10 Unexpectedly Cool Ports of Call

We rarely find a port we don't like, but some are such pleasant surprises, we're amazed we hadn't heard more about them before we visited. What's our criteria for “unexpectedly cool”? Well, it's usually a small port that's welcoming and cruiser-friendly and offers some interesting things to see and do that we were just not anticipating.

Mosselbaai (Mossel Bay), South Africa

We anchored just off the friendly Mossel Bay Yacht and Boat Club, located on South Africa's south coast. Everything is close and within walking distance. There are pleasant walks to the point and great views from the Cape St. Blaize Lighthouse. The best part of Mosselbaai, however, is the Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex, just a stone's throw from the anchorage. This maritime museum is excellent and thoroughly enjoyable.

Deshaies, Guadeloupe

The small Caribbean port of Deshaies (Day-hay), Guadeloupe is wonderfully French. The aromas of coffee, freshly baked croissants and baguettes waft into the anchorage each morning and beg the crew to come ashore. The surprise was the pleasant, 15-acre Jardin Botanique (Botanical Garden) within walking distance from the dinghy dock.

Streaky Bay, South Australia

Streaky Bay is a little coastal town on the western side of the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The anchorage is idyllic, well protected from the winds and weather of the Great Australian Bight. Again, there are all the basic cruiser amenities, but beyond checking out the great white shark replica at the Streaky Bay Roadhouse, we enjoyed one of the finest dinners we've ever had at Mocean (pronounced Motion … like ocean with an M).

Neiafu, Tonga

If you've ever imagined a tiny South Pacific port where old-time trading ships pulled up to the docks and offloaded their cargoes, this is the place. The myriad of islands and islets to visit within this protected area seem limitless. The culture, the high quality Tongan carvings at colorful markets, the warmth and generosity of the Tongan people made this South Pacific nirvana.

Eden, New South Wales, Australia

A small, protected coastal port along the southeast Australian coast, Eden is a lovely place to catch your breath. The Killer Whale Museum is a highlight, but the town is so pleasant, friendly, and walkable, we could have stayed for months.

Strahan, Tasmania

After bashing down the wild west coast of Tasmania and entering through Hell's Gate into Macquarie Harbour, we weren't prepared for the beauty and calm of Strahan. The town is picturesque and lively and the anchorage is calm … a lovely surprise for weary sailors.

Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand

Dunedin is a gem of a city on New Zealand's south island. It's definitely not small, but it was a surprise nonetheless. A university town, it's vibrant and culturally engaging with museums and parks and everything's within walking distance. It's a great base for exploring the Otago peninsula or heading inland on the Taieri Gorge Railway.

Port Louis, Mauritius

In the middle of the Indian Ocean, we just didn't expect St. Louis, Mauritius to be as cosmopolitan and welcoming as it was. From the colorful, historic foreshore to the traditional Saturday afternoon horse races to the inland tea and sugar cane plantation tours, we were kept busy and entertained throughout our stay.

Lüderitz, Namibia

We chose to stop in Lüderitz, Namibia because it was a convenient stop between Cape Town, South Africa and St. Helena Island. We didn't anticipate enjoying our stay as much as we did. A neat and tidy German colonial town, the town is isolated from the rest of the country by the diamond fields that surround it. The diamond-mining ghost town of Kolmanskop is highly recommended as a tourist stop, but walks around town, out to Shark Island and along the rugged coast are outstanding.

Searsport, Maine

It's been a long time since we visited the little seacoast town of Searsport, Maine, but the hospitality of the town is indelibly imprinted in our memories. The town is dubbed "the home of the famous sea captains" and the "Antique Capital of Maine" and we enjoyed the nautical spirit of the place and the people. Wayne Hamilton, owner of Hamilton Marine, a stellar chandlery, greeted us himself and showed us to a free visitor's mooring, then offered a ride to the chandlery and the classy Penobscot Marine Museum.

Cruising Fashion - It Ain't Pretty

I happened to come upon a blog the other day which discussed fashion for cruising women. It was a serious discourse on what fabrics didn't wrinkle and how to keep whites really white and what clothing was most versatile for sundowners and dinners ashore and what shoes to wear and how to accessorize. She encouraged people to share their fashion tips with others. Oh, my … was I ever left out. Fashion tips from the Nine of Cups' crew? Perish the thought.

Twenty years ago, I thrived on fine worsted wool suits, silk blouses and scarves, fine accessories and high heels in every color of the rainbow. That was then, this is now. I've been shopping in thrift stores and opp shops since I've returned to the States, trying to upgrade my dwindling wardrobe. If you've only paid $1 for a shirt, it's okay if diesel gets splattered on it or you rub against a rust stain. My sister gave me her last year's exercise shoes which have become my walking shoes. Sometimes I splurge on a pair of earrings ... if they're on sale. Underwear, whenever I buy it, is always new. There are limits to my frugality.

