Saltbreaker

My hands won’t stop shaking. I feel like I’m in a movie where a recently traumatized character frantically attempts to shake a cigarette out of its box only to find themselves unable to hold the lighter to light it. That’s me, but it’s not a movie and I don’t smoke. I sit there and chuckle to myself as I realize how much I just swore. I don’t swear often and when I do I’m usually laughing. This time, it was not a casual F-bomb and…

I’ve been putting this post off. So much has happened since our last update (about our passage to New Zealand in November 2012), and I couldn’t think of a good way to explain it all. After much procrastination, I decided that you don’t have to know everything…just enough to get by. And so here is a quick update culminating in present-day activities: After arriving in New Zealand in November 2012, Alex and I sailed down to Mount Maunganui, where we quickly found ourselves at home…

I often wonder what others think life is like underway. I assume some people picture us sipping rum drinks watching the sun melt behind a feature-less horizon. Others (mom?) may picture us bobbing around in a dark windswept landscape wearing bright yellow foul weather gear and clutching the wheel as wave after wave sends saltwater pouring over our heads. Each of those hold some merit. We do drank a lot of rum, though not during passages, and there have been waves that broke into the…

I would have to say that a fair amount of my life revolves around the wind. So the notion of severing ties with the outside world (even if only for just three weeks) and adopting a lifestyle completely dictated by it didn’t seem to be too big of a stretch for me. I would also have to say that a fair amount of my life revolves around travel. Therefore the thought of jumping on a plane and flying off to a tiny speck of land…

You know those slap-to-the-face moments. The ones where you’re so focused on what you’re doing that you don’t fully appreciate the situation, then you stop, take a fresh look around and SLAP you realize how amazing it actually is. This was one of those moments. Its early in the evening and we’re sitting on the floor in a barren room inside the Pangai Naval Base. Nick, Dralle and I are sitting next to each other forming part of a circle. Nick is on the melodica…

Palmerston Atoll is a strange place. In many respects its just another one of the South Pacific’s beautiful atolls. Its turquoise lagoon is surrounded by a vibrant coral reef and coconut palm covered beaches. Supply ships make the 250 mile trek to the island two to three times a year, refilling the inhabitants freezers with frozen chicken and ice cream. But what makes the island so unique is not its stunning beauty and relative isolation, its the people. The atoll boasts a bustling population of…

First scanning the eroded surface for a good foot hold, I leaned into the river of water flowing against me and stood up to look around. The moon was nearly full and though mostly blocked by clouds it still lit up the night enough to see my surroundings. Just 200 ft away large ocean swell met its turbulent death against Mopelia’s outer reef then poured over into the lagoon causing the several knot current which was making it so hard to stand. Around me I…

Intended to post this one a while ago … Hanamonae Bay, on the northwest end of the island of Tahuata in the Marquesas, has got it all. Its smooth white sand beach is lined with coconut trees, limes, pamplemouse and several other unidentified (but delicious) fruits. The crystal clear water and healthy coral reefs on either side provide hours of snorkeling entertainment and make spear fishing feel like a trip to the supermarket. Every morning a pack of manta rays make their way through the…

I have just had the good fortune to spend nearly two weeks on Saltbreaker in French Polynesia, on-board 25 June to 7 July. In the struggle to come up with a post on my visit I found myself unable to focus on any particular corner of the adventure or arrive at a coherent narrative of the total trip. I now come to think of the entire experience as a series of small shiny moments, none so huge as to dominate, none so small as to…