"We only have one future, and it will be made of our dreams, if we have the courage to challenge convention"
(Soichiro Honda, founder of Honda Motor Corporation)

Scorpio is presently cruising in the Indian Ocean. The plan to sail back to the Mediterranean via the Red Sea was aborted in the Maldives in early February because of the increased piracy in the Arabian Sea. Instead we spent two months exploring the Maldives before we returned to Thailand, where we arrived at the beginning of April.

(Click on the photo for a blow up of Scorpio on a beam reach, flying the mizzen stay sail)

After several years in the Atlantic hemisphere we entered the Pacific Ocean in May 2005 following a transit of the Panama Canal. We then spent almost a year in Ecuador, South America, before we, in January 2006, started the crossing of this huge body of water, which covers one third of the Earth's surface.

During our crossing of the Pacific we spent two months in the fabulous Galapagos Islands and several months in French Polynesia. From Bora Bora we sailed through the Cook Islands, where we visited Suwarow (made famous by hermit Tom Neale in his book "An Island to Oneself"), and to Apia in Western Samoa, former home of Robert Louis Stevenson. We then traveled south along the chain of islands of the Kingdom of Tonga before taking off on the leg to Opua in New Zealand. After 18 months in gorgeous New Zealand we sailed back to the Tropics, where we arrived in Fiji in May 2008. In September 2008 we sailed further west, to Vanuatu, a country of great scenery and wonderful people. Our crossing of the Pacific was completed when we finally reached Bundaberg in Australia in November - 3,5 years after our transit of the Panama Canal. Six months later, in May 2009, we rounded "the Top of Australia", Cape York, and entered the Indian Ocean. From Darwin we sailed to the fabled Spice Islands of the Banda Sea, and then spent 3 months cruising through Indonesia before arriving in Singapore in September 2009. From Singapore we sailed north, up the Malacca Strait along the shores of Malaysia and Thailand. After 14 months in Thailand and Malaysia we departed for the Mediterranean via the Red Sea in early January 2011. However, by the time we reached the Maldives, the Somali based piracy had reached unprecedented levels. We decided to make a u-turn and sail back the 1,600 miles to Thailand to make new plans. Before the return to the east we took advantage of this unexpected opportunity and decided to enjoy two months of cruising in the Maldives - a cruising ground completely off the beaten track.

Our "Blue Water Cruising" started 20 years ago, but originally we did not plan on a circumnavigation. We just wanted to be where the sun is shining, the water is warm and the wind is blowing from behind. The patterns of the winds and the currents of the world have dictated the course. Several times we have found wonderful and interesting locations causing us to extend the trip with yet an other year. Carefully timing our progress with the rhythm of the monsoons and trade winds has made this a west-bound trip, which was almost completed this spring, would it not have been for the pirates.

So, it is time for an other shitty year in Paradise. Please join in.

Below are some photos from Sydney, Australia and Chesterfield Reef, New Caledonia:
(Click on photo for larger version)

FEATURED SECTIONS:

THE YACHT
Here you will find information about SCORPIO, the star of this web site, and some areas closely related to the yacht, such as construction details, equipment, repairs and improvements, sisterships, our yachting clubs, the flag and so on .... Practical matters as well as some philosophy.

THE CREW
We sold our house and moved aboard full time in August 2000 but we've been on "this trip" for 20 years. This section tells a few things about the inhabitants of the ship ... Some facts and a bit of thinking.

THE LOCATION
In May 2009, after four years in the Pacific, Scorpio entered the Indian Ocean. In this section we provide a brief introduction to our present location and how we got there during the previous 4-6 months. Also here is a list of all our past anchorages and some thoughts concerning our future routes ... Uncorrupted facts - except for the future plans part, of course.

THE LOG & THE YARNS
Includes our regular cruising reports (about one a month during the sailing season, September - May - with lots of PHOTOS), and our annual reports, and some stories more or less related to the cruising life style ... Mostly non-fiction, aside from some of "the stories".

THE GALLERY
There's about 2 000 photos on this site. Most of them are filed in a chronological order with our regular reports in the LOG & YARNS section (paragraph above). But here in the GALLERY you will find slideshows and, off course, some of our VIDEOS..... Only facts, no fiction!

THE BLOG
Light stories on this and that, generally with no connection to cruising under sail. This section also provides us with a tool for posting quick and spontaneous comments or views without the effort involved with the posting of our regular reports (wich are in the Log & Yarns section, see above).

The Cruising Yacht Site Ring