Sailing Papua New Guinea -- WEEK 12

Day 78 – January 8

Bill and Michael left just after sunrise and spent the majority of the day on an adventure traveling over to Kavieng on New Ireland (a 7 hour journey via banana boat and PMV).  They needed to pick up some parts that we had a friend ship there from Australia.  Our original plan was to be in Kavieng for Christmas with the boat but unfortunately the ocean currents and winds would not allow us to make our way up there. 

I spent most of the day alone on the boat trying to keep busy with sanding, reading, and writing in my journal while Becky was off teaching her open water scuba class at Kabaira Dive Resort.

Day 79 – January 9

We’ve been anchored in Rabaul now for 18 days straight (40 days in all) and I’ve become bored with staying stationary in one spot for so long.  I’ve realized that when I reach this point I start to really miss my family, friends, home, and the comforts I once enjoyed.  I don’t like feeling like this but know it will go away once we start moving again.  I’m hoping it will be in the next week or two but it all depends on when we can get the engine in working order again.

Since Becky was heading back over to Kabaira Dive Resort to finish teaching her open water scuba class I decided to tag along, hoping that being in a new environment would help to alleviate my feelings of homesickness.  We spent the majority of the day at the resort and upon returning to the boat that evening I do admit that I did feel better.

Day 80 – January 10

It had been many weeks since we last headed into Kokopo to use the internet and purchase a few much needed supplies so Becky and I quickly varnished the boat in the morning and set out for Kokopo.  While walking down the ash covered road heading into the main center of Rabaul we luckily ran into a man driving an air-conditioned truck who just so happened to be heading into Kokopo as well – a trip that normally takes 45 minutes along a very dusty, bumpy, and hot road.

Since I was down to my last 5 Kina ($2 USD) I headed to the ATM but was sadly disappointed when the machine gave my card back saying that my bank was refusing to let me withdrawal cash.  I knew I had plenty of cash in my account and realized that I would have to phone my bank in the USA in order to get the card working again which here in Papua New Guinea is no easy feat.

Becky and I headed over to Kokopo Beach Bungalow to use their wireless internet and since we still had time left on our internet card from our last visit we planned to use that.  I started my computer up, entered the username and password from the internet card, and after 1 minute of being logged onto the internet, it logged me off saying that our time had run out.  Both Becky and I were disappointed since we didn’t have enough money between the two of us for a new internet card and the only reason we made the trip all the way into Kokopo was to use the internet.

Day 81 – January 11

We awoke this morning to see the sailboat “Vesper” motor past SEAWANHAKA.  Vesper was the boat Becky and I helped rescue from the reef several weeks ago with Rod.  In addition, the night before another sailboat “Scraatch” from England arrived and anchored next to us.  Now we don’t feel so lonely here in the harbor.

Day 82 – January 12

While varnishing in the morning we saw Vesper take off in a hurry.  Later on Rod told us that the owner of the boat, Pierre, was in serious trouble.  He was in love with a local woman who has 8 children and is married.  The community she comes from is very angry with him and put out a death wish on his life.  They want to capture him in order to bury him alive and suck out his blood with a spike.  Yikes!!!

That evening we headed over to Rod’s boat for a BBQ with all the great fish he had caught while out on his charter with the co-founder of Starbucks.

Day 83 – January 13

Today we began varnish work on the exterior of the boat which turned out to be much different than working on the inside.  We now had to deal with the hot sun and the dusty winds.

We’ve begun our dinner rotation again and tonight was my night to cook.  It turned out that we had 3 additional guests for dinner – Rod, his helper Lorraine, and Brian from the English sailboat “Scraatch”.  I served everyone something a little different by cooking fish tacos seasoned mexican style.

Day 84 – January 14

7 hours straight we sanded and varnished the exterior of the boat long with the mast.  It was a mega job and we were completely exhausted!  Dinner was once again at the Rabaul Yacht Club for their Friday night special.

Sailing Papua New Guinea -- WEEK 11

Day 71 – January 1

Becky and I returned home from the New Year’s Eve celebration on “Cocokai” at 2am!  This was the latest we had stayed up since being on SEAWANHAKA.  Since Bill had spent the night in Kokopo, Becky and I enjoyed a nice sleep in until 9am and then cooked up a great New Year’s Day breakfast.  Eleven year old Coco called us on the VHF radio asking if we were planning to go to the Rabaul Yacht Club to play Yahtzee and since we could tell she really wanted to hang out with us we picked her up in our dinghy and played a few rounds while drinking sodas.

Bill came back later in the evening and brought with him two Dutch boys whom he had met the night before.  We all had a great fish BBQ on the boat while sharing many travel tales.

Day 72 – January 2

Holy flies!  This morning we woke up to millions of flies everywhere and they stayed on the boat the entire day – buzzing all over us.  I have never seen them this bad!  Becky and I debated on whether or not to varnish since the flies were likely to get stuck in the wet varnish but opted to do it anyway.

Bill and the Dutch boys had gone for an early morning hike of the nearby extinct volcano and returned to the boat late afternoon.  Becky cooked up a great pasta dinner and we all said an early goodnight since the boys had to be up at 4am in order to catch their morning flight from Kokopo.

Day 73 – January 3

Bright and early we took the boat to the wharf to fill up with fresh water (since we were down to only 1/3 of our water carrying capacity).  While waiting for our water tanks to fill up (which can take hours depending on how slow the water comes out) we varnished the main cabin and used fresh water to do some of our laundry.  It was such a treat to be able to wash our clothes with fresh water and not the typical salt water.

In the afternoon we dropped Bill off at the wharf so he could head into Kokopo where he would stay the night and in the early morning meet Michael at the airport.

Since Becky and I had no plans for that evening we headed over to “Cocokai” to see what they were up to.  They invited us over for pizza and games and we had such a blast playing “Apples to Apples” and eating super tasty pizza.

Day 74 – January 4

After varnishing the main cabin in the morning, Becky and I headed into Rabaul Yacht Club for sodas and to wait for her “students”.  Since Becky was a dive instructor on the Great Barrier Reef she was asked by a local dive shop here in Rabaul to instruct a few students on Open Water Scuba Diving since there are no instructors in the area.  She was quite thrilled to be teaching again.

Michael, our new crew member from Germany was suppose to arrive today but we got word from him that his luggage was lost somewhere between Germany, China, and Papua New Guinea and he was planning to stay in the Papua New Guinean capital of Port Moresby for the night to see if his luggage arrived on a later flight.  We were all disappointed that his luggage was lost and that we would not be meeting him that night.

Day 75 – January 5

We are officially illegal in Papua New Guinea.  Our Papua New Guinea visas expired today and the customs office here in Rabaul seemed to be very unconcerned about that – so as long as we all leave the country aboard the boat we will hopefully have no problems with overstaying our 60 day visa.

