New Zealand to Fiji Passage Summary 2...

May 3, 2018 Written by El Capitán
We’re back in beautiful Fiji after a seven-day passage from New Zealand to Savusavu!  Quixotic did great on the passage and she saw us across that nasty stretch of water safely and without breakage or incident.  The weather is always the wild card on this passage but five out of the seven days were idyllic sailing and the other two were tough [...]
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Our Silent Ally – A Review of the Spa...

April 27, 2018 Written by El Capitán
There are some pieces of gear that work so well that after a while you begin to take them for granted. Such is the case with our Spade Anchor. But every so often, we are reminded just how well it works. After sailing north five days out of New Zealand, we sought protection from the wind and seas at a mid-ocean circular reef system named Miner [...]
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Exploring Picturesque Cape Brett, Bay...

April 5, 2018 Written by El Capitán
This coastline is stunning!  As beautiful and rugged as the Big Sur coast is back home, we both voted and this stretch of coastline beats it.  I’ll let the pictures do the talking… Great hike in the morning followed by and afternoon of boat projects.  We have at least another few days of boat labor before we feel ready for the cro [...]
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Sailing and Diving the Poor Knights I...

April 1, 2018 Written by El Capitán
After heading back into Whangarei to have a new floor welded on our stainless diesel tank, we managed to escape and headed back out for more exploration!  A morning hike out to Bream Head was followed by an afternoon sail to Tutukaka for the night.  The next morning we set sail for the Poor Knights Islands, a marine preserve located 12nm offs [...]
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Mermaids and Waterfalls on Great Barr...

March 25, 2018 Written by El Capitán
The title of this post just described the recipe for a perfect day on Great Barrier Island.  A 7km hike up to the natural hot springs followed by a hike up a treacherous trail with very slippery mud and moss to reach the ultimate payoff: a secluded picturesque waterfall.  Despite the freezing cold water, and the fact that we didn’t even [...]
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Bioluminescence Ballet and Exploring ...

March 22, 2018 Written by El Capitán
We just witnessed one of the most amazing natural scenes.  Tonight we turned on the blue underwater lights that usually draw fish to the boat.  We knew this bay was extremely healthy and full of fish but we had no idea of the scale that would be drawn under the boat.  We went outside around 10pm and hundreds of fish were schooling under the b [...]
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Splashed!! QUIXOTIC 2018 Refit Recap

March 14, 2018 Written by El Capitán
After months of hard work, late nights, stress, a pile of cash and heaps of sweat-equity, Quixotic is back in the water and ready to sail north back to the islands.  She just spent the past four months in a specialized catamaran boatyard undergoing some repair and upgrades.  We had our fair share of challenges, triumphs, setbacks and achievem [...]
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Kia Ora from New Zealand! We’r...

November 23, 2017 Written by El Capitán
Kia Ora!  Coming to you live from New Zealand, 15 feet above sea level, aboard the good ship Quixotic: Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and family! We have so much to be thankful for this year.  Thank you to all our amazing family and friends for all their love and support.  Thank you to all our amazing guests who have helped make Quixot [...]
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Fiji to New Zealand Passage Summary 2...

November 5, 2017 Written by El Capitán
We’re back in New Zealand for the summer!  QUIXOTIC made a fast, successful passage from Savusavu, Fiji to Opua, New Zealand in 6 days, 21 hours and 30 minutes.  The first day out was a fast sail with stiff trades on the beam; the second day out was a calm motor-sail south into rain and convection; the third day brought rough seas with 25-30 [...]
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Mermaid ON Duty – Boatwork in P...

August 7, 2017 Written by El Capitán
Hey everyone!  It’s been a long time since our last update.  All is great in the beautiful Fijian Islands!  We are hiding out in a secret bay just off a black sand beach in the lee of beautiful Taveuni Island.  It’s a gorgeous spot and only rarely visited by a few locals on horseback, who bring their steeds to the beach to cool th [...]
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