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Sail Cloudy Bay
Fakarava to Rangiroa, via Toau
Fakarava south to north
Night from hell!
Fakarava, south pass
Makemo to Tahanea
Marquises to Makemo, Tuamotus atolls
Marquesas, ticked!
Resting and chores
Arrival day. Well sort of….
The day before arrival
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Europe

Sailing Europe – Cruising in Europe news & photos by Cloudy Bay, Hallberg-Rassy 54 sailing yacht, cruising around the world. www.sailcloudybay.com

    Vlore, Albania
    EuropePersonal storiesProjects / MaintenanceUSA

    Long time no blog post

    by Glen December 8, 2022
    written by Glen

    Hands up everybody who has thought to themselves “so, what happened to SailCloudyBay’s blog?”
    Hmmm, quite a few of you, eh? Sorry about that.

    Last blog posted, back in May, was as we arrived at Key West, USA, from Havana, Cuba, towards the end of our 21-22 winter cruising. We stopped writing the blogs at that point because we were both a bit too fed up to share our adventures. We’d had a great time in Mexico and Cuba but only I had really liked the Honduras Bay islands and their diving opportunities. For Oana they were just “yet more Caribbean islands, same-old, same-old”. And the long passages with multiple unpleasant Gulf Stream crossings (5 in all), and constant seasickness were really the last straw to Oana enjoying cruising life going forward. Additionally, with Covid stalling us for 3 full years, our circumnavigation was now dragging on way beyond the 5 years plan. Without Covid we would be in SE Asia by now with the end in sight and no doubt different feelings.

    As for the Captain, it’s never nice to be responsible for the suffering of the one you most love. Seeing Oana so uncomfortable really pulled on my heart strings. And at the same time Cloudy Bay was endlessly pressing my buttons with continuous niggles and leaks. After 2 Covid-years of re-rigging and refitting it was disheartening that Cloudy Bay could still produce so many annoyances. The new sails didn’t furl correctly (design error apparently) and took a full year to get Elvstrom to replace the genoa; I had to rebuild again the mast furling system; the new rigging turned brown with rust within just a month at sea; the propeller now had an alignment problem; the gooseneck fitting almost fell off as we passed through the treacherous Cape Fear shoals; the water maker needed a complete rebuild and finally … leaks. Leaks leaks everywhere. All deck hatches, aft locker hatches, the windscreen, the new dodger, various cleats and deck fittings, the windlass, and internally the hot water system still would not give me a break. Pretty much the only thing that didn’t leak was the hull! Ah, not true, the aft keel bolt had started to weep 🤨
    And all this had to be fixed while cruising. I don’t like wearing my maintenance-hat while we are cruising, but it felt like I had it glued on all that winter season. So yes, I was a tad fed-up too. And as Oana quite rightly observes: “when you are in maintenance-mode you are a possessed man”. Meaning the Commodore gets to feel neglected. As they say: unhappy commodore, unhappy ship!

    After the last blog from Key West in May, we passaged north yet again (3rd time!) for hurricane season and put Cloudy Bay ashore in her all-to-familiar yard at Herrington Harbour North Marina. You could almost hear the other boats jeering at her: “You again? What’s your excuse for coming back this time?”
    Then we flew home in early June.

    While Oana stayed in Bucharest to soak up the joys of a bathtub, a non-moving bed, a nearby supermarket and unrestricted internet, I had a new family member to meet. In September 2021 we were promoted to Grandpa Glen and Buni Oana 🥰. But with the Covid no-travel to Australia, introductions had so far only been by video call. So it was off to Perth for me for 3 weeks to meet little and super-cute Amaia. And of course, my 2 daughters who now live there. Both doctors, 1 medical, 1 astrophysicist.

    Then it was time for family catchup in UK, including a lovely family party for a 60-year-old Captain! Actually, I need to say this: officially I’m not 60. I’m 59+1! I mean, despite the image I see in the mirror, I still feel like I’m thirty. So I’m definitely not going over the 60 threshold. Not just yet anyway.

    Our adventure of summer’22 was a motorbike tour on our new toy – a BMW 1250RT. After our scooter, this is both a thrill and somewhat a monster to ride. Outstanding on the open road but a bit of an elephant to ride with around town. Nonetheless, an amazing machine.
    The goal of this summer’s tour was Northern Spain and Pyrenees then back via the Alps. It lasted 4 weeks and took us: Bulgaria->Greece->Albania->Italy->Sardinia->Spain->Andora->France->Switzerland->Luxenberg->Austria->Hungary->Romania. It was a wonderful trip but being September, we got roasted at the beginning and frozen in the Alps at the end. We should have done it the other way around – Alps first with southern route to return.

