Quick Fix: 22° 32.9 S / 166° 47.8 E
August 28th, 2016 (day 3,377)
Conditions:  Wind: 8/E  Sky: Clear

Seeing is Believing
They've been with us from the beginning, when we left the cold waters of New York and sailed south to the warmth of the Caribbean Sea. And they've accompanied us across the Pacific Ocean, over 30,000 nautical miles of tropical cruising. Together we've wandered through the vibrant streets of Havana, and trekked to the summit of a Guatemalan volcano. We've witnessed the beauty of the Galapagos, sighted humpback whales, navigated colorful reefs and hiked dazzling New Zealand glaciers, and over the last year they've helped us see the rich diversity of life in the world's largest marine lagoon. If someone had told us 9 years ago what we'd experience on this voyage it would have been a little difficult to believe. But here we are, and thanks to Maui Jim, we've always had a great view.

Quick Fix: 22° 28.8 S / 166° 36.3 E
August 23rd, 2016 (day 3,372)
Conditions:  Wind: 12/NNE  Sky: Mostly Clear

Time to Sail
In a month we'll be sailing to Australia. We've been cruising New Caledonia for one year, almost to the day, but the Queensland Coast is calling so in late September we'll start browsing weather windows and it'll be a passage that, after eight epic years, will bring an end to our South Pacific chapter. Deciding how to spend the last four weeks in New Caledonia isn't a difficult one - we're heading into the Southern Lagoon, a cruising playground dotted with dozens of uninhabited sandy islands, coral reefs and friendly migrating humpback whales that enjoy swimming under your keel. So after three days of kite surfing in strong trades, as if guiding us south, the wind has eased, shifting to the north, giving us the perfect window. In a rare show of enthusiasm we've even raised the main sail.

Quick Fix: 22° 22.4 S / 166° 22.5 E
August 13th, 2016 (day 3,362)
Conditions:  Wind: 10/SW  Sky: Mostly Clear

Earthquake. Tsunami. Waterspout.
Considering it's a holiday weekend the last 24 hours have been surprisingly active. We're anchored off an island, a sandbar, really, waiting for the wind which is forecast to arrive Monday - 20 knots of pure kite surfing fun. It's an idyllic spot where shallow turquoise waters slope gradually to a patch of white sand no longer than a footie field with nary a palm or shrub to spoil the view. It's an exposed area, though, which some authorities warn to be a day anchorage only as there's little protection from anything other than tradewinds, and certainly not from a tsunami - a warning we received yesterday - after a 7.6 earthquake rocked the seabed, and not from a waterspout either, which swept past our anchorage today while Catherine was out kayaking. Mother Nature seems a little restless today.