Interview with the Captain - Pacific Ocean Crossing Part III

"It’s slow. I love the slowness of the travel. I love the anticipation of arrival as you slowly draw closer to your destination." The 9 day passage from the Solomon Islands to the Queensland Coast was a mix of dead calm, squally storms, choppy seas and then, finally the trades came and we were on the milk run home. It was time for a different way to relay the story...

Read More

Solomons Serenity

Our time in Solomons was short, mostly due to the extra time that we had spent in other places throughout the year and our keen desire to be south of the southern hemisphere cyclone belt before November. So we picked a short route through the western Solomon Islands group, stopping in at Kolombangara, New Georgia and Vona Vona Lagoon. What a treat we were in for! We did...

Read More

Yslas de Salomon

Our first few days of convalescence in Geva Harbour were blissful. The word 'harbour' is generous by western terms as there was not a dock, pier, mooring or boat in sight. Its definition as a harbour comes from the historical use of the word as a natural habour, a place to hide a boat from weather or sea conditions. While some locals were fishing from hand paddled canoes...

Read More

Final Push East - Pacific Ocean Crossing Part II

Still glowing from the magical break we had had at Kapingamarangi Atoll we launched into our next challenge, the final 700nm to the Solomon Islands western province. We sailed east initially, aiming to get more easting before we got stuck in the south-east trade winds that blow up the northern coast of Solomon and Bougainville Islands. We were located at around 1 degree...

Read More