Becky took off in the morning to teach her open water scuba class in Kokopo while Bill attempted to troubleshoot the engine and I continued to varnish the main cabin.  Around midday I dropped Bill off at the wharf so that he could catch a PMV into Kokopo to pick up Michael at the airport, whose luggage still had not arrived but he decided staying on the boat was much better than staying in dangerous Port Moresby.  While at the wharf I ran into the family of the sailboat “Cocokai” and they mentioned they were planning to depart Rabaul the following day. 

Once Becky returned we headed over to “Cocokai” to say goodbye, exchange books, get a few recipes from Jennifer (the mom), and of course play a final game of Yahtzee!  It was sad to say goodbye to such a great family.

Day 76 – January 6

Bill and Michael had stayed the night in Kokopo so in the morning Becky and I continued to varnish the inside of the main cabin and at 12pm I took her to shore in the dinghy so she could catch her ride to Kokopo for the open water scuba class she’s teaching.

In the afternoon Bill arrived with Michael and we welcomed him with beer and a tasty fish BBQ!  It was great to finally meet him and also to be back to having 2 guys and 2 girls on the boat.  Things always seem to be more in sync when there are even numbers.

Day 77 – January 7

Most of the day was spent on varnishing and boat projects.  In the evening we all headed over to the Rabaul Yacht Club for the famous Friday night dinner.  I’m beginning to feel like a local – I think we’ve been to at least 6 Friday night feasts at the yacht club!  And Barney, the owner of the Rabaul Yacht Club, has a tiny little kitten “Yacht” who we have watched grow up considerably in the last few weeks.  Before we know it he will be a full grown cat.  At that point, we know that we have been in Rabaul far too long.

Sailing Papua New Guinea -- WEEK 10

Day 64 – December 25

Christmas!!!   Becky and I decided that the best Christmas present would be to play in the volcanic ash.  We set out in the morning before it became too hot and found a great spot – out of view of any local villagers (who would think we were absolutely insane).  We covered ourselves (head to toe) in the gray ash and created ash clouds.  Becky entertained us by playing her ash song on the guitar while I captured the moment on film.  It was the perfect way to spend Christmas morning in Rabaul!

After cleaning ourselves up in the ocean, Bill, Becky and I headed over to Rabaul Hotel and enjoyed a delicious lunch of prawns, several bottles of tasty white wine, and a dip in their “cold” swimming pool.  We were baffled at how a pool could be so cold in such a hot place.

Day 65 – December 26

A few days ago we had asked Barney at the Rabaul Yacht Club to arrange a few guides to take us on a hike up the active volcano, Mt. Tavurvur.  Normally you’d imagine that the villagers would be lining up for this opportunity since we typically pay them quite well based on Papua New Guinea standards but just like every other time, when we turned up at 6am there was no guide to be found.  Since Bill and this Australian guy, Steve, were along for the climb we felt pretty safe attempting to navigate the volcano on our own.

Incredible views inside the steaming crater once we reached the top.  There were so many different colors of green from all the sulfur being emitted out of the volcano.  Three hours later we were back on the boat, drinking a cold beer and enjoying a delicious fish BBQ – all before 10am!

Day 66 – December 27

Since we plan to be in Rabaul for at least 12 more days we decided to do a little work on the boat and finish varnishing the entire inside.  When we left Australia we left in a rush and varnishing was one of the things that did not get finished – and boy is there a lot that needs to be varnished.  This should keep us busy for the next 12 days!

Day 67 – December 28

Varnishing in the morning and in the afternoon we were surprised to see another Schooner sailboat flying the American flag sail into Rabaul Harbor.  We radioed over to them and invited them over for drinks and appetizers later that day.  They turned out to be a family of 3 sailing around the world from Long Beach, California which they left 4 years ago!  Their daughter “Coco” was only 11 years old (7 when they began their journey) and already seemed so worldly.  What an amazing way to grow up!

Day 68 – December 29

More varnishing in the morning.  In the afternoon the wind picked up and we experienced our first big dust storm – the kind where volcanic ash is flying everywhere, creating small dust tornados.  After the dust storm came rain which cooled things down a bit and made for an enjoyable sleep.  Typically it’s so hot and still at night that we wake up in pools of sweat.  Both Becky and I often dream about hiring a local village kid or two to fan us while we sleep. 

Day 69 – December 30

Still more varnishing in the morning.  Rod told us that he was leaving today for a 10 day boat charter with the guy who started Starbucks.  Becky and I rowed “Weewanhaka” over to his boat to say our final farewell – although at the rate we’re going we’ll likely still be in Rabaul when he returns. 

Again the late afternoon brought rain and cooler temperatures, meaning a good night’s sleep once again.  I can get use to this!

Day 70 – December 31

New Years Eve!  We were invited over to the American Schooner “Cocokai” for cocktails.  Since Bill had gone into Kokopo it was just Becky and I who ventured over to their boat.   After serving us “Buffalo Milk” cocktails (recipe comes from Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles) we all headed over to the Rabaul Yacht Club for their Friday night dinner. 

The word on the street was that the New Year’s Eve party was at the Rabaul Hotel and after dinner everyone at the Rabaul Yacht Club seemed to head over that way so we caught a ride in the back of a pickup.  And a party it was – complete with a DJ!  After an hour or so we decided that the best place to ring in the New Year was back on “Cocokai”.  We headed back to the boat and played dominos (Mexican Train) until 5 minutes before midnight.  Then Coco got out the noise makers and Greg was tempted to light off a flare but was a bit concerned that the harbor police might ticket him for that.  Seems like everyone else in the town of Rabaul had the same idea since at midnight there were at least 10 flares that had been sent high into the sky.  Both Becky and I agreed that it was the perfect way to ring in the New Year!

Sailing Papua New Guinea -- WEEK 9

Day 57 – December 18

Bill, Becky and I headed over to Kokopo on the PMV to pickup Bill’s computer (which had been in the shop due to a malfunction), use the internet, and buy loads of groceries.  We purchased 2 shopping carts worth of food and convinced the supermarket to give us a life in their van back to Rabaul (45 minutes by car).  When we tried to tip the driver for making our lives so much easier at first he didn’t want to accept the cash but once we told him “please take it”, he was so appreciative that he was grinning from ear to ear.

Day 58 – December 19

Finally after 1 month we are leaving Rabaul!  Our plan is to set sail for the town of Kavieng, the northern tip of the island of New Ireland which should be about 150 nautical miles.  We anchored the night at the Duke of York islands and I snorkeled with a huge school of over 100 hundred squid and was captivated by watching them catch their prey.  One squid was actually attacked by several larger fish and squirted them with black ink.  Pretty amazing to see that!

