Catching fish


Funny how that same old worry crops up: we wont catch any this trip b/c of any or all these reasons:  the lures are all wrong, the line isn' the right test, the fish are all gone, we dont have right length of line behind the boat, the line was tied poorly to the lure or leader, or bad technique as in not setting the hook properly when one strikes, letting the fish jump off the gaff before landing it in the boat. Or just plain bad luck. 



We put 340 miles on the first part of the trip catching only one small barracuda, altho a couple of other unknowns  did go for the bait but jumped off or took the whole thing. So what a nice surprise when we picked up a small  silvery tuna yesterday. No fight so must have drug it a fair way. Then lost another when it jumped off when reeling it in. Then today a strong strike.  As i was trying to set the hook it just let go. Adrenalin gettin going. Half hour later another strong strike. Really bending the rod. For the first time ever i needed to plant my feet and work. Slowly pulling back then quickly reeling in what I'd gained. Kym tried to help by holding the pole bottom or pulling back on mid-rod but all that didnt work as I felt unbalanced. The last 30 feet of pulling it in was done pretty slowly as keeping  the mouth and gills above water level skimming the surface deprives the fish of water contact with its gills and thus oxygen deprivation. After a good 10 minutes of the struggle the bright golden yellow surfacing announced it as a good sized mahi mahi. Both of us concerned about losing it as we tried to boat it, as has happened more than once before.  This one was  clearly too big to just bring up over the side, so we switched as it got closer and while Kym held its head just above water with the rod i got the gaff in the gill slit and with a heave brought it in. A good 30+ pounds. Amazing the way the brilliant golden yellow fades to turquoise as it dies.  Kym quickly inundated its gills with tequila and the struggle was over.  We marveled at the beauty of this creature and honored its life and its forfeiture with prayer and ceremony. Then the business of filleting, and cutting out small choice ,pieces for sashimi which we ate right away. I found that tying the tail to the binnacle and keeping the fish hanging head down facilitates the filleting process and keeping a bucket under the fish really makes the job less messy. Returning the carcass to the sea, we again thanked the fish for giving its life for us and put the apparatus away for several days. 



Earthquake at sea
Early morning of our 24 hour run from  Levakel, , Tanna to Port Vila. Just hooked some monster that bent the rod to 90^.  I couldnt even turn the reel one revolution there was so much tension. After a few minutes the line just parted. Probably just as well as I'm guessing it was well in excess of 60#.  Shortly after that, albatross experiences something totally unique: an odd coarse vibration but no change in engine revs. Then a sort of buffeting of the hull as if we were caught in cross currents.  Then after about 10 seconds it stopped and back to usual.  We wondered if we had made contact with a whale bumping or rubbing up against the keel but saw no sign of one.  A few hour later, safely in port, we med moored at the wharf and one of the dock guys mentioned the earthquake that. Occurred  a few hours before, causing some damage in the kittle city of Port Vila. 


Kym's old friend Maria, who's been living here for over 20 years with her partner Fernand, received us graciously and offered one of her six bungalows to stay in.  That began 12 days of hanging out with her or exploring on our own while Albatross waited for a new starter motor solenoid  being shipped from Singapore.  Discovered the Bon Marche supermarkets with gourmet French cheeses and just about everything else we needed.  Beautiful round the island road tour with Maria, day trip to the waterfall outside Efate, shopping expeditions, just hanging out wi5h Maria at the barn where she rode and taught dressage with her friend Stephanie..  with only a few weeks left before flying back to Bodymind, we soon shoved off for some island exploring.

