I have been saying how cold it is here in Southwestern Norway and that it is not usual. I've been expecting a lot of rain and strong winds, instead I get subzero temperatures, no wind, clear sunny skies and a lot of snow still on the grounds. Hmmm, what is going on? On TV, I hear news about the blizzards and snow in Northern Europe and also in Beijing, China. It is also very unusual for Beijing and the Chinese people there are not quite prepared for it. In Germany, I heard the news that some 9 homeless people have died, basically froze to death.

I don't really check on the weather patterms too much anymore because we are not sailing. Today, I decided to read up on what is causing this cold weather and more importantly, why people are caught unprepared for it. To me, the idea of living up north means it is cold! If somebody tells me "Alaska" - I think "cold, snow and igloos".  Same with Norway - I would normally think "snow, cold and wind". But not apparently so. Yes, it is cold, but being in a coastal area, I really don't see much snow - not to the extent I see it now. Kjartan said that when he was young, it was like this - snow on the grounds until his birthday in March. Wow. That is 3 months too long for me.

Anyway, back to the "strange" phenomena". Here in the Atlantic ocean, there is a weather pattern called the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The word "oscillation" denotes movement. So this NAO is actually what causes and determines the strength and movement of the wind. To make it simple from how I understand it, there is a difference in barometric pressures between the Icelandic LOW and the Azores HIGH. (Azores is a small country in the Atlantic ocean located west of Spain). The bigger the difference in pressures between that in Iceland and in Azores (positive NAO), the stronger the wind is from the west and Europe will experience wet and mild winters.  If the difference in pressures is weak (negative NAO), the wind is very weak which then causes the arctic air from the north to be able to push and spill in southwards.

Based on the explanation above, I can then say we are in Negative NAO at the moment. This means the barometric pressure in Iceland and that in Azores is not that highly different. Below is the weather picture for today. I can see the low pressure system just above Iceland is 1008. Down in Azores, the high is at 1024. The difference is not that high, as compared to a low of, for example, 980, and a high of 1040.

I am not sure how they calculate the negative and positive NAO, but records show that this winter 2009/2010, there is a strong negative NAO between - 1.50 and - 2.10. The only winter months with a lower NAO index were February 1978 (-2.20) and January 1963 (-2.12). January 1963 was one of the coldest months on record in the UK and the Eastern US.

The wind is indeed very mild, and this is the reason the cold artic air from the north is spilling in to the south, all across Northern Europe, and from Russia into China.

There you go - that is the simple explanation for the "strange" weather up here. And NO - it is not because it is EL NINO year this year. 

PS - The Viking sailors were the ones who first discovered the North Atlantic Oscillation pattern. Why do you think they were able to sail far far away and first discovered lands?

Happy New Year everyone. Let me get out of topic away from sailing and Samal to traveling home to Norway. In a way, it is still part of the cruising life- every so often, we leave our boat behind in a safe place and fly home.  This year, we leave Wiskun in the Samal boatyard, safe and secure, and flew to Norway where Kjartan is from.

It's been 3 years since I've been back in Norway and it is good to be back. I have to admit, I went through some physical shocks. First, a temperature shock from 30 degrees celsius to minus 10. Then the nasal shock - from smelling traffic fumes to crisp clean air. Then lastly, a stomach shock from eating completely different type of food. I was going to add the auditory shock from noise to silence - but after attending a New year's party, I have to eliminate that. All good - and I am starting to get used to it.

We are on an island called Sotra which lies on the west coast approximately 20 minutes from the center of Bergen. There are 2 Sotra islands - big and small. We are on the big one which is 176 sq km in area. The general area is an archipelago of 1,550 islands, mostly connected by bridges. Actually, when driving around, you hardly even notice you are already in a separate island. The largest bridge is of course the bridge connecting to the mainland - Bergen. Now that the bridge is fully paid for (no more toll charges), there are more and more people moving to Sotra.

There are 3 main municipalities here of which are further subdivided to communities (komunne). Kjartan's family lives in the Sekkingstad Kommune. Since his last name is Sekkingstad, I can only assume his family has lived here forever and never moved. Being a coastal area, the main business is related to the sea - fish processing and lobsters. I believe the lobster license is one of the very very few licenses still operating in Norway, handed down from several generations.

It is a very quiet neighborhood with the occasional sounds of the tractor and of course, the container trucks going in and out of the processing plant. Kjartan's father loves his tractor. Now, he uses it to shovel the roads clean of snow. In the summer, he is busy with grassing and plowing the fields for his 20+ sheeps that he still maintains.

