Sunday, February 21, 2010

Blog news!

This is a note to ask all you loyal Toketie blog followers to link our blog site to any other sites you might use, such as Facebook or Twitter or your own blog.  Seems the search engines like a blog to be active and the more active and connected it is, the better results you get when searching for it!  The whole google search business is a mystery to me and I guess that's the way they want it but I would like to at least get ours to the point where people can find it when they lose the direct link!!! Thank you

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Update on the Toketie crew!

I guess we usually think of this blog as news for the people back home!  But along the way, we have made friends who may be curious to know how we are faring back in the land of 'plenty'!
Hard to imagine that over three months have gone by already!  Being back in Victoria and connecting with family and friends is wonderful.  The cyclone that hit the marina in Fiji in December caused some anxiety but hopefully no permanent damage to Toketie.
We have been and still are very busy here!  Linda has taken a six month contract with her old employer and David is helping a friend refit a Tayana 37.  The Tayana project is fairly extensive and is currently in a shed having the decks cut up to remove rot that has occurred over the years.  The chainplates are being replaced in preparation for the new rigging and all fittings topside have been removed.  We recently discovered the bowsprit was rotten so I am making a new one as well.
The Blue Water Cruising Association honoured us with an offshore award for our voyages across the Pacific.
But our minds, mine at least, are already beginning to turn to the future and I expect to book a return flight to Fiji in late April sometime with Linda following in June.  The suitcases are already overflowing with new instruments, blades for the wind generator and many other things difficult to find in Fiji.  Not sure where we are going from there!  Toketie has to leave Fiji by November when her visiting status expires.  We had thought of spending another season there but are now leaning towards carrying on West to Australia via New Caledonia and maybe Vanuatu.

In the words of the immortal Bob Marley..."every little thing gonna be all right"!

The Tayana Bowsprit project!

The old bowsprit with rot throughout the center section!

The Tayana Bowsprit project!

Clear, edge grain, quarter sawn old growth fir planks from a mill in Sooke!

The Tayana Bowsprit project!


Laminated with resorcinal to last a 100 years!