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Six years ago a very scared, excited and nervous chap left the home turf he had known and loved for over fifty years and set out for the greatest adventure of his life, that was me.

Now after six years of seeing, doing and experiencing the wonders of half the world, how am i doing? i ask myself this question each year at this time.

surrounded by cruising friends on my birthday at Kota Kinabalu

Health wise i am fantastic, no worries at all. Could drop a pound or two and actually have recently. i stay fairly fit with the boat work, diving, walking and running when in a home port. This can be a challenge when i have such great cooks aboard! Ye ol back is holding up albeit with some complaints and i seem to be getting a bit stiffer, to be expected.  So physically i am fit as a fiddle.. a real old fiddle that has been dropped and scratched many times haha

Age may be taking a slight toll on my memory, but i can still sit down and sing fifty songs with all the lyrics.. saw a great post the other day, showed a pic of Jerry Garcia; caption read “i can remember every song this man sang but not why i am in the kitchen” that may be very telling haha.  I continue to love playing music, especially joining local bands as i did in Samal every Friday night. I also ran an open mic at the marina on Wednesday nights which brought out some of the cruisers.

joining the Good Friday procession

Spiritually i keep growing, albeit in spurts. Recent trips to small villages, dancing with bright brown eyed children, seeing the wonders of the world above and below the water feed that growth. Recently a series of events put me in a twitter, short fused and abrasive. i quickly did an inventory and shamefully realized how trivial the list of problems were and how extraordinary my list of blessings is.  i actually read one of my own blog posts on my blessings and thought, gee i ought to listen to this guy, hahaha

So this past year is much like the last few, great adventures, returning to familiar loved places and people. But there is big news!! i am in love! For the past six months i have had the sublime joy of the love of a great woman. Donna has been on the boat for half this last year now and loving the boat and even more amazing, me! i have written much on the wonders of Asian women, their ability to meld with older western men and make spectacular couples, and now i am one of those guys.

So after six years of amazing adventures i am healthy, happy, playing music, diving, much closer to God and in love, what more can a man ask??

This marks six years of rotating crew on Furthur, most from the Godsend; findacrew.net. I have had crew from twenty eight countries onboard and what a joy it has been. This has been the most unexpected and rewarding component of my adventure. I left Seattle with friends and soon found that people who could drop everything and jaunt off across the globe a limited pool. Next i found boat hitchhikers and had some great and not so great luck but it was all based on luck not science.  It was at the end of my first year that i found findacrew.net and have used them almost exclusively ever since.

crew from around the world and most of the USA, Texas and California here

 After ever age, gender and combination of people, i found that my formula for picking works for me. Females in the 20ish to 40ish years from mixed countries with little or no experience seem to have the flexibility, curiosity, eagerness to learn, ability to bond fast with other crew and the lack of challenges that make great crew and company. Of course there have been glaring exceptions, some of the best crew do not fit in the formula but most do. Other combinations work for other boats so my formula is just for me. We are now seeing past crew come back for second and third stents on the boat.

My success has been largely in part to a in-depth seven page letter each potential crew receives. This letter has evolved over the years and grown in length. It covers daily life, what to expect, what is expected and what is not tolerated. Recent additions have been aimed at sorting out possible challenges inexperienced crew might find; the unpredictability of cruising, the lack of independence and the lack of private space can be issues that are not thought of by the starry eyed back packer.

One thing i have learned to make perfectly clear is that there is NO schedule, we move at the whim of weather, mechanical demands and safety. Our plans are fluid. I find that crew who have limited time in an area and want to see and do many things in a short time often feel constricted by the slow pace of a cruising boat.

we even have mermaids on the crew

The other circumstance that can cause angst is the balance of crew feeling at home, which i promote and respecting that the boat is my permanent home. i do have some quirks about my limited possessions that might seem odd.  i am a mad stickler for protecting my boat, equipment and most of all people aboard. So there are rules, most come from experience that crew just do not have nor may understand. i do supply kayaks, dive gear and other fun toys so keeping them in tact is important.  I find most of the crew accept this and appreciate the rules, mostly the ones for their safety, but there have been some bumps here for sure. Six years of cruising, dozens of crew, half way around the world and there has been no significant damage to the boat and most important, no injuries to the crew, this does not come from being sloppy about safety.

