| 21º 6.666' S | 149º 13.506' E | Del Viento | Arrived at what is likely our final port, Mackay, after a spectacular two day sail from Bundaberg. | over 5 years ago | Show
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| 24º 45.624' S | 152º 23.286' E | Del Viento | Leaving Port of Bundaberg for Mackay this morning. Will take a couple days to get there, sailing behind the Great Barrier Reef. | over 5 years ago | Show
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| 23º 50.634' S | 151º 18.312' E | Del Viento | Leaving Gladstone, Australia for Pancake Creek. | over 5 years ago | Show
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| 17º 44.412' S | 168º 18.75' E | Del Viento | Departing Port Vila, Vanuatu for Gladstone, Australia with a stop at Chesterfield Reef, New Caledonia about midway. It's about a 10 day sail, but we'll spend a couple days at the uninhabited reef so we don't expect to make landfall in Australia until August 14 or so. Our last long ocean passage aboard Del Viento! | over 5 years ago | Show
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| 17º 44.85' S | 168º 18.678' E | Del Viento | Checked into Vanuatu yesterday after a straightforward 4.5 day passage from Fiji. A perfect shakedown for the 10 day, and final :(, passage to Australia. Finding our sea legs for sure! | almost 6 years ago | Show
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| 17º 54.912' S | 177º 16.05' E | Del Viento | We are setting sail for Vanuatu! It will be a 4 to 5 day passage. Looking forward to being out on the ocean and seeing another country. Vinaka vakalevu Fiji! (10am, July 18. Fiji time) | almost 6 years ago | Show
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| 17º 36.276' S | 177º 26.82' E | Del Viento | Anchored off Lautoka. From here we'll take friends on a day sail, provision, and do some last small repairs. | almost 6 years ago | Show
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| 17º 46.272' S | 177º 11.322' E | Del Viento | Back on the moorings at Musket Cove hanging with the kid boats and preparing to leave for Vanuatu. | almost 6 years ago | Show
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| 17º 46.638' S | 177º 9.99' E | Del Viento | Musket Cove. Kid boat heaven! | over 6 years ago | Show
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| 17º 38.514' S | 177º 23.592' E | Del Viento | Saweni Bay. There are 15 other cruising boats here. Back in the big city. | over 6 years ago | Show
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| 17º 25.308' S | 177º 44.958' E | Del Viento | Tomorrow we'll complete our circumnavigation of Viti Levu, though we did half clockwise and half counterclockwise... | over 6 years ago | Show
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| 17º 18.69' S | 178º 10.308' E | Del Viento | Brisk wind, blue skies, and snugly anchored for the night. All is well. | over 6 years ago | Show
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| 17º 32.502' S | 178º 22.698' E | Del Viento | Peaceful night at anchor. Since the village here is a traditional Fijian village, we will go today for sevusevu, where we present a gift of cava to the village leader and are then welcomed as guests. | over 6 years ago | Show
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| 16º 48.6' S | 179º 17.298' E | Del Viento | The Cousteau anchorage (after the nearby resort), where we are now, is a great anchorage and convenient jumping off point. At midnight we'll sail south and began to work our way counter clockwise around Viti Levu (the big Fijian island) toward Lautoka. | over 6 years ago | Show
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| 16º 46.698' S | 179º 19.902' E | Del Viento | Bula! Arrived back in Fiji. Couldn't have hoped for better weather to and from Futuna, a short but notoriously unpleasant run. | over 6 years ago | Show
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| 14º 17.802' S | 178º 9.702' W | Del Viento | Arrived in Futuna. Beautiful weather all the way. Anchorage is calm now, but has almost no protection from prevailing winds and swells, so can't be here long--just enough time to check in and out, thereby restarting the clock on Del Viento's stay in Fiji. | over 6 years ago | Show
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| 16º 23.1' S | 179º 43.5' W | Del Viento | All is well. Making fast progress toward Futuna. Looking forward to French cheese and wine. | over 6 years ago | Show
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| 16º 49.998' S | 179º 16.002' E | Del Viento | Leaving Fiji en route to the island of Futuna, about two days sail north. There we check into a whole new country, one that sounds like two countries: Wallis and Futuna. | over 6 years ago | Show
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| 16º 46.44' S | 179º 20.64' E | Del Viento | Our mooring. Del Viento's home for the cyclone season. All is well. | over 7 years ago | Show
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| 16º 48.612' S | 179º 17.268' E | Del Viento | Arrived this morning and anchored off the Cousteau Resort just outside Savusavu. Getting our fill of this gorgeous sparkling turquoise water before heading to our cyclone mooring in the murky waters of Nakama Creek. | over 7 years ago | Show
