Back in the USA

Three months in the US managed to fly by! We covered 8 states—two of them twice—plus

Washington DC, and got to visit most of the people we’d hoped to see (as well as several we hadn’t expected). What a wealth of warmth, literally and figuratively! And our apologies to those of you we missed; we’ll hope for better luck next time…

All our gatherings and activities need not be detailed here, but a few photos from our cross-country travels may be enjoyable:

Thanksgiving at the Stubsons, where everything ended up on the table
except for plates. We eventually found them.

Katelinn & Camden used to sit in this tree stump
in Lithia Park (Ashland).
The gnomes have grown!

David Ingalls & Art playing beautiful ukuleles that David creates

Putting up Christmas lights at Clarence's house in Sedona--
though they were no comparison to the light
on the red rock cliffs in the background

Hiking near Phoenix with Kay & Bill
(hard to see, but the palo verde has Christmas ornaments on it)

Train park in Phoenix decked out for the holidays...

...and we all had a fun ride!
(Lynn, Les, Peterson, Landon)

Art & Mary enjoying Art's & Mary's

Christmas carols at the Wertheimers:
Katelinn, Nancie, Art, Andrew, Camden

Skating on the pond behind Cheryl & Eric's house

New Year's Eve pajama party
with Daddy/Lou and his friend Betty

The World's Best Reuben
(sorry, New York, the W.B.R. is really in Philly)

A great day in DC

Art was looking forward to snow for ages, and he got it--
on the very last day we were in the States!

Finally, we’d like to thank the many people across the country who opened their homes to us. Hopefully we didn’t end up like fish after three days...

In chronological order:

Washington--Jim & Carol Van der Veen; Arline Borella 

Oregon--Larry & Corinne Stubson; David Ingalls & Jan Lippen-Holtz; Thomas & Lou Heumann; Bill & Marilee Grimm

Arizona--Clarence Shaw; Kay Monette & Bill Walsh; Les Linn, Lynn Tuttle, Landon & Peterson

Kansas--Lou Linn; Eric, Cheryl & Andrew Wertheimer; Jim Linn

Ohio--Mark & Alice Lemle

Michigan--Gordon & Judith Hammerle

Pennsylvania--Camden Shaw

Maryland/DC--Mary Linn & John Kidd

A HUGE THANK YOU to all of you for your generous hospitality!

Big Fish! Big Waves!

What a passage this was! The trip from New Caledonia to New Zealand normally takes 7-8 days; it took us 14.

High points were catching the biggest mahimahi we've ever seen, and watching the night sky evolve (favorite image this time: an infant moon appearing faintly on the horizon, then slipping into the sea).

Low points were having the V-drive break not long into the trip. No V-drive = no transmission = no motorsailing in light winds = ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time. We spent a couple days wallowing in the waves with no wind, gradually drifting away from our destination (not unlike "the olden days" of sailing) and others going slowly forward--though not fast enough to make landfall before a storm front hit us.

track of Second Wind while drifting

It started with hard rain and 35-45 knot winds whipping up the sea into a frenzy, for which Second Wind and we were well prepared. There's not much that can be done to protect a boat from lightning, however, so we were relieved there was none...until, "Oh look! Lightning!": a fireworks display appeared overhead. (Since you're reading this, obviously we did not get hit.) The storm lasted for several hours, but it was the following two days of continued strong winds and tumultuous seas that were the real obstacles. We had to heave to twice (arrange the sails so we intentionally didn't go anywhere, giving us a chance for some desperately needed rest). Once underway again, the waves made progress excruciatingly slow. By the time we arrived in Opua for Customs check-in, almost a week after expected, we had to completely rework logistics and leave Second Wind near Opua for our long absence, rather than in our home base of Whangarei. Ah, the best laid plans...

The staff photographer was otherwise occupied during the storm,
so this photo of  post-gale water over the bow will have to suffice.
(Just add darkness, rain, lightning, and 16-18' waves to this picture.)

