The Journeys

2019

Atlantic Crossing

After a few months in La Linea/Gibraltar our crew arrived from Canada and we started our Atlantic Crossing.  First making our way to Las Palmas then joining the ARC+ Rally to St Vincents and the Grenadines via Mindelo in the Cape Verdes.

 

Autumn Sailing

After Pam's wedding, Pat joined us with his friend, Caitlin, for some sailing along the Costa del Sol in Spain.

 

Spring Sailing

Returning from Australia after spending six months in our house in Bellingen we got a late start to the sailing season trying unsuccessfully to get some work done on the boat in Cagliari. After over a month delay we decided to sail on to Spain and enjoy a few weeks of sailing before going 'on the hard' to install a new propeller.

  

2018

Autumn Sailing

After returning from Norway we prepared to leave Greece for our first multi-day passage to Sicily, Italy.  We explored the east coast of Sicily then spent a few weeks in fabulous Malta.  We returned to Sicily and hopped along the south coast then another multi-day passage from Favignana to Sardinia.  We spent the last few weeks of the season exploring the southeast coast of Sardinia and the island of Carloforte before being pulled out of the water in Cagliari where Songster will stay until we return from Australia in the northern spring of 2019.

Scandinavian Tour

During 5 weeks in July and August we explored some of the Scandinavian countries.  After a quick visit to London with a stop first in Dusseldorf, we went to Amsterdam, Kiel, Copenhagen, Gothenberg, Oslo and Bergen where we embarked on the fabulous Hurtigruten cruise on MS Lofoten up the west coast of Norway above the Arctic Circle to Kirkenes and back.

Spring Sailing 

We left the marina in Lefkas early April and spent the next 11 weeks pottering around the Greek Ionian Islands and adjacent mainland.

2017

Southern Italy Road Trip

On our way to London for Christmas we spent a week traveling around the heel and toe of Italy.

 

Autumn Sailing

We spent most of our time in the Evia Channel and Saronic Gulf but then made the big transition through the Corinth Canal to the Ionian after three years in the Aegean.

 

The Summer BLIB Tour

During the hot and windy months of July and August we left Songster on the hard and traveled through the Balkans, London, Ireland and the Baltic (The BLIB Tour). 

Spring Sailing

We returned to Turkey early March to get ready for the spring sailing season.  We checked out of Turkey on the first of April and checked into Greece at Symi.  We headed north then southwest  across the Aegean.  Songster was put on the hard at The Boat Club for July and August while we did some land travel.

Malaysia and Sumatra

After leaving Australia and before returning to Songster in Turkey, we spent the month of February in Kuala Lumpur, Sumatra, Penang and Northern Borneo.

 

 

2016 

Myanmar

On our way back to Australia in November, we spent 3 weeks in Myanmar and Phuket.

 

Autumn Sailing

Returning to Leros after our UK visit we sailed south through the Dodecanese Islands checking out some new anchorages and revisiting a few favourite spots.  We then returned to Turkey.

UK Road Trip August

We rented a 'Crampervan' again for a two week UK road trip around Wales and south west England.

 

Europe July

From our boat in Leros we caught a ferry to Athens then flew to Rome to tour Italy for a few weeks, then continued by train through the Swiss Alps to Paris and London.

 

Spring Sailing

After finishing all the maintenance jobs at the marina in Marmaris, we left our 'winter home' in Turkey to sail through the Dodeconese Islands in Greece at an easy pace.  We sailed 400 nm and visited 14 Greek islands and two Turkish anchorages over about 9 weeks.  About half that time we sailed in company with Three Sheets and for shorter periods with other boating friends who had wintered in Marmaris.

2015-16 Europe and North Africa

77 days, 11 countries staying in 27 places.  Latitude span North 51 degrees to North 29 degrees.  Longitude span East 28 degrees to West 9 degrees. 

