Where Are They Now? Cruisers Round-Up.

Time to celebrate.  Nine boats crossed the Mona Passage as a group, April 2009.  

Aboard BR we often think about all the amazing people we met while cruising.  Many of those we crossed the Pacific with during 2010 are sailing their way towards a circumnavigation of the globe.  The majority stopped off in New Zealand during the 2010-11 cyclone season for an extended stay to explore, do boat maintenance, leave the boat to visit their home countries, etc.  Thanks to technology and the nautical grapevine tracking their journeys and keeping in touch is quite easy.

So where are they now?  Here's our unofficial Cruisers Round-Up.

Astarte  (link to Astarte blog) Barbara and Michael are headed our way, currently discovering beautiful French Polynesia.  We're looking forward to welcoming them to Australia, perhaps this year.

Anthem   (link to Anthem blog)  Anthem and Bristol Rose sailed together overnight in March 2009 from Turks and Caicos to the Dominican Republic.  We crossed paths many times since then.  We got together with Jack while he was visiting Brisbane.  Jack and Janis have been exploring New Zealand and are currently heading to the Solomons. 

Inspiration Lady   (link to BR posts on Inspiration Lady) Jackie and Gary took time off the boat to return to Canada for a few months.  They're now back on board and after exploring New Zealand, they've moved west to Fiji.

Jackster    Jacqui and David are currently enjoying the underwater delights of Fiji.

Dignity    Since we last saw them Helen and Steve have become grandparents, spent time in the UK, New Zealand, and recently Fiji.  Unfortunately Steve is currently in hospital in Melbourne.  All their cruising friends are thinking of them.

Emily Grace  Perhaps the most adventurous family I have ever met!  Anyone thinking of cruising with children should read their blog.  Tom, Kim and Emily have just reached Madagascar.

Lilith  Krista is famous for her calm at the height of a storm.  In darkness, while hove-to, unable to navigate the waters of the Tuamotus of French Polynesia (the Dangerous Archipelago), Krista spotted the lights of a vessel close by.  Robert answered her call and had to laugh as she asked, "Bristol Rose, what are you doing out on a night like this".  That was the start of a lovely friendship.  Little Lilith is up for sale in New Zealand where Krista and Richard are settled for a while.

Oso Blanco was one of our neighbours here in Manly, Queensland for some time.  Another great blog for anyone considering cruising with children.

Whoosh was sold here in Manly and Jack and Patricia are now back in the USA.  We still see Whoosh around, now flying an Aussie flag from her transom.

Some of the friends we made while cruising the Bahamas and Caribbean in 2008 and 2009 transited the Panama Canal this year and are are now cruising the Pacific.
Slow Mocean is hanging out in Panama.  Blake and Sunny made our time in Puerto Rico a lot of fun.
Spectra  We met Joe, Mel and David in the Caribbean and happily shared many anchorages.  We last saw Joe in Panama.  Spectra headed north up the Pacific coast of Mexico and BR headed west.
Nighthawk  Genna and Ray are in Panama, we think.  Looks like Ray is really enjoying the fishing.

Voyager  Lynn and Byron were part of our group who jumped off together from "Chicken Harbor" (Georgetown, Bahamas).  We enjoyed their company in the Caribbean and hope we'll see them in Australia some day.

Some of our cruising mates are quite happy cruising around the Caribbean.
Beach House  Last seen Pat and Geoff were in St. Vincent.  Their blog is one of our favourites because the writing and images are always entertaining.
Where II  Matt and Karen picked up their Lagoon 420 in France and we met them in Martinique.  We parted in Grenada.  They worked their way north.  They're enjoying some shopping time in the USA.
Beausoleil Shawna and Jon have made it to the Virgin Islands.  Their leisurely pace is quite enviable.  How we wish we could re-visit some of the wonderful places we've been.
Merengue  We met Jim and Wendy in Montserrat where we toured the island together.  They are really enjoying the Caribbean.  Jim does a beautiful job of capturing the imagery with his photography.
Starshine  We met Dave on the Chesapeake Bay when we shared an anchorage in 2008. Starshine is a Shannon 38.
Homewood Bound   When our first boat, Sandpiper, was at White Rocks Marina we got to know Pat and Randy.  They are now proud grandparents, living in the beautiful town of Charleston, South Carolina.  So many good memories!

Cruisers' blogs are an informative and entertaining literary resource for anyone contemplating casting off the dock lines and sailing the world's oceans.  If you look in on some of the above you're sure to get a real insight into the range of experiences to be had - the good, bad and ugly of cruising.  Our next blog entry will include our friends who have already completed their circumnavigations.