The Voyage

A clearinghouse for news about
Mike and Lorie's trip
"Around the world in 890 days"

Messages from Mike and Lorie / Progress Map / New Zealand map /Samoa-Western Pacific map / Polynesia Map /
About the crew / Ham radio contact

How to use this site: This is a historical archive of Mike and Lorie Poole's adventures in sailing. It was originally set up so family and friends could follow along with them. As they sailed, they stayed in radio contact with a network of ham radio operators, who then would email me with their information. I would then post a short summary of the info on this main page, with links to the actual emails and letters. I also maintained maps on which I plotted their progress.

This main page is in reverse order: most recent news at the top, progressively older news as you scroll down the page, and only deals with the latter part of their voyage from 5/97 to the end of the voyage in 10/97 (news from the start of the voyage up to 5/97 is on a separate page). If you are new to this page and are interested in re-creating the feel of the adventure, I recommend starting at the bottom of the beginning page and reading upwards, following the detail links as desired.

5/2003 The voyage is over, but the adventures continue!! For those interested in following Mike and Lorie's shenanigans centered around McMurdo Station in Antarctica, visit Mike's "Antarctic Memories" website.

3/2/98 Mike emailed me today, and I've posted it and sent it on to the usual suspects. As usual, they seem to be having a great time, and are taking advantage of the unique opportunities being presented to them. They thank everyone for the emails they've been getting, and apologize for not being able to respond to all of them. They asked some questions about "schmitz family email address", since Lorie misplaced it. In addition, they have a new mail address:

Mike and Lorie Poole
c/o DOC
P.O. Box 134
Russell, New Zealand

Send mail to that address and it will be forwarded to Mike and Lorie.

2/23/98 I got a new email from Lorie today. They've been hiking up a storm and having a good time. There are brief answers to some personal messages as well for "the French guy", Denise, Bill, and Chuck.

2/19/98 Well, I've been lazy at updating this page. Mike and Lorie dropped out of sight for a short while as they finished up at Bay of Islands. Following that, they've been touring New Zealand, and thus were out of email contact. However, Mike discovered a way to have an email account from whereever they are, and they are now back in touch. I've posted two recent emails I got from them. THEY WANT EMAIL FROM THEIR FRIENDS!!!! Send messages to::

thepooles98@hotmail.com

As you can see from their messages, they are as busy as ever. They're now in the city of Picton on the South Island, and are once again volunteering for the DOC (the New Zealand equiv. of the National Park Service).

1/12/98 I just got an email today from Mike and Lorie. It's posted on the messages page, and there are personal greetings to a bunch of people, so check it out. They added a PS that they've gotten their visas extended until October. I forwarded the email to everyone I could think of on my email list; if you didn't get a copy and want to be included, email me at DELETED and I'll add you to the recipient list.

1/10/98 Happy New Year! I was gone visiting family over the holidays, and Christmas day we got a call from Mike and Lorie in Russell. They said they're still having a great time, and that their plans are somewhat in the air. Their visa is running out shortly, and what they do next depends on what happens with the visa. They may get an extension, or they may need to fly off to Australia and re-enter New Zealand on a new visa. They have offers from other parks, and since they're mobile, they may go camping around New Zealand. They're keeping on their budget, and eating great food and drinking great beer.

12/17/97 After a long hiatus, I've finally found the time to update this page. First, I've digitized a map of the Bay of Islands region where Mike and Lorie are working, so you can see the places they talk about. Also, I've received several emails from Mike, Lorie, and others, which I've posted on the messages page.They request that you send them loooong email messages, not short ones, since it costs them 50 cents a page. In one of the messages, there are some phone and fax numbers to try if you need to get ahold of them. Also, I just got an email from Darrell, skipper of the Escapade, detailing his long frustrations trying to get the remains of the boat shipped back to the U.S. After extorting some money from Darrell, the agents finally shipped the boat, but only after they cut off the keel mounting bolts and removed the keel, which will make putting a new keel on somewhat problematic.

11/17/97 I got a long email from Mike and Lorie today. In it they talk about the great time they're having at Bay of Islands, hiking, clearing trails, boating to remote spots, sheep shearing, and turning little boy lambs into little neutered lambs. In the email, they've asked a few questions. If anyone can answer them, please email either to them directly or to me and I'll forward it on to them.

