We are tied up to the dock in the middle of the summer festivities which include masses of tourists buying handicrafts, musician and bagpipers, artists selling portraits of people and the city and many boats ferrying people across the harbour or out to go Whale Watching. We'll be here until August when we start travelling along this coast with a number of relatives or friends.
A few notes to finish with: Thank you to ALL those who voted for Dr. Vreni Haussermann for her to receive the honours due her on International Women's Day. She wrote me to say thanks to all of you, and to relate that " My video was by far the most respected one, but Abe Rleider still won the Meteroitenforschering (Honours). "
I have started to input all the information about our 50 dives in Patagonia (split between 2007-8 and 2017) into MS Excel - so far I have learned how to input the information, and have coded 3 dives in the same place at Caleta Ideal. However, I still need to learn how to extract useful information using the data. Vreni asks me to share the dive photos we've collected and thinks they will be useful for her and her team at the Huinay Research Station in Puerto Montt Chile.
I will be sending an article about the unique culture of Chiloe Island off to Bluewater Cruising Association. I have been able to write several previous articles about our experiences over the last 25 months in the club magazine entitled "Currents".
There were many highlights to the tripincluding meeting up with new and old friends. We want to especially thank people who hosted us - either during the trip or when we visited Canada (and - in my case - England). Thanks to Ron and Sarah Koyich and the beautful rest we had in Noosa, Australia.
Maurice and Katie Cloughley who shared the huts on the Mt Arthur Tablelands in New Zealand, and to Christine Lindsay and Terry who shared their boat at Gulf Harbour Marina just North of Auckland and took us to see the gannet colony.
In Chile, thanks to Oscar and Karin who invited us out to their farm where we saw prize-winning red angus cattle and guanacos and relaxed in a hot tub! We enjoyed a typical Chilote meal with the Matalunas family.
On his trip to retieve vital boat parts here in Victoria, he was hosted by Rae and Frida Audette and in Calgary by his sister Kathy and her husband Larry Laderoute. In Deep River Ontario Canada, my brother Paul and my sister-in-law Ann generously allowed me to stay, eat and meet their friends when I spent time there helping my daughter Hope, husband Darin and their children Ainsley, Brynn and Seven as they welcomed a new family member: Wolfgang. I stayed with friends Nancy and Douglas Sturdevant in Ottawa and went to hear Canada's Arts Centre Orchestra with fabulous Canadian pianist Louis Lortie playing Mozart's 'dark' Concerto in C Minor.
I was taken around Norfolk 'Broads' by Vicky and Alan Helby on their sailboat - staying and playing baroque music in their cottage and at the homes of Shelagh Aitken and Peter Davies and of Elaine Mordaunt (all in London).
Among photographic highlights of the trip, we especially remember the following:
Diving in the Whitsundays and the outer reefs of the GBR; sailing in Pittwater with Deb, Leah and Di on SV Ella ; celebrations for Louris Elms 85th birthday in Sydney; Mt. Arthur Tablelands; playing the pianos in Nelson of Wai and of Jen Urqhart in her lovely little Cobb Cottage; the gannet colony; diving near Picton N.Z.; living in Valdivia for the winter; visiting the Prochelle farm; National Day in Castro on Chiloe Island; our 20 dives in Patagonia and the spectacular. lonely anchorages; the Torres mountains and the Estancia Eberhart anchorage with it's horses, cattle and cowboys. In Hawaii, we watched fireworks and met up with old friends - 'Aloha' Barbie, David and Buddy and their little dog Louis.
Thank you to all the friends and family and also to those of you who have followed this 'blog' - thanks to those who have written us although it was impossible for us to write back ... sorry and all the best! More of our favorite photos from the trip will follow in two photographic blog tributes.
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| Fireworks in Honolulu viewed from the cockpit of Traversay III |
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