Renova's Adventures

Fun in Honolulu

2012-01-25T22:00:00.000-08:00

Our first few days in Honolulu have been fabulous! We're moored at the Waikiki Yacht Club, in central Honolulu. We're beside a wonderful park and beach, the bus routes, and the biggest mall in the state. We've been all over town shopping for alternators, used books, and a new bikini. We also had the great luck of being here at the same time as my aunt and uncle, and it was great to catch up with them. Next up...sightseeing!

The view from Laysan's flybridge

At the park beside the marina, we placed bets on the remote control sailboat racing.

My aunt and uncle, Tosh and Donna, were thrilled to get a tour of Laysan.

Laysan Delivery - Passage Pics

2012-01-25T19:11:00.000-08:00

As usual, we didn't take many pictures underway. But, here's a few pics of our passage.

We spent long hours at the helm. We passed the time by reading, watching movies, chatting, and eating!

Everyday, I checked in with the Pacific Seafarer's Net to report our position and weather info. They were a great group of people located all over the pacific, and talking with them on the radio each day was a highlight!

Add caption

Red-footed Boobies loved to hang out on the boat.

Laysan Delivery - Arrival in Honolulu!

2012-01-21T20:11:00.001-08:00

We made it!!

After spending the night circling outside the harbour, we entered Ala Wei
Harbour at 7:00 am this morning. We were thrilled to see John, Kathleen,
Julia, Conner and Stefan greeting us at our slip in the Waikiki Yacht Club.

Entry procedures were quick and painless, and we spent most of the morning
chatting about our voyage. After a fabulous lunch at the Yacht Club, we
washed down the boat. There is enough salt here to open a small mining
operation!

We'll sleep well tonight.

Laysan Delivery - Day 21

2012-01-19T17:33:00.000-08:00

Three weeks at sea. Not our longest passage. But long enough. John and I are
dreaming of all the wonderful foods that we'll stuff into ourselves, upon
our arrival in Honolulu. Steaks. French Fries. Ice Cream. Hamburgers. Beer
(well...that's just me).

Less than 200 miles to go. Yee haa!! At our current speed of 5.5/6 knots,
that will put us into harbour in the middle of the night. We'll likely start
to think about slowing down, to ensure a daylight arrival.

Life is good out here. When the winds are on our beam (side), we hoist the
main sail. It gives us a nice push along. Other than that, we have no need
to go outside. And, we have TONS of power, so there is no hesitation about
watching movies, or cranking up the music. A far cry from passage making on
our dear Renova.

Here's a pic for y'all - demonstrating how lovely it is out here. John's
doing his best Titanic pose. And you can see the flat seas in front.

Thanks to everyone who posted comments on our stop at Johnston. It's great
to hear from these guys lived there for so long. And yes, we have more
pictures of the atoll...we'll post some of them when we get to some fast
internet.

Laysan Delivery - Day 19 - The Home Stretch

2012-01-17T17:18:00.000-08:00

After a great stop at Johnston Atoll, we are on our way again. We feel very
privileged to be given the opportunity to visit.

All good things must come to an end at some time. And with the unusual lack
of trade winds, that time has come for us. We're now less than 500 miles
from Honolulu, with a tail wind, and Laysan is galloping along nicely.

All is well aboard...we're happily alternating between eating, watching, and
sleeping. The motion of the boat is mellow, and the sun is out. We're not
being terribly productive, but we are cruising through books and movies.
Life is good.

Laysan Delivery - Stop at Johnston Atoll

2012-01-15T11:37:00.000-08:00

What a place this is. The number of birds here is astounding - Red-tailed
tropic birds, Red-footed and brown boobies, frigate birds, white terns, and
so on. We've had the pleasure of touring the island, taking a short
snorkelling trip and have been treated to a fabulous dinner with Stefan and
the field crew during our short stay here. Although, we'd love to stay
longer, do a bit of exploring, and perhaps even learning more about the work
that is happening here, we're moving on. There is absolutely no wind here at
the moment. This is the calmest it has been in the two months that this team
has been here. So, we need to get back out there and take advantage of the
lack of headwinds. It's a bit overcast this morning, so as soon as the sun
comes out, so we can see our way out the pass, we'll be continuing on our
way.

Here's a few pics of our tour yesterday...a nesting tropicbird, a green
turtle coming up for a rest on the beach, the runway, the NOAA weather
station that doubles as their 'internet café'.

PS...Happy Birthday Matt!! :O)

Laysan Delivery - Day 16 - Arrival at Johnston

2012-01-14T15:04:00.000-08:00

At 8am this morning, we arrived at Johnston Atoll. We are located at 16-44N,
169-31W.

This is a US Wildlife Refuge, with an interesting history. It was used as a
Military Base, and as a chemical weapons disposal location. There have also
been nuclear testing conducted here. Check out wikipedia for a full history.

Yachts don't normally stop here, but we've been granted permission. The
strike team leader, Stefan met us at the dock and helped us to tie up and
gave us a history of the atoll, and a brief description of the activities
that his team are doing here. Their primary objective is to eradicate the
invasive Yellow Crazy Ants, that are invading the nests of the breeding bird
populations.

We've spent the morning doing a few boat chores (transfer fuel, change oil,
repair nav lights, check knotmeter and prop, etc), and are heading out for a
tour of the island with Stefan this afternoon. Tonight, we've been invited
to dine with the rest of the field team here.

Laysan Delivery - Day 15 - Kicking Butt

2012-01-13T17:18:00.000-08:00

It feels as though someone has stuck a spur into Laysan's flank. Or maybe she's picked up the scent of the barn.

Whatever it is, she is off and galloping...

We are cruising along at a killer 5 knots!! I know...that may not seem fast to you. But, after two weeks of 3.5kn, it feels like lightning to us. The wind and waves have both dropped considerably. And, we're 60 miles to Johnston Atoll. It is a ex-US Military Base. Nowadays, it serves as a protected fish and wildlife reserve. It has quite an interesting history, and among other things, it was used to disassemble chemical weapons, test
nuc's, etc. We look forward to the stop.

Laysan Delivery - Day 12

2012-01-10T20:20:00.000-08:00

We've just realized that we have so much to learn about power boating.
Yesterday on the PacSeaNet, one of the radio operators asked us if we've
been enjoying lots of ice cream in this nice weather. Well, John and I just
looked at each other with a big "DOH" look on our faces. We've never cruised
with the luxuries of a freezer, and we didn't even consider loading up with
ice cream. I bought a bit more frozen meat than usual, but didn't alter our
provisioning from our usual passages. Now we're kicking ourselves. ICE
CREAM!!! We're running a big freezer. With lots of room. And what a treat
ice cream would be. Or frozen pizza. Next time...

We're 45% of the way to Honolulu!!

0300 utc:
14-11N, 174-57W
Crs: 064T at 4.0 kn
Wind: E 16kn
Waves: E 2m
Cloud: 50%
Bar: 1008

24hr: 79nm, 59.2 gal, 3.3 kn

Laysan Delivery - Day 7

2012-01-05T14:20:00.000-08:00

We're closing in on one week out here, and we've got our sea legs, and time
is ticking away. I've finished my first book, The Girl with the Dragon
Tattoo, and I've just started the second book in the series. I'm planning to
plough through the three book while we're out here, among others.

We continue to have 3m swells on the nose. Plus a slightly smaller swell
just off to our starboard side. The boat handles the swell without a
problem. It does however, slow us down considerably. I'm also convinced that
we've got some current working against us. We're progressing at about 3.5
knots. We continue to monitor our fuel consumption.

We're checking into the Pac Sea Net with our daily position. It seems our
spot tracking device isn't working out here, but if you'd like to follow our
position, you can check this link:
www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=V73TN

As I write this, the wind has picked up, and it's started to rain. We've got
gusts of 35 knots. We've had very few of these squalls out here. If it
wasn't for the instruments, you'd hardly know. Amazing how insulated we are
in the pilot house.

Laysan Delivery - Day 4

2012-01-02T17:18:00.000-08:00

Well after three full days, we've almost made 300 miles. Swell is still big,
but we're comfortable enough.

Our position is: 8-53N and 175-44E. Our average speed is about 3.9 knots.
The sun has come out, which is good for the spirits!

Laysan Delivery - Day 2

2011-12-31T21:33:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!

Since we're on the west side of the dateline, we get to be among the first to ring in the new year. But, we're at sea, so there hasn't been any celebrating. We'll wait until our arrival in Honolulu to bring in 2012. We certainly hope you and yours enjoy a happy and healthy 2012!

All is well aboard Laysan. We continue to be blessed with moderate winds, although the swell still makes for a lumpy ride. And it has been raining constantly. We're chugging along at a slow pace, rationing our fuel, making around 4.5 knots average. We're also grateful to be in this wonderful pilot house - dry and cozy! We'd be soaking wet if we were in Renova's open cockpit.

I've broken my hard earned record of not feeding the fish. Sadly, I was sick yesterday afternoon. Not sure if it was the increase in swell, the time on the computer, or the potato salad that had just been served up. Whatever it was, it sent me outside to hang over the rails. John was ever supportive by sticking his head out the pilot house window..."Don't fall over"! Oh well, now we've each been sick once since leaving BC two and a half years ago. Not too shabby, I'd say.

Laysan has a SSB radio aboard, so we're checking into the daily Pacific Seafarer's Net. It really is comforting to know that these guys are tracking our position each day, in addition to our friends and family back home.

Laysan Underway - Day 1

2011-12-30T21:28:00.000-08:00

We're ready. We've loaded the boat with fuel, baked banana bread, and made
arrangements for Renova to be loved while we're away. So we've dropped the
mooring lines from MY Laysan, and have headed out the pass.

Conditions are as expected. Big swell, 2-3 meters. Wind is only 15-20 knots,
which is good, but not sure we can hope for that to continue.

All is well with us - we're working to get our sea legs under us.

Our position at 1700 dec 31 (ship's time) is 7-22N, 171-44E.

Merry Christmas to You and Yours

2011-12-24T17:23:00.000-08:00

Since we are one of the first time zones to bring in Christmas day, we are
sending out a BIG holiday greeting to all of you!

We hope your Christmas is happy, healthy, and shared with loved ones!

Our Christmas in the Marshall Islands has been fabulous so far. We woke
early to fresh scones (thanks, Brandy)! We took our time opening our
stockings and a couple of presents (aka boat parts) that we'd bought for
each other. We were spoiled with treats that Ron had brought from home
(thanks to our family)!! John had bought a new camera to replace the one I
dropped in Kanton, and so did my brother! We're finally once again a two
camera family! Hurray!!

It's been a great morning. We're rolling sushi in preparation for a
Christmas potluck ashore with the other yachties here.

Enjoy your Christmas, wherever you might be!!

Cockroaches, Car Rentals and Late Cargo - by Ron

2011-12-23T13:42:00.000-08:00

Dec 19

We had great intentions for our trip to the town of Laura at the north end
of the atoll. We had a nice breakfast and although the skies looked rather
grey, we had a rental car waiting and cargo/luggage to pick up from the
airport.

I got a first hand experience with island time twice today. First was our
experience at the rental place. It took us well over an hour to get the
rental car, only to find it had a nice little colony of cockroaches and
ants. John had a small freak out, which led to us getting another rental
car. It too was full of cockroaches. John sucked it up though, but he sat in
the front seat.

It reminded me of a time when John, Mom and I had gone to the local fair
that came to town every year in Campbell River. John was about 8 and I was
6. It was on this day that I realized my brother was afraid of things. He
freaked out at the top of the Ferris wheel, and the attendant had to bring
us down.

Regardless of the cockroaches, we decided to carry on. We had planned lunch
and an afternoon at the beach. Unfortunately, a lot of rain got in the way!
We had fun driving around checking the north end of the island. We stopped
for boiled eggs, cupcakes, fanta and ice cream for lunch at a side road
store.

The main reason we had rented the car was to retrieve the cargo/luggage that
was coming in from Guam. This was my second experience with "island time".
We were told to come back at 8pm by the cargo guy. Nothing arrived and we
were told to come back at 11:15pm.we got back to the boat at 1:30am (the
airport is only 25 minutes from the boats). It was a very long evening
getting the cargo. Needless to say it was enjoyable hanging out just John
and me and talking about our thoughts and plans for the future. We went
through the bags when we got back to the boat and headed off to bed. I went
to sleep knowing I would have clean underwear in the morning. Yahoo!

