Hangin out at The George (a hotel where we would go to get internet).
Email to Family and Friends Dated January 12, 2016
Subject: Exodus -Back in Tarawa
We are back in Tarawa and our day was full of frustratingly slow internet and hunting for interesting provisions. I considered it a successful day because I was able to “like” a few things on FB and I found eggs, cheese, carrots, cabbage, and apples! It looks like Pali has been upgraded to a hurricane and since the current long range forecast has it going between here and Majuro, we intend to stay around here until that sorts itself out. We may check out here in Tarawa and then go hide out in an atoll just north of here to wait for weather to proceed to Majuro. Love and miss you all, -D.
P.S. To all moms and grandmas, we are totally safe from the hurricane here. That’s actually why we are here in Kiribati right now… to avoid hurricanes!
Aranuka is a small atoll near Abemama where very few boats go due to how shallow the pass is. This is the first atoll we’ve ever entered where we didn’t have any prior information from another cruiser. It was well worth the effort, because the people of the island are amazing.
Logbook – December 31, 2015 (Abemama to Aranuka)
Passage Log Highlights
0636 Engines on
0819 Engines off, genniker
1255 SB engine on
1330 P engine on
1420 Arrive pass, launch dinghy
1543 Engines off, anchor outside
Daily Notes
Passage to Aranuka. Decided to wait until morning for high tide to go through the pass
Day passage from Abemama to AranukaSpent NYE anchored roadside outside the pass – wanted to wait for slack tideIt took over two years, but we finally had to open the emergency bottle of Captain Morgan that Dazzler Dan gave Tim for his birthday way back in La Paz, Mexico. Thanks Dan!
Logbook – January 1, 2016 (Aranuka)
Passage Log Highlights
0822 Engines on
0939 Engines off near village
Daily Notes
Pass – 10 min before high tide (+ 4.5′) Not too much current, seemed to still be going in. Shallowest 8.5′ to surface. Anchored near village.
Visited by Martin (member of Parliament) & Bet
Day on shore – Feast and talent show w/ Protestant church. Traditional dancing + funky hip hop w/ Catholic church. We all got “freaked”! Except Alex – sick – stayed on boat)
Anchored near the villageApproaching the passIt turns out they drink kava in Kiribati tooBrenden was badWe were invited to a New Year’s Day feast……and they treated us like guests of honor
Email to Family and Friends Dated January 1, 2016
Subject: Exodus – Happy New Year!
Today we did something we have never done… we entered a lagoon without ANY prior cruiser intel… no tracks, no waypoints, no depth/current information… nothing. We didn’t even have nautical charts.. this place, the island of Aranuka, must not have been important during WWII because unlike Tarawa and Abemama it’s completely uncharted. All we had was a somewhat cloudy satellite image and the fact the someone once heard from someone in Majuro that you could get a boat in here. We arrived outside the pass yesterday afternoon at low slack tide and after Tim and Alex scouted the pass in the dinghy we decided to anchor outside the lagoon for the night and wait for the morning high tide. There was huge, long period swell coming at us from the south, so it was a somewhat uncomfortable night out there. Tim tried to make up for it by looking for lobster, but no luck. He only saw one, and it got away. Coming in the pass this morning, and all the way across the lagoon for that matter, we navigated totally by eyeball. Tim was at the helm, I was on the top deck, and Alex and Brenden were each on one of the bows and everyone’s job was to look for shallow coral heads. This was harder than you might think because 1) there was about 15 kts of wind on the nose and the small wind chop made it hard to see into the water, and 2) we were basically going over a sea of coral heads at 10-15 ft deep and we were trying to spot any tiny pinnacles that might stick up shallower than our draft, which is 4 feet. Tim says it was a piece of cake, but I found it quite stressful… no surprise given our personalities. It was all worth it though, because we had a great day on shore attending not one, but two New Year’s Day celebrations. Since there are two churches in town there were two celebrations. Hopefully we can navigate the church rivalry politics as well as we navigated into the lagoon… The celebrations were fun with an interesting mixture of traditional dancing and funky hip hop, but this time we got to get in on the action. Let’s just say the women in Aranuka seemed to really love Tim’s dance moves… you’ll just have to wait for the video if we ever get internet again. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – January 2, 2016 (Aranuka)
Daily Notes
Lazy Saturday
Logbook – January 4, 2016 (Aranuka)
Daily Notes
No church
Logbook – January 4, 2016 (Aranuka)
Daily Notes
D/T to shore. No internet. Onions & pumpkin. Met Leekee.
T/Boys – kite surf in the afternoon
Logbook – January 5, 2016 (Aranuka)
Daily Notes
T/A to shore to play foozeball
After dinner, T/A/B more foozeball
Logbook – January 6, 2016 (Aranuka)
Daily Notes
T – fishing w/ man from shore in outrigger sailboat
Turtle for lunch
Dinner on Exodus w/ Martin + friends + daughters
Tim went out fishing with a friend he made in the village. They didn’t catch any fish, but Tim did get to sail the canoeWe invited our friend Martin and his family out to the boat for dinnerBrenden’s with Martin’s daughters, Teue and Reitene
We seem to be stuck in Aranuka since the wind only seems to blow from the N to the NW. And since Tarawa is in the direction of NNW, that makes it very hard to sail back. Our visas expire next Thursday, so if the forecast doesn’t miraculously change soon, we will just have to motor-bash back, but we are very disappointed about that. I emailed immigration yesterday and to my complete astonishment they actually emailed back, but like a typical beaureaucratic message it was vague without giving any explicit permission. It just said that our message was noted and please report to immigration as soon as we are back. On a bright note, we are really enjoying Aranuka. Two nights ago, we had a family out to dinner on Exodus and last night we had dinner on shore. I actually think the dinner they served us was actually better… it included lobster and chicken. It is a very rare thing that we are the only boat at a village, and I’m embarrassed to say that they are treating us a little like celebrities. Last night was also the final round of the parliamentary elections so we stayed around for the counting of the votes, and in a very close finish the incumbent was beaten and now the island has a new MP. We were invited to a party at the new MP’s house last night, but we were tired, and the wind was still blowing pretty strong, so we wanted to get back to Exodus. It was a very wet dinghy ride upwind. We had strong winds for about 24 hours, a steady 30 kts with some short periods of 40+. However, it’s nice and calm as I set and type this morning– there’s the kettle, time for coffee! Love and miss you all, -D.
This is the corner where we sat during the party, and it turns out that Alex’s posse knocked down the fenceThe Catholic Church. There are two churches in the village, so we stayed on the boat on Sundays, not wanting to play favorites.An ocean front playgroundThe kids followed us down the beachExodus through the mangrovesFinal good-byes with some of the kids
Email to Family and Friends Dated January 10, 2016
Subject: Exodus – Period Party
We are still sitting happily at anchor in Aranuka. We may leave tomorrow or we may just let our visas expire and wait for better weather. Last night we were invited to a huge party/feast in honor of one of the young girls “becoming a woman.” Apparently, the tradition is that when a girl gets her first period, she only eats dried coconut for three days and then at the end of the three days they have a big feast for her to eat. The man we talked to about it said that’s the way it’s supposed to be, but probably the moms feel sorry for the girls not getting to eat anything but coconut and sneak them rice from time to time. We weren’t sure if a gift was appropriate or not, so Tim asked someone before the party, and he said a gift of money is generally appropriate. We considered that input but opted to go with the gifts of nail polish, lipstick, and body spray that we have. We feasted, danced, and Tim even gave a speech to the new young woman. The funniest part of the night was the huge group of kids hovering around us. We jokingly call the group of kids that hover around us wherever we go “Alex’s posse” and last night was about the biggest posse we’ve seen. They actually broke down the fence they were gathered by and leaning on, and once there was no fence they sat close in with us in our little corner. They don’t speak much English but there was lots of repetitive high fiving, fist bumping, and of course they absolutely loved having their pictures taken. At the end of the party the hostess presented as a gift to us one of the woven mats, and I couldn’t contain my gratitude/excitement because I’ve always really been wanting one. I told the boys when we get home, we aren’t going to have furniture, just a big hand-woven mat in the living room, but Tim has vetoed that. I think he misses the big comfy couch. The hostess also gave us two huge pumpkins, and Tim never tired of the joke “Oh my gourd, what are you going to do with those?!” The pumpkins were almost as exciting as the mats given, we have absolutely no fresh food on board. Oh, and when you think pumpkin, don’t think big round thick skinned pumpkin that you carve at halloween, think something more like a giant zuchinni. You can even eat the skin. I’m pretty sure this is all about as exciting as it gets out here! Love and miss you all, -D.
Email to Family and Friends Dated January 10, 2016
Subject: Exodus – Headed back to Tarawa
After reviewing the weather this morning, we made the difficult decision to leave Aranuka and head back to Tarawa. The wind is not the right direction, but it’s light so we will do some tacking and turn a 1/2-day passage into a 1.5 day one. We waited until the late afternoon to leave, so we could leave at high slack tide, and we are now sailing slowly along the southern side of the atoll. While saying our good-byes to people in the village this afternoon, we found out that one of the men has an SSB radio and we just did a test with him and he was there and everything seemed to be working. So, we are going to do another test as we get further. This is definitely a first for us… SSB traffic with one of the islanders! Speaking of SSB traffic, one of our highlights from while we were in Aranuka was that we were able to have SSB traffic with a blast from the past. Our friends on Lady Carolina are on passage from French Polynesia to Hawaii, and we have been able to talk to them a couple times for the first time in over a year! We stay in touch via email, but it was so great to hear their voices. They were so familiar it seemed like no time had passed at all. Of course, Brenden got a boost when Carolina thought he was Tim on the radio. After a couple of years of being mistaken for me, he is happy to be sounding a little more manly! We will probably arrive in Tarawa tomorrow night after dark, but the harbor is well marked and well-lit and we have a track so we will just go on in rather than wait until morning. Love and miss you all, -D.
Abemama was an overnight sail SE from Tarawa and it was our destination for Christmas
Logbook – December 18, 2015 (Tarawa to Abemama)
Passage Log Highlights
1349 Engines on
1450 P engine off. Main (1 reef) + genoa
1505 SB engine off. Squall
1612 P engine on
1658 P engine off
1743 P engine on
2020 P engine off
Daily Notes
Nothing to report
Logbook – December 19, 2015 (Tarawa to Abemama)
Passage Log Highlights
0313 Main (1 reef) + genoa, wing/wing
0600 Main (1 reef) + genoa, wing/wing
1115 Engines on
1135 Engines off Ambemama
Daily Notes
Trip Summary: Duration 21:46. Log Miles 3880-3796 = 84. Route Miles = 90. Avg VMG = 4.13. Eng hr – Port – 3:23, SB – 0:15, Both – 1:21. Generator hr – 1:36
Visited by Tanro in his outrigger sailing canoe just after anchoring
Safe arrival drinks + Scattergories
Tarawa to AbemamaSailing through the passWe entered through the west pass and then anchored up at the north end of the atoll for a few days. Then moved south down to the motu called Bike and eventually on Christmas Day we moved over to anchor off the main village in order to be close for the planned Boxing Day festivities. Eventually, we departed on NYE down through the southern pass headed for Aranuka.The Northern Anchorage
Email to Family and Friends Dated December 19, 2025
Subject: Exodus – Overnighter to Abemama
We arrived at Abemama earlier today, which as an atoll in Kiribati about 90 miles SE from Tarawa. We were able to sail most of the way, which is good, but it certainly wasn’t the kind of sailing where you can just set the sails and forget about them. There were squalls and wind shifts, in fact I think we sailed at almost every point of sail during that short passage.
