Tag: Travel

New Zealand, Islington Bay

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in adventure

Ahhhh, New Zealand. Good people, good food, beautiful scenery and amazing sites. It’s good to be back and reconnect with friends we made last year. Although we won’t be in the states for the holidays, we will be spending Christmas and New Years with many of our cruising family members and a New Year’s party hosted on Kalea in the downtown Auckland (Viaduct Marina). 

Today’s post is about the hike and anchorage across the bay from Auckland. It’s a rather large set of islands called Rangitoto and Motutapu. In the 1920s locals would sail and row themselves across the bay to these beautiful islands and build little holiday homes/structures that they called Baches. About 140 structures. This island was government owned but it didn’t deter people from carving out a piece of the island and calling at their own. The government gave the tenets leases and used the residents to build walkways and roads around the island. They were modest cabins by any stretch, but these people put a lot of time into getting materials across the bay and moved lots of lava stone to create foundations and boat ramps. 

In 1937 conservationists convinced the government that the Baches were detrimental to the efforts to conserve the island and the courts agreed. The courts gave the residents 20 years to remove themselves and everything associated with their structures. A smart attorney continued to haunt the conservationists and finally in 1957 got the New Zealand Supreme Court to agree that the Baches were part of the environment that should be protected and kept preserved as long as the family has survivors. After the 20 years of required eviction, only 30 Baches were left and to this day many have been handed down in families and still are in use. 

As we walked around, it was fun to see the ruins as well as some of the Baches still occupied by some of the original families. 

As for us, we have decided not to sail to Australia, so will fly there for a few weeks. We want more time in the tropics before we move onto Indonesia. As always……plans are ever changing to adapt to our whimsical lives. 🙂 

Sailing and experiencing beautiful Efate and Malehuka, Vanuatu

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in adventure

An amazing adventure in an among various small and big islands in Efate and Malehuka in Vanuatu. The highlight for us for sure were the genuinely kind and happy local people.

3 of the 7 women of Awei Village
Chief Serrano Awei

Sailing west from Fiji to Vanuatu on our beloved sailing home Kalea, we adventured through three island groups visiting numerous villages, meeting amazing people, and enjoyed some very special experiences. Lucky for us, Kathy’s brother Andrew joined us for 3 amazing weeks. We had some terrific snorkel days, saw some dugongs (like manatees) and had a great hike into the cocoa farms. Also lucky, that our good friends’, Jason and Candice (on SV Deguello) buddy boated with us the entire way. We are feeling blessed.

Headed into New Caledonia waters

Follow our tracks online below, as we soon head to New Caledonia, New Zealand, and next season back up to include Solomons, Papa New Guinea, and Indonesia.

https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/SV_Kalea/

The daily market, so much fresh produce!

Village children are the cutest! Fun game nights were had.

Bislama language of Vanuatu

  • Hello: Halo
    -Good bye: o revar
  • Thank you: Tangkyu
  • Yes: Yes
  • No: No
  • Good: Gud
  • Nice to meet you: Mi glad blong mitim yu
  • How are you?: Yu stap gud?
  • I don’t know: Mi no save
  • Thank you very much: Tangkyu tumas

Although there are more than 80 languages here in the Vanuatu islands, some English, we have been having fun with the common language of Bislama. It is creole like, so fairly easy to interpret. Bislama’s vocabulary is basically English, with influences from French and local languages.
Bislama language is important for Vanuatu’s culture as it ties the far off island villages together, also providing communication for young dating couples. Read the signs aloud, you’ll surely chuckle!

Volcano Eruption, Vanuatu

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in adventure

Vanuatu!!!!!! Holy cow, what a place, so far. We thought we had seen dense jungle and witnessed some unusual culture but Vanuatu shows us that there is so much culture and Geography to see. Tanna is the island we first stopped at. Home to some Cargo Cult religions which I will share more about later (Google “John Frum) and the most active Volcano in the South Pacific. We spent countless hours in the back of a truck exploring the island (no busses or rental cars here) culminating in a walk up to the caldera of Mt. Yasur Volcano.