Snorkelling, Sailing and Supper - by Ron

2011-12-22T02:27:00.000-08:00

Dec 18

I woke up early and read, made coffee and waited for John and Naomi to wake.
I was up at 4am (7am Vancouver time). I am staying in the master suite; very
nice!

I arrived yesterday from Honolulu, Hawaii to an airport that consisted of
one air strip on about 1 km wide piece of land. The arrival/departure
building was from circa 1960, but worked just fine. The luggage was brought
to the luggage drop off by a forklift. Unfortunately, my bags did not arrive
(they say it will be here Monday night). I am now wearing my brother's
shorts, and not much else as it is too warm for jeans. All is good.

I have easily switched into relax mode. I am so enjoying being on a boat for
an extended length of time. As well, it is so nice to be around Naomi and
John and share in part of their adventure. The Laysan is truly an amazing
vessel; 1st class!

It was a sunny day, but the wind has been rather intense. We decide to take
the Laysan out for a test run. It was nice to go to a protected island for
the afternoon. We tried out the sails and cruised around the lagoon. Naomi
and I snorkelled on a coral reef around a sunken helicopter and airplane. It
was one of the highlights of the trip so far. The fish were amazing to swim
near and came in many beautiful colours, shapes and sizes. We saw one huge
puffer fish (as big as a nice sized tyee). We explored the coral and the
beach.

We had yummy left over spaghetti for lunch and an afternoon cocktail. It was
a lazy and enjoyable day. I seem to have designated myself "preparer of
food". I made sweet chili pork and rice for supper. We ended the day with a
movie on the flat screen t.v., which magically ascends from the living room
cabinet. Life is not too bad at all. I crashed by 11pm.

First Day in Majuro - by Ron

2011-12-21T22:53:00.000-08:00

Dec 17

Ron is keeping a journal of his experiences in Majuro, and has agreed to
share his thoughts on the blog. Good thing...since I've been downright
negligent of late. Introducing Renova's newest crew and blogger -- brother
Ron...

I arrived to smiling faces and hugs from John and Naomi. Naomi laid me with
a Maumau. I was a bit battered from 20 hours travel. I got settled, had a
nap and we headed into town. We did a big grocery shop and went for lunch at
a local restaurant called Dar. So yummy! We had two couples over for a
sunset cocktail. It was nice to visit with the neighbourhood sailboats. At
night I made a great spaghetti dinner and caught up with John and Naomi some
more. I crashed by 8pm.

Ron's Here

2011-12-18T12:36:00.000-08:00

Ron has arrived!!! We've been looking forward to the arrival of John's
brother for months. It is great that he's now here, and we are looking
forward to 10 days of touring Majuro, sailing, and celebrating the holiday
season.

Unfortunately, his bags did not arrive with him. We'll go back to the
airport today, in hopes that they've now arrived.

Going to Hawaii...

2011-12-12T15:49:00.002-08:00

We're going to Hawaii. We've agreed to deliver MY Laysan, a 50'
motor-sailor, to Hawaii next month. You can find out about the boat here:
http://roundtopdr.wordpress.com/

So, last week we met the owners, John and Kathleen, and had a busy couple of
days getting to know the boat and her systems. Since then, we've been
spending some time every day getting her ready. Getting to know the boat and
her systems, keeping the batteries charged, and making water in preparation
for the trip. She's a great boat, and we're looking forward to the passage.

Labels: Majuro, Marshall Islands, Laysan

Nothing Going On

2011-12-12T15:49:00.001-08:00

Dec 5

I tried to tell you that there wasn't much interesting going on here.
Interesting is the key word. We've been busy enough with various boat
projects. But not so interesting. For example, last week I spent 3 days
polishing 2 lamps. Yep. Good times.

Labels: Majuro, Marshall Islands, maintenance, projects

Medical Services in Majuro

2011-12-12T15:49:00.000-08:00

We've been testing the medical systems all around the pacific.
- stitches and attempted blood donation in Mexico
- tetanus shot in Samoa

And we've been thrilled to find great services everywhere we have been.

Why not check out the system here? John's had a sore throat for a couple
months. It hasn't responded to home care - salt water gargles, throat
lozenges, antihistamines, or a course of antibiotics. He decided it was
probably cancer. So yesterday, he trekked to the local hospital. He met a
wonderful surgeon from Chicago, who immediately scheduled him for a
something-scope for this morning. Dr Kwan led John to the various hospital
departments, and then set about sticking a long scope down his throat and
into his stomach. Thankfully, he gave John the all clear. John reports that
the hospital was in good condition, for the most part. Nevermind that he
changed into his surgical gown in a linen closet, or that he noticed the
roof had a few holes in the prenatal unit. The operating room was spotless
and well equipped. Both visits were $17.

Labels: Majuro, Marshall Islands, medical

Let there be Light!!

2011-12-09T21:13:00.000-08:00

Nov 29

We are slaves to our battery bank. When it is sunny, and the solar panels
are putting in lots of amps, we are happy campers. But (and there is always
a BUT), Majuro isn't an especially sunny spot. I know...we're in the
tropics. Crazy. But still - not sunny. Hot? Yes. Muggy? Yes. But sunny?
Well, sometimes. Good for our water tanks. Bad for our batteries. So, John
happily gets to put our new generator and battery charger to good use.

As a result of the lack of sun, we are miserly with our power usage. We have
solar lights that we use inside the cabin to read at night. And we have a
solar garden light that we use as an anchor light. Both are not so bright.

But, we've found a solution. A local yachtie sold us two strips of LED
lighting. John attached one to a long cable and velcroed (is that a verb?)
it around the mast. The second strip he fitted into our existing anchor
light fixture at the top of the mast. Now, we have SUPER bright lights, and
we can be seen at night. Which is a good thing. Especially on Sundays. When
the locals might be just a bit tipsy. And might rage through the mooring
fields. Mighty Fast. Mighty Close. Sheesh.

Here's a pic of our new light wrapped around the mast, and a pic of the boat
John took while installing the anchor light on the top of the mast.

Labels: Majuro, Marshall Islands, weather, maintenance, gear, projects

The Parking Lot

2011-11-29T14:08:00.000-08:00

After the war, the US Military lined up all the vehicles and drove them off
the pier. Or maybe a barge. We don't really know. But that's what we've
heard. So, over the past couple of days Andy, John and I went to explore
this underwater parking lot.

We found a turtle, a big sting ray, lots of fish, and many vehicles. Fuel
trucks, fire trucks, ambulances, jeeps, bomb-loading trucks and many that
were unrecognizable.

Stay tuned, we'll try to get a pic or two from the video footage that Andy
took.

Engine Success!

2011-11-27T13:22:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that we've had transmission troubles. We're still running, but it's making an odd sound, and there is movement where there shouldn't be. We had ordered a new damper plate and adapter flange from the US, and they arrived this week, on (US) Thanksgiving...and thankful we were!!7

We weren't sure exactly what was wrong, but we (ie John) had a few suspicions, so we ordered both the damper plate and the adapter flange just in case. Good thing. We spent Black Friday pulling forward the engine, in order to remove the transmission. We discovered the damper plate had a big crack in the plate, and the adapter flange has severely ovalized bolt holes. No wonder there was so much movement (and a big clunking sound)!!

Yep. That's a pretty significant crack.

Those two holes look perfectly oblong. But they should be round.

On Saturday, we managed to get the transmission put back together, painted, and back in place. By the evening, we had returned the engine to it's bed, and were able to do a test run. SUCCESS.

Once again, John has hero status. There is a tiny, uncomfortable access hatch to the back of the engine, and no room for helpers. I did what I could, but he has managed another triumph in Renova's saga.

John squeezed into the back of the engine compartment.

John's kryptonite

2011-11-23T13:07:00.000-08:00

We've heard from a few of you regarding our lack of blog posts. Actually,
this time, we're not out and about having too much fun to blog. In fact,
there just isn't much to blog about. Really. As evidenced by the blog
below...

---

I think I've finally discovered John's kryptonite. The one thing that
weakens him. Renders him quite useless. I'd say it turns him into a little
girl, but I find that a bit insulting. Here it is. A secret weapon.
COCKROACHES!

Yuck

Evil

Disgusting

If you've been following the blog for a while, you may remember that a
cockroach sighting on our boat in Mexico prompted the Captain to raise all
crew (me) from their bunks, and do a complete swath of the boat. In the
middle of the night. Empty all lockers and cupboards. Fun.

That experience caused us to stock up on a variety of cockroach potions.
We've been lucky so far (Knock on wood). Apart from a mammoth cockroach that
flew into the porthole while I was in the head (I not-so-calmly emptied half
a can of roach spray on his...um...behind), we've not had any infestations.

And we're careful to keep it that way.

Lately we've relaxed our "no cardboard onboard" rule. It's a bit cumbersome.
Lots of good things come in cardboard. Eggs. Mac and cheese. Cereal. Boat
parts. Etc. We've gotten lazy.

So I guess we shouldn't have been too surprised when a two inch cockroach
greeted John from the garlic container tonight. He let out a (girly) shriek
and took a step backwards. I'm sure he would have moved further away had our
boat been bigger, but we live in a one-step galley.

I ran for the roach spray. After a couple more shrieks from both of us, we
emerged victorious. I know, a bit unfair. 2 against 1. No sympathy here. I
believe that these guys will be here long after we humans are extinct. In
retrospect, we think it hitchhiked in the egg carton.

So...should you ever find yourself in a battle with John (and are not
concerned about maintaining a friendship), you might consider deploying a
huge, flying roach. Just don't tell him you got the idea from me.

Some diving in Majuro

2011-11-12T19:08:00.000-08:00

We've been doing a bit of underwater exploring here in Majuro by teaming up
with SV Savannah. Within the lagoon there are several sunken wrecks, and
amazing coral. So far, we've mostly been looking at small fish - which are
plentiful. We have seen one spotted eagle ray, and a small shark, but
everything else is pretty small. Visibility is great. Andy's taking some
pics, so we hope to share an image or two sometime soon!

Two Years Aboard SV Renova

2011-11-07T17:31:00.000-08:00

Well, I wrote this blog post a few months ago - early august in fact - but
didn't post it, while I sorted out the numbers. Well, I've finally done the
math...

Hard to believe that it was just two years ago, that I threw the last boxes
into our storage locker, tried to sneak an extra box or two aboard Renova,
passed my car keys to Brandy Lee, and boarded Renova for a short sleep at
the marina before we headed South on this epic adventure. What a chaotic
time that was!

Throughout these two years, we've endured crazy weather, crazy people, and
crazy places. But we've also been blessed by amazing sunsets, fascinating
wildlife, pristine anchorages, stunning landscapes and phenomenal culinary
delights.

But most of all, we've enjoyed the wonderful people that we've met along the
way. Both the other cruisers that we've met, as well as the local people in
the many various places have been an absolute joy. We continually met new
people on every part of this journey, who offered help and expertise when
needed, shared cultural experiences and anchorages, and generally were great
company. We look forward to keeping in touch with many of them in the
future.

We have so many memories from this journey, that it has been difficult to
capture it all in the small, readable tid-bits that we post here. For those
long-winded blog posts, I apologize. And then there are the times that we're
so busy experiencing...that we tend to fall behind on blogging. Oops.

Out of curiosity, I calculated how much time we spent at sea vs time in an
anchorage. To my surprise, we spent a lot of time in marinas! But thinking
back, it makes sense - San Francisco, when John was commuting to work at
home; La Paz, when John returned home to deal with our flooded house; La
Cruz, to do boat repairs after playing bumper boats in the anchorage; and
Samoa, where staying in the marina is mandatory. And of course, our trip
home to work during cyclone season had an impact on the overall numbers.

Nights at sea: 86 (12%)
Nights at anchor: 249 (34%)
Nights in marina: 177 (24%)
Nights at home in own bed: 219 (30%)
Total nights: 731

Here are a few other numbers:
Nautical Miles travelled: 11,672 nm
Countries visited: 8
Books read: 62 (just me - John's not included)
Flights: 10 (I guess this life-style isn't so carbon-friendly, after all)
Photos taken: 6000+
Guests: 10
Blog visitors: 4639
Blog visits: 19,937

We're now well into our third year. And the final year of this trip. By
spring, we expect to be crossing the North Pacific on our way home. By the
end of summer, we'll be looking for new jobs to recover from this trip, and
start saving for the next one!

