http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/ OceanGybe en http://www.surferspath.com/ Copyright 2008 2008-07-07T08:08:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/garbage-adventure-and-surf The three major tenets of the OceanGybe Expedition are garbage, adventure and surf. We generally pick our course and destination dependant on the likelihood of these three variables, and, of course, the wind. As we sail into the Indian Ocean and away from the Pacific, I feel compelled to review, thus far, what we have found since leaving New Zealand almost 2 months ago. Since 95 % of our time on land was based in Vanuatu, this may be a rather one-sided view but at least it will shed some light on how I viewed Vanuatu based on our three major goals. 2008-07-07T07:08:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/garbage-adventure-and-surf http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/friday-island Khulula is sitting at the very convergence of numerous large events in her young life. One, as of today, she has sailed 10 000nm with some dirty crew members buggering with her sails every couple hours; Two, she is about to enter a brand new ocean; and Three, has spend the last 28 hours navigating one of the worlds busiest shipping channels, the torturous Torres Straight. 2008-06-30T09:27:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/friday-island http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/farewell-to-the-pacific-ocean After 10,000 ocean miles, Khulula is on the brink of entering the intricate and much feared Torres Straight. 120 miles long, with water depths averaging a mere 25m, this reef strewn straight separates Australia and Papa New Guinea, and is one of the main shipping channel between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. 2008-06-27T09:26:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/farewell-to-the-pacific-ocean http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/the-dark-magic-of-vanuatu-and-the-exorcism-of-khulula It was a fateful day when s/v Khulula spent the morning ferrying stranded missionaries across the windswept channel between Maewo and Pentacost Islands in Vanuatu. 2008-06-19T09:16:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/the-dark-magic-of-vanuatu-and-the-exorcism-of-khulula http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/feast-or-famine-on-the-way-to-indonesia I can hardly move, the aching from my bulging stomach continues to hamper my movements, just moving to the computer to type this quick blog was an effort. We are all stuffed; we have eaten way too much. And it has been about 4 hours since we last ate. Hugh is splayed in his bunk, belly up. Ryan is lying under the sunshade in the cockpit trying to mentally clear his stomach. Whatever could have happened to get us into this situation? 2008-06-16T11:12:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/feast-or-famine-on-the-way-to-indonesia http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/turn-down-the-suck If you've just read Didee and Ryan's wonderful descriptions of deserted islands, crystal clear waters and beaches in paradise you're probably pretty jealous of the crew of Khulula right now. 2008-06-05T12:23:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/turn-down-the-suck http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/belated-blog-blong-blossom Apologies for the long silence from Khulula since I (Ryan and Bryso's mother) came abroad, and agreed, in an enthusiastic rush of creativity, to do the blog about the land-diving (the purist's version and father of modern bungy jumping) which we planned to watch when we got to Pentecost Island, the only place in the world where it is practiced. Once on board, I learned in short order that, not only does seasickness SUCK (apologies - my English has deteriorated) but the preventative pharmaceuticals reduce me to a mumbling half-wit. Pentecost and the land-diving came and went ten days ago. We are now - June 2nd - anchored off an absolutely perfect atoll, isolated, uninhabited, and lost in an ocean of so many different blues that words fail me. Ryan is making breakfast (fresh fried Snapper with egg and chips - which follows fresh pawpaw and pampelmoos earlier) 2008-06-05T12:22:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/belated-blog-blong-blossom http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/sailing-vanuatu-style So by now you've figured out that usually it is possible to tell how much fun we're having by the number of blogs that get written. It's an inverse relationship; the less writing we're doing, the more amazing experiences we're having. It's been a while since someone sat down to write up about all that's been going on for the crew of Khulula in Vanuatu. So you'll know for sure that our days have been full with incredible (soon to be an overused adjective) sights and sounds. It's really been non-stop. 2008-05-30T12:13:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/sailing-vanuatu-style http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/without-electricity-flowing-water-and-the-internet-how-do-people-survive The evening sky was darkening, our eyes were only beginning to adjust to the gloom, the coconut husk fire was glowing and the embers being stoked by the dying afternoon breeze. We were sitting in a circle on the woven matt of our hosts, our faces flickering in the light of the cooking fire, listening the slow noises of the village settling down for the evening, our mouths filled with dirt. 2008-05-21T08:01:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/without-electricity-flowing-water-and-the-internet-how-do-people-survive http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/yasur-the-mighty-volcano-of-tanna We are 10 miles North of Tanna, en route to Port Villa and the capital city of Vanuatu, Port Villa. As Tanna slips over the stern of Khulula, I am compelled to tell of our experience with Yasur, the mighty volcano of Tanna!! 