Audentes

Shifting about, I struggle to settle on a comfortable position. As I curl up under an insufficient blanket, a dim light flickers in the periphery. Immediately, I am on my feet in a sheer panic. The light grows brighter and appears to be drawing closer. Terrified, I strain to get my bearings. Is the anchor […]

In his travel classic, “Soccer Wars,” the recently deceased Polish writer Ryzkard Kapuscinski described his difficulty returning home after an extended stay abroad as follows: “I returned to the editorial offices but had no idea what to do. I felt smashed inside, shattered; I wasn’t suited for anything; I wasn’t in touch; I wasn’t there. […]

I had been in the U.S. for less than an hour when I had my first conversation with an American. After clearing my kava bowl, kava powder, and an assortment of odd South Pacific souvenirs through customs, I was waiting in line to board my connecting flight from LAX to Atlanta. Behind me, a plump […]

After spending a month in Vanuatu, the reintroduction to civilization in New Zealand was a bit of a culture shock. Striding through a well-stocked grocery store, we marveled at the variety of products on offer. We were barely able to contain our glee at the assortment of quality meats and the reasonable price of milk […]

The passage from Port Resolution, Vanuatu to Opua, New Zealand was not as painful as I expected. Thanks largely to expert forecasting provided stateside by my Dad, we managed to select a good window of weather to avoid any terrible conditions. Many would claim that an uncharacteristic display of patience was rewarded with a smooth […]

In sailing, there are two types of cruisers: those with freezers and the rest of us. The yachties with freezers lead a glamorous existence filled with filet minion, ice cream, and cold drinks. The rest of us subsist on an assortment of bland dry goods (i.e. pasta) and barely edible culinary imposters (i.e. powdered milk). […]

The concept of paradise varies with each individual and reflects our own unique values and our highly personal natures. Some people imagine paradise to be white sand beaches and clear blue water. Others consider paradise to be a lush forest dense with vegetation. For some, majestic mountains rising out of the sea embodies the pinnacle […]

After the difficult journey from Port Vila to Erromanga, we spent Monday afternoon relaxing on the boat. Our monopoly of the Dillons Bay anchorage came to an end in the evening, when a boat from New Zealand arrived and anchored near us. Prior to their arrival, a couple of men from the village rowed out […]

After only a week in Port Vila, Vanuatu, it is difficult to offer a fair assessment of the city or of the country. Initially, we were disappointed on approaching the island of Efate to find that rather than the towering volcanic peaks that we were expecting, there were only rolling hills draped in ever-present clouds. […]

In retrospect, my comparison between Lautoka and Chicago in my last journal entry was misguided. They are completely different. I like Chicago. A better comparison would be to New Jersey; although the island of Viti Levu is not shaped like an outstretched arm, I still consider Lautoka to be the armpit of Fiji. As my […]