Majuro Atoll

2011-11-04T17:31:00.000-07:00

We finally managed to get a coat of Cetol (varnish) on all the bare wood
that John has been sanding, so we followed Brickhouse and Savannah out of
the mooring field to explore the lagoon. We managed the 6 miles very
quickly, and after a nice downwind sail we were tied up to a mooring ball at
Eneko (Enigu) islet. Savannah watched our entertaining performance as we
picked up the ball under sail, which we managed without a hitch (ha - on our
second attempt)!

Following the show, they invited us over for dinner, and we enjoyed
hamburgers while we planned our adventures for the next few days.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T17:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween Everyone!! Our friend Jake the Hammerhead come trick or
treating by dinghy!

Sliding Rocks in Samoa - A Video

2011-10-25T16:33:00.000-07:00

Well, here is my first attempt at putting together a video of our adventures. Here's a trip we took to the Papaseea Sliding Rocks while in Samoa. Enjoy.

We also tried to make a video of our time in Samoa. I'd love to hear what you think of these videos, and if you have any suggestions!

Arrived in Majuro, Marshall Islands

2011-10-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

After a three day passage, we've settled into Majuro, the capital of the
Republic of Marshall Islands. Our 9th country on this voyage.

Our first day here was a bit hectic. Yesterday morning, John spent a few
hours at the dock awaiting the officials to clear us into the country. When
they didn't show up, he finally went to their offices - first customs, then
immigration. By the time he returned to the boat, it was mid-afternoon, and
I was a sopping wet after collecting water for the past couple
hours...filling buckets, transferring into jerry jugs, then siphoning into
our boat's tanks. We're full again. Whew. And laundry is done. And we're
clean. YAY!!

We spent today wandering around and scoping the lay of the land. We checked
out a few of the glorious grocery stores. It is amazing what a basic grocery
store can do to lift the spirits after spending three months without!! We
happily wandered the aisles of several stores, amazed at all the familiar
brands and products. We just picked up a couple necessities (eggs, bread,
veggies), and can't wait for a bigger shop.

We also checked out internet options. You must pay by the minute. I was also
considering a cell phone, with internet capabilities. Hmmm. Can't seem to
get away from that magnetic force that draws us to new gadgets! But, we
decided to wait and see how we manage for now.

There is quite a cruising community here. At least a dozen boats. There is a
morning [radio] net - complete with weather info, social events, news, etc.
Tonight is cruisers night out, where many eat together at one of the local
restaurants. We're looking forward to getting to know a few people, and
hearing some local beta.

We're here because we have lots of boat work to do. But for now, we'll rest,
shop, eat.

Passage to Marshall Islands - Day 3

2011-10-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

The sky is no longer clear, beautiful and blue,
The clouds have arrived, a grey and black stew.

We see the squalls and anticipate,
The accelerating winds, the sudden wall of hate.

All hands scramble top side and quickly lower sail,
We wrestle with the sheets, steady her dive to the rail.

Ahhh, we missed you - our beloved ITCZ*
How quickly we recall how fickle your weather can be.

As quickly as she rose, the squall is soon long gone.
We are left without wind in a slow and tedious calm.
-------
* Remember, I'm Canadian...so that should be ITCZ: AYE.TEA.SEA.ZEE.

Passage to Marshalls - Day 1

2011-10-20T21:49:00.000-07:00

A perfect day of sailing. The light breeze pushes us along beautifully. The
drifter is flying, showing her dazzling blue and gold hues. Dolphins visit,
play in the bow and give us a show by spinning loops and twists as they
launch into the air. And the past week of calms has left a residual sea that
is flat and easy. This is a sailor's dream.

But the day didn't start out that way. From Tarawa, our check of the morning
weather showed that winds were going to ease sooner than expected. The wind
would stop before our anticipated arrival day in the Marshalls. We decided
to leave Kiribati today, instead of tomorrow as planned. So, I gather our
papers and make my way to shore (where I fall into the water while getting
out of the dinghy) to clear out of the country. Customs takes FOREVER, but
goes smoothly (well, except for that huge sandy puddle I've left in the
middle of their lobby floor). Then onto the bus (where I leave another wet
spot) and to immigration. It's 11:30 by now, and the young staff are more
keen on their lunch orders than my exit permits, but no worries. They are
kind and friendly, and I'm in a cruiser...no schedules, right?! I'm on my
way after only an hour (only half of which was spent searching for the stamp
needed for my passport - found next door). By the time I return to the boat,
John has everything secured ship shape and ready to go. We raise sail, heave
the anchor, and wave goodbye to our newest friends as we make our way out of
the lagoon.

But...that was this morning. Now, we're living the dream. Bring it on.

News...or Gossip???

2011-10-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of days, an interesting news story has been circulating among cruisers... rumours perhaps? I'm not sure. But for your information and/or entertainment...here is the story of a young cruiser who was eaten by cannibals on Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas...one of the island we visited last year.

http://news.msn.co.nz/article/8361657/cannibal-victim-identified-by-teeth

By the way, CELSIUS returned to the anchorage today. And THREE more sailboats showed up. All of a sudden we're not alone anymore!

Birthday Celebrations

2011-10-18T17:14:00.000-07:00

Oct 17th

John's birthday was yesterday. I've already blogged about the great Tour we
took. And the robbery was a bit of a birthday downer. But...I found ground
beef at the grocery store! This was a major highlight for Renova's crew. We
hadn't seen ground beef in many months. So I decided to turn this delicacy
into a birthday feast. We'd been talking about hamburgers and fries for
months...this was a perfect opportunity.

The hamburgers turned out great. The buns...well...they were perhaps a bit
denser than the rolls I usually buy. Maybe I didn't knead the dough enough.
Or too much. The french fries refused to crisp up, and were a touch on the
soggy side. The corn on the cob was mushy, which was disappointing, given
that I paid $10 for it. But knowing that it had likely been frozen and
thawed several times on it's journey from Australia, quite understandable.
Thankfully, the chocolate cake was (and still is) fabulous. Thank you Betty
Crocker.

Despite all this...it was still a fan-super-tastic birthday dinner!! And,
I'm (almost) certain John would agree.

Robbed in Tarawa

2011-10-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

It's true. We've been robbed.

After spending most of the day ashore on the Battle of Tarawa Tour, we
returned to the boat to find we'd been robbed.

We'd heard that there have been thefts here. ICE lost their dinghy oars and
a fuel can. CELSIUS had been boarded, broken into, and a few items were
taken from their boat - hair clippers, palm pilot, etc.

Knowing this, we'd been careful. We always lock the boat when we leave,
including the cockpit lockers. On shore, we lock up the outboard and spare
oars to the dinghy. But, these guys were clever. They just broke the locks
on our cockpit lockers and got access to these big storage lockers.
Surprisingly, they didn't take much. They looked through John's tackle box,
but didn't see anything they liked. They didn't take any of the zillions of
coils of rope we have, nor the dinghy fuel, the tools, or speargun. Odd.
Instead, they took some snorkelling gear. They left behind the broken mask
and the old black snorkel, and took our two remaining masks and snorkels.
But left our fins. They also took a dive knife, and a pair of neoprene
booties.

It's all a terrible shame. A bad memory in a country that has become our
favourite destination of our past two years of cruising. And...the worst
part is that the cockpit locks are now broken, and will be expensive to
replace - more so than the lost gear. Not to mention that we have to always
have one person on the boat.

So, it's with a bitter taste in our mouth that we prepare to leave Tarawa.
Earlier than planned. But, if we can't both leave the boat, we may as well
move on.

Now we'll get busy with a few remaining internet jobs, and wait for a
weather window to take us to Majuro in the Marshall Islands - our home for
the next several months. According to the weather forecasts, I don't think
we'll be waiting long. It looks like the wind will pick up by the end of the
week!

Battle of Tarawa Tour

2011-10-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know John are already aware that he's a history buff. Especially war history. He loves the stuff.

So, for his birthday treat, I booked us on the WWII Betio Battlefield Tour by Molly's Tours.

Molly has a few odds and ends in her front yard!

Molly picked us up at the wharf in the bus, and took us back to her house to watch a dvd on the Battle. The Battle of Tarawa was one of the bloodiest battles in US Marine Corps history. After the video, we jumped on the bus and walked to the various war remains that lay scattered across the islet. Although we'd seen many of the sites on our own previous explorations, Molly's descriptions and additional information added to our knowledge and made the tour interesting!


Remains of an American Tank

An unexpected surprise was walking through various villages on our way to the beach relics and buried bunkers. We was how the locals are living in very cramped quarters. We talked to a couple of men who were digging a new well, and had come across machine gun parts, and ammunitions. In some cases, we saw bunkers, gun mounts, and search light bases in yards and between homes.


Tank track buried in the sand

Around Abaiang

2011-10-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

Oct 5

Our friend, Ngaluenga, offered to tour us around the island for an afternoon - we jumped at the chance. A few of the sights we saw.

First we had to fill up with gas. Here, the two guys are measuring our gas into 2L plastic bottles.

Measuring the fuel

Full service

Boat repairs - notice they are stitching the boat together!

The tower of the catholic church - built in 1907

View of the village's large canoe shed from the tower

Cutting toddy - collecting the sap from the tree, to be fermented into a local brew

Our host, Ngaluenga, and his granddaughter, Merri

The best singer on the island...performing in a private concert just for us!

Kids of Abaiang

2011-10-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

Oct 5

The kids at Abaiang LOVED to have their photo taken. They love to look at the camera's screen and see the pics of themselves. Here's a few:

Terio Islet - Abaiang

2011-10-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

After saying goodbye to our friend on Abaiang, we set off the following day to the other side of the lagoon. We planned to stop for the night at Terio, where an Englishman has a small rest house on this beautiful islet. We went ashore and met Derrik, who seemed happy for the opportunity to speak english, and we were happy to hear about his 30 years of experience in the South Pacific.

When he heard we were on our way to Tarawa, he asked if we would take an eskie (cooler in Aussie-speak) of clams with us. Of course!! Early the next morning, Derrik paddled the heavy cooler of clams to the boat. We were able to easily meet his daughter in Tarawa, and pass on the clams to be sold while still fresh.

Derrik and the boys paddle the clams to Renova. Notice their typical Kiribati paddles - chunks of wood.

We're now back in Tarawa, to resupply, and organize a few odds and ends. But Abaiang was so beautiful, that I suspect we'll be back there soon.

Leaving Abaiang...for now

2011-10-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

Abaiang has been fun. Although the tide has limited our time on the shore, we've been able to walk on most days. Our friend, Ngaluenga, arranged for a motorbike for us to see some of the island. So he and his daughter took us to see the large Catholic Church in a village called Koinawa. We walked up the tower, had a look around and took a few pictures.

En route, some of the locals offered to seek out the island's best singers to perform for us, if we would provide some funds for kava. We were initially skeptical, but our host was encouraging so we decided to go for it. When we returned from the village, first the local policeman and the bar owner performed for us. Soon after, the husband and wife singer team joined us in the kava bar, and sang local songs for us. Our host translated the songs for us, most of which were love songs. Unfortunately, one of the mics was giving
them problems, and constantly buzzed and offered screeching feedback. They didn't seem to mind, this must have been normal for them! And, there wasn't any Kava to be found on all the island!

Finally, we took Ngaluenga to the boat for a quick tour.

Navigating by the Sun

2011-10-04T15:12:00.000-07:00

I have never found our boat's position using our sextant - the odd device
used by navigators for centuries to measure the position of the sun, thus
allowing them to plot their position. Sort of.

We know of a few cruisers who carry a sextant. We know of even fewer
cruisers who know how to use it. After all, it is complicated. We've heard
that some cruisers use it as a hobby - we haven't met them yet. Most carry
it in case of catastrophic failure - the boat is hit by lightning and all
electronic devices are destroyed or multiple GPS failures (because everyone
carries a spare or two...don't they). Same for us. Should some calamity
befall us and our three GPS units are not working, we can get home using the
sextant to navigate. Well. That's the idea, anyway.

