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Last preparations and provisioning as we are planning to leave for Panama this week (Wednesday?) It is our first longer sail with DIVA - 1000 miles, 7 days on the ocean - and everything has to be tied down! The winds seem to be 20-25 knots from behind so that should make it a bit easier. We will report when we get in at Provenir in the San Blas Islands. There, the Kuna Yala Indians rule and it is quite an interesting culture. As you can see our Satphone is up and running and soon we will have e-mail and our Pactor modem working so we can report from the boat directly. Homeschooling is going well - sometime we need a bit more time and discipline, sometimes it goes quite easy. But the 3 are smart and when there is a will, there is a way. Corinna and Mark are working harder than we would like to but soon we will find a the right dose. All in all its great and things are going well. Cheers from PR! Now we are in Puerto Rico at the Farrardo Marina del Rey to get the final fixes done Depending on how things go we should be heading to Panama mid Janunary as planned – lets keep our fingers crossed. As of the 11th we have our NERA Inmarsat phone working and on board after some back and forth between the manufacturer! The number is: XX-870 76 457 5637 (so from Brazil it would be 00-870- etc. and from the US it would be 011-870-etc.) We have started homeschooling and the experience is new to all. New rhythm and new timing – waking up earlier. All in all its going well and the materials are great and are fun. But selfdiscipline comes with some AHRGGS between one and the other exercise. Also for the parents… Things are coming together and ricky and a neighbor MARK from MARAVIDA are helping us tremendously getting the B&G working! He is also a cruiser with family who left a life with Intel to go get some sun. Maravida is a project boat build in steel in Brazil and looks quite sturdy and strong. Mark is a lovely person and his family and ours have shred a barbecue and some shopping together. The cruisers help each other! Now we will finish thing up and then! The first big sail from Puerto Rico to Panam San Blas. Mas o menos on schedule…for what its worth! Cheers to you all. January 3rd, 2006, update (versão português em baixo) Happy new year to you all A toast with a good glass of champagne with friends at anchor in the British Virgin Islands and the boys playing with their best friends – this is how we stepped into the new year. The wind is blowing steady at 25kts from east and the eventual cloud with some rain refreshes the day. We are in vacation mode and snorkeling and using all the new toys aboard is on the days agenda. We still are getting a feel for how much work the cruising life entails: three meals, the dishes, cleaning, fixing that little something that is always broken, plus entangling all the fishing gear is quite a task. On the 2nd we said good bye to our friends and some tears ran down Patricks and Corinnas cheeks. The land life is still very alive in the memories. But our sail to Peter Island in the BVIs was rewarded with a nice catch of a Tuna – probably a 8kg husky fish – if it was not for the shark that bit off half of our catch. Corinna prepared a nice tuna fillet with sesame seeds for dinner – what a prize. Now we are arranging to have the technicians come aboard to finally install the satphone and the other electronics that the lightning strike zapped out. They were supposed to be OK last year but well, that did not work out… On Thursday the 5th we will sail back to Puerto Rico and stop at the Farrardo Marina del Rey to get the final fixes done. Depending on how things go we should be heading to Panama mid Janunary as planned – lets keep our fingers crossed.   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Atualização Janeiro 3, 2006 Feliz ano novo para todos Um brinde com os amigos ancorados nas Ilhas Virgens Britânicas e os meninos com seus melhores amigos: assim começamos o ano de 2006. Um belo sol e o vento esta soprando com 25 nós só interrompido por uma nuvem com chuva traz um refresco todos os dias. Ainda estamos no modo férias com natação, snorkeling e teste dos brinquedos a bordo completa a agenda do dia. Já esta dando para sentir quanto trabalho da a vida de cruzeirista: três refeições, lavar os pratos, a limpeza consertos diversos mas desemaranhar o equipamento de pescaria da bastante trabalho... No dia 2 de Janeiro nos despedimos de nossos amigos e algumas lagrimas rolaram na face de Patrick e Corinna. Mas a velejada até Peter Island nos premiou com um belo atum no curico que infelizmente foi compartido com um tubarão que tomou sua parte! Corinna preparou um belo filé de atum com gergelim para a janta. Que delicia. Agora estamos agendando que venham os técnicos terminar de instalar os