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| 18º 10.242' S | 178º 31.044' E | Del Viento | On our way to Savusavu with stops planned at Leleuvia Island, Makogai, and Namena Reef. | over 7 years ago | Show
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| 18º 7.332' S | 178º 25.56' E | Del Viento | Suva, Fiji. Great city. All is well. | over 7 years ago | Show
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| 17º 54.954' S | 177º 16.074' E | Del Viento | Arrived early this morning at Momi Bay, just a stone's throw from Denarau, which is a stone's throw from the airport where our eagerly awaited guests will soon arrive. | over 7 years ago | Show
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| 16º 57.282' S | 179º 51.87' E | Del Viento | Departing Taveuni Island for Denarau, near Nadi. Should be a fast two day passage if the weather holds. All is well. | over 7 years ago | Show
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| 16º 56.052' S | 179º 54.018' E | Del Viento | Broke away from Savusavu, which was starting to feel like home. Can't say enough good things about Waitui Marina where we spent these last three weeks on a mooring, unprecedented service and just really nice folks. We're now bobbing (and rolling a bit) on a free mooring just off the Paradise Taveuni Resort, a georgeous place whose proprietors understand (e.g. showers & laundry) and welcome cruisers as guests (e.g. pool & cultural events). Fun! All is well. | over 7 years ago | Show
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| 16º 46.704' S | 179º 19.794' E | Del Viento | Monday, August 1. Arrived in Savusavu, Fiji! Crossed into the eastern hemisphere early this morning. Took a mooring ball at the friendly Waitui Marina. Indian food is $4 a plate. All is well. | over 7 years ago | Show
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| 13º 49.146' S | 171º 45.798' W | Del Viento | It's Tuesday, July 26. Departing Apia, Samoa for Savusavu, Fiji. Passage should be about 5 days. All is well. | almost 8 years ago | Show
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| 13º 49.686' S | 171º 45.564' W | Del Viento | Wednesday, July 20, 2016. Arrived at Apia, Samoa. Reminds us of Tahiti. Lots of people and very developed compared to American Samoa. Looking forward to visiting the tomb of Robert Loius Stevenson, getting some boat projects done, and continuing on to Fiji soon. All is well. | almost 8 years ago | Show
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| 14º 16.38' S | 170º 41.886' W | Del Viento | It's Sunday, June 26. We arrived in Pago Pago, American Samoa on Thursday. The Internet has been horrendous--15minutes to load this web page--my excuse for just now posting this. Uneventful, though bumpy, passage. Fortunately we eked out enough easting to make it to AS, thereby saving money and losing time. Anxious to get to Fiji to make some repairs but already feeling ourselves sucked into the vortex of this friendly island. Spent yesterday playing around with kids at the sailing school our friends Matt and Brittney started up since we were last here. Later, a Chinese food feast on par with anything in San Fran. Fun. | almost 8 years ago | Show
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| 18º 40.656' S | 174º 3.06' W | Del Viento | Departing Vava'u for Samoa, or maybe American Samoa. Weather forecast looks beautiful for the next several days. All is well. | almost 8 years ago | Show
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| 18º 42.048' S | 174º 1.872' W | Del Viento | Arrived in Vavau, Tonga at one of our favorite anchorages ever. Port Maurelle is so beautiful, even with 6 other boats. | almost 8 years ago | Show
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| 19º 43.128' S | 174º 17.082' W | Del Viento | Leaving Ha'apai en route to American Samoa by way of Niue, Vava'u, or possibly direct to AS. Of course Niue is east of us, so will only make it there with luck, but any easting we can manage is good for the AS passage. Vava'u is our bailout plan if this window closes on us. Should be interesting. All is well. | almost 8 years ago | Show
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| 19º 40.248' S | 174º 17.4' W | Del Viento | Arrived in the Ha'apai group, Tonga after a gorgeous overnight sail from Vava'u -- a gentle re-entry for Del Viento after seven months in the protected waters of the Vava'u group. Evidently not gentle enough for the crew who, except for Mike, spent the passage turning various shades of green. The Ha'apai reminds us of the Tuamotus, only the the atolls are incomplete, semicircles, fully protected from the east and open to the west. | almost 8 years ago | Show
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| 18º 39.408' S | 173º 58.89' W | Del Viento | It's Sunday, November 1. Arrived at Neiafu, Tonga. Easy passage. Arrived on a Sunday and Monday is a holiday. Government closed. Will check in on Tuesday and get settled in. All is well. | over 8 years ago | Show
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| 14º 39.354' S | 170º 56.202' W | Del Viento | It's Wednesday, October 28. Departed American Samoa for the Kingdom of Tonga. Expect to arrive on Halloween, actually it will be Nov. 1 for us since we'll cross the International Dateline on the way. All is well.
