'd saved up a book to read on the cruise which was equally nautical and absorbing - "The Great Race" by David Hill about the mapping of the coast of Australia by Mathew Flinders and simultaneous activities of French explorers to do likewise.