I'm always impressed by women who step off their yachts well-coiffed, with starched blouses and freshly ironed slacks with creases (no rust stains noticeable) and head for the local malls to replenish their wardrobes. Most of the full-time live-aboard cruising women I know, however, are pretty much like me, I think. We have limited clothes aboard … mostly because after all those spare boat parts and extra provisions, there's no room to store lots of clothes. What clothes we do have are practical and versatile … shorts, t-shirts, a couple of sundresses maybe, a bathing suit or two, a pair of jeans, sweatpants, sweatshirts, foul weather gear. I do have one old navy blue blazer aboard (from 1999) which I wear with a reasonably good pair of slacks (also from 1999), so I look somewhat presentable whenever I head back to the States. The neat, pressed look is always a challenge. We have no iron aboard.

High heels? NOT! Deck shoes, a pair or two of flip-flops, reef shoes, a good pair of walking shoes (usually with the soles re-glued in place), maybe a pair of Crocs (usually wannabe Crocs). While on passage, we rarely wear shoes at all.

While on passage, fashion never comes to mind. Truth be told, we don't change clothes very often on a passage. It's the same old t-shirt and shorts or sweatpants. They're not color-coordinated because who can tell with all the stains and wrinkles? We wear the same clothes over and over again, day after day, until they either get too crusty to wear or they get doused by a wave and are soaked. Sometimes we don't wear clothes at all actually … depending how hot or cool it is. Less laundry that way, no tan lines (as if?) and definitely no worry about fashion. Come to think about it, sailing naked at our age is an advantage … it keeps the pirates (as well as everyone else) away!

Searching for a Land Anchor

Land anchors … those things that keep you tied to the land when you're at sea. David didn't include them in his anchor book, but they're very real. When we decided to sell up and sail off back in 2000, we sold our home, furniture, cars … all those material things that kept us tied to land. We wanted no mortgages, no property taxes, no cars, no storage pods with furniture… and we were quite successful. Our family has been wonderful for nearly two decades, offering bed, board and storage whenever we show up … for a week or a month or sometimes longer. Now, we're thinking we'd like a place of our own to nest once in awhile. Yup, we're looking to buy a land anchor. After 16 years afloat, we need a place to store our souvenirs.

We've been out of the market for a long time and things have changed. Duh! For instance, getting pre-qualified and/or pre-approved for a mortgage loan ...you can do it on-line. In fact, they almost insist you do. You just spill your guts, including all your financial intestines, to a loan specialist via “chat”, whom you've never met and could never hope to meet. Before you know it, you're pre-qualified. We felt uncomfortable with that process and asked for a face-to-face sit-down with a loan officer at a bank we've dealt with for a couple decades. The bank, too, preferred an on-line or telephone interview, but we insisted and they acquiesced. We're definitely old-fashioned that way, I guess. It was a waste of time. We were on time and he was late and unprepared. No problems getting the approval, but we knew more than the “loan specialist” did … plus he forgot we were the customers. Grrr!

Searching for a place to live? Easy enough … whether we're interested in a house, condo, mobile home or desert property, we can shop on-line for that, too. That process, though exhausting, we've kind of liked. We don't have to deal with aggressive realtors too early in the game. We've decided that Las Vegas would be a good place to have a condo. David's mum and sisters live here. There's no state income tax. It's easy and relatively inexpensive to travel here. And, at the moment, property values are reasonable and mortgage rates are low. We figure it's better to invest in real estate than let our savings stagnate in a next-to-no-interest bank account or lose its value in the volatile market.

It turned out that once we found a place we wanted to look at, however, we couldn't get a realtor to call us back. Must be too many realty sales in Nevada to bother with us. Mary finally contacted a fellow she knew and, by default, he became our agent. The place we liked was not available, but he had more to show us. We provided our general criteria: location somewhere near Mary, bargain price, lots of square footage, no yard to maintain, but a private patio for a grill, beautiful grounds and views, facing east (morning sun, you know), several self-cleaning bathrooms, all top-of-the-line appliances included, low taxes and low or no HOA fees. We didn't think we were asking for much. He wasn't able to find one to show us until we compromised on our criteria a bit.

We've seen a couple of properties now, but we think this will be a slow process which is okay because we're used to traveling on a sailboat. Of course, once we buy a place, we'll want to buy a car and furniture and “stuff”. It's almost depressing! And if we don't find a place we like, what then? Well, life will go on and we'll look again another time or another place, maybe. The big question you ask … do we intend to swallow the sea anchor once we acquire a land anchor? NO! We figure we've still got quite a few good sailing years left in us and there's still lots to see out there. Stay tuned and we'll all see how it all turns out.