My brother "The Professor" has been in the Marquesas islands (French Polynesia) for a couple of weeks now. My other brother "The Dragon" crossed the Panama Canal back on April 19 & 20th. If you want to see a short video I compiled for him... go here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob9ds-eeMdI So where to after that? The Galapagos. I picked through his photos to show you a sampling of the island. His boat anchored off shore. S/V Irie II ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) Of course... there's beaches. ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) But there's also desert and a volcano. ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) I'd like to think he took this photo of this seashell looking flower just for me. ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) Now for the animal-life... Penguins, Iguanas, Lizards, Sealions... oh my! Penquins ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) Iguana ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) This Sealion has it too good! ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) And of course those famous turtles. Even the church/chapel pays homage to them. church/chapel ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) I guess they've had enough for one day? ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) And finally... you can see for the first time anywhere... a Dragon petting a huge turtle! The Dragon and a Turtle ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) From the Galapagos, he's following the same path as "The Prof" - headed to the Marquesas).... three weeks nonstop sailing (yes... THREE WEEKS) and all by himself. We can keep track of his position on his blog and he's even managed to post one update each week so far. He's expected to reach land by this Thursday. I know I'd be kissing the ground as soon as I docked!
Awesome pics cherylad! Loved the video of the locks, too! Looks like a great adventure! Is there a link to his blog?
Thanks Bunkie! yes... there's a link to his blog.. but he has it set up as private. I'll check with him so see if it's okay to give out the address and password.
Awesome photographs and, no, I'm not in the least jealous. Who am I kidding? I'd love to have stowed away with 'The Dragon' just to see all that wonderful wilflife for myself. Thanks for the update and I hope to see some pics from the Galapagos islands when he gets there as it's somewhere I've always wanted to visit.
Id be deathly afraid to be alone in the ocean for that long. But I'm jealous too those places looks heavenly.
Eileen... these were from The Galapagos. Toni... I got a real kick out that photo too. There were more... but that was the cutest. Laura...We all worry about him (and the other brother)... but like I tell everyone... "they may be crazy, but they ain't stupid". They know what they are doing out there. Now me... you couldn't make me be out there for more than a day or two!
Oops sorry Cheryl. I should have realised when I saw those giant tortoises. Must be my age catching up on me.
An adventure of a lifetime in pictures and we have a premium seating. Eileen has a great idea, stow away, hmmmm.... Jerry
Jerry... after some of the stories they have told... I don't know if you'd want to do that. Like "The Prof"... cleaning a fish... big wave hits and he stabs/cuts his hand pretty bad. Also had a small leak and had to fix it along the way. "The Dragon" was hit by a huge wave also and literally put his boat completely on it's side for a while. And his auto pilot/steering was on the fritz and he was blown off course for about 24 hours until he could fix it. This ain't a leisurely kick back and sail along calm seas portion of the journey. They can typically only sleep for 20 minutes at a time. Unless of course there is not a sign of life for a few days, then they can lower the sails, put on auto pilot, and snooze for a couple of hours. Not for the weak or faint of heart for sure! But... we are all so proud of them! Not too many people can actually get out there and live their dream.
KK... and this is just the start. Their goal is to sail around the world. Expected time frame... seven years. 8)
I have read stories about around the world boat races and the sailors that, every day, run the risk of something happening. It depends on where and when the trip takes place. It sounds like, from the problems they have had, they have their trips under control and can handle the unexpected. Jerry
Yep Jerry. And this really isn't a "race". Just an adventure. They both have been sailing for 25+ years. They can fix anything on a boat. And have all the gizmos and gadgets to aide them. They can navigate by the stars just in case said gadgets fail. They are experienced divers. And fishermen. The Prof can fix anything electrical and is now known as the weather guru in their sailing community. Plus now... since he has a bread maker on board... every one wants him to bring treats to the dock parties! The Dragon can fix any motor or part with the stuff he has laying around. He's known for bringing the best rum to the parties.
It is fun to see these pictures periodically. These are interesting. Those are some interesting tortoise fotos. Those guys must be having a great time. ...and that sdea lion. Oh my goodness.