The Gents Have Made it To Reunion Island

I got an email today from Martin telling me it was a smooth sail to Reunion Island.  He wrote that so far no internet but they do have a rental car!  Looks like they are going to do a little tourist activity today.

While sailing, fishing has been at an all time high.  They have caught so much fish that there is no more room in the freezers for fish.  Martin told me that they are eating it as fast as they can but every time they do, they catch another fish.  Well, at least I know that they aren't going hungry.

Martin and one big Mahi-Mahi.

Mauritius

The beautiful streets of Mauritius.

On Sunday, Martin and crew (David, Doug and John) made it safely to Mauritius.  They are now officially two-thirds of the way across the Indian Ocean.   It was a fairly calm sail, with the wind at their back, but they are certainly glad to be on land for a few days.

Mauritius is different than the islands of Indonesia as it is has more of a European influence.   It has been a lovely stay for everyone, especially since AMARA was given the best parking spot in the marina—right in front a 5-star hotel!

AMARA front and center!

It's been really great being right in front of the hotel because Martin is able to sit at a wonderful breakfast in the hotel while he and I Skype his morning (my night) away getting caught up on all things Frey.   It's been a real luxury.

Tomorrow they hope to push off and head to Durban.  It will take them around 12 days (1576nm).  Their weather window wasn't good yesterday or they would have left sooner.  I am hoping to get in one more phone call with Martin before they leave.

Now this is my idea of sailing!

More Updates On AMARA

All,

We've just had a great team effort battling a monster Yellowfin tuna for the last 2 hours and had him up to the side of the boat several times where we were attempting to gaff him.  Unfortunately the line touched the edge of the exhaust pipe and broke.  

All good on Amara,

Martin

AMARA Update!

I got a great email from Martin today that I thought I would share with you all to give you an update on Amara and their current position.  Looks like they are getting closer to Mauritius, which means closer to internet!  It will be nice to finally be able to FaceTime with Martin.  He's been at sea way too long and we are really missing him these days... 

Enjoy!


"All Is Well on AMARA

AMARA is currently 4 days from arriving in Mauritius.  We have been experiencing light winds and a mild sea today as we crossed the major shipping lane between South Africa and Singapore.  We saw 5 large ships today, the biggest being a gigantic 1200 feet long and 200 feet wide.  Thanks to our AIS (Automatic Identification System) we can see their ship details including their course and speed, and they can see us as a small sailboat.

On board we are currently well stocked with fresh Mahi Mahi and Yellowfin tuna, having caught 3 large Mahi Mahi the day before yesterday.  One fish was 30+ pounds.   In the calm sunny weather, we have been relaxing and each been doing a lot of reading.

The latest crew pastime seems to be to outdo each other in the kitchen. Yesterday David baked fresh bread and cooked up a Moroccan Fish Stew for dinner, while today Doug baked an apple pie, and John served up a Carrot Curry Cashew Soup with Mahi Mahi.  I'm on the hook for dinner tonight, and will be feeling the pressure.  We all are most grateful to Sue for creating all these great recipes in our AMARA cookbook.

The temperature has been getting noticeably cooler as we continue further south.  The shorts and tshirts are being exchanged for long pants and polar fleece. It is still 73 F, but it feels like 60 when you are sitting on watch for 3 hours in the wind.

Best to all,
Martin"

Today's Update on Amara

Martin called last night and reported that this past week they have been in 24 knot winds for the past week and reported that he was actually cold (even though it was 75 degrees).  With the wind blowing all day and all night, it made it a little cold and uncomfortable—especially while on watch.  Today the wind finally started to die down and is now a lot more manageable than this past week.

Every time I talk with Martin he is in great spirits and is truly loving his experience crossing the Indian ocean.  We are in talks whether I should meet him in South Africa or he should come home.  We just aren't sure as of yet and have a week or so to think about it.

Martin sent out an email today to all his fellow cruisers on the same route as Amara and I thought I would share it with you all to let you know about Amara's current position.

"Hello fellow Indian Ocean sailors.

As of noon local time (0700UTC) Amara was at 17d 56m South by 72d 36m East.  During the night last night we passed the halfway point between Bali and Durban.  Yeah!  We are now 2540 miles from Bali and 2380 miles from Durban.

Winds are in the low teens out of the eastsoutheast.

We caught three Mahi Mahi's yesterday.  The largest was about 35 lbs.  Not enough to beat Christine and Guy's record, but close. If you add all three of them together it was probably at least seventy lbs of fish.  Not bad for one day's haul.

—Martin"

I always love hearing from Martin and am so glad that he is still enjoying his journey.  More to come later this week!