Tahaa, Leeward Islands, French Polynesia 18 Sep 2011 16S38 151W31
It appears that this second year of a cruising life, like a second child, is robbed of the joyous mementos of growth and accomplishments. I have fewer pictures to document the days, and fewer words to share the amazing sights and discoveries. So far we’ve loved this year as much as last, but as we’ve polished ourselves, my need to describe each cherished moment, has been replaced by a desire to just cherish the moment.
It is a very different stage of our journey too. We think we’ll head up to Alaska next, so we are swimming upstream, against the flow of the entire fleet heading east and south. New boats we meet don’t hold the promise of future neighbors, so we treat them differently. They in turn hold us at a bit of a distance, we’ve been where they’re going and they don’t need us providing spoilers for the next chapters in their own journeys . We’ve experienced some of our most adventuresome sailing, and anchored in even more remote “unspoiled” spots than last year, yet we’ve slipped into a rhythm of daily life not so different from our landlife in it’s predictability. And while last year I felt I could laugh in the face of planning “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the path,” I think I bragged; the practical planner in me could not be silenced for long (partly, she’s been stirred up by the ongoing economic crisis). Yes it’s a different trip this year. So what’s our plan?
We’re thinking. We’ve tossed more than a few “possible next step” hot potatoes back and forth between us – stop and work, or reduce expenses and keep moving? Options for moving included sailing up to Asia, back to Mexico or down to Chile (all cheaper cruising grounds). Options for work are tougher (especially in our preferred category of 1/4-year employment for more than minimum wage). Logan and I even went on a reconnaissance mission visiting my brother in Alaska for 2 weeks, and my dad in Washington for 1 week (surreal after so long aboard). We looked at lots, houses, businesses, job boards, schools, neighborhoods. There’s lots of interesting and exciting opportunity up there, and we had a wonderful time with family, but I became more convinced that we have not seen the bottom of the housing bust yet, and jobs are not any more interesting or available than 2 years ago, and the kids don’t want to stop – yet. But Alaska is beautiful, and we decided to give it a trial run of some sort – whether we stay for a month or a year, or years – we don’t know yet. It’s not a clear destination, but it should be a worthwhile path – the Aleutian islands are reputed to have amazing wilderness cruising grounds, if you can stand the cold, the temperamental weather, and the grizzlies ashore.
To get there, we’ll be heading windward, back across the Tuamoutus bound for the Marqueses, a safe zone for cyclone season (arrives roughly Nov. 1 – so we have a little over a month to get there). We expect to stay in the Marqueses awhile and when a nice weather window appears for the two-week jump to Hawaii, we’ll take it (likely early 2012). After a few months in the Aloha state, we expect a 20 day passage to the Aleutian chain sometime in May 2012. A month or two working our way up the chain should put us in Homer June or July 2012. Then we’ll have a new big decision point – winter over there, or keep moving down to Washington state, then possibly on down the coast in the early fall 2012 for an early winter jump to revisit the Sea of Cortez, a possible haul out and repair stop there, then back here, or further south?
In the meantime, we’re quietly living life, circumnavigating the leeward islands of Raiatea/Tahaa, passing the time with school, snorkeling, kayaking and boat projects (and yes captain and crew are guilty of spending some hours avoiding school and boat projects). We’ve had most anchorages here to ourselves, clear evidence that cruising season is winding down, and that the season of the big rains is fast approaching. While I love the seclusion, I miss our neighbors, and like the yellowing leaves in Nelson that filled me with “move-on” restlessness, these empty bays have me on tenterhooks. Winter is coming (sorry, I just finished the fantasy novel “A Game of Thrones.” The protagonist family’s motto is “winter is coming.” – now you know how I avoid boat tasks and why I have not written in awhile).
xoxoxomo