1) Does anyone remember the rules for "Kick the can" and "Capture the Flag" ?
2) Mike's 2 meter ham radio is working again. He now needs plans for " 2 meter antennas -Super j pole and the traveling antenna made out of tv twinlead".

11/11/97 I got a letter from Lorie about their adventures in Tonga, forwarded to me from her Mom, that I've posted on a separate page. It talks about cave diving, a first taste of chocolate in months, sailboat races, and sing-alongs.And, of course, going on a hike and getting lost. Enjoy! Other than that, I've had no word from anyone about how they're doing in New Zealand. Anyone who's got info please email me at DELETED please!

10/28/97 Back in contact! I just received an email from Mike and Lorie. Not much info other than to say that they now have email. It costs them $2.00 to send an email message, but nothing to receive email from others, so go ahead and write them! Send the email to:

nexusnz@xtra.co.nz

and be sure to put Mike and Lorie Poole's name in the Subject header.

10/20/97 Mike and Lorie are now out of contact (no email, no ham radio). They bought a small station wagon so they can be mobile, and they've moved into their cabin. They've already met a bunch of great people, and are looking forward to working in the park for a while (see their last email). For those of you interested in seeing where they are, I've inserted a map of New Zealand, showing where Bay of Islands is on the North Island.

10/16/97 New Developments! Mike and Lorie are in Russel, New Zealand, at the Bay of Islands Marine Park (see the bunch of emails I got; I'm trying to locate an electronic map of New Zealand to post, as well). They'll be leaving Azure today or tomorrow, and thus will no longer have access to a computer for email or a radio for ham talks, so they'll go back to "snail mail" for communication. Mike reports that the beer in New Zealand is GREAT. On the entry into the harbor, they were accompanied by leaping dolphins and a huge, but non-singing, whale. They turned out to be lucky to leave Tonga when they did, because boats that left a week later were all caught in a hurricane at sea. Mike and Lorie are now volunteering for the DOC, which is the New Zealand equivalent of the National Parks Service. They get free room at a cabin, in return for maintaining trails, etc. at Bay of Islands Marine Park. In addition, since 90% of the park is islands, they'll be doing a lot of boating to get back and forth. So, they won't be moving on to Whangarei for a while. While at the park, you can mail them at:

MIKE AND LORIE POOLE
POST RESTANTE
RUSSELL,NEW ZEALAND

10/13/97 By now, Azure will have reached New Zealand, at the Bay of Islands near the town of Russel, having been escorted the last leg by a whale. I got a couple of emails from Mike talking about the tail end of the crossing to New Zealand. Mike also talks some about the mechanics of how he gets email out in the middle of the ocean. He'll be out of radio and email contact until he gets his New Zealand ham license, but he asks you to keep the emails (but short ones!) coming, since Azure will collect them for him and they love to hear from us all (directions for sending email are below). Later in the week they'll start hiking around New Zealand.

All readers of this page with access to email: The sailing portion of the voyage is coming to a close, and Mike will be out of radio contact soon. Mike requests that anyone still reading this page send him a one-line email with your name, just to let him know. The message must be kept short! You'll need to do it soon, because it takes a day or two for the message to get to Azure, and they arrive in New Zealand shortly.

To email, send the email to
winlink@earthlink.net
For the subject, put the following:
SP KE6ZYK@VK2AGE.#NE.NSW.AUS.OC
Then, in the first line of the message, put the subject: To Mike Poole, yacht Azure
Then, one line of text with your name and a brief message.

10/9/97 I got a flurry of new emails from Mike from the crossing to New Zealand. They arrived in kind of a random order, but I put them chronologically on the messages page. The weather has swung from one extreme to the other, calm to raging storms and back. It's getting cold, and Mike really misses his coral reefs, and octopus baked in coconut. Mike waxes philosophical during some of his night watches, as well. I guess Mike is finally out of radio contact range with Tony in South Bend, Indiana. Tony, Chuck, Ralph, Dave, and all of you other ham operators, thanks soooo much for keeping me and our families up to date with Mike and Lorie's adventures. I'll really miss checking out my email and reading about some new shenanigans they've been part of.

