Six years ago, while the boat was in a cyclone hole in Fiji and Steve was away working, I misplaced a foot on the stairs and fell from deck height at 0800. I landed on my side, or perhaps I should say I bounced on my side as apparently that’s what happens when you fall…
Category: Fiji
Holiday Reading Roundup: Super Typhoons, Safety Gear and Spots to Slip the Boat
It starting to look a yacht like Christmas! The weather report is looking a little wet for the 24th & 25th ’round these parts. Which means we might have ample time to curl up under the Christmas lights and catch up on our reading. In case you are in the same predicament here are a…
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Hidden Haul Outs In the South Pacific
It seems appropriate that as we FINALLY leave the boatyard here in the Philippines a round-up of yards that we have used and discovered on our travels through the South Pacific is published in Cruising World Magazine. If you are looking for a place to do work, hide during cyclone season or store the boat…
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Out of Sight, Out of Mind? Leaving Your Boat on the Hard
The first time we left Kate on the hard I remember reaching across the back seat of the taxi as we pulled away, searching for Steve’s reassuring hand. My eyes welled with tears and I heaved a heavy sigh as he told me over and over that the boat would be ok without us. 30…
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Top Ten Ways You Know You’ve Been Sailing in the South Pacific for a Long Time
Top Ten Ways You Know You’ve Been Sailing in the South Pacific for a Long Time You can communicate a whole range of greetings and emotions with your eyebrows alone. The smell of rancid coconuts rotting in the midday sun doesn’t bother you anymore. When you ask a local a question and they answer “YES”…
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Markets: Food for the Soul
Amidst the unfamiliar countries and uneasiness of travel the markets are where I find a connection to the people, to the landscape. Although I have a deep and passionate relationship with food this is not why I seek out these places. It is the everyday-ness of the market that I crave. Disconnected from family, country,…
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Tropical Boat Storage article in Cruising World
It is that time of a year again, the seasons are changing and many of us sailors are planning how and where spend the storm season. We spent four cyclone seasons holed up in Vuda Point Marina, Fiji, which meant we got the process of packing up and shipping off down to a fine art….
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Underway to New Caledonia
We’ve departed on our 700NM passage from Fiji to New Caledonia. The weather looks good so we are crossing our fingers that it will take 5-6 days. However, we all know how accurate the weather man can be, so don’t get worried if it takes up to 10 days. I have activated our SPOT, a…
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Broken Engines & Breadfruit Gnocchi
Equipment fails and things break but life doesn’t stop. There are still dental appointments and piles of stinky laundry and a sink full of dirty dishes. Amidst the chaos and frustration we still have to eat. The easy way out in times like these would be to have a hot shower and treat ourselves to…
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Some things are sent to test us.
Some people like to call it a “Shake down cruise” but I think that sounds too nicey nicey. There has been nothing “cruisey” about the last two weeks on board Kate. The term “Sea Trial” seems much more appropriate. As is the norm before a passage and after a long period on the hard we…
