Category: Photo Log

Port Denarau Photo Log

June 26 – July 4, 2016

We spent a week at Port Denarau before the boys, and I said our final good-bye to Exodus (some photos from our friends on Fluenta)

Logbook – June 26, 2016 (Yadua to Denarau)

Passage Log Highlights

0620 P engine on
1513 SB on
1538 Engines off
1554 Engines on
1621 Engines off – Mooring at Denarau

Daily Notes

Passage to Denarau
Hot showers!
Dinner at Mama’s Pizza

Oh crap! We are about to get overrun by a jet ski biker gang!

Logbook – June 27, 2016 (Denarau)

Daily Notes

D – laundry all day, run
Drinks w/ Fluenta on Exodus

Logbook – June 28, 2016 (Denarau)

Daily Notes

D – immigration office + Nadi market, run
All – lots of chores on Exodus
T/boys – Fluenta for drinks w/ Moana

Logbook – June 29, 2016 (Denarau)

Daily Notes

Chara here!
Unsuccessful day of washing mattress cushions and curtains

And that’s it. That was unceremoniously the last logbook entry, even though the boys and I didn’t fly back to California until July 4, and even though Tim stayed on Exodus for some months more. That’s it.

Email to Family and Friends Dated June 30, 2016

Subject: Exodus – United States of Fiji

We are spending our final week at the United States of Fiji, aka Port Denarau. This place is crazy, we could easily be in any seaside resort town area in the states. There’s a huge shopping mall and groceries are twice as expensive. I rode the bus to Nadi day before yesterday, and it felt good to be back in Fiji for just a little while. We were here in Denarau last year for just a couple days, but at that point we had already been on the resort side a Fiji for a couple weeks, so we were eased into this monstrosity. This time we arrived after a couple weeks at Makogai and Yadua, so it was a bit of an abrupt culture shock. But I guess this is easing me back in to arriving in California?
Anyway, our good news is that we have a prospective buyer with an airline ticket booked to come see Exodus on the 7th. It’s possible that if this sale goes through Tim will need to deliver the boat to Australia… any volunteers for crew? I am very torn because one of my regrets of this trip is not getting to Vanuatu, and Vanuatu is like right on the way to Australia.
During this final week we are working hard during the day and hanging out with friends in the evening. Chara pulled in yesterday, and I cannot overstate how happy I am getting to see them one last time before flying home. Fluenta and True Blue V are here too, so that means all of our longest standing cruising friends that we crossed from Mexico with are here. Well almost, it feels like we’re missing someone kind of important….Lady Carolina is currently on passage from Hawaii to Washinton state so we’ll have to catch up with them on the mainland.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

July 1, 2016 (Denarau)

July 2, 2016 (Denarau)

July 3, 2016 (Denarau)

Look who came to see us!!! Our friends from EOS II took the bus all the way from Suva to come say good-bye

Email to Family and Friends Dated July 3, 2016

Subject: Exodus – Last night

Tonight is mine, Alex’s, and Brenden’s last night on Exodus. We’ve spent the last two days with our friends from EOS II who took the bus from Suva to come see us before we left, and that’s kept my mind off leaving. It’s surreal, but it seems right. So, this will likely be the last Exodus update email you get (unless Tim steps it up, you never know!)

At some point maybe I’ll be able to write some sort of clever summation email, but right now three and a half years are just rattling around in my head, and I can’t quite pull something meaningful together.

Instead… we’re going to go ashore for showers and dinner and then come back and drink a nice bottle of wine and play a family game.

Love and miss you all,
-D.

July 4, 2016 (Denarau)

With Fluenta at the airport (we were on the same flight to LA)

Playing at the Nadi airport with Fluenta

Photo Log

Yadua 2.0 Photo Log

June 17-25, 2016

We enjoyed Yadua so much last year that the people of the village had been on our minds while at Makogai witnessing there the destruction of cyclone Winston. At Yadua we were happy to find that they mostly escaped the wrath of Winston. Nine days at Yadua with our friends on Fluenta turns out to be a very fitting and satisfying end to our cruising journey. Many of these photos are by Fluenta (http://sv-fluenta.blogspot.com/)

Logbook – June 17, 2016 (Makogai to Yadua-East)

Passage Log Highlights

0322 Genoa only
0700 Same
0757 Engines on
0812 Anchor set
0817 Engines off

Daily Notes

Whale ~100 ft of port beam
Fish on! Walu
T – spearfish, gave snapper to local fisherman
Village for sevusevu – short and sweet
Grog tabu week
Village OK after cyclone

The village is along the east facing “beach” towards the top of the image.

Logbook – June 18, 2016 (Yadua- East)

Daily Notes

Fluenta arrives
T, B, Max spearfish. Max – snapper
Potluck w/ Fluenta

Deja Vu – just us and Fluenta in the anchorage

Looks like a minecraft session, and Benjamin seems to be happy just watching

We had dinner on Exodus, and Victoria baked a cake!

Email to Family and Friends Dated June 18, 2016

Subject: Exodus – Yadua 2.0

We had a slow, flat, comfortable, overnight passage the other night from Makogai to Yadua. Yadua is one of the islands we visited late in the season last year, and we really enjoyed it. So, after witnessing some of the destruction of the cyclone on Makogai we started to wonder how the people here of Yadua were doing. As we approached the island we were happy to see all the coconut trees in tact and when we went to the village yesterday for sevusevu, we were even happier to see all of the houses in tact. We talked to a man on shore who told us their biggest impact was losing their root crops, which take a few months to recultivate, but they are just about back on their feet, and they understand how hard some islands were hit, and they are grateful for their situation. We think that the track of the eye of the cyclone was south of here, which means they would have gotten west winds, which means their village on the east side of the island would have had some shelter. Similar to our good luck when we were in Apia, however cyclone Winston was of far greater strength than our little Amos, so you have to think that even though they didn’t get a direct hit here that it still must have been a scary experience. We are here with just Fluenta, both of us anchored in pretty much the exact same spots as last time. It is now T minus 15 days and counting until our flight back to LA.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Logbook – June 19, 2016 (Yadua-East)

Daily Notes

Boys + Fluenta kids skimboard
Afternoon visit to village, Fluenta sevusevu
Grog
Drinks on Fluenta

The kids checked the sandspit for skimboarding…

…it turned out not to be good for skimboarding, but they had fun anyway

We arrived on a Friday and they were in the middle of a religious fast which included a tabu on grog (kava) and tobacco. So, when Fluenta arrived the next day they asked for them to wait until Sunday afternoon to come to the village for Sevusevu, so they could do it proper and share some grog with us.

Logbook – June 20, 2016 (Yadua-East)

Daily Notes

T – fixed Chief’s spear guns. T/Max test them
A/B + Fluenta kids play on beach
Dinner (by Victoria) on Fluenta, including pumpkin pie

The next night we hada dinner on Fluenta, and Victoria cooked us all dinner

Logbook – June 21, 2016 (Yadua-East)

Daily Notes

Quick trip to village becomes 5.5 hours
No success fixing town hall solar issue
Tea and grog
B/J – attempt to walk back
Rope swing on Fluenta

Coconut trees and houses all still intact after cyclone winston. (However, back in 2012 Yadua was hit hard by cyclone Evan and they have just in the last 6 months completed the rebuilding of a portion of their village)

Tim and Max tried to fix their solar panel/battery setup in the town hall.

