After three rough nights at sea, we arrived at Minerva Reef at high tide. There was no land in sight, no navigation markers, and only one narrow passage through the reef. Just as we approached, a familiar catamaran emerged from the pass, and a magnificent rainbow appeared above her. We took it as a sign from above that we were going to make it through safely. Sometimes, after nine years at sea, a little reminder of faith is exactly what you need.
There is something magical about arriving at a Tuamotu atoll. For years I had stared at photographs and read stories about these tiny rings of land scattered across the South Pacific. They seemed almost mythical remote, untouched, and impossibly beautiful. Now, after visiting Raroia, Makemo, Fakarava, Toau, and Rangiroa, with Tikehau next on our itinerary…
Life, Loss, and Lessons After an eventful Pacific Ocean crossing, Dan and I finally arrived in the Marquesas Islands, a place sailors dream about for years. Remote, dramatic, and unapologetically wild, the Marquesas sit nearly 900 miles northeast of Tahiti, rising steeply from the Pacific like something carved by myth rather than geology. These islands…
The First Attempt: Hope Meets Heartbreak We thought we were ready. Our boat was in great shape, we were fully provisioned, and favorable winds promised a push to the equator and into the trade winds that would carry us 3,000 miles to French Polynesia. Everything seemed aligned. We even reunited with our boat buddies on…
“When something goes wrong in your life, just yell ‘Plot Twist’ and move on…” Anonymous After 5 days at sea in challenging weather, the sight of land peering at us across a misty, wave strewn horizon, was a welcome sight. The stormy entrance to this island perched in the middle of the sea was…