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The Americas

October 2016 - August 2017
A 302-day adventure by Richard Read more
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  • Richard EllisThe Americas
    Day 10

    San Antonio, TX

    October 27, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Romantic river dates and a touch of history were the go in San Antonio. The Alamo provided a fascinating insight to the history of Texas as initially a state of Mexico, then and independent state before being integrated into America.

    The riverwalk provides a great location for a neverending strip of bars and restaurants offering fishbowls of margaritas and tacos to unsuspecting tourists!    Read more

  • Richard EllisThe Americas
    Day 11

    Austin, TX

    October 28, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Fooooood truck get in my belly!

    Popped into Austin for some live music and two-stepping late into the night. Our air bnb hosts (couple of legends) pointed us to a great recovery session and the Barton Springs. Beautiful clear warm water and turtles everywhere. Great few nights out and a town full of such friendly people!!

    Sixth street was the place to be for dive bars and live music. Three or four blocks stacked with bars with rooftops and slightly less obnoxious americans which shouldn't be missed. Slightly further east the density decreases and the bars become less divey but just as lively. The white horse was a great place to try your feet on a western dance floor. Don't wear jandals. Do wear cowboy hats.

    Highly recommend this city!!    Read more

  • Richard EllisThe Americas
    Day 12

    Houston, TX

    October 29, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    America's top 18 holes! Let's just say golf was the winner on the day...

    We managed to meet up with Ella Speakman here for a few drinks (small world!) before retiring to our last minute accommodation. It also marked our first problem with an air bnb host who decided not to show up but so be it, refund I will get! We've been clocking up many hours on the road which sometimes keeps the news a little uneventful but we've made the most of the enormous variety of fast food stores and we're working on the pot bellies.Read more

  • Richard EllisThe Americas
    Day 16

    New Orleans, LA

    November 2, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Gators and Po' boys, that's the word.

    At last a stop long enough to catch our breath! Have thoroughly enjoyed this city and it's culture. The effects of Katrina almost 11 years ago are still vivid and the city breathes it's lessons learned. The Mississippi is largely invisible, due to the tall levees which constrain it's flow - a weird feeling given the significance it has for the city.

    Two (of many) unique features of this city took me. The first is that the majority of the city is built below sea level. It sounds ridiculous but you rarely see the river as the levels are several stories tall and most of the buildings aren't. Built on a delta created by the river itself, there's literally not a hill in sight. The bridges are probably the highest points in town, built that way to allow giant supertankers to pass underneath. Instead of free draining storm and waste water, all of these are directed to pumping pits which pump the water back up to the Mississippi. I needn't paint the picture in heavy rain, or worse; a levee breach.

    The second is above ground cemeteries. Due to the relatively high water table, burying bodies below ground was not a viable option. Instead, bodies are buried in above ground tombs, 2-12 feet high. Each tomb can contain multiple corpses, which are entombed individually in coffins and decay in approximately one year. When a relative dies, the tomb is reopened, coffin removed, bones layed in a hole at the back of the tomb and the tomb shelf restacked with the 'new dead'. So what happened during Katrina when the cemetery was in flood? Floating tombs. Ew.

    We managed to book ourselves into a swamp tour at Honey Island, just on the outskirts of the city. Until now I struggled to see the interest in a swamp. The word itself just wreeks of awful connotations; mosquitos, mud, flies, gators, stench...I'm sure I could go on. Zapping around on the boat in the wider stretches was actually really pleasant. All the wildlife cane out to party - alligators, turtles, and a myriad of birds and the scenery was unique. Little fishing are vacation homes dotted the rivers edge to make just like the movie sets. A great way to blow out the cobwebs from the night before.

    We also visited the WW2 museum which came as a surprise in two ways. One - it was in located in Luisiana (significance still unknown), and two - it was top pick on trip advisor of over 50 museums. Needless to say it was impressive! Three buildings big with a few more to come!

    One thing I couldn't get over the whole time we were there was the infrastructure. The current population is around 450,000 people which is slightly less than that of Wellington. It'd be fair to note is was about 650,000 before Katrina but we'll keep that aside for some hyperbole. The roading network is absurd. Two to six lane freeways extend in every direction leading out of the city - almost entirely suspended. To put it simply - their whole freeway system is a network of really long to really freaking long bridges. One of the lake Pontchatrain bridges was the longest in the world until Macau surpassed it. Where these freeways converge, roads tier four levels high in numerous locations. Yet public transport is close to non-existant, and public rail IS non existant (save for the trams which have 2 short lines). It absolutely baffles me how this system stacks up, especially with the evidently large low socio economic areas.