    Then early October it was back to the USA and Cloudy Bay.
    Oana absolutely knew how she would feel about the boat, so she had a return ticket, leaving me to have a boys-only sail to Columbia. Me? I wasn’t sure how I felt. Half of me said “sell-up”, the other half said “finish what you started”, meaning finish my life long circumnavigation dream.

    After a few weeks of getting Cloudy Bay ready I was rekindled and decided to see how I feel after sailing to Columbia. If sailing with friends and meeting Oana at key destinations works, then I’ll continue to the Panama Canal. If it doesn’t feel right, then khalas: someone else will get to own and enjoy this beautiful and technically sophisticated yacht, and Oana and I move onto our post-boat plan. So let’s see. Let the wind take us where it wants to.

    December 8, 2022 13 comments
    24 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
  • EuropeUSA

    Heading back to Cloudy Bay!

    by Glen September 30, 2021
    by Glen September 30, 2021

    Thursday 30 Sept, re-launch 2021, day 1: A travel and reflection day. We’re back! And this time we do mean the royal WE. Both of us are traveling today, from Bucharest to…

    9 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
  • Europe

    Cruising 2017 – Greece

    by Oana October 14, 2017
    by Oana October 14, 2017

    Early 2017 (Feb-April) we spent in Almerimar, Spain, to do an extensive refit on the boat (see separate article Refit Project – Almerimar). Then June was the actual start of our sailing…

    2 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
  • Europe

    Cruising 2016 – Western Med

    by Oana November 24, 2016
    by Oana November 24, 2016

    We spent the month of June in Gibraltar, getting used with being on the boat. The main tasks were packing away the shipment with our belongings, registering  s/v Cloudy Bay in Gibraltar……

    2 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
  • EuropePersonal stories

    Welcome to Gibraltar

    by Oana May 8, 2016
    by Oana May 8, 2016

    Glen has joined the PYD crew for the delivery of Cloudy Bay from Lanzarote to Gibraltar, her new home. Before leaving Dubai, Glen was commenting “I haven’t been sailing out in the…

    7 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
  • EuropePersonal stories

    Lanzarote, farewell for now

    by Oana May 4, 2016
    by Oana May 4, 2016

    We are coming close to the date when we are taking ownership of Cloudy Bay, and our excitement is growing exponentially. Boat delivery details have all been arranged, and the big day…

    7 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

About us

About us

Sail Cloudy Bay

Hi there! We are Glen & Oana, restless spirits with travel and adventure in our hearts. In mid-2016 we decided to put an end to our working days, and travel the world. And what better way to do it, if not sailing! We are aspiring to complete a circumnavigation, and this is our blog where we try to keep a record of our adventures. We live on s/v Cloudy Bay (and sometimes in Bucharest), have a long list of places to sail to, and we like coffee and good cocktails.

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Recent Posts

  • Fakarava to Rangiroa, via Toau

    May 19, 2023
  • Fakarava south to north

    May 17, 2023
  • Night from hell!

    May 12, 2023
  • Fakarava, south pass

    May 9, 2023

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  • Jim on Fakarava, south pass
  • Jim on Makemo to Tahanea
  • Peter Gambin on Marquises to Makemo, Tuamotus atolls
  • Jim on Marquesas, ticked!

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Cloudy Bay anchored next to Josh's Cay (Graham's P Cloudy Bay anchored next to Josh's Cay (Graham's Place) in Guanaja, Honduras
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Cambridge Cay and the nearby Bells Cay. #cambridg Cambridge Cay and the nearby Bells Cay.  #cambridgecay #littlebellcay #bellscay #bellisland #exumas #bahamas #goplaces #islandlife #sailinglife #cruisinglife #sailcloudybay #hallbergrassy #hr54
Superb sandbanks and beaches in Norman’s Cay, co Superb sandbanks and beaches in Norman’s Cay, complete with the most amazing shades of blue water.  #perfectbeaches #50shadesofblue #normanscay #exumas #bahamas #sandbank #sailcloudybay #goplaces #dothings #islandlife #sailinglife #cruisinglife
Cloudy Bay anchored in Hawksbill Cay, Bahamas. #de Cloudy Bay anchored in Hawksbill Cay, Bahamas.
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We couldn’t miss the nurse sharks experience in We couldn’t miss the nurse sharks experience in Compass Cay Marina. #sharkslikepuppydogs #keeptoesandfingersaway #nursesharksdontbiteuntiltheybite #nursesharksarethecutest #compasscay #bahamas #cruisinglife #sailinglife #goplaces #dothings #sailcloudybay
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