 
A 150 Mile overnighter took us north in reaching winds to the island Espiritu Santo.  We avoided the capital city of Luganville, opting to anchor off a private resort on a well protected bay near a pristine coral reef.  The resort, as many do, offered services to visiting yachts and we ate and drank our fill, as well as spending some time with some friendly Aussies on a nearby sailboat.  One of the crew insisted on loaning me his copy of a book, rich in south Pacific history, which claimed that a 16th century Spanish frigate, shipwrecked in the Tuamotus, was responsible for populating much of the area, even extending as far as New Zealand.  A day trip into Luganville on the resort's launch gave us an opportunity to visit a local cultural center where traditional dances and water music were performed, and "primitive" fire starting and cooking methods demonstrated. Kym bought a beautiful shell and arranged for a bamboo slit drum to-be made for her. The water music women and girls showed up a few nights later at the resort for a performance off the beach.  A visit to "million dollar beach", where American military jettisoned heavy machinery into the sea and on the reef when the financially strapped British and French couldnt afford the million dollar pricetag the yanks set for the equipment, was a real eye opener: acres of giant gears, engine blocks and miscellaneous other war making bits and pieces littered the beach and were encrusted in the reef.
Next stop was Ambryn island to see the advertised annual Rom dance, performed by men in traditional loincloths, penis sheaths and full puppet like costumes.  But the internet site had the date a week earlier than the real thing.  Graciously the local villagers put on the dance for us and some other tourists who showed up for this. We met some cruising New Zealanders, Hamish and Marsha, and shared stories and lives while watching the red glow above the smoldering volcano in the center of Ambryn.  The generosity and simplicity of the villagers offered a major contrast to the "civilized" worlds we come from.  Money has little meaning here in a mainly barter economy, and if some is needed for roofing material or the few goods brought in by inter-island freighter, some of the younger men will go to Australia and do farmwork for a few months, bringing back enough cash for a few families to get what they need. The buzz around the world soccer cup was pretty infectious, so we dinghied in at 5 am to the local schoolhouse to watch the semifinals croatia vs Argentina.  Lots of young men inside watching avidly, a few girls outside watching through open windows.  Croatia was awesome and won the right to go against France.

 
A short half day close reach in calm seas delivered us to Malekula island, specifically to the Port Sandwich anchorage, just as the sun was setting.  One other yacht, French flagged, spends several months annually there, alternating seasons with New Caledonia where they work.  The couple aboard mentioned a store up the road from the beach, where we headed for provisions. Not much there but after buying a few canned goods, the women indicated in French we should wait a moment, and brought us out a straw tray with huge cucumbers, yams and carrots.  When w asked how much she said "no money--these are for you." Soon her English speaking husband came to check us out.  An invitation to see his library brought us into a room filled with the most amazing variety of titles, ranging from trashy novels to books on navigation, spirituality and children's books.    When asked if he'd read many, he replied "all of them".  As the conversation progressed and he understood me to be a doctor, he told me about how he had a diabetic ulcer eating its way into his foot. When told he would probably need it amputated, he decided he needed to heal it himself.  So using meditation techniques learned from his library, he sat focussing on his breath an hourly daily.  Soon the skin started growing in from the ulcer' edges and after a few months the ulcer was healed.  This in a man with a sixth grade education (equivalent to our third grade one) who had never left Vanuatu.  Next day an invitation to breakfast with them and the French couple revealed more island culture and was followed by a rousing game of petanque, the french name for bocci ball.  And a visit to the vegetable garden planted and lovingly tended by the visiting frenchwoman with seeds quite foreign to this part of the world.   



As the soccer cup finals were fast approaching, we made the trek on our bikes 5 miles up a dirt road at midnight, dodging pigs, to a small community center where a satellite dish brought the game in in real time from Russia.  Entering an 800 square foot  room packed with nearly 150 locals, we, the only whites in attendance, were welcomed in and room made for us to squash in on the floor hugging our knees with the rest. Wild support for France, except from us rooting for Croatia.  Alas, France dominated and the crowds went home happy.  They loved looking at our folding multi-geared bikes and occasionally jumping on for a quick jaunt. At 4 am we returned, again dodging pigs in the dark and alternately charmed and spooked by the greenish glowing eyes picked out by our headlights from cats and who knows what in the trees


All too soon it was time to head back to Port vila on the island of Efate and prepare for flying back to the USA.  A few more days with Maria and Fernand, treated to her culinary mastering of the local organic pasture raised beef, probably the best  I've ever tasted. Then readying Albatross for storage on a mooring, but not before taking them out for a day sail in the large bay.  Treated them to a classic kym-brian "disagreement" about the best spot to anchor and how close or distant from other boats.