| over 8 years ago | Show
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| 14º 16.368' S | 170º 41.844' W | Del Viento | It's Tuesday, Sept. 29. Arrived in Pago Pago, American Samoa. Port Captian requested we tie up to a big tug docked near the customs office. Check-in required paperwork at six separate offices. Afterward, exhausted, we left the dock and were fortunate to pick up a free mooring. Word is the bottom here is fouled with everything including the kitchen sink--a result of the 2009 tsunami. Adjusting back to the English language. All is well.
| over 8 years ago | Show
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| 14º 1.272' S | 167º 19.302' W | Del Viento | It's Sunday, Sept. 27. Light winds, expected to increase over the next couple days. Should arrive in Pago Pago Tuesday morning. All is well.
| over 8 years ago | Show
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| 13º 39.558' S | 165º 23.712' W | Del Viento | It's Saturday, Sept. 26. What a difference a few days makes. After the rough, wet, uncomfortable passage to Suwarrow we sure do appreciate the easy ride this time. Tomorrow night a "super moon" will light our way, but we'll miss the eclipse which is not visible from the South Pacific. All is well.
| over 8 years ago | Show
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| 13º 14.358' S | 163º 21.24' W | Del Viento | It's Friday, Sept. 25. Departed Suwarrow for Pago Pago, American Samoa, four days away. In AS we have parts waiting. We'll provision at the inexpensive American-style grocery stores and then keep moving on to Tonga where we'll settle in for hurricane season. All is well.
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| 13º 15.066' S | 163º 6.396' W | Del Viento | It's Tuesday, Sept 22. Arrived at Suwarrow, scooting in at dusk after motor-sailing the last few hours. Exhausted and relieved to have the last 7 days behind us. The entire island is a nature preserve. Park ranger debunked recent rumors that swimming is prohibited in the lagoon. Of course seven disappointed sharks are currently parked under Del Viento, recovering from their frenzy over a chunk of slimy cucumber. Will recover here for a few days then depart for Pago Pago, American Samoa (3 to 4 days away). All is well.
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| 13º 33.972' S | 162º 22.992' W | Del Viento | It's Monday, Sept. 21. 45 Miles to Suwarrow and losing our wind...All is well.
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| 14º 32.04' S | 160º 28.716' W | Del Viento | It's Sunday, Sept. 20. With luck we'll arrive at Suwarrow tomorrow afternoon with enough light to navigate the pass. Otherwise we'll heave-to overnight and run the pass early Tuesday morning. All is well.
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| 15º 16.854' S | 158º 44.736' W | Del Viento | It's Saturday, Sept. 19. Miserable wet squally night. Everything closed up. Inside of DV is certifiably rank. Sunshine welcome this am. 2 to 3 days to Suwarrow landfall. All is well.
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| 16º 20.754' S | 156º 53.634' W | Del Viento | It's Friday, Sept. 18. Changed course. Now heading NW toward Suwarrow, in the Northern Cook Islands. The weather forecast was deteriorating for Niue, where you take a mooring ball in deep water along the open coastline. No protection except from the east (to access the island you actually use a crane to lift your dinghy onto the sea wall, impossible in a big swell). Too bad, but we decided to make the call and divert rather than make our destination and be pretty literally between a rock and a hard place. Anchoring in general is limited throughout the Cooks, few protected anchorages, and lots of opportunity to run into bad weather because of the long distances between stops (especially with this El Nino). Suwarrow is an atoll and offers some protection, and the forecast is showing good weather in the Northern Cooks. All is well.
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| 17º 17.976' S | 155º 37.404' W | Del Viento | It's Thursday, September 17. We understand a tsunami swept under us sometime last night, imperceptible at sea. We're concerned about friends near land and all the people out here living on the low lying atolls. Hope it is a non-event. All is well.
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| 16º 49.716' S | 153º 40.932' W | Del Viento | It's Wednesday, Sept. 16. Today we'll pass Mopelia and wave goodbye to French Polynesia. Getting our sea legs back. All is well.
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| 16º 29.412' S | 151º 47.1' W | Del Viento | It's Tuesday, Sept. 15. Departing Bora Bora for American Samoa via Niue, an 8 day passage to Niue with possible brief stops in the Cooks (Palmerston or Rarotonga) and Beveridge Reef. Feeling pressed to put some miles behind us, hurricane season starts Nov. 1. All is well.
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| 16º 32.118' S | 151º 42.234' W | Del Viento | It's Saturday, September 12. Lots of wind. Moved over to what our friends on Vagrant call "the swimming pool." Crystal clear and shallow, but the bottom has us playing musical boats. Anchors plowing unimpeded through the talcum sand over the hard coral bottom. All is well.