Day 59 – December 20

The wind was not in our favor at all today and after sailing part of the day we decided to give up and anchor just 10 nautical miles from where we were the night before.  This was our last chance at a great anchorage before setting out into the Bismarck Sea, heading up the coast of New Ireland.

Day 60 – December 21

After sailing most of the day we found a decent anchorage along the coast of New Ireland.  Two village kids paddled over on one canoe and several others paddled over on fallen logs.  Meanwhile all their friends stood on the shore waiting for their return.  We exchanged a book and a few shirts for some coconuts.  The kids were so excited by the book, looking at all the pictures before trying to give it back to us.  Thinking that obviously we had not meant to give such a valuable item to them.

We had been looking forward to tonight since it was a full moon, the solstice, and also a total lunar eclipse.  Unfortunately the mountainous island of New Ireland was blocking our view and by the time we saw the moon it was only partially eclipsed.

Day 61 – December 22

Bill woke us up at 3am saying “let’s go”!  The wind had picked up considerably and we found ourselves in 15 feet of water.  Sleepily, we prepared the boat for sailing.

Because of light winds and a constant current that was fighting us we motored most of the day which was a new experience for us.  Along the way we ran across a pod of what we believed to be pilot whales and saw several schools of yellow fin tuna jumping high out of the water while frigate birds plunged down into the water trying to catch the smaller fish.  Quite a show we had!

Day 62 – December 23

Since we were unable to find a suitable anchorage last night our only option was to head a few miles out to sea and bob around all night.  Because of the strong current overnight we drifted 9 miles in the wrong direction.  After a crew discussion we decided that Kavieng was too difficult to reach and agreed that the best thing was to head back to Rabaul and stay there until our new crew member, Michael, arrives on January 4^th.

On our way back we came upon hundreds of dolphins jumping out of the water.  It was such an amazing sight to see and some of them stuck around and swam at the bow of the boat for at least 15 minutes.

Day 63 – December 24

Back in Rabaul we were the only boat in the harbor and it was a little sad.  Even though it was Christmas Eve the Rabaul Yacht Club was still having their Friday night dinner which turned out to be our excitement for the evening.

Sailing Papua New Guinea -- WEEK 8

Day 50 – December 11

After being the only sailboat in Rabaul for many days we were excited to see a sailboat with a Danish flag arrive.  On board were 6 young Danes (2 guys and 4 girls).  Since it was Monica’s last night in Rabaul we had been planning a BBQ on SEAWANHAKA but to accommodate the new arrivals we moved the party to the wharf and had an excellent time with great food and unlimited wine – a contribution from the Danes.

Day 51 – December 12

With a crew of 6 guys and Becky and myself, Rod headed back to the WWII Japanese Zero fighter plane wreck and we began the never-ending task of dredging.  We were on a rotation where teams of 2 people would dive down to the wreck and hose off the silt from the plane with a hose similar to what firefighters use.  Talk about horrible visibility - we were not even able to see our hands in front of our face.  Each team spent about 40 minutes doing this before the next team of 2 would dive down to take over.  We each completed 4 dives and decided to call it quits for the day (an 8 hour day).  Even though we were exhausted and only managed to uncover a small portion of the plane we had such an amazing time.

Day 52 – December 13

Becky and I took the PMV into Kokopo to do some email and to buy a fish and some wine for another BBQ with the Danes tomorrow -  which just so happens to be my 34^th birthday!  While sitting at the “classy” Kokopo Beach Bungalow Resort using the internet, a woman working at the resort made a point to come up to us in order to tell us that at first she thought we were men because of my muscles and Becky’s “sprinter-like” physique but then realized that we were in fact women.   We weren’t quite sure how to respond to that comment.

Day 53 – December 14

I was woken up in the morning with a handmade birthday card from Becky.  Inside was a cutout girl with big bicep muscles, covered in gray ash.  It totally made me laugh!

We had another great BBQ on the wharf (with more shooting stars than I could count) and the Danes sang me their traditional birthday song and presented me with a birthday gift -  a traditional Papua New Guinea “penis gourd”  Again, not quite sure how to respond.

Day 54 – December 15

After filling the boat with water in preparation for our departure from Rabaul, we headed into Rabaul town to get cash from the ATM in order to fill us our propane tanks.  There was a brown out in all of Rabaul which meant Bill had to head into Kokopo to use the banks there.

Since we had no propane on the boat, Becky and I brought food over to Rod’s boat and told him we would cook for him if he let us use his kitchen.  Since he grew up having maids look after him and had no idea how to even make coffee, he was happy to have us in his kitchen.

Day 55 – December 16

We joined Rod again for breakfast and afterwards Becky and I spent most of the day catching up on journal writing and washing our clothes in salt water – waiting for Bill to return from Kokopo.  Midday the catamaran “Baguette” sailed into the bay and the South African captain stopped over to say hello.  When we arrived to Rabaul there was only us for so long and now there are 5 sailboats anchored in the bay.  That’s more boats than we’ve seen in total since arriving to Papua New Guinea 7 weeks ago.

Day 56 – December 17

In the sailing world it is bad luck to begin a voyage on a Friday so we decided to stay in Rabaul one more night with plans to leave early Saturday morning.  This gave us more time to provision the boat in Rabaul so we spent most of the day transferring over 150 liters of diesel and bag after bag of fresh produce from the market to the boat via the dinghy.

In the afternoon Becky and I walked to the local museum at the New Guinea Club along the dusty, ash-covered road that use to be Main Street before the volcano erupted in 1994.  We took a tour of Admiral Yamamoto’s “bomb proof” bunker which had maps drawn on the ceilings of his plant o take over the South Pacific.  Pretty interesting.

Sailing Papua New Guinea -- WEEK 7

Day 43 – December 4

We anchored at Makata Harbor and at night watched a magnificent lightening storm.  Funny how without the distraction of television nature becomes our form of entertainment.  Watching lightening and counting shooting stars while eating popcorn… what could be better!

Day 44 – December 5

As we motored our way into the very shallow Mioko Harbor we were greeted by spinner dolphins!  They put on such an exciting show for us, spinning high into air and then crashing into the water creating a huge splash.  Amazing!

Day 45 – December 6

In the morning I went to grab my bikini from the lifeline where I left it to dry and realized that overnight it had been stolen along with a few towels and shirts.  That’s the first time anyone has been brave enough to steal from us while we were all on the boat.

In the evening the village chief stopped by to say hello and we mentioned the theft to him and told him that if word gets out that their village is full of thieves, the boats will stop coming there.  He said he’d have the village police keep an eye out for our things but I’m not getting my hopes up.