eletrônicos faltantes que foram detonados com o raio de Ft Lauderdale. Deveria estar tudo ok, mas sabe como é, né... Na quinta feira dia 5 vamos velejar de volta a Puerto Rico e parar na marina de Farrardo para concluir os trabalhos. Dependendo do desenrolar das coisas vamos ir para o Panamá meados de janeiro – vamos fazer figas que todo de certo! Um abraço querido de Peter Island, BVI! December 28th, 2005, update - Living Aboard Now life aboard has really started. Breakfast, swimming, boat chores, snorkeling, lunch, some reading, an afternoon march, dinner, writing, early to bed seems to be the rhythm. Very nice. Christmas was as usual a special occasion. We had our wooden Christmas tree made by Alexander in his handcrafts classes, decorated lovingly by Corinna. All the little figures of Mary, John, the Shepard, etc. were out and on X-mas eve the boys sand the German songs so in spite of the tropical environment a very traditional Christmas was celebrated. The boys loved the Gifts (mostly games, Legos and fishing gear) and played all night long. With the cell phone working we could call our family and wish them all merry Christmas. Today we will check out of the US Virgin Islands and will sail tomorrow morning to Tortola, British Virgin Islands to meet the boys friends Alexander, Gabriel Elstrodt who are sailing with their parents on a Chartered boat. We shall get together in the Virgin Gorda Sound, a big bay with beautiful bitter end Yacht club and great snorkeling, to celebrate new years together.   
    
  December 23rd, 2005, update - Finaly under way! After the ususal delays of cruising travel we are finally underway from San Juan, Puerto Rico to St. John – US Virgin Islands. It took us the better part of 3 days to get all our gear on board, all the food stored away properly and to buy MORE fresh food. We feel like a cart convoy with all the pots and pans and pigs and cows and hens… It is a funny scene. It also meant a lot of work so everyone is happy to go to a place that has a beach for some relaxing. The wind and seas God has been good with us so far and the trip is pleasant even though it is against the wind! The days in Puerto Rico were made special by our “Superfriends” Robert and Tere Cimino who not only helped us with shopping and packages but also made a special barbecue at their house. Johnny and his wife joined and we had a wonderful evening. YPO is something special and it sure brought us together with these fantastic people. Before departure our friend Freddy Volckers fitted us out with Pavias Hospitals best materials so we are prepared for every situation. Thanks dear friends and happy holidays to you all. Now we are approaching St. Thomas and will anchor in the Coral bay of St. John a beautiful island and national park. We should get there by 21:00. December 12nd, 2005, update - Our first port of call (versão português em baixo) After Cape Canaveral, Universal Studios and Animal Kingdom, we are getting ready to step on the decks of our beloved DIVA that has finally reached the San Juan harbor safely. Ricardo and crew had a very hard ride against the prevailing easterly trade winds and we are happy that all are back safely and with little damage to the equipment. On Saturday we fly to from Miami to San Juan (with all the bags…) Corinna will then take over the "house", shop for food and stuff, aided by our Puerto Rican friends Tere and Robert Cimino while Ricardo and I will focus on the repairs and final adjustments. We plan to spend Christmas in St John,
USVirgin Island but you know how it is with schedules… we
are flexible. Friends from São Paulo will be in Tortola
for the new years party and the kids would LOVE to be together
- so we will try to meet Heinz and Marilia in the British Virgin
Islands. All in all, things are starting to fall into place and we are very happy about all the friendly notes, e-mails and calls we are getting. Thank you from the heart. We wish you a merry Christmas and will update you before the new year! Cheers, tsching, tsching - the Essles
Atualização Dezembro 12, 2005 - O primeiro porto de nossa rota Após Cape Canaveral, Universal Studios e Animal Kingdom, estamos nos preparando para finalmente pisar no deck de nossa querida nau DIVA que finalemente chegou são e salva em San Juan no dia 14.12. Ricardo e a tripulação tiveram uma navegada dura contra o vento predominante de Leste e estamos felizes de saber que tripulação e barco estão bem - pequenos reparos a parte. Então vamos tomar o avião no Sábado de Miami com todas nossa malas... Corinna então assume a casa e vai às compras em PR ajudada por nossos bons amigos portoriquenhos Tere e Robert Cimino enquanto ricky e eu nos concentraremos nos reparos e ajustes do barco. Planejamos passar o natal em St. John nas US Virging Islands, mas já sabemso como é o assuno das datas - estamos flexíveis. Amigos de São Paulo estarão em Tortola para a festa de reveillon e as crianças querem muito se ver e assim vamos tentar encontrar com Heinz and Marilia nas British Virgin Islands. Para a felicidade completa so falta uma caixa com material escolar do Philipp... que se perdeu a caminho da Alemanha... mas isto vai ser encontrado! As coisas estão se ajustando e nos estamos muito comovidos e agradecidos por todos os e-mails e notas na homepage tão simpáticos e carinhosos! Obrigado do fundo do coração pelos bons desejos. Les desejamos um feliz natal com sua família
