Below are the lyrics to John Denver’s beautiful song, Calypso, given a touch of poetic license by the crew of Avante. With tears welling in our eyes and a heavy heart, w [...]

In April 2006, Bill and Susan Grun purchased a J/160, a 52-foot high performance sailing vessel built for speed and designed to cruise the oceans in comfort and style.  W [...]

It is hard to believe what has happened to the world this year. We are still on Avante in the far north of New Zealand, and for us, the good news is that spring is coming. It [...]

Last year’s sailing was so nice that we decided to just reverse the trip this year. Starting from Australia, we would visit New Caledonia and Fiji before going to New Ze [...]

“When are you coming home?” was initially the question The First Mate heard from family and friends as the impact of Covid-19 spread around the world, but by early [...]