Quiet Mind, Endless Sea

Land ho!  After 54 days of solo sailing from New Zealand I fetched up in Hanalei Bay, Kauai.  First order of business:  spam sushi.  Followed by laundry, a hot shower in the cockpit, and a bottle of Sailor Jerry’s.

Kauai has discovered New Zealand’s secret:  a flat-white, made with two shots of espresso in a small cup.  Yow!  After an exhausting 5-minute search I found the best flat-white in Hanalei Bay at the Hanalei Bread Company.

A trip to the library afforded sufficient wifi to upload my latest movie, Vanuatu, with highlights from the second leg of last year’s cruise back to the tropics.  Enjoy!

Meanwhile, here are some scenes of Hawaii:

This morning I say farewell to lovely New Zealand.  I’m off to the Austral Islands south of Tahiti, a voyage of 2400 miles, 3-4 weeks of solitude on the open ocean.  Last evening I rounded Cape Brett on my way into the Bay of Islands to officially clear out of New Zealand on s/v Pamela.

A few weeks ago Pam, Lindsay, and I hiked the Cape Brett Track to the lighthouse and hut at the end of this awesomely rugged spine of mountains rising steeply from the blue Pacific.  After carrying his guitar to New Caledonia, New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia, and back to New Zealand for all of the Nine Great Walks, collecting dozens of signatures along the way, including famous sailor Lin Pardey’s, Lindsay donated the guitar to the Cape Brett hut.

Now Pam and Lindsay are back in California, where Pam is resuming her rewarding therapy practice helping kids learn.  As I look up at the lonesome lighthouse from the perspective of the rolling ocean, I feel a pang of sadness for my family who I will desperately miss during the 5+ months it takes me to sail all the way back to San Francisco.

It was time to get off the boat for a while.  So after sailing back down to New Zealand for the (austral) summer, we packed up our land clothes and walking shoes and headed to Thailand and Cambodia for the holidays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pamela in Fiji  Join us as we sail from New Zealand back to the tropics, starting in the beautiful islands of Fiji.

Vanuatu update:  tomorrow is our 33rd wedding anniversay, and Pamela has selected a fine restaurant on a beautiful Vanuatu beach to celebrate the event.  After that we’ll cast off the mooring lines for New Caledonia, a four-day sail due south.

Photo 1 below:  Raising the Vanuatu flag upon arrival in Port Vila, August 11, 2015.  Considering a haircut.

Photo 2:  Fanla village is the oldest village on the island of Ambrym.  The gentleman with the hibiscus in his hair is the chief of Fanla, wearing a splendid pair of boar’s tusks.

Photo 3:  Unicef delivers supplies to Loltong Bay on Pentecost Island.

Photo 4:  The ROM dance celebrates the ancestors of the village tribe.  The elaborate masks are meant to signify the mysterious, non-human beings in the other world.  The “namba” is the sheath covering … er … not much.

 

Mt. Yasur volcano, Tanna Island, Vanuatu.

We flew over this active volcano in a small Cessna, then hiked up to the rim at sunset. You stand there peering into the crater, with bursts of flaming rock flying up and over your head. Just when you think you’re brave enough to stay a moment longer, the entire mountain roars to life like an angry bull and you take a step back. As if that step would actually matter.

New Zealand Trekking  Join the crew of s/v Pamela as we trek through New Zealand during the austral summer of 2014 – 2015, from the northern tip of Cape Reinga to the southern island of Rangiura (Stewart Island), enjoying six of the Nine Great Walks, including the Milford Track.

The crew of s/v Pamela is alive and well in Fiji!  After an 11-day journey from New Zealand, hounded by tropical storms with winds up to 45 knots, we arrived soggy and grinning in Savusavu.  A video capturing our epic adventures in New Zealand is in the works.  Meanwhile, here are some scenes of happiness in Fiji:

All The Way To New Zealand (December 2014)  From Mexico to New Zealand, all the highlights:  Gauguin’s Marquesas, glorious Bora Bora, solitude in Suwarrow, swimming with whales in Tonga, the tranquility of Minerva Reef.

 

Tahiti!  (November 2014)  Yow! Tahiti, Mo’orea, Huahine, Raiatea, Taha’a, Bora Bora!