TIMELINE AND CIRCUMNAVIGATION

Share our Adventure....

This is the story of us, Gord and Ginny Kerr, as we circumnavigate the world on board our little 37.5 foot Beneteau sloop.

When we first untied the dock lines from the port of Sidney, British Columbia, Canada on August 27, 2003, we had no idea what waadventures were over the horizon or how long our journey would last.

2003

Our journey took us along the US Pacific Coast with an unintentional emergency stop in Crescent City to escape from a Force 10 Storm that ascended on us along the Oregon Coast. We spent time in San Francisco and hopped down the coast, taking in the Channel Islands, to San Diego. Then  we sailed  along the enchanting Baja coastline to La Paz where we spent Christmas 2003 with our son.

2004

Crossing the Sea of Cortez we arrived in Mazatlan, Mexico and spent time visiting my parents there. Then onward to Puerto Vallarta where we left North America behind and set sail to the South Seas on March 25, 2004.

Our landfall was the Marquesas, French Polynesia. We then explored our way through the remote Tuamotos,  the Society Islands, the Cook Islands, Samoa & Tonga, finally taking refuge during the 2004 cyclone season in New Zealand. We toured both islands by car and were joined once again by Chris for Christmas in Opua.

2005

In May 2005 Ascension sailed to Fiji for 4 months, then continued on to explore the primal wonders of Vanuatu, our favorite cruising grounds to date, then to French New Caledonia.

Our passage to Australia marked the end of our South Seas cruising as we regretfully left the Pacific in our wake. But we will carry a very memorable insight into the distinctive topography and cultures that have enriched our lives significantly.

For 8 months we  enjoyed Australia immensely...the  vibrant people, the colourful birds, the crazy unusual animals and the stunning beaches!  Making landfall at Coff's Harbour, we worked our way to Sydney Harbour for Christmas 2005.

2006

From Sydney we sailed back  to Manly, near Brisbane, where we toured for several months. From Brisbane we survived a challenging journey up the east coast of Queensland, "Over the Top" and across the aboriginal NT to Darwin.

July 22, 2006 we departed with 100 boats partaking in the Darwin to Kupang Rally headed for Indonesia. After 3 months in incomparable Indonesia we sailed to Malaysia, then on to  our most favored destination, Thailand for Christmas 2006.

2007

We remained in Thailand for all of 2007 partaking in the King's Cup, sailing to the wondrous outer islands near Krabbi laden with hongs and caves, spending time with Chris in Phuket, diving in the Similans, visiting in Kos Samui, and touring to Bangkok, Chaing Mai and Northern Thailand. May 27 we flew back to Canada for our first visit in 4 years. The boat remained in Yacht Haven Marina for much of the time.

2008

We left Thailand in January 2008 and sailed to Uligan in the Maldives, a tiny isolated atoll south of India. Then a Passage across the Indian Ocean to Oman our first introduction to true Islamic culture. We avoided any pirates on our journey to Aden in Yemen and experienced a culture and lifestyle totally foreign to us. After a relatively boisterous sail through the Strait of Bab El Mandel we began our arduous sail up the Red Sea, first arriving in Massawa, Eritrea, a war torn country in shambles. Then onward to Sudan, where Suakin took us back to biblical times. Our sail through Egypt was a agonizingly stressful due to engine problems but we thoroughly enjoyed a brief time away while we toured Luxor and Cairo.

In May 2008 we arrived in the Mediterranean and settled in Turkey. We spent the first few weeks touring the entire western coast of Turkey with our son Chris. Ascension will remain at Marmaris Marina in Turkey for the remainder of the season.

Contact Ascension  -    About Ascension    -   Who's Who    -    BUY US A PIZZA!  -  Site Map of Journals & Photos