Log of Serenity

2007 flew by. Once we started working, our free time dwindled. I longed for those days in isolated anchorages when I didn't know what to do with my time, and I marveled that the free time I had as a graduate student (even less than the current amount) ever seemed adequate. It took a little while to get used to a full time job, a rigid schedule, commuting during rush hour, being hungry and grouchy when I arrive home at the end of the day, not seeing Jim all day, etc. However rough the transition, over time we have both adjusted to this new life "on the hard." The fact that I am working on the blog again is a sign that I am finally getting a handle on things, that the many things required for life on land are falling into place. The blog is finally at the top of the list.

The second half of 2007 had its highlights; here are some of them:

We visited with Jeff, Matt and Casey of S/V Sohcahtoa when they passed through San Diego on their way home after completing their circumnavigation. We moved into a new apartment about 5-10 minutes from work at the end of August.

We adopted Rocky Balbunny (our rabbit). We took a trip to the east coast in September to attend two weddings and to visit Jim's family.

We found out I was pregnant.

We spent Thanksgiving with my parents in San Felipe, BC, Mexico, and a weekend around Christmas in Julian at the Observer's Inn.

San Diego, CA- Jim started a new postdoc position July 3, 2007. Eva started a new job June 11, 2007. So, we can address item #3 from May 18 post: our careers were not entirely ruined after all.

New 2007 Toyota Corolla CE, purchased on June 1, 2007, in order to drive to and from work.

Trip Philosophy
Going sailing became my dream because I wanted to do something where my actions and decisions mattered, where there were real consequences if I was careless or lazy or unprepared. I wanted to be judged by Nature, not people. Alone in the middle of the ocean, I knew that we were going to be tested. I found that it was a mental challenge unlike anything I had ever faced before. It was a mix of stressful and peaceful, tiring and boring, exciting and awe-inspiring, hateful and wonderful. I felt ALIVE. It's the best thing I've ever done.

Many thought, and still think, we're crazy.

Other people and sailors have done more and done better things, but I feel very lucky to have done this one thing. I wanted it to change me, and it has.

A few reflections on our trip
When we arrived in Australia, we had sucessfully crossed the Pacific Ocean. It was the end of the road for us, since we had decided that we didn't want to continue west around the world, nor did we want to recross the Pacific in the opposite direction to get back to the USA.

On thinking back on the trip Jim said, "People said three things would probably happen to us as a result of the trip: 1) We would be killed. 2) We would get so sick of each other that we would hate each other by the end. And 3) we would probably never get jobs again." Well, we can now safely say that we survived the trip.

As for #2, the time we spent together on this trip is one thing for which we will always be grateful. Many people questioned our sanity in voluntarily imprisoning ourselves together, for extended periods of time, in a space the size of most people's bathrooms. But how many people get to spend so much time with their chosen companion? It was a gift. Working together and relying on each other, we feel we have grown closer together, not further apart. We certainly know each other well now, and we still like spending time together.

The results aren't in on #3 yet.

We sold our boat on January 19, 2007 to Ron and Janice of Runaway Bay, Queensland, Australia.

Arriving in Australia at dawn - Moreton Bay. New Caledonia to Australia was our toughest trip. A new high pressure system coming off Australia gave us strong southerly winds the first couple of days out. This meant big seas on our beam, which made the ride very uncomfortable as the waves slapped the side of the boat and we were falling off their fronts. I was lying down seasick and couldn't keep any food down for the first 2 days and couldn't stand watch. Jim was a good boater and took over, sleeping on and off all day and night and keeping all the watches. Thankfully, after 2 days the high pressure had moved to the east, the wind died down a bit and shifted to the east, and came more over our stern. The ride got a lot more comfortable and I felt better and could do my watches. We pushed pretty hard for the rest of the way, as we couldn't wait to see the first continent since we left Mexico. Two days out of Australia, about 250 miles, we had an Australian customs plane fly over and radio us on the VHF. We were so excited, we must have sounded like we hadn't spoken to another human in months. The official asked for our names and boat info, but he couldn't tell us if the hurricane near the Solomon Islands was coming our way or not. Just doing his job. We kept marveling that the plane was going to the same place we were, but he would be there in hours while we still had 2 days. Our first sight of land was at night, when we could see the glow of the city lights! We started to lose the wind, and we were so eager that we started the engine instead of waiting for the wind like we would normally do. It was a long night of navigating through the shoals and reefs outside Moreton Bay. Once inside the bay, we had to continue following a narrow channel because the bay has shoals all over. By 6 am we were near the entrance to Manly Harbor; the wind picked up and we started sailing again. We called the coast guard at 8 am to check in. The officials were very friendly, told us where to tie up for inspection, and came to meet us there. We were inspected, stamped in and released from quarantine. We had officially arrived.

My cousin Angel and her husband Robin and daughter Gabby, live on the Gold Coast near where we were keeping our boat in Australia. We were lucky to be able to stay with them and spend about a month together. It was a lot of fun having Christmas with them, hanging out, sightseeing, and playing with Gabby.

