We have been plying the waters of Raja Ampat with little interaction amongst the locals but the few encounters we have had have been memorable. First off, Indonesians seem quite fond of paperwork. When AVATAR Read More …
We crossed the equator today. Actually we probably flew across it on our trip here, but that hardly counts. We forewent the traditional maritime ceremony for first-time crossers, involving (Rod tells us) flour, tar and Neptune, Read More …
After nine years (!) of cruising the South Pacific, we have moved into new territory. The Solomon Islands marked our entry into the Coral Triangle of Read More …
We are aboard a Boeing 737 en route from Guadalcanal to Nadi, Fiji – a day late because yesterday’s flight turned back due to bad weather at Read More …
We have been exploring Nono Lagoon for a few days. The official significance of its name is unknown to us but for AVATAR it stood for no rain and no wind! The high pressure pump Read More …
On the subject of skulls (last blog – crocodiles), from Lola Island we were given a tour of nearby tiny Skull Island. Solomon Islanders have a history of headhunting and cannibalism that dates back hundreds Read More …
The one big dampening factor for cruising in the Solomons is the man-eating salt water crocodiles (not kidding!) that live in the mangrove swamps, especially at the estuaries where the big rivers empty into the Read More …
We have sailed to the vicinity of New Georgia Island and anchored off the Zipolo Habu Resort on nearby little Lola Island. Rod is reliving old times here. On his travels through the Solomons a Read More …
We have been wandering a bit through the Solomon Islands in search of legitimacy. Our information indicated we would be able to clear into the country (both boat and crew) in the Russells, but when Read More …
600 nautical miles from Santo to the Russell island group in the Solomons translates into 3 days and nights at sea on passage. We motor steadily making around 9 knots, trading watches, two hours on Read More …