We motored out of Noumea on Tuesday (yesterday) in the early afternoon. The anticipated winds filled in as the sun went down and by 9pm we had 25 - 30 knots on the beam. Since then we've had two reefs in the main and hardly any jib out but Hydroquest is still doing over 7 … Continue reading En route to OZ
Noumea and Ilot Maitre
Oh, baguettes and croissants – we missed you! When we left French Polynesia I vowed never to eat a baguette again (we had consumed far too many) but, of course, this silly idea wore off quickly and the cravings were in full force by the time we pulled into Noumea, New Caledonia. Being back in … Continue reading Noumea and Ilot Maitre
Mount Yasur Video
On the edge of a volcano
We've almost sailed across the entire Pacific ocean - many would call that "adventurous", "brave", or even "daring". The truth is, however, that I'm a bit of a wimp, especially when it comes to high speeds (sailing, hence, is no problem) and heights. My nervous characteristics all came into play on Monday night when we … Continue reading On the edge of a volcano
Bow and arrow lessons
[This is a blog post that I wrote in Tanna on September 30th, 2013 which is why I'm back dating it. I thought I posted it with the sat phone, but it obviously didn't go through. Since I'm using wifi once again, I've posted it with photos] I woke up yesterday morning in our warm, cozy, stationary … Continue reading Bow and arrow lessons
Boring day
Vuda Point (Fiji) to Tanna (Vanuatu) - ETA Tomorrow morning We are feeling much better now that the wind has come around to the SE, rather than hitting us right on the beam. Hydroquest is scooting along, and our ETA in Tanna is 11am tomorrow morning. Yay!!! Arriving in daylight means we probably won't be … Continue reading Boring day
Seasick and an adrenaline rush
Vuda Point (Fiji) to Tanna (Vanuatu) - Day One The seas are very uncomfortable, but, what's new!? As we motored away from the marina yesterday morning, I prepared pasta, homemade tomato sauce, and even cooked up some chicken (a real treat for us, courtesy of Murar's Dream). By dinner time, we were sailing well, but … Continue reading Seasick and an adrenaline rush
Abaca Village
We’ve been ‘stuck’ in Fiji for an extra week but we don’t expect any sympathy 😉 We had hoped to leave this beautiful country mid last week so that we’d have a week or two to spend in Vanuatu. When we checked the weather for the three night passage, it looked great - except for a … Continue reading Abaca Village
Manta Rays and Drawaqa anchorage
We finally swam with the mantas! They are more beautiful than I anticipated, gliding slowly and smoothly below the surface. I had 10 seconds alone with them in the water with no chance to take any good photos before being descended upon... We were the only boats anchored in the lee of Drawaqa island on the … Continue reading Manta Rays and Drawaqa anchorage
Sevu Sevu on Waya
Four hours of genoa sailing and another four hours of motoring landed us in a stunning bay at the northern end of Waya, home to the village of Nalauwaki. It was a Sunday and we were unsure if kava is drunk on Sundays, so we decided to wait until the morning to go ashore and do the … Continue reading Sevu Sevu on Waya
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