    Such a unique city. Go figure.    Read more

  • Richard EllisThe Americas
    Day 19

    Chicago, IL

    November 5, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Sporting Extravaganza!

    Chicago worked its way into our itinerary for a rugby match but it has offered so much more! History was made twice over with the Chicago Cubs winning the world series baseball for the first time in over a hundred years, only to be backed with Ireland crushing an even longer dry spell to beat the All Blacks for the first time ever in a thrilling bout at Soldier Field. What a week of sport!

    The atmosphere in Chicago has been absolutely electric since we arrived. The impact of the cubs victory on this this city can be summed up quite simply: 5 million people showed up downtown on a friday to watch the victory parade, making it the 9th biggest gathering of people on record! The city was in pandemonium; roads closed, police on every corner, people on every roof and a sea of blue hats, shirts and flags - even the statues were dressed in blue! Oh and of course the river was dyed blue too! At night the buildings were lit up blue and windows blacked out to spell out all kinds of fanaticism. I believe a new colour was even invented - cubby blue.

    This insane atmosphere was heightened even more the very next day. When the green army punched through the All Blacks defense in the dying minutes, the capacity crowd erupted! Ireland had defeated the All Blacks for the first time in 111 years. Obviously stunned and gutted we couldn't help but join in the celebration. Really, was there a better time to lose?

    We also were fortunate enough to watch the NZ Maori play the eagles on Friday. The match was preceded by a luncheon, MC'd by Eric Rush and hosted by USA rugby. It was an eye opener to the difficulties rugby faces in the USA; infiltrating a country already teeming with sports rich in history and prestige. Challenges include convincing parents to let their kids play with no helmets, to getting field time and even goal posts, not to mention recruitment.

    Rugby aside Chicago is a fantastic city! The first thing that will take you is the skyline. The city boasts one of the most impressive in the world, with each building unique and beautiful in appearance. From every angle it's easy to be impressed!

    The town planning is also superb. Green belts extend north and south of the city for miles along and endless blue lakefront. Cycleways, running tracks, beaches, sculptures, marinas, playgrounds, multiple museums, soldier field and even a free zoo nestle seamlessly into these parks. The result is a recreational area which is easily accessible and fit for a huge part of Chicago. There is little compromise on lakefront real estate, as the view from the tall buildings looks down on the park and out over the water. To build on this, a large part of the central city is two stories. The lower level is almost entirely designed for vehicle throughfare while the top is largely pedestrian with local vehicle access. The result is a lot of staircases and a very confusing google maps! The space created on the upper level also has plazas, garden beds and the like which give the city a less congested and unconfining feel. That probably sounds like a bunch of faff but really, when was the last time you heard anyone speak fondly of town planning?

    Probably influenced by our toxic diet in the south (almost entirely consisting beer, burgers, fries and tacos), the food was devine! Save for a deep dish pizza and 3am McDonalds our eating was on point. All you can eat BBQ at Zed451, Tapas at cafe Babareeba, steakhouses, delicious thai and of course WHOLEFOODS were just a few of our meals well spent. I am now obsessed with wholefoods and will commander whichever ship I must to ensure the ultimate mealtime satisfaction!

    The bars and pubs needn't be raved about. Tough to go wrong, really.

    This city is the pick of the lot so far by a mile. Get it on your list.    Read more

  • Richard EllisThe Americas
    Day 24

    Oconomowoc, WI

    November 10, 2016 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Roasties and a T-bone steak - home cooked meal with the long lost family!

    Thanks to the Morgans for putting me up and for all the tips for the upcoming sail! Definitely worth the detour! It was great to catch up with everybody and check out this quiet and spacious part of the world. I can't imagine how fun it is to have a lake as a back yard!

    It took a bit of driving to get up and down just for one night but the car will come in extra good use when I pick Jools up in Chicago on our way through to see Felicity in Indiana.    Read more

  • Richard EllisThe Americas
    Day 26

    Bloomington, IN

    November 12, 2016 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    Throw back to uni days!

    Couldn't help but pop on in the catch up with the baby sister. We've been lovingly put up on the living room floor of her 4 bedroom dorm. The luxury of free accommodation is overwhelming!

    Nightime tempuratures are now teetering on zero, but the sun is still packing some punch.

    We spent the morning on a run/walk tour of campus led by her majesty herself, followed by the first fruit salad in four weeks - devine! The afternoon offered college football, Penn State at Indiana, which was a thoroughly enjoyable show with IU blowing a narrow lead in the dying stages of the fourth quarter. Thrilling football!