What a surprise at the airport when we discovered that we had unknowingly overstayed our 30 day visas by 2 days and were fined $120!   Then 32 hours of planes and airports to get us to  Vermont, safely delivered into the welcoming arms of Lisa and Mary.."


Family reunion, Bodymind and Sesshin, california and doggies---



October 2018

Flying back to Vanuatu on October 27, we quickly readied Albatross for our trip to New Caledonia.  Commanders Weather routing service recommended heading southwest to round the western tip of New Caledonia adding 150 miles-to the trip, to avoid headwinds on the direct southerly route and the difficulty of getting around the turbulent SE corner of the island.  WRI, recommended by old friend and sailing mentor John Neal, chose  the opposite, which made more sense to me..  So we did the latter,  sailing 1/2 the time, motorsailing the rest in choppy upwind and close reaching conditions SSE. The last 50 miles broad reaching northwest in flat seas and 20 kt winds was pure joy.  Arriving Noumea on Thursday-morning November 2 we expected a quick clearing in, only to discover that all services were closed for their "day of the dead" celebration.  And that nothing would reopen until the following Monday, meaning we'd be stuck on the boat at anchor in strong winds until then with quarantine flag up!  Luckily that wasnt completely true and after anchoring overnight in nearby Baie de Citron, we were able to sail into Port du Sud marina next morning and be cleared in by biosecurity and customs.  Immigration would have to wait until Monday but we were free to leave the boat.   Soon Ron and teddie arrived. WRI had us waiting for a weather window for departure to New Zealand so we had a few days of fun and games, hanging out and getting a few boat repairs and upgrades in order.  Kym left by air for Auckland reluctantly on November 7, having had too much fun with the boys but wanting to skip a potentially rough 7-10 day passage. We cleared out and left at noon on November 8.. In fact it was a challenging passage in 18-25 kt winds with swells coming from 3 directions simultaneously and all the overhead hatches leaking miserably.  We landed 2 tuna nearly at the same time for some good eatin, to complement Brian's lamb osso bucco from the pressure cooker. Teddie the eveready energizer bunny was always first to tether up and go on deck for reefing the mainsail or troubleshooting rigging issues.  Ron took over most of meal prep and cleanup, i alternated between the two.  We took 3 hour night watches starting at 7 pm, so every third night one of us would cover first and last watch. For the first time Albatross flew all three sails on a close reach, the staysl adding about 3/4 kt.  We sighted land on November 14 and coasted down the eastern side of North Island in much pleasanter conditions.  This fulfilled a long held dream for me:making landfall in New Zealand on my own boat. Docking at Marsden Cove near Whangerei, we submitted to biosecurity clearance, not nearly as bad as expected, quickly got Alba in order, rented a car and drove the 2 hours to Auckland to get rental cars at the airport for Ron and Teddy.  But not before stopping at a surf shop for Teddie to rent a board  for a few days of local waves.  Finally drove to Kym's Air bnb in Milford, the Chinese suburb as she refers to it.  Ron drove up to join us for a good sushi dinner and farewell.  A few nights at the bnb, major provisioning , then back to Marsden cove.  John and Amanda on Mahina Tiare, docked just down the way from us, had us onto their boat  for dinner with them and their paying crew.  They Recommended using Half Moon Bay in Auckland, where they were planning to leave their boat,  for haul out and boatwork.  So next morning after having Mahina's crew pay a visit to Alba, Kym and I were on our way south to Auckland.  Weather turned cold and windy, luckily mostly from the northwest, and just as we were setting anchor for the night  in a bay 10 miles before Auckland, hailstones were pelting the boat.  Windy night in a sheltered anchorage but damned cold.  Next morning in fog and rain and cold, motored the last few miles.  Crowded with boats  here, so we wound up at Bayswater marina until Half Moon Bay had room for us to haul out on December 5.  A few rainy days there in our leaky boat---ahah ---finally remembered the trick of folding plastic sheeting around the top and edges of each hatch then clamping down --- and voila:dry boat.! Temporary of course but effective until hatches can be replaced in the yard.  