Day 46 – December 7

Mioko Village had invited us to their 8^th grade graduation which was planned for today at 8am.  They tell us that 8^th grade is the end of their schooling unless they head into the bigger cities to continue their education.  We arrived promptly at 8am and it was dead…  a few people milling about, setting up, but far from being ready for the graduation ceremony.  That’s Papua New Guinea time for you!

We moved anchorages to a place called Kerawara Island where supposedly they have dugongs (similar to manatees) in the surrounding mangroves.  After asking local villagers if they see dugongs “yes” and crocodiles “no” we were told that the island was a secret place for men/boys and that girls were not allowed on land but they did say that us girls could swim in the water – no problem.  A traditional custom in the Duke of York Islands we’re told.

Day 47 – December 8

Becky and I went for an early morning snorkel near the mangroves in search of the dugong and once again were told by a local villager in his harsh voice “this island is for boys only NOT girls!”  Point taken. 

We swam back to the boat and sailed over to Kabakon Reef and anchored right at the edge of this massive reef.  As I was snorkeling in the shallow water I had a very close encounter with a 5ft black-tip reef shark.  I think we both scared each other equally.

Day 48 – December 9

Before sailing back to Rabaul we did a dive off the boat at Kabakon Reef and spent the remaining part of the day sailing 25 nautical miles back to Rabaul.  Most sailboats we’ve seen around tend to motor into Rabaul and put the anchor down – not us!  We tacked our way into Rabaul, taking over 2 hours to cover what would take us 10 minutes with the engine on.  As Bill says, “we are a sailboat and so we sail”.  I enjoy that we rarely use the engine and I’m beginning to see that there are not many sailboats out there with that mindset.

Day 49 – December 10

With the side scanner sonar on his boat, Rod found a new wreck in the bay.  It looked just like an airplane.  In the morning, Rod anchored his boat right over the plane and with our dive gear on we followed the anchor chain down to the sandy bottom at 60ft.  There we encountered a perfectly intact WWII Japanese Zero fighter plane.  You could even see the bullet holes scattered along the underside of the plane but since it had landed upside down we were not able to determine if the pilot was still inside the cockpit at the time the plane went down.  The plan (at a later date) was to dredge all the silty sand off the plane and try to make our way into the cockpit to see if the pilot was still there (or rather a pile of bones).

After the excitement of finding a “never before seen” WWII plane, we arranged for a PMV to drive us around town for the afternoon.  We stopped for a quick bite to eat at Ling’s Freezer and we headed off to the Vulconology Observatory high on the hillside.  After getting our fill of amazing views of all of Rabaul and her volcanoes, we headed over to the submarine base for some great snorkeling.  A few feet off the shore there’s an impressive vertical wall that drops down to 200ft.  During WWII the Japanese submarines would pull up to this wall to load supplies and also the let the soldiers walk across the shallow reef onto shore.

We finished off the evening at the happening Friday night spot – the Rabaul Yacht Club.  Since they only serve dinner on Friday night everyone seems to come us for this event – and by everyone I mean about 10 expatriates. 

Sailing Papua New Guinea -- WEEK 6

Day 36 – November 27

We spent most of the day catching up on boat projects, reading and journal writing, cleaning and washing our laundry in salt water.  It may seem that there would be a lot of “free time” on a boat but in my experience so far I find that rarely do I have time to relax, let alone be bored.  Somehow we always seem to find a million and one things to do.

Day 37 – November 28

Rod invited all of us this morning to go diving with him for WWII wrecks - his passion.  Earlier in the week he had spotted something in the harbor that he wanted to check out.  We located the wreck with all the fancy equipment he had on board his boat and he sent all of us down with our scuba tanks to investigate it.  The wreck turned out to only be a local fishing boat but it was super exciting knowing that we were the first people to discover this wreck.  He tells us that he has uncovered hundreds of wrecks, some still with human remains from planes and ships that went down during WWII.  If we are around Rabaul next week he has invited us to help him dredge the silt off a WWII plane wreck he’s just discovered that supposedly had 6 soldiers on board.

Day 38 – November 29

Early in the morning Rod pulled up to our boat in his dinghy asking for help.  The night before a sailboat had gotten caught up in a reef and needed to be rescued.  The news Rod received was not much other than the boat was near some cliffs near Kokopo and might need to be salvaged (meaning it may have sunk).  Becky and I jumped at the chance of doing a “search and rescue” mission and within minutes were in Rod’s dinghy with all our scuba gear.  We set out on his main boat and an hour later found the French-Canadian Pierre sitting at the bow of his boat.  Turns out that his engine had stopped working and the anchor was wound around the reef.  Bec and I dove down to assess the situation, untangle his anchor from the reef and to make sure he was able to completely pull up his anchor so that Rod could tow him back to the dock at Rabaul.

The jellyfish here just love me!  I have so many itchy stings that it looks like I have contracted chicken pox.  I guess it makes up for the fact that the mosquitoes have been avoiding me and instead have been biting my crewmates.

Day 39 – November 30

During WWII when the Japanese troops called Rabaul home, they built over 300km of underground tunnels in Rabaul alone.  Since Rabaul was constantly being bombed this was how they stayed alive and protected their supplies.  Today, everywhere you go you see these tunnel entrance ways in the sides of mountains. 

Rod had asked Becky and I if we wanted to go exploring tunnels with him and the local volcanologist, who was looking for fault lines in the tunnels.  We jumped at the chance but have to admit were a bit nervous when before leaving Rod grabbed a handgun and shoved it into Becky’s backpack.  For safety reasons he told us.  Sometimes there are “rascals” or criminals living in the tunnels and it’s better to be safe than sorry. 

We drove high into the mountains in search of one particular town and after asking many locals for directions we finally arrived.  Local village boys took us on an excursion to all the “caves” they knew of in the area.  It was quite a trek through jungle to get to these tunnels.  I was constantly watching in front of me to make sure that I did not accidentally run into the big spider webs with even bigger spiders that I had been seeing everywhere.

The village boys took us to several tunnels... some were just entrance ways that were caved in and went nowhere but others, after you crawled through the tiny entrance, you could stand up in and they went on and on for a kilometer or two.  We arrived to one deep in the jungle - the entrance way covered completely with jungle.  The village boys chopped down the vines and leaves and we all climbed down (or rather slid down) into the entrance.

Inside we found a maze of tunnels, about 7 feet in height.  With our torches we went exploring and along with several interesting insects (cross between a scorpion and a spider) and bats, we actually found empty Japanese beer bottles.

Becky and I arrived back to Rabaul extremely dirty and very happy.  We jumped into the bay with all our clothes on and swam out to SEAWANHAKA since we were so dirty.  What an amazing day!