We were very happy to leave Tarawa. I think I mentioned a bit about Betio in my last email… I mean, it’s the first place we’ve been in the South Pacific where I felt a little uncomfortable walking around at night. And don’t even think about swimming in the lagoon, because the water is so gross. No swimming and no running the water maker. Luckily it poured rain day before yesterday, so we were able to catch a bunch of rainwater to do the laundry. I would like to say something positive about Tarawa, so I will mention the small egg farm we found where we could get fresh eggs, and by fresh, I mean gathered right out from under the hens. They had what looked like newly constructed, very sturdy chicken coups with a total of about 85 chickens. It was very clean and the chickens all looked healthy. The feed troughs were tires sliced in half sideways and suspended from the ceiling, so the feed was always up off the ground. One of the women we spoke to there is educated as a lawyer and her English was very good and she was able to give us a few more tips about shopping in Betio. The hens lay about 60 eggs/day and curiously, most of their customers are Chinese. We went 3 days in a row to buy all we could and share amongst all the cruising boats. It was a nice little family business, and I really hope they continue to have success. Also, I should mention that a group of cruisers hired a truck and went for a tour of other islets, and they said there were some really nice places, they even went to a farm and got some fresh veggies. I passed on that outing, because I can only take so many days in a row of big group outings. Luckily, my friend brought me back some bok choy, pumpkin, and fresh basil, and it was like Christmas.
Speaking of Christmas… we made a tough decision to bail on the organized Christmas Day extravaganza with all the other boats, so we are here in Abemema with just True Blue V. We were both feeling like we needed/wanted something a little more low key, so here we are.
Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – December 20, 2015 (Abemama)
Daily Notes
Lazy Sunday. EOS II arrived.
B – fever
Alex – impetigo?
Logbook – December 21, 2015 (Abemama)
Daily Notes
Visit to village with TBV. Walk to other side of atoll
T/Craig/Slade/Tanro – spearfishing
The small village of Tabiang at the north end of the atollThe airport near TabiangTaro garden
Logbook – December 22, 2015 (Abemama North Anchorage to Bike)
Passage Log Highlights
1139 Engines on
1155 SB engine off, genoa
1331 SB engine on
1346 Engines off Bike
Daily Notes
D/Leann go ashore, try to find policeman. Found only a man with very limited English
Moved anchorages
T/Slade – spearfish at pass
Peaking in the windows at the Catholic ChurchBora Bora has nothing on this placeBike Island
Logbook – December 23, 2015 (Abemama Bike)
Daily Notes
T/Slade spearfish, A/B dinghy drivers – dog tooth!
D – walk on beach with EOS II, met the locals, no English
Happy hour/sushi on Exodus
Building sand castles at the small island of BikeAll kinds of mayhem happening on Exodus. I think the fact that the picture is out of focus is somewhat appropriate.
Logbook – December 24, 2015 (Abemama Bike)
Daily Notes
Steady 25-30 kt W-NW
Xmas Eve pizza tradition
Personal pizzas on Christmas Eve
Email to Family and Friends Dated December 24, 2025
Subject: Exodus – Merry Christmas Eve
Merry Christmas Eve to all! We are still at Abemama, and we’ve been anchored off of a small island near the pass for a couple days. It hasn’t been the flattest of all places to anchor, but it was easy access for Tim and Slade, Tim’s new spearfishing boyfriend, and yesterday they came back with a dogtooth tuna! Needless to say, we had a great evening last night of sashimi, seared tuna, and wine with our new friends on the boat EOS II.
Yesterday, True Blue V dropped a bomb on us as they decided at the last minute to leave Abemama yesterday so they could clear out of Kiribati today and head up to The Marshalls. It was a combination of weather forecast and the fact that their Kiribati visas expire sooner than ours, and it all made rational sense, but that doesn’t mean it’s not disappointing to not be with them on Christmas. Although, we still have the girls from EOS II, who made Tim his sparkle box for his birthday, so all is not lost.
Being Christmas eve we are about to make our traditional personal pizzas. We are wishing everyone happiness and relaxed family time during this time of year that, as I recall, can get quite hectic back home.
Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – December 25, 2015 (Abemama Bike to Main Village)
Passage Log Highlights
1007 Engines on
1123 Engines off
Daily Notes
Nothing in the logbook (on Christmas!)
Anchored near the main villageFluffy clouds of yumminess. Homemade rolls for Christmas dinner. (I guess the rest of our dinner wasn’t photo worthy — beef stew, lasagna, canned green beans, boxed mashed potatoes)A rare photo of Alex smiling. He’s enjoying his Christmas Sprite.Kiani will rescue you Brenden! (Photo by EOS II – https://www.facebook.com/EosIIsailing/)Ahia is getting Tim’s stern look (Photo by EOS II – https://www.facebook.com/EosIIsailing/)
Logbook – December 26, 2015 (Abemama Main Village)
Daily Notes
Village dance off all day
Traditional dancing on Boxing Day at the main village on Abemama
Kiani brought down the house when she got to participate in one of the dances.
Not to be outdone by big sis
Logbook – December 27, 2015 (Abemama Main Village to North Anchorage)
Passage Log Highlights
1046 Engines on
1226 Engines off
Daily Notes
Rainy day, lots of wind
Moved anchorages
Email to Family and Friends Dated December 27, 2025
Subject: Exodus – Christmas Feast and Traditional Dancing
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Our day started out with an hour sail across the lagoon in order to be in a more protected spot when the wind shifted. The weather seems to not care that it’s Christmas and that we just want to sit, relax, eat and drink. Then EOS II came over for our Christmas party, and they brought their Christmas tree with them to give Exodus a more festive vibe. And by Christmas tree I of course mean a palm frond wrapped in purple boas. Our feast consisted of beef and papaya stew, lasagna, cous cous, boxed mashed potatoes, canned green beans, and homemade dinner rolls (which Brenden referred to as “fluffy clouds of yumminess,” which made my day!) The only gifts exchanged on Exodus this year were with EOS II, and all gifts were either a funny gag gift or something found on the boat or made (like the lego butterfly Brenden made for the girls, complete with moveable wings). We had an early meal and then lounged around on the net up front until the sun went down.
Yesterday morning, we were visited by the local policeman, and so we finally officially checked into Abemama and showed him our letters from customs and immigration giving us permission to be here. We only have permission for 10 days, but he says it’s fine if we stay longer, which is good because there is some strong wind that is supposed to start today and blow for a few days, so we’ll just wait that out up in the northern part of the atoll. We were planning to move anchorages yesterday, but our quick trip to shore turned into an all-day event, because there was a big celebration with a traditional dance competition among all the villages of the island (it turns out that there’s 13). The dancing went from 11am to about 5pm. The local people were very nice to us and treated us like royalty, giving us front row mats to sit on and giving us all sorts of food and drink. This was a special thing to see, because it wasn’t a show being put on for tourists, this is what they would have been doing whether we were there or not, and we had the good fortune to get to be a part of it. The very best part of the day had to be when Kiani (4-year-old from EOS II) was included in one of the dances. They decked her out in the full costume, taught her a few moves, and then let her perform with a group of kids only slightly bigger than her. It was a riot! The place erupted in cheers and laughter, and Kiani had the time of her life. Even Alex was close to admitting that it was worth coming to shore to see… he was laughing so hard he was almost crying.
According to the weather forecast we are not supposed to see the sun for the next week so it will be lots of water catching and generator running.
Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – December 28, 2015 (Abemama North Anchorage)
Daily Notes
Impromptu chit-chat on Exodus w/ Mariposa & EOS II
Happy hour on Mariposa
Logbook – December 29, 2015 (Abemama North Anchorage)
Daily Notes
Family Scrabble. Tim won (of course!)
Logbook – December 30, 2015 (Abemama North Anchorage)
Daily Notes
Nothing in the log book
It turns out that Brenden is not too big for forts…… this bigger surprise is Alex isn’t either. (You can’t tell, but Alex is inside)
Tarawa is the capital of the island nation of Kiribati, and we got in and out of there as quickly as we could so we could visit some outer islands.
Logbook – December 7, 2015 (Nanumea to Tarawa)
Passage Log Highlights
1300 Engines on
1342 Engines off Main (1 reef) + genoa
1915 P engine on + Main (1 reef)
Daily Notes
Breakfast on EOS II after the net
Went around the village to say good-bye
Relaxing in the hammock on our last day
Logbook – December 8, 2015 (Nanumea to Tarawa)
Passage Log Highlights
0334 Main (1 reef) + genoa
Fishing vessel – port
0731 P engine off
0930 SB engine on, watermaker
1501 SB engine off, Main + genoa
1830 P engine on, no sails
Daily Notes
Nothing to report
Email to Family and Friends dated December 8, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Good-bye Nanumea
We sadly left Nanumea yesterday afternoon with high slack water, and the pass exit was far less dramatic than the entrance. So far on passage we have sailed really fast in the wrong direction and now we are motor sailing slowly in the right direction. We don’t have enough diesel to motor too much, so hopefully the wind fills in today. Yesterday during some bumpiness we lost our big plastic tub overboard (yes, the one Tim recently rescued at Funafuti) and we had a hatch left open so there is sea water in our bed. Sheesh! You’d think we just started cruising last week with hatches left open and things not tied down. Anyway, one other boat left Nanumea with us yesterday and I think everyone else is leaving today. It’s looking like those who waited made the right call since it really hasn’t been that great out here. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – December 9, 2015 (Nanumea to Tarawa)
Passage Log Highlights
0419 P engine, no sails
1440 P engine off, genniker
1907 Main (2 reefs) + genniker
Daily Notes
Caught and released a small Mahi2
T/A – went for a swim
Whales (or really big dolphins?) spotted ahead
We had a very calm passage from Tuvalu to Kiribati, so Tim decided to go for a swim to cool off. Just so it’s clear, this is Tim being dragged behind Exodus while we are out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Email to Family and Friends dated December 9, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Tuvalu to Kiribati Day 2
Right now we are sailing slowly, and I seriously mean slowly. Under 2 kts. But Tim used that as an opportunity to rig a bit of a sling attached to the pulley we use for the dingy engine, and he had Brenden him lower him into the water to go for a swim. Well, I thought it was just to go for a swim, but what he really wanted to do was look under the boat and see what kind of fish keep triggering our depth sounder. Too bad it was just little fish, if it were tuna, I’m sure he would have asked for his spear gun. Although the winds are light our spirits are still high, because at least none of us are seasick. The boys are passing time eradicating Exodus of all the flies from Nanumea. We don’t want to import any to Kiribati. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – December 10, 2015 (Nanumea to Tarawa)
Passage Log Highlights
0542 Main (2 reefs) + genni
1107 Main + genni
Daily Notes
Hooked 3 yellow fin tuna, 1 got away, 1 too small to keep, 1 for our tummies
Email to Family and Friends dated December 10, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Tuvalu to Kiribati Day 3
Forget the naked tuna dance, someone needs to do the naked wind dance! We can’t even get a squall to come over us. We are baking in a 95 deg F oven called our salon, and the only fish we’ve caught was a tiny Mahi Mahi, so we released it. Other than all that whining, things aren’t too bad. It’s hard to complain about a comfortable, flat sea, and we are even going to BBQ chicken tonight, since we don’t have to worry about the wind blowing the grill out! Perhaps we’ll make it to Tarawa by Christmas. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – December 11, 2015 (Nanumea to Tarawa)
Passage Log Highlights
0330 Main + genniker
0825 Main + genoa
1520 Main + genniker
1835 SB engine on – battery charging at low voltage 12.6 V – over time, voltage increased
1851 SB + main
Equator crossing (time not recorded)
Daily Notes
Nothing to report
Even squalls can be beautiful in the right light.