The weather can get nasty with very strong winds. It rains a lot here too. For now, I am just so happy the days are clear, sunny and more importantly, no wind. It is beautiful. Here are some pictures taken around the house.

Today is the start of our 3rd year here in Samal and Christmas is just right around the corner. This year, something is different - both Kjartan and I  will be in Norway for the New Year.  I haven't been back there since 2006, so it will be a very nice change for me - away from the heat and right into the freezing cold!

To all our friends,family and readers, we would like to wish you  a very merry holiday season, lots of good tidings, best of health and of course, a prosperous new year.  This time, I would like to share with you two videos - one with a famous Filipina teen and the other one, also a very famous Norwegian teen. Both girls are singing "Oh Holy Night". Both were featured by Oprah Winfrey.

Charice Pempengco of the Philippines:

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJR-bUHxBWE

Nora Foss Al-Jabri of Norway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0whGD7Uf3A

Maligayang Pasko! God Jul!

Dabawenyos know that fireworks have been banned in the city. However, the Island Garden City of Samal allows it. This coming December 31st, Camp Holiday will welcome the New Year with a bang. Dinner buffet, live band entertainment and FIREWORKS! Book and reserve now - bring your family and friends. Call or text 227-5055 or 0918 935-4278. You can also email campholidayresort@gmail.com.

Here are updated pictures of the hotel, swimming pool, 400+ capacity function hall (air conditioned) and the general picnic area:

Kjartan flew back from Cairns, Australia, after about a month of crewing with Jock in SV Backchat. A man of few words, I couldn't get much from him about how the trip was, so I guess I should be lucky he did take some pictures. So, I just have to make up some story from these pictures:

Passages can be boring - but if you see another boat in the horizon or a beautiful sunset, one tends to get very excited!!

Gove Harbour - the Offical entry port and Gove Yacht Club

Cape York - There were several days of waiting here due to very strong headwinds and current. It looks desolate.

But fishing was marvelous inside the Great Barrier Reef!!

Final stop for Kjartan on SV Backchat - Cooktown, then onwards to Cairns by bus. From there he flew back to the Philippines.

One thing I first noticed here in the Philippines is that Christmas carols and decorations start coming out in September which the locals call the "-BER" months. I am not so sure why this is so - a marketing ploy? something to cheer people up? something to look forward to? Whatever the reasons, I don't mind it. The idea of Christmas always bring me cheer and gives me the feeling of peace.

This year, I received an early gift from my niece - a WII FIT PLUS set. Thank you very much!!!! I've always wanted this, and I do have a WII console for it. I've hesitated to buy one for myself because I thought it would just end up gathering dust and then give me guilt trips afterwards. If you don't know what a WII Fit is all about, you can watch this info video.

target="_blank" title="Wii Fit Plus Info Video">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orYtX-jTSAI

When I first started, I was NOT amazed to see how un-balanced I was and weak, considering I have basically stopped exercising since I started getting busy with Linmarr Towers. I started off with my COB (center of balance) favoring the right (right heavy) and a WII FIT AGE of 74. The good news is that my weight and BMI (Body Mass Index) is normal for my height and age. Now, after a few half to one hour sessions at nights, my center of balance is dead center - but my WII FIT AGE remains over 70. This just means I have to get my brains to be more alert and fast, plus connect it to my body even more. One more thing - I've been having back sores the last few months and coincidentally? when I hit dead center on balance, my back sores eased. This has made my day-to-day demeanor much more pleasant. I highly recommend this software to those who do not want to hit the gym or don't have much time for it. You can do this in the comfort of your room and at your own pace. Ok, it is not all just exercise for the body, it is also a good exercise for your brains and coordination PLUS a lot of fun and laughs. Watch this example video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW94AVR5X4I (Tip: click on this link while holding the CTRL button down at the same time)

On to my other gifts - this time, these are gifts to myself. I used to be interested in photography and I have several equipment left in Vancouver to attest to this. The bagpack full of equipment went with me through mountains, wilderness and ocean, in search for the perfect picture of nature. This was the time when digital pictures were not in vogue, so I did spend a few dollars having pictures developed. When we took off sailing, I decided to leave all of that behind. Fast forward to present, I am on a mission to produce 360 degree pictures for a virtual tour of Linmarr Towers and Linmarr Apartelle. To be able to do this, I need a fisheye or very wide angle lens, a panoramic head and tripod leveler. I could borrow the wide angle lens to try out, but I definitely need the pano head and leveler which nobody I know has. I ordered for these items and they should arrive sometime before Christmas.

