Wow… What a week. 6 days ago we raised the sails and set off for Fiji from Tonga, a 4 day trip across the open ocean if all went smoothly. For 3 of those 4 days there was not a speck of land in sight. The ocean crossing stirred all the emotions. It was daunting, exhilarating, exhausting and stunning. I was surprised how quickly the continuous 10 foot swells became (almost) comfortable. We took shifts at the helm, through both the rare moments where staying on course was a breeze to the storms we encountered where mother nature threw all her elements at us in an attempt to send us any direction but straight forward. I came to understand the bumping and clanging noises that at first kept me up at night envisioning the ship falling apart beneath me. I also now appreciate the ability to prepare dinner or play settlers of Catan without the world around you changing orientation by a solid 90 degrees every second. But you manage. I know now it’s totally possible to hold a plank or jump rope on unstable ground (thanks Matt Johnson), and it’s probably even better training for ski season 🙂 There’s also no better feeling than seeing land again for the first time in days, especially when that land is the most idyllic spit of sand with two perfect coconut trees peeking out of the turquoise water under a sunny sky. We reached Savusavu Fiji the next day, cleared customs, had a killer local dinner in town and celebrated with an impromptu dance party on board the boat that night. This island is lush and rugged, and is far less developed than the main island to the south where we’ll be in a few days to do the bulk of our provisioning for the next month. We’ve already swam in a waterfall, hiked through the rainforest and snorkeled with sharks in just a couple days. I couldn’t ask for a better crew to work and play together with… We’ve got so many more adventures ahead! Still pinching myself daily in awe of this life I’ve found myself in!
Below: View from my room’s porthole
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