After ruling out the battery and the switch they went up on the roof to check the panels

Of course they were joined by Brenden and Jonathan who would never miss an opportunity to climb something

They ended up isolating the problem to be internal to the panel, so unfortunately, they couldn’t fix it.

But at least Max took these cool photos from up on the roof

After not fixing the solar panel we were invited for tea with Sanita, wife of the village headman (Turaga ni koro)

Last year when we were here in Yadua the guys shot a monster Walu and gave it to the village: We loved to see the photo hanging in the chief’s house (notice the photo on the wall next to Max’a head)

Benny says I’m a nice lady who says marbles on the radio

Logbook – June 22, 2016 (Yadua-East to Cucuvou Bay)

Passage Log Highlights

1008 Engines on
1030 SB engine off
1135 SB on
1200 Engines off

Daily Notes

Move to other side of island
Hot dog cook out on beach with Fluenta
Benny says, “Deanne says marbles on the radio.”
Kids camp on beach

Anchored in the south lobe of Cucuvou Bay on the west side of the island of Yadua

Logbook – June 23, 2016 (Cucuvou Bay)

Daily Notes

Kids build a “raft” hot and sunburned
Movie on Exodus
Dinner on shore with Fluenta
T/D – naked dance party (well, only T)

The kids camped on the beach and in the morning instead of calling for a dinghy ride they just built a raft. Or more like a pile of sticks, but hey they were rope limited.

Logbook – June 24, 2016 (Cucuvou Bay)

Daily Notes

Kids build raft 2.0
D – paddle
Cookie baking on Exodus then fish cookout

After several days anchored near the village we moved around to the more comfortable, protected bay on the west side. Here we had this huge bay and a nice beach all to ourselves.

And what album would be complete without a photo of a 2 year old making a funny face?

Logbook – June 25, 2016 (Cucuvou Bay to Port Denerau)

Passage Log Highlights

Engines on
SB engine off
P engine off

Daily Notes

Last day at Yadua
T/B/Max spearfish, B-coral trout
Alex – sick
D-paddle, walk on beach

Email to Family and Friends Dated June 25, 2016

Subject: Exodus – Yadua 2.0

We’ve been at the island of Yadua now for a little over a week, and it seems a fitting end to our “Gresham Family Exodus.” This was one of our favorite places in Fiji last year and so we have been happy to spend time here again. And it also seems fitting that we are ending our journey with our friends on Fluenta, since they were one of the first boats we met way back in our early days in La Paz, Mexico. And last year when we were here in Yadua it was just us and Fluenta, so it’s now been a bit of deja vu. We have spent time with the people of the village; Tim, Max, and Brenden have spearfished; the kids have camped on the beach; and we’ve shared several sunset drinks and dinners together.
We almost left Yadua last night because we had a bit of a fire drill thinking we had to get to Nadi to see EOSII before they left for Fiji, but when we found out they would be in the area a little longer and there was no rush, we were relieved to spend one more day here, especially for the guys to go spearfishing one last time. Brenden almost shot a dogtooth tuna, but came back with a coral trout as a consolation prize.
Tonight we leave for Port Denarau and then it will be a week of hectic activity as we get ready for our flight back to Cali. We now have an interested buyer who is planning to come to Fiji to see Exodus around the time the boys and I fly out. Hopefully Tim will make the sale and he’ll be on a flight home shortly after us.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Photo Log

Makogai Photo Log

June 9-16, 2016

The island of Makogai is just an overnight passage southwest of Savusavu, and it took a direct hit from super cyclone Winston back in Februrary. We spent about a week there doing some volunteer work for the organization called Sea Mercy. Many of these photos are from our friends on Fluenta (http://sv-fluenta.blogspot.com/)

Logbook – June 9, 2016 (Savusavu to Makogai)

Passage Log Highlights

0230 P engine off, genoa only
0817 Engines on
0903 Engines off Makogai

Daily Notes

Sleepy day @ Makogai
Boys play @ Fluenta
B goes for dinner
D – finally meet sv Outsider

Approaching the anchorage. Cruise ship? What the?

Makogai – we anchored on the west side, and the village was on the east side, so we would dinghy around on the days we went to work in the village

Makogai had a research center for giant clams and sea turtles, which was wiped out in the storm

Email to Family and Friends Dated June 9, 2016

Subject: Exodus – Makogai

We made a somewhat abrupt decision to leave Savusavu and follow Fluenta down to Makogai. We arrived this morning after a pretty quick, downwind, overnight passage. There are several boats here, and they are all volunteers for the organization called Sea Mercy, which is a disaster relief organization of cruisers. Makogai was severely hit by cyclone Winston, so they are doing rebuilding in the village, and tomorrow we will go and help.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Logbook – June 10, 2016 (Makogai)

Daily Notes

No work because of rain
T/B + Fluenta spearfish
D – tea w/ Liz

Logbook – June 11, 2016 (Makogai)

Daily Notes

Fun day! Lunch w/ village + sports games + sevu sevu

The village is a long dinghy ride to the south tip of the island. With the tide dropping Brenden and Max drew the short straws to anchor the dinghies out in deeper water.

Remnants of the cyclone’s destruction on the beach near the village

Tim teaches one of the kids how to throw a rugby ball like a football.

Logbook – June 12, 2016 (Makogai)

Daily Notes

Happy Hour on Exodus – Outsider, Anahata, Q, Carpe Diem, Fluenta
Sea Mercy barge arrives
Guest on board (Leslie – OB/GYN from WA)

The brand new Sea Mercy barge showed up with supplies

Monkeys in the rigging… Brenden, Jonathan (Fluenta) and Josh (Carpe Diem)

Logbook – June 13, 2016 (Makogai)

Daily Notes

Workday #1 – cleared the beach house
Kids on Exodus for movie + Minecraft
Leslie stays again

Our mission for one of the days was to clear out his house

It didn’t take long for Brenden and Jonathan to decide that there must be work to do on the roof

The Sea Mercy barge pulls up to the beach

Logbook – June 14, 2016 (Makogai)

Daily Notes

Workday #2 – erect shade, fix quad bike, clear path
Sleepover on Exodus after Fluenta rope swing and drinks

The Fluenta Spinnaker pole rope swing makes an appearance

Logbook – June 15, 2016 (Makogai)

Daily Notes

Workday #3 – late start. Internet on the beach.
T – fix watermaker & drive quad bike
D/Boys – de-nail
Drinks on Carpe Diem

