Mariner’s Cave

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We moved over to an anchorage near an area called the Coral Garden. We went over and anchored the dinghy in shallow water and then swam a couple hundred yards across a barren coral wasteland. I began to think we were in the wrong place, but we eventually reached the … Read More

Port Maurelle

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We returned to the Port Maurelle anchorage again. It has quickly become a favorite. A thin tan smile-shaped shoreline, mooring ball in shallower water, and nothing but calm protected water all around us. Passing the Picton Castle, a sail training ship for anyone from 18-40 years old who wants to … Read More

Swallow’s Cave

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Swallow’s Cave here in Vava’u, Tonga is a nice big cave whose entrance has broken off to allow us entry. There are other caves in the area that aren’t so easy to access, but with Swallow’s you can drive the dinghy right in. It’s about 60′ deep and in the … Read More

Tongan Waters

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Here in Vava’u there is always a new anchorage nearby to explore. It was nice to find one to anchor in shallow water again, though the holding was pretty poor. Fortunately, there was hardly any wind to contend with. We went out with a few friends for our first scuba … Read More

Kingdom of Tonga

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We arrived in the Kingdom of Tonga first thing in the morning and spent the last few miles making water to wash the boat. Nothing feels so good as having a salt-free boat as we drop anchor in a new spot after a passage. For those curious, this boat came … Read More

American Samoa to Tonga

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American Samoa has not really felt much like a tropical paradise. Since we’ve gotten here we’ve had almost nothing but high winds and rain. We are soooo over it at this point. Every dinghy ride to the town dock ends with salt-spray soaked clothes. This particular storm got frisky enough … Read More

Chaos

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Lowe is loving the strong winds. He pushes off the stays on one side of the boat and flies effortlessly around the back and over to the other side. He can do it with no wind, but with big winds it’s just so much more fun. I was talking with … Read More

Rainbows and Rubbish

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It rains in Pago Pago every day at some point. One of the peaks surrounding the harbor is even called Rainmaker Mountain. Usually, it’s a quick drizzle that passes before we even need to close the hatches. And quite often the result is a rainbow, or two, like this. Goofing … Read More

Pago Pago

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We got anchored and were ready to finally get some rest, but then realized that we needed to contact Port Authority and let them know we were here. They told us we’d have to come on over to the dock to get cleared in. In most countries, we arrive, fly … Read More

Bumfuzzle’s 20-Year Anniversary

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Twenty years ago today I wrote Bumfuzzle’s first blog post. I hit publish, and immediately four parents and maybe a sibling or two could follow us around the world. Remember the internet twenty years ago? I remember teaching myself how to use Microsoft FrontPage 2000 in order to design and … Read More

Moods

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The ocean has moods, and as sailors it is our job to anticipate them. We can choose to sit quietly during one of her calm periods, we can argue and ride out a bad mood with our anchor set, or we can run and try to get away from her … Read More

An Island to Oneself

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A bit of an ode to Tom Neale, who penned An Island to Oneself back in 1966 and no doubt inspired many thousands of cruisers to detour their milk run circumnavigations to include a stop here. Tom “marooned” himself three separate times in order to live alone and forge a … Read More