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| 16º 29.388' S | 151º 45.636' W | Del Viento | On Thursday, September 09 arrived in Bora Bora after motor-sailing all day from Huahine. Picked up a $20 mooring at the Bora Bora Yacht Club. Hot showers. Ahh. Will spend a few days in Bora Bora looking for a good window to cross to the Cook Islands, about a 500nm jump. All is well.
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| 16º 42.858' S | 151º 2.016' W | Del Viento | On Thursday, September 9 we departed Huahine for Bora Bora. Reluctantly slipped from our free government mooring at the easygoing surfer town of Fare. All is well.
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| 17º 29.49' S | 149º 51.126' W | Del Viento | It's Tuesday, September 01. Leaving Opunohu Bay, Moorea for Huahine about 90 miles to the northwest. Finally have a good weather window after several days of strong northerlies. Yesterday, went with our friends on Naoma to see the sharks and rays over by the Intercontinental Hotel, again. Can't get enough of those enormous and oddly affectionate (due to daily feeding by tour guides) sting rays. The sharks are cool, but not quite so cuddly. All is well.
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| 17º 28.89' S | 149º 48.81' W | Del Viento | It's Saturday, August 22. Now anchored in the lagoon off Cooks Bay, Moorea, very close to where we anchored before. Tanking up on fast wifi at Moorea Beach Cafe, a gorgeous spot to have a drink and watch whales cavort along the reef (while you Skype your bank and try to convince them yes, you are the one trying to access your account). All is well.
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| 17º 32.406' S | 149º 34.248' W | Del Viento | It's Saturday, July 25. Arrived yesterday at Papeete Harbor, Tahiti. Docked at the new downtown Papeete Yachts Wharf. Outside the harbor Humback whales, pilot whales, dolphins and inside, Auntie Julie, Eoin, and Katherine. A memorable landfall. All is well.
| almost 9 years ago | Show
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| 16º 36.252' S | 145º 39.462' W | Del Viento | It's Wednesday, July 22. Left Fakarava, Tuamotus en route to Papeete, Tahiti. So many sharks of all kinds at Fakarava, spectacular. Dreaming of fresh produce. All is well.
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| 16º 31.296' S | 145º 28.344' W | Del Viento | It's Thursday, July 16. Arrived Fakarava, South Pass, Tuamotus. Easy overnight passage from Tahanea. Dropped anchor near a few other boats. While I was tying the float on, the chain snagged a bommie (coral head)--not good for our boat or for the coral. Tried again, floating the chain using fenders to keep it clear of the coral. We've done this several times now, whenever there's limited space between bommies. Works pretty well to prevent tangling and protects the coral. Diving and snorkeling big here. There's an airstrip where tourist fly in from Tahiti, a few small resorts, charter and dive boats. All is well.
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| 16º 57.306' S | 144º 34.866' W | Del Viento | It's Saturday, July 11. Hunkered down again, this time on the southern side of Tahanea. The weather pattern has been a few nice days followed by a few days of strong wind, requiring us to seek protection. This particular spot is gorgeous, well protected. One other boat here, Vagrant. This is the couple's 3rd time through the Pacific: once in their 20's, then with their son in the 90's, and now (son is now in grad school in LA). Interesting chatting with folks who've already been where we are now, hearing what they did along the way and after. All is well.
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| 16º 51.69' S | 144º 39.864' W | Del Viento | It's Thursday, July 09. Arrived at Tahanea, an uninhabited atoll and home to a handful of Tuomotu sandpipers, the last of their species. Still getting used to the sharks. Some are mildly curious but shy. Most are indifferent. Yesterday at Makemo, Eleanor was swimming off the boat. Frances looked down from the deck and said, "There's a shark under Eleanor." It was big, bigger than Eleanor anyway, and just a few feet beneath her. "Okee, time to come in," I said as calmly as I could manage. All is well.
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| 16º 31.26' S | 143º 49.338' W | Del Viento | It's Tuesday, July 07. We're anchored behind a hook of coral just two hours from the western pass where we'll exit Makemo. Stayed an extra day at the village as it was opening day for their Heiva, a 2 week long cultural festival (They called it a mini-Heiva I think in contrast to Tahiti's which is huge and lasts over a month.) We watched muscular dudes in skirts heave hand-made javelins at a coconut suspended 50 feet in the air. All is well.