we make frequent land trips

i take great joy in making sure the crew gain experience and learn as much as they desire. As this is a power boat and equipped with most of the modern devices there is little hands on “work” most things happen with the push of a button. My crew needs are different than a sailing vessel, no strings to pull so strength is not an issue. My needs are more domestic, cooking cleaning and provisioning. i also need dive companions. Most of my crew are diving enthusiasts, the frequency of our diving is of great value to the crew usually.   The crew learn the basics of navigating with modern devices and if they like the “old school” techniques as well.

i explain that there are two types of decisions i make; ones that are arbitrary, like where to eat or dive or next stop. this type i usually give the crew options to pick.  The other type are safety decisions, go/no go, weather, anchorages and such are made for the safety of the boat and crew and there is no debate on these decisions.

even the work can be fun, bikini boat wash time

The most important element is having fun. The crew have duties but rarely interfere with having a great time. I have found that crew from around the world bond fast and we make sure there is an environment that enables such bonding. One of the most endearing traditions on Furthur is the gratitude sharing time just before dinner. Although some are reluctant at first, soon it becomes a favorite time. i do like to tease and be teased and have a quirky sense of humor for sure.. plus i am a morning person, big time. One girl told me if i am ever murdered by my crew it will be before seven AM!  i strive to get crew to balance the fun and the duties and to make sure each gets to do the things they like, spend quality time with the group and some alone time.

A look at my findacrew site and the references will show how wonderful my crew experiences have been. After six years i am more excited about future voyages with new crew than ever, there are adventures to be had and memories to be made.

The sixth year of the Furthur Adventure took us once again out of Thailand, the Land of Smiles, and back to Borneo and the Philippines.  It was an unremarkable and familiar trip with a long stop at our favorite marina in Kota Kinabalu. After a month of decadent living, swimming pools, expansive exercise room and my favorite, a sauna, we headed back to the Philippines. There had been a report, that later proved dubious, of a pirate attempt along our path so we contacted the Malaysian Navy to keep an eye on us. They did radio checks along the way but we saw no one, evil or friendly. When we came to Puerto Princessa to check in all the anchorage was abuzz of the impending typhoon.  We watched intensely as it built and collapsed then made our way north.  Back in the oh so familiar and friendly waters of Coron and Puerto del Sol for Christmas, i connected with old friends. The dive center there was swamped and asked if i would assist guiding some dives, sure i said. I spent the holidays and a few months there after diving the WWII wrecks by day and playing music at the two resorts by night, ah the life. The need for fuel, repairs and change of scenery took us back to Subic Bay. A adverse weather pattern settled in which extended our stay before we could venture to the next destination. I used the time to do more boat work and have some fun.

From Subic we set out for a new destination, Puerto Gallera, a favorite with cruisers and now mine too.  With new crew onboard we worked south to the Filipino party hot spot Boracay Island. This is where all the Filipinos want to go, epic white beaches and constant party. I found the anchorage so unpleasant that my stay was not one i would repeat soon. We did have the extreme pleasure of buddy boating with our friends, Peter and Rose, on Lost in Asia, something we will hopefully do again. Both Lost in Asia, a multi circumnavigation veteran and Furthur are featured in the latest edition of Voyaging Under Power.

We completed the circle with a return to Coron, a place i keep going back to and never sorry i do.  Round and around we repeat the circle, Subic Bay, Puerto Gallera and then head south.


riding on a water bufflao cart to an enchanting waterfall

Now we are in new terrain and enjoy exploring the zillion islands and anchorages. We do the compulsorily swim with Whale Shark experience then down to Cebu. From Cebu we head back into the Pacific Ocean and follow the eastern Filipino coast to the city of Davao and Oceanview Marina. It is there that i made a change of plan as we had intended a short stay before heading south to Indonesia. Delayed paper work put our departure too late in the weather scheme of things. We had learned about the Sail Tamili Rally which headed to Raja Amput in September and decided to join that group. This put us in the marina for 3 months, the longest Furthur has been tied to the dock ever i think. We fell in love with the small resort island and the marina and developed great friendships with the group we would join on the next adventure. The first of September we left the marina in full dress, parade flags flying with 15 boats. As i write this we are a third of the way around the rally and all is well.  We will hit two of the world’s most notorious dive area, Togian Islands and Raja Amput then back “home” to the Philippines.