e esperamos dar mais um pudate antes do ano novo! Cheers, a Essle Family! December 7th, 2005, update - Arrival to Miami (versão português em baixo) We landed in Miami carrying seven 70 pound suitcases and after serious weightlifting boarded our brand new Toyota van rental car. A smooth ride to our Hotel in Doral and good hours rest made everyone ready for the next days. Inga and Jan our local cousin was immediately ready to receive us and we enjoyed a lunch together. Mark got his x-mas gift with brand new photo and video gear that was ordered under close supervision of friend-photographer and artist João Farkas. After the due rest, we started up the Florida Turnpike highway… it rained some 12 inches during the 4 hour trip. We are enjoying Disney and its well organized setup! The season is sparing us the long waits to plan - that is great! We are in a Villa type hotel with kitchen and Living room - so very nice to be together. If everything goes according to plan we should catch a plane on Thursday Dec 15th and land in San Juan, Puerto Rico. There we finally board our ship with all our bags and things and head out to the virgin islands. So far everything OK. Cheers to all! Atualização Dezembro 7, 2005- Chega ao Miami Chegamos nos Miami com sete malas de 32Kg cada (santa TAM não reclamou) e após algum halterofilismo entramos numa van novinha da Toyota (que carros maravilhosos) e nos hospedamos no nosso Villas at Doral da Marriott. Já visitamos a Inga e o Jan em Miami Beach e la o Mark recebeu seu presente de Natal (encomenda de foto & vídeo para a viagem com assessoria especial do fotografo e artista João Farkas). Após algum relax e storage visits, submos o Turnpike para Orlando (caíram uns 30 cm de chuva no trajeto...) Por enquanto estamos curtindo a Florida e a Disney! Realmente é bem feitinho e organizado negocio aqui. Pegamos uma época boa sem muitas filas. A chuvinha deixou o parque para nós. Estamos aproveitando para nos ambientar em Família num hotel daqueles tipo Villa com cozinha e salinha - uma delicia. Os meninos estão daquele jeito que so criança fica - 150º C e cheios de alegria e energia, 4800 rpm; emfim um prazer estar vendo isto. Se tudo andar como planejado tomamos o vôo do dia 15.12. para San Juan, Puerto Rico para lá embarcar as 7 malas e todos os tripulantes. Algumas comprinhas e alimentos e estaremos prontos para seguir para as Ilhas Virgens. Abraço querido de todos! December 1st, 2005, update - The countdown is ending (versão português em baixo) Only a few more hours to liftoff and the last details are falling into place. It is amazing how much work and many little details are necessary to get going… I have never been so often to the Public Notary, took to banks and sent envelopes to here and there. Canceling Services is a real customer service experience (not the most pleasant one…) But the farewell parties and events are the most intense and rewarding experiences. All the good wishes, the special gifts, and the sparkle in the eyes of our friends touch Corinna's and my heart deeply. Many people are starting to think about their lives and what this project could mean for them. That's good! The boys are going through the farewell process as well and yesterday enjoyed a two class party in our dear YCSA club. The three were shoulder to shoulder to blow out the candles of the big cake and all the friends were singing "We will miss you". All in all the good thought, fluids and whishes will help fill us with courage to take on the trip. We fly on Sunday evening with TAM to Miami. There we will meet up with Ricardo and load all our bags onto Diva. Inga, Mark's cousin, is helping us with medical stuff and will greet us there. After a few days of relaxing and packing we will drive up to Orlando and go to Disney world for 4 to 5 days. After that we plan to fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico and board Diva there. Ricky and a friend will take the boat directly there. This is when we finally set sail, hopefully in a tranquil way, in safe waters to celebrate Christmas and New Year somewhere in the Virgin Islands. After a few weeks of getting used to our new floating house we should proceed to Panama and the beautiful San Blas Islands. Thanks for all the good wishes!
