IMPORTANT NOTICE
We have changed ISP provider from AOL (not before time!!) so our landline based e-mail and Website addresses have changed. The new site address is :-
Note : The letter 'e' is now included so the site name aligns with the boat name.
The new site host is much easier to access and affords much greater memory. So, image quality should improve and will include a new page, Latest News to feature more recent happenings. We will probably continue the practice of carrying out a major update at the end of each sailing season.
Update #22 - South Pacific Islands, Nov '04
Tonga, Samoa, Wallis & Fiji
The Jesingers have achieved their ultimate ambition, to retire early and take to the high seas for some serious blue water cruising. We can afford to take our time and have been lucky in acquiring Amoenitas, a superb, high performance, ocean cruiser capable of carrying us in comfort anywhere we choose to venture.
On 5th July'99 we set out on a tradewind circumnavigation which, providing all goes well, could extend for ten or more years.
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Completing the Milford Track, Fiordland, New Zealand, 2nd April 2004
In 1999 we made our way to the Caribbean via the Iberian peninsula, Gibraltar and the Atlantic Islands of the Madeiras and Canaries. During 2000 we explored the Windward and Leeward Island chains before heading south to Venezuela for our 1st hurricane season. After refitting in Trinidad we headed north to Cuba via the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. We returned to Trinidad again that August to refit, before setting sail along the Venezuelan coast via Colombia to the San Blas Islands of Panama and the Canal.
We transited the Panama Canal in Feb'02, visiting the Perlas Islands on the way to the Galapagos. From there it was a 3000nm crossing of the South Pacific to French Polynesia. Our route encompassed several island groups: Marquesas, Tuamotos, Society Islands, Cooks, Tonga thence via Minerva Reef down to New Zealand. There we saw out the cyclone season for seven months, exploring that beautiful country extensively by road.
In May '03 we headed north to the warmth of tropical Fiji. where we devoted nearly four of our magical six months there to the remote Lau Group. In late October we returned to NZ for our 2nd cyclone season.
On this 3rd season in the Pacific we covered 4148nm (7682Km) enjoying some of our best ever cruising whilst exploring areas of the south west part of this vast ocean that we had missed in previous years. Now Amoenitas is safely tucked up for the cyclone season in Tauranga marina.
Pressthe buttons to discover more about Amoenitas, her Equipment, our Route and for the latest news and pictures, check out the Update. Our underwater exploration is covered in the Marine Life page. To check our latest position, use the Findu site to see a map display of our latest position, as reported to the Winlink 2000 system.
Index of Earlier Updates & Marine Life