I've taken a couple of informal tutorials on how to do this. The first was
from Bob in Mag Bay on the west coast of Baja, Mexico. He showed us how to
use the sextant, and take a noon sight. The second was with Steve in Puerto
Vallarta. He showed me a fabulous way to do all the myriad of calculation on
a calculator, thus eliminating the need for the three volume sight reduction
tables. And, I've read Blewitt's book several times, so I felt I had a clue.
But I'd never tried to put all the pieces together to actually take a sun
sight, do the calculations, and plot my position.

So while we sit here with time on our hands, I've spent the last week
re-reading Blewitt's "Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen". Then finally, I
took a sun sight. Well, actually I took 5 in a row, and averaged the result.
So far, so good.

Then, I sat down with the Nautical Almanac, my sight reduction tables, and
my trusty Blewitt, and tried to calculate my position. Well. The
frustration!! Most of my problems stemmed from the fact that I was using a
2010 Nautical Almanac. And...with a few alterations, it can be used for
2011. But I goofed it up, didn't add the necessary 87 degrees, and found my
calculated position was an ocean away from my assumed position. Not OK.

I worked at this for a few hours each day for FOUR days. Finally, yesterday,
I figured out my mistake. And it worked!! I found my line of position. But
just one line of position. Which means my boat could be anywhere along that
line. A line of infinite distance, by the way. In theory, you should take
several sun sights throughout the day, and then you'll be able to use the
different lines of position that you generate for each sight to pinpoint
your location. So now, I just need to start all over, take a few more sun
sights, and do a few more calculations...

I'm feeling pretty good about this new found knowledge. By sometime next
month, I might be able to tell you where we are. But of course, by that
time, we'll have moved on.

Labels: Navigation, books

What Am I Doing Here?

2011-10-03T15:53:00.000-07:00

This is what was going through my mind, as I was rowing my heart out, naked,
against the wind, in pouring rain, at 1 am last night.

WHAT AM I DOING HERE?

Here's the back story.

At 11pm, we awoke to a all-hands-on-deck fire drill. This is a regular
event. All Renova's crew are mustered, and work quickly to close every hatch
and port hole. It's raining. And, it's coming down hard enough to justify
the buckets, so we venture outside and hang our big laundry tubs from each
side of the boat where they will catch the water draining from the decks. We
quickly dash back inside, soaked. After a half hour or so, the rain stops,
we collect the buckets, and return to bed.

No problem. This is typical. It happens a few times a week. Sometimes we
deploy the buckets. Sometimes it's just a sprinkle. Rain water tastes better
than anything we collect from shore, so we try to take advantage of it when
it comes. And, it's free.

Anyway. Back to my story.

At about 1:30 am...another rain storm. This time, the boat is already closed
up, so the captain sleeps on. I go onto deck to deploy the buckets. It is
pouring. And I'm drenched within seconds. No biggie. I can use the shower.
But it's irritating to go back to bed with wet hair, so when it is time to
collect the buckets about 30 minutes later, I put on our rain hat. It's red.
Scotty gave it to us a few years ago, and it is our go-to-hat. Nice wide
brim. Super waterproof. Doesn't get as much use now that we're in the
tropics, but it is handy and will be in regular use again on our trip home.

So, out I go to collect the buckets. Wearing my wide-brimmed rain hat. As I
step into the cockpit, the wind grabs the hat and throws it into the water.
Poop. I look at it floating. It's moving fast. I need to jump in, but I'm
worried I will lose sight of it, once I'm in the water. So, I yell for John
- "John, I need you. Bring the spotlight"! This is not a typical fire drill.
He's on the deck in seconds. As he finds the hat in the beam of the light,
I'm looking at the dark, frothy, white-capped water. I have visions of
sharks (even though we haven't seen a single shark in this lagoon yet). I
decide not to swim. I go for the dinghy. But we have two lines holding the
dinghy to the boat. It takes me a few seconds to get it untangled and free,
then I'm rowing desperately towards John's light. But the light is moving,
he's searching for the hat. Oh no. I row around in the dark, searching and
realize I'm fighting a losing battle. I turn the dinghy around, and row
towards the boat, which has gotten really far away. The wind is howling (or
it feels that way), the waves are growing, and the rain is back in full
force. I can hardly see the boat, as I scramble to dig in and pull towards
the light. I feel like it takes forever. But, soon enough, I'm back on
board, bringing in the buckets, and drying off.

Just another day on Renova.

As I doze off to sleep, I realize that I will be happy to pay our water
taxes when we are back on terra firma, and I look forward to having water
appear magically from the faucet.

Kiribati Rat Tails...

2011-10-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

Ok...stretch your mind way back.... Think of the 80's. Think about neon head
bands. And parachute pants. Remember the fad for guys to wear their hair
short, but with a lovely long piece of hair that extended from the nape of
their neck. We called them "rat tails".

Well...I'm seeing it again. Everywhere. In the Kiribati, we see rat tails on
young men, old men, boys, EVERYWHERE!! Sometimes hanging loose. Sometimes
braided. Always long. Very common.

And reminiscent of my junior high school buddies, Ty and Toomer - they would
be proud.

Inventory of Broken Stuff

2011-09-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

It's been another busy month aboard Renova, in terms of stuff that has
broken. Here's a quick list:

- whisker pole broken in two
- spinnaker sail ripped
- alternator quit (spare installed)
- transmission troubles (repair in progress)
- GPS behaving oddly
- stove drip plate screws (not affecting use)
- outboard engine impeller (replaced)
- Lifeline broken (replaced)
- Traveller block broken (repaired)
- speedometer broken
- My sunglasses broken
- John's sunglasses overboard

Ahhh....this isn't uncommon. Everyone we talk to has a constant stream of
broken bits. But this many things in one month is unusual. Even for us.
We're grateful we have so many spares, and John's expertise to keep us
floating!! After all isn't the definition of cruising: boat repairs in
foreign ports??

Labels: maintenance, Renova, gear

Leisure time in Abaiang

2011-09-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

Life in Abaiang is pretty laid back.

Once again, our beach access is limited by the tides, but we're less
frustrated here. We're happy to be hanging on the boat. Most days we do some
boat chores in the morning, have a mid-day siesta, then head to shore at
high tide in the afternoon. Most evenings, we watch a movie after dinner.

A family in the village has adopted us. They are two teachers, their son,
and their grand-daughter. Lovely. They invited us into their home for a
rest, and we chatted, drank coconut, and shared stories. We returned the
following evening and shared dinner with them - salted fish and rice. We're
hoping to have them to the boat for a meal - perhaps tomorrow.

The village is picturesque, the children love to see us and practice their
English, and yesterday they were chasing us down the road, asking us to take
photos of them!

The anchorage is absolutely blissful. While there is a steady and often
strong wind, we are well protected and the boat hardly moves. Finally, we
are able to sleep peacefully.

Labels: Abaiang, Kiribati, Gilbert islands, food.

Arrived at Abaiang, Kiribati

2011-09-24T22:05:00.000-07:00

We made the day trip from Tarawa to Abaiang in less than 7 hours. It was a
lovely sail with winds from 15-20 knots - slightly forward of the beam. The
pass was easy to find with the waypoints we had on hand, yet was directly up
wind. We tried to tack back and forth, but with the current pushing against
us, we made no headway, and so the engine was turned on to help push us into
the lagoon. The waves through the pass were high, and I was continually
soaked as I stood on the bow looking for coral heads. It was a wonderful and
refreshing spray, and I was so pleased to be in a place where the water was
once again clear and clean! We anchored on the eastern side of the lagoon,
and I immediately took a swim. Tomorrow we'll head ashore to explore. David
and Pauline on SV Wasatch (US sailboat that we met in Tarawa) are also here.

Labels: Kiribati, Gilbert Islands, Abaiang, passage.

Off to Explore

2011-09-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

After hanging in Tarawa for a while, we're now motivated to see a nearby island. Tomorrow (Sunday), we'll move on to Abaiang - a small atoll a short day sail north of Tarawa. We'll leave in the morning, and expect we'll have our anchor set by mid-afternoon. We're looking forward to returning to pristine waters and the traditional Kiribati lifestyle.

Hanging in Tarawa

2011-09-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

We're hanging in Tarawa. John has fabricated a brace that will hold our
transmission in place. So, that hurdle is overcome. For now.

We've done a bit of exploring here. We jumped on a bus, and travelled to
some of the other islets surrounding the lagoon. We checked out some of the
WWII relics that have been left behind here - Japanese guns and bunkers
mostly, and an American tank rusting on the beach. We also had yet another
fabulous lunch of Chinese food, and wandered through a few villages.

This place isn't ideal for shopping. We're having trouble finding fresh
produce. You have to know when a shipment is coming in, and be prepared to
pay for it. We paid $1.25 each for two tomatoes yesterday. And we though we
were getting the tourist price when we reluctantly paid $0.60 per egg the
other day. Only to find out later, that other stores were more expensive!!
YIKES. But, we're slowly getting re-stocked. We'll likely spend at least
another month here in Kiribati, before we move on to the Marshalls.

I've been feeling a bit under the weather the last couple of days.
Really...who gets the sniffles in the tropics??? Ridiculous.

Labels: Kiribati, Tarawa, engine, sightseeing, food, provisioning

A Few Images of Kanton

2011-09-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

The Moray Eel are their favorite fish

Eric sews up a Kiribati courtesy flag

Hermit crabs feast on shark

Rooting around amongst the junk

A fire extinguisher from the 50s (?)

A tribute to the Samoan Clipper

Katua and Davis show off their afternoon catch

Tires are a common toy around here

Cutting up the cake tabacco

The daily slaughter - tonight we're eating Trevaly

Eric at the tiller of the USS President Taylor

A few of the bullet tips we collected on the beach

Fish drying in the sun

I've also added a few pictures to the blog posts from Kanton - look back in the blog to check them out.

Arrived in Tarawa, Kiribati

2011-09-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

We made the move. We decided to head to Tarawa, the main island in Kiribati,
to work on the engine. I was disappointed that we didn't stay for Saturday's
mass and feast, but the weather forecast showed us that after Friday, the
winds were going to drop dramatically. So, on Friday morning, we went ashore
to say our good-byes. Masa and Bwebweniman, who have been so friendly, and
have hosted us for tea, were sad to see us go. We left them a small gift of
canned pears and some tea. After we left, they called us back to give us
their pandanas mat. This was a big deal. After all...they were just visiting
this village for the church celebrations, and this would be their sleeping
mat. I tried to refuse. But she wouldn't hear of it. So, we now have a
beautiful, hand woven pandanas leaf mat. Gorgeous.

Our overnight passage was uneventful. We made good time. Too good. We
arrived in the dark. So, I just tacked away from the island, and sailed for
an hour, before returning to the island in the daylight. The pass is HUGE,
and there are many tankers here, so it was a fairly easy entrance, and we
quickly found a nice spot to anchor, fairly close to the big city of Betio
(pronounced Besio...remember Kiribati language pronounces 'TI' as 'SI' or
'S').

Although we had placed bets on how many sailboats would be here - we were
both right. John guessed there would be none. I guessed one. Turns out there
is one motor sailor here - from Australia. They dinghied over after wee
anchored and gave us some local info on hardware stores, the best spot for
chinese food, and groceries. After a quick nap, we went ashore. The town is
pretty dirty and crowded, as we'd heard. But we did find a great Chinese
restaurant, and a store selling eggs and sausages! MMMmmm

Today has been raining on and off all day. Very unusual for us. We've had no
sun. But, we've been collecting rain water, and our water tanks are full!!
We're now running the generator to charge our batteries, so we can watch a
movie later. ICE (the motor sailor) has invited us over for dinner, so we
look forward to chatting and hearing more about the island. They've been
here for quite some time as they wait for engine parts, so they'll be a
great source of local info.

Exploring Abemama

2011-09-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we rented a motorbike from a couple who we met while hanging out
in front of the bank/telephone co/admin bldg/etc. They were waiting to be
paid for their copra harvest, and expected they would be waiting most of the
day. In the meantime, they offered us their motorbike to explore! And
explore, we did! We jumped at the opportunity and headed out on the dusty
trail. Well, sandy trail, actually. We decided to travel South, and went all
the way to the end of the island...about an 8 mile trip.