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| 16º 37.602' S | 143º 34.206' W | Del Viento | Back at the village of Pouheva. Still blowing a bit but settling. Moved because we're planning an early am departure for the "Intermediate Anchorage" west of us. Leaving in the morning we'll have the sun behind us for better visibility through the water. Patches of coral are everywhere but easily seen in good light. On the way here, while dodging larger coral shoals, we slipped past a narrow finger of coral rising vertically from a depth of 100 feet to within a few feet of the surface. I have new appreciation for polarized lenses. All is well. | almost 9 years ago | Show
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| 16º 39.3' S | 143º 23.592' W | Del Viento | It's Friday, July 3. We moved here because we heard it's a nice spot and well protected. Expect strong winds this weekend. There are seven boats here, all thinking the same thing I suppose. Just after anchoring a short squall sent me topsides to scrub all the dirt and sand away in order to collect water--as I finished the rain did too, bummer. We've used about a third of our precious Tuamotus water, another third and we'll begin severe rationing. We already miss the little motu we left today. Yesterday afternoon we appropriated the empty campsite and spent the afternoon drinking beer, snorkeling, playing frisbee, and baking potatoes and garlic bread in a campfire. All is well.
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| 16º 42.264' S | 143º 27.732' W | Del Viento | It's Tuesday, June 30. Crossed the lagoon to find our own little bit of paradise this afternoon. Made it here not a minute too soon. The sun was sinking and visibility through the water was getting poor. With the sun behind, we could just make out coral patches sprouting up, some almost to the surface. But when we turned around to anchor the water was so reflective we couldn't see anything. Followed our gps track in reverse to get back safe water and anchored. Relief! We're near a tiny island, called a motu. It's part of the string of various sized islands that together form the atoll. All is well.
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| 16º 37.626' S | 143º 34.302' W | Del Viento | It's Sunday, June 28. Arrived in Makemo after one of the easiest, most satisfying passages ever. Entered the pass a bit early (a half hour before low tide). We could see it was relatively calm so went for it. Found a 2 knot max opposing current, some rips, nothing major. Water is crystal clear and calm as anticipated. Plenty of fish to be seen even from the deck. One is gray with a long nose, looks like a miniature dolphin, very cute and Muppet like. Hope to get internet at the little town here, and bread. Crossing fingers for a bit of produce too. Then tomorrow we'll continue west inside the lagoon to a more remote anchorage for swimming and exploring. All is well.
| almost 9 years ago | Show
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| 15º 35.298' S | 143º 6.9' W | Del Viento | It's Saturday, June 27. We didn't lose our wind after all. Sailing effortlessly. Expect landfall at Makemo tomorrow morning. Will need to slow down, maybe heave-to, in order to arrive at the pass just before 8am slack. All is well.
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| 13º 32.634' S | 142º 6.774' W | Del Viento | It's Friday, June 26. Another beautiful day. Last weather looked like we might lose our wind toward the end of the passage, but so far so good. Del Viento is sailing herself--mostly we eat, read, nap, and make sure we don't bump into anything. Temps have been cooler than we expected, especially at night when we've been bringing a blanket topsides during watches. All is well.
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| 11º 46.986' S | 141º 6.462' W | Del Viento | It's Thursday, June 25. Fantastic sail so far. Classic trade winds, fluffy white clouds and a warm breeze. All is well.
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| 9º 38.106' S | 140º 14.832' W | Del Viento | It's Wednesday, June 24. We're en route to the Tuomotus! The spectacular rock spires and verdant slopes of Ua Pou are shrinking in our wake. Au revoir beautiful Marquesas. We're on a fast beam reach pointed directly at Makemo Atoll where we'll make landfall in 3 or 4 days. At the entrance we'll run our first reef pass into the lagoon. It's well marked, wide and deep, so should be straightforward, but we know from the inside passage and PNW that passes and entrances can be pretty...exciting.
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| 9º 23.202' S | 140º 7.674' W | Del Viento | It's Saturday, June 20. Beautiful sail today to the island of Ua Pou. This anchorage in the Bay of Vaiehu is the first we've had to ourselves since Baja. It's a bit drier here and reminds us of the Channel Islands in CA. There's a wild horse grazing the nearby hillside. Plan to spend tomorrow here, then cross to Makemo Island, an atoll in the Tuamotus. It's a four day passage. All is well.
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| 8º 56.628' S | 140º 9.81' W | Del Viento | It's Friday, June 19. Arrived yesterday afternoon at a place known to cruisers as Daniel's Bay (after a cruiser-friendly former resident) and to locals as Hakatea Bay. There's a popular hike accessible from here which we'll attempt this morning. It rained for most of the night, so not sure what state the trail will be in. From here we'll sail to Ua Pou, our last stop in the Marquesas before crossing to the Tuamotus. All is well.
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| 8º 54.996' S | 140º 5.796' W | Del Viento | It's Thursday, June 11. Just arrived at Taiohae on Nuku Hiva. Lots of boats (30 or so) here. Feels like the big city after Tahuata. Looking forward to internet access and baguettes. Frances made chocolate banana smoothies, yum. All is well.