Atualização Dezembro 1, 2005 - A contagem regressiva já chega ao final Só mais algumas horas para a decolagem. E nos aqui ainda cancelando serviços, passando procurações e carimbando coisas no cartório. Da um trabalho partir... Mas a sensação é boa! Mas as festas de despedida que nos enchem mais de emoção. Todos os bons desejos, os presentes que vem do coração, o brilho no olho dos nossos amigos tocam nossos corações. Varias pessoas comentam que nossa viagem já esta fazendo com que reflitam sobre suas próprias vidas e o que o projeto significa para eles. Que bom, é esta a idéia! Os meninos também estão se despedindo. Ontem festejaram com suas classes no nosso querido clube YCSA na represa. Os três meninos estavam abraçados para assoprar as velas do lindo bolo da festa enquanto os amigos cantavam Saudades de Vocês! Todos esses bons fluidos estão nos dando coragem de dar o grande passo que esta na nossa frente. Domingo dia 4.12. pegamos o vôo noturno da TAM para Miami. Ricardo estará lá nos esperando e vamos descarregar as malas no barco. Inga, a prima de Mark vai nos ajudar a completar a farmácia de bordo e resgatar encomendas... Que bom ser recebido por família lá! Depois de alguns dias de arrumação (e relaxamento) vamos pegar o carro para Orlando e visitar a Disney por uns 5 dias. Da Disney pegamos um avião para San Juan, Puerto Rico para começar nossa velejada. Se tudo der certo estaremos em águas tranqüilas conhecidas das Ilhas Virgens para as festas de Natal e Ano Novo. Após algumas semanas de ambientação em nossa nova casa flutuante vamos partir para a travessia para o Panamá e o lindo arquipélago de San Blas. Obrigado por todos os bons desejos! November 16th, 2005, update (versão português em baixo) Getting Ready! The route plans are already in full transition. If all goes well, Ricardo and crew will take the boat to Puerto Rico in early December to avoid the famous Christmas winds and the trades on the nose of January. We might be able to celebrate X-mas in the Virgins… would be nice. So the family flies out on December 4th to Miami, then to Orlando for the Mouse House and then to relax and recover in the boriquen waters, well know to us. And we will see our friends again! Great In Brazil we enjoyed a trip to Iguazu falls with our YPO friend and enjoyed that thouroughly. Now, back in São Paulo, we have two scheduled presentation dates of the planned trip to friends so they can dream with us! See you guys soon! Atualização Novembro 16, 2005 - Getting Ready! Apos os sustos da Wilma e dias sem luz,telefone, internet e serviços, os trabalhos a bordo conseguiram seguir. Tiramos todos os eletrônicos queimados e estamos trocando pro novos. Santo Silvio Araújo da Paradise Marine! O seguro cobre o dano (menos a franquia) e assim a despesa ficou gerenciada... A vida na doca foi interessante e cheia de trabalho - mas é diferente do escritório! Muitas compras de coisas e comida! E tive a ajuda de gente muito legal como a Érika o Billy e a Robin! Thanks guys. Os planos da rota já estão em plena revisão. Se tudo der certo Ricardo e seu colega levarão a DIVA começo de dezembro para Puerto Rico evitando assim os fortes alísios que começam em Janeiro e são geralmente na cara. Assim a família pousa em terra boricua e começa o Sabático em ambiente light e familiar. Natal e ano novo perigas ser nas ilhas virgens!! Seria fantástico. Aqui em São Paulo os preparativos são principalmente de cunho burocático. Procurações, bancos, etc. etc. Espero que tudo fique pronto e não haja greve de nada... veremos. O feriadão proporcionou uma excursão para Iguaçu que foi fantástica! Junto com os amigos do YPO fomos nos aventurar nas águas e arvores do parque. 10! Dia 19 e 22 faremos palestras para os amigos
- é obvio que estamos anciosos. Mas a turma se inspira
e viaja junto. É isto que vale. Zarpamos (de Guarulhos)
dia 4 de dezembro em direção a Miami e a Disney.