Email to Family and Friends dated December 11, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Tuvalu to Kiribati Day 4
It seems that shortly after I sent the email last night the wind picked up and we’ve been sailing ever since. So, someone out there must have done the naked wind dance for us, and for that, we thank you. Oh, and it must have been a two for one, naked wind AND tuna dance, because we caught a yellow fin tuna today. Well, we actually hooked 3, but one got away and one was too small to keep. And the boys will tell you that the one that got away was my fault, but don’t you believe them for a second. It is peaceful, even if slow, sailing, and we are enjoying it. Love and miss you all, -D.
Email to Family and Friends dated December 11, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Tuvalu to Kiribati Day 5
So, lack of wind is no longer a problem, so I’ll just share a couple of tidbits unique to this passage so far…
I always have the early morning watch, so I have grown accustomed to peacefully enjoying the sunset by myself in the mornings. For almost 3 years, this has consistently been one of my highlights while on passage. I usually count down until the sun comes up and the shroud of deep black darkness is slowly replaced with colorful brightness. Well, not any more. Now, I loathe when the sun comes up because my comfortably cool cockpit, where I can doze in my underwear without being too hot or too cold, turns into a furnace with a laser piercing heat source that will burn holes in your skin if you stay in one place too long. No, sunrise is no longer a happy time.
We figured out how to send inReach to inReach texts that don’t count towards the monthly limit, and there are two other boats out here who also have them. So, we are constantly texting back and forth, and it feels so normal to be checking my phone for texts (my iPhone is paired to the inReach) and laughing and sending something back. I’m just out here in the middle of the pacific ocean sending texts on my iPhone… nothing strange about that!
We are about to cross the equator again and re-join the northern hemisphere after over a year and a half. We don’t have anything big planned but there may be haircuts involved again. And pizza. I’ll write more about that tomorrow.
Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – December 12, 2015 (Nanumea to Tarawa)
Passage Log Highlights
0345 SB + main + genoa
0600 SB off, main + genoa
0907 P engine on
0915 P engine off, main + genoa
1053 P engine on
1209 P engine off, SB on
1410 SB off, main + genoa
1524 Main + genoa
1634 Engines on
1758 Engines off Tarawa
Daily Notes
Added 3 miles to DMS for distance from pass to anchorage
Passage from Nanumea, Tuvalu to Tarawa, Kiribati – 5 days, 4 hours, 58 min The atoll of Tarawa, KribatiWe anchored near the main town called BetioRust Bucket!Brenden enjoying a tuna pop
Email to Family and Friends dated December 12, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Anchor down Tarawa
This morning I was sure there was no chance we would make it before dark, but this afternoon the wind picked up and shifted to a good direction just enough that we made in anchors down just at dusk. We had some our worst conditions the entire passage as we approached the island as there were squalls all around us, but now we are anchored safely right next to True Blue V again, and all is good. We have a new safe arrival tradition of playing a game as a family as we drink our safe arrival drinks, and I’m really enjoying that time with the boys. Now, it’s time for a full night sleep without someone waking me at 3am to stand watch. Love and miss you all, -D.
P.S. I slept through the equator crossing last night. The boys toasted to Neptune and ate popcorn. Everyone still has their hair.
EOS II in their mighty dinghyTrue Blue V and The Mighty EOS II
Logbook – December 14, 2015 (Tarawa)
Daily Notes
Customs, Biosecurity, and Police came to Exodus to clear in. Later they said we must go to immigration. All ~7 boats took a flatbed truck.
Drinks & dinner at Beer and Bullshit Bar
A couple photos of the Betio inner harbor (Betio is the name of one of the cities in Tarawa. Tarawa is the name of the entire atoll)Getting a ride to immigration – I got to ride in the air-conditioned cabPiled into another truck for the ride back to the wharf (photo by EOS II – https://www.facebook.com/EosIIsailing/)
Lahnee and Slade (EOS II)Walking about looking for vegetables and eggsWe struck out on the veggies, but we did find this little egg farm
Logbook – December 16, 2015 (Tarawa)
Daily Notes
T – Diesel and propane
D – Immigration & egg farm w/ Lauri (Free Spirit)
Internet & lunch @ The George
Drinks on Exodus w/ EOS II
Logbook – December 17, 2015 (Tarawa)
Daily Notes
D/A – The George for internet
D – walk about shopping. 43 eggs
T/B – fix spinnaker halyard
Email to Family and Friends dated December 17, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Tarawa
We’ve been in Tarawa for 5 days now, and I’m sad to say this is the most depressing place we’ve visited so far. It’s an atoll with small islets, and someone told me the capital of Betio has 100,000 people. If that’s true, it’s crazy! It’s smell, dirty, and way too crowded. There’s not a fresh vegetable to be found, and you can find eggs if you are persistent. It looks like we will be having boxed mashed potatos and canned green beans for Christmas dinner! Overall, the people have been very nice, though. We have our permission letters from customs and immigration to visit other islands, so we will be leaving in the next day or so. There is internet here, but it is painfully slow, so there will be no photo uploads anytime soon. Love and miss you all, -D.
The atoll of Nanumea is the northern most island in Tuvalu. We got permission from customs and immigration in Funafuti to make a stop at Nanumea after clearing out enroute to Kiribati. They originally gave us permission for only 1 day but in the end we stayed for about 2 weeks. This was definitely one of our highlights of our entire trip north.
Email to Family and Friends dated November 20, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Underway again
We made a somewhat abrupt decision to leave Funafuti today, and we are headed to the island of Nanumea, which is the northern most island in Tuvalu. Yes, we did get approval from customs and immigration to go there, but that is a story in and of itself. We may have approval to stay one day or one week. We decided to stop asking questions and just get out of here with approval letter in hand. It’s not good sailing conditions, in fact it’s going to be a slow motor sail, but we want to get a little further north now before a low pressure that’s supposed to come next week and blanket Tuvalu in strong NW winds. It’s like old times, since we are underway with True Blue V not too far away. We are just missing that other Island Packet… Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – November 21, 2015 (Funafuti to Nanumea)
Passage Log Highlights
0235 SB engine on + genniker
0845 SB engine, no sails
1217 P engine on / SB off
P engine off to clean hull
1435 P engine on
Daily Notes
Stop the boat – Alex & Tim clean hull – 31% improvement
Fresh tuna on passage
Email to Family and Friends dated November 21, 2015
Subject: Exodus – becalmed
When I said this would be a slow motor-sail I was only half right. It’s actually just a slow motor. We were able to sail most of the night last night, but about 3am the wind died, and we’ve been becalmed ever since. We even stopped the boat today and Tim and Alex cleaned the hulls and props in order to improve our MPG, and they’ve calculated a 31% improvement. Not bad! The really good news is yesterday evening they boys caught 2 yellow-fin tunas, so we are just sitting down to a dinner of seared tuna, rice, and stir-fried vegetables. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – November 22, 2015 (Funafuti to Nanumea)
Passage Log Highlights
0347 No sails
0806 Unfurled genoa steered 10 deg port backed off engine
0817 Squall – furled genoa
0900 SB engine on
1105 both engines off, Main (1 reef) + genoa
Tack to port tack
1341 P engine on + Main
1431 Switch engines, Main + genoa
1521 Switch engines (SB off, P on) – tack to P tack
1534 P engine off
1620 Main (1 reef) + genoa
2130 P engine on
Daily Notes
Nothing in the book
Email to Family and Friends dated November 22, 2015
Subject: Exodus – What a difference a day makes
Yesterday, we were becalmed. Today, we’ve had a pretty steady, not forecast, 15-20 kts of wind. It started out this morning from the NW, right from the direction of our destination, so we spent a frustrating several hours tacking and making very little headway. But mid-afternoon it shifted to the west and we’ve been able to sail a course almost at our target. It’s been pretty uncomfortable, but we are looking forward to getting there tomorrow. Everything else is fine, except that Brenden has an ear infection. I think he had gotten pretty lax about flushing out his ears after diving, so maybe he’ll be a little more diligent now. The amoxicillin from Mexico doesn’t seem to be working, so we may switch to a different anti-biotic tomorrow. It’s not expired yet, but since it hasn’t exactly been stored at the correct temperature the entire time it may be a little suspect. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – November 23, 2015 (Funafuti to Nanumea)
Passage Log Highlights
0150 P engine off / SB engine on
0805 Motorsail – SB + genoa
1048 P engine on
1128 Engines off – recon pass
1411 P engine on
1420 SB engine on
1458 Engines off Nanumea
Daily Notes
Surfed into the pass entrance, negligible current, min depth 13 ft (we think)
Safe arrival drinks & rummy cube (thanks Navire!)
Locals partying w/ loud music all night
Funafuti to NanumeaApproaching the islandTim and Craig (True Blue V) are in the dinghy scouting the depth and current in the pasThe very narrow pass at NanumeaStaring down the pass. True Blue V is our beacon of safety on the other side. This is the narrowest, shallowest pass we’ve ever transited.
Transiting the pass, “We’re gonna end up on that reef right there…”Safe and sound on the other sideAnchored in the Nanumea lagoon after a harrowing pass entranceAs soon as we dropped anchor Alex and Brenden paddled to shore to say hi to the kidsThe church at NanumeaOur first night in the anchorage there was a lot of activity at the wharf with loud music playing all night. We thought we found the party island, but then we learned that they were pulling an all-nighter to prepare for a tourist boat that was arriving the next day.
Email to Family and Friends dated November 23, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Arrived at Nanumea
We arrived outside the pass at about 10:30 this morning and found True Blue V standing off waiting for a more favorable tide, because this pass is very narrow and very shallow. So, we dropped the dinghy and Tim and Craig went to recon the pass at close range. They found about 3 knots of current flowing in, so much current that the hand held depth sounder wouldn’t work. So, we decided to wait until later in the afternoon closer to high slack tide. So, what did we do floating around with time to kill? We made pizza of course! I had dough and sauce in the freezer, and since it’s SO hot these things thawed in about 15 minutes. So, I mentioned the pass was narrow (only about 2 Exodus boat widths) and shallow (reported to be about 6 ft deep at low tide), but did I mention the big, long period swells coming right at the pass entrance? These are not the kind of swells caused by the local weather, these are the ones caused by a far off storm, rolling in and creating surf along the reef, and unfortunately, also at the pass entrance. True Blue V went through first, so they gave us the intel that you get pushed to port by the swell near the entrance, and they weren’t kidding. Our ride, was, well, exhilarating? I watched the video I took as we went through and as we surfed a wave into the pass you can hear me say, “we’re gonna end up on that reef right there,” and then, “Oh my god, I’m so scared!” Meanwhile, at the helm, Tim’s yelling, “woo hoo! Surfin!” The lagoon is very small and it seems like a really nice place; I hope they let us stay a week or two. After we anchored, there were a bunch of kids clustered on shore, so Alex and Brenden went to say hi. Brenden got a tour of the town while Alex let all the small kids touch his blonde hair. The only downside so far is the flies. Why is it the nicest places have some sort of bug issue? Tim is working on screens for our salon doors as I type this. Love and miss you all, -D.
