I flew home for Christmas, and stayed for the pandemic. Next up -- I'll find my way back to my beloved South Pacific and spend the summer aboard Akela making the long journey home. I had left Akela in Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva, in the Marquesas Islands with Nico late last December, expecting to see … Continue reading Planning the long journey home
On the road to the Marquesas Festival
In November, Jim accepted 2 new crewmates on Akela : Nico and me, Marine, two dive instructors from Fakarava, dreaming to come back to the Marquesas Islands for the festival on Ua Pou in December. The first step was Tetamanu, in the south of Fakarava to dive with the gang on two other sailing boats, … Continue reading On the road to the Marquesas Festival
A New Chapter
So what does a man do when his world is turned upside-down and inside-out? Out of breath 60 feet under the sea, looking for light find out which way to the surface? Having forgotten how to cry, now sobbing hysterically. Max wasn’t just first mate on our little ship. For the past year and a … Continue reading A New Chapter
Open water passages
"Open Water Passages" by Max
Ua Pou to Rarioa
This entry was made by Matt Left the pointy volcanic islands of the Marquesas and sailed for 4 days south to the flat Tuomotus atolls. Just as we were leaving Ua Pou island we saw a cloud of various sea birds directly in front of us. The birds are feeding on a large school of … Continue reading Ua Pou to Rarioa
Three weeks at sea
(Second try posting this. I apologize for the confusion.) Max and I have been under sail now for three full weeks and we’re only a few days away from our destination of Hiva Oa in the Marquesas island group in French Polynesia. We have sailed in stormy weather, the doldrums and the southern trade winds. … Continue reading Three weeks at sea
Two weeks at sea
Two weeks ago today was the last time I saw another person besides Max. It was the cheerful kid at the gas dock who warned us of the coming bad weather and told us to "be safe out there." Happily, we have made it this far with no injuries or serious failures. We haven't seen … Continue reading Two weeks at sea
Halfway to Polynesia
After 11 days of nonstop sailing, we are half way between San Diego and our destination of Hiva Oa. We are still sailing in high winds with only storm sails, but today is different! Our issue of the day came about as we were eating breakfast of chorizo-egg quesadilla. As always, we were below with … Continue reading Halfway to Polynesia
One week at sea
We have been at sea for 7 full days. We are 800 NM from San Diego, but if you straighten out our crooked path, it seems like we have traveled twice that much. We have been blessed with plenty of wind. We have been fully reefed since we left San Diego, and we have adjusted … Continue reading One week at sea
A wild start!
After years of laying groundwork, months of planning, and 6 solid weeks of focused effort, we left San Diego Bay at 1:00 Sunday afternoon, Feb. 18. We plotted a course for Hiva Oa, one of the larger islands in the Marquesas group of French Polynesia. This gives a rhumb line (sailor-speak for the straight line … Continue reading A wild start!