Tag: liveaboard

  • Marovo Lagoon & Noro: Goodbye Solomon Islands

    Overnight we had an excellent 130 miles passage, landing a large mahi just before we arrived to Mbili anchorage in Marovo Lagoon. Marovo Lagoon, covering about 700 km² and stretching roughly 150 km, is the world’s largest and best-defined double-barrier reef lagoon, famous for its extraordinary marine biodiversity (including saltwater crocs) and the intricate wood…

  • Solomons: A Rough Passage & Wonderful Ugi Island

    Squall line passed through us in the morning and, as the skies lightened, we departed for what ended up being a very sporty 283-mile passage. We knew the seas were going to be large initially, but were forecast to be decreasing throughout our passage, along with decreasing winds, and low thunderstorms. We weren’t alone in…

  • Passage: NZ to Vanuatu Day 6: Happy Father’s Day!

    Happy Father’s Day! What a glorious way to start this 24 hours; winds and seas have built to 15-24 knots, seas 1-2 meters, perfect angle – we are flying! And it is SO comfortable. We all fully have our sealegs, to the point where I’m down in the galley making meals for everyone like a…

  • Passage: NZ to Vanuatu Day 5

    As we look at the diminishing wind and our speed of 2 knots, we succumb and motor on one engine for a bit, helps charge our batteries as well. This is the first time we’ve motored this passage. I’m realizing that mellow passages make for boring blog entries, but I’ll take this notorious crossing from…

  • Passage: NZ to Vanuatu, Day 2

    Seas and winds up, flying our Genoa. Cora and I not feeling the best, but lying down helps, and we know we’ll feel better tomorrow as seas mellow. Calder has his fishing lines in the water. We are heading almost directly north, a bit to the east of Vanuatu in preparation for a change of…

  • New Zealand: Fall Projects & Launch Day

    Back to Terikah at Marsden Cove boatyard, looking so great with her new blue and purple (yes, purple!) stripes. It’s “go-time” to get Terikah ready for our long journey home to Alaska. Here is the list of many of the boat projects we have done this fall: Bottom work: Terikah’s underwater hulls were sanded and…

  • Day 6: Passage New Cal to New Zealand

    Overnight, a battery alarm on our starboard engine kept going off. Chris tried a few things but was exhausted and a bit seasick to dig in. We decided to run just the port engine overnight and, with current against us, moved along at a slow 4 knots. Once Chris got up for his 4am watch,…

  • Day 5: Passage New Cal to New Zealand

    Woke up to Chris at the helm, enjoying an excellent sail toward our destination. Winds a perfect 18-20 knots at our fastest point of sail. Seas (both swells from two directions and wind waves) present, but not uncomfortable. We are enjoying the wind while we have it! Even had a small cup of coffee (hadn’t…

  • New Caledonia: Ilot Exploration

    Hadn’t expected much for wind, but ended up having a truly “dreamy sail” from Ile des Pins to Ilot Ua, steady light winds with minimal seas and clear skies. We had planned on doing lots of wing-foiling in New Caledonia, but instead have been given flat calm seas, lagoons of pure calm turquoise waters, wonderful…

  • Day 3: Passage from Fiji to New Cal

    Continued rain squalls on and off this morning. Winds have decreased to 17-23 and we’re cruising along at 7-8 knots. We have to maintain an average of 6.7 knots to get to Havannah Channel at slack tide, a narrow coral-strewn channel that can have standing waves and fast currents if timed incorrectly. Seas currently down…