10/6/97 I got two new emails from Mike. The weather had worsened, and they now have high winds blowing right in their faces, so they can't head straight to New Zealand but have to tack. Ham radio contact is sporadic; he can only hear a Ham operator named Bob well, and Bob has been relaying messages from the more easterly cadre of Ham operators. Mike saw a meteor yesterday that hung in the sky like a big green UFO. You can check out their location on the Pacific Map.

10/2/97 Mike and Lorie are three days out of Tonga, with 20 knot winds and a high pressure cell at their back. You can send mail to them in New Zealand at:

Yacht Azure
Lorie and Mike Poole
General Delivery
Main Post Office
Whangrei
NEW ZEALAND

9/30/97 Mike and Lorie are back on the high seas, on their way to New Zealand, and will arrive in about 10 days, after which they'll go backpacking for a while. Mike is back to using his international call sign, KE6ZYK, but radio contacts are kind of weak. Mike can also send and receive email, but he's limitied to 30 minutes a day. The email gets sent in packets via Ham radio, and it takes about 2 days for a short message to get through. They came in 3rd in the Tongan sailboat race a few days ago. CBARC people: Mike would like the address of the CBARC bbs. Send it to DELETED and I'll get it to him. McLean's friends: Mike gloats about how beautiful Tonga has been in his email message.

9/26/97 I got another email from Mike today. They're at Euakafa Island in Tonga, having a fine time as usual. They'll go back to Vavaiu Island in Tonga today for the sailboat race tonight. They had freshly-harvested scallops and pasta for dinner last night. Yumm!!! Chuck Compton and McLean's friends: there's info for you in the email.Ham Operators: There's some info for you in the email. I'm not sure what call sign Mike is using at present: KE6ZYK or A35FP.

9/26/97 I got an email today from Mark Caplin, captain of the BAAMI, who ran into Mike and Lorie at a feast on Tonga and reports that they are" alive and well". Ham operator Tony reports that he hasn't been able to contact Mike for the last few days, because the "20 meter band has died out around 02:00 utc". He'll try again tonight.

9/25/97 Off to New Zealand!!! Mike and Lorie are now crew on another boat, AZURE, skippered by Rodney and his wife Jane. Although they are still in the kingdom of Tonga, they will shortly (Oct. 1 or so) be heading out to New Zealand. They need to get out of the tropics pretty soon because of El Nino, and plan to arrive in New Zealand around mid-October. Also, I received an email from Mike and Lorie from on board Azure, which can send email via ham radio. I'm not sure of the details of the technology, but when I find out whether or not we all can send them email I'll post instructions on the web.

I'd also like to congratulate Andy and Meg on the arrival of Elaina. I informed Mike he has a new niece, and Mike and Lorie send their love and congratulations as well. Ham Operators: Tony and Chuck, Mike emailed you as well. From his message, the contact schedule may be in flux. Skipper Rodney has a sked at 0300Z on 17 meters, 18150. Listen in and call Mike after Rodney and Eric finish. If Mike and the Ham guys don't connect, Mike will listen for the Ham guys at 0330Z on 14340.

9/19/97 I got a very long letter from Lorie this weekend talking about her adventures in Samoa. I've typed it in for your reading pleasure (blame me for any typos). Family members: I'll try and get to the copy shop soon to make and send you all copies.

9/16/97 Tony reports that Mike and Lorie and Nereus are still in the kingdom of Tonga, and still having a great time. Lorie and all of us wish her sister Samma a Happy Birthday!! From Tony's messages, it seems that Mike sometimes fancies himself a modern-day Mike Nelson (if any of you remember the show "Sea Hunt"), and is always looking for people to join him on some "adventurous" dive (snorkeling around shipwrecks on a reef, snorkeling into a pocket of air). Luckily, cooler heads always seem to prevail. If not a career adventure diving, Mike perhaps will become an entertainer, since he played guitar and sang at a restaurant in Tonga (I sure hope he's practiced since the last time I heard him play and sing :-)). A message from Chuck last week reported that Mike joined a crew in a sailboat race, but they came in last. The Ham operators had a treat last week when Gordon West, a well known ham radio writer and teacher, joined the conversation.HAM OPERATORS: I forgot to mention that Mike's call sign has changed to A35FP.