Yasur is a Strombolian type of Volcano that has been active for hundreds of years. It sits on top of a subduction plate and vents regularly, ejecting large lava bombs and ash. Strombolian volcanos are continuously active scoria cones with frequent, mild eruptions.
Major eruptions happen but are very different than volcanos like Mount Saint Helen or the Hawaiian Volcanos.
Mount Saint Helen is a highly explosive Plinian type volcano and Hawaii is an Effusive Shield type with large explose lava flows. (Your geology lesson for the day)

Anyway, we got to walk up to the rim of Mt. Yasur yesterday and witnessed a very active scene. Heat, sulfur gas, explosions, flying hot stones and sharp terrain were in our face. Freaking crazy. This wasn’t on our bucket list but definitely one of the highlights of this cruising season. Hot natural springs and vents are also around the island. Even our anchorage had vents and hot water emitting around the rocks. Swimming around these vents is at your own risk, as the difference between 85 degree water and 180 degrees maybe only a few feet away. 😳

This is the first of 3 of 4 more islands as we move up the chain of Vanuatu.

Notes on Tanna;
-no Malaria on this island
-no trading with the locals but “gifting”
-cooler here but hotter as we move northward
-the Kava is damn strong 🤪
-the tree fruits here would support this islands population x 3
-islands are more similar to the Marquesas.
-the Chinese are here and working hard.🤔
-everyone is so darn happy and happy to see you (most appear to be more height/weight proportionate than other Pacific islanders)

We are “Citizens of the Sea”

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in adventure

🌏 As Scott and I travel and sail through the South Pacific Ocean, and enjoy all that the sea has to offer, we want to give back, scientifically speaking. We have found and paired up with an organization for testing these waters while on our passages. I am excited to say that our first sampling was just the other day on our sail west from Fiji to the small island country of Vanuatu.

🌎The Pacific has a vast expanse of marine ecosystems, and is a vital contributor to biodiversity and ecosystem health. From providing us oxygen through marine microbes to sustaining billions of people with seafood, we all know the ocean plays a crucial role in supporting life on Earth.

🌎“Citizens of the Sea” a Non profit from New Zealand, is on its second year spearheading efforts to bridge this knowledge gap. They have connected with us adventurous leisure sailors exploring island groups such as Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. There are 26 sailboats participating this year, and we are outfitted with special tools and apps for data collection. We gather environmental DNA by dragging this torpedo behind Kalea for a few minutes everyday while on offshore passages. Our mission is to help document the rich biodiversity of each region we sail through.

🌎 We, as sailor scientists are collecting this data to help the lab identify 1 billion DNA sequences from 600 samples across the Pacific Ocean. (Assisting this program provides data for only 10% of the cost of traditional ocean data acquisition.) We are proud to partake! 🌎

DNA samples and microscopic Copepods

Want to read more? Click link https://www.citizensofthesea.org/news/the-importance-of-biodiversity

California 2025, a very fulfilling and emotional trip.

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in Travel

A very full week for sure! 😁 It’s so terrific hanging out with our adult kids back in our home County; San Luis Obispo in California. A lot of wedding planning and shopping was done with our daughter Montana. So excited about her big day on the beach: September 20! ❤️ An amazing Wedding for Montana and her new husband Eddy in Cayucos, California. We are so happy they are happy. ❤️ Mr & Mrs. Lutz.

A letter from mother, Sue Krevitt- “Oh YESSSSS! It was sweet and beautiful and full of love … many families joining together in loving support for this sweet couple’s desire to marry, do what’s right (per our society’s need for this) according to their highest sense of it. Good for you two, Montana and Eddy! We all love you very, very much! Thank you for the experience of being at your Wedding On The Beach! We all clearly loved it!! And the three including (Matthew, 9 yrs, is very clearly part of this wedding!)”

It was such fun to have Sue do all the beautiful flower arrangements for the wedding!

Hanging out with some California friends was also good for the soul. Dinner with kids and friends; Hope, Chase and Zander was fun and fulfilling. We were thrilled to meet Derek’s girlfriend Nikki, even though she was hobbling on crutches. Really a great week overall. We even fit in doctor appointments and travel vaccines, Ug.