Making friends our first visit to shore. Craig must be telling fish tales.(photo by True Blue V)Bringing the folks from the tourist boat to shore. This was a very big deal for the island. The last tourist boat that was here was in 2011.Coconuts for everyone!I didn’t know it when I took this photo, but this canoe ended up spending a fair amount of time tied to the back of Exodus during our stay.I do love the drinking coconuts! (photo by True Blue V)(photo by True Blue V)The community hall, all decked out for the feast and show for the tourist boat.
This a traditional song/dance called Fatale. It was extremely captivating.
Inside the Catholic Church.Views from the steeple of the church
Email to Family and Friends dated November 25, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Tourists
The first night we arrived here at Nanumea, there was loud music playing and lots of activity at the dock. We had no idea what was going on, but as the music kept going into the night and then all night into the morning, we figured these Nanumeans must really know how to party. The only time the music stopped was briefly in the evening and again in the morning for the church bells to ring. We finally made our way to shore at about 10am the next morning, and we found people dressed somewhat ceremonial and they had decorated the wharf area very intricately with woven palm fronds. Even a woven welcome sign saying “Talofa” which is hello in Tuvaluan. So, after joking with the people that we appreciate the elaborate welcome we learned there was a tourist boat coming within the hour. After walking around we met more and more people and we learned that they had prepared a huge feast for the tourists, and of course we were welcome to join them. After getting over the shock that there was actually going to be a cruise ship here, in Nanamea, which is possibly the most remote place we’ve come in our entire journey. We learned that the last time they had tourists here, other than the few cruisers that come here, of course, was back in 2010. So, this is a rare event. And we decided to make the most of it. So, we went back to the boat and dressed up and then went back and enjoyed the party. One local lady I met commented to me that, “it seemed like we really understand their customs.” She was referring to the way we were dressed in contrast to a lady from the cruise ship who showed up in bikini bottoms (they were going snorkeling after all). Someone had to give her a sulu to wear, because they said she couldn’t go in the meeting hall like that. Anyway, they gave a presentation of speeches, dancing, singing, and the feast was very well done, and we piled our plates high. The finale was a traditional song/dance called fatale. Everyone sits close in loose circles around each other. There are drums and men and women singing and they start out quiet and slow and it gradually builds and gets faster, and it was quite captivating, quite moving. I loved it and I was so glad for the cruise ship at that point, because we probably wouldn’t have seen that otherwise. But at the end it was almost embarrassing how few of the tourists were still there. They only had a few hours on the island, so they were all wandering around or snorkeling or whatever. Very few of them seem interested at all in the people. Anyway, we were very glad to be included, and now we are very glad to have the island and the village to ourselves. Love and miss you all, -D.
We went on a motorbike tour around the island to see some WWII relics(photo by True Blue V)Who knew I was so chatty? (photo by True Blue V)Tim is fixing the Chief’s computer
Email to Family and Friends dated November 26, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Being on the other side of the dateline, we celebrated yesterday, in true cruiser style, of course. I was reminded that it was Thanksgiving this week from an email from one of my American cruising sisters (thanks Sarah!) and was a little at a loss about what to cook. We obviously don’t have access to any turkeys, and although I really wanted to bring a leg of lamb from New Zealand, in the end I decided it was pretty inefficient use of freezer space. So, I’m thinking I have to do something American so I settled on cheeseburgers, which I knew the boys would be happy with. But then in the morning I get a VHF call from True Blue V wanting to know if they want to potluck because they are thinking about roasting a chicken. I asked Craig if he knew what holiday it was in the U.S. (they are Australian) and after I said that he realized maybe it was close to our Thanksgiving. I told him, “yes, thanksgiving is today,” and that he was a godsend, so with their roast chicken as the center piece, we had a fantastic Thanksgiving feast. I made dinner rolls, mashed potatoes, green beans w/ almonds, meat balls w/ marinara sauce (since I had thawed ground beef for the cheese burgers), and Aunt JJ’s corn casserole. Of course, I had to improvise a bit for the corn casserole since we don’t exactly have “sour cream” or “one box of jiffy corn bread mix” but it turned out great anyway. It was the first thing I made and when Alex came out of his room he said, “it smells like Thanksgiving at Grandma’s house.” We had a great day before the feast too, which included a tour around the island to see some WWII relics (airplanes and tanks) and also a gale with pouring rain which ended just in time for True Blue V to come over for the feast. Life is good on Exodus. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – November 27, 2015 (Nanumea)
Daily Notes
Windy/stormy weather, boys played
Email to Family and Friends dated November 27, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Fix it Tim
Yesterday after our tour of the island the village chief came up to Tim at the wharf and asked to speak to him. Tim was worried at first, wondering if we had done something wrong. But then the chief simply asked Tim if he could help him. He said the fan on his computer isn’t working, and would Tim maybe be able to fix it. So, Tim went with the chief to his house to get the computer and he’s been very engrossed in the project ever since. It turns out it’s not just the fan, but some of the keys don’t work either. What pressure to fix something for the chief! So, according the the chief we can stay as long as we want in Nanumea. Too bad he’s not an official part of the Tuvaluan government. Winds have been strong today, but much better than what we are hearing from Funafuti. We are very glad for our decision to come further north, even though we had to motor so much. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – November 28, 2015 (Nanumea)
Daily Notes
T/D visit chief, Tim mostly fixed his computer
Visited Sipele (Secretary)
Police officer gone fishing
Boys played on shore
Logbook – November 29, 2015 (Nanumea)
Daily Notes
Church
Relaxing day on boat
Tim gave my old hard drive to Jerry
Logbook – November 30, 2015 (Nanumea)
Daily Notes
Alex – sore throat
T solo spearfishing
Skua here
Email to Family and Friends dated November 30, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Allowed to stay in Nanumea
We have received permission to stay in Nanumea for one more week, so now we just have to hope for a good weather window during that time. In the meantime, we will continue to enjoy the island, and we’ve been joined by another boat we met in Funafuti who have a 4-year-old son. Tim doesn’t really have a spearfishing buddy right now, but there’s a young Australian couple with young kids that should be arriving here tomorrow, and the dad went out once with Tim in Funafuti. That time when Tim didn’t come back from spearfishing when he agreed to, so the boys and I raised anchor and headed back to town without him. True story. He caught up to us in the dinghy, and he still seems bitter about it. 🙂 The south pacific cyclone season is heating up with the first named storm which was NE of Tonga this morning. That’s the low pressure that gave us strong wind last week and was basically the reason we left Funafuti when we did, to get further north. There’s another low that has formed north of Tahiti, and in a day or two has the potential to develop into another tropical cyclone. We are in a good spot now and can breathe a bit easier as we continue north. Of course, the squalls just never seem to end. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – December 1, 2015 (Nanumea)
Daily Notes
Day of hunting for diesel & dealing with formalities
Sipele and her daughter came to Exodus, taught me to weave a basket
Let me introduce you to Kiani and Ahia, my two favorite cruising girls under 5A WWII era wreck on the reef
My friend Sipele showed me how to weave a basket
Email to Family and Friends dated December 1, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Basket Weaving
We are living the simple village life now, and the highlight of my day was basket weaving. The good news is that they have now told us we can stay as long as we like here in Nanumea, but the bad news is they are now slapping a $20/day anchorage fee on us. Even as the queue for Tim to fix things is getting longer. It seems the local police officer has been speaking with customs back in Funafuti and is getting some advisement from them. Needless to say, at that rate we will leave as soon as we can, as soon as there is wind again. All of the people are very nice and generous… like the lady today who gave Tim 2 loaves of bread and wouldn’t let him pay her, and the lady who came out to the boat and spent two hours with me teaching me how to weave a basket. Yes, it took me that long, please don’t mock. And today she is going to let me use her father in law’s washing machine, since she assures me, they have plenty of water. And she said her father-in-law loves to speak English, so he won’t mind at all. Brenden’s ear infection has been healed a few days, but now Alex is suffering a sore throat and achy body hasn’t been feeling well enough to play. We are now three boats in here in Nanumea, and three more are on their way from Funafuti, so it should be a real party for Tim’s birthday in a couple of days. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – December 2, 2015 (Nanumea)
Daily Notes
D – laundry at Sipele’s
Boys dinghy surf
Sundowners @ EOS II
Logbook – December 3, 2015 (Nanumea)
Daily Notes
Batt voltage reading – already solar charging
EOSII over for coffee and the net
T spearfish with Barry & Bob (s/v Mia) – serious dinghy envy! Don’t get back until just before dark.
I had some help while doing the morning SSB net
Logbook – December 4, 2015 (Nanumea)
Daily Notes
Happy birthday to Tim – to shore… D – no anchorage fee!
T – fix the reverend’s computer
Sipele’s family gives us tuna
Sports day – volleyball and soccer
EOS II over for wine & brownies – Tim’s sparkle box!
Secondary school fundraiser
Sports tournament day. Girls volleyball on one side…… Boys’ and soccer on the otherAlex playing Shaq with his minions
Happy Birthday to Tim!Tim is one lucky guy… he got a Sparkle Box for his birthday!
Videos from the talent show
Videos from the talent show
Videos from the talent show
Videos from the talent show
Email to Family and Friends dated December 4, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Boat on the reef
I’ve already written about the pass here at Nanumea, how it’s very narrow and very shallow, and with swell at the entrance you end up surfing in. Though I’m not sure I mentioned that the surf pushes you to the left, so you have to compensate with the rudder or, in the case of a catamaran, the port engine, in order to stay centered down the channel. True Blue V went in the pass first, so they gave us the tip, and yesterday when there were three boats staged outside to enter, Tim gave them the same tip. “Stay right,” he told them, “you’ll get pushed to the left”. Well, one of the boats, the third one to come in, didn’t listen. They didn’t stay right.
Tim had gone with the dinghy to scout the pass and check current and depth information, and water was close to slack when the first two boats came in. However, the third boat must have been a bit further out because it was another hour or so before they entered, so in addition to not staying right, they had a fair amount of current working against them. I had taken the dinghy to quickly go ashore and then go say hi to the two new boats who were already anchored in the lagoon. One of them is a 50 ft catamaran with a huge dinghy with a 60 Hp engine (Tim has serious dinghy envy). That’s where I was when Tim raced over with another guy in his dinghy saying, “We need the dinghy! A boat’s gone aground outside!” So, I jump in the other guy’s dinghy and he and Tim race off toward the pass in ours. Meanwhile, the guys on the big cat start dropping their dinghy so they are not too far behind. I head over to our friends on Navire to find out what’s going on and we hear Tim on the radio yelling, “go to shore and get help!” So, I take Navire’s handheld radio and rush to shore, and on the way I can hear the woman on the grounded vessel yelling, “Mayday! Mayday!”
As I’m approaching the wharf I see that men are already running about, yelling at each other, jumping into one of the fishing boats. Clearly, someone had been monitoring VHF in the village. I saw the police officer, so just to be sure I asked him if they were going to help, and he said, yes. Soon, two fishing boats from the village are rushing out towards the pass also. So, I just went back to Exodus to wait.