9/10/97 I've entered the letter Mike sent our parents, written while Nereus was in American Samoa. It talks about Samoan canoe racing, protocol for visiting village chiefs, and lots of other stuff.Other than that there has been no recent news, probably due to the difficulty of making radio contact.

9/6/97 I've been a little slow this past week posting messages as they come in. Chuck and Tony have been in contact with Mike on the Nereus. They've been on Tonga for about a week and love it there. The weather has been cooler, in the 80's in the day and cooling down more at night. Radio contacts with the states are getting difficult, both because of the time difference and some problems with "propogation" and the "band opening up". At any rate, they are continuing to snorkle, barbeque, sail, visit islanders, and have a great time. I was also just relayed yet another letter from Mike, from American Samoa, talking about meeting tribal chiefs and being the first vistors to ever ask for ice cream in one of the villages. I'll try and digitize it soon and post it.

8/29/97 Wow, there has suddenly been a flurry of activity (messages). Nereus left Western Samoa on August 28 headed toward Tonga (I'm not sure when they went from American Samoa to Western Samoa). The weather started out beautiful according to a message from Tony on the 28th, but by the 29th the winds had picked up to 20-30 knots, according to a message the next day from Chuck. They expect to reach Tonga Saturday night or Sunday morning. In the meantime, I heard from Darrell. He has had a lot of wrangling with the insurance company. Despite my earlier report, ESCAPADE did not make it onto the freighter on August 8th because of paperwork delays, and probably won't be shipped until early September.

I also got a long letter from Mike yesterday. It's a wonderful letter, dealing with Nuka Hive, Rangiroa, diving with the sharks, strange UFO-like bioluminescense phenomena, and especially with details of the ESCAPADE'S shipwreck. Check it out!

8/25/97 Tony talked to Mike on Friday evening. They plan to leave Samoa for the island of Tonga today (Mon.) or tomorrow. Samoa is apparently a very wet place, receiving over 200 inches of rainfall per year. Even though it's the dry season, it still rains ten minutes out of every hour.

8/19/97 I'd like to welcome ham operator Tony back from his fishing trip. Now that he's back, he talked to Mike yesterday; Mike also made a phone patch to our dad this weekend. Nereus is now in Pago-Pago, and as usual Mike says he's having a great time. They're relaxing, collecting seashells, and feasting on local cuisine. Mike's favorite dish is a hollowed out coconut which is then stuffed with an octopus and baked in coals. Sounds delicious! Mike also reports that Nereus owners Chuck and Ellie are also doing well.

8/13/97 I finally found time to scan in Lorie's letter dated July 14. It talks about Moorea and Raitaia, so check it out! The other letter to her mom was handwritten, so not even my PowerMac 8500 can digest that. In it she restates the planned itinerary (leave Bora Bora on 7/22 for American Samoa [where they are now], then Western Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, New Caledonia, and Australia by November 15). They are likely to come home in December. They really like the Society Islands, and Lorie liked Huahine the best. Bora Bora was beautiful, but there were too many tourists. The boat is bigger than Escapade, and Ellie likes to do most of the cooking. Mike and Lorie working hard trying to fix up some things on the Nereus that the last crew member didn't get to, which will make the boat easier to maintain. They really like the boat and would like one of their own. But,....a brand new 46-foot Formosa runs about 90,000 smackers, which is out of Mike and Lorie's price range. Maybe someday they can get the smaller 44-foot model, which is "only" 75,000 bucks.

I also got an email from Darrell. Escapade is back on the high seas, but this time on a freighter. She'll be shipped back to Long Beach where she'll be repaired, and Darrell hopes she'll be back in the water by New Years Day. He hopes to perhaps do some cruising down in the Mexico-Costa Rica gold coast eventually.

8/7/97 Tony had a long talk with Mike last night. They're still having a great time. Mike was also able to talk with some of his L.A. ham radio club friends. Tony will be off the air for a while, so he won't be giving me updates, and I haven't heard from any other operators for a while, so info from Mike and Lorie may continue to be sporadic, but I'll post messages when I get them. I haven't had the time to scan in Lorie's letter yet, but I hope to be able to soon. Also, I've added a map of Samoa and the Southwestern Pacific so you can see where Mike and Lorie are now.

