Quick Fix: 22° 22.4 S / 166° 22.5 E
August 28th, 2015 (day 3,011)
Conditions:  Wind: 18/SE  Sky: Clear.


Lagoon de Paradise
We've escaped the hordes of noisy nickel miners in Noumea and are now exploring the world's largest lagoon, a vast shimmering sea containing every shade, hue, saturation and combination of blue and green imaginable. The average depth hovers around 80 feet, and as the outer reef softens ocean swell, it's a perfect playground for the sun seeking mellow mariner. Most anchorages can be found in 15 feet of water over powdery white sand behind a colorful reef or uninhabited island where turtles, sea snakes and exotic shells abound. Our days are consumed beachcombing, kayaking, snorkeling and kite boarding. We're touring with super cruising friends, Carol and Livia on Estrellita. Two months will not be enough time in this paradise, we may stay a year...

Quick Fix: 22° 17.1 S / 166° 25.9 E
August 23rd, 2015 (day 3,006)
Conditions:  Wind: 20/SE  Sky: Mostly Clear.


Liberté!
We're free! When the protesting nickel miners removed their barricade of tugs and barges from the entrance of Port Moselle today, which many locals believe is a generous yet temporary gesture allowing yachties out of the marina to enjoy the weekend, we immediately released Dream Time from the dock and got the heck out too. We're now anchored on the 'other side' of the break wall where the open lagoon, barrier reefs and hundreds of perfect uninhabited tropical islands await. But before we sail out of Noumea (the capital) to explore the world's largest lagoon and all its treasures, on Monday we'll dinghy back to the marina, perhaps squeezing through throngs of angry miners, to settle our bill.

Quick Fix: 21° 56.4 S / 166° 40.2 E
August 17th, 2015 (day 3,000)
Conditions:  Wind: 10/ESE  Sky: Clear.


Time to Celebrate
Arriving in a new country is always cause for celebration, particularly when the journey involves navigating a small sailboat across the sea. And while this particular passage was our shortest in the South Pacific (a mere 271 miles from Vanuatu to New Caledonia), we still have a lot to celebrate. Not only do we have a whole new country to explore (first impressions, by-the-way, are awesome), but it's our 19th wedding anniversary, and we're also celebrating three thousand days together on Dream Time - three thousand days! - how did that happen?

I wrongly assumed when we left New York, trading our frantic all consuming land lives for a quiet existence behind the helm, that time would slow accordingly. Mellow warm tropical days would stretch and seem to last forever. But truth be told, even out here, time still whizzes along like a Manhattan subway, which is amazing when you consider that since 2007 our average moving speed has been a glacial 5 mph.

But I guess what's important is not how fast time seems to be moving, after-all, we can't change that, but it's who you share it with, and what you do with it that matters. Like today, for example, we watched the sunrise over New Caledonia's Grande Terre, were escorted from our perfect isolated anchorage by a humpback whale that seemed happy to have a little company, and shared the evening, a bottle of Bordeaux and some celebratory cupcakes with Estrellita, Super Cruiser friends we last sailed with in Tahiti over two years ago. It's been a perfect day. Happy anniversary, honey, and here's to many more.