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| 9º 46.668' S | 139º 14.802' W | Del Viento | It's Wednesday, June 10. We're on an over night passage en route to Nuku Hiva. Will provision there for the Tuamotus. Need propane and diesel. There's been a worker strike affecting propane deliveries, crossing our fingers on that one. Have collected rain water and have most of what we need. Went fruit picking this pm with a family we met in Vaitahu, so have plenty of fruit too. Just need some eggs and veggies. All is well.
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| 9º 56.268' S | 139º 6.732' W | Del Viento | It's Monday, June 12. Today we planned to sail from Hapatoni, Tahuata to Nuku Hiva, but as we passed the little town of Vaitahu, it called to us. Also, the weather is bad. Our overnight passage became a 20 minute passage. We loved Hapatoni. Incredibly picturesque, tidy, sweet little town. Over the top nice people. Arrived back at the boat loaded with fruit, carvings of wood and bone. We bought one carving, the rest were gifts. The girls swam with baby dolphins. All is well.
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| 9º 57.726' S | 139º 7.146' W | Del Viento | It's Friday, June 5. This afternoon we moved to anchor off the town of Hapatoni, on the same island, Tahuata, just a few miles south of Hanamoenoa. Hanamoenoa Bay was picture perfect. Most mornings mantas visited the anchorage, feeding on drifts of tiny jellies. At one point there were five kid boats anchored there. The girls had a blast playing on the beach, snorkeling, and watching movies with friends. Windy snorkeled, briefly, with a 6 foot black tip shark. All is well.
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| 9º 54.426' S | 139º 6.3' W | Del Viento | On Sunday, May 31 we arrived at Baie Hanamoenoa, the northern most anchorage on the west side of the island of Tahuata. It's a party here with a dozen boats anchored, including several kid-boats. Strong off-shore winds blew most of the night, but with no fetch and no swell we were still very comfortable and grateful to be in one of the more protected coves in the Marquesas. All is well.
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| 9º 50.268' S | 139º 1.65' W | Del Viento | Departing Hiva Oa for Tahuata, just a few miles south. Looking forward to clean water to jump into and a calmer anchorage. Will miss fresh baguettes every day and the really friendly locals on Hiva Oa. | almost 9 years ago | Show
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| 9º 48.264' S | 139º 1.932' W | Del Viento | On Thursday, May 21 we arrived at Atuona, Hiva Oa, about 40 miles north of Fatu Hiva. Friends aboard Gratatouille and Wairua welcomed us with fresh baguettes. This is the village where Paul Gauguin lived and is buried. Tinkerbell, a Dutch boat, is here with two girls, 9 and 11. Another family from Austraila, Ulysses Blue, also with 9 and 11 year old girls, is due any day. | almost 9 years ago | Show
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| 10º 27.912' S | 138º 40.188' W | Del Viento | It's Sunday, May 10. Landfall. We've arrived at Hanavave (Bay of Virgins, once more aptly named, for obvious geologic reasons, as the Bay of Penises), Fatu Hiva and it is even more beautiful than we imagined. Truly stunning, complete with rainbows arcing down from the crags to the tiny village below. All is well.
| almost 9 years ago | Show
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| 9º 12.462' S | 137º 29.976' W | Del Viento | It's Saturday, May 9. We're less than 24 hours from landfall. Today all day, we search the horizon for land, but we are really still too far away and the horizon is obscured by clouds anyway. Boy are we itching to get our land legs back. All is well.
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| 7º 44.586' S | 136º 22.626' W | Del Viento | It's Friday, May 8. Good sailing day. Winds and seas a bit less, more comfortable. Anticipate landfall Sunday or Monday! All is well.
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| 5º 37.008' S | 135º 7.758' W | Del Viento | It's Thursday, May 7. Still lots of wind and big seas, though we expect this to settle soon, maybe during the night? The Marquesas are looking very close. We can smell the baguettes baking. All is well.
| almost 9 years ago | Show
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| 3º 50.034' S | 133º 40.488' W | Del Viento | It's Wednesday, May 6. Loads of wind these last two days. We're about 500 miles from the Marquesas. All is well.
| almost 9 years ago | Show
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| 2º 42.486' S | 132º 4.776' W | Del Viento | It's Tuesday, May 5. Great wind, making 6.5kts easily. Seas are a bit rough on the beam. Having Thai curry for dinner. Yum. All is well.
| almost 9 years ago | Show
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| 1º 5.562' S | 130º 40.518' W | Del Viento | It's Monday, May 4. Just rolling along. Headed straight for the Marquesas. Every so often a huge swell comes through on our beam and things get shaken up, shifted around, occasionally broken. All is well.