While Scott visited his Dad in El Paso Texas, enjoying family, friends and great streak houses, Kathy had a great California family time up in Santa Cruz. She always has a good time staying with her Mom and this time her brother Andrew. We even made a trip up to Huntington Lake, with Derek and Nikki, however it was quite smokey due to the Garnett fire.

My Bad Ass Diving Wife

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in Scuba Diving

Here’s to my bad ass wife that saves the day! We had anchored Kalea in a small bay in Fiji, only for the protection it would give us for a windy night. After this little storm (still blowing), the anchor was fouled up on rocks and we tried everything to get it free. Driving to the right then to the left and again. With the next weather heading in soon, coming from the opposite direction, we needed to move. Kathy donned the wetsuit and scuba gear and headed to the dark bottom below us (50’). She directs me at the helm to the proper locations to unwind the boat as she clears the 10mm chain that was wrapped three times around a rock. She is a good swimmer and reported that she always kept one eye up on the boat and props. I’m so happy to have a true partner out here. She is as capable and brave as they come. -Scott ❤️

Done!

Anchoring down in Kadavu, Fiji is another world class diving area. The variety of corals, the colorful soft corals, the geologic formations and the little tunnels to peek into. Just dreamy. A typical dive for us is 45 minutes at about 60 feet. Sometimes it’s a wall dive or a pinnacle dive or short swim through. It’s also a sailors dream, with protected anchorages all the way around the islands.

Kadavu Islands, Fiji

A bit more about Scuba Diving, if you are new to it. We love to snorkel and see most everything that way, but it’s sometimes not as clear or the sea life is 20 feet down. So Scuba it is. We understand and avoid nitrogen narcosis and decompression sickness, every time. Scott and I monitor our air supply and dive time a number of times during each dive. We also always make a safety stop during our ascent. I like to always make gradual descents, clearing my ears about every 8 feet. Scott is lucky as he learned (back in 1977) how to clear his ears hands free, by jutting his jaw forward, still with regulator in his mouth of course. We both learned in our scuba certification courses to always stay within safe depth limits, and if we go to 100 feet, we are only there for a few minutes, to maximize our length of dive.

On every dive we choose to have a whistle, an extra second stage regulator, dive computer and gauges, a glove, a knife, a surface marker buoy, a light, and a snorkel at the ready, as when we ascend we may need to swim a distance and don’t want to use our precious air. It’s essential for all divers to understand and take necessary precautions to have a safe diving experience.

Buddy diving with Candice
Soft coral
My favorite fish to date: Clown Trigger fish

Life on a Sailboat, Year 4 Begins

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in adventure, Sailing

The trade-offs for this amazing experience: smaller spaces, fewer conveniences, missing family and a level of unpredictability most people would never sign up for.

My life on a boat; the highs, lows and a few other oddities. It’s probably often that you see sailing posts and YouTube stories about all the glamorous aspects of sailing. But it’s important to know that it’s not all champagne sailing nor is it all that it seems to be. It’s tough at times. This month had amazing highs for me, but did have lows, and some tough lessons that I am grateful to have learned.

Most of you know me, I am an optimist. I trust the universe. I have conquered fear (to date, anyway). I don’t like to complain or be negative, ever! I look for the good in every tricky or uncomfortable situation. And, I always remind myself that 4 years ago I “chose” to live on a boat.

Life is a choice. So I will start with the lows, but painfully: Since we chose to visit the very remote Lau group of islands in Fiji, we chose to have 0 amenities off the boat. 0 restaurants, 0 stores, 0 taxis, 0 resources, and 0 gas stations….for 6 weeks. I am so grateful that Kalea provided so much comfort and safety, because the feeling of isolation, without any other option, does creep in. Cooking 3 meals a day x 42 days is 126 meals, straight.

Thats one thing, but food management is another. So I have to make my own yogurt, bread and grow sprouts. We also got quite low on dingy fuel, which created more time on the boat and less adventuring. We didn’t catch any fish. And lastly, we got attacked by mosquitoes and no see ums both in the jungle and on the boat. Enough of that! On to the highs!