2008-05-15T08:42:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/yasur-the-mighty-volcano-of-tanna http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/adventures-in-engine-less-sailing So after 5 fantastic days exploring the beaches, reefs, and lagoon's of Aneitym as well as being welcomed into the village of Anagawat, we reluctantly weighed anchor late last night for an overnight sail to the island of Tanna. 2008-05-13T06:46:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/adventures-in-engine-less-sailing http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/vanuatu-the-land-of-cannibals-cargo-cults-and-active-volcanoes Vanuatu or Ripablik Blong Vanuatu (Republic belonging to Vanuatu) features about 83 islands running approximately 1300 km in a north-south line. Vanuatu means the " Land Eternal" has a rich, dark and very very interesting history. These lush green islands sit on the the western edge of the Pacific Plate, right next to the 8000 ft deep New Hebrides Trench. The trench marks the boundary between the Indo-Australian plate and the pacific plate. As a result of this subduction zone, Vanuatu has some of the most accessible active volcanoes on the planet. Sitting in the anchorages, one can watch the smoke and sulphurous eruptions light up the night sky. 2008-05-12T07:05:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/vanuatu-the-land-of-cannibals-cargo-cults-and-active-volcanoes http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/a-tribute-to-jess-and-thea-christened-blue-water-sailors For seven days we have seen nothing but endless horizons and blue water. Now, with less than 100 miles to go, the anticipation of land and all it's pleasures (a good night's sleep on a flat surface!) is building fast. Thea and Jess have had a marvelous passage, and in hindsight I must admit that they have experienced a very apt cross section of the passage making experience. 2008-05-07T06:11:01+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/a-tribute-to-jess-and-thea-christened-blue-water-sailors http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/cold-front Yesterday we donned our wet-weather gear (hopefully) for the last time as a nasty cold front passed over us with 25 - 35 knots of wind. Fortunately it only lasted about 10 hours, but they were a very uncomfortable 10 hours! 2008-05-06T07:22:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/cold-front http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/cruising-along Wow, I'm basking in the glow of a hot super-coffee while watching an incredible sunrise on my first 6am shift! Incredible! 2008-05-03T07:21:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/cruising-along http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/the-highs-and-lows-of-passage-planning A brilliant sunrise wafted over New Zealand the morning of 21st April, 2008, accompanied by an ice cold South West wind – a perfect wind to blow Khulula northwards. North, away from the encroaching winter, into the balmy island paradise that is the South Seas. Names like Tanna, Vanuatu, Fiji, and New Caledonia beckon to us, urging us to drop the land locked umbilical cord and take the 1800 km jump across the stormy ocean north of New Zealand. Our meager equatorial wardrobes are beginning to fail miserably in trying to hold back the cold. We all feel like ducks out of water, as each passing week brings more chill, more cold, more rain. The sails, bimini’s and other cover aboard Khulula hang limply in the New Zealand rain, and if you look close enough, you can almost see Khulula silently shivering as she floats in the chilly water. 2008-04-28T06:44:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/the-highs-and-lows-of-passage-planning http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/busy-days-while-on-the-hard Over the past 6 months, "We'll do it in New Zealand" had become a catchphrase aboard Khulula, always when referring to certain jobs and modifications that required more than a McGuyver solution of duct tape and chewing gum… 2008-02-08T10:34:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/busy-days-while-on-the-hard http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/contented-consciousness-part-2-when-it-all-comes-together The voyage, like most everything in life, has been series of ups and downs. Like a friend of mine Neil says, "Vicious highs, and vicious lows"; and the bad times make the good ones so much better. I know it is a cliché, but lots of those sayings about life ring much truer out here where life and the experiences are stripped down to a much more basic level. 2007-12-07T15:57:02+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/contented-consciousness-part-2-when-it-all-comes-together http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/welcome-to-new-zealand-aotearoa Aotearoa, The Land of the Long White Cloud, loomed against the horizon, slowly growing larger and larger till it filled the horizon from north to south. We hadn't sailed into a land mass of this size since leaving Mexico some 6 months ago and as it filled the sky and horizon, the more daunting it became. "So that is New Zealand... right there " we pointed and mused. A weird feeling to finally be here. 2007-11-28T11:08:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/welcome-to-new-zealand-aotearoa http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/weather-windows From Day 1 of meeting up with the boys on Tongatapu the story of weather windows would dominate discussion among the local sailing community. 2007-11-19T07:43:00+00:00 http://www.surferspath.com/blogs/oceangybe/weather-windows