tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138525162012-02-13T06:05:16.404+10:30This is the journal of David and Robyn Peile's adventures as they set sail aboard Maajhi-Re, a Norseman 447.Maajhi-Re Adventurersnoreply@blogger.comBlogger141100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13852516.post-4911572140681087182008-11-28T12:35:00.005+10:302008-11-28T12:49:06.623+10:30

It’s the end of November and here we are, “parked” in Lawries Marina in Mooloolaba on the wonderful Sunshine Coast just north of Brisbane. What a great place- beautiful beaches as far as the eye can see, rivers, canals, great weather. What more can you want?We are here doing a fairly major refit. So far we have:Imported the boat into Australia in Bundaberg and then sailed south to Moololaba

Maajhi-Re Adventurersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13852516.post-20225283037278798222007-11-09T10:10:00.000+10:302007-11-09T10:50:15.193+10:30

Last Friday evening I was told by an expat that she’d heard a marvellous story about some yachties who had turned up at a couple of Vanuatu schools and made unexpected gifts of a small library to each. Yes it was Maajhi-Re. It seems good news travels fast around Vanuatu.The expat was a yachtie taking time out to work with the Peace Corps here in Port Vila. She is setting up training programs for

Maajhi-Re Adventurersnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13852516.post-42963706065190710582007-09-11T12:34:00.000+09:302007-09-11T13:00:20.582+09:30

Arriving in Fiji after an 8 day passage from New Zealand - a bit weary.....It was a very late departure from New Zealand this year due (firstly) to a backlog of boat projects and (secondly) nasty weather and little opportunity to head north. We finally departed Saturday July 14th and arrived in Lautoka a week later – Saturday 21st.In the end, the trip north went quite well – no heavy winds or

Maajhi-Re Adventurersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13852516.post-50072713480880638142007-06-14T05:50:00.000+09:302007-06-14T06:32:56.957+09:30

We are now in countdown mode for departure from Whangarei New Zealand enroute to Fiji and then Vanuatu, before returning here to Whangarei next summer to do some more refit work on Maajhi-Re. With the funds donated by family and friends (around $1000NZD) we have sourced and purchased a great set of school supplies to be divided among villages that we visit. It includes readers, story books, wall

Maajhi-Re Adventurersnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13852516.post-86179138609498248182007-04-18T01:09:00.000+09:302007-06-14T05:50:32.921+09:30

Robyn in Naone Village, Vanuatu with local school kids In 2006, we had an incredible adventure sailing through the Pacific Islands on our yacht, Maajhi Re (see below for more tales!). We were welcomed with warmth and enthusiasm by the villages that we visited, and just fell in love with the culture, values and attitude to life.One of the things that struck us wherever we travelled was how

Maajhi-Re Adventurersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13852516.post-56451024471903805592006-12-17T16:28:00.000+10:302006-12-17T17:02:35.687+10:30

An experience not to be missed, never to be forgotten, and to be revisited as often as we can. In fact we are going back next year. There are so many bays and villages we did not have the chance to visit, and many others where we have formed friendships and made commitments to return in 2007.Ni-Vanuatu in their villages are beautiful people. Many young people have tried the “city life” of Port

Maajhi-Re Adventurersnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13852516.post-44405100693935829802006-10-05T16:37:00.000+09:302007-04-18T17:06:30.417+09:30

Then we found paradise and it was all worthwhile! We anchored in a little bay about 6 km down the western side of Maewo. The bay had a double waterfall (side by side) and a magnificent creek entrance with 2 low and wide waterfalls coming into it. We navigated the dinghy to shore by the washing that was hanging near the creek and found we were in the little village of Naone. Paramount Chief Elliot

Maajhi-Re Adventurersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13852516.post-1166332935784469582006-09-15T15:39:00.000+09:302007-04-18T17:07:49.686+09:30

What a fun town. Go anywhere by bus for 100 vatu per person – first on first off unless of course your destination is along the way, in which case you ask the driver to stop and he does. 80% of vehicles on the road are vans of some sort with a “B” for bus on the number plate.Great duty free shopping for wines and spirits, perfumes, diesel. Great shopping along the only strip for clothes, music,

Maajhi-Re Adventurersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13852516.post-1156465396415090642006-08-25T09:49:00.000+09:302007-04-18T16:37:34.939+09:30

Clearing into Tanna Island was recommended by yachties and is a must do. We arrived before dawn having tried to slow down during the night – stronger winds than we expected – and had to hover around waiting for light to break before tackling the entrance. Imagine our surprise to find 3 other yachts converging on Port Resolution at the same time!Once settled we all introduced ourselves and had a

Maajhi-Re Adventurersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13852516.post-1156465118038530762006-08-25T09:44:00.000+09:302007-04-18T16:40:38.769+09:30

What an introduction to cruising! Over 8 weeks we explored most of the sounthern and central east lagoon, as well as Lifou in the Loyalty Islands. Noumea was our base – very French, rather expensive, but fun and somewhat laid back compared to the city lifestyle we had left behind.. In the process we learnt much more about sailing the boat (and sailing her 2 handed), about the provisioning

Maajhi-Re Adventurersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13852516.post-1156464858201589362006-08-25T09:39:00.000+09:302007-04-18T16:41:25.015+09:30

Our second off shore passge in Maajhi-Re was over 6 and a half days, leaving Coffs on May 13 and arriving on May 20th 2006.We had to work the angles all the way across in an effort to keep from heading too far north and missing the lagoon entrance altogether. It was a bit of a slog but Maajhi-Re handled it beautifully (better than her sometimes sea sick owners.)On board were Duncan and Eve

Maajhi-Re Adventurersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13852516.post-1147332303416755582006-05-11T16:48:00.000+09:302007-04-18T16:42:27.352+09:30

Pittwater to Coffs HarbourAfter two nights at RPAYC in Pittwater to refuel and take on water, plus make Maajhi-Re shipshape after the 5 day passage from Melbourne, we motored back down Pittwater to Stokes Point and picked up Adam and Tuula Hudson for a day up the Hawkesbury. Beautiful weather for a day up in Refuge and America’s Bay. We picked up a mooring and had a most pleasant and relaxed

Maajhi-Re Adventurersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13852516.post-1145412430704634072006-04-19T11:08:00.001+09:302007-04-18T16:43:18.907+09:30

Finally! After spending a number of months working fulltime on preparation we left our pen at Royal Brighton Yacht Club on the evening of Sunday April 9th 2006.Friends and family were there to wave us goodbye and wish us well and we headed out still tying down the last of the cruising gear we had brought up from Paul’s garage in Elwood the day before.First stop was for fuel so we pulled into

Maajhi-Re Adventurersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13852516.post-1136758580609486432006-01-09T08:33:00.000+10:302006-04-19T13:16:56.750+09:30

Maajhi-Re is a Norseman 447, designed by Robert Perry and built by the Ta Shing Shipyards in Taiwan in 1985.Designed as a passage maker, she has done some extensive cruising, including a 3 year trip from San Francisco to New Zealand between 2001 and 2004.We bought her in May 2005 and sailed her back across the Tasman from Whangarei in New Zealand to our home port of Melbourne, Australia, for

Maajhi-Re Adventurersnoreply@blogger.com2