Jamming with a great local Band at Samal Island

We plan on returning to Oceanview in November which is a tough call after the recent events. The marina was the scene of a recent terrorist raid and several of our friends were taken hostage. We will evaluate the situation next month but i think the security in the area will now be so extreme that it will be very safe.  Our prayers go out to our friends and we hope for a speedy resolution and swift justice.

Having completed some maintenance and adding a few major goodies at the end of year five, this year has seen just small repairs and maintenance. The always reliable Cummins Engine now has 7,400 trouble free hours. We put 750 hours on last year, a bit below our 1000 hour a year average.

 With the new solar panels there were some charging issues to resolve, once done i added two more AGM batteries raising my capacity fifty percent.

On two instances i grossly miss diagnosed problems, spent a bunch of money and grief on things that turned out to be simple, all in the lessons learned department. On both malfunctions a broken “O” ring was the culprit, one in the generator Racor filter and one in the stabilizer ram.

After years of packing around piles of charts i realized i had not opened one since i left, harsh realization for an old school paper chart guy but true. With four computer navigation systems onboard, everything from my ships computer to my phone is nav and gps equipped.  i decided to pass the charts on, first tried the Selene Owners site and other cruising forums with no luck, just pay for shipping was all i wanted for the complete set of charts from Seattle to Thailand.. no takers, then i tried to give them away locally, again no takers so it was great angst that i dumped them in the dumpster, my ol US Power Squadron buddies would cringe.  To add insult to the old salts i put a new ice maker where the charts once held domain.  i now open that locker every day rather than never in 6 years.

So the “things we love list” goes the solar panels and ya, the ice maker.  With the current rolly anchorages the Forespar Rolex stabilizer system has risen to the top of that list. My cruising buddies have all been over peering at it in wonder. For another year the sturdy Mercury 25 hp outboard has performed flawlessly although the dinghy is getting tired and is on the replacement list next year.

Recently i had to tow a buddies boat as he had bad fuel and no fuel polishing system, a lacking he will surely correct, putting the ESI fuel polishing system high on the “don’t leave home without it” list.


Getting fuel in Indonesia is always a challenge

My FCI water maker is a jewel and if found out by just adding another membrane i can raise the production 50%, yikes 75 gallons an hour! My friend ordered one like it and they threw in my membrane in his shipment, i will get it installed soon. If finances allow i might replace my smaller H2O maker as well, it quit years ago and just takes up space. For my crew a water maker is essential and having a backup would be good as well as one small enough to run off the inverter while underway without the gen. maybe Santa will drop on by.

Ten years and six of rugged cruising have taken their toll.  I now have rebuilt all major pumps, the windlass, the stabilizer rams and many other things, none of which gave out early, just a lot of ware. Eventually i will get the interior wood work a tune up and repaint the blue hull, but not this year.

Donna marking the anchor chain

This last rally put us in a week of beating up wind in up to forty knots of wind, no fun. Although there are times i envy the sailors sliding downwind in the trades, this last jaunt proved once again that a good full displacement, pilot house trawler is where i want to be!

me and the Furthur crew at the Kick Off Party

After a gala Kick Off Party, where we were entertained by local dancers and a howling funny large ladyboy MC we readied Furthur for the beginnings of our next adventure. With our “full dress parade flags” flying  joined the twelve boats in the Sail Tamini Rally and as the gates opened formed a parade departing  Oceanview Marina. It is with a tear that we leave Samal Island as we have all grown to like this place, “gonna miss this island” we all say.  