    Sunday was spent exploring the region around the bubble that is IU. Evidence of this bubble was found in how little the people of Bloomington knew about the area around Bloomington. We found some picturesque spots nearby, made so by the autumb colours and glassy lakes (read: ponds).
    We also were almost shot dead when a hunter accidently discharged his rifle in the carpark, and nobody but us batted a eyelid.

    That triggerred Monday's activity: presentation on the second ammendment: gun laws. Let's just say there wasn't a lot of logic in the presentation and the sign off note went something like "I need a gun so when the government comes to round us up like Hitler did in WW2 I'll be able to stick up for myself". Riddle me that. Trump away.

    Very impressed with felicity's life in the bubble. Plenty of good company and a full plate of activities. Go her!    Read more

  • Richard EllisThe Americas
    Day 30

    Fort Lauderdale, FL

    November 16, 2016 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    State #10.

    What a week of admin. I'm going to go right ahead and tell you that we're not going to buy a boat. We've taken a good charter offer and we'll be setting sail Friday from Tortola if all goes to plan. Here's how it played out:

    Nudie Jim.

    Jools landed us a great air bnb in Fort Lauderdale where we set up office for the week. It was perfect for our needs: great wifi, pool, full kitchen, a/c, free parking and intermittent company. Fortunately for us our nudie host kept his clothes on and nobody was scarred for life. What a character.

    Getting up to speed.

    Unfortunately for us, when we really started lining up boats to inspect, we struggled to find any within our criteria in or near the boating mecca that is Ft Lauderdale. Why? Let's just say you don't buy a used Camry at Mercedes dealership. Turns out boats that go to die (or get saved by fools), wind up on the west coast of Florida. So we had to get picky cause we sure as hell weren't driving 5hrs each way more than once.

    Choosing our boat.

    Choosing a boat is like choosing a house and a car at the same time. It's not easy. And to make things worse if you buy a lemon you can't just call AA. Here were our criteria:

    No structural or rigging issues.
    Sleeps 3 comfortably with an optional 4.
    Requires minimal superficial work - no electronic or engine repair.
    Located close enough to drive to in a day and sail to the Bahamas in a week or two.
    Ocean going boat with reasonable shallow draft under 40ft equipped with as much of the following as possible:
    -autopilot
    -gps/plotter
    -depth and log
    -vhf and radar
    -house and engine batteries
    -altenator and wind generator and or solar panels
    -fridge, oven and stove
    -dinghy, outboard and davits
    -water and gas tanks
    -holding tanks
    -main and furling gib
    -dunny and shower
    -liferaft and epirb
    -2x anchors and chains with windlass

    Oh, and all that for a lousy 30k. Challenge set.

    Learning lessons.

    To quote my father "Time spent in reconaissance is seldom wasted". So we did our research. And boy was there a lot to learn. We must have looked at 20 or more boats online comparing hull makes and sizes, reputations, and history. We discovered all kinds of new nautical jargon and American terms. We had to google just about every piece of electronic equipment. We had to rank importance of equipment based on where we intended to go. Each boat location had to be considered with sailing times and haul out locations. And worst of all we had to speculate (or worry) as to just what made the boat so cheap.

    Like Jools said "It's all a big game. We're just wee fish and there are some big old sharks out there." Never ever buy a boat without inspection and take every word from a broker with a grain of salt. No offence to brokers you big old sharks.

    Three days in we'd found two or three potential boats within a couple hours drive of each other. The first in Fort Myers was perfect on paper and ranked highly in Jools' excel sheet (yes we were scoring boats in excel - we're engineers dammit!). Upon inspection we were broken men. Our boat we had travelled the state for was an absolute lemon. The photos on the website would have been taken over a year ago and she'd seen little if not no love since. Wendy's for lunch and another few hours drive hardly brought the mood back.

    The second boat we saw didnt look excellent on paper but it exceeded expections. So much so we cancelled our next inspection. What a beaut. In mint condition with everything working. The only thing we were left to ponder is why she was so cheap. The question remains unanswered.

    Meanwhile scotty had found a long term charter site which we had begun negotiations with. Based out of the BVIs, this was a promising option which had to be explored.

    Having a boat on the table for a purchase option and a pencilled in charter made things pretty simple to run a cost analysis. All the unknowns for getting a boat in the water were now known. One big question remained in resale value which we took a stab in the dark or three. Combining all our brains we mustered a shared google sheet (loving sheets right now) and crunched the numbers. It actually came out really tight for a two month trip - three months would have favoured the purchase option. Factoring in the risk of selling and breakages, plus time in haul out and yard work and getting to Florida - charter just made sense.

