Hey, fate has determined that house sale or no, I am off to Ecuador to climb volcanoes and explore the Galapapos. Really? Yes, we fly out tomorrow!
Ive just finished a 3 week sailing trip exploring New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf, Northern Coast and Great Barrier Island on a Dufour405. Fantastic! We incorporated quite alot of walking to keep hiking fi, such as Rangitoto crater summit walk (twice), Gt Barrier's Mt Hobson, and other forest hikes. And along with plenty of SUP activity, dawn skinny-dipping and regular swimming I found it very practical to maintain a good level of fitness while sailing for extended periods.
(Of course the energy exerted in procuring snapper fillets for dinner helped as well, esp. when you go so far from the yacht that you run out of fuel on the return journey and end up rowing against the current to get home!?!)

So watch this space -I'll be uploading stories of Amazon kayaking, Galapagos diving, and attempts on three of the highest volcanoes of South America over the next 10 weeks.

One collapsed house sale and two earthquakes later

Well, I guess this project isn't meant to happen just yet.

I came close to selling the house and being cashed up to buy the ideal boat, but the sale fell thru and I had to let the boat go:-(

Since then my home town in the Shaky Isles (as we like to call New Zealand) has been struck by two decent quakes, the first on September 4th 2010, the second just a few weeks ago on 22 February - virtually a year since I set up this blog.

My house is damaged but repairable, tho no-one is buying in Christchurch's eastern suburbs just yet - wonder why?

So until I can find some funds plans are on hold..

I have found a sister ship to my preferred boat in the Carribean, closer to my price range, so I'm still optimistic I can start soon

Will keep you posted :-)

Murtaig

An Outline of my "Ring Of Fire" Sailing Project

Sailing is in my blood, like many New Zealanders. We all arrived in Aotearoa by boat, many of us from seafaring backgrounds. My father arrived by boat from Scotland, where the influence of Viking blood created a kinship with the sea, setting off for foreign shores to seek a better life.

My surname comes from the Gaelic (Murtaigh) for seafarer. I've indulged in boating since building sailing dinghy while studying atSa Uni, eventually racing yachts, delivering yachts, owning a Whiting quarter tonner, starting out building a yacht to charter, then getting distracted by life away from the water.

Now having reached 50, and with few responsibilities remaining to tie me to the land, I'm free to pursue a long held dream of circumnavigating the Pacific Ocean.

My badly moored boat of a house will provide my total cash resources fro this venture, so it is a committing choice, but better to pursue a dream than end up regretting having stayed secure and comfortable.

I won't be just sailing either, the focus of the Ring of Fire brings other adventures -climbing volcanoes, skiing off some of them, exploring the countries that ride the collision zones around the Pacific, getting involved in environmental projects along the way, with an emphasis on Climate Change studies, Threatened Species programmes, and Positive Action campaigns where I can be of some use, esp. saving Dolphins and Whales from slaughter

Of course I plan to write about my experiences, submitting articles, images, and short docos for publication. Who knows, perhaps something like "Man on the Edge" or "Full Circle" may evolve after this journey of 2-3 years.

My plan at present is to leave NZ early August, fly to Chicago then to Lake Superior (if my first choice of boat comes thru -just in the surveying stage now) I'll take the rest of August to get it shipshape, then spend two months sailing thru the lakes to the Intracoastal waterway, then down to the Caribbean, arriving at the end of the Hurricane season in November. I want to spend some time over the Nov - Feb months cruising the Caribbean, esp to Cuba and Jamaica, then arrive Panama sometime in Feb 2011.

My son Llewellyn will join me before I leave Panama, to sail to Ecuador and climb several volcanoes there.

I think Ecuador will be good March/April, and then to the Galapagos for some environmental project work before heading north to California during late summer, and up to Vancouver thru the Inland Passage during fall.

I plan to winter over in BC, (hoping to get a job set up in Whistler or Blackcomb before I leave NZ)

With the spring thaw I head further 'north to Alaska' then along the Aluetian Island chain, making landfall as often as possible to trek, climb, and explore this volcanic region. Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia next, with similar onshore adventures before crossing south to Hokkaido and the rest of Japan.

I haven't put much detail into my plans for the tropics, Indonesia, and South Pacific at this stage, but essentially I will follow the Ring of Fire back home. After that it will be time to review progress, funds remaining, and the condition of my yacht. All being well, I'll be aiming to achieve to final connecting leg, sailing south towards Antarctic Peninsula, then past Cape Horn, returning to the Pacific through Magellan Passage which separates South American continent from Tierra del Fuego then run with the Humboldt Current past Chile and Peru to come full circle at Ecuador.