Day 40 – December 1

In the morning we pulled over to the dock to top off our water tanks and Rod filled up our scuba tanks with the air compressor onboard his boat.  After waiting 2 hours for the wind to shift to a favorable direction, we left the dock and sailed over to the base of the active volcano, anchoring there for the night in the rust colored sulfur water.

Day 41 – December 2

We tried to leave the bay by tacking our way out but because of light and unfavorable winds it took us over 2 hours to cross a distance that with good wind should have taken 10 minutes!  Since we didn’t have enough daylight or wind to make it to our planned destination of the Duke of York Islands we anchored on the other side of the active volcano at Escape Bay. 

Becky and I swam ashore and explored this ash covered barren landscape.  We walked through deep crevices at least 15 feet high, finding trucks buried up to their steering wheels by the volcanic ash.  Discovering that the top layer of ash covering the land was silky smooth and would stick to our skin we had the great idea to cover our bodies completely in this gray ash.  Becky came up with the slogan “Tired of being white?  Why be white when you can be gray”.  This had us laughing so hard.

For the next 30 minutes we entertained ourselves by throwing rocks against the ash covered land, watching the top layer crumble, creating huge ash clouds that would engulf us.  Such simple pleasures!

Day 42 – December 3

With good wind in the morning we set sail for the Duke of York Islands and along the way stopped at what Rod called “8 meter bommie” to scuba dive.  The water temperature on the boat gauge read 91 degrees!

Sailing Papua New Guinea -- WEEK 5

Day 29 – November 20

Land Ho!  I have never been so happy to see land as I was today when we spotted the island of New Britain.  I am so ready for this endless Solomon Sea passage to be over.  During the night we sailed over the New Britain Trench, reaching over 25,000 feet in depth.  I can’t explain why but I had my reservations about swimming in water that deep!

Day 30 – November 21

We’ve reached our destination – Kokopo - on the island of New Britain!  Stunning view across the bay with 4 volcanoes that fall into the ocean.  One of the volcanoes is still active and last erupted in 1994 when it buried the main town of Rabaul.  In its place the town of Kokopo emerged.

I’ve forgotten what it feels like to get a full night’s rest without having to wake up after 2 hours of sleep.  I’ve been looking forward to this moment for a long time now!

Day 31 – November 22

Wow… 12 hours of sleep last night and it felt amazing!  Not only that but last night was the 2^nd time I’ve felt cold (to the point of reaching for a sheet) in the last month.  I love that feeling!

We scoped out the town of Kokopo and in the evening headed to Kokopo Beach Bungalow Resort for email access, our first beer in 2 weeks, and an amazing dinner! 

Day 32 – November 23

The women of Kokopo have the most amazing hairstyles I have seen in Papua New Guinea.  They keep their hair short but because it is extremely curly, dry, and coarse it turns into these mega afros.  It’s so thick that I’ve seen them use their hair as holding places for pens and combs.  I’m told the term “Papua” means wild hair, hence Papua New Guinea – Wild Hair of New Guinea.  One man got on a minibus I was on (known locally as a PMV) and he had a spider chilling out on top of his thick, bushy hair.  It was a great look!

Day 33 – November 24

At 5am Captain Bill woke us all up and said we had to leave ASAP.  The wind had picked up and was coming from the wrong direction and since the boat was anchored in only 15 feet of water he was concerned the wind might push us into shallower water.  We motored over to Rabaul, 10 nautical miles across the bay.  Rabaul was amazingly beautiful, a town at the base of 5 volcanoes.  Since the eruption in 1994, the old town of Rabaul has been covered in ash and abandoned and just down the street you’ll find the “new” Rabaul.  It’s a little creepy to see all the abandoned buildings – definitely a ghost town.

Captain Bill left to head for the airport to pickup his girlfriend, Monica, who will be sailing with us for the next 3 weeks while Andy headed off to try and get a flight back to the USA due to financial troubles back home.  Becky and I stayed behind to look after the boat and explore the dusty town of Rabaul.

Day 34 – November 25

After dropping Andy off at the wharf for his flight back to the USA, Becky and I headed off with Ben, the security guard at the Rabaul Yacht Club on a hike to the Japanese Memorial and the German lookout.  During WWII the Japanese invaded Rabaul and made it a main base so there is a lot of history here.  After Berlin, Rabaul is the second most heavily bombed place in the world.

Later in the day we said hello to our neighbor Rod (whose boat was docked on the wharf) and we were green with envy when he gave us “cold water” to drink and offered to let us use the washing machine on his boat.  Since he seemed to be a wealth of knowledge, we asked Rod if he had any suggestions for catching a stowaway rat and mentioned to him that we think the rat escaped from the Copra Trader cargo boat that was anchored next to us in Alotau.  He told us that he just heard that a few days ago the Copra Trader, loaded up with over 1 million Kina worth of copra (dried coconut meat from which they extract coconut oil), caught fire just as they were leaving the wharf in Alotau.  Lucky for the rat that he bailed ship when he did!

Day 35 – November 26

In the morning Becky and I gave 3 village kids a bit of Kina to walk with us to the hot springs at the base of the active volcano.  It’s always a smart idea for us “2 white females” to take a local villager or two along for safety reasons, not to mention that they are great tour guides.  Our plan was to boil eggs in the hot springs but when we got there the kids warned us about getting to close to the boiling hot water since the ground was not so stable – after that bit of advice, we opted to go hungry!

For dinner we all headed over to the Rabaul Yacht Club which is nothing more than an open air roof with a little bar and a few tables and stools.  We met up with Dave, an English guy who was raised here in Papua New Guinea.  He must be in his 50’s and is married to a local Papua New Guinea woman.  Six weeks ago he had his 8^th child!  He tells us there are 2 things he is good at doing…  scuba diving for WWII wrecks and making babies.  Go figure!

Sailing Papua New Guinea -- WEEK 4

Day 22 – November 13

Extremely disappointed in the morning to find the rat trap empty and more of our dried goods eaten, we decided we needed to increase our rat catching efforts.  This meant setting out glue traps in addition to the cage trap.

We sailed from 9am until 5pm through some very light and shifty winds and reached Dawson Island which turned out to be a little slice of paradise.  I mentioned to Becky “if I were to live in Papua New Guinea this is where I would want to live”.  She replies “you say that about every island we come to”.  Maybe I do but this place is truly idyllic and how can you not love a place where all the village kids line up on the beach, waving their arms in the air, welcoming us as we drop anchor in their bay.

It has been 4 days since we have caught fresh fish and canned tuna is getting old.  Just like every time we anchor near a village, we mention to the local men that if they catch us a fish or lobster we will pay them cash.