These gadgets are to be attached to my Manfrotto tripod and my camera will be attached to the panoramic head so that I can take perfect 360 degree pictures with ease. I am quite excited to try taking the pictures with these new gadgets, but I must admit it will be a learning curve. To my readers who are photographer freaks - I do need advise and tips if you are familiar with taking pano pictures. My brother will be the one to do the virtual tour stitching and I am sure he can do it, but any advise and tips are sure appreciated as well.

The final gift to myself is a trip back to Norway to join Kjartan and his family for New Year. I think I need this break. I am not sure if I can easily get back to being cold though.

This is an article I wrote last year which I will re-post again. This year, I felt the northeasterly winds a month later than last year, but it is definitely the northeast monsoon season now. Last week was actually cold - NICE!! I can't believe I was wearing a jacket early in the morning, while drinking my coffee.  Anyway, here is the article:

Davao, being near the equatorial belt, is typhoon-free. Winds are very seldom stronger than force 4. However, the effects of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) characterized by widespread cloudiness, occasional thunderstorms and precipitations are felt here.  Typhoons generally originate in the region of the Marianas and Caroline Islands of the Pacific Ocean which has the same latitudinal location as Mindanao. Their movements follow a northwesterly direction, sparing Mindanao from being directly hit by the typhoons that cross the country.



The city enjoys a weather that remains balmy all year round. It is characterized by a uniform distribution of rainfall, temperature, humidity and there are no wide fluctuations of the barometric air pressure. There are two seasons - the NE monsoon season "Amihan" (October to May) and the SW monsoon "Habagat" (June to September). The beginning and end of the seasons are normally transition periods.

Northeasterly winds are predominant during the NE monsoon season and this will be the best time for cruisers when the weather is pleasant and the chances of being caught in the path of typhoons are minimal. During March and April January and February, the northeasterly trade winds are established and blow dominantly, affecting the eastern sections of the country.

The SW monsoon is the rainy season. Winds are predominantly southwesterly, humid and warmer, especially during the months from July to September where heavy rainfalls affect mostly the western sections of the country.

During the first week of October, I started feeling cooler northeasterly winds. The Easterly Waves have arrived! Briefly, these are wavelike perturbations embedded in the easterly current. It is more frequent during the transition period.

Now, I look forward to the Christmas holidays.

Propagation is bad in Northern Australia and I seem to be getting less news from there. From what I understand, the authorities in Gove, Australia, specifically Quarantine, took awhile to clear them. I just don't know the reasons - maybe the Officer in charge was not there. After about 3 to 4 days, they finally got cleared and just had enough time to go and get fuel before taking off again.

Crossing the gulf towards Weipa, against easterlies, took them 3 days. I believe they had to do some tacking - first SE, then NE. I do not think they even stopped at Weipa, but continued on towards Cape York.

They were anchored just west of Cape York on November 6. East to southeast winds, 20 knots gusting to over 35 knots and currents to about 1.5 knots against them - these conditions seem to repeat each day. No wonder they are stuck there for the last several days. As of today, November 11, I have not heard from them. So I am not sure whether they have attempted to round the Cape yesterday or not. Their target destination is Cooktown, about 350 nm from Cape York. A piece of cake if the conditions are right. But strong and sustained SE winds seem to persist along the coast of Queensland.  They just might do short hops everyday.

Cape York is apparently a beautiful place, so it is not a bad place to just wait out for better conditions.

November 14 - Anchored in Escape River, about 20 nm from the cape. Wind still blowing from the south to southeast but seems to be easing. Today, may do an all-nighter. We'll see how far they go.

November 18 - Passing through Cape Melville. Perfect day for sailing - caught several fish from Spanish mackerel to blue and yellow fin tunas. ETA Cooktown, November 19 lunch.

November 19 - Cooktown finally!! This will be Kjartan's last crewing destination.

November 25/26 - Kjartan flies back to Manila, then Davao. He will stay at Cairns for a few days to take a side tour.

As I mentioned in previous articles, Kjartan has agreed to crew for SV Backchat back to Australia, together with Jock. He was taking welding classes and was not be able to go until the classes ended on October 16. Plans were made to cast off on October 18. They did take off at 6:45 am that Sunday morning. One hour later they found out the autopilot was not working. Not wanting to hand steer 24/7 all the way, they turned around and came back.