I will be putting some photos of our stay in Australia on www.flickr.com/photos/svserenity.

New Caledonia is our last stop before Australia. For the most part we were checking the weather and trying to decide when to leave. We are docked here in Noumea.

We did visit the post office.

And the cultural center.

Pumice. We left Tonga after nearly two weeks waiting for weather. As we approached Fiji, more and more areas of pumice appeared. Errupting underwater volcanoes were the cause of the pumice. We tried not to use the engine when there was pumice around, because we worried that it would get sucked into the engine and damage it.

On the way to Fiji two sections of our roller furler came apart, eventually rubbing through the jib and causing a tear. Our main goal in Fiji became fixing this sail.

Savu Savu Harbor, our first landfall in Fiji

This is the anchorage where we ran aground on a submerged reef as we looked for a spot to anchor. Luckily, our boat wasn't damaged. We stopped here overnight on our way to Lautoka, the nearest city with a sailmaker. We anchored next to this container ship, the only other boat there. That night, the wind picked up to 25 knots and it blew that way for about a week. Because the wind between islands can get funneled to much greater speeds, we stayed in another nearby anchorage waiting for that weather to pass.

Finally made it to Lautoka. We are in Vuda Point Marina, a hurricane hole, because of an early hurricane that was headed towards Fiji. It dissipated about 150 miles from Fiji, but not before hitting Vanuatu.

Got the sail repaired!!

There are 2 fewer piglets on Niuatoputapu.

Feasting with cruisers. Pictured are woman from Noa, Jean-Marc and Joanne, Jim (L to R). In background is girl from Kika.

This is my favorite spot on the whole island of Niuatoputapu: the fresh water spring in the center of town.

This is Niuatoputapu, Tonga! Lots of pigs, goats, pandanus, mangoes.

We were befriended by three Tongan girls as we walked back to the anchorage from town. They invited us into their home, showed us their tapa cloth, gave us gifts of shells, and invited us to go for a walk up the mountain. They also asked if we had any fashion magazines, makeup, music or movies.

Hiking with the girls. After bushwhacking directly up the side of the mountain, first through people's papaya fields and then through the jungle, we stopped for cheese and crackers at the top.

View of the from the top

Our friends hiked the whole way barefooted.

Pago Pago anchorage

Samoan friends and Dave and Julie at the bus stop

Hiking trail head

Hiking with Dave and Julie

Surveying the quicksand lake

Arriving in PagoPago, American Samoa. It had been a rough passage; lots of wind and rain from the stern. The sun came out on the morning of our arrival. We were looking forward to eating out, a hot shower, laundry and shopping! We were greeted by American Customs officials, and a $150 US entry fee.

The "public dock" in PagoPago, where there is no one in charge and we were able to tie up for one night. We learned about the resident rats, almost chafed through our lines, and ran aground at low tide.

We sent a package home from this U.S. Post Office. It arrived sometime after we did.

These 2 photos show the entrance to the natural harbor of PagoPago, the crater of a sunken volcano. It is even more protected where it curves around towards the bottom right corner.

This is Suwarrow, part of the Cook Islands. It is an atoll that is a marine reserve, so only a park warden and his family live here for 6 months of the year. There are about 7 islands in this atoll. We anchored behind one of them.

Sea urchin skeleton.

Crystal clear water has lots of fish and sharks.

A ship wreck on the reef is decaying slowly. Jim is looking for spare parts.

All photos taken in Suwarrow:

Coconut crab. Can climb coconut trees and eat coconuts.

Jim with Dave and Julie (s/v La Vie) going on a dinghy ride.

Baby frigate bird.

There are no people on this island, only birds. They fill the air with chirps as they fly.

Finally we update the blog! Internet access has been limiting. We have posted about 20 photos (out of many) below.

To the South Pacific We left Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on March 22, 2006 for the passage across 2700 miles of ocean to the Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia. We arrived on April 17, after 27 days at sea. It was a real test of endurance. We were so happy to arrive. The passage was long and tiring, marked by the changing weather. We had days of no wind and days with lots of wind, as well as many squalls once we crossed the equator. Near the equator we had some beautiful sailing days, with flat seas which were rare on the rest of the trip. I will never forget the feeling of out-thereness I had out there on such a little boat, knowing there was only ocean for thousands of miles around. We broke our boom in half on day 13. What a shock. Luckily, with so much downwind sailing we did ok with just the headsail.

We slowly made our way west through French Polynesia, stopping in each island group. Every one was beautiful. We are now in Papeete, Tahiti, where we have been for about a month finishing repairs and maintenance. We are getting ready to move on. We have decided to make our way to Australia. We have about 2 months to get there before cyclone season. Not a lot of time, but we should still be able to see a bit along the way. Our current plan is to stop in Suvarov (Cook Islands), Samoa, Fiji and New Caledonia on the way to Australia.