| almost 9 years ago | Show
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| 0º 10.002' N | 129º 25.002' W | Del Viento | It's Sunday, May 3. Less than 10 miles to the equator! The last couple of days we just sail and sail, night and day. Just an occasional tweak to the sails as the wind gradually rotates aft, otherwise Del Viento is sailing herself. The motion is comfortable, Mike and I both had great naps today. All is well.
| almost 9 years ago | Show
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| 1º 22.998' N | 128º 22.002' W | Del Viento | It's Saturday, May 2. Another beautiful sailing day. Lots of wind in the morning. We hove-to, we reefed, and after reefing noticed the UV strip on head sail was flapping, worse than last time, and in different places. Then of course the wind died, which turned out in our favor because we had to get the head sail down. After that was all sorted out, we really did have a great day of sailing. All is well.
| almost 9 years ago | Show
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| 2º 16.998' N | 126º 42.0' W | Del Viento | It's Friday, May 1. Beautiful trade winds day. Blue skies. Puffy white clouds. Toilet over-flowed with black water. All is well.
| almost 9 years ago | Show
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| 3º 7.524' N | 125º 16.86' W | Del Viento | It's Thursday, April 30. We have a guest aboard. We think it's a black noddy, a type of tern. The bird has been here a few hours, making itself progressively more at home, and now seems to have settled in for the night. Other good news includes the probability that we are finally in the southern trades. We're sailing along briskly, and in the right direction. All is well.
| almost 9 years ago | Show
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| 3º 53.13' N | 124º 33.018' W | Del Viento | It's Wednesday, April 29. Today we discovered the Equatorial Countercurrent. Early this morning the winds picked up, the sails filled, it appeared we were leaving the doldrums behind. The celebration was brief because shortly we encountered the Equatorial Countercurrent and were whisked away, in the exact wrong direction. So far the best heading we can make is SSE. It'll have to do until we reach the other side of this mid-ocean river. All is well.
| almost 9 years ago | Show
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| 5º 0.864' N | 124º 42.264' W | Del Viento | It's Tuesday, April 28. Still motoring south. We'll sail for a bit when we catch the edge of a squall then dead calm again and back on goes motor. The engine is loud, it heats up the cabin, especially the aft cabin, which the girls have abandoned at this point, and we're using fuel we'd rather not use. The alternative is to flop around and wait for wind, but then there's a chance the ITCZ will shift south and we'll lose the progress we've made so far through the doldrums. The only positive is the unlimited power. On go the radar and the inverter. Out come the toaster, the blender, and all manner of devices. All is well.
| about 9 years ago | Show
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| 9º 0.264' N | 123º 26.754' W | Del Viento | This is the first of several posts that didn't register. Will send the rest over the next couple of days. It's Saturday, April 25. We're over a thousand miles from the nearest land, haven't seen a ship for days, and we had unexpected visitors drop in this morning. A shiny red helicopter circled us and then the pilot, hovering very close, gave us a thumbs-up, questioning. We gave enthusiastic thumbs-ups back. Pilot and co-pilot waved and took off east. Cool! All is well.
| about 9 years ago | Show
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| 5º 39.96' N | 124º 5.61' W | Del Viento | It's Monday, April 27. Still motoring, no wind at all but also fewer squalls. When days and days go by and you see neither ship, nor land, nor whale, nor any other object which you might bump into or which might bump into you, a bit of watch-keeping slothfulness is inevitable. But just as we are comfortably settling into a tropically-induced torpor, enter the Watch Commander. It's much like a egg timer, except in the event you do not respond to it's gentle reminder that you put your book down and pay attention to your surroundings, it explodes with an alarm that will wake the dead. So thanks to our good friends Don and Jim, we have that to keep us alert.
| about 9 years ago | Show
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| 7º 11.676' N | 123º 55.158' W | Del Viento | It's Sunday, April 26. Doldrums. We're motoring very slowly through the squally area around the ITCZ. We're headed due south, the shortest route through this, we hope. Of course it's a moving target as the ITCZ expands, contracts and snakes north and south. All is well.
| about 9 years ago | Show
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| 10º 8.064' N | 122º 27.996' W | Del Viento | It's Friday, April 24. First squall came during the night. At 4am a black mass closed in bringing rain and more wind, confused seas. We were already fully reefed, so I grabbed the iPod and went below to batten down the hatches. Everything went black outside, but with the instruments, radar, and remote autopilot, I could "see" what was happening and make course adjustments from inside. All is well.
| about 9 years ago | Show
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| 12º 3.714' N | 121º 27.228' W | Del Viento | It's Thursday, April 23. Winds and seas picked up today. We are flying! We have one reef in the main and will take in the second reef if winds pick up any more. Bowls and plates are moving targets. At breakfast Frances's bowl of yogurt went airborn requiring extensive cleanup and resulting in a yogurt bath for Eleanor. All is well.
