S/V Halley

  17 43.271 S 140 42.366 W We are hunkered down for a big storm passing over the next few days. Super windy and rainy. Thank goodness, the anchor seems to be holding. We have winds consistently above 35-40 knots and have seen gusts up to 63 knots (32 m/s or 72 mph). But we are dry and warm and glad not to be out on the open ocean. We are anchored in the lagoon of the Amanu atoll in the Tuamotus in French Polynesia. We have a tiny strip of land, or really coral with some palm trees, between us and the big waves. Circa 0.2 nautical miles (370 meters or 1200 feet). It’s not much but it is enough!

16 39.312 S 143 23.511 W Halley is back on the water. We took a 2 month land break and returned to the boat after Thanksgiving. It does feel like home-sweet-home. No wonder really - we are now into our 4th year as full-time cruisers. It’s our “back to normal”, as crazy as that sounds. The time on land was really nice though. Great to see friends and family. Sixten and Lauren were married and we are so happy for them. After the wedding, we drove out to Montana and spent 7 weeks at the Heekin ranch. We saw early fall progress into winter. Lots of hiking, friends and kids visiting, cozy evenings by the fireplace, grizzly bears by the kitchen window, elk in the meadow, etc. It’s an incredible place. And funny how it’s so different from our boat life, yet so similar - nature and solitude. We spent Christmas and New Year’s on the Fakarava atoll in the Tuamotus island group. It’s our first Christmas away from the kids, but we had a nice time with other cruisers we’ve gotten to know. Fakarava ...