7 Dec 2015 – 18 Jan 2016
Based on everything we had read and heard we had low hopes for Kiribati and tended to look at it as simply a stepping stone in between Tuvalu and The Marshalls. However, there were some surprise gems, and in the end we can’t imagine having spent Christmas and New Year’s anywhere else!
Route Recap
After a month in Tuvalu we continued north even further off the beaten path up to the island nation of Kiribati. We departed Nanumea, Tuvalu in the early afternoon on Monday, 7 Dec. It was just over a 5 day passage before we arrived in Tarawa, the capital of Kiribati, just after dusk on a Saturday. We turned around our time in Tarawa as quickly as we could, and after 5 days we made an overnight passage to the southeast to the atoll of Abemama. Christmas in Abemama was one to remember, but before we knew it it was New Year’s Eve and we were off to the nearby atoll of Aranuka. After 10 days in Aranuka we bashed back to Tarawa in order to provision and clear out.
After we cleared out we spent a few more days in the bouncy Tarawa anchorage trying to decide when we should leave, and finally we decided to go hide out in the atoll just to the north, called Abiang. However, as we approached Abiang we changed our minds to just keep on going with the passage all the way to Majuro (Marshall Islands). This plan was altered later that day when we rescued a small boat and three fishermen who were lost and low on gas. We gave them a ride and towed their boat to their home island of Marakei, and we stayed there anchored on the outside of the lagoon for 2 nights before finally, for good this time, departing for Majuro on the morning of 18 January.
(Nanumea) –> Tarawa –> Abemama –> Aranuka –> Tarawa –> Marakei –> (Majuro)
Gresham Family Exodus 