Então até breve! November 1st, 2005 - update: Huricane Wilma was a very strong event here in Ft Lauderdale Huricane Wilma was a very
strong event here in Ft Lauderdale. After securing DIVA on
the dry with a travel lift we went to spend the night in a safe
hotel in the city with generators. After the first winds hit
at 2 a.m. the building began to move and shake and both ricardo
and myself could not sleep anymore. The wind kept increasing
up to 90 knots and the pressure went down to 957 mB (normal is
1020 mB). My Suunto watch with the barometer was usefull to track
the storm comming past us. We could watch in the early moring
hours how the wind was houling and destroying many things in
its way! At about noon the storm was over - very quickly and
luckily with very little October 25th, 2005, update: Wilma Everything is fine with both Mark, Ricardo
and our boat DIVA. We were lucky Will update as this improves. Ufa! October 13th, 2005, update (versão português em baixo) A Lighning strike, visit with Schuermann Family and a week for all to relax at IlhaBela After weathering hurricanes Rita, Katrina and some other storms, our brave Sailing Vessel DIVA was caught "on the dry" by a nasty lightning that struck nearby and sneaked in through the negative or ground cable of the 110 wiring. All but few electronic on board went out and the insurance surveyor made a 5 pages long damage report. Ricardo was struck (not by the lightning) but by all the unplanned additional work. Mark will be pulling his trip to USA forward to the 20th in order to be able to support all this new work. Somewhat glad it hit us still in port but, still, I hope St. Peter has a lightning account, so that ours is evened out for the rest of the trip! The October Harvest week is a traditional vacation week of the Europeans and the kids have a weeks break at school. We rushed down to our Ilha Bela beach house and raced the weekend in Optimists and are now relaxing in the sun. Thursday all the boys went for a dive refresher course - a real adventure! The Schürmann Family is famous in Brazil as they circumnavigated the globe twice, wrote books and made several TV films about their famous trips. It was a real honor to be received by them at their Ilhabela home for a private dinner. The couple gave us valuable tips from education (3 boys and now Kat their adoptive daughter) to food to health all the way to tips on where to go. Their site is fantastic so click on www.schurmann.com.br if your into the ocean, etc.
Actualizaçao Outubro 13, 2005 Um raio caiu no nosso sistema elétrico quando o barco estava no seco! Após a querida DIVA agüentar firmemente os furacões Rita e Katrina agora veio essa. Todos os eletrônicos foram fritados pela tensão e o inspetor do seguro preparou uma lista de 5 páginas dos danos nos equipamentos.! Ricardo esta de cabelo em pé por todo o trabalho adicional que isto significa. Mark adiantou sua viagem para Miami para o dia 20.10 para ajudar com os trabalhos. Por um lado estamos aliviados que os danos foram somente nos eletrônicos, e que aconteceu ainda no porto. Esperamos que São Pedro tenha uma contabilidade dos raios e que nossa cota já esteja ticada para o resto da viagem. Na semana do "Saco Cheio"- as Kartofel Ferien Alemãs para colheita das batatas - a família veio para Ilha Bela curtir a praia, não antes de acompanhar o Patrick nas regatas de Optimist no canal de São Sebastião. Na quinta os meninos e amigos Janis e Alan fizeram um curso de mergulho e adoraram ver uma estatua de Netuno e Ancoras afundadas. A família Schurmann, famosa por suas voltas ao mundo nos recebeu para um jantar em sua casa na ilha. Foi uma honra e mais que isto uma oprtunidade para aprender sobre educação, alimanetação, saúde e muitoas dicas sobre lugares especiais. O site é fantástico e não deixem de clickar em: www.schurmann.com.br Actualizaçao Outubro 1, 2005 (english version available below) Os Hurricanes que passaram na Florida nos deixaram de cabelo em pé mas por enquanto demos sorte e saímos incólumes. O primeiro foi Katrina que soprou com cerca de 45 nós e uma pancada no poste da marina amassou um pouco o costado. Veja as imagens dos barcos do lado adernando só com a ação do vento no mastro. No Rita Mark estava a bordo e além de uma noite com o vento assobiado nos estais não houve nada - graças a deus! Preparar um barco para uma velejada