Cooksails

Three weeks in Tonga was enough. Impatiently awaiting a weather window and not inclined to sit around waiting for the King to die, we decided to leave the waters of Tonga and head for the roti-rich islands of Fiji. After spending all of Monday clearing out, we departed on Tuesday morning. Prior to leaving Tonga, […]

In 1777, Captain Cook arrived in Tonga while on his third voyage. Inspired by the kind reception from the natives, he named the group “the Friendly Islands.” Little did he know that while the savages were wining and dining him, they were actually plotting to massacre his entire crew and plunder his ships. Fortunately, the […]

For those readers who have followed my journey since the beginning, they will probably have noticed a decline in the quality of the journals sometime around March 2005. The reason for this decline was that the original writer, my brother Brian, decided to pursue a life ashore, including the opportunity to get paid for his […]

Lord please watch over all these lost children, Going to chase a hurricane. Please shine a light down on those who wander, Filled with hunger and pain. Please raise wind for all those out sailing, On an ocean alone. Lord shed a light on all these lost children, Far away from their home. Lord keep […]

On Monday night, we enjoyed our last hours in French Polynesia by going ashore for drinks and food. The drinks were consumed at the happy hour of the venerable Bali Hai Hotel, which conveniently is the location of the main dinghy dock in Cook’s Bay. Every evening, the owner, Muk, presides over a friendly group […]

It is hard to believe that someone can have a busy and stressful week in Tahiti, but here we are. As we raced to get the boat ready for the long passage to Tonga, where we are scheduled to meet my family later this month, we are reminded how difficult it is on a sailboat […]

The final week of Eric and Nick’s visit was a productive one. On Monday, Eric and Nick took the high-speed ferry to Mo’orea to spend a couple of days exploring the small island that so beautifully decorates the horizon of the anchorage. Their adventures during the two-day visit included high-stakes gambling on hermit crab racing […]

The first order of business upon arriving in Tahiti was to clear in with the Port Captain. When we originally entered French Polynesia in the Marquesas, I was granted a one-month visa. This visa expired on Saturday and, on Monday, I found myself standing before an immigrations official as an illegal alien. Fortunately, a lively […]

Undaunted by the dour forecast, we set off on Wednesday afternoon determined to sail for the promised land that is Tahiti. The first challenge standing in our way was the treacherous pass into the atoll that had intimidated more prudent boats, who chose to wait in Rangiroa for a more pleasant weather outlook. However, before […]

Rangiroa is the second-largest atoll in the world, surpassed only by Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. Although it is considered the most touristy of the islands in the Tuomotus, the atoll retains a quiet atmosphere and lacks much in the way of development, aside from a few upper-end resorts. The atoll surrounds a huge lagoon […]