Boisterous waves next to small boat; these are only about 12'

It was a stressful voyage but never a fearsome one. We learned a lot, especially about the strengths of our boat and ourselves, and ended up with quite an adventure under our belts (or lifejackets!).

But home never sounded so good. Where are those ruby slippers when you need them?

Friends and family, thank you for sharing this journey with us so far. I'll probably post a few photos of our time on US soil, but we know you're primarily interested in tales from the South Pacific. Those will resume approximately next March--stay tuned!

Standing by,

Vagabond Art

Sea Gypsy Nancie

New Caledonia

Our passage from Vanuatu to New Caledonia was one of our best ever, with glorious sailing the entire route. New Cal itself looked different than we expected: the tall columnar pines made famous by the "Isle of Pines" (which we did not visit) are actually found throughout the islands, and red earth predominates on and around Grande Terre, the huge main island. It possesses a strikingly different kind of beauty, more reminiscent of Mexico's Sea of Cortez than the South Pacific.

A cluster of tall pines on the island of Mare'

Red earth on Grande Terre

There's not much to share about New Cal since we were there for such a short time and had little opportunity to explore. Like French Polynesia, New Caledonia is administered by France, and we did appreciate some croissants and a lovely market. Most enjoyable was the Museum of New Caledonia, with its marvelous displays of Kanak culture--particularly wood carvings and their unique style of huts.

Which is scariest?

Beautiful carvings and symbolism

Having quoted Paul Simon in the last post, it's appropriate to do so again, starting with

"I get all the news I need on the weather report".

We joined the other cruisers at Port Moselle Marina's wifi area, obsessing about passage weather: when to make the leap to Australia/New Zealand. We're headed to New Zealand, our home away from home, then on the United States, home for the holidays.

As Paul sang, "Homeward Bound..."

Vanuatu: Port Vila, Efate Island

Translate this label:

                                                   Nambawan Wota

                                                   Blong Vanuatu

                                                   Gud Wota Gud Laef

Congratulations! You can read Vanuatu's national language.

Bislama is like pidgin English; it's not hard to decipher visually (though less easy when it's spoken). Vanuatuans may lack basics like electricity and advanced education, but even the most rural villagers are multilingual: they speak English, French, Bislama, their own local dialect, and at least one other dialect from a nearby area. We were impressed, grateful (for their fluency in English) and a bit abashed (for only speaking 1 1/2 languages--or 2 1/2, counting music).

At one time Vanuatu (then called New Hebrides) was jointly administered by both England and France. Port Vila, the capital, benefits from a lingering European influence; tourism supports a surprising number of duty-free shops and good restaurants. We were there for the necessary Customs formalities, the beautiful protected harbor, and local color.

The harbor wasn't protected enough to withstand cyclone Pam;
most other destruction has been cleared, but boats are still washed ashore
(and supposedly there are some sailboats, with their crews,
sunken on the deep bottom below the mooring buoys)

Men in South Pacific island nations all wear the same thing--
t shirts or island shirts, shorts and flip flops.
Women's clothing, however, varies; in Vanuatu, most women wear brightly colored dresses
and look very festive!

The women--with their children--stay in the market all week,
sleeping on the floor between tables of produce

Multiple vendors in the market area serve heaping plates of rice, meat & vegetables
for 400 vatu ($4 US)--a "don't miss" lunch. The local paper guided us to a major annual
music festival (and can you decipher a bit more Bislama on the poster?)

On three consecutive nights we heard local string bands, reggae and Vanuatu-style rap;
with food booths, families sitting on the grass and young people dancing in front of the stage,
it was infectious fun

The Vanuatu Cultural Museum was jam-packed with fascinating displays of exotic headdresses, slit drums as tall as totem poles, body decorations and musical instruments--most of which are still used on outlying islands today. We were captivated by the sand drawing, which tells an entire story in a picture created without ever lifting the finger from the sand.

Edgar is telling the story while he draws

One of the final drawings;
they are breathtakingly beautiful, then swept away in an instant by shaking the 'sandbox'

Edgar also played a haunting melody on a long bamboo flute
and the Vanuatu national anthem on a type of marimba.
He wanted to learn an American song,
so we taught him "America the Beautiful".