The scene that Tim described when he got back was gut wrenching. The boat was pinned against the reef on the left side, and it was heeled way over so that the keel was on the reef and the mast was tilted over at 45 deg, out over the pass. They were getting pushed further and further up onto the reef with every wave, and they were really working their engine, revving the crap out of it in reverse as the prop was lifting out of the water. Tim says black smoke was just billowing out. The guy Tim took with him in our dinghy turned out to be more of a liability than a help in that as Tim is trying to think of things to do, any possible solution, this guy is just repeating, “they’ve lost the boat, it’s gone, they’re lost…” Some people, admittedly myself included, are not particularly good at crisis management. Tim, on the other hand, shines in these conditions. He was calling for them to toss him lines, but he wasn’t really sure what he’d be able to do with the 20hp dinghy. Even with the big 60 hp dinghy and boats coming from shore, he wasn’t sure what they’d be able to do. It was a big, heavy, full keel sailboat, and he was doubtful that they’d be able to pull it off.
But then luck intervened. A really big wave came in and instead of hammering them against the reef it lifted them up, turned them around, and dropped them down into a little channel in the reef. Then as that big wave receded they were sucked out, and just like that they were clear. It’s hard for me to visualize this, that there was a wave big enough to do that and that there was a channel in the reef big enough for a sailboat, and that they were dropped down precisely into that channel. They really couldn’t be any luckier.
So, now they are back outside the lagoon and still need to get in. They are thankfully not taking on water, so the main concern at this point was the engine, since they ran it pretty hot. Tim suggested they let it cool down for a few minutes, and then rev it up so that they are going 5 knots and drive around like that for five minutes and if it doesn’t overheat, then they can be reasonably sure they can get into the pass without issue. Here’s where Tim and guy he brought with him had a disagreement. The other guy wanted to tow them in, and Tim told him why that would be a bad idea. The channel’s too narrow, and when you tow a boat it often fishtails, and there’s not room for that. But the other guy kept insisting, insisting. Tim tried to explain that trying to tow the boat with dinghys would be more risky (if a tow line broke or was dropped it would certainly wrap the prop of the sailboat which would be certain doom in the narrow pass) and that if the sailboat could go 5 kts without the engine overheating, it would have no trouble getting thru the pass (so long as they “stay right!). I would love to know how this got resolved, who, if anyone adjudicated it, or if anyone else even knew about it. In the end the vessel came through under their own power, and there was much elation throughout the anchorage as their bow came around the corner and they came into full view to all of us.
As I re-watch the video of Exodus coming in the pass, and I hear myself say, “oh my god, we’re going to end up on that reef right there!” I realize that I really didn’t mean it. You never think something like that can really happen to you, even when you think it you don’t really think it. But clearly it can happen, and apparently the surf the day we came in was even much bigger than yesterday. So, it’s a testament to what a great job Leanne (True Blue V) and Tim did that day driving our boats in. Especially Leanne, who went in first without anybody before her to tell her to “stay right.”
We are now eight boats in the anchorage without a weather window in sight. The town council met yesterday to discuss the anchorage fees, so if they tell me today that they are still going to charge us $20/day, we will likely just leave and get whatever weather we get. We aren’t in a hurry to get to Tarawa, so if winds are light we’ll just go slow.
Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – December 5, 2015 (Nanumea)
Daily Notes
Dinghy surf – Lahnee (EOS II) stands up 1st time
Happy hours on Exodus
Oh yeah, cuttin outside the wake! My first time dinghy surfing.
Email to Family and Friends dated December 5, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Happy Birthday Tim
I was so caught up with writing about the boat running aground yesterday that I forgot to mention it was Tim’s birthday! Here’s how he spent it…
Scouting the pass conditions for yet another boat arriving here at Nanumea
Visiting some friends on shore – they gave us fresh tuna for his birthday
Fixing the Reverend’s computer, printer, and overhead projector
Playing with some of the local kids on Exodus. When they found out it was Tim’s birthday they came back with coconuts and bananas, and Tim taught them to drive the dinghy.
Eating brownies that Alex and Brenden made for him
Helping one of the guys from another boat go around town looking for a belt for his alternator.
Fixing another local guy’s computer and cell phone
Fairie Princess Sparkle party on Exodus. One of the other boats has two adorable little girls, 4 and 2 years old, and with some help from their mom the decorated a big plastic breakfast cracker container and turned it into “Tim’s Sparkle Box.” They figured since Tim only has sons, he could use a little girliness. The 4 year old sang him happy birthday, and I’m pretty sure it was the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard.
Dinner on Exodus – seared ahi tuna steaks, what else!?
Attending a fundraiser for the local secondary school, bringing along his Sparkle Box full of popcorn to share with the kids. They made us wear wreaths on our heads in honor of Tim’s birthday, and it was a lot of fun. It was a talent show and there was singing and a lot of traditional dancing infused with hip hop. As we were walking back Tim and I mused about how kids are the same everywhere. With the exception of the language and the polynesian dancing, this could have been a show at home. Kids laughing, showing off, running around, joking with each other, and generally have a fun time.
Pretty nice 39th birthday, eh?
One thing Tim missed out on yesterday was watching the sports tournaments. In the afternoon the girls were playing volleyball and the boys soccer. I sat and watched the volleyball with some of the local women while Alex played with the kids. (Alex is better, but now Brenden is sick, so sadly he missed out yesterday).
The town council decided we didn’t have to continue to pay a daily anchorage fee, since there is no wind, and they understand that we are just waiting for wind. That’s good news, but the bad news is the forecast is infuriating in that it changes hour to hour. In the end we will likely just leave when we’re ready and get what we get. The two boats who have already arrived in Kiribati said they even stopped downloading grib files on passage since they were never accurate. Sigh. Have I mentioned I miss the trade winds?
Funafuti is the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. If you’ve heard of Tuvalu, it’s probably in reference to the fact that their low-lying islands are in danger as ocean levels rise. We found Funafuti to be surprisingly pleasant for a port city.
Logbook – November 7, 2015 (Rotuma to Funafuti)
Passage Log Highlights
0548 engines on
0615 engines off main + genoa
1845 SB engine on to reef
1922 SB engine off. Main (1 reef) + genoa
1924 Fish on! Yellowfin tuna!
Daily Notes
T – naked tuna dance, caught a tuna!
Logbook – November 8, 2015 (Rotuma to Funafuti)
Passage Log Highlights
0410 main (1 reef) + genoa
0500 squall (25 kts)
Logbook – November 9, 2015 (Rotuma to Funafuti)
Passage Log Highlights
0300 main (1 reef) + genoa, squalls, lightning, thunder
0525 SB engine on (charge battery) – need to check SB engine alternator)
0600 SB off, P on, tack
0612 P off
0630 both engines on
0645 both engines off
0730 both engines on
1545 engines off Funafuti
Daily Notes
Safe arrival drinks with Navire
Rotuma (Fiji) to Funafuti (Tuvalu)Entering the atoll of Funafuti from the SouthNavigating inside the atoll… perhaps Tim forgot he’s supposed to be watching for coral headsAnchored near the main townReunited with our dear old friends from Navire, whom we had just met the week before in Rotuma
Email to Family and Friends dated November 9, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Arrived in Funafuti
This ended up being a very trying passage for me. From a weather and sea state perspective, we’ve had much, much worse, but overall my spirits were lower on this passage than any other. Perhaps it was the combination of upwind sailing, lots of squalls (thunder and lightening included), and the horrible heat and humidity. Needless to say I was happy to arrive. We enjoyed safe arrival drinks with our dear old friends from the boat called Navire, who we just met in Rotuma. But having shared the experience of Rotuma together, the connection is there, and it felt like they were old friends when they greeted us on arrival. Funafuti is an atoll, but in contrast to others we’ve been to, it’s much older, further on in it’s life cycle. The lagoon is deep and there are very few, if any, coral heads in it. The motus are very low lying, and overall, it’s not exactly the most picturesque place we’ve been. Apparently the atolls of Tuvalu could be the first victims of higher ocean levels due to climate change. What I read with the boys the other day said by the end of the century these islands could be underwater. We haven’t been to shore yet since we arrived late in the afternoon, but we’ll do our clearance in the morning and then explore a bit. Tomorrow is “plane day” when the weekly airplane arrives and apparently it’s a big deal on the island, so we’ll have to see what that is all about. Love and miss you all, -D.
Lots of swimming to keep cool. Busted out the water hammocks.
T/D – to shore for dinner – Filomona Hotel
Walk along the airport tarmac
Tying up at the dinghy dock. And by dock, I mean concrete stepWe were out of the trade wind belt and into the more unpredictable equatorial weather. A squall could hit at any time.The international airport…twice weekly flights to/from Fiji.What the airport runway is usually used forThe sports complexFunafuti is a very narrow island, and we were able to easily walk out to see the Pacific side.
Logbook – November 11, 2015 (Funafuti)
Daily Notes
D – 2 visits to Customes, scout the town for bakery & groceries
Plane day! D – visit post office for collectible stamps. Laundry day.
Drinks at Filamina w/ TBV
Back to schoolPlane day!What is this thing you call TV?Rainbow over our laundry
Logbook – November 13, 2015 (Funafuti)
Daily Notes
Filled propone (Sulani), morning Taiwanese market w/ Janet & Leann. Caught in rainstorm @ TY
Joseph visited – boys took him dinghy surfing
T/B – trolling w/ Craig
We enjoyed visiting the Taiwanese garden where we could buy fresh greens
Email to Family and Friends dated November 13, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Fun in Funafuti
I love this place! To write about everything we’ve been doing and seeing would take a couple pages, so let me just share about the airstrip here. The island is long and skinny and slightly boomerang shaped, and there is an international airport right in the middle of it. A plane comes from Fiji twice a week, and all other times the runway serves as a place of fun and activity for everyone. One of our first evenings here, Tim and I went for a walk before having dinner on shore, and there were rugby and soccer games going on, people running and walking, and people on their scooters buzzing down the runway. Then it’s always big excitement when the plane comes, and we caught the bug and went ashore to watch the plane land. A fire engine sounds three sirens to warn people to clear the runway because the plane is coming, and even then there are scooters crossing at the last minute. We stood right, and I mean right on the edge of the runway as the plane landed. Where else can you can you do something like that at an international airport? Overall, Funafuti has been a very pleasant surprise. The people are very nice, even if a bit reserved at first. There’s a small library and at the post-office they have an extensive Tuvaluan stamp collection, I even bought some as a souvenir. Things are pretty cheap here, and most things are available… I really didn’t need to do 4 months worth of provisioning in Fiji, but I guess at least now I don’t have to worry about it. We are still waiting to hear back from Customs and Immigration to see if our request to visit a couple islands north of here en route to Kiribati has been approved. One boat has already been denied, so I’m not exactly hopeful. Love and miss you all, -D.
Navire with Kailopa and Jacob on board. Kailopa is a man from the island of Kioa in Fiji, which is actually inhabited by Tuvaluans, not Fijians. Navire gave Kailopa a ride with them to Funafuti from Kioa, and Jacob is Kailopa’s grandson who lives in Funafuti. Jacob is 17 years old and befriended Alex and Brenden.We were fortunate to be invited to a family picnic with the people from Kioa.…and later the kids took over.Piled into the truck to go watch the rugby gameA traditional outrigger sailing canoeThis system knocked us around a bit with very strong unforecast winds from the west
Logbook – November 15, 2015 (Funafuti)
Daily Notes
Sunday quiet day
T – fixed and cleaned macerators
Email to Family and Friends dated November 15, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Picnics and Squalls
Yesterday was a lovely day until about 5 pm. We were invited to a picnic here with the people from the island of Kioa. Kioa is in Fiji, but it is not inhabited by Fijians. 67 years ago, a small community from the island of Vaitupu in Tuvalu purchased the island of Kioa and migrated there. Now, there are many people who migrate back here to Funafuti, either permanently or temporarily, and they make up one of the small subcommunities within Funafuti. They even elect a community leader, and they have many social gatherings, like this picnic yesterday. Why were we invited? Call it being in the right place at the right time. When we were in Rotuma we met another boat called Navire with a very nice couple from New Zealand. Well, they had a passenger with them, called Kailopa, and they were giving him a ride from Kioa to Funafuti so he could visit family. Kailopa is wonderful man, and we enjoyed getting to know him a bit in Rotuma, and now that we are in Funafuti he is including us in all the festivities. Also, he has a grandson who is 17 years old named Joseph, and Joseph is being very good to Alex and Brenden, and he’s even been out to Exodus for some dinghy surfing!