D busting out the muscles to de-nail some boards

Email to Family and Friends Dated June 15, 2016

Subject: Exodus – Volunteer work and fun

We are still at Makogai doing volunteer work, and I have blisters on my hands to prove it. I have mixed feelings over the “relief” work that is going on here, and I’m still sorting out in my head exactly what I want to say about it, but I can say that the people of the island here are doing fine, which is good news, because this island was devastated by cyclone Winston. You see the signs of it even as you approach the island, and you notice that the trees are all craggly and even though many palm trees are still standing they are not bearing coconuts. To be on an island in the Pacific and have there not be coconuts is almost unthinkable! On the side of the west side of the island, where we are anchored, there was a government research center – in my guidebook it calls it a clam hatchery and turtle head-start program. Well, that was all totally wiped out, and I was told they released all the turtles before the storm or they surely all would have been killed. Perhaps some of them survived? On the south side of the island is the village, and most of the buildings were at least partially destroyed/damaged over there. People are living in tents, and I’m not sure where they are having school now, because the school was totally destroyed and that has been the focus of the Sea Mercy effort. The good news, like I said, is that the people are doing fine. They have food, water, shelter, loved ones around them, and after such a traumatic experience, there are even smiles to be seen. Saturday was a fun day where we had lunch with the people of the village and then played some sports games… Tim taught some of the boys to throw a rugby ball like a football, one of the other kid boats brought a cricket set (so yes, even Alex and Brenden played a little cricket), and even a make-shift volleyball net was erected.
We will likely stay just another day or two before we start making our way around to the west side of Viti Levu.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Logbook – June 16, 2016 (Makogai to Yadua)

Passage Log Highlights

1641 Engines on
1727 SB off + genoa
1800 P engine off
1844 Genoa only

Daily Notes

A/B – swim @ Carpe Diem, B stays for games

Photo Log

Savusavu (For the Third and Final Time) Photo Log

Post author By cruisingrunner
Post date March 28, 2026
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June 4-8, 2016

We enjoyed arriving in Savusavu again; it was a bit like coming home

Logbook – June 4, 2016 (Savusavu)

Daily Notes

Boys back to school, then dinghy wake boarding with Fluenta and Breeze
Visit by family on Carpe Diem
D – evening run w/ Liz
V&J over for dinner & Minecraft

Email to Family and Friends Dated June 4, 2016

Subject: Exodus – Savsavu

We arrived yesterday morning at about 9 am, which was actually 8 am because of the time change. As we rolled through the anchorage to our mooring ball, we passed so many boats we know…best of all Fluenta and True Blue V. As we passed Fluenta Jonathan and Brenden were climbing the rigging to say hi. After getting all cleared in, TBV, another boat we’ve known for a long time called Eleutheria, and the kids from Fluenta came over and we spent the day eating tuna rolls and fresh baked bread, drinking rum and beer, playing minecraft, and generally getting caught up on what’s been going on. Hopefully it’s obvious which were the adult activities and which were the kid activities… cruising kids have a lot of freedom, but they aren’t yet throwing back the rum with us. Even Benjamin (2 years old) came over, and he was happy to see his “bummie” and “aggie” again. In the afternoon our #1 priority was getting internet again (of course), and we are happy to be back in Fiji where internet is fast and cheap.
Then, to top off a great day we had dinner on shore with Fluenta and Breeze, and even though I was tired from the passage and from drinking rum during the day, it was still a wonderful evening catching up with friends.
Today is Saturday, but we will be back to school today. We still need to get Brenden through a little more of his 7th grade curriculum so he can be ready to start 8th grade in the fall, but he’s done with math and that’s probably the most important.
Gotta go… time for Curly’s VHF net…
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Logbook – June 5, 2016 (Savusavu)

Daily Notes

Boys – soccer on shore w/ locals, Wii on Breeze
D/Liz – run
Kid boat potluck on Moana. Fluenta, Breeze Carpe Diem

Logbook – June 6, 2016 (Savusavu)

Daily Notes

Move to dock, 6 in clearance on each side
D/Liz walk to ridge
Dinner w/ Fluenta at Korean
Kids sleepover on Exodus

When Brenden comes to Exodus to ask for 5 spoons, this is why

Logbook – June 7, 2016 (Savusavu)

Daily Notes

D – clean Alex room
Boys – Wii/dinner on Breeze
Dinner w/ TBV & Eleutheria

Email to Family and Friends Dated June 7, 2016

Subject: Exodus – on the dock

We moved to the dock yesterday in Savusavu to have access to water to keep Exodus looking clean and pretty. And, last night it became the spot for a pizza party/sleepover, and Victoria (Fluenta) is making crepes, so I as the hosting mom don’t even have to cook breakfast! As Brenden tells me all the time, “we need a Vicki.” I tell him if he tries really hard he too can be a Vicki!
For the first time since leaving home I have a running partner again. Liz and I have been out 3 evenings in a row and it’s been great, the running and the camaraderie. Well, yesterday we decided to walk instead of run, but it turned out to not just be a stroll along the road. We hiked up to the top of the ridge and enjoyed a spectacular view of the sunset behind the Savusavu harbor. And on the way down we took a wrong turn and ended up winding down along narrow footpaths through the village walking right next to people’s houses. As much time as I’ve spent in Savusavu as you walk through the shop lined town it’s easy to forget there’s an actual Fijian village in the hills just behind. And as we made our way down we passed people bathing in a stream and kids playing on a rope swing. We kept asking people if we were going the right way to town and they kept pointing us along. At first I was irritated with myself for not paying close enough attention and making that wrong turn in the first place, but it ended up being a much more interesting experience in the end.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Logbook – June 8, 2016 (Savusavu to Makogai)

Passage Log Highlights

2235 Engines on
2305 SB off

Daily Notes

Provisioning + yard sale + guitar repair
Dinner & rum w/ Breeze.
Late night departure

Photo Log

Passage from Tonga to Fiji Photo Log

Post author By cruisingrunner
Post date March 27, 2026
No Comments on Passage from Tonga to Fiji Photo Log

May 31 – June 2, 2016

We had a beautiful, calm, downwind passage from Tonga to Fiji. Our final multi-day passage. After so much bashing into the wind and after so many squalls since we had left Fiji the year before, this was a fitting and satisfying end to our journey.

Logbook – May 31, 2016 (Tonga to Fiji)

Passage Log Highlights

0748 Engines on
0804 SB engine off, genoa
0929 P engine off – Spinnaker
1717 Spinnaker
1853 Genoa only

Daily Notes

Caught and released skipjack
T/B scrabble

Brenden kicked Tim’s butt in a little passage scrabble

Email to Family and Friends Dated May 31, 2016

Subject: Exodus – Tonga to Fiji Day 1

This is most likely our last multi-day passage, and I’m loving that it’s a perfect downwind spinnaker run. It’s been a pretty uneventful day… set the sails and forget about them. Just the way we like it. Tim and Brenden are playing a heated game of scrabble, and Alex is practicing guitar. The boys worked so hard in the boatyard, I bought an extra 2GB of internet and let them have fun last night. Alex downloaded a bunch of tabs for new songs for the guitar and Brenden got new iPad games. I’m pretty sure they caught up with email with friends too (I hope!) It was a bit sad leaving Tonga, because we’ve had so much fun there, but we are looking forward to fun reunions in Savusavu. The sun is about to set so now I need to go argue with Tim about not flying the spinnaker at night.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Logbook – June 1, 2016 (Tonga to Fiji)

