There and Back

For better, not worse; for richer and poorer; loved and cherished — we’re back. In just three days, we set sail for Vanuatu, but first, let me unpack those vows.

Better, not worse, because my knee is healing. Slow and steady as a tortoise, sure, but still worthy of a hearty “hell yeah.”

Richer and poorer, because we bought a camp in Maine. (For our Kiwi crew, think bach.) It’s a seasonal summer place to call home—and it’s magical. Family and friends share the lake. There’s easy access to trailheads, demolition derbies, and oversized ice cream cones. Clearly, tailor-made for us. Come visit. We insist.

Loved and cherished, by everyone we squeezed tight during our whirlwind trip Stateside. You always fill us up with what we need to go on.

Now that we’re committed, let’s review the week’s challenges. Despite his jet lag, Michael’s emergency repairs went well (windlass gypsy, watermaker, hookah). Not surprising, since we brought back all the necessary parts in our checked luggage, including a forty-pound motor. As I write this, the hookah is notably not going up in smoke while Michael scrubs Gerty’s hulls, undeterred by the thousands of sea lice wriggling around his wetsuit. Eeew!

Regardless of the ick factor, we’ll be shipshape in an hour. A southwest breeze is forecasted, and we’ve caught up with our favorite sailors. So why not haul anchor this afternoon?

The answer is drawbridge PTSD.

Apparently, in Fiji, one leaf opening fully while the other lifts almost all the way qualifies as “working just fine.” We beg to differ. Threading our rig through that agonizingly narrow opening—flanked on both sides by unforgiving jagged concrete—turned breathing into an afterthought. No thank you. We’ll never take that risk again. 

With a little help from our friends, we made it through, and soon enough we will raise the hook. We’ll wave goodbye to Musket Cove and head toward Vanuatu, chasing the sun, the moon, and the stars. Just not quite yet.

Last remarks:

• Thank you to our Great Pond family for making our new house a home. We can’t wait to spend the summers with you!
• Thank you to Bruse & Carine, SV Noxoma, and Carmen & Muddy Tom, SV Sauvage. We couldn’t have fended off that bridge without you!
• Clive & Antonia on SV Meitaki and Ralf & Wbeika on SV Flora- until we meet again—which we simply MUST do!