Well I finally have something exciting to write about after sitting in Bundaberg for over a month. I have more detailed writing that I will post on the website ASAP but for now I am at an internet café and just wanted to get out a quick (that will likely turn out to be long message!). I left the Burnett Heads on Christmas day and sailed a nice overnight sail to the Sandy Strait at Fraser Island (you can check the satellite tracker on the website for positions). The first anchorage was a little rough so I just took a...

It’s been an interesting time here in Bundaberg.  A good combination of fun and work.  Managed to get the crucial repairs done, new starter switch for the motor, re-riveted most of the mainsail track and re-attached the spreader bar holders on the mast, replaced the water tank, and a dozen other things I cant think of right now. The sail here from Vanuatu was, well, interesting seems to describe it well.  I started off beating into 20+ knots of headwinds, and by choice.  I was trying to get to a little island called Tana to see an active volcano and...

Leaving today, hoping to make an unoficial stop at the island of Tana, or maybe even stop in Noumea, New Caldonia if weather is unfavorable to continue on to Bundaberg.  I do not intend to take the shorter traditional route going North of New Caldonia, rather head south now since we have Easterlies and have a chance to stop in Tana or Noumea.  Will probably be in Bundaberg in about 12-14 days assuming I do stop in Tana which is the intention.  I’ll email when I arrive and will try to keep up with the spot-checks! -Kirk...

WOW the internet here is bad!  Anyway finally got a few photos uploaded this time through photobucket.  Here is the link…. http://s192.photobucket.com/albums/z110/kirkalittle/8%202009%20Tuomotos%20to%20Tahiti/?albumview=slideshow I departed Tahanea atoll in the Tuomotus on 6/17/2009.  It was a fairly slow start with light winds but I was still able to sail at a study 3.5kts since the islands blocked the swell for the first day.  I chose to spend the first night sailing between the islands on my route in the beginning rather than sailing around them to help eliminate some of the waves and swell, this worked out pretty well. By the second...

I left Marquises on June 6 2009, heading for a large group of small atolls called the Tuomotus about 500 nautical miles away. “Charlie’s Charts of Polynesia” (A must have guide for this area) describes the Tuomotus as “78 Islands all but two being coral atolls, spread across 150 degrees of longitude and extends almost 1,000 miles in a NW-SE direction. In contrast to the lush vegetation of the Marquises, the atolls have little greenery except for palm trees and short grass. Together with the marquises and Society Islands they form French Polynesia, and are administered from Tahiti. These islands...

About these updates… I started an email list so if you prefer not to receive these updates let me know. Also a few updates are only on SailingSalsa.com, and all the email updates are there, but not some of the recent photos since I have very limited internet for uploading large files they are only going out compressed via hotmail. So if you are reading this on the website rather than via email, you can email me to get on the list and I will try to get you the back emails that have all the photos attached since I...

Sorry, cant type a real update, but I have been having a great time here in the Marquises, and will leave soon in a few days for the tuomotos for a week or two, and will be in Tahiti shortly after, in about two to three weeks when I should have decent internet to update everyone. All is well! . –Kirk...

Wow, can you believe I actually made it across the Pacific Ocean!?!?!?!? Well I DIDN’T. Well not yet, turns out that Marquises is less than HALF way, so in addition to the 3000 miles I just sailed, I have about 4000 more to go before I get to Australia. But screw the technicalities, YAY I MADE IT!!!!!!!!……. It took 28 days to sail a distance of 2981 miles, that’s averaging about 106 miles per day or an average speed of about 4.5kts. Certainly not any record breaking times but considering that I nearly never used the motor and on a...

Probably the last update for a while.  Galapagos has been great, definitely worth the stop!  You can only anchor in one spot, well you have your choice of two islands, Santa Cruz or San Cristobal, but you have to choose one and stay there, for no more than 20 days.  The winds seem to be diminishing over the weekend and into next week so my escape plan is to leave tonight or Friday Morning depending on what time I get my Zarpe (check out clearance) and get back to the boat.   To sum up the time here… There has been...

FINALLY in Wreck Bas, San Cristobal Island, GALAPAGOS!  Here is the summary for the trip. I was underway for almost exactly 10 days, (11 days if you count the last morning), my route took about 900 miles so averaged 90 miles per day, I used 22 Gallons of diesel and motored a total of three days, (72 hours) at an average speed under motor of 3.5kts.  Caught three fish not counting ones that got away plus two birds (go figure) one drowned and the other one I was able to get off the lure.  Lost one lure and broke two. ...

Friday, March 20th. Isla Contadora, Las Perlas Islands, Panama. Yesterday seemed like the first day I was back on track from my 9 month detour that started when I didn’t get through the canal last year. I suppose that technically when I transited the canal a month ago I was moving in the right direction but it didn’t feel the same. Yesterday I sailed from the anchorage just outside the Panama Canal to here, and it just “feels” like I’m back on track. Even though I made this same sail (round 1) a week ago, it didn’t count since I...

Well I’m not going to go in to perfect detail at this time but here are the basics. I figure I need to arrive in Australia by November and will encounter mostly expensive food in the South Pacific. Based on those assumptions the general consensus among budget mindful sailors leaving Panama is to buy as much food as you can, or enough for 6 months. I think I have accomplished that after three taxies full of food. Basically I have around 25lbs of spaghetti and pasta not counting the 60 packages of Chinese noodles. Another 20 lbs. of rice, couple...

Everything is going well. Just got back to Panama City from a great 6 day trip to the Las Perlas Islands 40 miles or so from Panama City. Plan to do final provisioning over the next two days and hope to depart for Galapagos around Thursday and spend a few more days in Perlas before making the big leap into the Pacific. Salsa is more or less ready with no major issues while I have used some spares and have not replaced them do to budget cutbacks, they were just basic engine parts I figure I can live without anyway...

Salsa has successfully transited the Panama Canal, and is now anchored in the Playita anchorage, Panama City Panama. The plan is to stay here for about one more week and then head off for a few days in the Las Perlas Islands about 40 miles off the Panama Coast, then head on to Galapagos, hopefully arriving there around mid March, departing Galapagos late March, arriving in French Marquises around May 1. Then Island hopping across the South Pacific hopefully arriving somewhere around Brisbane Australia sometime around November this year before the start of the cyclone season. This year, at least...

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html?cam=Expansion Cant be 100% sure of the schedule until just before the transit but normally we pass the Gatun locks to enter the canal around 8 or 9PM and are in those locks for over and hour. Then the best view should be from the Mira Flores locks around 2PM on Saturday. I can give spot checks along the way so you know about where I am, or I can try to call from the cell phone at least just before the aproach to the mira flores locks. If you can try to use the high resolution and I will...