After replacing the autopilot with a spare one, they again took off yesterday, October 20th, at 6:30 am. Weather and seas expectations? They expect winds to be mostly on the nose, light and possibly current against them. The plan was to head due south, in between the Indonesian islands, where sea currents may be more favorable for them. I will try to update this article if I can get their positions everyday.

Day 1 - October 21 at 6:00 am -140 miles, bearing 140 degrees, seas smooth, southwesterly wind.

Day 2 - Oct 22 at 6:00 am - 140 nm, motoring 4.6 knots, bearing 138 degrees, seas NNE, southerly wind, .5 to .7 knot current against. Heading east of Halmahera.

Day 3 - Oct 23 at 6:00 am - 100 nm, motoring 4.0 knots, bearing 145 degrees, seas NNE, light winds with one hour of NNE winds last night.

Day 4 - Oct 24 at 8:30 am - 130 nm, speed 3.5 knots, bearing 145 degrees, against current. Had 15-20 knots of wind yesterday all afternoon which was not in the forecast. My note: I think they were going through this system (convergence zone) which is right across New Guinea.

Day 5 - Oct 25 at 8:30 am - 100 nm, speed 4.0 knots, bearing 135 degrees, against 1 knot current. Total 620 miles so far.

Day 6 - Oct 26 at 8:00 am - 105 nm, motoring, speed 5 knots, bearing SE. Both guys need a shave badly by now.

Day 7 - Oct 27 at 8:00 am - 125 nm, no details given due to bad propagation. Total to date = 857 nm

Day 8 - Oct 28 at 8:00 am - 107 nm, 10k SE winds, bearing 115 degrees against current. Total to date = 964 nm, ETA Saturday ( 3 more sleeps - yehhey!!)

Day 9 - Oct 29 at 8:00 am - 132 nm, 12k East winds, bearing 165. Sailing at 8 knots speed. Will try to arrive Gove Friday evening. Good easterly winds now.

Day 10 - Oct 30 at 8:00 am - 160 nm, NNE winds, bearing 140. Sailing at 7 knots. 145 miles to go.

Day 11 - Oct 31 at 7:00 am - Had a good rest the night before anchored in Wessel Isles. Now sailing at 9 knots toward Gove with 22k wind. Autopilot not working (very lucky for this to happen with ony 40 miles to go).

Day 11 - Oct 31 at 12 noon - GOVE, AUSTRALIA!! Welcome and Congratulations. You made it in 11 days!! I must say that if it was Wiskun, we wouldn't make it this fast.

The destination - Gove Harbour/Gove Yacht Club - known as the Gateway to the Northern Territory and Indonesia, is located in Melville Bay on the North West tip of the Gulf of Carpentaria. From the pictures, it is a beautiful bay, with white sand and spectacular sunsets.

Last Sunday, we had a fun day sailing on SV Backchat, a 48 ft. catamaran, to Holiday Oceanview Marina. Jock was kind enough to let the whole family invade his boat. There were 10 of us, lots of food and drinks.

It started off with only a very slight breeze. Against the current, we could barely move at about 2 knots. It didn't matter, we had all day. The marina is less than 10 miles away. To pass the time, we were munching away on the lechon (roast pig). We were ready to drop the sailing and motor straight to the marina when the wind came just as we hit the top end of the island. The sails went up again and we SAILED!! Going 10 knots speed, it felt good to have the wind blowing on my face again. No noise - just the sounds of the water as Bachchat sliced through the ripples and waves. Watch my video, and you can see all the smiles on our faces - that tells it all!!

target="_blank" title="Sailing to Holiday Oceanview Marina">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od2NUxsEEw4

The top end of the island, northernmost part of Davao Gulf, is a great area for sailing. It is a wide area, deep, no shoals and very very few boats to watch out for.

Holiday Oceanview Marina just recently opened up the entrance to let water in. Dredging is done and it seems deep enough at 2.75 meters, but that was not yet the lowest tide. Kjartan dove down and stuck his hand into the bottom and his whole arm went right through. So the bottom was silt from the excavator. The layout of the marina has been revised. All the slipways will now be uniform at 14.4 meters - no more small slipways for smaller boats. With this new layout, it can fit up to 60 yachts in there. From the video, it doesn't look big enough for 60 boats in there, but a picture was taken from up the cliff. Unfortunately, I don't have the picture yet to post, but in it, Backchat looked like it was just a speck in the middle of the marina.

I don't think the marina will be ready by the coming sailing season (November - March). But I will keep on updating as we go along, now that construction will be focused here from now on.