Passage Log Highlights

0417 Genoa only
0700 Same
0823 Spinnaker
1355 Same
1837 Same

Daily Notes

T/Alex – haircuts

Email to Family and Friends Dated June 1, 2016

Subject: Exodus – Tonga to Fiji Day 2

If passages were all like this I might actually like passages. I haven’t even had to nap! It’s fitting that we are finishing with a multi-day spinnaker run… just like our very first passage down to Cabo San Lucas.
And after my comment in yesterday’s email, I must admit that it didn’t take much argument to get Tim to agree to take the spinnaker down for the night, but after a beautiful starry night with 12-14 kts of steady wind and not a squall around, I think it will be a harder sell tonight. Our gennaker is out of commission so we flew only the genoa last night and our speed tanked, as expected. And we need to make pretty good time in order to arrive before customs/immigration closes on Friday.
We had another pleasant, sunny day of sailing today, and Tim even gave Alex a haircut. He wanted Brenden to have one too, but Brenden wanted to stay shaggy for a little longer. I took B’s side on this one… he can get a haircut in CA in a month, why not let him be shaggy his last month cruising?
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Logbook – June 2, 2016 (Tonga to Fiji)

Passage Log Highlights

0333 Spinnaker
0659 Same
1226 Same
1502 Same

Daily Notes

Last night watch
2 tunas + head

A couple of yellow-fins for good measure

It was a spinnaker run pretty much the whole way

Email to Family and Friends Dated June 2, 2016

Subject: Exodus – Tonga to Fiji Day 3

So, we left the spinnaker up last night, and we didn’t die. I think I’ll stop talking about the spinnaker.
Alex broke a guitar string today, and he doesn’t have another spare, so he’s been pretty bored. He entertained himself today by sneak attacking Brenden and pantsing him. And since Brenden has new underwear that are kind of big this meant full moons and full montys! Brenden is so funny, he doesn’t get mad, he takes care of it by donning his life vest as sort of a protective diaper.
We caught two smallish tuna today, well two tuna plus a head (the sharks got the third one). However, since I had already taken the dough and sauce (that I made ahead of time) out of the freezer, we are having pizza for dinner. So, it will be sushi rolls tomorrow.
We should arrive in Savusavu tomorrow morning some time. And we are so excited to see Fluenta and True Blue V again!
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Logbook – June 3, 2016 (Tonga to Fiji)

Passage Log Highlights

0352 Genoa
0700 Same
0715 P engine on – run watermaker
0920 SB engine on
0936 Engines off Savusavu

Daily Notes

Waitui morring ball
Easy clearing in
Drinks & tuna rolls w/ TBV and The Ele, Fluenta kids over for Minecraft day
Drinks & dinner on shore with Fluenta and Breeze

A glorious downwind sail from Tonga to Fiji

A familiar corner to round on our way into Savusavu

Code Blue! A blast from the past! A boat we were with during the summer of 2013 in the Sea of Cortez

Fluenta! (Notice Jonathan in the rigging. You can be sure that Brenden is also up the rigging on Exodus)

True Blue V! This is such a homecoming! All the boats we’ve known since Mexico!

So happy to be reunited with these monkeys. Benjamin didn’t forget his “aggie” and “bummie”

Breeze arrived in the afternoon the same day as we did. So, we had a kid boat dinner out at Taste of Hidden Paradise (cheap, good, Indian food)

Trip Summary

Duration 3 days 1 hour 48 minutes

Log Distance 410 nmi

Track Distance 406 nmi

Avg Speed 5.6 kt

Avg SOG 5.6 kt

Avg VMG 5.5 kt

Engines

Port – 3:30

SB – 0

Both – :32

Photo Log

The Boatyard Photo Log

May 23-30, 2016

After playing for a week in Vava’u, we spent a week in the new boatyard giving Exodus a bit of a makeover. Fresh bottom paint, wash and wax, and lots and lots of cleaning.

Logbook – May 23, 2016 (Anchorage #4 to The Boatyard)

Passage Log Highlights

0802 Engines on
0824 Engines off slip-way

Daily Notes

Into the boat yard
Power wash, 1/2 sanding, props off, derusing
Lots of water –> lots of laundry, bilge cleaning

Tim checking to make sure the lift was properly set under Exodus

It takes two tractors to haul Exodus out

The boys were instructed to sit on the floor and listen for the sound of cracking fiberglass. Yikes!

Logbook – May 24, 2016 (The Boatyard)

Daily Notes

Sanding done. Painting begins
D – more laundry – in to town for $ and groceries
Drinks (Mango) and dinner (Aquarium) with Del Viento

Logbook – May 25, 2016 (The Boatyard)

Daily Notes

Blank

Logbook – May 26, 2016 (The Boatyard)

Daily Notes

Decide to stay int he boatyard for the weekend
Tim to Pila’s to fix elec. issues

Email to Family and Friends Dated May 26, 2016

Subject: Exodus – boatyard fun

Being in a boatyard is always fun, because it’s a mad dash to finish all the tasks that have to be done while you’re out of the water. And then there’s the fact that you have access to unlimited fresh water, so that means there’s another long list of cleaning jobs that also you also need to rush to complete.
But we decided today to stay in the yard through the weekend, so that took some of the pressure off. The bottom paint is all done, and we fresh water scrubbed all the topsides today, so Exodus is looking pretty good. All that’s left is to finish waxing and buffing the hulls so we can have some more really pretty pictures of Exodus for the sale postings.
As usual, Tim has made friends with the Tongan guy who’s helping us, and he even when to his house yesterday to fix some electrical problems they were having. They have been having long conversations while they work about the U.S… Pila wants to go to the U.S. to work because wages are so much higher there, but Tim keeps telling him it’s better here.
Meanwhile, the boys have been working their butts off, and Brenden told me today he would much rather be doing school. It was a good opportunity for me to tell him to get good grades and go to college so he can get a desk job… but he responded by telling me he’s only going to work long enough to go live on an island somewhere where he can spear fish everyday. I am simultaneously disappointed and proud.
We have finally hired a yacht sales agent and we’ve also dropped the price so maybe we’ll have a few bites soon.
But our biggest news is that the boys and I are flying back to California on July 4, while Tim stays with Exodus in Fiji to get her sold. The reason we are coming back a little sooner than we originally thought is because Andrew is moving to Minnesota, and we HAVE to see him before he leaves. Of course Tim thinks this means he gets to keep cruising while I go back to work.
We will splash on Monday and then depart for Savusavu, Fiji on Tues (all subject to change, of course). We will fly out of Nadi, Fiji, because there are direct flights from Nadi to LA.
Our time on Exodus is drawing to a close, and it’s bittersweet.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Logbook – May 27, 2016 (The Boatyard)

Daily Notes

Lots of rain. Boys finish waxing
D – town for $ and provisions

Logbook – May 28, 2016 (The Boatyard)