2015

 Sailing the Turkish Coast

Total distance sailed in the 2015 season = 583 nm

Pre-Cruise Cruise

CA Rally

Post Rally Return

Plus several trips to Ciflik and Ekincek

 

UK Road Trip 

Clockwise circumnavigation of the UK exploring England, Wales and Scotland - 3 weeks, 2,700 km

2014

Across Asia to Europe

 India, Nepal, Iran, Turkey and Greece - 7 months

2013 

Southeast Asia and China

Vietnam, China, Laos and Cambodia - 9 weeks

2012

Cairns to Darwin

In 2012 we crewed on Jolie Brise, a 34 foot Magpie, from Cairns to Darwin.  The Skipper then took the boat on the Sail Indonesia rally.  Our trip was as follows and gave us great coastal water experience.
                                                                                            Cum, NM   Daily

Tuesday	5/06/2012	16° 48.124' S	145° 42.998' E	0		Yorkey's Knob
Wednesday	6/06/2012	16° 22.912' S	145° 33.774' E	32	32	Low Isles
Thursday	7/06/2012	15° 43.7' S	145° 26.3' E	60	28	Hope Island
Friday	8/06/2012	15° 27.507' S	145° 14.987' E	80	20	Cooktown
Saturday	9/06/2012	14° 39.6' S	145° 27.1' E	133	53	Lizard Island (day layover)
Monday	11/06/2012	14° 12.248' S	144° 28.138' E	211	78	Bathurst Bay via Ninnian Bay
Tuesday	12/06/2012	14° 10.633' S	144°13.825' E	226	15	Flinders Group Islands
Wednesday	13/06/2012	13° 29.6' S	143°43.6' E	284	58	Morris Island
Thursday	14/06/2012	12°35.6' S	143°25.6' E	344	60	Portland Roads
Friday	15/06/2012	11°53.715' S	144°05.4' E	397	53	Shelburne Bay
Saturday	16/06/2012	10°58.057' S	142°40.817' E	463	66	Escape River
	17/06/2012	10°40.679' S	142°322.10' E	463		Cape York
Sunday	17/06/2012	10°50.795' S	142°21.866' E	504	41	Seisia (3 day layover)
Saturday	23/06/2012	12°11.957' S	136°42.328' E	884	380	Gove (3 day, 2 night passage, then 3 day layover)
Thursday	27/06/2012	11°46.847' S	136°31.379' E	909	25	Wigram Island
Friday	28/06/2012	11°35.911' S	136°17.737' E	933	24	Guruliya Bay, Wessel Islands
Saturday	30/06/2012	11°57.212' S	134°12.448' E	933		Entrance Island, Liverpool River then onto
Sunday	1/07/2012	11°23.305' S	132°53.690' E	1178	245	Malay Bay, Cape Cockburn (3 days, 2 nights passage)
Monday	2/07/2012	11°08.027' S	132°19.829' E	1223	45	Danger Point
Tuesday	3/07/2012	11°11.862' S	132°02.840' E	1243	20	Coral Bay, Port Essington (2 day layover)
Friday	6/07/2012	12°07.586' S	131°14.577' E	1336	93	Cape Hotham
Saturday	7/07/2012	12°25.528' S	131°49.289' E	1380	44	Darwin

Grand total: 32 days at sea covering 1380 nm (2556 km) including 52 hours of night time sailing

Solar Mist - 2008 to 2014

The start of it all.  Lots of little trips over the years, mainly long weekends.  Our favourite cruising grounds were:

• Lake Macquarie
• Sussex Inlet 
• Jervis Bay
• Pittwater and Hawkesbury River

We also participated in some organised rallies and races such as:

• The Heaven Can Wait charity one lap dash at Lake Macquarie 2010 and 2011
• The Marley Point overnight race in 2011
• The Lord Mayor's Regatta at Lake Illawarra 2010 and 2013

Sadly little Solar Mist has been usurped by her big sister, Songster, as we start a new phase of our sailing life.