Cornwall - St Minver, Rock & Port Issac

After two days of much needed good food and hot showers at home with my parents, we flew down to Newquay to spend some time with Suze's family (thanks for the flights Mum and Dad!). We had an amazing three days in Cornwall - the weather was great and we were well looked after by Stuart and Suze. From walks in the countryside to beach picnics and ice cream. Everyone had a go at surfing (even the kids), but seeing you had to wear a wetsuit and it was cold even on land, I gave it a miss. Sam managed to catch a few good waves though. The beaches were spectacular - who would have thought you'd get aqua marina sea and white beaches on the UK coastline?
Stuart and Sam both tried their hand at rock climbing, with Stuart tripping up near a 100ft drop while climbing around the Rumps. He looked a bit pale and shaky when he finally reached ground, with a cut wrist. All was okay though and they happily threw themselves into some cave diving the next day.
Suze's family were extremely welcoming and the kids were very sweet too. Especially little Alfi, whose slightly too large wetsuit (he was only 2) and long blond hair-do made him look like the smallest surfer on the beach. I'm definitely saving up for a cottage in Rock - only $1,990,000 to go!

Dublin, the largest city in the world

Because it keeps doublin' and doublin'. That bad gag popped up a few times during our four days in Ireland. We arrived early Tuesday morning into Dublin port - which was more of a commercial hub than a leisure marina. The yacht was sandwiched in between container ferries and we had to navigate around a huge jack up rig to get in - not that welcoming! A slightly drunken looking Irish man in a speed boat whizzed out to tell us where to moor and he narrowly missed a large buoy in doing so.

We had one big night out in Dublin, to sample the local bars and as predicted ended up drinking too much Guinness and singing loudly to the Proclaimers until 2am. We also took a tour of the city, with an interesting Irish historian who clearly disliked the English. After listening to his recount of the 1916 uprising and the events around it, I understoof why. We found a bar pasted full of notes from around the world. Sam scribbled on a SGD note and we added it to the collection - only to find quite a few other Singaporeans had also hit that same pub. And we thought we were being original.

A Quick Tour of the Boat

Here's a quick tour of Yemaya to see our living quarters. The boat has been kept in perfect condition and as Kai and Alina have lived on board for two years, we have everything you'd need for comfortable living......with the exception of a hot shower that can run for more than 2 minutes at a time. But you can't have everything.

The Irish Sea

We arrived early morning in Dublin after two nights sailing across from Scotland. This time the journey was much smoother and we were able to get a few hours sleep each night (albeit on the sofa, as our front cabin was too rocky). The weather was cloudy and rainy most of the way - not a peep of sun for 2 days, so we got through loads of board and card games. Sam is already down two bottles of champagne in bets. We were keen to watch the final of the men's 100m, so we managed to tune into the athletics on the radio with a hot drink at the back of the boat. Managed to get a scratchy reception and heard Bolt break the world record yet again.

The Caledonian Canal, Scotland

Everyone appeared to be very relieved to finally hit the Caledonian Canal at 3am, if only to get a good dinner and a hot shower. The weather so far has been constant drizzle, but the scenery is beautiful. We're currently sitting in a small pub overlooking Ben Nevis. There were 29 locks to navigate through, three lochs and a castle on the way. Sam managed to fall in only once. Loch Ness was spectacular, but we didn't catch sight of nessy. Half way along we jumped off to try hagis at a nearby restaurant (which looked more like someones front room) - the haggis was surprisingly good seeing its sheep's offal.

The North Sea - longest 4 days of my life

I was told that the North Sea could be rough, but we were seriously thrown around for four days. We had a few hours of calm from time to time, which alllowed a bit of mackerel fishing, or a quick swim (why would you do that in 14 degrees, with a polar wind behind you??). The boat was constantly heeling at 45 degrees, so it was pretty hard to move around, let alone cook dinner or shower, so that didn't happen for a few days. No one slept for four days apart from the odd hour we could catch in between night watches. We had some nice suprises though - dolphins and a whale following the boat at night and I finally feel that I'm learning how to sail. A real experience, but not to be repeated. Some photos and clips from the journey - these were taken during calm seas....

The sail to Bergen - Western Norway

We had a very calm sail to Bergen - mostly using the motor as the wind was only a few knots. We motored through some beautiful landscapes. Bergen itself is a great city and full of old German style wooden buildings in bright colours. We have moored up in a port right in the heart of the city centre, next to all the bars and restaurants. Hope to see the fjords tomorrow..

Norwegian Storms & Sunsets

Just experienced our first storm out at sea and surprisingly I wasn't seasick at all and kind of enjoyed it. We sailed from Oslo, round the Southern tip and are currently docked in a town called Haugesund. After a great sunset and easy cruising the first night, we had a real storm the second and the boat was being tossed from side to side. No one got any sleep. Kai and Sam took most of the night watches, but I stayed up all night too, to take it all in. One picture from the sunset the first day against the bright sails and a small video from the second night, which was taken at 5am in the morning at the end of a night watch.

Setting sail from Oslo

From Stockholm we took a six hour train to Oslo to meet our captain and ship for the first time. I was a little anxious in the taxi beforehand, but Alina and Kai seem lovely and we arrived in time to celebrate Alina's 30th birthday that night. We were made to feel very welcome and met a bunch of their friends that night.

We set sail at midday and soon after Sam decided to jump in for a quick swim. After his heart nearly stopped due to the cold, he came out pretty fast. The water was 17 degrees - come on the North sea. P.s. please excuse the hat, but this place is freezing...

Stockholm....maybe we went to the wrong places?

Caught a four hour train back to Stockholm after our days up North. So many people had told us how beautiful Stockholm is and how much we'd fall in love with it. Maybe we went to the wrong places, but it didn't look that amazing to me! The old city was sweet and full of touristy cafes with waitresses dressed up in milkmaids uniforms from the 1900's, but apart from that, the place was dead and it all looked a bit dreary. Considering we only had one day and one night, its very likely we didn't get the chance to explore properly. Therefore, I've only got a couple of pictures from a great little restaurant we were recommended called PA Co. If anyone knows where to sightsee in Stockholm - let me know.

Swedish Saunas & Hut Collections

We flew to Stockholm after a week in the UK with family and friends and took a 3 hour train to a small town called Bollnas in Northern Sweden. Stayed with some friends who had a beautiful Swedish cottage dating back to the early 1900's. Bright red stained wood and white windows, with all the original features included a spinning wheel and outdoor bathroom. Linda's father collected old wooden huts and had accumulated seven already. He'd converted one into a sauna and after a long boozy bbq, we spent a couple of hours in there drinking vodka shots and burning birch wood on the fire. Felt awful and totally dried up the next morning! Here's a few shots from the gorgeous countryside and Trevor's family. Their little son Ethan (3 years old) was a real character.

Relaxing in sunny Toulouse

We spent a week with Sam's family in Toulouse mostly lazing by the pool and eating great cheeses. A quick picture from that relaxed week before we set sail. It was Splodge's birthday and we celebrated by having a bbq with friends and family.