| about 9 years ago | Show
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| 13º 36.492' N | 119º 59.352' W | Del Viento | It's Wednesday, April 22. Rolling along. Seas are lumpy and confused. The girls have been doing school underway, something we never did on shorter passages. They are also helping with watches, handling lines, steering. Today Frances helped Mike heave-to while I was taking a nap. Those things, along with regular chores, reading, video games, and their ever-present art projects, keep them occupied and content. Somewhere along the line, the scales tipped, and the girls transitioned from being liabilities aboard to becoming significant assets as crew.
| about 9 years ago | Show
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| 14º 32.628' N | 118º 33.78' W | Del Viento | It's Tuesday, April 21. Spotted a boat last night, the first since the Cabo area. We see a few booby birds every day, none bold enough to land on Del Viento, only circling. And flying fish, many in the water, one dead on the deck. One night I got a huge blast of whale breath, never saw the whale. Otherwise dark blue below, light blue above. It's a bit like Groundhog Day out here.
| about 9 years ago | Show
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| 15º 35.25' N | 117º 14.358' W | Del Viento | It's Monday, April 20. Today are dealing with our biggest problem so far. The UV strip that protects our jib is coming unstitched in a couple places. Our old household sewing machine wasn't up to the task, so now we're hand stitching a six foot section. Meanwhile, the entire salon is filled with billowy drifts of sail. Otherwise, all is well.
| about 9 years ago | Show
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| 16º 50.598' N | 115º 58.218' W | Del Viento | It's Sunday, April 18. Now, with a bit more wind to counter the swell, things are a lot quieter--a relief after all that slatting and banging and creaking. Still going slow, but ahh, peacefully. We're cooking quite a bit. The stove is gimbaled so stays flat while the boat moves around it. Even so, we use special clamps to hold the pots in place or they'll slide all over the stovetop. All is well.
| about 9 years ago | Show
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| 17º 48.504' N | 115º 0.294' W | Del Viento | It's Saturday, April 18. At dawn we sailed past Isla Clarion, the last land we'll see until French Polynesia. Now we're running downwind with light winds and big seas, making for a rolly ride. Our regular watch routine is working out okay. Mike stays up late. Windy gets up early. Naps. The girls pitch in during the day. All is well. | about 9 years ago | Show
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| 18º 53.046' N | 113º 27.864' W | Del Viento | It's Friday, April 17. Sailing again after motoring last night in a dead calm. There's a slight current pushing us along, so using very little fuel we made around 4 knots. Now, sailing, we're going 5.5 knots in only 10 knots of wind under our code zero (our light-air sail). No sea sickness so far, even for Frannie, who's most prone. Wanted to make pasta salad, but can't find the pasta. All is well. | about 9 years ago | Show
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| 20º 8.004' N | 112º 11.244' W | Del Viento | It's Thursday, April 16. We're sailing in light, variable winds about 230 nautical miles from Cabo. Going through the more perishable produce quickly, lost one big lovely cantaloupe which we will mourn later. Temps in the 70s by day, wearing fleece and snuggling in blankets for the cool night watches. 2400 nautical miles to go. All is well. | about 9 years ago | Show
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| 21º 27.876' N | 110º 53.994' W | Del Viento | It's Wed, April 14. We're off and running! Reaching, actually. We've been on a close reach since leaving San Jose del Cabo yesterday morning, traveling along our rhumb line, pointed directly at the Marquesas. At this rate we'll be there in 20 days. Making banana bread with our already over-ripe bananas. | about 9 years ago | Show
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| 23º 3.39' N | 109º 37.242' W | Del Viento | It's Tuesday, April 14. We're on our way into San Jose del Cabo harbor, just to get water and top off fuel. Then back out into the Pacific! We're all excited to get going. | about 9 years ago | Show
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| 23º 59.442' N | 109º 49.704' W | Del Viento | It's Sunday, April 12. We're Anchored at Bahia Los Muertos waiting for winds and seas to settle. All is well. | about 9 years ago | Show
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| 24º 15.264' N | 110º 19.452' W | Del Viento | It's Saturday, April 11. After a dinner of wholesome soup (made by Norma) and a glorious sleep we're feeling recharged. Today we'll leave the anchorage at Bahia Falsa and head south. | about 9 years ago | Show
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| 24º 9.33' N | 110º 19.56' W | Del Viento | It's Wednesday, April 8 and we've moved to Marina De La Paz for last minute projects and provisioning. | about 9 years ago | Show
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| 24º 9.312' N | 110º 19.722' W | Del Viento | March 18, 2015. We're in La Paz preparing to depart for French Polynesia in the first week of April. | about 9 years ago | Show
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