Daily Notes

Engine hr calc
- Port 1747
- SB 1773

Logbook – May 29, 2016 (The Boatyard)

Daily Notes

Propspeed on the sail drives

Logbook – May 30, 2016 (The Boatyard to Mala Island)

Passage Log Highlights

1335 Engines on
1415 Engines off – customs wharf
1610 Engines on
1656 Engines off #6 – Mala Island

Daily Notes

Blank

Cleaned, sanded, fresh coat of propspeed antifoul, and new zincs

From the Boatyard to the Customs Wharf in Neiafu to Anchorage #6 (Mala Island)

Photo Log

Port Maurelle, Neiafu, and Hunga Lagoon Photo Log

Post author By cruisingrunner
Post date March 27, 2026
No Comments on Port Maurelle, Neiafu, and Hunga Lagoon Photo Log

May 15-30, 2016

There’s simply something comforting about returning to a familiar place. We spent almost two months in Vava’u, Tonga two years ago, and now we are here again, mostly because they have a new boatyard and we need to haul-out. But as you can see, we are enjoying ourselves quite a bit before heading to the yard.

Logbook – May 15, 2016 (Niuatoputapu to Vava’u)

Passage Log Highlights

0808 Engines on
0910 Engines off, main (1 reef) + genoa
1505 Main (1 reef) + genoa
1803 Main + genoa

Daily Notes

Caught & released a barracuda

Logbook – May 16, 2016 (Niuatoputapu to Vava’u)

Passage Log Highlights

0313 Main + genoa
0600 Main + genoa
0710 P engine on – batteries
0744 P engine off
0911 Main + genoa
1533 P engine on
1610 SB engine on
1636 Engines off Port Maurelle

Daily Notes

At Port Maurelle – A/B dinghied over to say hi to another kid boat, Del Viento

The familiar Vava’u Island Group – we headed straight to the familiar Port Maurelle anchorage

The captain keeping an eye out for whales or possibly tuna

I’m not sure if this is really called “shark tooth rock” or if that’s just what Tim and Brenden call it. This is right at the main entrance to the Vava’u island group.

Email to Family and Friends Dated May 16, 2016

Subject: Exodus – On passage to familiar territory

We departed Niuatoputapu yesterday morning and as far as upwind passages go, this one’s not so bad, as shown by the fact that I’m sitting at the computer and not laying in bed. (Although I did lay in bed most of the day yesterday) We’ve had light wind, 8-12 kts, so even though there is a 2-3 meter ground swell coming from the SE, the wind chop on top of it isn’t bad at all. We had some excitement in Niuatoputapu that I forgot to write about in that we almost lost the dinghy. The boys had gone to shore to help one of the ladies move something heavy (and also give her a fish head) and when they got back to the wharf it was dark and the dinghy was gone. According to Alex, he calmly scanned the horizon and spotted the dinghy almost even with Exodus, and in the meantime Brenden was freaking out. They started yelling, but Tim and I back on Exodus didn’t hear them, so they jumped in the water and swam like mad. Once they were able to get our attention, after running around and telling me to get out of the way, Tim dropped a paddle board and then Brenden hopped on it and raced out to catch the dinghy. The lagoon is not very big, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that just a few more minutes and the dinghy would have been over the reef and out in open ocean. Both boys had jellyfish stings from their swim and then of course blame had to be established. I won’t go into the whole blame thing here, but apparently someone else in our crew ties as bad a bowline as I do. (Seriously, three years out here and I still can’t tie knots!)
Now we are headed to Vava’u, a familiar place for us after spending so much time there two years ago. It’s fantastic cruising grounds, and would be a great place for someone else to start their adventure, if you know anyone who might be interested in that…
Love and miss you all,
-D.

P.S. I wrote this earlier today, and we’ve since arrived safely at the Port Maurelle anchorage in Vava’u.

Logbook – May 17, 2016 (Port Maurelle)

Daily Notes

T/B – spearfish – shark tooth rock – no fish
Exodus happy hour with Del Viento

Email to Family and Friends Dated May 17, 2016

Subject: Exodus – familiar places and new friends

When we pulled into Port Maurelle, a bay very near Neiafu in Tonga, we had six previous anchor waypoints to choose from on the chart plotter. Yeah, I guess we’ve been here a few times. As often as we find ourselves in new places, there’s still something somewhat comforting to be somewhere familiar. Last time we were here we were saying good bye to good friends but also making some new friends too, and I’m glad to say we are making new friends this time too. There was already a kid boat here in the bay when we arrived, they have two girls on board, and they are from California too. The boat is called Del Viento, and although this is the first time our paths have crossed, we know a lot of the same people (Lumbaz, Lady Carolina, Kenta Anae, to name just a few…)
Tomorrow we will head into Neiafu and start organizing the haulout.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Logbook – May 18, 2016 (Port Maurelle to Neiafu)

Passage Log Highlights

1312 Engines on
1330 P engine off
1428 P engine on
1447 Engines off

Daily Notes

T/Boys – try to find Del Viento prop piece that broke off. Depth ~50-70 ft. No luck!
Dinghy surfing
Move to Neiafu
T – beers at Mango w/ Del Viento + others
B – Ice cream & hide ‘n’ seek w/ Del Viento
D – customs, Digicel, Marlin rum, running
Dinner at Rooster bar
No, I did not have the spicy chicken burger

Alex using the force to try and make Brenden fall
(Photo by Del Viento)
http://logofdelviento.blogspot.com/

The girls from Del Viento giving it a shot
(Photo by Del Viento)
http://logofdelviento.blogspot.com/

(Photo by Del Viento)
http://logofdelviento.blogspot.com/

Hey look at that, we have a buddy boat again! We were totally gaining on Del Viento

Approaching Neiafu…we’ve done this a few times before

Logbook – May 19, 2016 (Neiafu)

Daily Notes

Organized haul-out for Monday
Pizza & free “Margaritas” at Aquarium. Worst pizza ever.
Epic resistance game with Del Viento

Email to Family and Friends Dated May 19, 2016

Subject: Exodus – Neiafu

We are back in Neiafu, and after two years, very little has changed here. It’s all the same cast of characters on the daily VHF net broadcasting their long commercials for their local businesses. We enjoyed burgers at the Rooster Bar last night, and I was able to get a bottle of Marlin rum 25 Pa’anga. Best value rum in the world, I’m pretty sure. Good and cheap. We have good memories of this place from two years ago, like Johnny getting slapped by a whale, rum and whiskey tasting competitions, cart safaris with Nana and Papa, and bar hopping with Lady Carolina. One thing that’s different here is that they now have 3G internet, so we no longer have to sit in a restaurant suffering painfully slow wifi. I went running yesterday and my legs were rebelling against something called hills, which they hadn’t experienced in some time. Just like last time, the dogs were a bit aggressive, but I’ve gotten used to having to shout them down and show them who the alpha dog is.
It looks like we will haul out Monday, and then we’ll probably head to Fiji pretty quick. I keep getting asked what we are going to do if/when Exodus doesn’t sell in time for us to be back for the boys to start school in the fall, and all I can say is… haven’t you gotten used to that we’re cruisers and we never know what we’re going to do until we do it? Haha.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Logbook – May 20, 2016 (Neiafu to Hunga Lagoon)

