We sailed to Vanuatu! We entered the harbour just after midnight on May 23 and dropped our anchor by moonlight. It was the next morning before we got a look at our surroundings. The day was grey and drizzling. Thermal vents around the shoreline spouted plumes of steam which clung to the lush slopes above. Fishermen in crude dugout canoes paddled slowly around the bay. My passage-fuzzy brain took a while to process all of this. Where are…
On May 3 we arrived in New Caledonia, a French territory in Melanesia. We docked in the capital city of Noumea on a Friday afternoon, cleared customs, and walked into town in search of french baking. We were pretty excited to get back to a country that takes the baguette seriously. This whole country is shaped like a baguette, so our expectations were high. Most of the shops were closed on that first Friday evening, but we found a 24…
They say that sailing out from New Zealand is easier than sailing in, but it’s still intimidating. As we contemplated our passage to Vanuatu, Sarah experienced her usual pre passage weather anxiety, while I struggled with my personal phobia of never seeing affordable cheese again. With each provisioning run to the grocery store I’d ask her nervously, “Maybe we should get one more brick, just in case?” She would respond by ignoring me while staring at weather models on her…