Browsing Category : Culture

Our best village guides


The start to the passage would be exposed to the tradewinds and seas. In an attempt to be as comfortable as possible we got underway just after 5am, which was before before sunrise. It worked as planned and it was a comfortable start with the full main and jib coming out after sunrise and off when the engine. While the…

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Three village visits in one day


We jumped on the paddleboards and headed into the village to speak with the chief and to explore a bit. With the shallow draft we were able to go straight over the reef making for a shorter paddle. Once on shore I walked up to a villager to ask if we could leave our paddleboards. Bill was very kind and…

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A first chance to explore Lamen bay


Arriving yesterday, it was time to check in with the chief and ask permission to stay in his anchorage and visit his village. But first I baked some bread, one of loaf went to the nice couple who gave us the fish yesterday and one yummy fresh loaf for us. Then it was time to get to shore into the…

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Undine bay on Nguna island


Most important thing for the day was visiting the chief and asking permission to anchor and visit their village. Unlike in Fiji there is not need to make an offering. The villagers were friendly and when asking to meet the chief we learned he was not feeling well. We asked for the head man, were told they would find someone.…

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First taste of Port Vila


Port Vila was a great stopover/provisioning spot. Plus due to the wind we had extra time for some fun. After cleaning up the boat with fresh water we relaxed a bit. Alex from SV Blue Beryl swung by as he headed to Customs. Our plan had been to skip Customs here as we had a cruising permit from Port Resolution,…

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Arrival Day in Vanuatu!


After settling a bit around 1:15am the seas kicked up and made for a rough few hours. Coming on watch at 5am Roxy filled me in on the lower winds but ongoing wave action. A low-key morning all around with acceptance that we truly would be arriving much sooner than we expected on departure. Always good news, well it would…

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Nacho!


A peaceful night was followed by a short sail, okay motor up to Mulege. Heading up the estuary always makes me nervous and the murky water didn’t help spotting obstructions. Thankfully no drama and after setting a stern anchor we got ready to head into town. Lowell called his guy, Nacho, to pick us up and soon we saw his…

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Time slipped away too quickly


After another morning run we headed straight for Saint Mark’s Basilica. There was no line and we paid your euros and headed inside. It is an impressive building and even more so for Cheresa and Anna who have not been any of the large churches in Europe. We opted for the optional tour of the museum which allows for going…

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Crossing many things on the list


With only a couple days we packed in a lot today. But first up Anna and Cheresa wanted to get a workout. I was very skeptical of their plan to run around Venice but it actually worked out for them. Seven miles later they were back for breakfast before the adventure started. Since I had scoped things out already I…

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These dogs are tired!


The gun laws in Europe require a permit holder for a rifle, and only that permit holder, to transport the rifle. What this meant is that Anna and her teammate were unable to drive with me yesterday to Venecia and had to wait until the team moved to their Airbnb before they could come to Venecia. I had mapped it…

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On to Venicia to stretch my legs


I skipped out on the final day of the biathlon races in Ridanna and after breakfast hit the road. It was a smooth drive with no issues (thankfully) and the only surprise was the total cost for tolls. On the drive into the Dolomites I had four or five toll booths and on the drive back only one but the…

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