So, the picnic yesterday was great, I would say abut 50-60 people including lots of kids. They cooked a pig in a lovo and they also BBQ’d chicken. They apologized that there wasn’t any fish, but they said the boys who normally do the fishing were practicing rugby and didn’t have a chance to go fishing. Alex was OK with that. The picnic was down at the very southern tip of the island, about a mile away, so we took Navire and Exodus down there and anchored off the beach. It wasn’t a great anchor spot since it was steep to, so we were close to shore without a lot of chain out, but as long as the wind direction and strength stayed the way it’s been for the past week, nothing to worry about.
After lunch everyone piled into the back of a pickup truck and headed to the stadium for a big rugby game. Tim and the boys joined them, but I stayed behind “with the women”. Shortly after, I noticed that the wind was blowing from a strange direction, from the NW, so I headed back to Exodus. With this wind direction we were laying exactly perpendicular to a lee shore facing the fetch from across the entire lagoon. But the wind was only 11-12 knts, so I set an anchor alarm with a tight tolerance, and sat down to do some writing without worrying. I actually thought to myself, “If it were blowing 25 kts, then I’d have something to worry about.”
Well, pretty soon it was blowing 25-30 kts and we were hobby horsing in 4 foot wind chop. Exodus was doing fine, but I kept my eye on Navire, which was unattended because David and Janet also went to the rugby game, and after about 30 min of these conditions I could tell they were dragging back after a few particularly violent up and down movements of the boat. I started thinking about what I could do, and quickly concluded that I couldn’t really do anything. First of all getting to Navire would be difficult in these conditions, there’s no way I could drop our dinghy by myself so I would have to swim, and not being a particularly strong swimmer, that didn’t seem like a smart thing to do either. Plus, I would have no idea what to do when I got there. Maybe I could figure how to start the engine, but maybe not. And I’ve never driven a monohull, so would I just be making a bad situation worse? Plus, and this was really the decisive factor for me, I couldn’t very well leave Exodus unattended. We were also in a precarious position and I could just imagine getting to Navire and then Exodus starts dragging, and I’m on a boat I have no idea how to save while I watch the boat I do know how to save drag onto the shore. I wished to myself that it was Exodus that was dragging, because then I could do something. I got on the radio and called for assistance, but that was really an impractical thing to do since we were away from the main anchorage so I would basically be asking someone to dinghy down to help, but still, if by some chance someone was willing and able, I had to try. Then I looked to the shore and was so relieved to see everyone on the shore getting ready to head back to the boats. They had seen the weather rolling in and had come back early.
Navire got their anchor up first, and wow, did the waves toss them around as they headed out of the anchorage. I joked that even Lady Carolina had never provided such a show during our adventures together. Exodus tried to follow quickly, and we got the anchor up as the wind was still blowing 30 kts and the rain was pelting down (being the princess of the boat I got to stay dry under the helm bimini driving the boat, but don’t think that driving Exodus in 30 kts of wind is easy!) Not long after the anchor was up Alex started yelling that a surfboard went overboard. So, Tim jumped on a paddle board to retrieve it, and my job was to keep Exodus pointed into the wind while drifting back slowly to pick him up, since there would be NO way he could paddle back upwind to us. Alex kept a visual on Tim the whole time and let me know when he was near the back step so I didn’t engage the engine. At this point it was imperative that they got both boards and Tim on board very quickly, because without propulsion, Exodus is at the mercy of the wind and will get pushed back rather quickly towards the shore. The boys managed this operation flawlessly, and we were off again. I’m not kidding, not a minute later, our large plastic tub, that was full of rainwater to do laundry, slid overboard. Tim sees it slipping but can’t quite get there in time. So, he yells, “diver down!” and he’s back in the water. If weren’t in such a serious situation, it would have been funny. Perhaps with time we’ll laugh about this.
So, by the time we’ve completed our man overboard drills it’s completely dark. We follow our track back to the main anchorage as Exodus bounces all around and things fly around the salon and galley, like books, apples, wine bottles. As we approached the anchorage we were able to make out all the anchor lights and one of the boats was broadcasting AIS, which helped get us oriented to the layout of the anchorage in the dark. We were able to make it close to our original anchor spot, but out a little further in order to have more room. We put out plenty of chain and got the anchor set and shut down the engines. At this point the squall passed and the wind died down.
This was one of mother nature’s reminders that we cannot get complacent and we have to be prepared for the unexpected. We are not in the tradewind belt anymore, we are up in squall alley, and a squall can blow in any time. Plus, in addition to squalls, the general forecast is somewhat less reliable. Down in Fiji during the cruising season, the weather is mostly caused by systems far to the south, the highs and lows as they travel across the southern latitudes cause the tradewinds and then the periodic backing winds as a trough from a low goes over. Since the systems causing the weather are relatively far away, errors in the forecast of the tracks of those systems result in relatively small errors in the wind forecast up in Fiji (land effects aside, of course). However, up here, the systems causing our weather are closer and less stable, so forecasts are all over the place and much less reliable. After thinking all of this over, I now have a full appreciation for how difficult it will be to pick a weather window for our next passage north.
Anyway, life is always an adventure and a learning experience out here.
Email to Family and Friends dated November 19, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Rain doesn’t stop bonfires
It turns out that the storm that hammered us the other day was the axis of a trough passing over us from the north. This is somewhat comforting news, in that it was forecast, if I had just been watching the right weather products. We had another trough go over yesterday evening, and because I had been watching I knew approximately when the rainy, squally weather would start, and I knew approximately when the axis would pass over. Thank you NWS-Honolulu. This one wasn’t as bad, we saw 20 kt for about 30 minutes at the most. And of course we were anchored in a better spot with enough scope out, since we knew it was coming. Most of the boats in the fleet here (we are 9 total now!) have moved down to anchor in the southern end of the lagoon to get away from the “big city” for a couple days. We’ve met a lovely couple from Sweden who cruised with their 3 boys when they were younger, and they organized a bonfire on the beach yesterday. They were going in to get the fire started, and they radioed to see if the boys would like to come help. I thought it was a very nice gesture, and I all of a sudden realized how important it is for the boys to have time with people without Tim and I around, so they can forge their own relationships. No, it’s not other kids, but there’s no reason they can’t get to know the adults too. Alex was happy to take his machete and get coconuts for everyone. After about 45 minutes they came back to get Tim to join the party too, while I stayed on board to enjoy the boat to myself. In case you were wondering, yes, I did walk around naked in the rain. Just because I could. The worst of the wind and rain happened during the bonfire, but when the boys got back, it was clear that it didn’t put a damper on any of the fun. The fire didn’t even go out! Love and miss you all, -D.
Rotuma is administratively part of Fiji, but geographically and culturally it is totally separate. We only stayed 5 days but easily could have stayed a couple weeks.
1505 Engines on (Port engine no water. Turned off. Changed impeller, that fixed it
1605 Engines P engine on
1613 SB engine on
1640 engines off main + genoa
Daily notes
T/D – before leaving went to shore to say good-bye, Teri brought us a lobster, shot w/ pole spear
Rabi to Rotuma
Logbook – November 1, 2015 (Rabi to Rotuma)
Passage Log Highligts
0540 Main + genoa, wing and wing
1645 Fish on Dorado (2m)
1814 Main + genniker
Daily Notes
360 deg sunset
Email to Family and Friends dated Nov 1, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Late departure and downwind sailing
We got a bit of a late departure yesterday because when we started the port engine it decided to not spit out any water, which is very bad. It turns out that the cooling water intake impeller was, let’s just say tired, and needed to be replaced. Luckily, Tim had the spare and was able to swap it out quickly. As a bonus, while Tim was in the engine compartment one of the local guys from shore brought us a lobster for the passage. Brenden called dibs, but he’s a little bit crazy. The wind helped us out yesterday by going a little SE to make it easier for us to get up and around the NE corner of Vanua Levu, and since then it’s been dead downwind sailing. Exodus and crew love this point of sail. It’s not our fastest, but it’s definitely our most comfortable. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – November 2, 2015 (Rabi to Rotuma)
Passage Log Highlights
0301 Main + genniker
1115 SB engine on to speed up (realized we could make it before dark)
1114 P engine on to drop main
1207 Both engines off, spinnaker run!
1745 Engines on
1827 Engines off Rotuma
Daily Notes
Thanks to the spinnaker, made it before sunset
Huge ground swell in anchorage, warned by other boats, so we moved out. Rolly but OK
Approaching the island at the end of the day. We just made it into the anchorage before dark, relying on satellite imagery to avoid the reef as we entered.The Island of RotumaAnchorage on the Northeast side of the island
Email to Family and Friends dated Nov 2, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Dorado!
No one would do the naked tuna dance yesterday, so we had to settle for a… Do-ra-do. Do-ra-do. Mahimahimahimahi Dol-phin Fish! We were trying to remember the last time we’d caught one, and we think it was back near Minerva Reef. So, tonight it’ll be grilled Mahi Mahi on the barbie! We’ve pretty much given up hope of having a chance of making it to Rotuma before nightfall today, so we’ll hove to and have a peaceful BBQ dinner at sunset. Right now we’re zipping along at 7.2 kts, but unfortunately, it’s in the wrong direction. Oh well. This is our first offshore passage that we’ve been on our own since our very first passage down from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. The Mahi Mahi livened everyone’s spirits though. Well, except for mine, because we caught it on the reel (not a handline) and I really hate having to slow down under sail. So, Tim and I got into our usual “playful banter” of, “Slow Down, you’re killing me!” “I’m doing my best, I don’t know why you use the reels anyway!” “Well, I’m so sorry that catching fish annoys you so much!” Yeah, playful banter. Good times. There is now a fishing ban in effect for all fish except yellow fin tuna. Love and miss you all, -D.
The geography of Rotuma was stunningHauling the dinghy up the beachThe monthly supply ship/ferry was there, and there was a lot of activity at the dock, so we joined in to see what was going onTim doing some work on the generator
Email to Family and Friends dated Nov 3, 2015
Subject: Exodus – A race before sunset
As soon as I wrote the words yesterday that we had given up on arriving with daylight, the wind picked and we were flying along at 8-9 kts, but it was frustrating, because we weren’t quite pointed at our target, because our target was dead downwind, and we just don’t go that fast on that point of sail. Unless… we fly the spinnaker. Our spinnaker is not a light wind sail as some are. In fact, it won’t even stay full in less than 10 kts. However, the last time we flew it in 20 kts of wind, Tim ended up with a broken toe, but desperate times call for desperate measures, so out came the chute! The worst part of the whole operation was turning into the wind (and 2-3 m swells) to drop the main. We even got the spinnaker down without any drama. And thanks to the spinnaker, we were having safe arrival drinks in the cockpit as darkness fell. Well, first we took showers, because it is HOT and HUMID here. The anchorage here is quite large, but there is only one small area that is typically protected from the trade wind swell. However, right now there is a huge ground swell coming in from the north, and when we arrived yesterday, we were warned by another boat here that the tiny, protected area is getting breaking waves sometimes. So, we opted to anchor out further, and although there is quite a large swell, it’s far superior to hoving to all night. It’s raining now, but hopefully that let’s up so we can explore Rotuma a bit today. Love and miss you all, -D.
