Aug 15 - Suwarrow

Suwarrow has been a very pleasant stop. One cruiser referred to it as adult day camp! Most days there are organized activities, as the two rangers here, James & John, offer "guided tours" to the reef, dives, shark feeding, bird watching, fishing trips, night time lobster hunting, potluck dinners, bocce ball, as well as lessons in coconut husking and meal preparation! Unbelievable, isn't it? These are the same (and only) officials that check us in, stamp our passports, and give us departure paperwork! There are also a variety of boat to boat activities and visits amongst the twenty five boats (give or take) and a daily (except Sunday) VHF radio net (channel 16 at 0830). Some cruisers stay for weeks here, as officialdom is very relaxed and quite accommodating…we know of one boat that finally left on their 39th day! So, little boredom, beautiful water colors and scenery, and a great spot to stage for our next stop, which is Pago Pago in American Samoa. Life is good!
Pic- We're collecting the 'properly sprouted' coconuts for the lesson in making coconut pancakes- they are sooo delicious!

Aug. 8, 2011 A very special day....

S - As we celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary, my memory goes back to this day in Olympia, WA, where our friend Dale had brought his shipshape and decked out 26' Seabird Yawl down from Seattle to be our wedding platform. We moved to Florida shortly after and built our first boat, a steel Chuck Wittholtz design Departure 35 we named Beyond which became the first big project we undertook. After 'outgrowing' her, we restored the 73' custom Derecktor built ketch Anore, as well as raised a family and attended a very busy medical practice. We purchased our present Westsail 43 Infini in 1998, and have cruised parts of the Bahamas, Mexico, Cuba and Florida while constantly upgrading her. Our dream to 'go cruising' had never changed, and we finally saw the timing was right when our youngest son went off to college.

We look back and marvel at the road we've traveled, and the many blessings we've had. We wouldn't be here without the help of many friends and family. We are fortunate to know some very gifted and talented people. We continue to meet and marvel at the diversity of backgrounds and knowledge of the cruisers out here. The experiences we've been having are priceless - we truly feel fortunate. We miss family dearly, but know their busy lives are taking their own path and we look forward to each trip back home to see them.

I know I'd make the same commitment I did back in Olympia. I'm looking forward to the next 30 years - Manuia!

M - I couldn't have put it any better! Although, I regret not having married her a hundred years earlier! She's been my saving grace, and is truly a unique and lovely woman, mother, friend and cruising partner. I love you, babe!

Aug 6 - Team Infini is safely anchored at Suwarrow Atoll

We ran out of wind 9 miles away from the pass and had to motor into Suwarrow. Our anchor was down at 1500 hours, and we saw a bunch of other boats we knew. Tomorrow being Sunday, we can't check in with the caretakers, so our official check into the Cook Islands will be Monday, Aug 8. All's well, we'll catch up on some rest, and relax here nearby an island that has no internet, no stores, no airstrip...not much of anything, and you can only get here by private yacht! Lovely!
Here's what I wrote earlier about Suwarrow...
Have you ever thought about living on a deserted island by yourself? We're traveling to Suwarrow to pay homage to a New Zealander who did exactly that, as a hermit, more than 50 years ago. His name was Tom Neale, and he reputedly treated visiting yachties well during his stay there from 1952 thru 1978. There's a book written of his life at Suwarrow entitled "An Island to Oneself" and it describes his solitary existence on this 11 mile atoll in the Pacific. These days the atoll is a Cook Island's national park, and two caretakers live there and are rotated on a regular basis every six months. There are bird sanctuaries as well as several wrecks, which attest to the place as being unsafe to anchor in any weather except routine tradewind conditions. A visit here also breaks up the passage from Bora Bora to American Samoa or Tonga into two parts rather than one long leg.

Aug 6 - Day 5; enroute to Suwarrow

Position: S13deg17.5min/W162deg54min
Day 5 run: 152 nm
Avg speed: 6.3 kn
Course: 285 T
Wind: 6-8 kn (Speed is presently 4-4.5 kn)
Seas: 3'
Sails: full main, Yankee jib, and staysail. Starboard beam reach.
Ship's log: We had one of those magical nights. Swells were about 3' with no chop; winds were NNW at 13-15, and our boat speed was about 7 knots the entire night. There was very little sail or vane adjustment necessary, and all we had to do was go along for the ride. A billion stars were out in clear skies, and a few shooting stars were also visible. Landfall is expected later this afternoon. It's ten miles to to to the outside waypoint off the pass into Suwarrow.

Aug 5 - Day 4; Enroute to Suwarrow

Position: S14deg14.1min/W160deg33min
Day 4 run: 148 nm
Avg speed: 6.2 kn
Course: 290 T
Wind: ENE 12-15 kn
Seas: ENE 6'
Sails: full main and jib; starboard tack
Ship's log: A nice day and evening run. If winds stay up (they're forecast to go lighter), we'd arrive at Suwarrow during daylight tomorrow afternoon; if not, we lay off and go in Sunday morning. Took the anchor chain (250' of it anyway...it continues for another 100' stowed under the starboard V berth) out of the chain locker earlier this morning to mark it with wire ties. Thru the years we've painted the chain, marked it with wire ties, marked it with special rode markers, and used the guesstimation technique to approximate chain paid out. Nothing works all that well. One friend of ours just installed an expensive electronic chain counter and it didn't work at all - probably installation error! So, it's back to inexpensive colored wire ties; replaceable and, when they're there, easily readable in the dark.

Aug 4 - Day 3 Enroute to Suwarrow Atoll

Position: S15deg04.6min/W158deg14.8min
Day 3 run: 135 nm
Avg speed: 5.6 kn
Course: 290 T
Wind: NE; 12.5 kn T
Seas: NE; 6'
Sails: full main; full Yankee jib; starboard tack
Ship's log: It was a beautiful night sailing on a broad reach. Calm weather; no problems. About 300 nm to go. All's well aboard.

Day 2 - Bora Bora to Suwarrow Atoll

Position: S15deg43.7min/W156deg05.2min
Day 2 run: 137 nm
Avg speed: 5.7 kn
Course: 285 T
Wind: 10-12 kn
Seas: ESE 4'
Sails: 2nd reef main; jib
Ship's log: Not a bad day's run. So far everything's been a dead run (not our most favorite point of sail) or broad reach, with lots of gybes thrown in. There's been a few light rain showers with not much wind in them. Approximately 430 nm to go. Update: in midafternoon the wind speed has fluctuated; we've shaken out both reefs and put the full main up; boat speed is in the low 6's.

Day 1 - Bora Bora to Suwarrow Atoll

Position: S15deg41min/W153deg58min
Day 1 run: 145 nm
Avg speed: 6.0 kn
Course: 280-330 T
Wind: ESE 12-18 kn
Seas: ESE 4'
Sails: 2nd reef main; full to partial reefed jib; reaching pole used when running
Ship's log: We departed Bora Bora and took down the French courtesy flag that had been flying for 3 months. We've spent a total of 9 months in French Polynesia over 2 seasons, and it's now time to head west. We were a little rusty for the first few hours, as it's been a while since we've been on passage. Winds were good and the seas were calm, allowing good passage time running and broad reaching. Sue had precooked some meals and we're on a 4 hour watch schedule in the evenings. Max is doing a good job steering. We're checking into the Pac Sea Net every afternoon (14300 mHz USB at 0330 UTC), so you can follow our progress on our blog (click "Where we are"). All's well aboard.