5,300 miles sailed (very respectable)

1 ocean crossed (glad to be done with that one)

7 countries visited (Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Sri Lanka, Chagos, Mauritius and South Africa)

27 anchorages

4 marinas (Rebak and Telega Harbour in Langkawi, Malaysia, Yacht Haven in Phuket, Thailand, Tuzi Gazi in Richard's Bay, South Africa)

1 marina wannabe (Le Caudan, Port Louis, Mauritius)

1 flimsy blue plastic floaty dock thing (Galle, Sri Lanka)

2 land trips  (Laos, South Africa)

This season we learned we have a higher tolerance for boat motion that we thought we did.  We also learned vegetables have a longer lifespan than previously imagined.  We left several sets of boater friends behind (hopefully temporarily), but have managed to meet a whole raft of new ones while anchored in a deserted lagoon in the middle of the Indian Ocean.  We visited one country ravaged by the Vietnam War and another ravaged by apartheid…but as has always been the case in our travels, we have found the people just as friendly and welcoming as ever.   Every place we visit is different, but the constant has always been the gracious nature of the people - makes you feel a little better about mankind in general, doesn't it?

 

Later today, we'll fly from Richard's Bay to Johannesburg, then overnight to Amsterdam, and on to London, where we will stop for a few weeks to visit a boatload of boater friends:  Michael and Jackie (Lady Kay), Norfy (Chris North and his family - Chris was crew on Cleone, one of the World ARC rally boats), James and his family (James is owner and captain of Cleone).  Then from London we'll fly to Geneva to visit Claire and Fiona (Sa'Vahn) in their newly renovated French Alps chalet.  After that, it'll be a quick flight back to London, then home (Syracuse, NY) on July 31.  Life is good.

Season Six should be just as splendid, but hopefully a little less exciting than Season Five in some respects.  We'll return to Harmonie mid-October, and will start making our way around the Cape of Good Hope shortly thereafter.  We'll spend a little time in Cape Town seeing the sights and hauling Harmonie for what by then will be much needed bottom and hull maintenance, then we'll head off across the Atlantic for the Caribbean, hopefully calling in at St. Helena and possibly Ascension Island along the way.  Assuming all of that goes as planned, we should be back in the Caribbean some time in March, 2013.  Beyond that, we're not quite sure - it's still up for discussion and too far away to worry about for now.  We'll certainly continue to travel, it's just a matter of when and where.

 

The blog will be back in late October / early November for the start of Season Six.

 

We hope to see everyone at home this summer!

Anne