8/5/97 After a week and a half of being "out of the loop", I got word from Tony in South Bend that Mike and Lorie have safely arrived at Pago Pago in American Samoa. They're eating lots of bananas and other fruit, and as always seem to be having a great time. I also got a couple of letters in the mail yesterday from Lorie via her mom, talking a bit about Moorea and Huahine. When I get the time I'll try and post the details. One of the letters is a computer printout, so I'll be able to scan it in. The other is handwritten, so I'll probably just summarize it.

7/31/97 Happy Birthday Lorie!!!!

7/28/97 I learned I've been misspelling the names of the Nereus' owners, and I seem to have inflated the length of the boat quite a bit. The Nereus is a 46 foot Formosa sailboat (not 60 foot), owned and skippered by Chuck and Eleanor (or Ellie) Batterson (not Patterson). Sorry about the mistakes, folks!

7/24/97 In Tony's most recent contact with Mike, he learned that after some rough seas on Tuesday night the weather cleared and the sailing is now beautiful. They're less than 1000 miles from Samoa, and they're covering about 130 miles a day.

7/22/97 I'd like to welcome the Battersons, new readers of this page, who are the family of Chuck and Eleanor Batterson, the skippers of the Nereus. Tony in South Bend talked to Mike yesterday. The Nereus is pulling anchor and heading from Bora-Bora to American Samoa, a trip of about 10 days. They should be there by August 5. To send mail to them there, use the address:

Yacht NEREUS
General Delivery
Pago-Pago
American Samoa 96799
U.S.A.

Mike says it's very important that you add the "USA" to the address to make it get to American Samoa!

7/17/97 Tony talked to Mike today, and all is well. The Nereus has arrived at Bora-Bora, and they were just headed ashore to meet with other boaters. Mike and Lorie LOOOOOOOVE the extra space they have on the Nereus, and even have a bathroom to themselves. Tony's message provides info on how to best contact him to pass messages on to Mike and Lorie.

7/15/97 I must have inadvertently deleted most of the top part of this page yesterday. My apologies to those of you who were confused. I'm in the process of trying to restore it to its previous look.

7/14/97 Tony in South Bend talked to Mike yesterday. Mike and Lorie are aboard the Nereus, currently at Raiatea Island. They're having a great time, and are happy to be sailing again. They spent about a week on Huahine, where it rained the entire time, and they were only able to get in a little snorkeling. Ham Operators: Mike's new schedule will be at 14.340 MHz, at 03:00 utc MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS, and FRIDAYS. I don't know the time difference, so I can't translate that to Pacific time. As before, his call signs are KE6ZYK (U.S. and international) and FO0POE (French territorial waters).

7/7/97 Tony in South Bend talked to Mike yesterday. Mike and Lorie are on board the Lazy Lightning, sailing from Moorea to Huahine. Once they get to Huahine, they'll board the Nereus, skippered by Chuck and Ellie, and they're planning to sail around the islands for a while. Mike and Lorie will have their own cabin on the Nereus, which is a 46-foot Formosa ( a change from the 38-foot Escapade, I imagine). If all works out, they'll eventually head for Australia, mate, to wait out the hurricane season.

7/2/97 Ralph and Tony talked to Chuck, the skipper of the Nereus, which is the boat that Mike and Lorie will be joining. Mike and Lorie will be coming aboard on the 6th.

7/1//97 I got an email from Darrell today. He has safely (and thankfully) arrived back in the USA. He flew in to San Francisco and visited his daughter Anne there, then flew back home to Southern California. He reports that Escapade is still out of the water in Papeete, and the insurance company has finally responded. They'll either pay to ship Escapade back to the US and repair it, or else they'll just total it. Darrell and Barbara have to now decide what course makes the most financial sense. However, poor old Escapade is definitely out of commission for a long while, at best. He reports that Mike and Lorie are still up in the air. They're planning to crew on the Lazy Lightning from Moorea to Huahine, a short voyage. Then......????? They'll either backpack around for a while, or crew on the Nereus, a 46 footer heading to New Zealand, or hire on as crew on the Absolut Freedom, " a large 80-90 ft luxury sailboat, that plans to go around the world with its paid crew of 6 people". Absolut...Does that mean they all drink vodka for dinner? Well, whatever happens, I plan to keep this web page going as long as there's something to write about, so we'll see what the future holds.

