SV Mandolyn

We made it to Tonga! The only constitutional monarchy in the Pacific! But how did it get that way? Well, during the colonial period the expansionist nations of the world were treating Pacific islands like candy from a burst piñata. Tongans were concerned and held an assembly to decide if they should accept ‘protection’ from one of these foreign powers. Tongan leader George Tupou 1 convinced the group that Tonga should skip the middlemen to accept protection directly, and exclusively,…

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We’ve arrived at the port city of Apia in Samoa! Our 4th country in a month! The trip from American Samoa was only 70 nautical miles, but transited the international date line. West went to sleep on Monday August 7 and he woke up Wednesday August 9. For most of August 8 we simply didn’t exist, which is a real bummer because that’s Fathers Day in Mongolia. We were met on the docks at Apia by four customs officials. As we…

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At 8am on July 30 we manoeuvred Mandolyn towards the industrial dock in Pago Pago Harbour, American Samoa, to meet with customs and immigration. Sarah and I were a little tired after 4 nights at sea. The harbourmaster met us on the dock to help with our lines. He was soon joined by another official, and then… eleven more. Thirteen people total. For perspective, a football team only fields eleven players. Now we were feeling awake. Despite intimidating numbers, the…

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Years ago I read the book An Island to Oneself, by Tom Neale, who describes his experience living as a hermit on a deserted atoll in the Cook Islands. I never imagined I’d see it, but on July 16, after five nights at sea, we entered the lagoon of Suwarrow Atoll, to behold the same vistas that old Tom would have seen back in the 1960s. After nine months in non English speaking countries we were excited to be able…

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The three largest island groups of French Polynesia are the Marquesas, the Tuamotus, and the Societies. The Marquesas are steep and majestic, but not great for swimming as they have no protecting reefs and a lot of sediment in the water. The Tuamotus have crystal clear lagoons, beautiful coral beaches, and very little else. The Society Islands won the geological lottery, with lush peaks, surrounded by wide coastal plains for habitation, all wrapped in large protected lagoons. Most amazing to…

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Prep time: 10 mnutes + 3 weeks Serves: 4 The feedback from blog readers is resounding:  Post more recipes!  Well, ok.  Tuamotus fried rice is an exotic dish that will have your dinner guests dreaming of palm trees in a tropical breeze. But what’s the backstory!?  Who are the ingredients?  What drives them, and how did they meet? The story of this meal begins 60 million years ago, deep beneath the South Pacific, with the formation of the Tuamotus archipelago. …

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After 23 days at sea we had arrived in the Marquesas, and they’re everything we imagined. Steep volcanic ridges divide lush valleys that are home to sleepy idyllic villages. These islands once supported a population upwards of 80,000, but today are home to around 10,000. Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick, spent some time here in 1842, and wrote the novel Typee based on his experience. At that time the islanders still engaged in some light cannibalism. Between then and…

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In 2002 Sarah and I had been dating for just over a year. We were in our early twenties, fresh out of school, with no real plan ahead of us. Sarah had a strong desire to travel and see the world, but me, I wasn’t so sure. Who needs the world, when you have the world wide web? Would there be enough washrooms out there in the world? Because if you need to use the washroom, but you can’t find…

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Sarah and I had just ordered fish tacos at a stand in Barra de Navidad. Using words and gestures, the Spanish speaking lady taking our order asked which toppings we’d like. The three choices were laid out in front of us: a pico de gallo salsa, a hot sauce, and a bowl of finely chopped cabbage. “Pico de gallo y col, por favor”, says Sarah. “Col?” The lady serving us is confused. “Si, col” Sarah confirms. Did we use the…

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An ongoing theme of this trip has been the quest to meet other “kid boats”. For the first few months we met so few kids that I thought we’d have to rename the blog. Raising Sociopaths in Exotic Locations has a nice ring to it. Other boat parents we’ve met along the way commiserate, providing social interactions for sailing kids is a challenge which requires extraordinary measures. You stalk families online, you make cold calls, you change your plans if…

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