We plan to be aboard the Catamaran in the Caribbean. One Island we have been looking into a project is Isla Grande, off the coast of Panama.

Fluid Adventures will be in the Caribbean area for the latter part of 2008 and 2009. Look forward to having you aboard.

Thanks for all your support

We left from the Gibson Marina in Bayview bright and early on Saturday morning at 8am and sailed up to Palm Beach to collect more guests.  The winds were reasonably brisk and everyone had a turn learning how to jibe the boat as we headed further out to tie up at Refuge Beach, about 6 miles up the coast.  For some (including me) this was their very first time on a sailboat, and it was a buzz like I’ve never experienced before.

After mooring at Refuge Beach we stopped for a liesurely barbecue lunch for a few hours thinking we were the luckiest people in the world to be able to enjoy the gently rocking boat, fresh cooked food, good friends and learning how to sail, all at the same time! 

After lunch we sailed back to Palm Beach wharf to drop off some of our guests, then back out again to a secluded spot to anchor for the night.  After a night of being rocked gently to sleep we woke up to a beautiful bright blue sky, a quick dip in the ocean (cold!) and a fresh cooked breakfast of bacon and eggs.  We then took the tender ashore to do some exploring in the nature reserve and take some photos of the beautiful waterfall.

By mid-afternoon it was time to start sailing back, this time tacking into the wind, plus trying to keep out of the way of yachts participating in a race up and down Pittwater.  Stuart and I had plenty of practice tacking with Louis going below to leave us to it for much of the time.  From knowing nothing to tacking a 40-foot catamaran in one day - he’s a good teacher!

By 1730 we were back in Bayview, sorry to leave the boat behind but with plenty of great memories and photos to take away with us. 

Create a project which is designed to benefit people in remote island communities and at the same time you will enjoy cultural interaction and the natural beauty of the region in which you are traveling.

Ready for a new and exciting chapter in your life experiences?

Partner with Fluid Adventures to connect global communities,  experience life outside of your boundaries and get involved sharing information and skills 

We are looking for like minded Partners and Donors!!

Don’t just dream about it, DO IT!

Follow the blog and see some photo’s of some great places we have visited as well as some past articles written of our adventures!

You can connect, contribute and experience a first hand view of nature. Take a leap of faith with amazing experiences, make dynamic connections, experience many different cultures and learn to sail first hand while traveling the globe. You now have the chance to explore the underwater world. Are you ready to get out of your comfort zone and embrace nature? The world is not really what it seems, it is one never ending thread connected with never ending possibilities! Let it unfold for you!

Are you wild, passionate, a risk taker, adventurous, compassionate, energetic and full of love for the world? Make the connection and discover the unknown!

If you think you can make a difference then contact us!

As you fall, wish for the place you really want to be!

We need sponsors to equip the boat for international traveling, self sustainability and communicate with the world! Be a Part of this international global vessel!

We continued on the the island of Ngau, first stopping at the village giving our sevu-sevu to the Chief. The Chief's son took us to a local natural hot spring which filled a beautiful pool and we were laying there in the pool feeling like kings. Wow, Hot bath was good!!!!

Roberta, Patrick and Dorothy was able to make a fantastic dive at the Negala pass, riding the current in from the outside into the lagoon. They were at about 23 meters of water riding the current and at one point they stopped hanging on to a rock and was able to stay for about 15 minutes as many sharks were going back and forth, feeding off the plankton and fish in the area.

We met a couple of young English, which were there affiliated with Frontier. Learning diving and the protection and teaching the locals the importance of not destroying the reef.

WE have spent less than a week in Suva , Fiji getting the shaft repaired and provisioning up for the next long passage as well as living aboard for the next 2 to 5 months. Elysium is all stocked up and we left at 0900 Tuesday morning headed for Vanuatu Islands.

Roberta finally received her replacement credit card after loosing her wallet in Savusavu. The crew are very excited to be underway and we have a double reef in the main with a single reef in the Mizzen and a working job and our average speed is 8 knots. We now have about 467 Nautical miles to our Vanuatu destination, first port of call is Tanna. There we have heard an dread about the volcano's and at night we should be able to see fire balls shooting into the sky. WE will report on this when we arrive.

Thanks for following along and hope to see you aboard soon for YOUR Private Sailing Adventure, a Sailing style of a Dude Ranch. Come learn, experience and relax unlike ever before!!!

Captain Louis

———-
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see:

http://www.sailmail.com

There are no facilities between where I am now and Suva Fiji…Currently underway headed to the Lau Group of Fiji for some fantastic diving and visits with some of the Chiefs of the area!! I will be checking emails in a few weeks. Currently Elysium is full with crew until September 15th in Vanuatu Islands. First part of November Elysium plans to head either back to Fiji or the Marshall
Islands for more and exciting Private Sailing Adventures in the South Pacific!

Still having fun in Paradise!!!!!

Captain Louis

———-
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see:

http://www.sailmail.com

17.04.296 S and 179.06.404 E

What a great day it is!!
We were in Savusavu Fiji waiting for our paperwork to go through to be able to visit the unspoiled area of the Lau Group in Fiji. Few people get to visit this group of islands in Fiji mainly because the islanders do not want Europeans and Westerners to spoil their way of life. You actually need an invitation to be able to sail there.

