Awesomely spoiled

You know your kid is getting seriously spoiled to island life, when they look at you with the most serious expression on their face and utter the words, “Mom, I really wanna see a dolphin and a rainbow right now.”

Oh really, I ask myself, when these incredibly indulged phrases come out of her mouth. “Would you like the dolphin to also jump through the rainbow?” I ask jokingly.

“Uh-huh,” she says back as we swing in the hammock.

Well, I guess that’s what I should expect. She will probably never know how lucky she is, but we will and I’m sure we will constantly remind her of that!

It’s amazing to me how whales appear at the islands. One day, there are none – the next day, they are everywhere. Isabel and Chris left for their daily morning dinghy ride – smoothies in hand – and upon their return Isabel shouted excitedly, “Mommy, I saw a whale. A baby and a mommy whale. They were swimming in the ocean with the dolphins.”

Again, I couldn’t help wonder when, and if, she will ever realize how lucky she is to be living this life with us.

Her pure joy at this sighting was fun to see, as was her immediate acceptance that this is just everyday life for her.

The boat projects have been numerous and very challenging for my multi-talented husband. The wind generator is installed but not producing any power yet, but the solar panels are rocking. The diesel generator was successful repaired at a minimal cost, and is now sporting new motor mounts. The list has been endless for him. I’ve been having major flashbacks to our Napa re-fitting days, sweaty behind my dust mask as I sand floorboards and the companionway.

We (and by “we” I mean Chris) finally wrapped up some of the big projects in preparation for the Perry crew invasion. My brother, his wife and their three kids rented a place in the upcountry for the holidays. We rocked the big island everyday of their 10-day adventure.

My Christmas gift from them was a helicopter trip – best two-hour gift ever! It was incredible to see Kiluea, the most active volcano in the world, up close and watch the destruction those lava flows can cause. Ripping its way through heavily forested areas, giant trees are left in its wake.

The coastal waterfalls left us all speechless, and the lush, green, deep valleys were an amazing sight. Two thousand foot waterfalls cascaded from one pool into the next into the next.

Our first sailing excursion ended with all three kids feeding the fish overboard at some point. But they were not to be deterred. Two days later, decked out with scopolamine patches, we sailed out of the harbor again. We didn’t make it far before we spotted the local spinner dolphins. The kids, my brother and I all jumped in for just your average swim-with-the-dolphins experience. They came within 20 feet of us three different times, and the kids were beyond excited. A mellow afternoon of whale watching and unsuccessful fishing followed.

We hit the best beaches, boogie boarded some fun waves, built some amazing sand castles and race tracks, ate way too much amazing food, and drank way too much beer, great wine and champagne.

As soon as the crew left, we started prepping for our sail to Maui. Ryanda, our awesome friend from Maui, flew over to join us for the mellow trip. We had a very easy motorsail, and spent most of our time playing the playdough and looking for whales.

Our first night in Lahaina on a mooring was awful, as unpredicted winds kept us beam to the swell. We bailed first thing in the morning for Lanai, but had unexpected winds that gusted to 25-30 knots. Not a problem for our boat, except when we’re towing our dinghy with the motor on, and the radar bracket dislodges. Despite surfing down 6-foot waves and being jerked all over the place, everything survived the abuse and we pulled into the idyllic Manele Bay. We ended up getting a slip in the extremely small harbor, through Chris’ good looks and charm, and have been at the beach and in the water, trying to forget all the projects that are still looming. Our cousins’ from the frozen tundra, also known as Michigan, arrive next week, so I better stop writing and get to work…

Boat life, version 2.0

Namaste is floating again after a summer hiatus in Kailua Kona. Chris dropped her back in the water two weeks ago, and has been busy upgrading and installing new equipment, including solar panels and a wind generator.

Isabel and I arrived 10 days after him, and he is still elbow-deep in grease and projects. Cruising is currently best described as fixing our boat in an exotic location. But that was the plan in bringing Namaste north from French Polynesia last spring.

Isabel is blossoming into quite the first mate, although she often times acts like the admiral.

The terrible two’s take on a whole new level when your toddler is on a boat. We’re embarking on an 8-month long journey with Isabel around Hawaii and French Polynesia. When she was six months old and we could plop her down anywhere, cruising with her was a nice, steady breeze. But now, it’s more like a hurricane. And she is at the eye of the storm.

But we’re all adjusting to our “boat home” fairly well, considering she is sweaty all the time and the mosquitoes love her as much as they love me. Our life is all about the hammock, beach, puzzles, tea parties, dinghy rides, and scouting for crabs and dolphins and turtles – yeah, her life is pretty rough.

We originally planned to spend Thanksgiving in Maui, but a generator issue has kept us on the big island through the New Year. Luckily, our craving for family time at the holidays will be filled when my brother, sister-in-law, and their kids join us for Christmas. More to come as the fun increases and the work decreases (yes, that does eventually happen on a boat!!)

