Log Abroad

Mervyn Sam emailed this photo of him and his copy of The Log in front of the Blue Mosque in Turkey. Called Sultanahmet Camii in Turkish, the Blue Mosque is a historical mosque in Istanbul built in the 1600s. It is still an active mosque, so it is closed to tourists for half an hour or so during the five daily prayers.

Mervyn Sam sent in this photo via email of catching up with The Log on Gordon Beach in Tel Aviv, Israel. Gordon Beach has been reported by several news outlets to be among the top beaches in Israel. Apparently, guests also have access to a saltwater swimming pool!

Cormac Okiely sent in this photo depicting The Log hanging out at Pasley Islands in British Columbia, Canada. Not much else was said about the trip, but according to adventuresallyear.com the small group of islands are beautiful, secluded and perfect for hiking or kayaking.

Vince and Pat Flynn of the Coronado Yacht Club, who have been published in the Log Abroad department several times before, updated us on their recent whereabouts. “We are reading The Log on the beach in Puerto Vallarta at the Panga Pier,” they said in an email.

Pete Scott, a liveaboard in Ventura West Marina for 29 years, submitted this photo of his trip to Thailand where he visited The Big Buddha. “The Big Buddha [of] Phuket is the third tallest statue in Thailand. Stands 45 [meters] (148 feet) tall, 25 meters wide. Made out of concrete and covered with white Burmese marble,” Scott said in an email. The cost to build the statue was $30 million baht, equaling about $950,000 – the majority of the money came from donations.

Longtime members of Coronado Yacht Club, Vince and Pat Flynn, arrived in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil on Jan. 23. Rio de Janeiro, as Brazil’s most popular tourist city, is known for its vibrant Carnival celebration, Copacabana public beach, and Sugar Loaf Mountain, among many other activities/attractions.

The Log stowed away to Cienfuegos, Cuba with Alan Discont and Kim Elroy Swartz, who are pictured here. Cienfuegos, the capital city of Cuba’s Cienfuegos province, is known as “La Perla del Sur” (The Southern Pearl) for its beautiful seaside promenade and art deco architecture. While there was a travel ban for Americans to Cuba for many years, it was lifted during the Obama administration. However, Pres. Donald J. Trump imposed new travel restrictions as of April 2019, after this trip was taken.

Chuck Beattie and Joan Arnold, who call Santa Barbara home, took The Log to Oa Nang Beach, Krabi, Thailand. According to yourkrebi.com, this beach is one of the best swimming spots in the area.

Mark and Meera Hibdon, of Santa Ana, California, took a trip to the British Virgin Islands after Thanksgiving 2018 to learn how to sail a catamaran. “Our teacher is a young man from Antigua and he has sailed many miles in many parts of the world.We were in good hands. It was lots of fun to learn about the Caribbean and sail and swim in the warm waters in November,” said Meera. Sadly, the Hibdons reported the Virgin Islands are still recovering from Hurricane Irma in 2017. “You can still see boats that were tossed up on land or sunk,” said Meera.

Mark and Meera Hibdon, of Santa Ana, took a stern-wheeled steamboat, American Queen, down the Mississippi after departing from New Orleans, Louisiana and culminating in Memphis, Tennessee. “We took this trip to research taking a boat on the Mississippi and making a trip of our own to complete America’s Great Loop,” said Meera. “The trip on the river was a real eye opener, as we did not expect the river to be so diverse. There was lots of commercial traffic and debris with which to contend.”

Karen Knapp, a broker with Intripid Yachts based in San Diego, recently took a trip to Costa Rica – and she brought a copy of The Log with her. Here, Karen is pictured near a lighthouse known as Punta de Puntarenas. The capital city of the Puntarenas Province, the area is known for its modest beaches and the wildlife refuge, San Lucas Island, nearby.

Pete Scott of Ventura West Marina, visited Ayers Rock in Australia with his cousin Brad, who hails from Australia. According to Scott, Ayers Rock started forming about 600 million years ago and measures 5.8 miles around the base. “The Aboriginal people lived there around 10,000 ago,” said Scott. “It was just below freezing in the morning in July.”