Passage Log Highlights

1317 Engines on
1332 P engine off + genoa
1510 P engine on
1531 Engines off

Daily Notes

D – light provisioning
T/Alex – swap bullet.
Transit to Hunga w/ Del Viento
Hunga Haven moorings – visit w/ Barry
Potluck on Del Viento

Del Viento coming through the entrance to Hunga

Exodus and Del Viento moored at Hunga Haven
http://hungahaven.com/

Logbook – May 21, 2016 (Hunga Haven)

Daily Notes

Visit from local man in small outrigger canoe – named Vaha
T/B – snorkel & spearfish w/ 3/4 of Del Viento
D – walk on beach + internet
Short visit to village – local ferry – someone yells, “go away!”
Resistance with Del Viento

Leaving Hunga Village loaded down with watermelon and coconut

Logbook – May 22, 2016 (Hunga to Anchorage #4)

Passage Log Highlights

1615 Engines on
1634 SB engine off
1815 SB engine on
1826 Engines off #4 – Vaipua

Daily Notes

T/Boys help Barry hoist mast for VHF antenna
Boys + Del Viento girls go to Happy Appy (Fofoa Cabins) to play

So, this might need some explanation. Hunga Haven has been using a salvaged sailboat mast on which to mount a VHF antenna. However, the mast was blown down during Cyclone Winston. Barry (owner of Hunga Haven) had it all rigged back up and ready to go, so the crews of Exodus and Del Viento helped to hoist the mast back up.

So jealous that our dinghy isn’t a “Pudgy”

From Hunga Lagoon up to Anchorage #4 (to be staged to enter the boat yard the next morning)

At anchorage #4. You can see the boat yard at the bottom right of the satellite image

Photo Log

Niuatoputapu Photo Log

May 7-14, 2016

This is a small island in the northern most island group of Tonga. Two years ago, we skipped this group as we went directly from Pago Pago to Vava’u. So, we are happy to now have a second chance to visit this more remote area of Tonga. We stayed about a week, and we found the people to be somewhat shy (like elsewhere in Tonga) and the spearfishing to be good (no ciguatera!). We were the first cruising boat of the season for them, and we had the place to ourselves for the entire week.

Logbook – May 7, 2016 (Apia to Niuatoputapu)

Passage Log Highlights

0715 Engines on
0740 Depart
0752 P engine off
1320 P engine on
1337 Both engines off, main (1 reef) + genoa
1529 Same

Daily Notes

When raising main – fast up button of elec winch stuck
Beautiful starry sky

We surprised a group of sea turtles feeding, and they let us get quite close before frantically swimming down. Notice the trash in the water

Logbook – May 8, 2016 (Apia to Niuatoputapu)

Passage Log Highlights

0700 Main (1 reef) + genoa
1210 Engines on
1241 Engines off Niuatoputapu

Daily Notes

Pass shallowest 17 ft, max current 1 kt

Logbook – May 9, 2016 (Apia to Niuatoputapu)

Daily Notes

Contacted by radio – officials came to the boat – health, quarantine, immigration (customs)
T – fixed outboard
A/B hull cleaning
Evening call from Sia welcoming us

After a month of not being used, the outboard carbureator needed some attention.

Logbook – May 10, 2016 (Apia to Niuatoputapu)

Daily Notes

Sia gave us a ride to pay fees
T/B spearfish – 1x big blue trevally (we kept) + sm trevally + big coral trout – gave to Sia

Logbook – May 11, 2016 (Apia to Niuatoputapu)

Daily Notes

T – helps policeman (Siona) w/ radio antenna info
T/B spearfish 2x coral trout + trevally – gave to Siona, he gave us cocos

Logbook – May 12, 2016 (Apia to Niuatoputapu)

Daily Notes

Boys to school, Brenden almost wore tiny shirt, “mostly boring” but Brenden “made some friends”
T – tried to fix generator

First day of school! The boys got to go to the local high school for a day.

Dogs were everywhere. I asked Sia if they would chase me if I went running, and she assured me that they wouldn’t. Based on my previous experience, I didn’t believe her.

Logbook – May 13, 2016 (Apia to Niuatoputapu)

Daily Notes

D/T – dinghy/walk to customs/bakery
T/B spearfish
Boys to shore to give Sia fish, almost lost the dinghy

They had a devastating tsunami here in 2009 where many people died, so now they have all these tsunami safety signs and clearly marked evacuation routes to higher ground.

This is the kindergarten, and if you look closely it’s surrounded by a barbed wire fence.

The high school. The sign says “internet cafe” which Alex assured me they do not have.

Logbook – May 14, 2016 (Apia to Niuatoputapu)

Daily Notes

Ionane – man at fisheries helped with water – family lives on Mala in Vava’u
Traded alcohol (gift for priest) + fish for bananas, papaya, and water

Email Sent to Family and Friends Dated may 14, 2016

Subject: Exodus – Niuatoputapu

I’ve been having trouble connecting to the sailmail stations, but yesterday it seemed to work well, so hopefully it was just an issue with propagation and had nothing to do with our equipment. It’s had to believe we’ve been here almost a week. We arrived here last Sunday after a fast upwind sail from Samoa. Niuatoputapu is one of the northernmost islands in Tonga, and two years ago we bypassed it and went straight from Pago Pago to Vava’u, so we are happy to have a second chance. It’s a small volcanic island with reef and lagoon on one side of the island, the leeward side, so the anchorage has been nice and flat with a gusty trade wind breeze blowing. The spearfishing has been very good, especially since there’s no ciguatera here, so all of the fish, including the groupers and snappers, are edible. So, Tim and Brenden have been coming back with dinghies full of fish and sharing a lot with the people in the village. Alex finished 8th grade, and his reward was to go to a Tongan high school for a day. The boys went to school, and overall said it was pretty boring, but both enjoyed the math class best because that’s something that easily crosses language barriers. They said the kids were nice, Brenden came home telling us about all the friends he made, of course. I don’t have a ninth grade curriculum, since Alex will be starting ninth grade back in CA in the fall, so in the meantime we are just going to work on Alegebra and writing. Brenden is still getting through the speed version of 7th grade, in fact he’s almost done with math and grammar and then we’ll keep working on reading and writing while hitting the high points in science. We will likely leave here and head to Vava’u tomorrow, and our main task there will be hauling Exodus out of the water, so there will be a lot of work to do and none of us is looking forward to that.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Photo Log

Apia Part 2 Photo Log

April 29 – May 6, 2016

Logbook – April 29, 2016 (Apia)

Daily Notes

B/T – sick
D – Fish market, flea market, evening run

Bus stop. The buses are bigger than in Pago Pago but they still pump out the loud hip hop music

Logbook – April 30, 2016 (Apia)

Daily Notes

D/T – walk to the east sea wall
Tuna & wine w/ Nefertiti
Concert at Gov’t building (Marina Davis?)

