Moving On Across the Pacific

Beautiful anchorage off Avokh Island, Maskelyne, Vanuatu

There comes a time when you must continue your journey. Now is that time. Actually, today is the second anniversary of the start of this adventure. We left the dock in Maryland on October 25, 2013. My! Time flies when you are having fun!

We are not across the Pacific Ocean yet. And we still have the Coral Sea, Indian Ocean (a really big one!), the South Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea to cross before we get back to St. Lucia, our starting point for the World ARC. Our intended arrival date is April 2017. We still have some land cruising to do in Australia and SE Asia.

 

Jennifer and her son. She is Chief Kaisa's daughter

It was very difficult leaving Avokh Island and Vanuatu. We both have great memories and have made friends with whom we will continue to support in some way. Once we were back in Port Vila to prepare for our passage to New Caledonia, the emotional and physical exhaustion set in. We were both surprise to feel such low energy for a few days.

Vincent, Shelta, Karina, Nella and their little guy.

 

 

 

 

I still get teary-eyed when I think about the friends we left and will probably not see again. I have over 1000 photos of the experience so it will not be forgotten. And I do wonder how they feel: a) are they glad we finally got out of their hair!, b) are they wondering how to continue what we started, c) are they feeling the void of our absence, d) are they wondering what hit them when S/V Trillium arrived,) or are they trying to understand why we gave them so much? Or all of the above?



Vincent's parents



Chief Nawa

 
 


 

We shared many meals with Chief Kaisa, Vincent and their families.

 


One of the many talented musicians.

Goodbye Mother Hubbard dresses. Not my style!

Fortunately, the weather dictates when a yacht must move on, otherwise, one might get stuck in one place for a long time. This is what happens to many people who have left shore without a time frame for cruising. Suddenly they find themselves somewhere in the ocean world after eleven years! We do have a time frame for returning to land so we must sail with the weather windows.
   

Curious weavers!

Cruising friends from S/Y La Quilta and S/Y Celine

Our welcoming and goodbye party!

Next stop: the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia. We have heard they are beautiful and one of the top beaches in the world in on the Atoll D’Ouvea island of Ouvea. Since Customs and Immigration require westbound yachts to sail to all the way west and around the bottom of New Caledonia to Noumea on Grande Terre to clear in, most yachts miss this stop in the island group to the east. Since we are sailing with the Island Cruising Club’s Pacific Circuit Rally on this leg, we have the privilege of clearing in on Lifou. The ICA flies the officials to Lifou for the clearance process.

 

Mal de Mare Update:

I am pleased to report that I have now made four passages without being seasick! In the traditional Root Cause Analysis mode, you must ask: what changed! I started eating more before and during the passages. When I was having so much trouble, I didn’t want to put anything in my stomach as I did not want to see it again. Now I realize it was the stomach acid causing the dry heaves. So far, eating has worked and I feel much better. Still a little queasy, but managing it. Life has gotten better!