S/V Halley

16 04.453 S 142 22.184 W The Marquesas was all about tall, foreboding volcanic mountains with ever-present clouds hanging over the peaks and gorgeous tropical jungle vegetation in the valleys. We’ve now sailed 450 nautical miles south to the Tuamotus archipelago of French Polynesia. It’s night and day from the Marquesas. The Tuamotus is a collection of low lying atolls with crystal clear water that shifts from vibrant marine blue in the deep to neon turquoise in the shallows. There is nothing but coral, palm trees and sand. We are anchored in the calm of the lagoon but have the sound of the ocean crashing onto the surrounding reef as a reminder of where we are. We felt far away in the Marquesas; the Tuamotus has brought it to a new level. Turns out that our first landfall in the Tuamotus is right where Thor Heyerdahl landed Kon Tiki after his epic journey across the South Pacific in 1947. We dinghied over to the island and walked out to the breaking waves on the edge of the reef. For s...

08 52.831 S 140 02.821 W It was good luck and bad luck; the autopilot broke during the Pacific crossing, but it broke within sight of land on the last day. Had it failed sooner, we would have hand-steered around the clock in heavy seas - an exhausting proposition even with a crew of four.  The other engine starter - the one that didn’t break in Panama - has now failed as well. Here, the good news is that we can manage with one engine. But maneuvering at slow speed is difficult, an issue in tight anchorages. We also have no redundancy to fall back on should the one engine break at an inopportune time. Replacement parts are on order. With some luck the new starter arrives this coming week. With additional luck, that fixes the engine problem and we can resume day sails around the Marquesas islands.The autopilot will take longer to arrive, likely several more weeks. Our next long passage, to the Tuamotus archipelago, will have to wait until it is fixed. But we could be stuck in a far w...

09 54.512 S 139 06.231 W Stepping on to terra firma after 29 days at sea was quite the sensation. Sea legs on land - it’s a thing. Concrete dock under foot, yet the ground is moving to and fro. We all felt it, but perhaps Kicki the most. She even felt nauseous; you might call it “landsick”. Ironic since she did not experience any seasickness during the month on the big blue - in fact, none of us did. We made landfall on the island of Tahuata by Hiva Oa. Land appeared as a faint shadow in the early morning. As the day progressed, the outline of Hiva Oa grew before our eyes. It’s dark and foreboding with jagged steep cliff faces, but was a welcome sight to us. Once on the leeward side of the island, we were greeted by a lush landscape in all imaginable shades of green. A sight for eyes used to nothing but sky and sea. We also experienced the distinct smell of land. Rich and earthy.  We celebrated anchor down with champagne on deck, then set off for our first walk on land and a meal o...

09 50.453 S 138 20.742 W Day 29 from Panama to the Marquesas. 3,953 nautical miles of 4,000.

08 18.521 S 123 48.607 W Day 23 from Panama to the Marquesas. 3,085 nautical miles of 4,000. In no particular order: Nap Man the helm Clear deck of flying sea creatures Gaze at the waves Read Update the log book Eat Play games Adjust the clocks Fish Trim the sails Exercise Slather sun lotion Make water Chase away Booby birds Listen to audio books Stargaze Do yoga  Cook Watch the sun set Manage power Clean Watch a show or a movie Check the weather Check the sailing competition Bake bread See the sun rise Eat again Take another nap Plan the passage Check equipment Do laundry Read Plan the passage Update the log book Watch the sun set Man the helm Styrman Andersson. Hard at work at the helm.  [The autopilot is our fifth crew member.] Do the laundry Hang the laundry Nap Chase away Booby birds Clear deck of sea creatures Flying squid?! Do yoga Nap Make bread Manage power 2310 watts of solar power keep us going. We also have a backup diesel generator for cloudy days + the alternator...