I had spent about 10 months in Southeast Asia, rotating between Malaysia and Indonesia with occasional stops in Singapore. By now I was looking forward to some cooler weather and being home for the holidays but first, I needed to make a stop in Fiji on my way home. It had been one year since …
With SV Sierra Wind on the stands in the boat yard and Eitan back in the US, I found myself alone onboard for the first time in 250 days. My flight home wasn’t scheduled for another two weeks so I began to settle into my new home at Vuda Marina. The boat was positioned at …
After one month of cruising the Fijian islands, it was time to head to the main island and get the boat ready to be stored for the cyclone season, which extends from November through April/May. We sailed to Fiji’s largest island of Viti Levu and dropped anchor for the night near Denarau Marina. We perused …
After a social week in the Blue Lagoon, Eitan and I were looking forward to having some time alone and headed for a couple of islands off the tourist track: Vanua Levu and Nevadra. These islands are considered to be the birthplace of Fijian culture and are called The Sacred Islands These islands are completely …
After spending a few days catching up with our friends on SV Sauce-Sea, we headed a little farther north in the Yasawa Islands to meet up with even more friends at a place called the Blue Lagoon, named after the movie. As we approached the bay, I was surprised to see around 40 boats already …
After a few days in Savusavu, we were provisioned and ready to explore Fiji for the next month before hauling out and getting the boat stored for cyclone season. With only a few weeks left, we needed to decide between seeing Fiji’s famously colorful corals at a dive site called Rainbow Reef near Taveuni to …
After a week in Wallis and Futuna, we set off on our final overnight passage to our last destination for the year: Fiji! The first 24 hours of the trip were pretty standard, experiencing 15-20 knots, and the swell wasn’t too uncomfortable. Eitan relieved me from my watch at 6 am and I fell into …
After an excellent week enjoying the hospitality and super cheap prices in Western Samoa, Eitan and I set off on the two-day passage to Wallis and Futuna. Wallis and Futuna is a small, French territory comprised three islands: Wallis, Futuna, and Alofi. Alofi is primarily uninhabited and not included in the country’s name. It was …
With our lovely week in American Samoa behind us, Eitan and I left Pago Pago and I was relieved to find the conditions outside the harbor were much calmer than when we arrived. After completing the 6-day passage to American Samoa, the remaining legs to get to Fiji were limited to only one or two …
After a “sporty” entrance into American Samoa, we woke up to another windy day in Pago Pago (pronounced Pungo Pungo). Because of COVID, American Samoa is still relatively closed to travel and any international travel needs to be made through the adjacent nation of Western Samoa. To get James back to New Zealand, he needed …
After a rollie week in Rarotonga, we picked up our new crew member, James, and set sail on our 6-day passage to American Samoa. Since the passage to Rarotonga was so horribly uncomfortable, I had a lot of anxiety about embarking on another passage that would be twice as long. I was relieved to find …
After a very uncomfortable and wet 400-mile passage, we were finally tied to the dock at the harbor in Rarotonga and ready to get some rest. After having such a rollie passage, the movement from the ever-present surge was almost undetectable and we fell fast asleep, waking the next day in a beautiful new country. …
After two weeks of pure bliss in Maupihaa, we finally had a small weather window with lighter winds for the sail to Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands. Eitan had been checking the weather every day, hoping for a break but it looked like the wind would only lighten up for a bit, then pick back …
Our first week in Maupihaa felt like a true vacation from it all. Since all of our boat projects were done and there was absolutely no cell service, my days became filled with all of my favorite things. I took long walks on the beach, snorkeled or paddle boarded, set up a hammock between two …
Our first day in Maupihaa was a cruiser’s dream, filled with baby shark paddle boarding, an incredible snorkel through the atoll pass, and ending with a beach bonfire and roasted marshmallows. I couldn’t have asked for a better day and was excited to see the rest of the island. Like the Tuamotus, Maupihaa is an …
After a week of being stuck in Maupiti while waiting out a severe swell event that had come up from the south, we were finally ready to head to our final island in French Polynesia, Maupihaa. We prepared to depart by securing everything inside and tightening down the hatches. It was going to be a …
After spending two weeks in Bora Bora, Eitan officially checked us out of the country and we were ready to keep heading west. Since Bora Bora is the last island on our sailing adventure through French Polynesia with a customs and immigration office, we were able to plan stops at the leeward islands of Maupiti …
We spent two weeks in Bora Bora with our new crew member Evan onboard, waiting for Eitan’s friends to arrive on their honeymoon and bring us more goodies from the US. In the meantime, we meandered from mooring field to mooring field to explore both above and below the water. We spent a few nights …
With just a couple of days left on our visas, Eitan and I headed to Bora Bora to begin the checkout process for French Polynesia and pick up our new crew member, Evan. I met Evan and his wife Stephanie through Instagram a couple of years ago. Like me, they’re both civil engineers from northern …
Four hours after departing Huahine, we arrived in Raiatea, another day, another beautiful green island! Raiatea is a little different from most of the other Society Islands because it serves as the base for the yacht charter companies that operate in this island group and has more boat services available. For the first time since …
After three nights on Moorea, Eitan took his friend Roslin to shore to continue her vacation on land and we set sail for the next island: Huahine. The trip lasted all day and into the night with Eitan and me taking turns standing watch. It had been months since we left Mexico and this was …
After a week of creature comforts in Tahiti, we had only two weeks left to see the rest of the Society Islands before our visas ran out. In anticipation of leaving the marina, I stocked up on fresh provisions and was busy organizing the pantry when I accidentally knocked over a jar of pasta sauce. …
