Del Viento

19/09/2018

At seven years old and on the last day aboard. Too bad we didn't have Australian milk.

15/09/2018

The big purge. Seven years aboard = way more stuff than you thought possible.

09/09/2018

Change of plans. Decided to head north instead of south and have one last passage, which was beautiful, and exhausting. We're now in Mackay, where we will put Del Viento up for sale, soon to be dirt dwellers once again. Grateful to have had seven years of wonderful, challenging, sometimes frightening, rewarding experiences together as a family afloat.

09/09/2018

These little birdies are called "welcome swallows." They have been regular visitors since we arrived in Australia. They like to look into the port lights.

19/08/2018

On our way to 1770.

18/08/2018

Fueling up before heading south toward Brisbane. Stopping tonight at Pancake Creek, a popular local anchorage. Beautiful weather, cool nights, sunny days.

14/08/2018

Here's the latest blog post. Drone footage of DV.
http://logofdelviento.blogspot.com/2018/08/del-viento-from-above-by-michael.html

The day before we sailed away from Fiji, we went for an afternoon sail with our friends Ranga, Aruna, Thanuja, Arindi, and Asel. It was over...

02/08/2018

Stowing our trusty dinghy for our last long ocean passage on Del Viento. We're headed to Australia, 1100 nautical miles away, with a stop at Chesterfield Reef, a remote, uninhabited part of New Caledonia, at about the half way point.

30/07/2018

Mount Yasur, Tanna Island, Vanuatu. Concussive booms. Flying lobs of lava. Awed and frightened tourists clustered on the rim—it’s more of a ridge, just a few feet wide. Hiking down in the dark through clouds of blinding, choking ash. Insane. Unforgettable.

28/07/2018

Day 4 of our 2 day volcano adventure on Tanna Island, Vanuatu. Perhaps the mechanical failure that delayed our departure flight was a warning. Yesterday the plane that was supposed to bring us back crashed while leaving Port Vila for Tanna. We heard there were injuries. We were sent back to our hotel. Today we go again to the airport and get in line with all the other stranded tourists. Sailing here might have been the better option after all.

24/07/2018

A rare blog post. What we've been up to.
http://logofdelviento.blogspot.com/2018/07/live-from-vanuatu-by-michael-port-vila.html

Windy today in overcast Port Vila, Vanuatu. We’ve been busy and non-communicative. To catch folks up: I left Arizona for ...

13/08/2017

Home is the sailor! Mike is back after a month in the US, and boy are we eager to get moving!

And the latest blog post about all those older fiberglass boats for dreamers on small budgets (and one boat our friends are selling).
http://logofdelviento.blogspot.com

07/08/2017

On Koro Island. The men in the background, dressed in their finest coats, ties, and sulus (skirts) had just left a special church meeting for community leaders, coming together for the healing of their villages after cyclone Winston. As they passed, each one introduced himself and shook my hand. Meanwhile the girls braved the jump into the culvert with the other kids.

05/08/2017

Sunset dinner. Salad, fresh roti from town (worth of fighting over), and huge quantities of garlic hummus.

26/07/2017

Frances playing with some of the kids from Navaga Village on Koro Island. Last year Koro Island was devastated when it took a direct hit from cyclone Winston, the most powerful cyclone ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere. Here's the blog post about our trip out to the island: http://logofdelviento.blogspot.com

10/07/2017

We've had days of seemingly non-stop rain and drizzle in Savusavu, but this was a sparkling sunny moment.

01/07/2017

One smart thing we did--and some other things. Turns out we were wise to take that mini vacation (photo below, at the Doubletree Resort near Nadi) between the house project in Arizona and wresting DV from eight months spent unattended in the tropics (here's a blog post about the state of the boat: http://logofdelviento.blogspot.com).

30/06/2017

Golden tidepools in our back yard last night.

22/06/2017

Back on Del Viento! After several days of scrubbing, washing, breaking and fixing, drying out, and re-installing, we have a boat that's marginally livable.

Here's the view from our transom, so lush from an especially wet season. Frances noticed the raft floating by last night, now we just need to find its owner.

15/06/2017

Biding our time at the Colo-I-Suva Rainforest Eco Resort. This afternoon we'll board the overnight ferry to Savusavu, the last leg on our journey back to Del Viento.

15/06/2017

Fiji!! Thrilled to be here and on our way to Del Viento.

Here's the latest blog post about our first few days in Fiji.
http://logofdelviento.blogspot.com

09/05/2017

Not what you want to see when you check the morning weather. The late season depression developing between American Samoa and Tonga has been upgraded and named tropical cyclone Ella. It's also doing a 180 and is now aimed at Vanua Levu, Fiji, where DV is moored. We're not super concerned at the moment, just watching closely and knowing things change. Also watching nearby cyclone Donna, said to be the strongest May cyclone ever recorded in the region, and keeping those in its path in our thoughts. The South Pacific cyclone season officially ended April 30.

09/05/2017

We'll be back in Fiji in a few short weeks, and one of our favorite things about Fiji is the food. So looking forward to joining Waitui Kelekele Marina and friends for this Savusavu tradition. Btw, that's $7 US for all the delicious Indian food you can eat.

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"If you're looking for something to do this weekend, why not join us for our buffet this Saturday from 6.30pm!
DELICIOUS food, COLD drinks, GREAT prices and our typical laid back Savusavu atmosphere. All welcome!!!"

19/04/2017

"Sizzling?"--it's time to get back to Del Viento.

14/04/2017

We could ride our bikes to Mexico from our Ajo house, though with temps in the 90's that 40 miles might be our last.

New blog post about our recent road trip to Puerto Penasco, Mexico.

http://logofdelviento.blogspot.com

The FAA doesn't allow passenger rides in ultralights in the United States. In fact the only approved use of a 2-person ultralight in th...

09/04/2017

Yesterday at the Play it Forward music festival in Ajo. Fun in the not-yet-crazy-hot sun.

08/03/2017

We're into our fourth month in Ajo, AZ. All is well. Definitely looking forward to Fiji in June! Here's the latest blog post about what it was like when the girls finally went to school. http://logofdelviento.blogspot.com

28/10/2016

Blog post: Our plans and more Fiji pics.

http://logofdelviento.blogspot.com

25/10/2016

Sydney, Australia!

24/10/2016

New blog post up. Fiji is peppered with resorts and many of them welcome cruisers. Some even offer free mooring. It's mutually beneficial since cruisers spend money without taxing the resorts' resources much. Still, and despite the sincere welcomes we've received, it can be difficult to shake feeling we are getting away with something. It's too fun!

http://logofdelviento.blogspot.com