Early in the morning, Tuesday we were awoke by a thundering crash to the boat. I was up and forward in a flash. What a blessing it was, the hole is above the waterline. There was a gapping 3' x 1' hole ripped in the bow of the main hull! A small fishing boat has ran head on into Elysium. A week later we are repaired and leaving dock.

As we were leaving the dock, the gearbox wouldn't go in forward or reverse..
After a quick pulling of the engine out, We found that the damper plate is damaged and the gearbox is fine.

OK, yes, is was a terrible accident but I feel very strong that in every case even in bad situations, there is a very positive outcome. I am very blessed and Thank God for all of his blessings on my voyage.

We ordered the new part from California via internet and Skipe, and sailed off the dock headed for Namena Island to wait for the part to be shipped in. Namena Island is part of the Lomaiviti Island group which is located between the two main Fijian islands of Viti Levu and Venua Levu. Namena MPA encompasses the entire reef around Namena island. We are now diving in one of the most popular places in Fiji, a world class dive spot to say the least! We also were invited aboard MV NAI'A, a local dive tour operator live a board dive boat for a kava ceremony and drinks. The Captain also gave us many dive site coordinates to find by the GPS. Today the Fiji Aggressor pulled in as well.

We are diving 2 dives per day sometimes 3. SV Seeker is anchored close to us and has been diving with us as well…

The Namena MPA is home to over 1,000 species of interbrates, 400 known corals and 445 documented marine plants. Namena is a migratory pathway for whale species, including bottlenose and spinner dolphins, minke, pilot, sperm and humbacks. Namena also provides nesting beaches for green turtles as well as hawksbills. Fiji has 4 of the worlds 7 marine turtle species, all of which are endangered. Namena also has 3 kinds of sea snakes and the Island is a major seabird nesting site, with approximately 600 pairs of protected red-footed boobies.

Our part for the engine should be in Savusavu in a few days. We plan to head back to Savusavu to pick up our part install and complete repairs and get underway headed for Taveuni and the Lau Group.
After the Lau Group we will start headed towards Vanuatu Islands.

Thx for following the adventures of Elysium and Captain Louis!

Captain Louis

———-
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see:

http://www.sailmail.com

Upon arrival in Vuda Point Marina, I started cleaning the boat while awaiting my three crew to join the boat. They will be on board for the next three month's adventure through some of Fiji and then heading on to Vanuatu Islands, doing some great dives in great locations.

As I prepared Elysium for the trip, Dorothy arrived the same day as I did. Dorothy, a Corporate Counselor as well as a dive instructor, is from Singapore/England. Both of us started working towards cleaning and organizing the boat for a total of four people to be on board. We cleaned every nook and cranny of the boat, unloaded and reloaded the boat, took inventory of what was actually aboard, made space available for all of our dive gear and dive compressor, and enough food stores and bottled water for four people for three months.

Patrick showed up from California a week later, after closing the last few days at his job. He is a mechanical engineer and had some time off between jobs. After a few days with Patrick helping out in some very important areas of preparing the boat, we finally saw light at the end of the tunnel. A few days after Patrick's arrival, Roberta, a Cajun from Louisiana, arrives! Roberta, whom I originally met in Honduras four years ago while she was on board NOEL, is a Registered Nurse, a dive instructor and a very seasoned sailor bringing with her many years of sailing experience in the Caribbean and two Pacific crossings. Even with the jet lag, Roberta jumped in and sorted out all of our medical items and organized us, so we have several great medical bags for almost any emergency.

Well, you can imagine, after the boat is finally reloaded with everyone's dive gear, clothing, new dive compressor, extra water and extra fuel, the water line had gone down somewhat. At last, after over a week in the marina, we were ready to depart and begin our journey, initially to Taveuni Island, where the White Wall dive site is, and then on to the Lau Group of Island, where very few people get to see and visit. We left the marina and sailed only six miles to the nearest island for a nice swim, as well as cleaning the bottom of the boat and the propeller. We had a lazy night watching The Good Shepherd. The following day, we headed for Lautoka to check out with customs. The girls spent only a few hours getting some last minute items at the store while Patrick and I returned to the marina by taxi to get a spare shift cable for Elysium. We all met up at the internet cafe and headed to the boat. I visited customs and checked us out for the next major port in Fiji. We were then able to get underway and motor sailed for about five hours, dropped anchor near a point close to Viti Levu and spent the night there. The following day, we were up and underway for Savusavu. With light winds, we motored for a few hours until the winds came up. After a great overnight sail, we are now arriving at Venua Levu on Saturday afternoon. We will check in with customs on Monday to avoid the overtime customs charges for weekends. We plan to make our first dive on the west end of the bay of Savusavu tomorrow.

Thank you for following the Adventures of Elysium. More will be posted during our trip to keep you updated on our journey.

Captain Louis

———-
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see:

http://www.sailmail.com

At the end of July , destination is unknown but you can be garrenteed it will be somewhere exciting and tripical..
Currently Elysium is moored at VudaPoint marina in Fiji!!!!
until then ,
Cheers,
Louis SV Elysium

www.caribbeanislandsailing.com
caribbeanislandsailing04@yahoo.com