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.
With just five days until the launch of Riding the Waves of Reality III: Into the Pacific, Paradise and Peril, we’re juggling book preparations with the challenges of sailing life in Tonga. Our next passage depends on finding the right weather window, conserving our limited fuel, and safely reaching New Zealand. Join us behind the scenes as we navigate the uncertainty, celebrate our newest book, and share how your support on launch day can help our adventures reach more readers!
Bora Bora gave us everything we had hoped for: turquoise water, spectacular sunsets, manta rays gliding beneath us, and a week of feeling completely at peace. Then, of course, our freezer died. Again.
After a quick return to Raiatea for repairs and another failed attempt to fix Dan’s tooth, we headed for Maupiti, an island everyone told us was beautiful but a little challenging to get in and out of. They were right, but they hadn’t quite emphasized the “get out” part. After climbing a mountain that nearly killed me, snorkeling with manta rays, and enjoying the calm waters inside the reef, we suddenly realized most of the other boats had already left. A weather window was closing, and we had a decision to make.
We left Maupiti knowing the passage ahead would be rough. We just didn’t know how rough. By the fourth day, I couldn’t eat, the waves were towering behind us, and rogue waves were slamming into Equus from directions we couldn’t predict. Then the forecast changed again.
That was when Dan asked the question I desperately needed to hear: “Do you want to go to Palmerston?”
Sometimes the best adventures aren’t the ones you planned. Sometimes they are the unexpected places where you find help, kindness, blue whales, and a reminder that perhaps you are exactly where you are supposed to be.
From a violent windstorm in Rangiroa that broke the bottom of our rudder to swimming with manta rays in Tikehau, sharing boat life with our daughter and grandsons, and finally limping into Raiatea with a hose clamp holding our rudder together, the past few weeks have been an unforgettable adventure. Now, as Equus sits high and dry awaiting repairs, Bora Bora is visible in the distance, reminding us exactly why we persevere and why we sail.
As many of you who follow along with our daily updates already know, we are currently sidelined in Nuku Hiva with a broken engine. What we thought would be a manageable repair has turned into one of the most frustrating and drawn-out challenges of our entire voyage. The Part That Didn’t Exist Before we left…
Cousins, Coconuts, and a Change of Plans We recently took a much-needed vacation to Tahiti to meet up with Dan’s cousin, Dale, and his wife, Cindy, who had traveled all the way from Washington State to see us. Originally, they were going to come sail with us, but with Equus currently without an engine, we…
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 Marquesas rise from the Pacific like a dream — rugged, ancient, and alive with spirit. From Hiva Oa’s artistry to Fatu Hiva’s heartfelt traditions, each island revealed lessons in simplicity, resilience, and grace. Here, true wealth is found not in comfort, but in connection.
Chapter 1: The Toughest Dive of Our Lives Our unexpected detour to the Galapagos Islands has been a rollercoaster of jaw-dropping sights, backbreaking repairs, and heartwarming connections. Picture this: Dan and I, seasoned divers since our twenties, geared up for a dive at Gordon Rocks with Shark Bay Scuba Shop. This would be one of…
Sometimes, there can be beauty in despair, silver linings in misfortunes, and blue skies in the future where there seems to be nothing but storms. A Confounding Time in Panama In our seven years of circumnavigating, I have to say that our time in Panama has been the most confounding. She beat us up, spit…