Day 23 – November 14

Lobstermania!!!  Local fishermen paddled out to the boat early this morning with 3 parrotfish, a cuttlefish, and 14 lobsters!  We gave them 100 Kina (about $40USD) for all and enjoyed a delicious fish fry for breakfast.

After breakfast we set sail across the Solomon Sea for the island of New Ireland – 360 nautical miles to the northeast.  This means that we will be sailing night and day for several days.

Day 24 – November 15

After a great night sail with steady wind at 10-15 knots we came upon a group of 4 tiny islands in the middle of the Solomon Sea – the Marshall Bennett Islands.  For several hours we anchored on the reef at Dugumenu Islet and felt like explorers as we snorkeled the pristine waters and explored this stunningly beautiful and uninhabited island.

Day 25 – November 16

Mayday Mayday… the Solomon Sea kicked our ass this morning.  I was at the helm on night watch from 2-4am and all was great – 15 knots of wind, calm seas, and our only concern was the little bit of lightening off in the distance.  Becky took over at 4am and 30 minutes later Captain Bill called for all hands on deck. 

The wind had picked up to 30+ knots of wind, the rain was pouring down, and the waves were crashing over the cockpit.  Before I could even make it out of the galley and into the cockpit the water alarm went off signaling that the boat was filling with water faster than the bilge pump could pump it out.  Within minutes we were standing in ankle deep water!  Captain Bill and I began to pass buckets full of water up through the hatch to Becky and Andy.  Meanwhile, waves were crashing over the boat and through the hatch, soaking everything inside and undermining our efforts.  My muscles were burning with exhaustion I couldn’t stop because the boat was filling up with water faster than we could bail it out. 

All this time I couldn’t help but think about what I would throw in my dry bag should we need to abandon ship and jump into the life raft.  After an hour of bailing water, Captain Bill had resolved the problem with the bilge pumps and slowly the water began to recede.

As the storm passed, the wind also died down and left us with very light and shifty wind.  Not worth our effort or time to attempt to make that work in our favor.  We shifted the sails so that we were completely stalled out and spent the rest of the day bobbing around in the Solomon Sea, cleaning up the mess that had been made, and found time to get a game of Yahtzee in.  By night the wind still had not returned so we spent the night stalled out in the middle of the ocean with no land in view.

Day 26 – November 17

No wind in sight… and it could be days before we see the wind again.  Since we weren’t going anywhere, it was a great day for boat projects.  The only “project” that we did not succeed at was catching the rat that has now been on board for 8 days.

Day 27 – November 18

Captain Bill woke up with his knee swollen to the size of a grapefruit and developed a fever of 102 degrees.  Since he was down for the remainder of the day and our bilge pumps were not pumping out the incoming water fast enough to keep up, we switched up our sailing schedule so that we each (Becky-Andy-Myself) would spend 2 hours at the helm (steering the boat), 2 hours watching the bilge pumps (emptying them every 10 minutes), and finally 2 hours sleeping.  Not the most ideal situation but the only practical one we could come up with.

Day 28 – November 19

Please… no more lobster!  4 days of eating lobster for breakfast and dinner is just too much – in fact 1 day of lobster is enough for me.  The thought of eating it now makes me cringe and tonight at dinner you could catch me secretly throwing bits of lobster overboard as I ate my dinner.

We had great wind today but the tiredness of only sleeping 2 hours and being awake for 4 has really started to set in.  In fact I even began to hallucinate a little.  When we woke Andy up for his shift he mumbled “are you sure it’s been 2 hours already… I don’t think it’s been 2 hours already… it can’t have been 2 hours already”.  2 hours of sleep goes by in a flash and you begin to question if your fellow crew members actually did their full 2 hour shift or only just said they did.

Sailing Papua New Guinea -- WEEK 3

Day 15 – November 6

Our arrival to Alotau was perfectly timed with the 7^th Annual Milne Bay Canoe & Kundu Festival.  During this festival villages from around Milne Bay dress up in tribal costumes and participate in tribal dances, chanting, and in war canoe races.  We noticed there were several “white” people carrying expensive cameras and video equipment, wearing VIP badges, and later found out they were with National Geographic.

Day 16 – November 7

After spending much of the day at the festival we headed to Alotau International Hotel to swim in their pool (our first chance at freshening up with water since arriving to Alotau) and charge our dead camera batteries.  The bay here in Alotau is pretty dirty (oil, garbage, human waste) so no swimming and no bucket showers.  We’ve even been subjected to washing out dishes with fresh water instead of the normal salt water.

Billy discovered that his camera was missing and we concluded that the local Papua New Guinea girls who had been on board the boat the night before had to be the culprits.  We were all upset, especially since Billy had been the one taking most of the photos since all of our camera batteries were almost dead and were we not sure when we would have the opportunity to charge them again.

Day 17 – November 8

Our plan to depart Alotau today has been postponed for a few more days.  Billy, our crew from Australia, who planned to come for 4 days but stayed for 17, booked a flight back to Australia in 2 days. 

Since today was Monday and the banks were open, Becky and I went to exchange Australia Dollars for Papua New Guinea Kina.  In what normally would have taken 10 minutes, we found ourselves at the bank for almost 1 hour.

Loaded up with Kina we went to Alotau International Hotel to use the only internet in town – even though it was painfully slow, very expensive, and super frustrating to be able to only send a few emails in 1 hour.

Day 18 – November 9

Tried my hand at making yogurt today.  Take 1 ½ cups of powdered milk, add 1 liter of water, and 5 tablespoons of already made yogurt.  Put it into a container, wrap it in a dark towel, set it in the sun, and 24 hours later you have homemade yogurt.  When I went to grab the bag of powdered milk I realized that we had some sort of creature on board as the milk bag had been chewed to pieces.  Collectively the crew decided that it must be a rat!  We searched around town for rat traps but only found “rat glue” which we spread over a piece of plywood and put peanut butter in the middle as bait.  We knew that mice love peanut butter – but do rats?

Day 19 – November 10

Disappointed that we did not catch a rat last night Andy set out determined to find a more functional rat trap.  Becky rowed over to the local bakery to buy 10 pieces of our new favorite breakfast snack “Lamington Cake” while Billy packed his bags, ready for his flight over to Port Moresby, and then back to Australia.  Meanwhile, I realized that my point and shoot digital camera was nowhere to be found.  After an extensive search and finding out that Bill’s watch had also gone missing we came to the conclusion that someone must have come aboard SEAWANHAKA in the last few days and helped themselves to our things.  Sad that they took my camera but happy that it was not my new (and expensive) DSLR camera.  I got over it pretty fast. 

After many hugs and parting words we said farewell to Billy and prepared to set sail – away from Alotau and away from what the local Papua New Guinean’s call “rascals” or thieves.