6/30/97: It ain't over till it's over:Tony talked to Mike last night, and things are looking up for a continuance of the voyage! There is a strong possibility that Mike and Lorie will crew for another couple on a 46 foot boat that's headed toward Australia. Mike told Tony that they've gotten to know the couple well, and that he hopes to firm up the deal today. If it goes through, Mike and Lorie will go on the "Lazy Lightning" to Huahine, and then get picked up on Huahine by the new boat. This should carry them through November or so. Darrell was planning on returning to the states this past weekend, but I haven't heard anything yet, or what the fate of poor Escapade will be.

6/21/97 An email from Barbara has some info about the repair costs. They are astronomical, and there is still no word on what the insurance company is going to do. It sounds like shipping costs for a new keel are as much or more than the cost of the keel itself.

6/20/97 Rich in San Bernadino talked with Mike late Friday evening and got some more details about future plans. Darrell will be flying home next Saturday, at which time Mike and Lorie will help the skipper of the Lazy Lightning sail from Tahiti to Hauhine, which should take about a week. From there, they'll spend about two weeks hitching and ferrying around the islands, and then fly home at the end of July or early August. They're now considering hiking the Appalachian Trail after that, and if any of our faithful readers have any suggestions about the best times of the year to tackle parts of the trail, Mike and Lorie would like to get in touch with you.

6/20/97 Tony in South Bend, Indiana talked to Mike Thursday evening. Mike and Lorie will be shipping their belongings back home in two weeks. In the meantime, they are hitching a ride to Huahine on the "Lazy Lightning".

6/16/97 Ralph talked to Mike on Monday. Mike and Lorie visited Moorea, and over the weekend took the ferry back to Papeete. It looks like they are starting to make some plans. Darrell plans on flying home in a week. Mike and Lorie plan on staying for a while longer, (perhaps looking for an opportunity to continue travelling?), and at the moment plan on returning home in about a month or so. The next radio contact will be on Thursday.

6/12/97 Mike and Lorie are now visiting Moorea, and won't be back to a radio until Monday. I guess they weren't able to make any phone patches while they were in international waters. Darrell remained on Papeete, hoping to hear something from the insurance company.

6/11/97 Tony from South Bend, Indiana talked to Mike yesterday. They're on another boat making an excursion to Moorea, and will try to do some phone patches, but I haven't heard whether they were successful. Mike's radio is definitely out of commission, and would have to be sent stateside to be repaired.

6/8/97 Ralph had a couple of contacts with Mike this weekend, one good one and one very weak one. The boat is dried out, and they're living on board it in the shipyard. They're making friends with the locals, and Mike reports spirits are high. A new keel and rudder need to be manufactured in the US and shipped to Papeete; this will obviously take a while, and no word from the insurance company yet. Plans are still indefinite. Tues. or Wed. they may hitch a ride on another boat into international waters and make some phone patches.

6/5/97 Darrell called his wife Barbara with some more details, and she emailed me the info. There is major damage to the keel, which probably will need to be replaced. The rudder and computer are totaled; the ham radio may be repairable, and the GPS is OK. They are living on the boat, which is out of the water at a shipyard, but is 2.5 miles from anything, and their outboard motor for the dinghy is not functional. The insurance agent has looked at the boat, but it will be a while before the paperwork gets through and they know how much they'll get from the insurance company. Ralph adds (via Barbara) that when the storm struck, Escapade had 200 ft. of chain and line out on their anchor in 28 ft. of water. They thought it was set very deeply, but the wind was blowing close to 50 miles per hour and the waves were at least 6 ft. (this is in the anchorage, mind you!). They got pounded by the surf on the beach for five hours. They had sent out a signal for help to get the boat off the beach, but couldn't get anyone to come out in that kind of weather, so it took till 8 a.m. The upshot at any rate is that the future is very uncertain. They have to wait for the insurance company to decide things, and then repairs on the boat will take quite a while, so no one knows what they will be doing. For at least the next couple of weeks, they'll still be living on the boat, and we hope that regular radio contact can be established.

