News No.10 ** 20 juin 2010 **

Are new boat ?
    

Catherine :

20 June 2010

Last week, we bought an optimist (little sailing boat) which we worked hard on,

in the last few days.  Yesterday, we went on a full day navigation trip with our

optimist, along with other local kids on their own optimist.  We started from

the marina and sailed three nautical miles until we arrived to a little beach

where we set up our group of optimists and lasers.  We all jumped in the water

until we started to be really hungry.  Then we ate up all hot dogs which were

delicious.  When it was 1 PM, we started to sail back to the marina.  Nicolas

and Thomas each went with a guy named Ratu on a laser which rode very much faster

than our optimists so they arrived first.  We were really lucky to go there because

that picnic was only once a month.  I'm really happy we bought an Opti.

Thomas:
20 June 2010

A few days ago, just when we arrived in Savusavu, a security guy from the marina,

called Simon, showed us the backyard where they stored the optimists that the marina

owned, and two optimists which he thought were for sale.  In fact, after talking to

the owner, we found out that they were for sale but nothing came with them. 

Finally, after talking about it for a while, he said we could look around to see

if we can find any spare parts in the backyard. The next day we had already found

everything, the only thing we were missing was the center board and the rudder. 

As you know, those two things are quite essential.  We knew there was an optimist

sailing activity planned for Saturday so we hurried up and within a few days Jacques

and my dad had built a center board  and a rudder with pieces of wood, we installed

different hooks and cleats and we named our optimist Mini Mousses.  With blue paint,

Catherine, Nicolas, Antoine and I printed our four hands on the side of the boat and

we used red letters to write the name on the back of the boat.  We painted the center

board with white paint. On Saturday we were with the other kids, navigating our optimist. 

Between you and me, our optimist was one of the nicest ones.

After one hour navigating, we arrived on a beach where we played and ate some hot dogs. 

When we came back the difference was that this time I did not do half the way in the

optimist.  It was Catherine and Antoine who sailed it back the whole way.  I came back

in a laser with a boy called Ratu (13 years old).  After capsizing 5 times we finally

arrived at the boat.  I had a great day of navigation and I assure you that we will not

let our optimist rot on the deck.

I forgot to say that without the help of Jacques and my dad, we would never have finished

this project on time for Saturday.  We were lucky because Jacques gave us all sorts of

equipment like oars and others to outfit our optimist.

News No.9 ** 21 october 2009 **

What was the thing you loved the most last summer ?

Catherine :

21 oct 09

My uncle Luc asked us to write in english about the favorite thing we

did last summer:

I liked a lot Mopelia because we had a lot of activities there. We made

very good friends with the people who lived there (Kalami, Sophie and the

two boys). We went coconut crab chasing and caught a lot. We even still

have one live crab on board the boat and we give him water and coconut

for him to live. They had like 10 so cute baby dogs and each day we would

go on the beach and play with the dogs. They also invited us to eat several

time so we tasted new things like: pig in caramel, parrot fish, etc. They

taught us a new game and it was a difficult game. We also taught them how

to do limbo and they loved it. Those are the reasons I loved Mopelia the

most.

Mopelia was wonderful.

Nicolas :

21 oct 09

My uncle Luc asked us to write in english about our favorite place and

the favorite things we did last summer.

At Moorea Jacques from Alexander IV gave us a fish to go feed the rays. So at

twelve we went to see the rays and there were so many of them. We gave the fish

to the rays and under the rays, on their belly it was soooooo soft because we could

touch them. After, we went to see the tikis under the water. Also, we went to the

beach and we did a birthday party for Amanda. Amanda is Catherine's friend. My

other favorite place was Mopelia because there were lots of coconut crabs there and

there were little puppy dogs that we could hold in our hands. And daddy went fishing

with the man on the island (Kalami). They went fishing for lobster and they came

back with six lobsters and 1 crab. We did a party on the beach with them and they

killed a pig and we ate the pig and lobster and crab. We played limbo during the

party and I was good. When we left Mopelia we had four new friends. We had Johnny,

Peter, Craby and Tony, four coconut crabs. We kept them alive on the boat for a few

weeks in the crab pit and after we ate 3 coconut crabs. My mom made delicious crabcakes

with them. Now we have only one crab left and it is Peter. We give him coconut to eat

and water to drink. Soon we will have to eat Peter because if we don't, when we arrive

in New Zealand, they are going to take it from us.

I had a great summer.

Thomas:

21 Oct 09

My favorite activity last summer was when we climbed the Aorai mountain. We

went with ours friends from Lucey Blue.  We took a bus to the beginning of the

mountain where my dad was able to get us a ride to 600 meters up the hill (at 

the Belvedere Restaurant) where we started climbing. We walked up 800 meters up

to get to the cabin and I was the first to get there.  The cabin was very simple

and had uncomfortable wooden beds with no mattresses.  It was also very cold but 

we resisted and the next morning we made a fire and we ate some M&Ms and some toasts

for breakfast and after we came down the mountain and we ate lunch at McDonald's.

To answer uncle Luc's question " How is life without Catherine"?...

Well, we can not say we really miss her but neither does she miss us.

Now when there is music on, it plays alone, with no voice like Catherine 

behind it. It is calmer and there is less fighting.  When Catherine left, 

Nicolas and Antoine decided to sleep together for the time she is away. 

Nicolas now tells bedtime stories to Antoine. Nicolas says that he misses

to eat candy with Catherine.  Now I sleep alone and I am completely OK with that.

Thomas

Catherine : How was your first strom like ?