We passed over three causeways and through a dozen or so villages. Most
villages have a church and a maneaba - a community gathering place, usually
a cement foundation with a steep, metal roof, that hangs low on the side, so
you must stoop to enter. Most homes are small raised wooden platforms with
thatched roofs for sleeping. Some are left open to the breeze, while others
are closed in with coconut leaf mats, or with wooden slats. Each family may
have one or more sleeping platforms, and a separate cooking hut. In some
cases we saw a small screened area that contained a pit toilet, but more
often, they used the beach for that purpose.

We also popped into a couple of the stores on the island. Our trip wasn't
planned, so we hadn't eaten lunch. But, as with the other stores we'd
visited here, there wasn't much that you could eat off the shelf. Most
stores sell some canned goods and a few bulk staples (rice, sugar, flour),
there wasn't much that we could eat for lunch. I offered to John that we
could eat some dried instant ramen noodles - a throwback to my childhood -
but he refused. We settled on a package of crackers, and big bottle of
water.

It was a great day. Even though I'm not sure my butt will recover anytime
soon. Three hours perched on a steel luggage rack...yowsers.

Feast or Fix

2011-09-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? We've already been here a week. We were planning to
stay here at least another week. Not least of all because of this:
Once again, we've stumbled onto a time of local celebration - this week is
important in the Catholic Church here - we are celebrating the Virgin Mary.
There is daily mass (we think), and it all culminates on Saturday with a
morning mass, followed by a big community feast. Already there are people
staying here from other villages. For two days, the women have been wearing
a blue dress - all identical - to mass. We understand that Saturday's dress
will be yellow. There is a great sewing bee going on in many of the homes as
these dresses are prepared. (By the way...hand crank sewing machines like
mine are the norm here)!

So, needless to say, we're glad to be here, and are looking forward to the
community feast, and all the celebrations that lead up to it. But, we are
cruising after all....so of course, there must be some critical boat part
that needs maintenance!

John has discovered that we have a problem with our transmission. So now,
we're contemplating our options. Stay for the celebration?? Or leave early
for Tarawa to work on the engine? Tarawa, though it is the capital of
Kiribati, is not likely to be the end-all and be-all of repair locations.
After all, this is a very poor country. We're not sure if engine work will
be possible in Tarawa, or if we'll need to keep moving to a bigger port.
Lots to think about - we'll keep you posted!

Abemama - Off the Beaten Path

2011-09-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

We're definitely far from the Coconut Milk Run now! The police officer told
us that only one boat came here last year - an Australian.

In our last post, I spoke of our dreams of a dinner ashore. Our hopes were
quickly dashed. Although our outdated guidebook spoke of a hotel, it clearly
hasn't been in operation in many years..

We have walked around on a few occasions. Each time, the children are
pleased to see us, and call out to us "Matang, Matang" (Foreigner).
They like practicing their english...hello/bye-bye. The adults are much more
shy. They happily respond to our greetings of "Mauri" (hello), but are
reluctant to reach out into further conversation.

On Sunday, we went ashore early, dressed in our Sunday finery, to seek out
the Catholic church. While we waited, we were befriended by a herd of
children, and eventually three of the village women joined in. We had a
lovely conversation, and they seemed impressed with the few words of
Kiribati language that we'd learned in Kanton. After church, we were invited
to join them for tea. We also met a local teacher whose english was
excellent, and he answered many of our questions about the island, and
offered to help us find a motorcycle, that we hope to use to further explore
the island.

By the way...so far we've seen three trucks and one car on the island, but
most people get around on motor bikes. If you're into that sort of thing,
like John is, you may like to know that almost all of the bikes are Honda
Trail 90's...which apparently cost about $2000 AUD brand new. I'll have to
do some more research, but I'm guessing that the average salary in this
country is less than $4000 AUD.

A 'Conversation' at Sea

2011-09-01T18:26:00.000-07:00

So...here is a radio chat I had while on night watch a few days ago. It's
3am. I'm enjoying the stars, listening to a TED lecture on my iPod, when a
warm glow on the horizon develops into a few distinct bright lights. And
it's big.

ME: fishing vessel, fishing vessel located at 00 25S and 178 36E, this is
sailing vessel RENOVA, RENOVA. Do you copy?

RADIO: silence

ME: fishing vessel, fishing vessel located at 00 25S and 178 36E, this is
sailing vessel RENOVA, RENOVA. Do you copy?

RADIO: silence (not unusual. Illegal fishing vessels rarely answer the
radio.)

(5 minutes later)

ME: fishing vessel, fishing vessel located at 00 25S and 178 36E, this is
sailing vessel RENOVA, RENOVA. Do you copy?

RADIO: silence

(5 minutes later)

ME: fishing vessel, this is RENOVA. I am 3 miles east of your position and
headed your way. I would like to know the location and length of your
fishing gear.

RADIO: silence

ME: Fishing vessel, this is RENOVA, I am altering my course to pass 2 miles
to the south of you. Is this ok?

RADIO: silence

(5 minutes later)

RADIO: gobbledeygoop

ME: fishing vessel, this is Renova. Go ahead.

RADIO: gobbledey goop

ME: I do not copy. Please repeat. Please repeat

RADIO: no english. Fishing.

ME: Roger. You are fishing. Are you fishing squid? Tuna?

RADIO: tuna

(great - he could have long lines)

ME: how long your lines?

RADIO: no english

ME: two miles? 5 miles??

RADIO: silence

ME: do you have any kiribati crew who can talk on radio?

RADIO: silence

ME: I will pass 2 miles south of you. Is that OK?

RADIO: silence

(5 minutes later)

RADIO: gobbledeygoop

ME: Please repeat.

RADIO: too close please.

ME: Roger. I copy. I will alter course. Thank you.

(I quickly put his lights to my stern, until he is once again on the other
side of the horizon. Only then do I reset the sails and return to my
course).

As a bit of history...selling fishing rights to foreign vessels is one of
the very few ways that the Kiribati government can develop financial
resources. Unfortunately, there is still LOTS of illegal fishing here. And
with only one patrol boat, it is impossible to police this huge area. In
recent years, the Phoenix Islands have been declared a protected area, and
only locals will be permitted to fish in the waters surrounding those
islands.

Aug 29
Labels: Kiribati, radio

Arrived in Abemama

2011-08-31T21:09:00.000-07:00

We made it! We're now anchored off the village of Kariatebike on the island
(atoll) of Abemama. We made the trip in just under 7 days - averaging 5.8
knots, which is a great speed for us. In total we travelled 955 nautical
miles, a few more than the pass-to-pass distance of 907, as we had to gybe
back and forth of our course line after the loss of our whisker pole. A
great trip.

Winds were consistently 15-20 knots, although a bit lighter for the last two
days. The swell was irregular, and from 3 directions, the largest swell was
about 3 meters from the SE, but not close together. Easterly swell was about
1.5 meters and more regular. So the boat had occasional rolly periods, which
kept us (and our stomachs) on our toes. As a result, we didn't do much
emailing, with the exception of a couple of blog posts. HUGE thanks to
everyone who sent us emails in the last couple weeks. We really enjoy
receiving them and getting news from home - it really is the highlight of
our day. I'll work on catching up with our replies over the next couple
days.

Now that we've arrived, we'll have a quick nap. Our anchorage is (for the
moment) flat calm. We're about 1/2 a mile from the beach, as the coral flats
in front of the village dries at low tide. Apparently we can only go to the
beach during the 2 hours before and after high tide. No problem, today that
corresponds with dinner time...whenever possible, we like to celebrate a
passage with a meal out!

Oh, we found the 'spot' locater...so we can now send our position again. Not
very useful now, as I suspect we'll be pretty stationary for a while.
Friends of ours recently said that they like to stay somewhere at least as
long as the time it took to get there! Good philosophy, I think.

Our current position:
00 24N
173 54E

Over 1/2 way to Abemama

2011-08-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

We are 390 miles from Abemama. 4 days. Maybe 3, if we continue kicking butt
at this pace. And in the last few minutes we crossed into the Eastern
Hemisphere.

The sailing continues to be good. Our overall average is still 5.8 knots.
We're very happy with that speed. The broken whisker pole means that we
can't go directly downwind on our course, and we've had to sail slightly off
the wind and gybe back and forth, adding more miles. At least the sails stay
full, and we don't have to endure as much slapping and banging.

All is well aboard Renova. Our stash of muffins that I baked is now gone, as
is the chicken curry John made. So now, we're cooking again. Well....not
sure if you can really call K.D.* cooking. But we did have steak and mashed
potatoes last night. Pretty deluxe. The Kiribati patrol boat provided the
locals with lots of chicken and beef, and they included us when the divided
it up into portions. It had been a while since we'd eaten meat that didn't
come from a can...what a treat!!

We're checking our email anxiously these days...eager to hear news of a new
baby for our good friends, G&D. It is times like this when we miss being
home!

Current Position at noon local time on August 28 is:
00° 50 S, 179° 59 E

A note to our family...sorry about the lack of 'spot' messages....we can't
find the spot gadget at the moment. But, we haven't looked very hard. We'll
continue to post our position online every two or three days.

*K.D. = Kraft Dinner, of course. Macaroni and Cheese.

Aug 28
Labels: Kiribati, passage

Kanton to Abemama - Day 3

2011-08-25T15:38:00.000-07:00

We're having a wonderful sail. 15 knots of wind, pushing us along at 5.5
knots towards our next coral atoll, Abemama. There is a huge swell that is
coming from the south east, so we get a good roll once in a while, but
otherwise, the ride is very comfortable, and neither of us is feeling ill.
In fact, we both cracked open new books on day one. Super unusual for me to
be reading on the first day!

We're spending our days napping and reading. I'm already on book #2
(Wicked). Porpoises have just stopped by to check us out, but we must not
have been too interesting, as they didn't stick around.

Last night was another fabulous night watch. John woke me at 1:30 am for my
turn in the cockpit and I spent the next 6 hours gazing at the stars,
watching the horizon for boats (none seen), and giggling out loud while I
listened to Stuart McLean on my iPod. Oh yeah...and snacked on Pringles. It
is times like this that I think everyone should do a trip like this.

The night before was not one of those times. First, the whisker pole broke.
Then a block snapped off the traveller. Then a lifeline. And each one seemed
to occur right in the middle of a rain squall. Requiring us to both be on
deck, soaking wet, until we were fixed and underway again.

We look forward to the next few days. On this passage we'll be passing over
the equator back into the Northern Hemisphere. We'll also be passing into
the Eastern Hemisphere, over that important 180 degrees, where our longitude
will start to get smaller as we go west, instead of bigger, as it has until
now. This is usually the international date line, but we've been a day ahead
of home for the past few weeks, and the entire country of Kiribati has moved
the date line to ensure the whole country is on the same date as Australia.

Our position at Aug 26, 1:30 pm local time: 02°02 S, 175°45 W

Aug 26
Labels: passage, Kiribati, gear

Thank You Kanton

2011-08-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

Wow...After five weeks, we'll finally be moving on. Without a doubt, Kanton
has been the warmest place that we've been privileged to visit on this
voyage. The people have welcomed us into their homes and hearts. We've never
been without an interpreter, fish for dinner, some rusty relic to explore,
or a companion for tea. What an amazing place.

Tomorrow, we'll head to the beach one last time, to say goodbye to our new
friends. It won't be easy.

Takarei and her family

And most difficult of all...we'll also be saying goodbye to Eric, whom we've
been travelling with, on and off, for 5 months. In a few days he will also
weigh anchor, but his destination is south to Tonga. After spending every
day with him here, we're sad at the thought of parting ways.
We're already scheming about ways to return here in the future. Maybe our
next cruise? Maybe by air? There is talk of re-opening the massive runway.

A few of the vases we received

Next stop...Abemama. 900 miles to the north west - a downwind run. We expect
the passage to take 8-10 days. The island atoll is in the Gilberts - a group
of islands that also belong to the Republic of Kiribati. We hear that there
are two MP's on the island, therefore, it must have at least 1000 people. We
have an older cruising guide that says over 2000! Hurray. Do you know what
that means?? A STORE! We'll be able to re-stock on supplies. We've been
eating fish everyday, so most of our supplies are fine, but we are in
desperate need of eggs, flour and pringles.