6/3/97 Ralph was again able to make a weak contact with Mike on Tuesday. They're still washing salt out of their clothes, and Mike is trying to patch together a working radio for better contact. Mike also called our Dad, who reports that Mike is having a great time despite the major problems. They're going to get a tour of a 4-masted 113-meter long Chilean schooner today. Quite a contrast with little Escapade.

6/2/97 Mike got to another radio and was able to make contact with Ralph Monday evening. The contact was poor, so not much information was passed, but there wasn't much to pass along anyway. The boat was hauled out of the water and inspected. The hull is superficially sound except for a valve that goes through the hull. The extent of the rudder damage is still unclear. Mike will try to make contact again on Tues. and Wed. evenings.

UPDATE: 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Barbara talked to Darrell, and got some details. The anchor came loose, and it only took about 10 seconds for the boat to ground, not enough time for them to get the engine running to keep off the beach, and it was 5 hours before they were pulled off the beach. The radio and computer were submerged and probably ruined. The rudder is destroyed. All the water has been pumped out, and they're now washing the salt water off of everything. As Barbara said, "nothing hurt except the pocketbook".

3:00 Saturday. Disaster, but everyone is OK!! Information is sketchy at present, but a ham contact relayed to Ralph and a phone call from Lorie to her sister Saturday afternoon give what we know. Escapade had safely arrived in the harbor at Papeete, Tahiti. About 3 a.m. Friday morning (5/30/97) during a fierce storm, the Escapade's anchor or anchor chain broke loose, and the wind and waves drove the boat onto shore. Lorie told her sister it was a very scary experience, but no one was hurt. One side of the boat took on some water, which made the ham radio inoperable, so we won't be talking directly to Mike for the near future. Apparently, the rudder was damaged, as were the electronics. The extent of the damage is not known at present; the message relayed to Ralph was that the damage was "repairable", but in her phone call Lorie said that they have to wait until Monday when they'll pull the boat out of the water to be able to really assess what is going on. That's all the info I have right now. Again, there was some damage to the boat, but everyone is safe. I'll try and post updated information as I get it. All contact will have to be via ham operators on other boats for now.

Info about earlier parts of the voyage (2/17/97- Departure from Long Beach, cruise to Cabo San Lucas, cross the Pacific to the Marquesas, and arrival at Tahiti on 5/29/97).

Since they reached New Zealand, they've been out of radio contact, so ignore the info below!!

Since the grounding, when Mike's radio was damaged, radio contact has been intermittent. I'm not sure of their current contact schedule. It was formerly at 14340 KHz at 7:15 p.m. PST. Mike's call sign while in international or US waters is KE6ZYK. While in French Polynesia, Mike will be using his French call sign FO0POE (Foxtrot Oscar zero Peter Oscar Echo). He is now back to his international sign of KE6ZYK.

Mike has agreed to set up a CW frequency and sked in case they are out of voice communication. The frequency is 7.038 MHz, and the time will be 1900 Pacific. This will only be used if we have been unable to contact them by SSB for a day or more. It is simply a safety. Mike asks that any attempts at CW communication be done very slowly as he has not been practicing his CW lately.

Darrell Sausser

Lorie Poole

Mike Poole

Skipper of the
Escapade

Provision/supply

Radio/Navigator

Now back home

  

Call sign KE6ZYK
(USA)

Call sign FO0POE
(French Polynesia)

They started out on "Escapade", a 38 ft. Ericson sloop, blue hull. After severe damage from a storm in Tahiti, the Escapade was retired from active sailing. Darrell, her skipper, returned to the states.

Mike and Lorie continued on the "Lazy Lightning", skippered by Jamie, ??? ft., from Moorea to Huahine. From there, they joined the Nereus, a 46 foot Formosa sailboat skippered by Chuck and Eleanor Batterson.In late September, they joined the crew of Azure, skippered by Rodney and Jane, headed for New Zealand.

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