Campervan adventures.
Backpackers Campervans in Auckland sold us a 2005 Nissan Elgrand with a new conversion w 155,000 km for $11,700 nzd. Then they had to lay out $2170 for alignment, wheel bearings, cvv boots and a new battery when i discovered problems. They threw in an ice chest,  stove with cartridges,  folding chairs, we picked up a folding table for $45 and good to go.  Pleasant dealing with nina from Italy, Maj from Serbia, julian (Germany) and Emerin (france). 
But it came complete with 3 year self contained vehicle certification, necessary for freedom camping, registration good for at least a month, 6 month mechanical warranty covering drive train, and insurance for 3 months for another $200. 
Took 2 days of running back and forth to them and other shops to make it all work. Lots of walking around downtown Auckland and sampling local eateries., and a bit of shopping on black Friday: scored some new Uggs and hitec waterproof low cut hikers. 


Finally  on November 25 able to launch the first part of the road adventure in rainy conditions.  First stop Raglan, legendary surf town, at Teddie's urging. Very Bolinas - like vibe, small, hip, dominated by surf culture and the arts.  Lovely friendly people. Camped the night at Kev's campground on a bit of slope--first experience with self-contained campervan facilities- not much really.  Next morning over a "slammin" breakfast at a local eatery, chatted with some NZ vacationers and got some good advice wrt free camping on the Coromandel peninsula.  So we  Bought some books, a road atlas for South Island, a few provisions and headed for Cook's Bay.  On the way, a stop at Bridal Veil Falls rewarded us with a mystery-shrouded forest walk replete with unfamiliar bird calls and vegetation followed by a long hike Down alongside the falls to the bottom where we sat in silence for awhile.  Moving on and using the App wikicamps, we wound up parked by the water near a kayak rental place.  Lovely views of the inlet with several small sailboats on moorings.  Coconut chicken stew from the pressure cooker then quiet night on level ground.  In the AM, we were informed by a local guard that no, not allowed to camp there (tho not marked) so packed up the stuff so as not to be "camping" and hiked up to top of Cook's Bay lookout, site of where Capt James Cook came in 1796 to view the transit of Mercury across the sun for an accurate calculation of his exact latitude and longitude.  Stunning views, then a long climb down to "lonely bay", where Kym found thousands of shells to ponder and collect.  After hiking back up then again down again to level ground, we ferried across the inlet to Whitianga.  Excellent lunch and coffee at the Harbor House, charmed by the local birds waiting patiently for diners to finish so scavenging could commence, then 2 hours in the local museum. $8 each and worth every penny.  More insights into how the colonials destroyed not only Maori culture, but also raped the forests bare of the giant Kauri trees , some as old as 1500 years, and decimated the marine population of fish and shellfish.  A walk down Buffalo Beach in search of an indigenous sacred site presented Kym with more opportunity for shelling, finding some pieces we'd never encountered.  That girl can spend hours shelling without tiring or losing her excitement over new finds.  Finally headed back and took Elvis (the Elgrand van) in search of "legal" free camping at Cook's Beach. The first site looked good, just getting comfy when I saw the sign: nope.  Packed up and moved down the beach to a lovely spot behind a grove, not posted and although not officially listed as legal for freecamping, seemed good to us.  Awesome coconut lamb stew for dinner then a walk down the long beach.  Some guys over a campfire were fishing with a contraption that sounded like a remote controlled fishing float with a line baited with hooks to the bottom that they  could reel in (motorized) from the beach.  Tired bears, rainy night.  Sunny AM. Good coffee for a good start. Catching up on journalling then a long beach walk as the sky
Emailed Charlie and Ella thinking they might be hanging out in New Zealand to find out they're  living in Raglan.!
11-28. So back across mid North Island stopping for a visit to Miranda Shorebirds sanctuary for an educational introduction to Godwits who travel annually to alaska via the yellow sea and return here nonstop in 8-10 days (11,000km!).  
11-28Camping in Charlie and Ella's yard for the night. Long beach walks, catching up on the 4 years since they crossed the Pacific with us. Ella getting a PhD in environmental science (specifically microscopic plastics polluting oceans and their appropriate disposal once collected)  at Hamilton university. Charlie doing house husband and various volunteer jobs. Camped together in a nearby campground in rainy weather. They took off for Hamilton, we for Rotorua
12-1. Found a thermal stream for glorious soaking, then freecamped by the waterfront in town. A half day guided ebike tour of the large park dedicated for hikers and bikers over rugged terrain brought back the joys of mountain biking for me. ATM card stolen by ASB machine then unauthorized recovery by the guard coming to service the thing. Camping in DOC spot by lake again in rain. One more trip to the therma pool. Half day visit to a Maori cultural village. Cool presentation with Haka, song and dance.  Visited with shopkeeper/carver and bought a greenstone (jade) piece for Kym, gifts from the shop for kids and friends.  