transoceânica não é baba... Mark e Ricardo ficaram 15 dias em Ft. Lauderdale visitando empresas de banheiro, de watermaker, técnicos de motores a diesel, especialistas em mastro e estaiamento, ar condicionado e geladeiras, etc. para deixar tudo 100% operacional e ter um bom inventário de peças de reposição. O barco neste momento esta no seco para pintura do casco com tinta anti-cracas e alinhamento do eixo da hélice. A transmissão ZF (que é nova) esta fazendo um barulho forte quando engata o motor e estamos preocupados que isto vem do eixo torto e deixou seqüelas na caixa. Desmontar a transmissão num veleiro é uma chateação porque fica num lugar muito apertado e de difícil acesso. Veremos. Além de toda esta parte técnica, fui equipar o barco com brinquedos essenciais como equipamento de mergulho, uma boa carretilha de pesca, louça nova e bonita, e software de navegação. Decidimos também instalar um telefone satelital Inmarsat da Nera que funciona tanto com voz como com MPDS (dados) - ou seja temos e-mail e internet a bordo. Em São Paulo os preparativos estão
em pleno andamento. O projeto agora já tem uma identidade
visual feita pelos amigos João Farkas (um dos fotógrafos
mais renomados do Brasil) e o designer catalão Gabriel
Martinez. O nome do barco ganhou uma versão muito inusitada
com letras que refletem o movimento do mar e o projeto que batizamos
com o logotipo CIRCULO PACÍFICO esta caracterizado por
uma marca oval que engloba o céu, o mar e a terra e as
três palavras chave - amizade, natureza e diversidade que
vamos levar e trazer da viagem. October 1st, 2005, update - Hurricanes The Hurricanes that passed through Florida rouffeled our feathers but for now left us unharmed. The first to hit was Katrina and it blew with 45 knots through our rig and pressed us against the marina piling causing a small dent on the toerail. See the pictures of our neighboring boats getting blown with only the bare masts in the wind. During Rita Mark was on board and besides a night with the wind howling through the mast and shrouds no harm was done - thanks God! Getting the boat ready for a transoceanic trip is not that easy... Mark and skipper Ricardo have been working hard in Ft. Lauderdale visiting toilet suppliers, watermaker, diesel, AC, refrigeration, engine specialists and mast and rigging experts to have all systems 100% operational as well as having the spare parts inventory well stocked up. The boat is currently on the dry dock to get her bottom faired with anti-fouling paint and to align the propeller and shaft to the engine. The new ZF transmission make a worrying "clack" when the gear is engaged and we are afraid that the misaligned shaft has damaged the clutch. Getting the "trany" out of sailboat is a pain-i-t-b as it is of difficult access. Lets see. Aside form all the technical aspects we ensured thet all the essential toys are on board such as diving gear, a big fishing reel for trolling, nice new dishware and navigation software. We also decided to install an Inmarsat satellite phone from NERA that operates both voice and data (MPDS). So, yes we now have internet and e-mail on board. Back in São Paulo we are also getting ready. The project now has a visual identity prepared by our good friend João Farkas (one of Brazils most renowned photographers) and by graphic designer Gabriel Martinez. The boats name DIVA got a new flashy version and the project now christened as CIRCULO PACÍFICO has an oval brand symbol encompassing the sky, the ocean and the sea and the three words we want to take with us on the trip: Friendship, Diversity and Nature. August 22, 2005, update - The countdown has started to tic in our heads Only 15 more weeks before takeoff! In September Mark will take more stuff to Ft. Lauderdale. The German language books weigh many kilos! The boat ToDo list is getting longer not shorter - Will now look into all the Diving and Fishing gear. Any tips? Divas interior is getting a fancier look – new Ultrasuede True Blue cushions and colorfull curtains should change the law-office-look of the main salon. A cupboard with drawers will replace the small sofa in the master cabin – all practical stuff from an experienced sailor mother! The deck is also getting extra attention. The main cockpit bimini is being redone with light blue sunbrella cloth, and an extended cover to keep the sun at bay. Ricardo, our