Email to Family and Friends dated Nov 3, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Rain Showers
After a lazy morning on board for three of us, and dinghy repairs for one of us, we decided to venture ashore. The supply ship, that only comes once a month, was at the wharf and there were a lot of people crowded around, so we thought it would be a great opportunity to meet some of the people here. Everyone was very nice and friendly, and we found out that it’s not just a supply ship but also a passenger ship taking people to/from Suva. There were tons of kids on board, because there was a sporting tournament they were going to participate in. We were approached by many people curious of where we are from and how we like Rotuma so far, but later, as I reflected on all those we had spoken to and most were in some official capacity like police officer, marine safety person, self-designated yachtie chaperone, etc. So, I have to say my favorite person from yesterday was Freddy. Freddy is just an old guy who lives in the village who wanted to come and welcome us and find out about our story. He’s never left Fiji, and when Tim asked him if there was phone service on the island, I’m pretty sure he had no idea what he was talking about. Freddy seemed particularly interested in the boys, and later I had to chastise them because they didn’t engage at all. They were grouchy at us for making them go ashore, and they couldn’t see past that and give Freddy the interaction he so obviously wanted. Hopefully they will be more thoughtful next time. We were there talking to people for some time, so the boys went to run along the beach, an absolutely beautiful beach by the way. They came back to let us know the storm was coming, and by the looks of the sky they were right, so we ran to the dinghy, but it was too late, we got caught in the downpour on the way back anyway. So, already wet, we decided to take advantage of the torrential rain and have showers. Well, three of us anyway, the fourth spent the time setting up rain catchers so now our tanks and jerry cans are full. The beauty of this island can not be overstated, and we haven’t even seen it in the sunshine yet. The people here are consciously and actively resisting development and tourism. This place could easily have resorts all over it, but they don’t want it that way, and you just have to respect that. Today, we will go pay our respects to the chief at the nearest village and then hopefully explore the island a little more. Love and miss you all, -D.
Tim and I went out for a dinghy excursion looking for a sunken ship to snorkel on. Here is Tim with his head in the water looking for the ship. We never did find it, but it was a nice afternoon off the boat.
Logbook – November 6, 2015 (Rotuma)
Daily Notes
D/T – set out to get to the market near gov’t building, met people along the way and ended up getting rides all the way around the island
Met Bula & Betty, very nice
“Cleared out” – no customs – TBV was right!
The womping willowAlex and Brenden went to shore to swim and play with some kids and here thay are on their way back with a gift of some bananas
Email to Family and Friends dated November 7, 015
Subject: Exodus – Tuvalu Bound
Sadly, we departed Rotuma early this morning. We were really enjoying ourselves there and ideally we would have liked to stay for 3 or 4 more days, but the weather forecast wasn’t cooperating. If we didn’t leave today we could be stuck a week or longer waiting for wind again, and we really didn’t want to motor this leg of the journey. The next leg from Tuvalu to Kiribati puts us in the convergence zone, and we want to save the diesel for that. It’s a very nice sail so far, light enough wind to be comfortable but strong enough to go at a decent speed. Rotuma has got to be one of the nicest places we’ve been. The geography reminded me more of Hawaii, with dramatic black volcanic rock and fine white sand beaches. And don’t get me started on the water temperature! It was a perfect 85 deg F, and I went swimming almost every day. We met some really nice people in the village nearest the anchorage and they invited us for a grog (kava drinking) and music. The people here are polynesian, not micronesian like the Fijians, and there is no tradition of sevusevu, but they like drinking the grog, and it was very relaxed and fun. And it was also a relief to make some new cruiser friends, since we have separated from most of our usual gang. There were two other boats, and one of them is also on passage to Tuvalu and we are doing evening SSB checkins, so once again, we are not alone out here. Yesterday, Tim and I set out walking to check out the Friday morning vegetable market. It is 12 Km from the anchorage, but we were told it’s easy to get a ride. We ended up meeting many people, accidentally getting a ride the other way around the island, and never did make it to the market. But no worries, people along the way gave us bananas, papaya, and kasava. I am feeling really far away from everyone since I got so spoiled with internet in Fiji, so don’t hesitate to send us a note to say hello and let us know what’s going on with you from time to time. Love and miss you all, -D.
On approach to Somosomo – VHF call from Ariel IV. Swedish couple Eric & Brigita, also going to Marshals. They know Field Trip & Breeze.
Anchor off Somosomo. Internet afternoon.
Koro Island to Taveuni (anchored roadside at the town of Somosomo)
Email to Family and Friends dated October 25, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Koro to Taveuni and Brenden’s first dogtooth
We had a fast sail up to Taveuni today close hauled with 20 kts of wind. Fast, that is, until we got into the lee of Taveuni, and then the wind dropped to nil, so we motor-limped the rest of the way. We are anchored off a small town called Somosomo that has an MH grocery store and a market, so we will make a quick trip to shore tomorrow morning to restock our fresh fruit/veg supply before heading up to the island of Rabi. Rabi has an interesting history, as the inhabitants aren’t even Fijian, but I’ll write more about that when we visit there. Our last few days at Koro were quite memorable, especially for Brenden. His first milestone is that he can now load his speargun himself. I guess all those pullups he’s been doing are paying off. But the real memorable milestone is that he speared his first dogtooth tuna! Photos already posted to facebook. The dogtooth is a prize among spearfishermen, so Brenden was quite pleased. We all were, actually, because it’s very tasty sashimi indeed. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – October 26, 2015 (Somosomo to Katherine Bay)
Passage Log Highlights
1148 engines on
1215 P engine off, main + genoa
1227 SB engine off
1405 engines on
1530 engines off Katherine Bay Rabi
Daily Notes
Shopping (and eating ice cream) with Fluenta in Somosomo
Passage over to Rabi
First anchor spot at end of bay – not good holding
Beautiful green, lush bay lined w/ hills & mangroves
We made a one night stop at a roadside anchorage off of the island of Taveuni to do just a little last minute provisioningIt gave us a few final hours with these monkeys!Vegetable market in SomosomoSchool in Somosomo, not a bad view from the playgroundTaveuni to Rabi IslandThe Island of RabiKatherine BayWe spent one night at Katherine Bay on the south side of Rabi Islandunset view from Katherine Bay
Logbook – October 27, 2015 (Katherine Bay to Albert Cove via Nuku)
Passage Log Highlights
0905 engines on
0933 SB engine off
1048 SB engine on
1115 engines off Nuku
1300 engines on
1410 engines off Albert Cove
Daily Notes
Lots of safe track waypoints in the chart plotter
Rain while anchoring at Albert Cove
Warmer water
Katherine Bay to Nuku to Albert Cove (looks like I forgot to start the inReach between Nuku and Albert Cove)Tucked in tight at Albert CoveWe made a stop at the main town on Rabi Island in order to check in with the police. This is Tim setting the stern anchor at the “wharf”A view towards town from the wharfThe school at RabiA tribute to the island of Banaba. For those who don’t know the history, the inhabitants of Rabi Island are not actually Fijian, they are Banaban, from the island of Banaba, aka Ocean Island. They were relocated here after their natural resources were exploited by Europeans. Their story is a sad one, google it if you’re interested.Entering Albert Cove on the north side of Rabi Island
Logbook – October 28, 2015 (Albert Cove)
Daily Notes
T/D – go to shore to visit Maria
T/B – spearfish – coral trout – gave to Maria
Dessert & tea on Amosea Island
Email to Family and Friends dated October 28, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Rabi Island
After a brief shopping trip on Taveuni, which pleasantly turned out to be an opportunity to spend a few more hours with Fluenta, we made our way over to Rabi and we are now up on the NW side of the island in a small bay called Albert Cove. It’s lovely here and well protected. We made a stop at the main village called Nuku on our way up in order to check in with the Rabi police and request permission to visit the island. The inhabitants of Rabi are not Fijian, not even Micronesian, they are Polynesian, and they are from the island of Banaba (formerly known as Ocean Island). They were relocated here shortly after WWII because their island became barely inhabitable due to phosphate mining by the British and then the invasion by the Japanese. Their story is a sad one as they seem to have gotten screwed from every direction. Now, they seem to be doing OK although you can tell most of their infrastructure here is many decades old. On the surface, the people here seem less friendly than the Fijians, but like the Polynesians of Tonga, it’s not that there’s any ill feelings toward you, it’s just that they are less extroverted, less outgoing. We seriously could have walked through the whole town without anyone talking to us, but we know better than that by now, and we stopped and talked to several people, and they were all nice, helpful, and curious about us, it’s just that we had to make the first move. They seemed pleasantly surprised when we greeted them with, “Mauri,” which is how you say hello in their language, Gilbertese, instead of the well-known Fijian, “Bula.” I’ve already written more than I intended, because the boys have some stuff to contribute today. Love and miss you all, -D
Brenden’s Beat
Dad and I went spearfishing along with Per from Breeze hoping to shoot a tuna. We went diving a couple of days before then and I was finally able to load my gun. But this time I wasn’t able to. I had to have dad load it for me. I probably just didn’t have the gun in the right spot on my chest.
Swimming along with my gun pointed in front of me, I watched dad dive down and lay on a rock. Turning my head to the left, I saw a school of about 20 tuna, but they swam faster once they noticed me chasing them. That was the first tuna sighting that day.
After seeing the tuna, we swam a bit farther away from the dinghy. I was just about to dive down when dad unexpectingly dives, aiming his gun at something. Then, just before he shot, I noticed it; a walu had swam up to him. Bang! The walu was ours to keep.
We dropped the walu off at the dinghy, then headed in the opposite direction. Dad and I traded guns, me with the big one, him with the not so big one. We swam a bit farther, then dad dove down and shot a trevally. Most of the fish scattered but one fish didn’t; a dogtooth tuna. I had the big gun, so I dove down straight on top of it, and once I got close enough, I shot. It missed just to the left. If only I hadn’t missed…
Later, after putting the trevally in the dinghy, we went back out. Dad shot a baracuda to use as bait so another tuna might come. After waiting about five minutes, another tuna appeared and started circling the baracuda. This time I was taking my time. I didn’t want to miss this one. I dove down, took my aim, and fired. I hit it, but only pierced its skin and it swam away.
I shot at two tunas and both are still swimming freely. “The next one I see,” I think to myself, “is going to have a new home in our freezer.” Dad continues to jig the baracuda up and down. Then out of the distance, another tuna came and inspected the fish. I then dive down, scaring it away a little, and keep going down. Patience should get me this one. I wait until it gets close and bang! Finally, after all this time, I was so happy to have my first tuna.
Alex’s Alcove
I had never realized how much I needed a fiberglass surfboard until I tried one. Although I haven’t tried real surfing on it, the dinghy surfing is pretty awesome. The first time I tried using one I knew that I would either have to steal one or get one of my own. Luckily, thievery didn’t win that one.
Before I got my own, I tried using the big foam surfboards, but it wasn’t the same. The carving abilities were far more limited, and I found it even harder to stand up on.
To be honest, I’m not in favor of going to The Marshall Islands. Hopefully, there are some surfing spots!
