Tag: Terikah

  • Tahanea Treasure

    We continue to learn so much…we thought a slower overnight sail would be better than a rushed daytime sail.  However, the winds and seas built all night long above predicted and we couldn’t slow down; even with just a whiff of genoa out, it was challenging to get our speed under 4 knots (we needed…

  • Ua Pou: A Cathedral of Cascades, Chocolate, & Croissants

    Ua Pou is sheer craggy basalt rock coalesced into various patterns and formations that we could not take our eyes off, as we rounded the southern tip up the western side of the island to our destination of Hakahetuau.  Into the anchorage, huge basalt pillars jut up out of the valley reaching into the clouds. …

  • Sharks, Fruit, Friends, & Nightwatch

    We continue to explore the Marquesas islands, planning to spend about 4 weeks here before our next passage to the Tuamotus, about 500 miles away.  Our trip across the Pacific Ocean is only about 1/3 complete and the next 6 months will be passage-making between island groups, each passage with its own challenges.  Thankfully, we…

  • Day 23: LAND HO!

    April 22 (Monday): I had the morning watch today and it was magical to see the bright moon light my way then set directly in front of me, then the light slowly return behind me as the sun rose.  Also, my little red-footed friend stretched her wings and flew off around 8am. The kids hoisted…

  • Day 13: Pacific Crossing from Mexico to French Polynesia

    Chris barely touched our sails for the remainder of the night; we are indeed in the Southeast Trade winds, which are unusually high north right now.  We have a joke with the couple helping us with weather that, after the ITCZ, we’ll pop out into the Trades – “Poof!”  It was indeed “poof” – magically…

  • Day 12: Pacific Crossing from Mexico to French Polynesia

    Woke up to rain, rain, and more rain; so refreshing!  All of us in the cockpit (inside the boat is too stuffy with hatches closed) getting misted.  Motor-sailing south through the band of clouds at the top of the ITCZ.  The mantra has been “go south” to reach the winds and avoid some areas of…

  • Day 9: Pacific Crossing from Mexico to French Polynesia

    Last night’s passage and today are the biggest seas that we’ve ever been in, Chris and I staying up all night together to keep the waves coming from behind us and the sail trimmed.  Winds reached 30 knots.  Seas were 12-15 feet high and only 5-6 seconds apart, coming at us from two different directions;…

  • Day 8: Crossing from MX to FP

    The seas and wind decreased a bit overnight, making my morning watch (5-9am) enjoyable as the sun came up.  Flying fish in all directions, trying to outfly/outswim the boobie birds who circle our boat.  Birds always seem very curious about us, sometimes landing on us (a place to rest?), other times circling around us (perhaps…

  • Day 7 of Crossing from MX to FP

    We will have another 36 hours or so of these bigger seas and continue our way SW, trying to keep the seas behind us, though they are coming from three different directions.  Seas still about 6-9 feet and steep.  I was a bit green last night, but doing better this morning.  We are paralleling the…

  • April 5: Day 6 of Crossing from MX to FP

    Woke up to light winds, motored for two more hours until I did a wind dance, resulting in the wind slowly increasing until we could sail.  Okay, so likely not my dance, but still the timing was great.  Great brunch of burritos from Emil.  Put the asym out and have been sailing happily downwind.  Captain…