Too many to count….The stunning beauty. The amazing friendships. My bread machine. The friendly Fijians. The clearests waters. Shell searching. Very little humidity. Yoga. My amazing husband. South beach Ogea. My best girlfriend, Candice. Bugspray, bug couls and bug screens. Happy hour with friends. Sprouts. Cookies. Adventuring. Sailing. Cruising with Sea Bella. Wingfoiling. Playing with the local children. Jokers and marbles. Helping fix the villagers sewing machine and generator. Bonfires. And lastly; KALEA!

This life isn’t about escape. It’s about alignment. It’s learning what really matters and building a life around that. And, I am so grateful cuz it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

We now head back into civilization again. A quick stop at Kadavu for some world class diving. Then to Musket Cove. Fiji. I am excited to say we fly to California soon for Montana’s wedding. This October we head to Vanuatu, December New Zealand, March Australia, June Indonesia. (Loose plans for now)

Venua Belava, aka Bay of Islands, Fiji.

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in Sailing

A quick photo dump of the beautiful Island of Venua Beluva, Fiji. We stayed a week, had some great hikes, dingy raft up, limestone caves, Scott’s 60th birthday, swims, and a bonfire with friends! Gorgeous! There are no homes around these parts due to the unforgiving landscape. The video below shows it all!

Fiji Villages, Customs, Chiefs and the Simple Life. (New video below)

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in adventure, Travel

Sailing to the outer islands of Fiji, we experience an entirely different way of life. The simple life. We get to participate in the Sevusevu experience with the village chief and spokesman. Typically, as we first anchor down our Catamaran in their lovely atoll bay, we pull the dingy up the beach to look around. In these outer barely populated islands, we are greeted by a village spokesperson. He reminds us of the proper clothing attire (Sulu skirt, no hats or sunglasses, and women are dressed covering to the elbows and knees. (We later learned that Christianity introduced this) 😊

Here in Faluga, we are directly escorted to the chiefs home. This is usually a simple hut, with tin sides, a woven coconut frond mat on the floor for sitting, open air windows, and a twin bed in the room. Kitchens and bathrooms are outdoors and often a shared area. We go inside, barefooted to see the Chief sitting cross legged on the floor. We show respect with an introduction. We give him a bundle of Kava root and the chief then gives us a blessing to stay in the bay as long as we wish and be part of the village. We all clap three times, I guess to seal the deal. We may also give some small items like reading glasses, a few clothes, or a simple sturdy toy for the children. He invites us to share ideas, local news and stories while we sit in a circle on the floor. We learn some facts about their village culture and history. We get to fish his waters, take coconuts, walk his beaches and explore the rain forest. 😊

Since Fijians are so friendly, we chat with everyone in Faluga that walks by. Everyone is barefooted and casually busy with their chore of the week which is usually assigned by the chief. Afterschool, the children are eager to play and goof around with us. I give a little girl a lollipop and a deck of cards. It’s amazing to experience the innocence of their casual and simple lifestyle. REFRESHING. Only simple paths connect the tin open air houses, the one church is framed with stucco siding as a safe place for all to gather during a cyclone. There are no roads, since there are no vehicles. Sand paths connect all the homes and gardens. There aren’t any refrigerators or freezers, or washing machines. There are 2 generators for all to share or rent. Gas for their few longboats and food staples are delivered once a month for all to buy into. Villagers either pay a few dollars or trade with their personal goods (fish, lobster, clams, beans, kassava…)

Faluga is a unique island, as the chief decided to assign each sailboat to a host family for the entirety of the stay. We are treated as family and often share meals (called Lovo, served on the floor, no utensils, drinks or napkins). We exchange ideas, laugh at our commonalities, talk about each others history or politics. This special time is so endearing and educational for both parties. Together we hike, collect coconuts, weave mats, and search the beach for clams.

Tie is our host, we walk to gardens and we pick cabbage, kassava and beans. We later explore the trails, school, church, and any historical area of the cave of bones, high in the hill. Tie has also arranged for us to go out on a spearfishing adventure with his cousins. A kava night has been arranged. We see some his brothers canoe at a sailboat selling fish and fruit. Tie takes us to the ladies’ handicrafts for us to admire, purchase or trade. I have bought baskets, jewelry, and special shells.
Thank you for reading this review of a Fiji village, in October we say goodbye to Fiji and head west to Vanuatu.