No one told Tim it was go up the mast day

Logbook – May 1, 2016 (Apia)

Daily Notes

Changed propane (1 left)
Lazy rainy Sunday

Email to Family and Friends Dated May 1, 2016

Subject: Exodus – Enjoying Apia

Apia has turned out to be the right place at the right time for us. After the more remote cruising of Tuvalu, Kiribati, Marshalls, Apia is a nice change of pace, and we’ve gotten to do some land touristy stuff the likes we haven’t done since NZ. We are in the marina, so it’s easy for me to step off the dock and go for a run, and the people here are so friendly it’s fun to just walk around town and explore. We went on a tour of the island and visited the Robert Louis Stevenson museum, swam in waterfall pool and an ocean trench, and had lunch at one of the premier resorts. Also the other day I made the boys go with me to a “cultural show” the other day. Tim and our neighbors on the next boat weren’t interested… doing something so touristy when you’ve already spent so much more authentic time in the island culture seemed lame to them. But to me, I was thinking, well it’s free, and maybe I’ll learn something I didn’t know. And wow, it was great. It’s funny because we’ve done/seen all of the these things already… cooking in an Umu, tapa making, wood carving, Polynesian dancing, but this show was actually a very detailed step by step demonstration of these things, and it was an opportunity to bring together in one linear flow all of the individual tidbits we’ve learned piecemeal along the way. And it was a forum to ask all of those lingering stupid questions. However, the highlight was something we haven’t seen before… traditional tatoo artistry. I’m trying to get Tim to get a tatoo, but so far he’s not convinced. We also learned that Samoa has their own version of a Kava ceremony (like in Fiji). Similar but different. Pretty cool.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Logbook – May 2, 2016 (Apia)

Daily Notes

D – Provisioning Frankie Mall
Boys – Internet day
D- run
Dinner @ Edge

Logbook – May 3, 2016 (Apia)

Passage Log Highlights

1313 Engines on
1401 Engines off, anchor in harbor

Daily Notes

Hike to RLS grave, swim in the pool, walk in the rain
Pizza place closed
Move out of marina to make room for the fishing boat fleet
Pizza dinner at Giordanos w/ Nefertiti

We went on a hike up to Robert Louis Stevenson’s tomb. We took the short path up and then the long path down. Brenden clearly had some excess energy after not spearfishing for awhile, because it only took him 10 minutes to run to the top

A view of the harbor between the clouds and the trees

There are canoes out on the water every evening

A cargo ship brought some of the fishing boats that are participating in a tournament this week. Thanks to the number of boats participating, we’ve gotten kicked out of the marina for a few days.

Logbook – May 4, 2016 (Apia)

Daily Notes

T/B spearfish, Alex dinghy driver – no fish here
Movie night at theater “Allegiant”

A weather system off in the distance behind the commercial wharf (and s/v Nerfertiti)

Email to Family and Friends Dated May 4, 2016

Subject: Exodus – muddy hike

We are still enjoying Apia, but yesterday we had to leave the marina and go anchor in the harbor to make room for a bunch of power boats, since today starts a big sport fishing tournament. It was sort of a pain to have to move, but I think we will be glad we are out here since the marina is now over-run with beer-chugging, foul-mouthed, fishermen. Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with beer chugging, foul mouths, and/or fishermen, but so many in one place might be a little much.
Yesterday we hiked up to the top of a hill to visit Robert Louis Stevenson’s grave. It wasn’t a long hike, but it was basically straight up, and because of all the rain it was muddy and slippery. That didn’t slow down Brenden, though. He made it to the top in 10 minutes. Barefoot. I brought up the rear and it took me 25 minutes. In my running shoes. At the bottom of the trail is a waterfall and swimming hole, so we all had a chance to cool off for awhile.
We are starting to look for a weather window to head down to Tonga and it’s looking like this weekend or early next week the trades fill back in and we should be able to move on.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Logbook – May 5, 2016 (Apia)

Daily Notes

Finish provisioning
Drinks on Exodus w/ Nefertiti

Logbook – May 6, 2016 (Apia)

Daily Notes

Cleared out (Immigration, customs), final shopping
SV Lilo arrived
Late night drinking and hanging out with Nefertiti

Email to Family and Friends Dated May 6, 2016

Subject: Exodus – cleared out and ready to go

Today I visited the various government offices in order to clear out of Samoa and we are poised for an early morning departure to Tonga. However, it is almost midnight and we just had a sad good-bye with our very dear friends whom we’ve only known for two weeks. It took me awhile to learn that in this lifestyle you have to put yourself out there quickly in order to make friends because everyone is moving at a different pace in different directions and if you hold back you will miss out on knowing really special people because before you know it they are gone, or you or gone. So, it’s almost midnight and we still need to get the boat ready, but I still have 1GB left on my internet plan so here I am…

Love and miss you all,
-D.

Photo Log

Apia Part 1 Photo Log

April 21-28, 2016

Two years ago, when we were dragging anchor all around Pago Pago (American Samoa) our friends in Apia were having a great time. So, we are glad we have gotten the chance to stop here for a while on our way down to Tonga. The “city” of Apia is one of the nicest in the Pacific, and the people here rival Fiji for their friendliness. We could have done without the cyclone thing though…

Logbook – April 21, 2016 (Apia)

Daily Notes

Move to marina, 2 other boats there, lots of help with dock lines
Cleared in – had to go to customs office for interview b/c Tarawa was listed as next port on Ebeye outbound clearance docs.
Taxi to immigration with smooth salesman Taula
Edge cafe for snacks, waitress Lupe
D/Boys taxi to grocery store
Dinner at Edge

Email to Family and Friends Dated April 21, 2016

Subject: Exodus – Arrived at Apia

We arrived at Apia, Samoa last night, and we kinda pulled a Lady Carolina in that we arrived just after dark, but instead of following LC’s cautious (smart?) ways we went ahead and entered the harbor and dropped anchor at night. I was livid because it was beyond my risk tolerance considering that we’ve never been here and we didn’t even know where we should go once inside the harbor. It helped that Port Control answered the radio and advised where we could anchor for the night. Later, once safely at anchor, I thanked Tim for being bold and confident enough to come in at night because sitting there drinking the last of my Zaya was a whole lot nicer than standing another night watch. His response was, “well, luck favors the bold…” Didn’t exactly bolster my confidence in our decision making, but the rum still tasted good. So, instead of pulling a Lady Carolina I guess we pulled a Skabenga (“We’re not staying the night out here, we’re comin in….”) although in fairness to us, Apia is a much safer place to enter at night than Raroia.
I didn’t write much during the passage, but once we decided to bypass Funafuti we had plenty of wind and had a pretty fast, squally, downwind run all the way here. We caught another tuna, were visited by dolphins, and sadly Exodus became a hospice care facility for small sea birds that got blown too far from home. Five total made their way to rest on Exodus, 3 died on board and 2 flew away after being startled (fate unknown). Tim tried to nurse them back, trying to get them to eat and drink, but I think by the time they got to us they were already spent. Needless to say, I am not the one who had to clean up all the poop. That’s Brenden’s job.
Apia looks like a big city and we are looking forward to getting to shore, but it’s still early and we are waiting for instructions from port control regarding clearance. There is a marina here, and we are actually looking forward to being at the dock for a little while.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

P.S. I don’t know if I’ve ever written about Skabenga, but they are our friends who entered Raroia, an atoll in The Tuamotus, after dark, and they are pretty much the poster child for “luck favors the bold.”
P.P.S. In case you missed the hint above, I am out of Zaya. So, someone needs to come visit.