skipper is bending stainless steel tubes and fitting it all under the big boom. It should be ready in september. São Paulo front: On the São Paulo front things are settling down in Gabriel M. da Silva. We were able to store all our goods in the apartment or a dedicated attic so all seems safe. We are now starting to work on the communication program (as you can see on the improved website). You can now leave note in our guestbook (view guestbook, sign guestbook). The boys are also starting to “think through” what the trip will entail. We will feature a kids corner on the site for their friends. Patrick is still the avide Optimist Racer and just won 3 races in a row in his class! . All 3 are doing well in the Humboltd school and Corinna and I are in intensive exchange with the teachers to ensure a smooth transition to Homeschooling in 2006! The ILC30 Curupira race boat has found a new owner and will now be raced again by a good team! It was a great boat for Mark and a wonderfull experience! Go sail you Curupira, and be a pround winner again! Farewell. The evenings are filled with long internet reading of noonsite, SevenSeas Crusing Association and other usefull resource website. It is amazing how much info you can get. In October, November more and more farewell events are lining up and the pressure to get all the bureaucracy ready is quite big! In the mean time President Lula is making sure there is enough emotions also on the politics front. Brazil will always provide for exciting times! And so we say good bye to many little and a few big things, one by one… we will miss them, but will embrace the new things that come ahead even more! August 8th, 2005, update - We have moved to our apartment!! Please note the new address: The space is tight for five of us – it’s a two bedroom appartment– but hey a great training for the life aboard! The boxes are packed and the duffel bags for SY DIVA are being filled. It was quite a job for Corinna who did all of the move herself! Mark was with the kids in Germany after our fantastic Africa Family Safari (see pictures). So far so good - all systems are go for a December 4th departure from Sao Paulo to Florida where we will board our ship and head southwest to start our voyage. June 2005, update - We are starting our preparations quite seriously now. The house, the boats MB45 and Curupira, the clubs, the subscriptions all are up for review - it is quite amazing how much of these things one has going for yourself... We are getting the appartment ready to fit the family into a smaller space. Two rooms and one bathroom - Diva will seem spacious after that!! The "get-rid -of-your-assets" experience is beeing quite fantastic - a voyage in its own right Physical exercise is becoming more important now - dieting and health club are in again! Finaly The friends are absolutely intrigued and envious about the adventure - lots of comotion. Its a classic dream theme so it touches many peoples imagination. A friend decided to do the same with other means - an airplane! May28th, 2005, update - Highest Adrenaline level moment of the week: In Miami, a few feet away from the baybridge to enter the Miami harbour (and an 8 mile shortcut) we got the gitters that our mast would not make it under the huge bridge with its 65 feet high opening; After reviewing the listing of our boat - we discuvered that the bridge clearance is rated at 64 feet. With all the memorial day trafic wake, plus a high tide we concluded that it was to tight a call; and we turned around and went down south through the shalow channel of key biscane. Those were intense five minutes - We than kept imagining what would happen if we had crashed into the bridge and the size of the damage... the estimates went form $20-80K depending of how much mast would go down - not a happy picture. But now we were cruising calmly in the green waters of the Miami Bay. Good choice, after all. May, 2005, update - Inauguration trip We just did our family inauguration sail now in May from Ft. Lauderdale to Key Biscaine and back. Ricardo Fernandez - our friend and skipper from Argentina - is helping us in many ways and is our good old friend in all boat aspects. Now we can count on our new webskipper Pablo Cantisano from Buenos Aires to edit our website and make content available to Friends |
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