We anchored the night at Waga Waga and were thrilled to be able to swim off the boat again.  Nearby was a WWII coal transport ship that in 1946 sprung a leak and sank.  The bow of the boat stuck out of the water and proved to be an excellent snorkel spot.

That evening over a dinner of canned tuna and wine we heard Andy’s new and improved rat trap snap shut.  We all jumped up and yelled “we caught a rat!”  Our question was “can rats swim?”  Sure enough, rats are amazingly fast swimmers.  As soon as he hit the water he quickly swam back towards the boat and disappeared.  After not being able to locate the rat in the water we were a little concerned that he might be able to find his way back onto the boat but to do that he would have to squeeze through some impossibly small pipes.

Day 20 – November 11

After a tasty breakfast of homemade yogurt, super sweet pineapple, and chopped cashew nuts we set sail for no place in particular, going where the wind took us.  We anchored at a place called Kana Kopi at the entrance to Milne Bay.  When asking the local villagers about crocodiles they said “we use to have one but we haven’t seen him lately and he only eats dogs.”  For us that was warning enough and we enjoyed bucket showers tonight.

Day 21 – November 12

The rat is back!!!  Bill found rat poop in his bathroom sink this morning and upon further inspection we found the rat has gotten into bags of pasta on the other side of the boat.  This means war!  And this time we plan to kill the rat once we catch him.  Andy the rat master is on it!

We anchored the night at Nuakata Island and were immediately surrounded by at least 10 paddle canoes filled with village kids.  They were so excited to see us and brought plenty of banana, coconut, papaya (or what they call pawpaw here), squash, limes and passion fruit to trade.  We’ve been missing our daily drink of coconut water so we were thrilled!  Sometimes when we are surrounded by all these canoes you can’t help but wonder if this is what animals in zoos feel like.  Constantly being watched by outsiders who are interested in observing our ways.

Sailing Papua New Guinea -- WEEK 2

Day 8 – October 30

Today we took the dinghy out to a small island just off the coast of Suau Island and spent most of the day snorkeling, exploring the island, and purely relaxing.  What a life we have!

In the evening a local village woman canoed out to the boat and asked if we had any batteries for her flashlight.  We told her that yes we have batteries but asked her what size she needs.  She tells us she needs “ABCD” battery.  After much confusion we later find out that there is a battery brand called ABC and she needs the D battery.

Day 9 – October 31

After spending 4 glorious days at Suau Island we pulled up the anchor and sailed east towards the village of Ilo Ilo – about 40 nautical miles.  Along the way we passed over the Sunken Barrier Reef and hooked a decent sized Rainbow Runner which none of us had ever eaten before.  Our fish book listed it as a 3 star out of 4 in terms of tastiness so we knew we would be eating well that night.  In addition, it was October 31 – Halloween, so we felt the need to cook up some pumpkin given to us by the people on Suau Island.

Day 10 – November 1

Amazing sight to wake up to dolphins swimming near the boat!  The night before local fishermen from Ilo Ilo stopped by the boat to say hello and we told them we would buy fish if they caught any.  Sure thing, that morning they came by with their boat filled with fish, lobsters, and sadly turtles.  For 40 Kina (about $15 USD) we got a huge sweetlips fish, several lobster tails, and these crustaceans the locals call “bugs”.

That afternoon, Becky and I were escorted ashore by several local village boys in their little boat.  With 10 boys in tow, ranging in age from 5 to 15, we were guided on a hike to the other side of the island.  When we became thirsty, one little boy climbed “monkey-like” up a coconut tree to get us fresh coconut water.  Delicious!

Day 11 – November 2

Around 6am little Joe and a few local girls paddled out to the boat and I asked if I could take their canoe for a spin.  I paddled around and the little girls couldn’t stop giggling at the sight of me paddling their canoe. 

We left Ilo Ilo heading towards Samarai Island to check in at Papua New Guinea customs and along the way passed over the Sunken Barrier Reef again.  Just like clockwork we hooked a fish.  This time it was a spanish mackerel.  As soon as we had filleted the first fish, off went the line again and we all shouted “fish on”!  It was another spanish mackerel but this one was huge, giving us about 15lbs worth of fish.  We’ll be eating well for the next few days, that is a given!

Since the wind was not blowing in our favor, we ended up anchoring the night at Doini Island – about 12 nautical miles from Samarai Island.

Day 12 – November 3

After drinking our daily “SEAWANHAKA mocha” we did a quick sail over to the small island of Gona Bara Bara where we were told there was a manta ray cleaning station.  After a quick snorkel to determine that yes, there were manta rays and after a delicious breakfast of fish, we put on our scuba gear and jumped in to search out the manta rays.  Despite the current being incredibly strong (to the point of having to hang onto rocks in order to keep from being swept away) we were up close and personal with 2 huge manta rays.  Absolutely amazing!

By noon – after having a swim, snorkel, eating a great fish breakfast, diving with the manta rays, and drinking a beer, we set sail once again for Samarai Island, arriving in the early evening.

Day 13 – November 4

We attempted to clear Papua New Guinea customs at Samarai Island but found that Felix, the customs guy, was on another island and could possibly be away for days.  Since it looked like we were going to be “illegally” in Papua New Guinea for another day we hunted down a local police office to ask permission to remain at Samarai Island for the day.  Sitting in the shade, chewing on betel nut, he says “no problem”.

Walking around this small island we stumbled upon “native toilets” over the water.  Imagine an open air, cement structure on stilts, separated into 2 sides – ladies and men.  Each side has several holes in the floor where you squat, which then drops directly into the ocean.  Quite an experience!

For dinner we headed to the guesthouse where Bill has been many years previous.  We asked the women there to cook us a traditional Papua New Guinea dinner and we feasted on Spanish mackerel, potatoes, taro root, plantains, sautéed local greens, passion fruit, mandarins, and the toughest donut I have even eaten.  The dinner was quite dry but with a few S.P.’s (the Papua New Guinea local beer) everything seems to go down much smoother.

Day 14 – November 5

Planned destination for today was Alotau, the capital of the Milne Bay Province.  30 nautical miles should only take a few hours but it was critical that we made it to Alotau before 4pm since it was Friday and Papua New Guinea customs doesn’t work on the weekends.  This was the first time where we ran into zero knots of wind meaning zero speed.  Just our luck.  We were at a standstill and it was HOT!  What better thing to do that take a dip in the ocean!  We finally gave up on waiting for the wind and turned the engine on (which almost never happens on SEAWANHAKA). 

Before we arrived to Alotau we had to get rid of all evidence of having been in Papua New Guinea for the last 8 days.  Into the ocean went the bananas, coconuts, squash, and empty S.P. beer cans.