Matangara

2011-08-23T11:33:00.000-07:00

Coming soon to Kanton Island is the arrival of the Matangara...the big cargo
ship! It visits two times per year. And they are hoping it might arrive next
week. In addition to bringing heaps of food, an outboard motor, and other
various goodies, the ship will also bring a few more residents. Four
children will return here to be with their families during the school break.
Also, Davis' wife will be coming on the ship, after taking their small son
to Fiji to live with his grandfather (it is very typical for grandparents to
raise the small children).

We were hoping to be here for the arrival of the ship. But it has already
been delayed a few times. We don't know when it will leave Tarawa (the
capital), so we've decided to move on.

Labels: Kanton, Kiribati

Teanoai Anticipation

2011-08-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

The whole community is anxious for the arrival of the Teanoai this morning.
The Kiribati patrol boat is scheduled to arrive today, on its return trip
from Christmas Island. They usually stay for a few days, in order to catch a
few fish to take home to their families. We're also excited. They have a
watermaker!!

This morning, I'm doing heaps of laundry, in hopes that they will be able
and willing to help us by refilling our tanks! It hasn't rained all week,
and things are starting to get a bit smelly around here.

Shell Collecting

2011-08-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, when we went ashore, I found out that Temarive and Maria were
going shell collecting! HURRAY!! Eric and I quickly grabbed bicycles, and
went along. It was a full moon, so thus very low tides, and we found
ourselves wading on a shallow coral shelf looking for small (1 cm) white
shells that hid themselves in small nooks and crannies in the coral. It was
slow going at first, but we soon got the hang of it, and were pulling these
small, unsuspecting creatures from their happy homes, and depositing them
into our 4 gallon jug that I'd tied to my shorts. After an hour, I think I
had about an inch of shells in the bottom of my jug.

Today, Lucy and I went back and collected again!

Not at all in line with the yoga book I'm now reading that espouses
vegetarianism and the importance of karma. Yikes.

A Typical Sunday

2011-08-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our fourth Sunday here in Kanton. Wow. Over three weeks
already. Not sure where the time has gone, but we're still having an amazing
time.

So I thought I'd summarize a typical Sunday...

Today's church service was in Tiim's new house. They started the house
earlier in the week, and it is now mostly finished (building code is less
stringent here). We all assembled on mats of coconut fronds, and were able
to alternate between standing and sitting, which was a welcome relief from
the last few weeks with sitting room only. We're definitely not used to long
hours of sitting cross legged on the floor.
After the service, we relaxed with the parish, 13 people plus us 3, for tea
and chatting. Usually we get a bit of teasing about why we aren't singing
more. At least this week, we could sing one of the songs...it only had one
word - Hallelujah!

After tea, we quickly return to the boats to pick up our food, and I usually
change out of my church whites, into a more floor-coloured skirt. Then we
return with our food to the rusty warehouse, and settle in on the floor
where we chat for a few minutes while everyone assembles, or at least all
the men. John (not my John, rather, the teacher's husband) starts the
celebration with a welcome, the protestant priest provides a blessing, and
everyone claps three times to get started!

Us guests always eat first, as much as we've tried to delay! After we are
re-seated (with plate and spoon), the men attack the buffet table. The women
don't eat until all of the men are finished. This was a bit awkward at
first, but we're getting used to it. They also sit at the far end of the
warehouse, away from the circle formed by the men and guests, and seem to be
enjoying lots of laughs amongst themselves.

The buffet tables are heaped with food. All sorts of ramen. Who knew it was
possible to serve it in so many different ways? Here is a sample of this
week:
- fried ramen with corned beef and greens
- boiled ramen with chicken seasoning
- ramen with salted fish
- ramen with pumpkin

I know. Ramen Heaven.

This week, we brought along some of my chocolate chip cookies. They were
slow to move. At first. After all...they don't have cookies here. Not in the
stores. Ever. So...they are a definite foreign object. But Davis started by
tasting one. And then started telling everyone how terrible they were - not
very convincing when he had just stacked four more on his plate. Well, that
did it. Soon, all the men had cookies heaped on their plate. Sheesh. I was
worried that there wouldn't be enough left by the time the women and
children had their turn at the table. But it worked out well. Those who
wanted to, had a chance to try the cookies. And we laughed as we watch some
families hoard a few cookies and take them home. I guess we know what to
make for next week's feast!!

Because no one works on the Sabbath - Sunday is a relaxed day. We often
witness long naps. Or movie marathons, on the one TV in the village. But
this week, the men brought together the guitars, and they sang together for
hours. It was wonderful. Multi-part harmonies. They even wrote down a few
lyrics so we could join in. Can't wait for next week...

A School Visit

2011-08-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, Eric and I visited the school. We were treated to three
lovely songs by the children. One was "Do Your Ears Hang Low"!! It was
awesome! We also spent some time crowded around a big world map, and
identifying where Kiribati and Kanton were, as well as Canada and America.
Then we took the kids across to Takarai's house, where we started up the
generator, and showed them a slideshow of images from Canada and USA,
including our families, our homes, and scenes from BC and WA including some
of the local wildlife! It was a great afternoon.

Kanton - lost in time

2011-08-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

I don't really know where the days are going here. In fact, yesterday, I was
sure it was Thursday. But according to ABC news (Australia Broadcasting Corp
on the High Freq radio), it was definitely Friday. Great...another day lost.
I have no idea where.

How do you lose a day when you keep a daily journal? Sheesh.
Kiribati is on the same side of the date line as Australia and New Zealand.
The date line take a huge right turn to encompass the country, so although
north and south of us is Friday today, we're one day away from another day
of church and another feast.

This week has been pretty mellow. We had a few quiet days in the anchorage,
but lately the winds have been picking up again, and we're once again
dealing with intermittent squalls with winds in the 30+ knot range. Not
often, but a couple times a day. It has been great for collecting
water....we were getting low on washing water!

But...because school here takes place in an old warehouse with a leaky roof,
school was cancelled because of rain. Too bad. I was planning a school visit
with the kids. Oh well. Next week is exam week, so not sure if I'll be able
to visit without being too disruptive.

It's been a good week, though. We've done some exploring, lots of boat
projects, sewing, shelling, reading, snorkelling, playing dice, etc. The
boys have been out each afternoon to be sure we have fish on the table for
dinner. In fact, the last grouper they got was humongous!

Eggs Aboard

2011-08-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

John and I left Samoa with 6 dozen eggs. But we eat a lot. Most mornings for
breakfast. Baking. Pancakes. Etc. We also had a HUGE stalk of bananas on
board...so lots of eggs were used for banana bread. The good news is that
they last a long time. But, you must remember to flip the cartons
regularly...so the yolks don't stick to the shell.

Shortly after arriving at Canton, Eric's eggs were on the verge of
sulphurizing. Yuck. So we quickly devised a plan to make quiche for the
Sunday village feast. No problem. He made the pastry. I mixed up his eggs
with some canned cream. I threw in some canned spinach and canned crab.
Presto. Yum.

The locals loved it and asked for more. Oh no. Renova's supply of eggs was
getting low, and we couldn't really fathom losing a dozen or so eggs in one
dish. So...we did what Tom Neale* would have done. We collected Tern eggs.
Here is the trick, learned from Neale. If you put the egg into a cup of
water (salt water is fine), the good eggs will sink to the bottom and lie on
their side. Yeah. The fertilized eggs will sit on the bottom, in an upright
position. Put it back. And the rotten ones will float. Run away.

Tern Eggs

Eric made Tern egg quiche again the following Sunday. John refused to eat
it.

*Tom Neale wrote the cruising classic, "An Island to Oneself", about his
time living along on Suwarrow in the Cook Islands.

Shelling Heaven

2011-08-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

If there is a shelling heaven, I've reached it.

Yesterday, the matriarch of Kanton, Tekarai, invited me to do some shell art
with her. When we arrived, we were gifted with shell necklaces, and have
since received an ornate vase, in thanks for some epoxy and other supplies
that John provided.

But now, I would learn.

I arrived early in the day (10 am) to begin the adventure. Tekarai showed me
the basics of preparing the shells, and I immediately got busy with punching
two holes in each small shell. Also, I sorted the shells into the sizes that
I'd be using for my project, a bracelet. With help from Tekarai and her son,
Kabuta, I was shown the basics and was on my way! With a few minutes, Eric
stopped by the house, and also started to create shell magic. What a day. By
mid-day, I only had to add the crowning glory...a border of dark seeds and a
shell clasp that would finish my art! Now, I was ready for a more advanced
project - a vase!

It was interesting to learn that everyone here makes shell art...the men and
the women. They use these shell pieces for trade with passing boats, and
they return them to the other islands, where they are sold to the tourists.
What I've done so far is the easy part. During the full moon, the shells are
collected and laid out to dry, which may take up to two weeks. Then, the
shells are individually cleaned. Eric and I used hundreds of shells in our
projects, so we are now interested in helping them with the collection
process to replace the shells that we have used.

Kanton - A tour of the warship

2011-07-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

The patrol boat arrived on Wednesday. It is Kiribati's only patrol boat. 32
meters. And we got a grand tour. I don't know when the last time that you
got to tour your country's largest/smallest/best war ship, but that is what
happened. The X.O. gave us a tour, and we chatted for a while in the mess
about the ship, the patrol, and the country. He gave us lots of good info on
islands that have a pass into the lagoon and/or good anchorages.

As with all visitors, the community held a feast for the crew. A fabulous
meal was served to thank these men for coming to the island and bringing a
few supplies for them. They will return again, on their way back from
Kirimati (Christmas) Island, and they will stay a few days in order to do
some fishing before their return to Tarawa. Perhaps we will see them again!

Kanton - A bouncy anchorage

2011-07-26T20:27:00.000-07:00

We've had consistent squally weather since arriving here at Kanton Island.
Our passage was fast with fresh winds, and the winds have continued while we
have been here. Some days we prefer to stay on the boat to be sure that she
doesn't move from her holding. Or simply because a rough and wet dinghy ride
doesn't sound like fun. We've had a few days where the winds have blown over
30 knots and our two boats are bouncing up and down over the swells that
have built up in the lagoon.

Here we are, setting a second anchor

We have set a second anchor, and haven't moved, so we're feeling pretty
confident in the setup. To be sure, Eric dove on both of our anchors to
inspect the connections, and be sure they were well set. Our primary anchor
was buried so deep in the sand, it was almost invisible. At least we now
feel very secure.
Now that we feel better about our anchor, we're contemplating a bit of
windsurfing. Wow.

Kanton - Snorkelling

2011-07-25T20:22:00.000-07:00

Well, we've had amazing snorkelling on this trip, but I think this place
tops the charts for abundance and size of fish. John, Eric and I snorkelled
near the pass and were amazed by the variety, size, and courageous these
fish were. They had no fear of us, or of the boys' spear guns. Eric was
having a good day with his spear, and shot two parrotfish, plenty for
dinner.

One of the many dinner fish caught by John and Eric

Unfortunately, during dinner, Eric felt a bit of numbness on his lips. A
symptom of the toxin ciguatera found in some tropical lagoons. Although
Davis assured us that there is no ciguatera in the lagoon, we decided to eat
more pelagic fish in the coming days. No problem. Tuna, barracuda,
wahoo....these are all delightful too!!

Feasting at Kanton

2011-07-24T16:07:00.000-07:00

Kanton welcomed us with a few songs!

Our first day in Kanton was spent chatting with the locals as they prepared
for a funeral feast in honour of Owen's grandmother. Throughout the day, we
watched them bring in a boat load of tuna and eel, some of which were salted
to dry, and others were prepared to be fried for tonight's feast. We also
watched as they brought a pig to the water's edge, where it was killed and
cleaned by Owen and two other men. It took most of the late morning and
early afternoon for the ladies to butcher the pig and prepare it for dinner.

