A life on the ocean waves

Anchored in Port Resolution, Tanna, Vanuatu 19 31.5S 169 29.7E Previous anchorage in Vanuatu: Amelghowat Bay, Anatom 20 14.3S 169 46.6E Today is our fifth day in Vanuatu.  We were all sad to leave Fiji, especially George, who is still seriously considering "becoming Fijian" when he grows up.  Several of the rally boats chose to stay for longer in Fiji, and will return to New Zealand from there, missing out Vanuatu and New Caledonia.  The fleet started with 39 boats and we are now down to a more sensible 23, which has meant saying goodbye to good friends, including several of the "kid boats".  As we sailed west towards Vanuatu we realised we knew very little about the place; we have various guide books, but hadn't read them before we arrived.  I'm pleased to say that after a few days in the country we now know the basic geography, history and culture, and we all love the place; George is already wavering on his commitment to Fiji and is now thinking of

Position: 19 00S, 174 46E En route from Vuda, Fiji to Anatom, Vanuatu (450 nautical miles) 255 miles to destination It's 0230 on the good ship Victoria and I'm half an hour into my second watch of the night.  I was a bit bleary eyed when my alarm went off at 0145, but am a little bit more awake now.  The weather so far has been very kind; we've been reaching along in light winds and flat seas, making 6-7 knots, although at times there is not quite enough wind so we use the engine to give us a helping hand.  There's a wonderful moon which is almost full, so the sea is lit up and we can see a lot on deck without needing a headtorch.  It's night two at sea, and so far tonight is going a lot better than last night, when Angus and I barely got any sleep at all; we spent most of the night with our heads in the engine compartment making good after some engine shenanigans.  It all started at 2330, just after I had gone to bed and was drifting off to the land of nod.  The en

Moored at Musket Cove Yacht Club, Malolo Island, 17 46.2S, 177 11.4E Places visited since previous blog: Yasawairara Bay, Yasawa Island, 16 42.5S, 177 39.4E Nabukero / Sawa-I-lau Island, 16 50.8S, 177 28.0E Blue Lagoon, 16 56.7S, 177 22.0E Manta Ray Bay, Drawaqa Island, 17 10.3S, 177 11.3E Nalauwaki Bay, Waya Island, 17 16.4S, 177 07.0E Navadra Island, 17 27.5S, 177 02.6E I have fallen asleep sitting in front of my laptop for the past three nights trying to start this blog.   It's f ive months since we left home, four months since we moved on to the boat, and two months since we set sail from New Zealand, and Angus and I are exhausted! I think the cause is a combination of visiting lots of places, squeezing in endless activities and fun every day, and meeting the seemingly constant needs and demands of our three darling children plus the good ship Victoria, from the moment we wake up until the second our weary heads hit the pillow.   In some respects,