Year Three of our voyage turned into Years Three and Four, and we are now beginning Year Five. Each year has been so very different; each fabulous in its own way. During Years Three and Four we traveled up the east coast of Australia, across the top to Darwin, north and then west across the islands of Indonesia, then north to Singapore, Malaysia, and finally to Thailand. 

Now we are ready for Year Five. The decision on which way to head across the Indian Ocean has been a wrenching one. Originally we planned to go around South Africa, but when we realized just how months we have to be out there just waiting for the weather with no communication other than our HAM radio, we changed direction and decided to go through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. We would get to see our children and grandchildren much sooner that way, but then the reality of dealing with pirates set in, and we changed again. So now we are back to our original plan, sort of. In our original planning, we would have gone to the Chagos, then to the Seychelles and south to Madagascar before heading to South Africa. But because of piracy in the Seychelles, we will not be going there. So to fill the time before we can leave Madagascar to head for South Africa, we have added a side trip north to India before the Chagos, and then after the Chagos we will go to Rodrigues, Mauritius, and Reunion before heading back north to round the top of Madagascar. At least that is today’s plan.

See a Map of the Proposed Route
See a Map of the Actual Route