A police boat is expected to come sometime this week, so the families are
all very busy drying various fish to be sent home to their families on the
main island of Tarawa. We're told that fish is difficult to come by at the
busy capital, and can be very expensive to buy. On drying racks throughout
the small community we saw tuna, eel, shark, octopus and wahoo. They told us
that the fish will keep for up to one year when prepared this way.
The evening feast was held in an old, rickety warehouse, whose tin walls
vibrated with the winds, and long strips of roofing threatened to fall at
any moment. This was also used as the schoolhouse, when they are living at
the wharf, instead of their usual village. After short speech giving tribute
to Owen and his grandmother, guests were invited to eat first, along with
the men. After the men had finished eating, the women and children
approached the banquet table.
A long, low, table held dishes prepared by the entire village. The pig was
presented in several ways, as ribs, steaks and other bits and pieces. Many
fish were also prepared - fried in garlic salt, salted, etc. Also the Moray
Eel was available as salted or fresh. I tried the salted, and it was very
delicious! I didn't get to the fresh eel - there were only HUGE pieces, and
our plates were overflowing. Of course, rice, ramen noodles, bread, pumpkin,
and other delights accompanied the meal. Everyone ate meals from simple
plastic plates, with a spoon and our fingers, while sitting on locally made
woven mats.
On Sunday, we arrived in our best outfits for church. Even in this small
village, we had a choice of a Protestant service (in the warehouse) or a
Catholic service (in the teacher's house). After the service, our welcome
feast began. Again, the table was heaped with dishes provided from the
community. John, who seems to be the local leader, and husband of the head
teacher, gave a short welcome speech, and we were gifted with ornate shell
necklaces, made here on the island. Again, we were invited to dine first,
followed by the men, then the women and children. After a meal, which
featured many of the previous day's delights, plus lobster, we had an
opportunity to express our thanks to the villagers, and present a few of the
small gifts we had brought for them. We had bananas, onions, oranges,
eggplant, bic lighters, fabric, fishing hooks and innertube repair kits,
which they seemed pleased to receive, and quickly divided into 7 equal piles
- one for each family. The villagers were also very pleased with the soccer
ball, frisbees, and heaps of movies that Eric provided. After the
formalities, the men quickly dragged the tv, dvd player, and generator over
to the warehouse, and the entire village crowded around to watch Sin City!

Dom's Photos

2011-07-22T20:42:00.001-07:00

Dom has posted his photos online from his recent visit to us. You can check
them out here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/underwaterwanderer/sets/72157627237726076/

Arrived in Kanton

2011-07-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

We arrived yesterday at 2:30 pm local time at the island of Kanton
(sometimes spelled Canton, but the locals prefer the "K"). As we approached,
a local fishing boat spotted us and guided us through the pass an to the
anchorage.

John has been talking about this island as long as I've known him, and it
truly is a dream come true to be here. Surreal.

After the fisherman guided us to our anchorage, they returned to shore,
where one of them changed into his police uniform, and they returned to our
boat, to check us into the Republic of Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas). We had
a great with Davis, and he gave us a run down of the local community, who
had all moved from their usual village near the old airport, to small shacks
adjacent to the anchorage at the old ship's pier. They had heard that we
were coming, and all were very keen to be here to welcome us. They have only
seen 4 sailboats here since September.

While dropping the anchor, we also dropped the camera into the drink. A sad
day. After the official business of checking in, the police officer returned
with his mask and snorkel and friend, and they helped us to retrieve the
camera from it's 38 foot resting place in the sand. Unfortunately, although
it is supposed to be waterproof, it didn't survive the swim. That's our
second camera disaster in as many months. Sad for a photo-holic such as
myself.

We were exhausted, so after the swim, we ate a quick dinner, and quickly
fell asleep. Winds picked up throughout the evening, and we stood an anchor
watch to be sure we didn't drag all the way to the beach. It is a very open
anchorage, exposed to the winds, but apparently, these conditions are
unusually strong. We hope. We will now put down a second anchor to give us a
good night's sleep.

Today, which is actually Saturday the 23rd, since we have crossed the date
line up here, we greeted Eric (SV Secret Agent Man) with pancakes as he
arrived from his 'knarly' passage. After breakfast, we went ashore and had a
lovely day meeting some of the 26 local people. Each family here has one
member who is an employee of the Kiribati government - there is a medical
officer, two teachers, a police officer, two priests, a post master/radio
operator, and a Weather man. Each employee bring his family, and is required
to stay for a minimum of two years. They all live in the village that was
once an American military base and missile tracking station. The island was
also used as a NASA space communication centre, and the British also had a
flying boat base here. Later, this was a stopping point for Pan Am and a few
other airlines. More history to come in future blog posts, and as we explore
the island.

This evening, we've been invited to attend a funeral celebration for Owen's
grandmother, who recently passed away on one of the other islands (Fanning).
Tomorrow evening, the community will host a welcome feast for us. But first,
we must nap and catch up on lost sleep...

Labels: Kiribati, Kanton, cruisers

Day 5 to Canton - Slowing Down

2011-07-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

We're at day five already. Wind isn't as strong as our first two days, but
we're still keeping up a 5.5 knot average, and the motion is a bit easier.
If we keep this up we'll arrive tomorrow (Thursday) late afternoon. If the
wind dies, like it did last night, we'll have to slow the boat down for a
Friday morning arrival.

We've been listening in to the evening radio 'net' where Eric is reporting
his position. Last night, he was about 28 miles behind us, and making up
time. There is still time for him to catch us. We've got the fishing lines
down, and we're hoping for fish for dinner.

Two days ago, after I uploaded the last blog post, we did indeed get closer
to a small island of Tokelau. Winds were too brisk to allow us to get close
and anchor, but we stalled the boat (hove to) in the lee of the island, and
had two hours of a break from the swell, enabling us to cook up lunch
(ramen), and prep the evening's dinner (chicken stew).

All is well. We're getting lots of sleep, keeping our food down, and looking
forward to our arrival.

At 1300 Samoa Time, our position is:
05 08.2S
171 35.4W
Our ave speed is 5.5.
138 miles to go.

Day Three - En Route to Canton

2011-07-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

Our third day at sea. Winds are brisk - 20 knots or so. Seas are two meters
or more. Once in a while a big wave slams the boat, and she (and we) shudder
loudly in return. But all is well aboard. We move as little as possible in
these rolling conditions...spend at least 22 hours of each day in a
horizontal position. We rise up to look around for other boats.
Speaking of other boats, Eric has decided to join us en route to Canton. We
agreed to race and to have a fish derby en route. We pulled ahead on day one
and haven't seen him since. Can't hail him on the radio. But, without our
lines in the water, we're definitely not going to win the derby. But neither
of us can fathom cooking fish in these conditions, let alone filleting one.
But we need a bit of help for this race. Can any of you racers out there
tell us what our handicap is?? I think the waterline of our 1980 Cape Dory
36 would even out the odds of the sleeker fin keel of his 1969 Cal 33.
Anyway - if any of you happen to have a sense of which of our boats have to
give up some time (and how much), it would sure add to our excitement out
here! Feel free to post in the comments, or send us an email.
As I write this we are abeam of a small island in Tokelau. The island does
not offer a protected anchorage, except in the mildest conditions. But we're
still going to get in a little closer and see...perhaps we can stop for a
moments rest to cook up a proper lunch (i.e. Ramen noodles).
We're almost 1/2 way to Canton. If you're looking for it, it is in the
northern Phoenix Group of Kiribati.

Currently, it is 1130 Samoan Time (-11UTC) on July 18.
Our position is 09 22.57S and 171 18.66W.
Our heading is 356 (well, except for this little side trip looking for a
lunch spot).
Our average speed is a smoking fast 5.6 knots.
John just caught a huge wave, right in the face. Gotta go. :O)

Good bye Beautiful Samoa

2011-07-16T01:55:00.000-07:00

We're leaving Samoa.

"It's easy to say hello, but hard to say goodbye". That is what our cab driving friend Tiali told me today. How right he is. We've had a great time here. We've met incredible people. We've seen stunning natural features and landscapes. It is an incredible country.

But, our pocket books, calendars, and livers are all screaming for a break...so tomorrow, we head for Canton Island, in the Phoenix Group of Kiribati.

We will not have internet again for many months. Please hold off on emailing us with your photos for a while. We will continue to update our blog via the satellite phone. Unfortunately, I won't have enough time to update the blog with all our Samoan adventures, but here's a few images of Samoa.

Dancers at the Fia Fia

Daniel cruising down at the Sliding Rocks (photo by Michelle)

Renova disappearing in the swell (photo by Eric)

Here is Renova and Evangeline bobbing about as we left the harbour during the Tsunami warning. (Photo by Eric)

A few of the interesting items at the fish market (photo by Dom)

Fire dancing (photo by Dom)

The sunset dinghy derby. FISH ON.

Earlier this week, I've added a few other posts of our time in Samoa...but you'll have to scroll down to see them...they are backdated.

Naomi is a Samoan Name

2011-07-13T18:01:00.003-07:00

I've taken to introducing myself as Nah-omi. As opposed to my usual NAY-omi. Rhymes with FA-omi...as in the musical note FA. It is a common Samoan name, and that is the proper pronunciation in Japanese too. So it isn't a stretch. And the local people love it. They always tell me that their wife, cousin, sister, etc is Naomi! Or the ferry. Or Ruth's sister. Cool.

Lots of Updates...just not yet

2011-07-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

We have lots to blog about. Like tons of awesome new gear. And fun trips. New friends. A birthday celebration. Samoan life. But...sadly, our computer has finally bit the dust. Died. *Hit the bed. So, it has been sent to Canada for a hopeful warranty replacement, and I'm now setting up our power-pig, back-up computer to be our emailing, blogging, navigating super-machine. It's not going well.

If you've sent email recently...thank you so much! Especially for all the awesome birthday greetings!! I'll be attempting to recover my email and address book, so I hope to respond to you all soon.

Introducing...MUFFIN

2011-07-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

Our new dinghy. A West Marine special. Super small. Super floaty! Hurray. We have to patch a couple holes, but in the meantime, John is just enjoying it on the dock. Alec is looking pretty pleased too.

Return to Savaii

2011-07-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

We decided to go back to the island of Savaii. Another island in Samoa - less populated. We took the boat there, but because of prevailing winds, we didn't get to see the South part of the island, which we are told is also beautiful. So Eric, Dom, John and I decided to part with a very large amount of Tala (Samoan currency) and book a trip with a local tour company. It was awesome. We took the ferry over...which was similar to our BC Ferries...except that the ferry was donated by some Japanese company that hopes to build a mega resort here. Hmmm. The return trip on the smaller boat was more like travelling to Quadra or Gabriola Island. And we used the time to play a little dice.

Anyway...this is what we saw...

A local waterfall. Photo by Eric.

Small piglet

Cute kids

Crazy blowholes, which in typical Samoan fashion, you can get right up close to, peer inside, and hope not to be washed away! Photos by Dom. (Note the coconut husks being thrown from the hole at the very top left corner of the picture).

The Driver's house for lunch

A local beach for snorkelling, where Eric and I saw turtles.

A local home where they showed us how they make siapo (or tapa cloth from the bark of the mulberry tree). Photo from Eric.

A great day! We were exhausted.

Catch me now...

2011-07-06T18:01:00.000-07:00

Here's our new Yamaha 4hp Outboard. And John whipping around the marina with it's newly installed carburetor. Happy guy.

A New Ride

2011-06-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

So, if you've been following along with this blog...or if you know me a little... you may know that I've been jones'in for a folding bike for some time. A small bike would be the perfect get-around vehicle for these small islands, where the anchorage isn't always beside the bank and/or grocery store.

As luck would have it, our dive charter company had a couple of small folding bikes for their employees, and they were going to upgrade to mtn bikes!! Hurray for me. He sold one of them to me for $300 tala. About $120 CDN. And the best part...it is blue! It is pretty small, not at all well-fitting, single speed, poorly equipped, but worth every penny. Apia is about a 10-15 minute walk, so the bike makes little errands super easy. And...there aren't many bikes here, so the locals get a kick out of seeing me with my little bike. I'm just as happy as can be.

Daily Ritual

2011-06-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

While in Samoa, we've had to work hard to keep cool in the blistering heat. Being in the marina doesn't allow the breeze to flow through the boat, so it is stifling hot. We suffer. By the afternoon, we're all ready for a break. Most days, we head to the pool at Aggie Gray's Hotel for happy hour. Not much is better than a cold cocktail and a swim.