During the storm, it was quite OK. I didn't eat a lot but I don't care. We saw

two whales, a lot of rain and lightnings. The waves were about 20 feet tall (high)

and the wind was about 40-45 knots. The thing I loved was that I could finally

play my Gameboy because it has been six months I didn't play with it.

The crossing from Easter Island (to I'm not sure where we will stop), is very rocky

and I don't know why but I just hate those big waves. Even right now, when I am

writing, the waves make me sea sick but anyways, let's continue. During this

crossing, we only caught two fish, a Mahi-mahi and a seriole. We also saw a FONI

(Floating Object Not Identified). It was a whale but we don't know what kind. A few

days later, we saw a water spout at about 60 feet of our boat. Today we were supposed

to arrive at Pitcairn but finally my dad said that we will arrive tomorrow instead.

Our experience at the turtle farm was super cool.

We even sat on them and Antoine was standing on them. What they liked to eat was

goyava. We also saw one in the mud hah hah. We saw their poo and it was seeds in it

it was goyava seeds. They also get scared when you go too close to them and they

breath like Dark Vader.

My experience with the marine iguanas was magnificent I did some snorkeling once

and I saw one that was eating off the rock and he just came back up after he finished

eating to lie on the rock in the sun. They dive in the water to go eat their favorite

meal, seaweeds. They are just like water makers because to get rid of all the salt

in their body, they just sneeze and they get rid of all of it and they keep the fresh

water in their body. I find the marine iguana very special because of his sense of

being able to dive in the water. In Galapagos, there is 300,000 marine iguanas.

The Panama Canal

15 mars 09 

The crossing of the Panama Canal was pretty fun. To cross you had to have four line

handlers. My mom, Mark, Vanessa and Ina. After we passed the first row of locks,

we arrived at the Gatun Lake and attached ourselves to a mooring and slept there

for the night. The next morning I woke up because of the monkeys, it was like if

I was listening to a football match. Then, we passed the second part of the locks

and arrived to the 'Centennaire Bridge' and then to the America's Bridge

(the one that divides the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic Ocean). Then we deposed

Ina, Simon, Amanda, Mark and Vanessa at the dock and we went to anchor in the

Flamingo Anchorage. I really enjoyed this experience.

Thomas

15 mars 09 The Panama Canal CrossingWhen we crossed the Panama Canal, we were twelve people on board. We were three

boats attached together and it was fun. After we passed the first three locks,

there was a big buoy. We were two boats attached together on the buoy. The next

morning we sailed for a little ride of four hours to Pedro Miguel Locks and we

saw a crocodile. We had lunch there and it was fun. After crossing the Canal,

we went to Balboa Yacht Club to drop Amanda and her family to their hotel and Mark

and Vanessa. I cried a lot when Amanda left but I know I will see her again.

Catherine

6 fév 09

When we did the crossing from Quebec to La Rochelle, we met some kids that were on 

the boat Malik. In the Azores and La Rochelle we played a lot together but when we

received our autopilot we had to leave for Las Palmas. After they got back from

Paris they had to get their boat out of the water. We had to separate from them

and it was very hard. But two days ago we met again in Soufrière and we did some

snorkling together and we had lots of fun but after two days we had to leave them

again. Not for five months this time but for three years.

Thomas

6 fév 09 When we arrived in Rodney Bay (Ste-Lucia), we called Malik but they did not answer.

Before we arrived we caught a little tuna and we wanted to invite Malik for supper. 

We finally got in touch with them and we invited them to Antoine's birthday. The next

day, for Antoine's birthday, we ate our tuna. I invited Pascale to come and do a

sleep over but we had to wake up at 06h00 AM the next day because we needed to leave

for Aruba. Now we are crossing to Aruba. Catherine

Our vacation at Las Palmas was good. We met new friends. I met a girl, her name

is Amanda, she is nine like me and she is very nice with me. We did a bus tour

together and itwas fun, we even ate candies together mmmmmmm! We went to beach

parties, sailing courses, dress up parties, ... And a lot of other things. Then

thing I like the most of the parties was that we got to go to sleep very late!!!

At our dock, we went swimming in the water, that is all I wanted to say. Today we

were very lucky, we got one mahi-mahi after we got another mahi-mahi and after

another mahi-mahi and after another mahi-mahi so we got five mahi-mahis the last

one was big big. Can you tell we were very very lucky, I certainly can!

Cath

3 days ago, Uncle Luc us what activity we did with ARC and what new friends we 

made. In Las Palmas, we made a lot of friends on different boats and each time,

we had an activity all our friends were there but nobody else was there. It

looked like we met every kid that did the ARC Rally and they were all in our

section, the catamaran section. I chose today to write my journal because

today we won't believe me, we didn't catch one fish but 5 fishes. They were

Mahi-Mahi and one of them weigh 6 pounds and in total we have 14 pounds of fish.

Thomas

How is the relationship between the kids an the parent on the boat ?

3 days ago, uncle Luc asked to me and Catherine what was the relationship between our brothers and

sisters and the relation between the kids and the parents so this is the answer. We like to play together 

when we are at sea and there is not big waves but sometimes, there are a little fights between the kids but

it always finishes good. The relation between the parents is good also we like to do school and learn

things about sailing. Thomas

When Arnaud was not on the boat, we never had something to do but now that he is here, we always have

something to do. Antoine, Nicolas, me and Thomas are always the same, we are not nice with each other

but like I said, we play a lot with Arnaud so we don't think to fight. With our parents, it doesn't always go

well but sometimes it goes well. I don't know if it is enough explanation, if not, I'll write more. XXOO Cat

Fishing instructions from Catherine:

Hello, It started when we were on a time out in our room. Our dad checked our line and it was heavy. So he called us

Fishing instructions from Thomas and Nicolas: