S/V Halley

20 00.055 S 159 28.120 E The excitement was building as we approached Vanuatu from Fiji. The massive cloud of smoke and ash in the distance was Mt. Yasur, one of the world’s most active volcanoes. The next day, we hiked to the volcano, telling each other that today of all days would not be the big blow. And what a show! Near-continuous, spectacular eruptions with us perched on the rim of the crater. A rickety fence between us and catastrophe - for sure not Disney Land. But we paid a price… After 2 days anchored by the volcano, the boat was covered in fine ash, inside and out. Still worth it. After the volcano, we cruised north in Vanuatu. It’s another beautiful country with ever so friendly people. On the island of Erromango, one of the locals, David, gave us a tour of the village and showed us a cave where his ancestors are buried. Some skulls and bones in there are thought to be up to 2,000 years old.  Now we are en route to Australia. Currently day 5 of 8. Our friends Martin and...

19 27.945 S 170 17.887 E We are on the tail end of a 4 day sail from Fiji to Vanuatu. It’s been a very pleasant passage; sunshine, blue skies and manageable waves. We’ve been making great time too; 7-8 knots steady for long stretches. But now the wind has mellowed and we may have to turn on the engines for the last dozen or so miles. Not entirely bad; we’ll make water, do laundry and get hot water for landfall showers.  Before setting off on this passage, we had a few days to show Kicki some of our favorite anchorages in Fiji. Navadra is one, located in the beautiful Yasawa island chain. There we were treated to more amazing snorkeling and gorgeous Fijian sunsets. Ten or fifteen Blacktip sharks greeted us as we dropped anchor - always exciting. Blacktips are “old friends” since the Tuamotus, but we haven’t seen many since. We are sorry to leave Fiji. It’s a beautiful country with beautiful people who are proud of their heritage and welcoming to visitors. But new adventures await an...

17 45.530 S 177 23.544 E Halley hasn't been blogging since January, but the adventure has not stopped! We are in Fiji now with my sister Kicki onboard. She joined us a few days ago for the two long passages to Australia ahead of the cyclone season. We are taking off tomorrow for a 4 day sail to the small island nation of Vanuatu. The forecast is good and we are stocked and ready! When we last posted, we were in the Tuamotus archipelago in French Polynesia. Since then we’ve been to Gambier, back to the Tuamotus, then Society islands, Cook Islands, Niue, Tonga and now Fiji. It’s been a fantastic time with the friendliest of people, incredible water, snorkeling and scuba diving, all amongst beautiful atolls and dramatic volcanic islands. But the distances are vast in the South Pacific… hence the 4,800 nautical miles (5,500 miles or 8,900 km) and 32 overnight sails. Now it’s great to have Kicki onboard as an additional crew, not just for the night passages, but also for good company an...