valdivia

weather

Jer: For those of you concerned about the extreme weather forecast last week, Tim pursued it with the Predict Wind people and they discovered a glitch in their system. Ironically, the 4th forecast was the only one that also predicted…

On the road again

Jer: This morning I had the pleasure of watching the sunrise above a small atoll and then the surprise of a double rainbow off to the west. I guess it pays to do that 360 look around even without any…

Au revoir Gambier

We’ll miss Gambier but we found a souvenir to help remind us of our stay. The Black Pearl industry is thriving in French Polynesia and they are quit lovely aren’t they. Next stop Fakarava!

Mrs. Claus

Jer: I’m not sure how I feel about being Santa’s wife. Today a few children were very excited about Papa Noel, but we caused one to cry when I suggested to Tim he say “ho ho ho”. Everyone calmed down…

Turnaround

Jer: Yesterday we took off for what appeared to be an easy, albeit slow, sail to Hao. There are four weather forecasts that we use to determine routing and departure times. One of them turned quite nasty late last night…

Papa Noel

I have received a few inquiries regarding the status of Tim’s beard. I can’t answer why he’s growing it, but the children of Gambier certainly are enjoying it. Oddly enough, one of the restaurants has Santa decorations hung up and…

Joy of Sailing with Friends

One of the great pleasures of a cruising lifestyle is being able to share it with friends. Today’s picture was taken during a good sailing day from Taravai to Mangareva. Greg is at the helm and picked up steering quickly.…

Goodbye Jo-Ann and Greg

Jer: It’s a quiet morning in the Mangareva harbor. A favorable forecast led many sailboats to depart Thursday for Hao and our friends left yesterday. True to my word, I focused on R&R, and we all had a great time.…

snorkeling

Jer: This morning we went snorkeling along the reef between Agility and the beach. We are the only boat anchored in a stunning bay on the SW side of Taravai and have a huge reef all to ourselves. There were…

Gambier

It is a quiet afternoon in a beautiful anchorage on the island of Taravai. Jo-Ann and Greg are paddle boarding near the reef, Tim is asleep on the tramp, and I am cooking a large chunk pork seasoned with an…