12-4 drove back to Bayswater to ready for the 12 mi water trip to half moon bay for haulout. Charlie and Ella spending a couple of nights on Alba with us as they rented out their house for 10 days and are gypsies. Joined us for the light air sail through shallow channel to the Half Moon Bay marina. Then haulout..




Met with Joe at Boatbuilders re new hatches, new head hoses, fixing the macerator and making it all work, the loose throttle control.. estimate for hatches came in at about $2900 nzd for new hatches plus $1800 installation (3200 usd total). Simon at electrical re AIS, few lights interior not working, elliott at steeliots re repair port middle chock (he'll reweld with new material) and other chocks simply needing scotchbrite and "metalsol".All engineering re Suzuki and throttle.  Richard the rigger re leaking mast base. Can completely rerig w/o pulling mast for about $7,000 usd. Very tempting. Will decide later. In meantime Dean the yard manager cut me the "deal" of $40 nzd daily for hardstand storage (about 800usd/mo).  I Spent a half day derusting/polishing bimini framework, stashing solar panels, bimini and cleaning up. Finally time to get going again.  When i get back need to talk deck options with them.
Said goodbye to Alba on December 7, provisioned Elvis and headed south. Stop off for a thermal soak near Rotorua




DOC  campground wellington. Beautiful free spot on beach good shelling and a swim! (Or dunk). Next AM spent half day wandering thru eco park: birds, dioramas, reptiles and beautifu landscapes. Very impressively done by private interest/ NZ govt consortium. 
Then the ferry to Picton. That boat So big and stable hardly knew we were crossing turbulent Cook Strait. Crappy food. 
12-8. Drove out of Picton on a 30+ km hair-raising narrow switchbacking road on way to Nelson, gateway to Abel Tasman park. A visit to a marine store in Havelock provided a clue to a possible used Honda generator w 110 outlets. The guy looking to sell was away for a few weeks so will see then whether its a score. Nelson very busy and large with lots of restaurants and supplies.  Rented bikes for a half day adventure on the "great tastes" trail which was rather disappointing: car traffic, noisy, not much in nature.  Camped in the carpark in the middle of town. Good Vietnamese dinner.   
Abel Tasman park regulated and tour-heavy but quite impressive nevertheless. Paid to camp giving us access to laundry and showers. Took a water taxi next am 30 km up the coast and tramped about 7 km along beaches, mudflats and through woods to the pickup spot. Their 1 hour walk took us 3 hours thru amazing fern and tree filled forests full of birdsong.. on the water taxi ride back, treated to a large conflagration of dolphins.. 
Driving out of Abel to Golden Bay on another hair-raising NZ rod with lots of switchbacks and local drivers sitting on my tail looking for an opp to pass.  Up and over Takaka hill into this busy and quirky little town.  The lady at the liquor store where we refilled Tequila told us where to look for good freedom camping spots.  And so we discovered Teopupu springs, perhaps the most revered Maori sacred water site in NZ. underground springs mineral rich feeding this waterway create amazing colors.  Visited only briefly by day hikers and Maoris coming to do ceremony, we had it to ourselves at night. Strong spiritual vibe and quiet. Many walks along the DOC maintained track through the waterways.  And then a mellow day at the beach, which on Golden Bay stretches for miles with so few people---
Great restaurants in this town, including the "dangerous cafe" and "whole meal" where we could hang for hours in bad weather and catch up internet. A trip up through Collingwood to "farewell spit", northernmost part of South Island, gave us a long walk along mudflats, pure white sand dunes and beaches, checking out migratory birds, and of course seashells and rocks. 
Time to leave Golden Bay, driving back down thru Nelson then west to ..the west coast. Very different here. Huge snow-capped mountains running down the center of south island form a dramatic backdrop to the chilly waters of the ocean beaches. Towns like Graymouth and Westport were convenient stops for reprovisioning, connecting via wifi at local cafes, although not so interesting in themselves.  
Hokitika was a fun little town in the rain and a real center of Pounamou (greenstone) so a good stop for Kym to learn more about collecting natural pieces.  The local mechanic shop assured me that they had no openings for nearly 3 weeks  to fix our right side sliding van door which was hanging up half way back. 
Further south took us to the campground at Okarito lagoon. The Kiwi proprietor generously shared many tips about where to  stay in our wanderings. Good beach walks here and a 2 hour kayak rental into the lagoon solo cost me a bloody blister in my right hand thumb webspace. But i did get to spot the rare white heron. 
