Moana Roa Visit - 26 Feb to 6 Mar 2016

Tashi Delek
Mike & Carol Kefford
Wed 30 Mar 2016 08:06

08:04.075N 098:26.739 E

 

Few people we know would, I suspect, choose to spend their 25th wedding anniversary on Tashi Delek, but our dear friends Laurie and Sonia from Australia did just that!  We met Laurie and Sonia, together with their three children Travis, Beau and Kara on their catamaran Moana Roa in the Galapagos Islands.  We then sailed across the Pacific pretty much together all the way to Bundaberg in Australia.  It was a real delight to have their company in so many special locations and to watch the three children growing up along the way.  From Bundaberg the Moana Roas went south to Sydney where they eventually sold the boat, having bought an SUV, camping gear and a trailer and driven overland back to their home outside Perth.

 

We have kept in touch since 2014 and were so pleased when Laurie and Sonia took up our offer of a break away from work and children on Tashi Delek in Thailand.  We had a fabulous 5 days together, sadly without Carol, but it was so much fun to have fellow cruisers on board who just slotted straight back in to life on a yacht and knew instinctively what needed to be done and just got on and did it.  We visited a couple of island hongs, drank lots of wine, ate great local food, talked constantly about the Pacific as well as catching up on jobs and families.  We even managed to get some sails up, jam the genoa furling line and sit out a short squall alone on a mooring buoy in Koh Hong as all other boats fled!  

 

On 2 March Laurie and Sonia flew to Singapore for a couple of days luxury on their own, but as Mike was also going to stay with Will, Annie and the grandchildren in Singapore on 4 April, we all met up for lunch in China Town.  Mike particularly wanted Josh, Dan and Isla to meet the inventers of the Moana Roa swing (photo in the first blog entry for 20 Feb) and the tellers of tall tales such as “Drop Bears” and “Hoop Snakes”!  True to form Laurie was able to show the children videos of even more outrageous stunts for them to try when they are next on board Tashi Delek!  Thanks Laurie!!

 

Again, as in Bundaberg, we did not say goodbye as we just know we will see the “Moana Roas” again, hopefully on Tashi Delek next year, or in the future in UK or maybe even in Perth?

 

 

Laurie and Sonia at home in the dinghy!

Lunch in China Town, Singapore. No drop bears or hoop snakes on the menu.