Robert Wild, pictured here sailing down the Amazonian river Tahuayo, is a crewmember of the tall ship Bill of Rights berthed at the Chula Vista Harbor. Wild says, “I just returned from a two-month-long trip to South America, which included a two week adventure in the upper regions of the Amazon River basin in Peru. This photo was taken drifting down the Tahuayo River by my local guide Nixon, an employee of the Tahuayo Lodge where I stayed. My adventure took me down the Amazon River to majestic waterfalls in Brazil/Argentina, volcanoes in Ecuador, and concluding in the Galapagos Islands. The Log was a comforting reminder of home throughout my journey!”

Normally Bob and Huili can be found in their Whitehall rowing around Newport Harbor on weekends. During the Boao Forum For Asia, however, they travelled to Haikou, Hainan, China. Boao Forum For Asia is a yearly meeting of Asian Nations held in Hainan, which is the smallest province in China.

Mari Frank-Boshaw and Lloyd Boshaw took a copy of The Log along for their tour of the Greek Isles. Pictured here they are on Crete, an island known for the gorgeous beaches and The Palace of Knossos, believed to be the palace of King Minos. Frank-Boshaw said, “[We] loved the fried sardines, Greek salad and calm seas!”

Gregg and Nancy Hughes traveled to Galapagos, an island off the Ecuadorean coast known for the “melting pot” of marine species and animal life that inspired Charles Darwin to theorize on evolution. Nancy said, “We had a wonderful trip to the Galapagos on the Origin with Ecoventure! Snorkeling, kayaking, nature hikes galore and great food with a group of longtime friends who grew up spending summers at Two Harbors, Catalina – took The Log with us!”

Dana Point boaters Susan and Charly Ware, Robin, Dominique and Bob Noterman, and Margaux Tomasello enjoyed a seven-day cruise on Canal Du Midi in Languedoc, South of France. Between Port Cassafiéres and Castelnaudary, the crew had to negotiate 38 locks and went from sea level to approximately 400 feet high. The 45-foot boat with three staterooms and en suite bathrooms was rented from Le Boat. Built in 1681, the canal connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. Today, it is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bob Noterman said, “As always, we had a copy of The Log with us!”

Dave Kelsen, technology director for the publisher of The Log, hangs out near Cazenovia Lake in Cazenovia, New York. The town is named after Theophilus Cazenove, who was a financier from Amsterdam, Holland. Notably Cazenove invested money into development bonds issued by Pres. Alexander Hamilton – some might say an early example of investments in waterside developments!

Captain Constantine V Metallinos and his first mate, wife Michelle, relax at Roda Beach on the Greek island of Corfu while reading The Log. The captain is a longtime boater in Marina Del Rey and has captained commercial vessels in the area for years.

“After a very long drive and unloading all our gear and food, it was finally time to relax on top deck of the houseboat at Wahweap Marina at Lake Powell,” said Marla Fogg, who recently took a vacation to the lake bordering Arizona and Utah, “Life is Good!”

Active sailing members of Southwestern Yacht Club, Karl and Suzy Wagner, Jerry Cope and Natilee Meacham, traded in the club location of Point Loma for a getaway to the San Juan Islands for a week. Karl Wagner described the experience in San Juan as: “Quite a new experience on a trawler. Great crabbing in beautiful surroundings.” The San Juan Islands are off the coast of Bellingham, Washington on the way to Vancouver, British Columbia and are known for the scenic beauty, orca whale watching and cold-water seafood.

Here, Jeana Fox catches up on the news while taking a trip to La Paz, Baja Mexico with husband Billy. The Foxes enjoy living aboard S/V Bambu, a Newport 41 C&C design in San Diego. Billy is a well-known boat surveyor and, as a result, he and Jeana were flown down to La Paz to perform an inspection. To keep up with the Foxes and the adventures they embark upon, follow their YouTube channel (Foxing Around).

Tom Gates, of Dana Point, California, recently took a trip to Kotor, Montenegro, a country near Albanian and Italy. His grandfather emigrated from a town called Strp to California in 1891. “The Kotor Bay pic was taken from Our Lady of the Rocks Church, which is on an island in the Bay of Kotor, offshore of the town of Perast,” says Gates. “The monastery for the Church is in the background.”

Eric Gufstason, of Flying Cloud Yachts, enjoyed reading The Log during his August trip to the Bahamas. This picture was taken on Thompson Bay Long Island. Gufstason said, “I had lots of fun fly-fishing with my son Charlie and friend Rich while the girls held the sand down on the beaches. We spent evenings emptying rum bottles.”