    Obviously disappointed we're not proud new owners but at the same time pretty happy with the peace of mind. We also spent a bitbof time exploring the city and joining in beach workouts/basketball. The contrast between the rich and the poor here is a strong as ever.

    And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you spend a week looking at boats and not buying one. Time for a beer or three methinks!    Read more

  • Richard EllisThe Americas
    Day 34

    Miami, FL

    November 20, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    South beach, sun and soooooo much skin.

    It seemed the logical place to go. So close to Fort Lauderdale, largest airport in the area, and the beach capital of Florida. We wouldn't have chosen it otherwise.

    Our first impression wasn't by any measure impressing. On a day trip from FLL we encountered loads of traffic, impossible parking, murky water filled with weed and of course, a commercialised beach. So unimpressive infact, that Jools gave me the silent treatment for making him go.

    Five nights later and a few shades of brown darker, we're glad to have crossed it off the list.

    We passed the time with the utmost laziness; whole mornings lounging by the pool and whole afternoons at the beach. Also in the mix was a few big nights out at Miami's infamous clubbing scene, a touch of exercise, a yoga class and an 80 year old in a g-string. Fabulous.

    Refreshed and revived, Tortola here we come.    Read more

  • Richard EllisThe Americas
    Day 38

    Tortola, BVI

    November 24, 2016 in British Virgin Islands ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We made it to the Caribbean!

    Forgetting that St Thomas, USVI is US soil, we were initially surprised to not be greeted by customs. Rather, we were hit with a giant heat bat followed swiftly by breath of air so humid it was bordering on drinkable. Then came the sweat. Heavy, relentless, beading sweat. Mmmmm.

    By the time we reached the ferry, I was in need of an outfit change. A brief look at the passports and we were on the boat to the BVIs. Not even an 18kt head wind could stop us. Or cool us down.

    After a few customs hiccups in Road Town, a long walk in the wrong direction with all our bags, and a twice-as-long walk in the other direction, we arrived at the hotel. (I should note that most of that walking was on the road...footpaths here are few and far between.) We quickly discovered that the hotel had AC and that's all that mattered. However, cue boat panic moment. For those of you who haven't been on boats, they get hot. The suns attacks them from the sky and the engine, stove, oven and lights heat them from the inside out. The only source of cool is the breeze which, at a low of 27 degrees, doesn't quite balance the system. I am genuinely fearing a non-metaphorical meltdown.

    We definitely hit island life square on. It seems very familiar to Pacific culture, the only difference is the locals aren't shouting 'Bula' from a distant paddock. Our greetings at the airport, ferry and hotel were somewhat inhospitable, which was a little disappointing, but experiences since have been better, now that we know that locals respond well to a smile and a joke. Now we just have to get over the feeling of being ripped off on every purchase (its bloody expensive here!!) and we'll be away laughing.

    Day two on Tortola was equally as hot, but I had come to terms with my early demise and got on with the day. Scoping out the supermarket situation was our number one priority. Where and how to feed three hungry boys, on an island of 2,500 people....for 2 months. The most highly rated supermarket was Bobby's who also offer delivery to you boat, if you order 7 to 10 days in advance. Our mistake. Upon inspection, Bobbys was under construction and was currently clearing stock. Something they failed to mention on their website. Not a refridgerated good in sight, nor a fruit or vegetable, nor a pricetag. Not a good start. Supermarkets two and three offered little more and we began to panic. Rushing back to pick up a windsurfer, and receive our boat briefing, left us anxious about this situation.

    Reinforcing the earlier mention of island time, our man David was late to the boat. But we'd helped ourselves to an introduction of home for the next two months. 50 feet of well used fibreglass with four cabins and a crews quarters - more than enough for three!

    After he arrived, his briefing was short and sweet (the way it should be) but the number of items that were casually skipped over for 'not working' was cause for concern. After insisting on several of them being fixed, we set out for a wee sail. All went swimmingly except for the fact the marina is too shallow to get out of without grounding the boat, and Dave had a personal emergency which cut the trip short.

    Fortunately for Dave we had already planned on spending the night in the marina, and took advantage of the afternoon to do our grocery shop. We finally found our mark on our forth supermarket and unleashed a Pauline Ellis special - two full shopping trolleys. Interestingly, we caught a cab each way which cost $12 out and $25 back. Riddle me that. It was however, a drop in the ocean for what was spent on the shop.

    The next day after a bit of faffing we finally set off, pushed out over the sandbar and hoisted the sails, let the dream begin!    Read more

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