Hot news which we have got from the SSB radio and VHF is that there has been an earthquake and Tsunami in Samoa. As often happens, we felt nothing in this anchorage.  Some damage on the south coast has been reported. Hopefully the boats in Apia Marina and Pago, Pago in American Samoa were OK. […]

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Its a compulsory marina for the first stop in Samoa.  The authorities and the Samoans are very friendly.  As they say – I’m sure they don’t have a word in their language indicating the same level of urgency as the Spanish “manana”.  A great welcome from all the cruisers in the marina.  A lot of […]

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Finally the wind has died off and we motored for few hours while the sea dropped.  Back sailing now at 4 knots and the current is making us 5 over the ground.  This trip from Bora Bora has been a series of higher winds and no wind for as long as I have been monitoring […]

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Next morning, sun up and so to the ninety metres of chain yes ninety metres, its deep here. We have stronger winds on our trip towards Bora Bora, 25 to 30 knots but its not far as long as you go straight there. We had to divert as our fishing line was out and yes […]

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Too many of the Cook islands are hard to enter with a normal draft keel boat.  There is a small harbour at [-21.204,-159.785] on Rarotonga the main island well to the south and you can get into the Northern Cook, Penrhyn [-9.024,-158].  Some boats stop at Suwarrow [-13.275,-163.127] but stopping there we would have lost […]

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We got our third ship very soon after the first two.  The three bus rule obviously works for ships as well.  This one was the Niu Polynesia on route to Apia, Samoa. We have had a stowaway since we left Oban.  He is a LEGO man that Mary found on the final tidy up of […]

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Huahine ticked, next two islands Raiatea and Tahaa are both behind the same reef. We start at the south east end and work our way north and around Tahaa. Our first trip ashore was to visit the most important Polynesian traditional temple area Marea Taputapuatea, this is where all their long sea voyage started. Voyages […]

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You know the rule that says when you are exasperated waiting for a bus, then three will come together.  Seems ships work to the same rule.  We are expecting our third any moment now!  We have gone for 4 days with nothing.  Today the Atlantic Crown on its way to Panama altered course to give […]

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Over night we had 25 knots which was bringing the occasional splash over into the cockpit so no dozing up on deck! Wind has dropped now to 18 knots and its excellent trade wind sailing. I have just finished Berth Leonards’s Blue Horizons which paints vivid pictures of what its like to cruise the higher […]

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From Moorea it was an overnight passage to Huahine, we anchor on the east side inside the reef. Huahine is a lovely place people are very friendly, giving us lots of bananas, coconuts, papaya and even lending us their dogs for our walks.

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