Every place we go seems to have a unique set of sailing challenges either relating to the weather conditions or the geography. In the Mediterranean it was the fierce seasonal winds and lack of shallow anchorages. In the Caribbean it … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: August 2013
Fakarava Atoll, Tuamotus, French Polynesia
As humans, we’re terribly suited for life underwater. Without any ability to take oxygen from the seawater, we’d suffocate in minutes. We’d succumb to hypothermia even in the most tropical seas, and if by some miracle we were still alive … Continue reading
Fatu Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia
Sir Ernest Shackleton’s famous newspaper ad for his historic 1914 Antarctic sailing expedition read: “Men Wanted for Hazardous Journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.” The … Continue reading
Hiva Oa, French Polynesia (Pacific Crossing Day 18)
It would be unfair to the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic to say the Pacific is the world’s greatest ocean. They are all giants and each is worthy of the seafarer’s most profound respect. But privately, after dedicating about a … Continue reading
Pacific Ocean Crossing Day 12
As we approach the two-thirds marker on our Pacific Ocean crossing we are reminded about how unpredictable things are on these oceans. Whereas we had near perfect trade wind sailing conditions for our first thousand miles, the second thousand has … Continue reading
Pacific Ocean Crossing Day 6
This is now day six of our Pacific Crossing, and what a difference it has been compared with our Atlantic experience. There we set out into stormy and unpredictable conditions that required countless sail changes, trim adjustments, and even a … Continue reading