Logbook – October 29, 2015 (Albert Cove)
Daily Notes
T/B spearfish – trevally + sweet lips
D – paddle, visit on shore w/ Maria
A few people live on shore at Albert cove, and this is one of the guys borrowing my paddle board, so he didn’t have to swim out to his boat. All the other buys got quite a laugh out of this
Logbook – October 30, 2015 (Albert Cove)
Daily Notes
Hike over to other side, met Tarawa and his family
“Fire” on shore – we rushed w/ buckets. Maria’s dad was just burning rubbish
Koro is the 6th largest island in Fiji, and it wasn’t even on our radar until we were looking at the weather when we were ready to depart Savusavu. Since Koro is pretty much due south of Savusavu and the wind was coming from the NE, Koro was the perfect destination to spend a few days until the tradewinds filled back in from the SE and then we could sail up to Taveuni. We stayed on a mooring ball at Dere Bay resort in the NW side of the island, and we ended up staying almost a week. There are 14 villages on the island and also a small expat community. There are two resorts in the bay, but I think between the two of them they had just one guest. So, the bar was never open, and the whole place was eerily quiet. Paddle boarding, hiking, and spearfishing were excellent.
Walk to village for sevusevu – nice walk on path about 30 min, but hot & humid.
Chief’s wife served us Fanta orange
T – dove for lobsters, only small ones
Cousteau Anchorage (near Savusavu) to Koro IslandKoro IslandWe picked up a mooring ball in Dere Bay on the northwest side of KoroThe dinghy dock is at the end of this insanely long pier.Footbridge on our walk to the Nabasobi VillageThe fog rolling down the hillA little family minecraft
Logbook – October 20, 2015 (Koro)
Daily Notes
T/B spearfish. No fish, almost lost dinghy
Afternoon bocce on the sand spit
While out for a paddle at high tide I scouted out this little sand spit……so we came back at high tide for a little…Bocce Ball!
Email to Family and Friends dated October 20, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Koro Island
We had a great day sail yesterday to Koro Island, about a 6-hour sail from Savusavu in light winds on the beam. We are alone in the anchorage, so that’s a huge change for us. There are two resorts on shore, but they are at pretty light capacity at the moment. There are also several villages in the vicinity. We walked about 30 min partly along a trail and partly along a dirt road down to the nearest village yesterday afternoon for sevusevu. We’ve done so many of these now that we’ve started talking about what’s different, what’s unique about each one. As for yesterday, it was the first time the chief did the sevusevu wearing shorts (not a sulu) and it was also the first time the chief sat around chatting with us afterwards. We aren’t sure whether to be insulted or flattered, so we decided to be neither and had a nice time just hanging out for about an hour. This one was also the first time we were served cold drinks (Fanta orange, Brenden’s favorite), and on a hot day, it was like magic. We got some intel from another cruiser that there were lobsters on the reef here right near the anchorage, so of course Tim went diving last night (Brenden drove the dinghy for him), but unfortunately, he found only very small ones, so of course he left them alone. We’ll probably stay here just another night or two before heading back up to the Taveuni area. We mostly came here on the way because that’s where the weather pointed us. The watermaker is working great with the new membrane, so we have learned a couple of lessons the hard way: 1) You really need to be weary of chlorine when you fill your tank with dock water and use it to flush your watermker, 2) If you wait until the last minute to order something you will pay for it. Love and miss you all, -D.
D/T – walk up to the top of hill – nice views. Met a resident from B.C.
Boys to Breeze to play games
Drinks on Breeze
T – sick
Exodus and BreezeTim and I went for a walk to explore the island and find some viewsSandspit, Exodus, and Breeze
Email to Family and Friends dated October 22, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Bocce Ball, Surprises, and Hot Weather
We are still at Koro, staying longer than we’d thought because the wind isn’t shifting back to the SE as soon as was originally forecast, and we’d really prefer not to have to motor up to Taveuni. Koro is nice, though. We were on our own a couple days and took advantage of a little sandspit that dries at low tide to go out and play bocce ball. Yesterday, while I was standing at the galley chopping vegetables for a salad for lunch, I looked up and was shocked to see one of our buddy kid boats, Breeze, right off the stern! “No Way!” I shouted. We had said good-bye in the Yasawas, and they had no idea we were here. What a nice surprise. Since the storm last week, the weather really has taken a turn towards summer. I have to do yoga very early in the morning, and the vegetables that I don’t keep in the fridge are going bad much faster. The eggs too. But it’s not “summer in Mexico” or “Marquesas” hot. Yet. We know that since we will be heading North, towards the equator, it’s going to be hot, and I’m not sure we’re quite ready for it. Well, except for Tim. He spends so much time in the water, he’s found Fiji to be too cold for his liking. I guess I’ll just have to spend more time in the water too. Hope all is well with everyone. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – October 23, 2015 (Koro)
Daily Notes
T/B/Per – spearfish. B’s first dogtooth!
Tried to go to dinner on shore, met a family from Colorado
Sashimi on Exodus
Brenden’s first dogtooth tuna!!!Tim’s Walu and Brenden’s Tuna. If you are wondering why the walu is headless, no it wasn’t a shark this time. They cut off the head and gave it to the village. Brenden didn’t want to give away the tuna head (yet) because he wanted his photo op!
Logbook – October 24, 2015 (Koro)
Nothing in the logbook
Internet afternoonSunset drinks our last evening there
Boys share a whole tub of ice cream with Fluenta kids
Logbook – September 25, 2015 (Savusavu)
Daily Notes
Happy Bday B!
D – morning run, immigration, cookies, pizza, pasta, ice cream
T – purchased surf board + kite surfer from Ele
Birthday dinner w/ Fluenta
Can you believe this kid is 13 years old?Birthday presents! Surfboard and kite surfer.My sweet boys on Brenden’s birthday. But not as sweet as….…these guys!Alex and his mini-me
Email to Family and Friends dated September 25, 2015
Subject: In Savusavu on a special day
We arrived in Savusavu a couple days ago on a cold, rainy, and foggy day. The visibility was pretty bad, but we were happy for two reasons: 1) We were able to sail, like actually sail with no engines or anything. After all the upwind motoring we’ve been doing to get back east, it was very nice. and 2) We were accompanied by a pod of dolphins. Back in Mexico it seemed like you couldn’t move 2 miles without seeing dolphins but since then they’ve been more sparse. They swam with us for a while and it was good fun. Today the fog seems to be lifting a bit, and it even looks like the sun is trying to peak out. It’s a special day, you know, the day that baby Brendito turns 13, a teenager. He has requested not just pizza, but pizza AND pasta for dinner, and since we are in Savusavu we even have ice cream in the freezer! Should be a fun day. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – September 26, 2015 (Savusavu)
Daily Notes
Beers w/ Eleutheria & Skabenga on shore
Birthday dinner on Fluenta for Victoria
Craig and Leann (True Blue V) have decided not to join us up in Marshall Islands this year, but I’m sure we will see them again.It’s been over a year since we’ve seen these guys! Eleutheria and Skabenga!Victoria’s 12th birthday! About a month ago Victoria was hoping we’d still be together on hers and Brenden’s birthdays, and I told her probably not. Goes to show what I know!
A/B – shore for water balloon fight then Minecraft on Exodus
To say it’s rained a bit since we’ve been here would be an understatement. Someone did eventually come a bail out this little boat.Exodus at the fuel dock. And by fuel dock I mean it’s a rickety little dock across the street from a gas station.
We’re on the end mooring at Waitui marinaBrenden is so happy to go fill the water jugs
Logbook – October 3, 2015 (Savusavu)
Daily Notes
Boys “dinghy surf” with Fluenta – outboard issues
Surprise birthday for Jonathan
And a happy 10th birthday to Jonathan!Salad spoons can be so much fun
Logbook – October 4, 2015 (Savusavu)
Passage Log Highlights
1118 engines on
1137 P engine off
1156 SB engine off – genoa only
1730 P engine on/off – smoke for P engine. OK later start.
1730 SB engine on
1755 P engine on
1810 engines off – someone (High C’s) on our mooring. Took Skabenga’s mooring.
Happy boys to be folding laundryA rare sunny day! We went for a day sail out in the bay to make waterSkabenga heading out
Logbook – October 5, 2015 (Savusavu)
Daily Notes
Met a new kid boat from Belgium – Sept a Vivre
Drinks on their boat after they took Alex wakeboarding
Good morning savusavuEl frase espanol del dia. Pregunto a mis amigos que hablan espanol… lo he escrito bien?Waitui Marina. A little rustic, but they have a great staff and cheap food.Victoria is always so helpful. Here she’s helping me tie up the dinghy. (Photo by Fluenta – http://sv-fluenta.blogspot.com/)
Logbook – October 6, 2015 (Savusavu)
Daily Notes
Fiji Meats!
Drinks on shore with Fluenta & Joanna (cat haters)
T/D – dinner at ToHP – no elec – dined by candlelight
Two weeks have passed since we arrived, and here we are, still in Savusavu. We ordered a new membrane for our watermaker, so we will be here until that arrives. In the meantime, we’re enjoying savusavu and hanging out with old and new friends. The last time we were here it was only a few chore filled days, so it’s nice to spend some more relaxing time here. However, the extended stay will mean cutting the rest of our cruising time in Fiji short since we’ll need to be making the first hop north within a couple of weeks. Our first stop will be the island of Rotuma, which is about 200 miles north of here, and is technically part of Fiji, however culturally they are polynesian rather than micronesian. We met a new kid boat here with three kids aged 15, 13, and 11, and we are already working on them to come to Marshall Islands. We are nervous and excited about this next phase of our journey, since it’s probably more of an unknown than anything we’ve done since originally leaving. Love and miss you all, -D.
Not a good time to go to Rotuma! We don’t feel so bad waiting for the watermaker
Logbook – October 15, 2015 (Savusavu)
Daily Notes
Caught rainwater all night
Watermaker – 160 ppm w/ new membrane
A/B play games on shore. New kid boat from Australia
Email to Family and Friends dated October 15, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Rain, Rain, Rain
It’s terrible weather here in Fiji this week, but on the bright side, our watermaker membrane arrived yesterday. Tim installed it yesterday afternoon and it’s all ready for a test this morning. If it fixes our salinity problem then we’ll be all ready to sit and wait several more days for weather. Yeah, that’s cruising for you. You are always at the mercy of the weather. Right now there is a low pressure NW of us that causing strong winds and lots of rain. The kids are actually a little melancholy at the thought of leaving, since we’ll be saying good-bye to Fluenta and heading out on our own without any buddy kid boats for the first time this entire season. Hope all is well with everyone and that El Nino treats you kindly this year. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – October 16, 2015 (Savusavu)
Daily Notes
Rain all day
Boys play at hotel and have dinner w/ Fluenta
Logbook – October 17, 2015 (Savusavu)
Daily Notes
Final provision
Tim change outboard oil filter
Drinks at Copra Shed w/ Fluenta & TBV
Dinner w/ Fluenta
Sparring on the dock. Brenden may have a height advantage, but I have a feeling Jonathan can hold his own.Great spot for drinks on our last evening in SavusavuCheers to True Blue VA last look towards town from The Copra Shed MarinaWe sure are going to miss these monkeys
Logbook – October 18, 2015 (Savusavu to Cousteau)
Passage Log Highlights
1206 engines on
1252 engines off Cousteau
Rainbow over the ferryMoce, Savusavu! (Moce = good-bye in Fijian)Rockin the low salinity!
Gresham Family Exodus 