Papua New Guinea customs and quarantine came onto the boat, seven people in all.  Within 30 minutes we had arrival stamps stamped into our passports but quarantine was not so eager to clear us for entry into Papua New Guinea.  They required us to fill out medical statements which we could only get on Monday.  That meant we needed to stay in Alotau over the weekend but luckily they allowed us to get off the boat and come ashore.

Sailing Papua New Guinea -- WEEK 1

Pre Departure – October 22

Our last day in Australia!  Spent the day buying $1200 worth of food, trying to find space on the boat to store all this food along with all the other things that Captain Bill had locked away in a storage unit for the last 3 years.  Australia Immigration came to the boat to stamp our passports with an exit stamp and to remind us that we MUST depart Australia within 24 hours.

Day 1 – October 23

All morning we were in packing frenzy and sadly there was no time left for us to take a final “fresh hot water” shower at the marina.  Departed the marina in Cairns, Australia and decided that we needed a little more time to secure all of our things before beginning our 4-5 day open water passage to Papua New Guinea.  In an attempt to avoid Australian customs we anchored a few hours south of Cairns at a place called Mission Bay and enjoyed a great BBQ of fish and prawns along with red wine and cheese.

Day 2 – October 24

In an attempt to install the inverter it blew up meaning that we have no 110 or 240 voltages.  Sadly this means that we have no way to charge camera batteries unless we happen to be ashore where there is a hotel or restaurant that will let us use their electricity.  So sad : ( 

Set sail for Papua New Guinea today – 450 nautical miles across the Coral Sea.  Began our sailing schedule of 2 hours at the helm and 8 hours of freedom.  Tonight I was at the helm from 2am until 4am and it was my first time wearing a harness - just in case something was to happen.

Day 3 – October 25

Traveled 148 nautical miles in the last 24 hours.  The Coral Sea has some huge swells, making sleeping, eating, and using the toilet quite a challenge.

Put out the fishing lines hoping to catch some fish for dinner.  Caught a big eye tuna and 10 seconds later caught a 200lb marlin.  The marlin took about an hour to reel in but since he was so large to bring on board we set him free. 

Dumped most of our rubbish overboard.  The only things not thrown over were plastic based.  Aluminum and tin cans, glass bottles, paper and cardboard, food scraps - all went into the ocean.  Seemed to wrong to be doing this but that’s what happens when you are at sea on a sailboat.

Day 4 – October 26

Traveled 135 nautical miles in the last 24 hours.  Put out the fishing lines and hooked 2 huge tunas at the same time but lost both of them when they bit through our fishing line, taking the lures with them.

Ran into a squall during the night which meant fresh water.  Stood in the cockpit and let the rain wash all the salt water off my body and my clothes.  So refreshing!

Day 5 – October 27

Land Ho!!!  Made it to Papua New Guinea but missed our original planned destination so ended up anchoring a bit west at Suau Island.  Engine flooded during the passage from Australia and we were concerned it was beyond repair. 

Within the hour canoes paddled by local villagers began to arrive to the boat.  We gave pencils and pens to the kids and in return they brought us coconuts and bananas.  We learned that the people on Suau Island see about 2 cruising boats a year.

Took my first shower in 5 days!  Shower on the boat means soaping up and jumping in the ocean.  We have no fresh water on board for anything other than drinking.  There is always a small threat of saltwater crocodiles in these areas but that didn’t stop us.  Made sure to ask several local villagers first before taking the plunge.  Realized that soap will not lather in salt water.

Day 6 – October 28

In the early morning a local village woman canoed out to the boat and gave us a plate of star fruit, bananas, and squash.  In return we gave her a large plastic bowl and she was completely thrilled with her new possession.

Took the dinghy to the village and visited the local school where the kids sung us their National Anthem, the adults played the guitar and sand for us and Billy (one of our crew) joined in by playing music with spoons against his cheek.  The villagers thought that was the coolest thing!

Later in the day Becky and I rowed the small dinghy named “weewanhaka” to shore and visited the local family living there.  The kids let us try out their canoe and when we tried to stand up and paddle like they do we almost lost our balance and fell overboard.  Laughter could be heard all around.  We had so much fun that we asked if we could trade one of our crew members for their canoe.

Since we were not successful in catching much fish we have run out of fresh fish.  No fresh fish means that we resort to eating canned tuna.  We had mentioned to the local village men that we would pay them for fish if they catch them but still no sign of anything.

Day 7 – October 29

Rained in the morning so we collected rain water with a tarp and ran a hose into our water tanks.  Hung our clothes on the lifeline to wash off all the salt water.

In the afternoon Becky and I rowed weewanhaka to another house and along the way painted the fingernails of the girls who were canoeing alongside us.  The family was thrilled to have us at their house and we painted more fingernails, took a walk to see their fresh water creek, and as we left they gave us a small fish and leafy greens.  It was my night to cook so I sautéed up the greens and made a fish curry with rice.

After dinner we swam of the boat since the “glowing” bio-luminescence was out and our bodies lit up as we dove in the water and moved around.  Super cool!

Sailing the South Pacific

After spending the last month in Cairns, Australia helping Bill get the boat ready we are finally setting sail!  I have been waiting for this moment for a very long time and can hardly believe that it is finally happening.

On the first leg (of what I hope to be a 6-month journey) there will be 5 of us.  Bill (the owner/captain who is from Oregon/San Diego and has been calling his boat home for a long-long time), Becky (a 25-year old dive instructor from England who has been working with dive boats here in Cairns for the last year), Andy (a 32-year old personal chef from Texas), Billy (a 28-year old Australian who also has a sailboat here in Cairns), and me. 

Our plan is to leave the port of Cairns and set sail for Papua New Guinea (aka PNG) just to the north of Northeastern Australia.  It should take around 4 days of non-stop sailing to reach PNG and our plan is to spend all of November and December cruising the islands of PNG, scuba diving the pristine and remote reefs, catching fish/prawns/lobster for dinner, and visiting the remote villages of PNG, bearing gifts such as toothbrushes, pencils, and paper.  Things that are useful to them but hard to come by.

Around the first of the year we plan to make our way north across the equator into the Federated States of Micronesia (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae).  We will probably spend January and February cruising these islands and then head over to Palau and spend another month or two there.  After 4-5 months (around April/May) we plan to make our way down the eastern Indonesian chain of islands. 

Planned Sailing Route

If all goes as planned I'd like to get off the boat sometime around April/May, travel a little more, and be back in the USA around August. 

While on the boat we will have NO PHONE and very limited EMAIL.  I hope to be able to send out email updates every few weeks and maybe even a picture or two.  The boat does have a website where you can read about our latest adventures and follow where in the world we are

Click here for:  Boat Website