Kava in Vanuatu is stronger than kava in Fiji, and we were curious about it. Rather than go to a downtown kava bar, we ended up making our way to a very tiny local nakamal up in the hills past the city--not a place that travelers would normally ever find. Neighborhood kava bars have a blue light on in the evening to indicate their business, but everything else is dark (to encourage maximum relaxation)--so unfortunately I don't have a photo. But it sure was a unique experience, being welcomed into their world and given more kava than we arranged for! (Once again a Paul Simon lyric came to mind: Still crazy after all these years...)

But the clock is ticking. It's a long way to New Zealand--where Second Wind will again spend the cyclone season--and the safe sailing time is drawing to a close; we must move on. We will head to New Caledonia, unfortunately not for exploration--not enough time for that--but for staging the tough passage to New Zealand from a place that's a little closer and offers a better wind angle than departing from Vanuatu. New Cal is reputedly very beautiful, though, so I hope to at least post a few photos from there! 

Vanuatu: Tanna Island

AWESOME!!!

Since we'd lost almost a month waiting for a part and then for weather, we considered skipping Vanuatu. The chance to get to the edge of one of the world's most accessible active volcanoes reeled us in, though--and we were glad it did!

"Is this really a good idea?"
We couldn't help but wonder, approaching Tanna Island
and watching the volcano belch smoke and steam

Anchored in a nearby bay,
we could watch spontaneous steam vents
and geysers erupt...

...and both see & hear explosions from our boat

Mt. Yasur is considered a spiritual place, and visitors are welcomed by a ceremony that includes asking for and being granted permission to ascend.

This beautiful woman placed leis on every visitor...

...followed by traditional dancing and singing

After being packed into 4WD trucks and jostling almost to the rim, we hiked the rest of the way to the top and sat near the edge as the sun set and Yasur's eruptions became increasingly brilliant in the growing darkness. Spectacular explosions, deafening roars, rumbling earth--sight, sound, sensation: a peak experience in every way.

The other main reason to explore Vanuatu is its array of fascinating cultural customs. One of these is the John Frum movement, of which Tanna is the focal point. After seeing large quantities of cargo accompanied by black American soldiers in WWII, a 'cargo cult' formed that believed  John "From" America would return and bring material wealth to his followers. During the day multiple American flags fly in the main John Frum village, but we visited on a Friday night so we could attend the weekly religious ceremony. Devotions consisted of rotating clusters of worshippers--men in the center with guitars, women around the periphery clapping--singing songs about God. It was more subdued than we expected, but with some people wearing grass skirts swaying on the sidelines and the volcano frequently rumbling nearby, it was suitably intriguing.

(not a good photo, but a flash would have been inappropriate)

A day in Ireupuow, the village nearest the anchorage, proved to be especially meaningful. The village was a loose association of several smaller enclaves; all the homes were of woven bamboo and coconut fronds, and none had electricity.

Carved fern tree figure

Miriam, our guide, earns $10 US/month
as a kindergarten teacher, yet her daughter's
middle school education costs $370 US/year.
To make up the difference, she relies on
contributions from her relatives and other villagers.

Tanna coffee is famous in Vanuatu;
even a tea gal like me thought it was delicions

Inside the coffee house

Everyone loves music, and sharing ours along the way has been great fun. We played in each enclave in Ireupuow, and the interaction was charming: people laughed and talked and clapped whenever they saw or heard something they particularly liked (similar to a jazz performance, but more exuberant). In all of our hundreds of  professional concerts, nothing has ever felt more joyful than their overt enthusiasm!

A few lingering listeners, many of whom brought us fresh papaya as we were leaving

Another pleasure was watching people ply the small bay in their dugout canoes. There was always someone paddling somewhere,

either men fishing

or children coming by to trade vegetables for treats.

From the magnificent volcano to the welcoming villagers, Tanna was a better stop than we could have imagined...

Sailing past Yasur on our way to the next island