Kosmos Travel Log

Wishing all of you and Happy, Healthy, Safe and Prosperous 2008!

We have been doing some reflecting on 2007. It has been the most amazing year of both our lives. The first four months we jumped hurdle after hurdle in trying to get ready to go. It seemed several times that obstacles might stop us, but then at the last minute we were able to overcome these obstacles, leaving a month behind schedule. We want to thank everyone who helped us overcome the various hurdles. We are so blessed to have had so many people help us along the way and we are thankful for your friendship, help, and support. We couldn’t have done it without all the help!

Since leaving we have been to 18 islands in the South Pacific, four places in Australia and one in Indonesia. We’ve been SCUBA diving in all kinds of amazing places, including beautiful reefs, caves, and shipwrecks. Of course, we have seen incredible amounts of sea life on our dives. We went swimming with dolphins and whales and sharks in the ocean. We have been to the rim of an active volcano and walked up a waterfall. We have seen many traditional Polynesian and Melanesian villages. We’ve done a lot of snorkeling, gone on many gorgeous hikes, and taken several island tours, including one on a go cart, one on horseback, and one in a helicopter. We have been to several big celebrations for a country’s local holiday, and twice gotten within a few feet of the country’s president at these events. We anchored on a sunken sailboat by mistake and had to handle getting unstuck very carefully or we would have sunk, too. We got our anchor badly stuck on some coral another time. In Australia we saw all kinds of crazy land animals and ate crocodile and kangaroo. We have been in very rough seas, and once we almost got hit by lightening. Those are all the biggies, but there is much more, too. Here is a list of some of the highlights since leaving home.

• Average speed: 5.94 knots
• Best Polynesian Food: Jenna’s Niuan Buffet, Niue
• Best Sea Animal Encounter: Tie between swimming with the whales in Vava’u, Tonga and swimming with the melon headed dolphins in Nuka Hiva, French Polynesia
• Best Polynesian Dancing: Society Islands, French Polynesia
• Best Tattoo artistry: The Marquesas
• Best Wood Carvings: The Marquesas
• Best Yogurt: Mami Nova brand (we found in Tahiti, imported from France)
• Cleanest Fuel: Thursday Island, Australia
• Days on land/days at sea: 141/70 = 33% time at sea
• Deepest anchorage: 100 feet in Bay of Virgins, Fatu Hiva, French Polynesia
• Deepest dive Christi: 130 feet in Luganville, Vanuatu
• Deepest Dive Eric: 102 feet in Niue
• Favorite Dive Spot: Fakarava, French Polynesia
• Friendliest People: Niue
• Least expensive destination: Timor, Indonesia
• Longest passage at sea: 21 days from San Diego to Nuka Hiva, French Polynesia
• Most amazing land destination: active volcano in Tanna, Vanuatu (found in blog under Efate)
• Most boats in a single anchorage: Tahiti, French Polynesia
• Most expensive destination: Bora Bora, French Polynesia
• Most expensive fuel: Cairns, Australia
• Most frustrating check in/check out experience: Fiji (we were unlucky. Most have no issues)
• Most remote from civilization: Suwarrow, Cook Islands
• Most Unique Land Animals: Tropical Dome, Cairns, Australia
• Restaurant with best value for the quality: Chef’s in Nadi, Fiji
• Restaurant with worst value for the dollar: Hotel Bora Bora, Bora Bora, French Polynesia
• Scariest Event: Getting the anchor stuck on the sunken sailboat in Apataki, French Polynesia
• Shallowest anchorage: 10 feet in Moorea, French Polynesia
• Strongest winds: 39 knots during a squall on passage from Australia to Indonesia
• Total distance traveled: 9,959 Nautical Miles (11,452 statute miles, 18,320 Kilometers)
• Total engine hours: 1676
• Total generator hours: 767
• Worst seas: Suwarrow to Niue passage (waves as high as 14 feet – not fun!)

It will be very interesting to see what 2008 has in store for us. We hope it is just as good – or even better – than our wonderful 2007.

This morning we checked the outboard engine motor as soon as we got up. Eric washed off the outside of the engine, then opened it up. He checked the cylinder and it was dry. Good sign. He pulled out the spark plug and dried it. He drained the fuel from the carburetor. Then he tried starting it.

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We awoke to gray skies, rain, 17 - 20 knot winds with gusts of up to 28 knots, and white caps in the lagoon. The wind kept changing direction, too, so we were swinging all over the place. Supposedly, it was going to clear up this afternoon, and we were planning to leave as soon as it cleared up. (more…)

When Eric awoke he was still sick, but feeling much better than he had the previous two days. Christi awoke sick. We were planning to leave over the weekend, so we headed into town to check out with the officials. Check out was quick and easy since all the paperwork had been done in Papeete. We got lunch at the pizza place. We got a tuna pizza, which was good. It had more cheese than most of the other pizzas we have gotten. They tend to be sparse with the pizza toppings out here. (more…)

Our plan was to go diving, then into town to check out of the country, do some internet stuff such as sending blog updates, then spend the rest of the day getting the boat ready. We were going to leave the next morning for Suwarrow, an atoll in the Cook’s.

Eric awoke with a really bad cold. Diving was out. The wind in our protected anchorage was howling at 20 knots. The weather forecast for Thursday was 12 foot seas at 8 seconds intervals (for non-boaters, this means bad seas). Leaving was out. Much to our dismay, we found out that the large boat anchored between us and the wireless antenna at Bloody Mary’s blocks our signal. So, with all our plans cancelled for us, we took it easy all day. (more…)