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.