Heading a bit inland thru the ski towns of Franz Joseph and Fox Glaciers, inundated with tour kiosks advertising heli and plane tours of the glaciers. Holiday crowds increased dramatically as we headed towards Wanaka at the base of the Southern Alps.  
Sitting by a huge lake, with a well developed tourist infrastructure and just an hour from Queenstown, Wanaka  sees a lot of weekenders and longer from that Metropolis.  Consequently it has a hip and natural food orientation and lots of cafes and bars. This  was a planned layover for Christmas when we didn't want to be on the move.  The lakefront  beach was a seduction and told us to chill there for a few day so we did. One bloke we met from Invercargill went on and on about Burt Munro of "indian" motorcycle fame.  Claims he was an extra in the last scene of the movie about Burt: "the world's fastest Indian" and that Invercargill's fame rests largely on Burt and his exploits.  
One day I rented a mountain bike for a few hours and discovered a great nature bike path Running along a beautiful watercourse with a decent private campground at the end. We took the van there.  Helen at the natural remedy store was quite helpful and possessed a well developed fund of alternative treatments and remedies.   She told me about her son who went from all NZ swim team to nearly disabled.  No really spot on diagnosis but being treated for chronic bronchiolitis. After a couple of hours of further history taking and education, a quick flurry of questions and replies convinced me that MCAS  was a strong possibility. Helen and Matthew were of similar minds and anxious to start treatment.  I advised them to try and find a knowledgable practitioner to work with, usually a naturopath, but if unable to find one, contact me for an advocate referral. We spent the night vanning in their suburban driveway, using laundry and showers and having great late night talks with her and Ian, serving as a town policeman. Getting the feeling more and more of local flavor, sensibilities and cultural quirks.  An open night mike at  a pub gave us a chance to play and flex our vocal chords. Kym in pretty good voice. I rented  a mountain bike for a few hours and discovered a great nature bike path Running along a beautiful watercourse with a decent private campground at the end. five days here made it one of our longest stops. 
Continuing south through ski towns and carparks for tramping paths, we did a must see at Queenstown. A long afternoon there  gave us our metro thrill including the re. quired tram to the top (it was cool) and a visit to the very well done bird sanctuary where we got our fist encounter with kaka birds. Alpine parrot robber mischievous things, they are big and assertive.  Famous for stripping rubber moulding off things, like windshield wipers, they give fair warning but take no shit from us.  Next on the itinerary was a tour of Milford Sound.  So a stopover at Te Anau (not memorable) where the bus/boat tour started, gave us first look at paid "driveway"  camping. Beautifully sighted on a farm with great views, lots of privacy--i would look for more of these on our Campermate app..
Milford sound
We had been well advised to book a bus tour there including boat trip into the sound. Both were really good including a few stops on the bus portion for toilet, shopping and admiring the sites. Scored a sheepskin.  The sound itself is incredible with vertical mountains waterfalls and stunning vistas meandering to the sea.  The tour on the bus was a great break from driving for me, as I'd been doing most of that on this trip.  
Heading next to Stewart Island off the south coast of South island, we had a few days to relax on the coast Gemstone beach turned out to be a goldmine for Kym as she was able to collect bags full of jewelry quality stones, once buffed a bit.  Colac Bay campground was sheltered from the gale force winds that nearly blew us off gemstone beach, and a fun stop meeting locals who helped me collect mussels which we devoured.  Nearby Riverton was ok for provisions, laundry and a good yoga park.  I opted to head for Invercargill now that businesses were reopening after Christmas. I figured that given its culture, the local Nissan dealer would be stocked with gearheads capable of quickly figuring out and fixing the door.  They took me in the same day, had me out in 2 hours for $50 fixed!  Including having washed the van.  
So of course back to Gemstone beach for more rock collecting.  
Overnight New Years Eve in Bluff at a campground. Walked into town looking for music but only a pub with free food, cheap beer and some conversation with locals.  
Next morning very calm 1hour ferry ride to Stewart Island.  Met with the captain
...
to be continued ...