After arriving in Tahiti and saying goodbye to Martin and Simone, Eitan and I walked to the marina office to finish the check-in process. We knew we would be in Tahiti for at least 5 nights before Eitan’s friend was scheduled to arrive for a short visit. Knowing how easy it is to get lured …
After 6 weeks in the Tuamotus, we only had 3 weeks left on our visas in French Polynesia and still had one more archipelago to explore, the Society Islands, which includes the more recognized islands of Tahiti and Bora Bora. We pulled the lines off of the mooring ball, raised the sails and headed west …
We departed Fakarava and headed to our final atoll in the Tuamotus: Toau. It was a rollie trip, but not too far at less than 20 miles. When we arrived I was thankful to find a free mooring ball, hoping my days of diving to free the anchor were over. After seeing a trimaran washed …
After a few days on the mooring ball near the southern pass of Fakarava and diving the Wall of Sharks, we headed easterly along the southern rim of the atoll to an anchorage called Harifa Bay. It was an easy sail and we got there a few hours later but were saddened to find about …
After settling into our new home in Fakarava, I took Martin and Simone to shore to make some arrangements for SCUBA diving. Before they joined us on SV Sierra Wind they had gotten their dive master certifications and Fakarava was a bucket list dive for them. Since we only have gear onboard for two people …
We woke up at first light at our anchorage in the Tahanea Atoll, pulled the anchor, and were on our way. I was on bow navigation looking out for bommies as we crossed the atoll to the pass, but they are much harder to see when the sun is low in the sky in the …
We departed Katiu during the afternoon slack tide and took 4-hour, 2-person shifts throughout the day and into the night, arriving at Tahanea around midnight. Normally, it is best to enter an atoll during the day but since Tahanea was well charted, Eitan felt comfortable arriving at night. Upon arrival, we dropped anchor and fell …
After picking up groceries and fuel in the main town on Katiu, we headed out to a less populated part of the island. Since few, if any, cruisers go to this atoll, there weren’t any recommendations on anchorages or places to go. Eitan used some satellite imagery to pick out a couple of potential locations …
Our last morning in Makemo was an early one as we prepared to depart. I jumped in the water to help retrieve the anchors and prevent them from wrapping on any rocks or coral as they were pulled in. Ideally, we would exit the Makemo pass at the slack tide, but since our window to …
After a great couple of days at our first atoll, Raroia, we were excited and ready to see more of the Tuamotu islands. It is critically important plan the pass entry and exit with the tide and resulting current. All departures and arrivals need to be carefully planned. There are only four slack tides (periods …
After our first couple of days in paradise at Raroia, I began feeling overwhelmed with how to capture my time here. This place was so beautiful. How could I do it any justice? I became increasingly frustrated when I compared my pictures to those our crew member, Simone, would post from the same locations. We …
After our four-day passage from the Marquesas to the Tuamotus, we arrived at the Raroia Atoll just after sunrise and dropped the anchor. We heard from other cruisers that it was vital to learn the art of “floating” the anchor chain. If we wanted to make it through the Tuamotus safely, without our anchor rode …
As I write this, I am sitting at a marina in Fiji and October 2022 is almost over. SV Sierra Wind is on the hard and anchored down for the South Pacific tropical cyclone season, which usually extends into April. Eitan returned to California a few days ago to go back to work and I’ll …
After 5 weeks in the Marquesas, we were finally heading to the next island ground in French Polynesia, a group of atolls that comprise the Tuamotu Archipelago. At just over 400 miles, the trip was estimated to take about 4 days, which seemed like chump change compared to the 25-day trip across the Pacific. Normally …
A few hours after leaving Tahuata, we arrived in Atuona, the main town of Hiva Oa. The bay is southeast facing and the anchorage is protected behind a breakwater, but a bit separated from town. The anchorage was quite crowded and a handful of other boats formed a wagon wheel around a large, central buoy …
We awoke at 4AM to make the voyage from Ua Pou to Tahuata, pulling all three anchors, hoisting the dinghy, and were underway by 5am. Just a few moments out of the breakwater it was clear this was going to be a wet and bumpy ride. Since we would be motoring for at least 16 …
It was a bumpy and wet upwind ride east to the next bay, but once again, we needed Wi-Fi to check weather and figure out when and where to go next. Despite being the main town on Ua Pou, the anchorage at Hakahau Bay was tiny and hardly able to accommodate the half dozen boats …
After almost two weeks in Nuku Hiva we had finally made it to our second island in the Marquesas, Ua Pou. The first two bays we visited were on the western leeward side of the island, protected from the swell brought by the trade winds. Despite being comfortable flat anchorages, both bays had steep, rocky …
After a wet and salty ride from Daniels Bay, we arrived back in the main anchorage at Taiohae. We dropped the anchor and headed into town for Wi-Fi access to source a new outboard propellor and check the weather for the coming days. We had already been on Nuku Hiva for over a week and …
Once we left Taiohae and arrived in Daniels Bay, it felt like we were officially back into cruising mode. In true cruiser fashion, Eitan put out a call on the radio to invite anyone interested in meeting up for some sundowner drinks to be at the beach at sunset. We were joined by a few …
After making landfall, cleaning the boat, provisioning, and catching up with friends on SV Kismet, SV Bula, and SV Sky Pond, it was time to do a little exploring. We had heard from our buddy boats that renting a car was a worthwhile experience to see the island and various types of landscapes the changes …
After our first full night of sleeping while at anchor, it was time to get to work. I started deep cleaning the interior while Martin and Simone scrubbed the hull, removing the marine growth from below the water line and stains and scum from above. Eitan headed to shore to drop off laundry, grab SIM …
After 25 days at sea, we finally arrived in Nuku Hiva. The anchorage was pretty congested with about 50 boats already at anchor throughout the bay. The surrounding landscape was nothing like I had imagined. Since Nuku Hiva is the largest island in the Marquesas, I imagined the town of the main anchorage to be …