Logbook – April 22, 2016 (Apia)

Daily Notes

D/T – taxi for propane then walk downtown to top off fresh veg
T/Alex – adjust lines, prep Exodus for TC Amos
Impromptu happy hour w/ neighbors on Exodus

Getting the dock lines set just right. We positioned Exodus in the middle of the slip with lines on both sides.

Logbook – April 23, 2016 (Apia)

Log Highlights

0830 Heavy rain
1020 Rain stopped
1300 Med rain
1630 Light rain
1908 Med rain
2145 Heavy rain, no swell

Daily Notes

TC Amos

It poured rain all day in advance of the cyclone

Logbook – April 24, 2016 (Apia)

Log Highlights

0000 Rain + lightning
0105 Light rain
0604 No rain, choppy harbor

Daily Notes

Back to school, boat cleaning
TC survival celebration at pizza place (name?) with Emelie and Fred (sv Nefertiti)
Drinks after on Nefertiti

And then it was over. All three boats in the marina were amazed and so, so glad.

Walking to town along the harbor waterfront. This is an excellent place to run, also.

Italiano’s is neither an internet cafe nor a coffee bar, but the pizza and beer were good.

Joined by our new friends from our neighbor boat S/V Nefertiti. It was nice to have them to discuss weather and boat preps as the stom approached and to celebrate with after.

Email to Family and Friends Dated April 24, 2016

Subject: Exodus – All is well after TC Amos

We have traveled thousands of miles to get out of cyclone regions during cyclone seasons. It’s kind of been a policy, and surprisingly one that Tim and I agree on. The risk of a major hurricane/cyclone just isn’t worth it to us. So, it’s kind of ironic that we’ve now experienced 2 cyclones: TC Pam last year in New Zealand and TC Amos last night. Pam was never much of a concern since it had lost a lot of energy in the cooler water approaching New Zealand, but Amos was a bit of nail biter. It turns out we came back to the southern hemisphere just a wee bit early. We were enticed by the NW winds of a weak low over Fiji to have a downwind run all the way here to Samoa, but then that nice little low which helped us get here turned on us and from Fiji went NE then W then made bee line straight for Samoa all the while intensifying. We were braced for the worst, since all the forecasts for the last two days had it passing just south of here. This meant the north wind and waves would come straight into the harbor, and we were most concerned about storm surge into the marina. Then, at the last minute, it decided to stay north. It passed as close as 20 nmi north of here as a “severe” tropical cyclone, but since all the wind/waves were then from the south, we hardly felt it here in the Apia harbor. We had mostly SE wind all evening, then about midnight we had a brief calm, then the wind came back from the west, which is when I went to sleep. The strongest wind speed we clocked here in the marina was 35 kt. I don’t know how the other side of the island faired or how American Samoa is doing now.
We were lucky.
So, now it’s time to really enjoy Samoa. Apia is a really nice place, probably the nicest “city” we’ve been to in the Pacific. And the Samoans are definitely the friendliest Polynesians we’ve met… I seriously think they rival Fiji in this respect.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Logbook – April 25, 2016 (Apia)

Daily Notes

Clean the dinghy
T/Boys to McDs

A lifesaving clinic in the harbor. So far, Samoa seems to be the most safety conscious place we’ve been to in the Pacific.

This dramatic cathedral overlooks the harbor

Taking advantage of being at the dock to scrub the dinghy bottom.

Logbook – April 26, 2016 (Apia)

Daily Notes

Tour Day

Edit: We went on an all day tour to see some of the sites around the island of Upolu (the island we are on, where Apia is). This was classic tourist stuff, but it was a very fun day. Any of you who tend to vacation in Hawaii, I’d encourage you to check out Samoa as a potential alternative. It has a lot of the same beauty but the added adventure of leaving the states.

These guys look ready for a road trip, right?

Villa Vailima – The Robert Louis Stevenson Museum. With this stop we could count the day as a school outing, since Brenden has been reading RLS poetry and is about to start a non-fiction book about his travels across America on an immigrant train.

This sculpture is a tribute to the legend of the end of cannibalism in Samoa. Here is a link to a blog that tells about it better than I could: http://www.samoadiaries.com/history/cannibalism/

There are two fireplaces in RLS’s house, and these are the only two in all of Samoa. Of course they are, it’s freaking hot here! But it turnes out these are just facades anyway to give them the feel of home. There aren’t even chimneys.

This is Austin’s room, the step-grandson of RLS. He moved here when he was 8 and he was homeschooled and then he returned back to the U.S. when he was 12. So, I suspect he and Brenden would relate about a few things.

A Bahai’i temple, one of only 8 in the world. To me Bahai’i seems to be an interesting alternative to the other monotheistic faiths, but it still has all the trappings of a religious organization.

Checking out Papapapatai (That’s two papa’s) Waterfall

Coconut Beach Club. This is beautiful resort, if you’re into that sort of thing. We told our tour guide we were more interested in seeing villages than resorts, but he took us to resorts anyway.

OK, is it just me or does this look like a giant Kava bowl.

Togitogiga Waterfall. Brenden was the first in the water.

Double jump from the “high dive.” Tim and Brenden.

No that’s not a drug deal going down. That’s the coffee distributor and Tim’s trying to score some samples of the Samoan grown coffee beans.

Tim and Brenden make their way down into To Sua Ocean Trench. I went down too, but chose to swim around the area you see in this photo while Tim and Brenden went through the underwater tunnel leading out to the ocean. Of course they did.

Brenden had a lot of fun, but more than once he wished out loud that his boat kid friends were with us. “Then it would be really fun!”

Random bridge that makes Brenden look like a giant

Logbook – April 27, 2016 (Apia)

Daily Notes

Rainy day, Alex sick

Logbook – April 28, 2016 (Apia)

Daily Notes

D/Boys – Cultural show, library
D – evening run, beers on Nefertiti

Edit: I made the boys be tourists with me and we went to a cultural show put on by the Samoa Tourism Office. It turned out to be quite fun and informative even though we had seen/done most of these things many times before. The best part was when the guy was talking about “Samoa Time” and that if you have an appointment with a Samoan they will most likely be late and Brenden pipes up that, “it’s like that in all the islands.” I thought the guy was going to give B a hard time about what makes him such an expert, but he let it slide. Not featured in the photos is that we got to see someone getting a tatoo the old school way (where they tap tap tap the cutting tool) and that we got to eat the food from the umu. For just regular tourists coming here for their one or two week vacation this was a most impressive overview of Samoan culture. But it was good for us too, and we learned a few things.