Change in Itinerary

Who was it that said "once is not enough"?

After extensive reflection and discussion, we have decided to spend one more season in the South Pacific.

The cons were obvious: the impact on our professional and personal lives would be significant. Giving up a position with the Bellevue School District--which must be one of the best places in the country to be a music teacher--was a major drawback. The other huge obstacle was being away from family and friends for so long. Unlike many of the long-term cruisers out here, we have a land home that we love, family that deeply enjoys spending time together, and friends that last forever. How could we remain separated from all that for so long?

On the pro side were these considerations:

• It was a long and difficult journey to get this far; we'll never get another chance to sail in this part of the world.
• One season isn't enough to explore even the major island groups. We had to skip a large chunk of Tonga and spent hardly any time in Fiji--by most accounts, the jewels of the Pacific. (An equivalent would be a first-time visitor to the U.S. spending plenty of time in Washington DC, a couple of days in Philadelphia and driving straight through New York City.)
• The weather pattern from July onward was disappointing. We didn't expect to be lying around on beaches very often, but a few times would have been nice; we love to snorkel, but with gray skies and cool temperatures, that rarely happened. (Veteran cruisers who usually get in the water every day said they hadn't gone swimming once this season!) There's no guarantee next season will be better, but the extreme El Nino indicators are easing, so we're all hopeful that more characteristic South Pacific scenarios will return.
• The trip back is going to be tough: about three solid months more or less upwind (uphill) the whole way. After covering 7,000 miles since leaving Mexico, we would prefer to take shorter passages for a while before we tackle the return route.
• Several other first-time "Pacific crossers" came to the same conclusion and are planning an extra loop for next year; this did not impact our decision, but it did support it.

So now the plan is to sail to Tonga by way of Minerva Reef, spend a couple months in Fiji, explore Vanuatu (an exciting addition), then return to New Zealand again for next November's cyclone hideout.

We'll sail back to the Pacific Northwest the following season (summer of 2017). Rather than stay in NZ next winter, we'll fly to the U.S. and immerse ourselves in family and friends. Realistically, we'll be able to spend more time with some people than we would if we were living at home--and idealistically (i.e. if not too many things break down; this is a cruising boat, after all), the minimal expenditures of anchoring and local food markets will keep the plan feasible.

[And no, contrary to some speculation, we are not contemplating sailing around the world!!]