As the parade broke up  we headed south down the water way that separates Samal Island from Davao Cit. The adverse current took us down to 5 knots and yet Furthur seemed to pull ahead of the fleet. We are traveling with another Trawler, Restless, a brand new North Pacific Trawler, with my friend John and his three Filipina girl crew. John is a long time follower of the blog, Furthur Adventures, and seems to adapt to my all girl crew idea well.  

Sadly one of our cruising buddies quickly found out why i preached, “test ride” before the rally and Sidewidner had to turn around to solve an overheating problem.  Knowing that gremlins thrive on idle boats, we had taken Furthur out the week before for an overnight run just to avoid such discoveries.  We had sat in the marina for three solid months, possibly the longest time Furthur has been marina bound ever.  

The first leg was a short one, forty five miles, to a nice quiet anchorage just south of the city, we arrived ahead of the fleet which is odd as we didn’t to exceed seven knots.  Soon four other boats joined us. The smaller, slower sailboats took a different first stop but would catch up soon. A first light departure put us enroute for Sarangini Island, the last of the over 7,000 Filipina islands. Where we were invited to a local village festival. 

The next leg gave us the choice of a night passage or breaking it up with a stop at an island that might be less protected, we opted for that risk. Even with wild current swings, from plus 1.5 knots to minus two knots, we arrive just as planned at 3pm. When we could look down and see the anchor in 70ft of water, we all chanted dive, dive, dive and in we went. We spent a rolly night, thank God for our Rolex stabilizer system, sadly our cruising companions did not have one so we watched them roll quite a bit. The next morning John added the system to his next wish list, haha. 

We arrived at the first Rally destination, Sangihe, early afternoon only to discover the promise new moorings were nowhere to be found and all the old ones taken by the five boats that arrived earlier. We did find on a bit down the bay and albeit a longer dingy ride, we were in much smoother water. i dove the mooring as no one seemed to know its structure and found it to be OK, if the wind did not switch.  

ten customs officers searched Furthur, all very friendly albeit thorough

The customs/quarantine and Immigration officials cleared us in only after a thorough searching of the boat by ten men. This seemed a bit over done to most of us, especially when they insisted we all sing a document stating they did not steal or seek  bribes, we had to sign it  before they inspected!  

reuniting with cruiser friends is always a party

Now was time for the fun. We reunited with our friends, heard the news on the remaining boats and joined the town in their gala weeklong festival. We were treated like rock stars. The usual mob of gleaming teenagers holding smart phones, “picture with you mister?”  This went on everywhere we went, it is so much fun!  

We were given front row, guest of honor seats for the presentations. Each regional group does a show, exotic costumes, singing and dancing. It was truly awe inspiring.  

Donna and i skipped one of the sponsored dinners and hit a local spot. As we were enjoying our diners, two giggling teenage girls approached us, cameras in hand. We did every possible combination of the four of us for the photos. Some friends of theirs joined us and we all chatted quite a while.  As we left i was near tears, (ya again) and i told Donna, this would never happen in America. No way would any teenager seek my company let alone a complete stranger. i laughed as i told her that if i was seen taking selfies with a 15 year old girl in the states, someone would call security. The respect and eagerness to connect with older people is prevalent here, sadly not so in the US.  

The next day we joined the Restless crew and hired a van to take us to some famed waterfalls. Ten of the government tourist folks seemed concerned so joined us, we had more tourist staff than tourists. The water falls were spectacular and the cool swim after the rugged hike was a welcome treat.  

One more night of gale dancing and festivities and we left beautiful Sangihe, bound for the next adventure.

This is the time of year when the Trade Winds change from Northeast to Southwest. Until mid season when the winds settle they are usually stronger as we found out the hard way.  The moorings at Sangihe were shaky at best and it was not going to be fun when the wind picked up or shifted so at the first sign of change we made a hasty exit. 

The path south is dotted with small islands, many with great anchorages so we decided to day hop on down to Saluwasi. The first island looked good on paper, deep north facing bay well protected from southerlies. Unfortunately it was far too deep to set an anchor. I carry an exceptional 600 ft (200 meters) of chain, far more than most cruising boats and yet i could not find a place to drop the hook.  John on our companion boat, Restless, gave up as well and asked a small tug boat tied to the cement pier if he could side tie, as we did with a local ferry.

