Help us to bring better vision to Tonga and Fiji

As we continue on our journey around the world on our sailboat, we have become more aware just how fortunate we are to be able to do this, and we have been looking for a way to make a more meaningful impact in some of the smaller communities we visit. Unfortunately, due to our wandering, unscheduled nature, volunteering opportunities can be limited. We are never in one place very long, and cannot commit to recurring volunteer opportunities. However, we have discovered a solution that will enable us to make a difference: Global Vision 2020 is a company that provides glasses to people in remote areas without access to optometrists. With your support, we aim to purchase one of their kits, allowing us to give glasses to 250 individuals and provide 300 pairs of reading glasses. Join us in bringing the gift of better vision to those in need as we sail to Tonga and Fiji!

Our GoFundMe page

Hype or Reality? Exploring Bora Bora

Bora Bora, a name that evokes images of pristine beaches, turquoise waters, and luxurious resorts. It's a place often associated with dream honeymoons and celebrity getaways. . My son, Rivers, and his wife, Laura have a Screensaver on their TV that flashes up a scene from Bora Bora.

I wasn't able to exactly replicate it for several reasons. 1) The peak of Otemanu is almost always at least partially covered by clouds. 2) This picture was taken from one of the resorts, across a reflecting pool with the overwater bungalows between the camera and the mountain 3) I did not see the "No Signal" sign floating in the air.

Sharks!

Sharks are fearsome, sharp-toothed predators that can smell blood from miles away, and they have been known to attack and kill humans with their powerful jaws and razor-sharp teeth. This is the picture that many people have of sharks and the thought of diving with them can be rather daunting. 

Oceanic Black tipped reef shark

A Blue Passage

Embarking on an overnight sailing passage is not my favorite part of sailing, especially if it's only for one or two nights. It is just enough to time disrupt my sleep and definitely not long enough to get into a good watch and sleep rhythm. Our latest passage was two nights, leaving in the late afternoon from Tahiti,  and arriving two days later in Fakarava, approximately 250 nautical miles. We had been watching the weather carefully in the days preceding our passage as there were some potentially scary winds that we wanted to avoid.

We made our preparations, shopped for groceries for a potential 6 weeks stay in the remote atoll, filled up our fuel tanks and headed off from the Society Islands to the Tuamotus. 

Guest preparations, a long list gets longer!

 We love to have guests come visit us, to share our experiences and to enjoy the wonderful countries we are visiting. However preparing for guests to visit on a boat is never easy, even in the best case scenarios. There's a lot to consider, from deep cleaning the boat and ensuring there's enough space for everyone to sleep to making sure everything is in working order. Beginning with changing our pantry/ storage area to a guest berth,

from this:

Coconut bread on the beach

What a fun way to spend Christmas day, beginning with gathering coconuts and ending with warm coconut bread, fresh off the grill.

The coconuts were lying all around so we had our pick. We looked for brown coconuts, not green. The green ones have more liquid, which is good for drinking, but not enough flesh which is what we needed for the coconut bread.  

On the beach was an iron rod filed to a point to facilitate peeling the husk off the coconut.

Coming home...wherever that is

Traveling, exploring, seeing new things. This is the life that we have chosen. And even though we are carried by our home to explore new places and try new things, we still find areas that become more familiar to us. Returning to Tahiti after 3 weeks in Tikihau atoll  I got the distinct feeling of returning home, returning to the familiar. A place where we know how to get around and where to buy groceries and boat parts. A place where there are groceries and boat parts that we can buy.

Approaching the Island of Tahiti. Our red fender at the bow adds a festive holiday touch!