Jonathan's Voyage
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Imagery @2022 Nasa TerraMetrics
Where we went so far...
It was May 2012 when Jonathan sailed away from Spitsbergen. After 10 years sailing / chartering in the high Arctic it was time for new horizons. Plans were made for just 4 months, it seemed too prudent to make plans of what to do after the North West Passage. By way of Jan Mayen and Iceland we sailed around Cape Farwell and up the west coast of Greenland. From here the bit for the North West Passage began. You can read all about it in the blog.
In Kodiak, Alaska, not the most exciting town . . . . . I found a good place for Jonathan for the winter. But not much happens there so a good time to fly to the Netherlands and Norway to meet up with the family and friends. With Florian Schultz and his team we sailed back out to the Aleutians. Filming and photographing all sorts of wildlife but mostly the Brown Bears that roam the shores for dead whales and the Salmon in the rivers. The summer of 2013 was enjoyed in wonderful places like Prince William Sound, down the Alaskan coast and British Colombia. Friends from the Netherlands joined the stretch from Juneau to Prince Rupert and later Caroline joined to sail to Vancouver. We decided to sail on to San Francisco to spent the winter there where my cousin Arjen and his wife Debbie have their houseboat in Mission Creek. We postponed our departure a few times but finally were able to sail away again (May 2014) . |
Bahia California, or the Bay of Cortez, turned out to be a great cruising ground. Just that it was getting towards summer there while we were trying to paint the decks. We just could not cope with the heat and needed to sail away. We made a detour into the Pacific to avoid contrary winds and currents along the South American continent. Apart from the Marquesas we enjoyed Gambier, Pitcairn (of Bounty fame) and Easter Island. Since Puerto Montt in Chile we are in cooler waters again. Down the Patagonian channels all the way to Tierra del Fuego. That was in December 2014. Early 2015 we sailed to the Antarctic. It was just fantastic to sail there in our own little boat amongst all the icebergs. We needed more time there so we decided on a Southern Ocean tour for the early 2016 Austral summer. Caro and me sailed from Puerto Williams by way of the Falklands to South Georgia, one of the most unique places on earth. The wildlife is just fantastic!! Down to the Antarctic Peninsula again for 2 months of ice and more ice. At times a bit more then we wanted if we were forced out of an anchorage once again! Crossing the Drake Passage back to South America was as it should be, a bit rough at times . . . . . We sailed in Patagonia and Antarctica until early 2019. We then sail off for our private Southern Ocean expedition and a very slow circumnavigation of Antarctica.
From Puerto William we first sailed to the Antarctica Peninsula for another 2 months of wonder and peacefulness. From there we continued our journey to Cape Town, South Africa and stopped at the South Ornkey's Islands and Tristan da Cuhna. After a major refit on Jonathan in preparation for our next legs in the famous Indian Ocean, we set sail for the Kerguelen Islands. After a well deserved rest, we met the people at Port-Aux-Francais, the Research base of the French Southern And Antarctic Territories (TAAF). We brough along with us two ornithologists for their scientific investigation and annual counting of bird colonies. We learned a lot about birds and mammals while we sailed in the east and south part of the Kerguelen. The following weeks, we spent a memorable time cruising in the northeast part of the Island. By then it was time to leave the Kerguelen and set sail for another leg in the Southern Ocean. We set sail for Tasmania and reach Hobart in March 2020. We did some regular maintenance and upgrades. After spending time in Tasmania, including the circumnavigation of the island, we sailed to New Zealand in August 2021. There we hauled out for regular maintenance and a new coat of red paint. We explored New Zealand including the remote spectacular subantarctic islands, south down to latitude 52. These subantarctic islands, the Aucklands and Campbell Islands are National Nature Reserve, part of New Zealand World Heritage Area. In June 2022, we sailed to Raivavae, French Polynesia. It is a very small island where we could cycle around the island in about 3 hours. We also stop in Tubuai. Another very beautiful and isolated island, We are now in Tahiti, doing more maintenance in preparation for the next passage. We plan to sail back to Patagonia in a few months across the south Pacific to Puerto Williams for the upcoming Expeditions to Antarctica in 2022/2023.
From Puerto William we first sailed to the Antarctica Peninsula for another 2 months of wonder and peacefulness. From there we continued our journey to Cape Town, South Africa and stopped at the South Ornkey's Islands and Tristan da Cuhna. After a major refit on Jonathan in preparation for our next legs in the famous Indian Ocean, we set sail for the Kerguelen Islands. After a well deserved rest, we met the people at Port-Aux-Francais, the Research base of the French Southern And Antarctic Territories (TAAF). We brough along with us two ornithologists for their scientific investigation and annual counting of bird colonies. We learned a lot about birds and mammals while we sailed in the east and south part of the Kerguelen. The following weeks, we spent a memorable time cruising in the northeast part of the Island. By then it was time to leave the Kerguelen and set sail for another leg in the Southern Ocean. We set sail for Tasmania and reach Hobart in March 2020. We did some regular maintenance and upgrades. After spending time in Tasmania, including the circumnavigation of the island, we sailed to New Zealand in August 2021. There we hauled out for regular maintenance and a new coat of red paint. We explored New Zealand including the remote spectacular subantarctic islands, south down to latitude 52. These subantarctic islands, the Aucklands and Campbell Islands are National Nature Reserve, part of New Zealand World Heritage Area. In June 2022, we sailed to Raivavae, French Polynesia. It is a very small island where we could cycle around the island in about 3 hours. We also stop in Tubuai. Another very beautiful and isolated island, We are now in Tahiti, doing more maintenance in preparation for the next passage. We plan to sail back to Patagonia in a few months across the south Pacific to Puerto Williams for the upcoming Expeditions to Antarctica in 2022/2023.