Entering Figi. Connecting with Sammy and family. Church day invite. Family song.

Alba left in Vuda Point Marina Figi for the season dug in....

Flying home
All too soon we locked Albatross up for the last time for the next several months and made our way to shore. On the taxi ride over the island to the airport, we experienced 3 distinctly different climate zones as well as some-mind blowing views. From the harbor with its maritime humidity and lush foliage, we ascended to a volcanic rim, sparser vegetation but still green and drier, then into the volcanic plain [crater], again lush but dry. And finally descending again to sea level on the northwest and thus driest part of the island, arid, hot and scrubby ruled.

The flight to Papeete, with a stopover in Hiva Oa, took 4 hours. Very comfortable jet and stunning aerial view of the islands with their volcanic craters, valleys and spires, then the vast expanse of the Pacific again. In Papeete we opted for a motel close to the airport for 2 nights before returning to the U.S. Papeete was shocking in in its delivery of the best food on the planet. With more city than we had experienced during our trip we still found the people friendly and colorful. A visit to the Grand Marche downtown offered one more chance to shop before out flight home. (a work in progress the concept of home after you have been out at sea for 17days and on boat for 2 months). At last, on June 4 we boarded Air France’s Boing 777 for LAX which gave us the kind of airline service you used to get(minus the tech. perks)in the old days. So refreshing and filling. Two meals,complementary wine with meals, friendly helpful flight attendants, delicious [really] food, unlimited good coffee and individual TV monitors on seatbacks with a choice of about 70 movies. Nice welcome home.