Touring

2011-06-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

Eric (SV Secret Agent Man), Dom, John and I had a fabulous tour around the island with Tiali. We saw the To Sua Ocean Trench, some great falls, beautiful beaches, local homes, a Bahaii house of worship. After a day in the car...we were exhausted...but happy!

Tomorrow, we leave marina comforts for the less developed island of Savai'i. We've been granted permission from the Prime Minister's office to tour around the island for one week.

Christmas in Samoa

2011-06-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

Dom is here!! He arrived late on Monday, with a pack FULL of goodies from
our wish list, and odd treats sent from friends and family. Thanks to
everyone who filled his bag, especially Amy, Dave, Mum, Murray and Celina!
We are now happily fixing the outboard, eating chocolate and conditioning my
hair! Ahhh...the simple pleasures!!

We spent his first day exploring town and seeking the Prime Minister's
permission to explore some of the outer anchorages. Today, we hope to tour
the island with our taxi-driving friend, Tiali.

Marina living...

2011-06-21T11:13:00.000-07:00

They have a new marine here in Apia. Only a couple years old. Nice cement
docks. And you MUST tie up here. There is no longer any anchoring permitted
in the harbour. They even send out a boat to greet you, guide you into your
berth and help you to tie up. And...there is drinkable water (hurray) and
electricity (220v - not so handy for us). And of course, there is a nightly fee...which adds up quickly.

Marina living is pretty good. We were put into the slip right at the bottom
of the ramp to shore, so we have met everyone here. Not many cruising boats
here - a couple of empty sailboats, and a few fishing charter boats.
Everyone has been super friendly. And for the first time in memory, we're
the largest boat, for the moment. Weird. So we've been having quite a few
dinners aboard Renova.

Here we are enjoying musical performances from Alec (fishing guide aboard
Southern Destiny) and Shawn (local from across the street). Dom and Eric
also provided musical entertainment for the evening!

Siva Afi

2011-06-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

We have been lucky to arrive in Apia, Samoa in time for the 10th Annual International Siva Afi competition. Siva Afi is fire dancing. So for the past three evenings, we've enjoyed first the seniors qualifications, the juniors, and the finals! There is big stakes for this competition. The winner receives $3000 tala...almost 3/4 of the average annual income!

The shows were incredible. It was difficult to take photos, but I'll try to process some of the small video clips in the coming days.

Here are John and I, sporting our lava lavas...the sarongs that are commonly worn by men and women in the Samoas.

When was the last time...

2011-06-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

That you had to bring in a flat bed truck in order to take home the fish you just caught??

Well, I have to admit that I've never had to call in a truck for my fishing exploits. In fact. All the fish I've ever caught (in my life) would probably fit into the trunk of my Civic.

SO...that provides a bit of context for this...

I'm sitting in the boat, cleaning the galley (guest is coming, remember), and this is what I see out the port hole!!

Without doubt the biggest Marlin I've ever seen. The young guy, Ryan, caught the fish.

It took him 2 and a half hours to bring it to the boat. And then they had to drag it to the marina, as they couldn't bring it aboard. Whew. It weighed 198 KILOS!! It was a Blue Marlin. Beautiful. Amazing. Humongous. And Sad.

A Birthday Party!

2011-06-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

La Familia threw a birthday party for Liva's 2nd birthday, even though we were a few days late. Grandma and Grandpa were visiting, and with several other boats, we had enough people to warrant cakes and ice cream!! Hurray.

Here we are...singing Happy Birthday in English and Norwegian!

Arrived in Samoa

2011-06-15T23:55:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Samoa this morning, after an overnight sail under a full moon from American Samoa. The port control met us in the harbour and led us to a berth in the new marina. Throughout the day, we've been visited by Customs, Public Health, Agriculture and Immigration officials.

We are currently snuggled into the Apia marina, our first marina since Mexico!! Our position is 13°49.6 S, 171°45.5 W

Our friends on La Familia are also here, and Secret Agent Man has just arrived. We're looking forward to exploring! But first...we'll catch up on some zzzzzz's.

Canton Vid

2011-06-14T18:37:00.001-07:00

We've really enjoyed our time here. Met tons of new people. Most of the folks in the anchorage have been here for a while, and have good stories to tell. Barbarella shared with us their story and video of the 2009 tsunami here. Wow. And several of the boats were here for this year's cyclone. We also had the opportunity to talk with cruisers who spent 4 months at Canton Island. We hope to go there, so it was fabulous to hear their impressions, and get their feedback on what would be useful things to take for the community (bic lighters, innertube patches, gasoline and fabric!).

They also showed us their video on Canton. It was fabulous, feel free to have a look:

Thoughts on American Samoa and Pago Pago

2011-06-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

Some quick thoughts on Pago Pago...

incredibly friendly people
conservative culture - long skirts and sleeves are the norm
very religious...multiple churches on every block. Most people go to church everyday, and maybe even multiple churches.
when the wind is just right, the smell from the tuna factory is...well...ripe
check in and out was easy for us.$65 total.
Shopping was American prices. And surprisingly...all American brands. wild.
Huge unemployment here. Tough economy. Major employers are the tuna cannery, and the police/military/gov't.
Lots of garbage. Everywhere.
Love the lavalava (sarong-style skirts worn by everyone).

We're on our way this afternoon for an overnight sail to Samoa. (Used to be Western Samoa or Independant Samoa). We're going in tandem with Secret Agent Man, and looking forward to seeing La Familia. Aparently, we'll be tying up at a marina! Wahoo!!

Mt. Alava

2011-06-12T17:50:00.000-07:00

Another climb to the top! This time, Mt Alava provided a nice climb to its peak along a deserted service road, to the radio tower at the top. There were also the rusty remains of an old cable car that used to transport tourists across the harbour up to this point.

Pago Pago Harbour - with Pago Pago village on the right and Fagatogo village on the left. Renova is the 2nd boat on the right.

Pago Pago Harbour

The descent would have been a fabulous MOMAR adventure race course! It was steep, with ladders and ropes to guide us down the slopes to the village of Vatia. We had wobbly Elvis-legs by the time we reached the bottom of the village.

Just a few of the 783 steps on the descent

It was Sunday, when swimming is frowned up, so we sat in the shade of a tree, while we hoped for a car that would come by to give us a lift back to the other side of the harbour. After 20 minutes, two wonderful ladies drove by and were more than happy to drive us back to the boat, giving us important economic and culture lessons of Samoa along the way!

More Outboard Engine Repair

2011-06-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

I know. You're scratching your head, wondering what is wrong with that picture. Yet another pic of John tinkering with our outboard. But wait a minute. That isn't a 70's era Evinrude?? I KNOW!! :O)

We noticed our next-door-boat had this tiny outboard on his stern, and a great big dinghy, with a good sized outboard. We decided to investigate. Turns out...he isn't using this one. It doesn't run, but hasn't been used
too much and isn't very old, and he's happy to sell it to us, if we can get it running. Well... You can only imagine the monstrous grin on John's face!

John's in his happy place. Cleaning fuel lines. Rebuilding the carbarator. Going for laps around Renova. Happy guy.

Provisioning...gone to heaven!

2011-06-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

Riding the buses is a great adventure - blaring music, cheap - $1, and lots of local culture

We joined forces with the crew from Selah for a mission out to the Cost-U-Less. Just like Costco. It was a great mission! John and I loaded up with staples and were happy to be paying US prices, much cheaper than in French Polynesia!

Just like home...almost

The crew of Selah had other prioirities. The four boys managed to fill up a cart's worth of items just from the sweets and treats aisle! Nice.

We had planned to share a cab back to town, but we were thrilled when Roland, the store manager, offered to take take us and our loot back in his truck! We loaded in, and took off. The boys were stuffed in between boxes of licorice and gummy bears, and Dixie and I riding in style in the cab!

A boat load of groceries!

It was touch and go, but we managed to fit all our goodies into the dinghy in one load. Hurray. But...that's only half of it. Now we have to find places to stash all this stuff on the boat!

Fitting everything into our little dinghy!

New Photos!!

2011-06-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

I've just spent the whole day uploading photos! It isn't fast internet, but it is free. If you're interested, you'll see the new photos added to previous blog entries - all the way back to our time at Maupiti.

AND...I've uploaded even more photos to our flickr photo site - check them out with the link on the right, or view the slide shows by clicking here:

Dolphin Identification Help Please

2011-06-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

We had dolphin visitors on our passage from Suwarrow to American Samoa. They
don't appear in my marine mammal guides for BC. Go figure? So...for those of
you marine mammal experts, or those with good internet...please help.

The dolphins were similar in shape to our striped dolphin at home. They were
sleek looking, about 2 meters long, and with a pointed snout. They were
solid grey all over, with some having whitish spots or speckles visible on
their backs. Also, most seemed to have a white tip on their snout. If you
have any suggestions, we'd love help to solve the riddle. Feel free to use
the comment box below.

Arrival in American Samoa

2011-06-05T17:07:00.000-07:00

We have just arrived in American Samoa. We travelled the 465 nm in under 4
days. We had a beautiful downwind sail the entire way, only occasionally
having to do minor adjustments to the sails from time to time. We spent the
time reading, listening to podcasts, watching Dexter and just lounging.

We're now in American Samoa. Because we've arrived on a Sunday, we can't
officially check in with customs until tomorrow (unless we want to pay
overtime fees), so we are supposed to stay on the boat until we are cleared.
Others in the anchorage have already told us that they are rigid about the
rules, but relaxed and friendly, and won't mind us going ashore. Hmmm.

The Sunkist Tuna Factory. Best not to be downwind.

The harbour here is pretty disgusting. Plastic floats all around us. The
tuna factory on the shores provides a distinctive odour. But, the mountains
that rise above each side of the harbour are lush and green, and the
buildings are painted in a variety of bright and cheerful colors. We're looking
forward to exploring.

We were pleased to see two familiar boats in the anchorage - Australia 31 and Secret Agent Man. We received a warm welcome and enjoyed catching up on the last few weeks over evening cocktails!

Yacht Anchorage - we're here with 10 boats, most of whom have spent the season here.

We passed the golden arches on the way into the harbour, and now all John
can talk about is burgers and french fries. I expect we'll be making a visit
before too long. Not sure how I can be so anti-McD's at home, yet cave so
easily here. Nostalgia? Perhaps.

On the move again...

2011-06-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

After an incredible 2+ weeks at Suwarrow, we're now on route to Pago Pago in
American Samoa. We've got a beautiful breeze from the stern and we're
sailing along wing-on-wing. We left yesterday with La Familia, and although
we may be slightly ahead of them, they are winning the fishing derby.
They've just caught a nice mahi mahi. John has switched lures and we're
hoping to catch up. After all...there is some good chocolate promised to the
winner!

Dolphins have visited on John's watch, all is well on board. The trip is
about 450 nautical miles, so we expect to arrive Sunday night, or Monday
morning.

Current Position is:
1015 Samoa Time (-11GMT)
13 24.1S
164 39.1W

Demain, Demain...

2011-06-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, tomorrow... That is the common refrain when asked when we plan to
leave this paradise. As it turns out we really had the boat all ready to go,
when a big potluck feast was planned on the beach with all the boats. It
didn't take much arm twisting to convince us to stay one more day.

John, Kleng and John (the park caretaker) took on the task of catching the
evening's fish. First they attempted to harpoon them on the reef
traditionally - remmber Tom Hanks in Castaway?? Yep. Like that. When that
didn't result in more than one small parrotfish, they returned to modern
methods and took the tin boat out to the pass and trolled. They came back
with a nice size grouper. The caretakers prepared this fish, and some
previously caught wahoo, four different ways! Marinated in soy and sweet
chile, secret flour recipe and fried, poisson cru-style, AND smoked.
Delicious.

Ranger John shreds coconut for marinating the fish

James (the other caretaker) showed me how to husk sprouted coconuts to get
the soft part inside, in order to make uto pancakes! YUM.

James teaches me to make Uto Pancakes from the sweet coconut flesh

What a feast we had. Everyone contributed and we enjoyed a great night with Didier and Anny
on SV Lulu (?) (France), Alex on Kashmere (Fr), Anna, Kleng, Liva, and Edgar
on La Familia (Norway), Caretakers James (NZ) and John (Cook Isl), and us!

La Familia, Kashmere, Lulu (?), Renova and James and John enjoy a potluck feast!