Best of spring '13 Tuamotus

Carol with his massive trophy jack caught in Tahanea pass

The GoPro shot from Livia, location undisclosed

Isabel and I wrapped in foul weather gear during squally Fakarava dinghy ride

Chillin' at the bar

Our mark on SudBar in Fakarava, Isabel's polynesian name

The derelict crew in the anchorage

Catt, doing his thing

The "Fly-By"

Isabel, doing her thing

Cracking coconuts for fresh drinks, just add rum

Celebrating our lucky lifestyle with friends

Isabel enjoying boat life

on the foredeck in her bouncy chair during her first motorsail in Apataki

hanging with her good friend Catherine on 'Dreamtime'

trying to feed herself

chilling with dad

New beginnings

It's been a rough and tumble start to our first cruising session with our baby girl, but things are almost back to "normal." We were "stranded" in Apataki for two weeks with dead batteries but we managed to make the most out of a not-so-great situation.
We had a little bit of fun while waiting out the ship's arrival - snorkling the reefs cerca the NE corner, diving with thousands of fish outside the pass at the NW corner, feasting on fresh coconuts and fish, and hanging with our good friends. I trekked along the rugged oceanside coast, where the idyllic beauty of the atoll is marred by plastic washed up all over the windward side of the island.
Isabel is certainly adjusting well to boat life. Napping on the foredeck in her carseat that Chris' rigged as a swing, jumping around on her topside bouncy chair, and getting dreadfully close to crawling - which is going to change our life yet again!
After our new batteries arrived and Chris installed them successfully, we said goodbye to our dear friends, the Lau family, last week and sailed to the beautiful cove of Anse Amyot in Toau. It was an unexpectedly rough outing for Isabels' first sail on the open ocean. We encountered uncomfortable seas, higher than forecasted winds, and a handful of squalls. She, of course, took it all in stride - spending most of the day sleeping in her car seat we rigged to swing gently inside the boat by the mast, where she would be least likely to feel any effects of the tumbling seas. Namaste got a proper washdown moments before we entered the inslet, as a massive squall beared down on us, cleaning off the salty remains from a tough day. Things ended on a good note when we literally sailed under a rainbow to reach the mooring field.
We had an awesome stay, visiting with the locals on shore, snarring fish out of their traps, and snorkeling the crystal clear waters. We had a lovely 8-hour motor sail to the village of Rotoava in Fakarava on Monday. The cargo ship just arrived, so we'll spend the next day topping up on diesel, gas and fresh food for our trip down to the south pass of Tetamanu in Fakarava. Let the diving degin!!!!!!!

Tuamotu trip spring 2012

 The fleet at Tetamanu, southern pass at Fakarava, Namaste, Nomad, Dream Time (from left)

 The super moon rising over Tahanea motu

 Tituoan, Chris and Neville cruising in the dinghy in Tahanea

 Grey reef sharks gathering in Tetamanu pass

 Chris kiting in shallow waters

 The colorful kite posse

 Moray sneaking around in Tetamanu pass

Blacktip reef shark and great barracuda in close quarters

Tuamotu's

Namaste has cast her anchor in the uninhabited atoll of Tahanea, and none of us want to leave anytime soon. We sadly waved goodbye to Apataki and the Lau family last Sunday, after a week of prepping the boat and celebrating with new and old friends. The group scavenged beach crabs, baited soldierfish with hermit crab tails, hunted down marbled grouper, and made coconut germ bread roasted in a fire during our week of feasting.
We logged a quick motorsail to Toau and the cove of Anse Amyot, where we linked up with our friends on Dreamtime and briefly checked in with our onshore acquaintances. We'll return to this unique bay in our final weeks before we haul the boat in early June.
At the crack of dawn, we set forth to Fakarava's north pass and Rotoava village. The supply ship arrived last Tuesday and we delicately maneuvered Namaste alongside the metal beast to fill up our diesel tanks. We also stocked the fridge with as many fresh veggies we could find. The following day, she pounded to weather for a few hours, with short, choppy waves that reminded us of sailing in the Great Lakes, before reaching the fabled south pass. Three windy days followed and Chris advantageously captured it and found some serious fun on his kiteboard. He helped out our good friend Neville, whose a kiteboard beginner and needed a bit of extra tutoring.
Once the air currents calmed, the heat set in and the only repose to be found was in the sparkling turquoise waters that average around 83-degrees. Water temps in this region are slowly rising as the El Nino ocean current event races westward. With calmer conditions, we paddled and ventured into the south pass for diving and snorkeling among the hundreds of grey and blacktip sharks, mellow giant Napoleans, schooling glass eyes, different species of butterfly fish, emperor angelfish, and groups of blue-lined snapper and goatfish. The purple, yellow and white coral flourish in the pristine channel, and colors are erupting at the surface as we float over or under the heads.
On Tuesday evening, we capitalized on calm winds and seas to motorsail upwind overnight to Tahanea, snagging a sweet 18-pound mahi-mahi, our first one since leaving Mexico! Our friends on Dreamtime named us the official winners of our unofficial offshore fishing competition.
We spent just one night anchored on the east side of the island, but we squeezed in a snorkel/dive at the north pass under cloudy and windy skies. Upon our arrival at the dive site, a school of 25 common dolphins appeared as we hurried into the water. Typically, these athletic mammals will come in for a quick look before making a rapid exit, but this group stayed with us for almost a half hour - incredible! We observed their playful behavior as they corkscrewed around each other, chirping excitedly, before showing bursts of speed and launching themselves out of the water for acrobatic flips. To watch them jump from below and above is quite a sight to see, and for once, I wasn't jealous of the divers below me. I can only hope this little girl growing in my belly could hear that unique communication that reverberates underwater as dolphins play. After the dolphins left, we continued drifting towards the lagoon watching whitetip sharks, schools of giant snapper and coral gardens.
With the wind direction changing, we motored under dark skies and raindrops to the beachy southeast corner to hook up with some other friends and check out this part of the island paradise. The rose sand, our friends and their kids, epic spearfishing, bonfires and tasty coconut crabs have been keeping us entertained and well-fed.
Stay tuned and until then...Namaste