Restless with our host tug and the village folks

Now snuggly secure next to the pier we were visited by most of the tiny island village, we were the biggest news to hit this town it seemed. All the folks were genuinely friendly and we were soon surrounded with beaming bright smiles. I broke out the balloons, the kids laughed, the adults watched and all was good.

With sketchy internet our weather information was limited but it seemed the wind would stick for at least a week, much too long to hang off the broken tug boat. I consulted the local ferry boat captain, and in sign language, pantomime and a few common words, he advised we go that morning.  The next island was only 35 miles away so off we went. I have said before that there are days i envy the sailboats, slipping down wind silently in a nice breeze, today was not one of them! it was a day designed for heavy displacement trawlers. The seas built as  the wind hit the 40 knot mark, yet we remained comfortable for the most part.

The next island, Siau, has a massive volcano which erupted just as we approached, smoke billowing out of the top reminiscent of old King Kong movies. Also bringing movies of great peril to mind, just as the volcano erupted, the always loyal, anally babied Cummins engine stopped. With no power the two to three meter seas tossed us about violently. Being so intune with the engine i felt the RPM drop before it died and was hands on the key instantly, and, Praise Allah, it started. A bit of thanking and head scratching as to why, we continued. A few minutes later it stopped again. This time i took action, dropped fast into the engine room, switched the dual Ravor filter and switched to the other fuel tank. A few grinds and the loyal Cummins fired up and kept running. i had run on the starboard tank since fueling and that fuel had been polished but when the tank got down to about half it seemed the rough weather broke loose some crud on the very bottom and blocked the fuel. One of the things i truly, deeply and passionately love about the Cummins is it will start dry. Most diesel engines would have required some painful bleeding to restart, the Cummins just fired right up. Needless to say at the next anchorage i ran all the fuel through the ESI polishing system twice!

We rounded the volcano and headed for what we hoped was a safe anchorage. This is the one on the leg that we had doubts about. As we approached the anchorage those doubts vanished as we settled under the watchful eye of a 50ft sparkling white statue of Jesus Christ and dropped the hook in 40 ft of calm water.  We laughed as we discovered the anchorage not only had the protection of our savior but great internet as there was a tower right behind the Holly statue. So with the tower and Christ off our bow and an erupting volcano off our stern we toasted the days fortune.

Our usual 5:30 am departure and bam back in 20 plus knots head winds. Happily as we left the island the seas abated and we had a more pleasant ride to Biaro Island which had a real promising anchorage deep into a bay.  We settle in and enjoyed the calm. 

With better internet i could get more weather information and i used my new fav site, windyty.com which seemed to load faster than the others. The almost phsycadelic  (neither i nor my spell check knows how to spell this haha)  wind display clearly showed we had picked the roughest path. Just 20-30 miles to the west the winds calmed and bent towards the west. As we were the lead boats in the rally, i sent a group email advising the sailboats not to follow our path, fact is most would have a hard time making any headway in the seas and headwinds. i advised they take the more westward route albeit a non stop passage with not nice comfy anchorages. Most did just that and were glad.

We rejoiced as we neared Saluwasi Island and calm seas and sunshine. The main city is Manado, which has not facilities or anchorage for cruising boats. Last time i found a nice bit of local know how and rafted to an old derilict passenger ferry inhabited by a great bunch of local characters. they seemed to remember me from 3 years ago, i guess not much changes in their world. As with last time, i needed fuel and as with last time it was the Police boat that sold it to me with the help of the good ol boys.  Furthur took on 1000 ltrs and Restless, 1400 ltrs.  Interesting difference as we both left full and had done the same distance at the same speed.

Donna counting out millions of Rupiahs, for the fuel

Barrels of fuel rolling down the dock

We reveled in civilization,the girls shopped and i found a four story hardware store, all were happy. We hired a cosmic bug like peddle car complete with rocking sound system and cruised the avenue,  the next day we heard the oh so welcome and familiar call of Sidewinder on the VHF and learned they were anchored not far away so off we went to find our friends and on to the next adventure!